KPO, as the name suggests, refers to outsourcing of knowledge-driven processes such as equity research,
financial research, legal processes, marketing analytics, clinical research and so on.
KKPL provides opportunities to graduates; post graduates; Ph Ds; etc.;
in engineering, management, law, statistics, economics, accounting, and, biological sciences, to name a few;
apart from opening its doors to Arts, Science, and Commerce graduates.
A Nasscom report predicts that the KPO market would grow to US $17 billion by 2010, of which US $12
billion (~70 per cent) would be outsourced to India.
A UK-based research firm predicts that by 2010, around 250,000 people would be required to handle
the projected US $12-billion worth of KPO businesses in India.
A recent report indicates that outsourcing of legal processes alone benefits about 700 Indian
law firms working in high-end areas such as patent application drafting, or, writing software license
agreements.
Taking the example of financial analytics and equity research roles — KKPL job description for such a role would include the following :
- Analytical, conceptual and interdisciplinary thinking
- Fundamentals of Finance, Accounting and Financial Analysis
- Experienced in interpreting research reports
- Good knowledge of Microsoft Office and the Internet
- Command over the English language
Some of the critical personality traits KKPL is looking at include :
- Pro-active with an intrinsic drive for service excellence and efficiency
- Emotionally robust and used to working under pressure
- Strong team player
Whereas communication skills are an essential pre-requisite for any job today, depth of
subject knowledge ensures one’s ability to perform. At the same time, one needs to be adaptable
and open to continuous learning.
For example, handling equity research assignments for the US stock markets not only needs command
over subjects such as Finance and Economics, but an understanding of the changing face of business
realities like the US sub-prime crisis.
The essential skills for a successful career in KKPL would be a good mix of communication skills;
analytical abilities; and, domain knowledge.
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