Tarini Mohinder, general manager, Ignitee Digital Solutions Pvt Ltd gives an overview of the digital industry and how it is doing presently

1) Please give us an overview of the industry and how it is doing presently.
The digital industry is one of the major contributors to the economic growth of the country. The slowdown hasn’t affected the digital medium at all. As the marketing budgets are under the scanner, people are turning to more accountable and cost effective mediums.

2) Can you describe the current employment trends in your industry?
The roles in the digital media industry are quite specific and require specific skill sets. As the industry is growing, there is a need to hire evolved professionals. Infact, to cater to this, we have launched our Internship program called ‘Ignition’. It’s a 10 month program that gives interns a chance to work in all areas of the digital medium and then specialise in the division they have the most aptitude for. The promising aspect of the program is that we guarantee jobs with leading organisations.

3) What kind of career prospects can professionals look for in this industry?
There are a whole host of career opportunities for professionals in this industry. They stem from being techies to creative individuals.

In a nut shell, the different departments that a digital marketing agency has to offer are: Client Servicing and Business Development, Technology, Search and Social Media Marketing, Strategy, Creative and Media Planning.

4) What are the recruitment processes that you use to employ talent for your organisation?
We hire through internal referencing. We also hire entry level professionals through campus placements and recruitment partners.

5) What are some of the challenges that HR professionals face in this industry?
The environment today is extremely competitive and as the industry is growing, the need for highly specialised talent has dramatically increased, leading to an imbalance in the demand-supply ratio.

The major challenge is finding the ‘Right Talent’, in terms of a good fit with the organisation culture and skill sets. This is one of the most important reasons for us to launch ‘Ignition’, our Internship programme. We realised there is need for creating skilled manpower for this industry.

6) Please tell us about the special HR practices which your organisation has adopted in order to motivate your employees and retain them.
We believe in maximising the participation of employees in process improvement activities and in transparency and communication.

Having cross functional training helps and is instrumental in developing varied skill sets and providing career development opportunities. It has to be a value proposition for any person who joins the organisation.

7) What are some of the traits and qualifications you look for in the people you hire?
Commitment towards work, being proactive, leadership qualities for managers and above, and last but not least, creativity.