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If the numbers declared post the nationwide annual survey held by a prominent recruitment surveyor is anything to go by, than a wind of magnificent economical change is in order. Shaking and breaking the age-old corporate belief that has been weighing down the hiring system, this pleasant revelation is ready to set sail and change the face of how on-campus and fresh recruitments will be perceived and practiced. So, for those still wondering what’s the big reveal is, here we go - standing prim and proud at second position, E-commerce sector, is this year’s hottest and most promising corporate job avenue. It has secured the ‘most-preferred job sector for 2014’ title by dethroning last year’s hot favourites like the financing and consulting sector.

For those of whom E-commerce is a foreign term, here’s what it means - E-commerce is a commercial terminology used to describe any business that is hosted, aided or conducted over the Internet, the online medium. These online businesses are run using applications that solely rely on the Internet such as electronic mail, snail mail, instant messaging (IM), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), online shopping, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), web portals, services and Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI). The business format in terms of E-commerce could be either – business to business (B2B), business to customer (B2C) or transmission of goods, services, data and funds.

Opening up a world of opportunities for all the fresh-out-of high-end B-school students and young Internet geeks, E-commerce has overthrown popular job avenues like management consultancy, Information technology, software and the likes to score the second slot.

The first in this list being the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, E- commerce has become the latest rage following the boom in the online shopping sector nationally and internationally. According to this astounding revelation by the eMarketer surveyor, E-commerce sector a.k.a the Internet industry has emerged as the fastest growing sector to cross the 1 trillion US Dollar mark. With most of the growth in this zone expected to be scored from the Asia- pacific region, India is today in the epicentre of this boom. All kudos to today’s net-savvy consumer base, with shopping preferences shifting from the physical medium to an online platform, the pace of this upward trajectory is only expected to soar higher. In the coming years the worldwide E-commerce prospect is forecasted to swell over 20%, which means it will be crossing the whopping 1.5 trillion Dollar mark soon.

Why?

Though the uncertainty in the economic climate and the dwindling job market hasn’t quiet settled yet, it sure hasn’t seemed to deter the young MBA graduates from risking to start their career with a new avenue like E-commerce. Experts opine that the reason for this trend is the fact that E-commerce jobs allow these newbies to practice and participate in a start-up environment. Wanting to eventually start their own business in future being a common trait among today’s premium b-school toppers, the opportunity to learn and partake in a new-set up is what’s luring them to E-commerce. So, for those looking to start their own enterprise and don the entrepreneurial hat, Ecommerce is said be the perfect launch-pad.

Though initially job security and market sustainability was a point of concern for many students, they slowly seem to be realising now that these job profiles offer larger mediums to make an impact, gain experience and prove one’s mettle than any other established sector.

Where?

So, if not through a solid campus recruiter facility, where can a new management graduate start looking to earn a solid entry into this booming E-commerce industry? Here’s where - an already established dotcom firm like Ebay and Amazon would be a good place to start. Recent E-commerce start ups in the country like Snapdeal, Jaboong, Myntra and the likes have also been handing out promising job opportunities. According to the Neilson survey, there has been a staggering 50 per cent increase in the number of such start-up companies hiring this season.

What?

Let’s take a look at the qualities a management student would require to possess in order to make it big in this sector. According to bigwig recruiters like Amazon and Ebay, the primary trait an E-commerce firm or an employer looks for in the candidate is well-rounded technical knowledge along with solid security skills. Given the volume of commercial online interaction involved in such businesses, security is a big aspect. Along with that companies also look for students with a keen eye for online details and a knack for multi-channel activities in terms of online marketing and interaction.

BUDDING MANAGERS

MAY 2014 ISSUE