"The jobs are everywhere in India. I don’t see any window of opportunity closed in India for positions in the product domain,” emphatically declares Manish Dixit, Senior Manager, CSG, Sun Microsystems (India). Many returnees endorse this view. There are various sides to this recent ‘brain gain’ from the U.S. to India. Indian returnees from the U.S. have a chequered story to tell.

What awaits returnees in India?
Returnees can fill the gap in India as there is talent lacking in the product development space. Earlier support roles were moving to India but now product development roles like product architect, manager, senior technical leader, engineers, engineering manager, director-level positions are coming here.

India has many software architects but the role of technical leadership in the product industry is a vacuum. Returnees with the right experience can fill this vacuum. The skill sets required out of returnees in this sector would be considerable product experience, familiarity with projects done in J2E, .NET and skills in product architecture.

In the U.S. those opting for a technical career can be comfortable with specializing in coding but it is a different story in India where the tech social system demands you to get managerial claws to carve your career to higher echelons. Hence U.S. trained software soldiers with experience on the offshoring business to India along with people management skills, can do very well in India. “A good trait among Indians is that they share ideas and hence the learning in India is much faster,” praises Dixit.

Assets of Returnees
Creativity and innovation are essential ingredients to make a success in this line but unfortunately they can’t be taught but only experienced. “You don’t get detailed specs within the product arena on what and how to do, this is basically generated from long experience and hence returnees have the cutting-edge skills to apply,” points out Joga Ryali, Vice-President, Development, India Technology Center, Computer Associates.

Another valuable asset that returnees bring is that since they were more close to the customers back in the U.S. they find customer interaction much easier to handle than their Indian counterparts once they shift to India.

Joseph Joy, Development Manager, Microsoft Research India believes “The most important aspect that a returnee who was in the U.S. for five plus years brings to the organization he joins in India is the work ethic and leadership qualities.”

Decision to return decided.
What next?
Target specific companies in India and research them. Don’t aim in the dark. Try to talk to the people there without letting them know that you are considering the company in question for employment to get a fair analysis of what it has to offer. Enquire about the responsibilities that go with each role.

Enquire about the benefits and pay structure, which though important should come last in your list, as job satisfaction is the criterion for judgment. “An Indian in the U.S. aiming to return to India should make a few visits to India before moving out.

The visits should be made fruitful where one should talk to prospective employers, find about legal issues relating to transition, talk to peer groups about work culture and attend seminars or conferences to gauge the work palette in India to map the future of one’s career,” advices Purnendu Sinha, Senior Research Scientist, Philips Research, Bangalore.

Along with roses come thorns
Hesitations faced by brooding probable returnees veer on the financial side. The 1:44 dollar-rupee ratio doesn’t make things any easier. The stronger rupee is shelving plans of returning for many. But money should not be taken as the sole criterion for not moving; there are many other things to be gained in India like warmth of near and dear ones, which is priceless.

The same hefty wallet is not practical in India but many agree that with the salary obtained in India a very comfortable life can be led with respect to purchase power parity.

If you are joining a multinational in India with which you were associated back in the U.S. then that’s an advantage because it is easier to negotiate for almost the same salary as given to you in the U.S.

If you have decided to return to India go for it, as India is no less substantial than the U.S. “Move back to India not with the mindset that you have a lot to offer but that you have a lot to learn,” says Dixit in essence.