“Your Career Advisor” is responding this week to:

• Is my veil (hegab) limiting my career opportunities? (b)
• Why would anyone want to hire me? (d)
• Should I reveal the truth about my current employer? (b)
• How can I move into an HR job (e)
• How to go about becoming a consultant so early in my professional life?(d)
• I am scheduled for my first ever job interview, what to do? (b)

All reasonable questions related to careers, skill development or employment related issues – sent to advisor@skill-link.com - would be addressed in this section every week.

Q1: Is my veil (hegab) limiting my career opportunities?

I have a question I want to pop up: Is a veiled woman not capable to perform as much as a non-veiled one?

This has become a real problem facing me...

I graduated last year from Cairo University's Faculty of Economics & Political Sciences (English Section); my English is very good, so are my PC skills and my character. That is not my personal opinion, but the opinion of the interviewers I met with.

I usually pass the initial tests and the interviews and when it comes to the final assessment conducted by the senior manager he just refuses to see me because I am veiled. I care very much about my looks and my appearance, I think there is no difference between me and any other good looking girl except for the short veil that I wear on my head.

My moral is really down; I used to search for job vacancies of administrative assistant or secretary, as no economists are wanted unless they have a Ph.D. or something.

Please tell me what to do..
.
K. H. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Miss. H.

" Pop-Up "?! That is a first for "Your Career Advisor", among the hundreds of messages we receive. Interesting expression J

Actually you "popped up" two questions, not just one.

Let us start with the "veil" issue. The veil became so widely used by females of various age groups and social backgrounds, that it is not just associated with a very strictly religious person as it used to be. Twenty five years ago, before you were born, a small percentage of women in Egypt wore the veil, and a significant segment of them were elderly women. Not, any more. Social norms have changed, adherence to religion and in for some, having lived in the Arab Gulf states for long periods made them adopt the veil. Regardless of why, it is part of a "conservative" outfit, which in no way should have a negative implication on intelligence, professionalism, hard work or other work related capabilities.

Recruitment, is a people choice, it is not mathematics or physics, hence the decision making process - right or wrong - differs and tends to be more subjective than objective. In our experience, some companies prefer (or sometimes insist) to recruit veiled females. Other organizations do exactly the opposite; they would rather not (or insist not) hire veiled females. Even the state (the Government of Egypt) has some unwritten rules in this aspect; for instance while you will find hundreds of thousands of veiled government and public sector female employees, they are not allowed in certain jobs. Good examples will be TV announcers and Egypt Air hostesses. In the private sector, you will find in certain fields veiled women are not welcomed: hotels, tour operators, advertising agencies, restaurants etc… However these are exceptions, in most companies you will step in, you will find veiled and unveiled women.

We are not really sure, that being veiled was the reason you do not get offers out of your interviews, if what you described in your message was accurate. Why? Because it does not make sense for the first interviewer to recommend you for a second interview (with a more senior person) if he/she knows you are veiled and that more senior person does not prefer to hire veiled women. So maybe you should not be overly sensitive about this issue, and focus on how to become more "interesting" to potential employers and how to really "impress them" during interviews. Arabs in general are not straightforward and open when it comes to say "no" or rejecting someone (an applicant), we know this for a fact.

Anyhow, to avoid further disappointment on that front, you may wish to attach a personal photo to your applications, this way you are sure the potential interviewer is aware you are veiled, and also presentable and smart looking. In skill-link.com, our Recruitment Specialists working with companies to fulfill their recruitment needs always check with the companies about the "veil" issue so as not to waste or disappoint anyone from the start.

So, in a nutshell, no, being veiled is not a major hurdle, it is a minor inconvenience for a relatively limited number of jobs or for certain sectors.

Your second question is tricky, it is well known that "economists" are not in high demand… only a few - outside academia and research centers - are usually needed. Hence thousands of graduates with degrees in economics end up working in unrelated fields. For academia and research centers, obviously those with advanced degrees and a publishing track record are better appreciated, and they are available. You should have known that before enrolling in the Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences (as opposed to Commerce or other). This does not mean you cannot work in this particular field - by the way you did not mention if you are really fond of it or not. Research centers need assistant researchers, foreign embassies in Cairo hire junior research officers for their Commercial and Economic Affairs departments, media channels (newspapers, magazines etc…) appreciate those with some political science and economic background. Similarly, there are associations and other NGOs (non government organizations) that deal in developmental projects, export promotion, social development, micro enterprise support etc… that may require someone with a background in economics.

While, we are usually not very hot on pursuing post-graduate degrees, preferring hands on work experience, in your case, if you are really keen on a career in the field of economics, a Masters degree may be useful. Work on further improving your English and on reading, you may wish to apply for a British Council Chevenning scholarship or similar (eg. the Ford Foundation scholarship, the Sawiris Foundation scholarship); these were all announced during the last few months on skill-link.com.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Q2: Why would anyone want to hire me?

I am still a very fresh graduate, I should receive my Bachelors degree in Commerce from Ain Shams University when my final results appear next month. I am completely lost, I don't know how and where to start building my career. I also wonder if company or employer would choose to recruit a fresh graduate like me?

I know I am still in the very first step of my professional life, and that it is normal to be unemployed for a certain period, but what is the way and what should be done to be ready when the time come?

English courses......................OK, I am working on it!

Computer courses ....................OK, I am also working on it!

is that all?????????????

I considered becoming a CMA (Certified Management Accountant) but I am afraid to start on it now because of one main reason, when you complete the exams for a 4 parts you are required to submit a certificate that proves you fulfilled the required 3 years of experience within a period of three years. How can Ii guarantee this will happen?

Is it right to think that because I am "fresh" now and unemployed so my ability to study is at its maximum? or should I just wait for some time till I am employed somewhere so I am on the safe side?

Please help me.

O. S. M. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Miss. M.

It is not a matter of being on the safe side! since in your case there are no unsafe or dangerous sides... the CMA is not the issue here, however before we proceed with discussing your message, we must state that one does not obtain a CMA to frame the certificate and hand it behind his/her desk or in the living room, what counts is what one learns from it (the additional knowledge acquired and the skills developed). If these cannot be demonstrated on the job, then it is only a nice sentence on your CV, that is it.

Now back to your message, you raised a number of issues:

Why would any organization want to recruit a fresh graduate? Well for many reasons:

• The main one is economic. Organizations would normally tend not to employ expensive resources to perform tasks that less expensive ones could undertake with reasonable success. In this case the "resource" is employees, the more senior or experienced the staff person, the more expensive he/she usually is. So for instance, a company would rather have an experienced and qualified financial professional dedicate a significant part of his/her time to developing budgets, cash flow planning, bank negotiations etc… as opposed to filling accounting vouchers and posting the entries on a PC based application.
• Organizations also need additional manpower as they grow, and people accept the fact that employees will need to acquire skills, knowledge and experience. They start young and grow with the organization (some will leave along the way and other will progress to become managers and general managers).
• Some tasks and job duties may seem interesting and exciting to a fresh graduate, but a few years down the road would bore him/her to death, hence the need to find junior staff to perform them. Take a bank teller for example, when he/she starts on this job, he/she is very excited to receive customer deposits or process cash withdrawals, verifying the customer signature and balance. After a while, one outgrows the job, he/she would like more responsibilities … hence becoming a branch assistant manager, an operations supervisor or a credit officer etc…
• A final reason exists in a limited number of smart organizations that have their own culture, methods and ways of doing things. Such entities prefer to hire fresh graduates who have not been negatively affected by other work practices and experiences ( kottat meghamada) to provide them with the "correct" formation from the start. In other words mold them the way they want.

The above was to answer your first question. As to how you should be ready to "hit the ground running" in your career … there is no easy answer for that…. One reason is you did not mention to us, what you really want to do? Work in accounting, sales, secretarial jobs, tourism etc…? Each profession or job category requires its own readiness…. There are general things to do of course, and you have mentioned two key ones : English and computers. We may advise you to fine tune these a bit, therefore in "English" what you really need to develop is English communication (report writing, business correspondence etc…), since it is directly related to most jobs. With regards to computers, we believe you mean here PC skills and not information technology, you must obviously become competent in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and similar applications.

Again, what you want to do (work in) will guide any further development you should pursue. If we have to comment about the CMA, we believe it would be more relevant to you after one or two years in an accounting or finance related job. However, if you want to go for it, it will never hurt, at least you will have a reason to sit and study and learn new things.

We believe it is very important for you to constantly develop your general knowledge and awareness of events around you, through reading newspapers daily and a number of magazines, visiting useful web site that provide lots of information free of charge, and maintaining a target of reading at least one book per month (check some of those we present in the "Book Review" section of skill-link.com's "Interest Zone". This will enhance your chances in job interviews, will make you smarter in identifying which employers to go after, and more importantly will hopefully turn you into a more resourceful professional advancing rapidly in her career. We are not being theoretical here, but reflecting our extensive observations and experience. Take for example two young graduates interested in working in accounting & finance:

• one knows very little beyond what he/she retained in university (usually not much) and the latest movies and songs just released in the market;
• the other is aware that a new tax law is being proposed to the parliament, knows a bit about the problems in the banking sector and what laws and regulations are being issued to tackle them, knows something (regardless how limited) about financial disclosure requirements for companies listed on the stock exchange, read a few articles and watched a few serious TV programs about export incentives, trade liberalization and the creation of new "Special Economic Zones" in Egypt. Also he/she through regular media following is reasonably aware of what sectors are booming, and which ones are facing difficult times, what areas are foreign investments coming to Egypt focusing on, which multinational is setting operations in Egypt etc….

Which of the two job seekers, identical in university degree, age and social background has a much better chance with his / her job hunt and career?

As you said in your message, one acquires more skills at a young age. Now you have more time for reading and participating in other learning venues compared to when you are twenty years older, busy attending to a family and with a job with pressing responsibilities.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Q3: Should I reveal the truth about my current employer?

I am an engineer in my mid thirties, after graduation and completing my military service, I worked for a number of industrial companies in various production and quality related positions. I am currently looking for another job because the company I work in is facing serious financial problems. Consequently, I did not receive my salary for six months!

When I am invited to sit for an interview, the interviewer always asks me why do I want to leave my current job. In my opinion, if I reveal the truth, I may lose the job because the interviewer will think that I'm revealing confidential matters about my employer; or, I may be offered a lower salary because I'm in need.

Please advise me whether to tell the truth about the company's financial position or not.

Thank your for your help and co-operation

T. S. (Giza)

Replying:

Dear Mr. S.

You did not get paid for 6 months? That is upsetting and definitely frustrating…. We sincerely hope - four your sake and your family's - that you come out of this unfortunate situation very soon.

Your question is very valid. It is always advisable to tell the truth… However, it does not need to be "the whole truth" and "nothing but the truth" as they say in American TV courtroom drama. What we mean is state that the market conditions are not very favorable and you know it is negatively affecting your current employer, hence you are exploring other opportunities, where you will be more stable, while at the same time gaining new experience and better chances to grow. As you see, all what you would have said would be 100% true… there is no need to dwell on the fact that the company is in deep trouble and you have not been paid for months…. It will not help, on the contrary it may reveal you are desperate, and some "unfair" recruiters may want to take advantage of you - as you said - by offering you unfavorable employment terms (salary, position, working hours etc…).

So, yes mention the headlines of the truth. This will not be revealing confidential information, you are not discussing here a particular deal, confidential client pricing, or how the company is cheating the tax authorities etc…

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Q4: How can I move into an HR job?

I am a female graduate of Cairo University's Faculty of Arts, the English Language & Literature Department in the mid nineties; prior to that I obtained my high school certificate from an Arab Gulf state.

I have around 8 years of experience in a number of jobs, predominantly in marketing, sales, customer service and office management. However, according to the market in Egypt and my intention to switch careers I began to study human resources management at the American University in Cairo (AUC).

I need your help to find out how I can apply what I am studying. I need to join a company that appreciates the value of human resources (HR).

M. E. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Ms. E.

Let us comment on a statement you made, why are you saying "according to the market in Egypt my intention is to switch to HR"? While companies and other establishments need HR professionals, it is not the job most in demand. There are vacancies for a variety of roles and positions, we would not say human resources is in the top 5. Sales is of course the # 1 position in demand, at various seniority levels.

Now with your experience and at your age bracket, you are definitely not an "entry level" person. The good news is that HR is not one of those fields in which a professional must start in at the beginning of his / her career and progress in. For example it is much more difficult for a person who worked in sales and/or customer services for 8 to 10 years to suddenly move into an accounting job. In HR, where there are of course those who started right after graduation, others evolve into that role. People in marketing, sales, administration or secretarial jobs have moved into HR roles. Just for your information, the HR Director of Vodafone (interviewed in the skill-link.com's Interest Zone - Close Up on Professions Section a few months ago) started in technical jobs, moved to marketing and around twenty years down his career paths became an HR manager. Similarly, the HR manager of National Societe Generale Bank, previously held regular banking jobs in the Corresponding Banking department.

In our opinion, having a diversified background before moving into HR could be beneficial, since the person gets a better appreciation and understanding of what employees face in various departments and how recruitment, motivation, training and staff development are really important and can make or break an organization.

You took a first right step by enrolling in an HR course, probably leading to a certification. Continue reading in that field and draw a list of those companies you may be interested to join, to start applying to them. You may also wish to join the Egyptian Human Resources Management Association (EHRMA), they have useful activities, a newsletter and more importantly they hold monthly events where you will get to meet HR managers from various companies, knowing them may open some employment doors for you in that field.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Q5: How to go about becoming a consultant so early in my professional life?

I am a young female, recently graduated from a Faculty of Commerce (Accounting Section).

I need to build my experience. How about consulting? which fields? and how can I develop in my skills to get there?

In relation to the above, what are the main courses I have to enroll in?

N. A. (Qena )

Replying:

Dear Miss A..

Consulting is a vast field, with diversified areas of specialization even under the broad headline of business, there are financial consultants, marketing consultants, human resources consultants, recruitment consultants, PR (public relations) & communication consultants, general management consultants etc…

Hence, they each require a different experience and skill set. There are of course general characteristics of a consultant's job, such as very strong analytical skills, advanced communication capabilities (report writing, presentations, meetings etc..) and the ability to learn quickly and work hard. In consultant should be smart and able to get things done through others. It is also expected by clients that consultants should be experienced in their field.

As per the above, you will find that in most cases, professionals move into consulting after a number of years of work experience, when they become more mature, business smart and knowledgeable in their field. For instance, some of the good marketing consultants in Egypt are in their mid to late thirties they moved to consulting after 10 to 15 years of working in regular marketing and advertising jobs in large companies or multinationals. Others were senior executives in large businesses and decided for one reason or the other to have their own business, for example a Human Resources Director of a large pharmaceutical company, became an HR Consultant.

A very limited number of individuals start their career right away in consulting, and this is when they join a consulting firm in a junior research / analyst position or as an assistant consultant. As they learn from other more senior colleagues, and supplement this with training, education, readings and more importantly on the job experience, they assume more senior consulting roles. However, as we mentioned these are very limited cases, and it requires the person to join a large multinational consulting firm operating in Egypt (or the consulting division of a large Audit firm such as Ernest & Young, PriceWaterhouseCoopers or KPMG Hazem Hassan). There are also a small number of small privately held consulting firms, most if not all based in Cairo (such as Logic in marketing consulting, SKILLRATE Advisors SAE in executive search consulting, HR First in human resources consulting, FINRATE CONSULTING SAE in financial and corporate restructure consulting, etc…).

As per the above, the points of entry are more common at an advanced stage of your career, however early opportunities are also there, but not that widely available. To prepare yourself for such a career, you must first decide which consulting field interests you most? HR, marketing, finance etc… and then you dedicate time and efforts to learn and increase your awareness of this area. For instance in HR you may start in an HR job, read a lot about HR and obtain an HR certification…

And finally, in a previous question to "Your Career Advisor" we described the life style and nature of the job of a consultant. You may wish to check our answer in "Your Career Advisor" archives. Or click her for a quick access.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Q6: I am scheduled for my first ever job interview, what to do?

I am about to go for my first ever job interview in my life, I need some advice on what to say and what to do. Also on what to write in my application to get that job.

A. M. (Egypt)

Replying:

Dear Mr. M.

Well congratulations! It seems you are not a frequent visitor to "Your Career Advisor" and to the weekly updated "Interest Zone" sections. We have addressed these topics a number of times before, however you should find useful tips and advice on what to wear, how to prepare for the interview and how to conduct yourself during the job interview session by clicking on this link.

You should have told us a bit more about yourself, and the job you are being interviewed for and about the employer, this would have allowed us to provide you with more specific advice.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Note from the editor: 
Employer names and inquiry sender names were withheld for confidentiality

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