Deependra
Singh Sengar, 38, IMA, IIM Ahmedabad
Previous
career:
Major in the Indian Army
Salary in previous job:
Rs 30,000 a month
Age at career switch:
32 years
Reason for
quitting: Physical
disability
Current career:
CEO,TMI First
Present salary: Quite
comfortable
Transferable skills:
Organisation management
Career outlook: “Take
up challenges”
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Deependra Singh
Sengar is
a classic case study of how sheer will power can be the cornerstone of a man’s success. Seriously injured
during the Kargil war, Sengar, a major in the Indian Army, did not let
physical disability come in the way of a successful corporate career. Where
most would have depended upon Army pension to lead a comfortable middle-class
life or move to a non-combat posting in the Army, Sengar decided to use his
skills and talent to return to normal life.
Today, as the chief executive officer of TMI First, a recruitment firm with a
focus on freshers, Sengar claims he is “stronger both physically and financially”.
Like a true soldier he fought his personal demons and has come out a winner. For someone
who had always dreamt of being a soldier, graduating from the National
Defence Academy in 1990 at the age of 20, was a momentous occasion. But nine
years later, Sengar’s dream of a successful career in the Army was
shattered with
severe injuries during the Kargil war.
“I knew I would never be able to lead from the front. It hurt more than the
wounds,” says Sengar,
who has received 12 medals for outstanding service. The doctors doubted if he
could ever walk because of the bullet injuries to his leg and hip joint.
Overcoming hurdles:
It was also the time when he had to take the decision of whether to remain in
the Army. “It was difficult. I knew I couldn’t
return to my parachute regiment and active combat duty. And I didn’t relish the
prospect of a desk job in the Army. I had to decide on a career switch,”
he says.
As a first step, he decided to hone his IT skills, but an ex-officer advised
him to pursue a management course, as it would help utilise the
organisational skills he had picked up in the Army. Studying for the Common
Admission Test (CAT) to management institutes was not an easy start. “I
was totally out of touch with academics and I could not sit,” says Sengar, who
was put on
traction.
“I put in eight hours a day from the hospital bed revising basic maths. A nursing
assistant sent his 12-yearold son to help me. I picked up calculation tips
from him,” he recalls. Six months later, on crutches, he took the exam. Hard work paid dividends
and Sengar cleared CAT in 2000. Joining IIM Ahmedabad was another dream come
true.
“Physically, it was a challenge as I was just out of the hospital. Sitting through
regular classes and then the long hours of group work took its toll and
within two months I was beset with multiple physical problems,”
he says.
Lehman Brothers chose him for their summer internship programme in Tokyo.
This proved to be a blessing in disguise. Not only did he get to work with a
global investment bank, he also underwent intensive acupuncture therapy
during the two months he spent in Tokyo.
Though Sengar managed to get a job even before the final placement season
began, it wasn’t exactly easy. He realised that over-qualification or
experience could also be deterrents to one’s growth. “There were moments
of disappointment as most companies were looking for candidates with not more than
two years of experience,” he says.
He joined pharma giant Dr Reddy’s Laboratories in Hyderabad as a manager,
learning and development. His profile was to create training programmes for
the top 100 people of the company. The next two years saw him shift from the
somewhat theoretical to the practical aspects of human resource (HR) development.
By 2004, he was an associate director, heading HR operations of a business
unit.
Sengar’s tips for a career shift
Assess your existing skills first.You should aim at
enhancing them before embarking on a move
Choose a job profile that best utilises your capabilities and opens new
opportunities
An organisation should be able to arm you with growth and learning
opportunities
Don’t remain in a job that’s no longer challenging
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Dealing with change “There was a lot of
coping up with the changes in my career. There is big difference between the work
culture in the Army and in a corporate,” he says.
And, as he admits, he missed the camaraderie that’s prevalent
in the Army. “But IIM had prepared me well for the transition,” he says. “And my stint in
the Army had
prepared me for rigour.” After two-and-a-half years, Sengar decided he
wanted a more
challenging job. And in 2005, when business process outsourcing company
Genpact offered him the post of assistant vice-president, he took it up.
“The choice before me was to remain in my comfort zone or to take up something more
challenging. Genpact offered the latter as its core business was
people-oriented,” he says.
Within a year, there was another change in the offing. At one of the IIM
alumni meets, he got an offer to head a start-up—TMI
First. “Heading a start-up comes with unique challenges and I guess that’s why
it’s so exciting,” he says.
Since the company aims at connecting education to employment and is in the
area of recruitment of freshers, Sengar gets to interact with the youth,
which he finds refreshing. “We are now focusing on rural
employment and also
working with different government and non-governmental organisations for
increasing employability,” he says.
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