The Covid-19 pandemic gave an altogether new direction to HR & Recruitment space in India. Companies across almost all verticals have now resorted to rapid workforce expansion in order to get back the momentum that was lost due to the pandemic. As a result, the industry is witnessing a significant growth trajectory in recent times. Given the massive scope HR & Recruitment industry offers, we are witnessing the emergence of a large number of business leaders in this segment who are gaining widespread prominence due to their profound expertise and knowledge of the market. One such leader who has created a niche for herself in the industry through her vast domain experience and exceptional leadership skills is Sejal Darji, the Founder of Blueberry Resume Consulting. Women Entrepreneur recently got the opportunity to interact with Sejal about various aspects of her leadership journey so far, along with insights about her company. Below are the excerpts of the exclusive interaction.

Tell us about your educational and professional background so far.

I completed my Masters in HR Management from Pondicherry University, where I became familiar with various facets pertaining to the HR domain such as  Organizational Behavior, Industrial Relations, Change Management, HR Accounting, MIS, Management Concepts, and Leadership Theories. I started my career as a Profile Analyst at Odesk in 2011, post which I joined 1st Allbest Human Resources as its Sr. Resume Writer. Later, I joined The Ian Martin Group as its Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist and then moved on to Integrated Resources as its Sr. Life Science recruiter. My life took a completely different turn during the covid pandemic when I was faced with a professional setback, due to which I resigned from my job and took up an Executive Program in Leadership & Change Management from IIM Raipur. This has been one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life, as I got to learn many aspects pertaining to leadership that have helped me immensely in my journey so far. Overall, I possess over a decade of experience in the recruitment space for domestic, APAC, and US companies.

 "No matter what challenges i had to face, i have always been able to leverage my past experience & deliver results that exceed clients’ expectations"

Tell us about Blueberry Resume Consulting. Also, how has your industry experience enabled you to lead your company from the front and grow yourself as a business leader?

Blueberry is a Leadership Resume Building and Career Coaching Entity specializing in drafting resumes using keyword optimizing strategies to ensure that every job aspirant gets an opportunity to project themselves in the best possible way with the recruiters. Additionally, the company also offers a host of other services that include LinkedIn Profile Write-up, Writing Cover Letters, Interview Prepping, Power Point Presentation Preparation, and Matrimonial Bio Data Preparation, to name a few. The profound experience in screening, shortlisting & writing a resume that I garnered during my stints with various companies has played a prominent role in Blueberry’s growth journey so far. No matter what challenges I had to face, I have always been able to leverage my past experience and deliver results that exceed clients’ expectations. Both candidates and recruiters hold us in high regard due to the quality of resumes that we provide, and we have even received a bonus amount as a thankful gesture for doing so. I am proud to say that we have even helped individuals get placed with Fortune 500 companies and earn up to Rs. 70 lakh annual salary in recent times.

Give us your views on women taking-up entrepreneurship in recent times.

I personally feel that although Indian society is male-dominated, women have always been a step ahead of their male counterparts. I am a strong proponent of the fact that women have entrepreneurship qualities naturally entrenched within them, as we can see a lot of women working in a diverse variety of jobs to support their families and to support quality education for their kids. No matter what line of work they are into, they are always loyal, punctual, and hardworking – the qualities of a true business leader/entrepreneur!

What is your advice to budding entrepreneurs and individuals aspiring to be future HR leaders?

My advice to upcoming entrepreneurs is to create as much awareness as possible among the youth to stay in India and contribute towards making it a ‘developed country’. If they are even a little successful in this endeavor, then India will definitely emerge as one of the strong forces in the global economy. I also want to urge H1b visa aspirants to stay back in the country and drive the ‘Make in India’ initiative from the front and be a part of the upcoming economic revolution that India will be undergoing in the near future.

Sejal Darji, Founder, Blueberry Resume Consulting

Sejal boasts of a 12-year-long career during which she has worked with Odesk, 1st Allbest Human Resource, The Ian Martin Group, and Integrated Resources, prior to establishing Blueberry in 2019. Additionally, she has also worked as an Independent BPO Recruiter for leading BPO companies to supply Call Centre Agents, Customer Care Executive, and Process Executives.

• QUICK FACTS:

Academic Qualification: Christ College - Masters in Human Resource Management IIM (Raipur) - Executive Program in Leadership and Change Management

Business Leaders you Admire: Sundar Pichai and Ratan Tata