“Your Career Advisor” is responding this week to:

• I am lost and disappointed, can you help ?

• What is the right thing for me to do ?

• Should I go for a CFA or a CMA ?

• What could a Police Officer do for a more promising career ?

• Are taxes on salaries in Egypt really going to be reduced ?

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: I am lost and disappointed, can you help ?

I was so happy when I found out about your site from a friend of mine because I need help and I think you are the only ones who can provide me with the advice I need.

I am a fresh Faculty of Alsun (English department) graduate, I have no experience what so ever because I have never got any summer training or worked till now. I am enrolled in a general computer course and I intend to join a translation course at the American University in Cairo next January. Do you think I have any chance to work in a good position with no experience especially in positions related to the fields of translation, teaching or customer service (away from marketing, sales and secretarial work) in reputable places?

I am ambitious and I have good communication skills that can be developed, excellent command of English and good Spanish. So what do you think the chances available for me? one last thing (sorry I know my message is too long) but do you think that there are good opportunities for young translators here in Egypt in companies, banks or any organizations or it has no future?

I am veiled but I am very well dressed and wear fashionable clothes and I care about the way I look but I am not welcomed in tourism or secretarial business.

S. A. (Cairo)
 

Replying:

Dear Ms. A.

Thank you for your message and please do not apologize for including details, it is important for us to get a good understanding for your particular situation. If it makes you feel any better, we have received much longer messages before  .

You situation is similar to thousands of other young Egyptian graduates in many aspects. Some end up getting jobs in 'reputable' places as you call them, others settle for employment in less attractive places. These by default are all fresh graduates with no experience. If all companies insisted on experienced recruits, no one just graduating from university would ever find a job… so it is not true.

With regards to your areas of interest, some are easier than others for a recent graduate. Therefore, becoming a customer service representative or a secretary is relatively easier than a translator. Teaching is also another filed, someone like you would stand better chances teaching to younger classes (nurseries or primary) and advancing over the years, the main concern potential employers would have in this area is if they feel you are mature enough and have the right character for teaching or not… this is something we cannot guess from just reading your message.

We are not sure why you excluded sales, there are telesales opportunities and call center agents opportunities all the time (in places such as Citibank, Xceed etc..).

Translation on the other hand requires more experience to become a seasoned and reliable translator. By virtue of the job itself, Egypt does not require a large number of translators, these are required in selected places only (newspapers, international organizations, translation offices, Embassies etc…), and obviously the career prospects are better for those who obtain advanced certification / qualifications in translation, and those who specialize in less common languages (ie. Away from English and French). It is a promising career for a selected few… those who end up working for international organizations (UN etc..) or those who become accredited by Embassies (ie. Each foreign Embassy has a list of approved translators, they do not accept translated documents from others… these Embassies periodically hold exams for translators to select those to be included in their lists).

Now, we move to your last point, which is the veil. As a professional, it is important to always look clean, sharp and presentable. In Egypt, the veil has become more and more common in businesses and other organizations. This is a fact no one can deny. While there are of course entities that have unwritten rules not to recruit veiled women, others on the other hand are more inclined to hire veiled ones (eg. Olympic Group, Bahgat Group etc..). Even in the government, you will not find a veiled TV presenter or a veiled lady in the Diplomatic Service. In summary, while the veil may place some restrictions on where you might work, in the majority of places it should not be a barrier if your other professional aspects are positive: attitude, character, interest, general knowledge, language, PC skills etc…

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck
 

Q2:What is the right thing for me to do ?

I graduated from the Arab Academy for Science and Technology in March 2003 with a degree in computer engineering, since then I worked twice for few months each one of them was in Saudi Arabia as a trainer in an IT training institute, I worked there for 4 months and then I decided I wanted to come back to Egypt ( my parents live in Saudi Arabia and that is why I worked there ). The second job was a representative for a software company specialized in hospitals' systems and worked there for about 4 months but the work environment was not the right one for me; it is one person's owner company and it there was delaying in paychecks and lack of respect in treatment ( I was looked at as the girl who doesn't need the job for money so why pay her!!!!).

I have been trying to find a job over the last 10 months but I could not find any, I had lots of interviews since I applied for lots of vacancies over the internet, yet I did not get the right job. I usually get the line: you will make a great addition to our team but we have problems in hiring girls !

My questions are mainly about the followings:
1- I have a great abilities in business related jobs such as research and secretarial abilities yet I am scared of the big divert in career that I will have to do, what do you advise me in this point?

2- I am considered with no experience yet so what is the average salary I should expect from a job, specially that I want to support myself totally as I will have to move to Cairo to live alone

D.M. (Saudi Arabia)
 

Replying:

Dear Ms. M.

Overall, it is not an easy situation you are in. Finding a suitable job is not the easiest of tasks, let alone if you are a relatively recent graduate living in Saudi Arabia and interested in a job in Egypt (your home country).

Let us start from the end, Egypt, and most developing countries for that matter, do not 'usually' offer its young graduates / professionals salaries allowing them to live on their own and be financially self sufficient. Obviously, if one lives in his family home, the financial burden is less, however in most cases a first salary, could cover pocket money and just a few extras… As one becomes more experienced and advances in his / her career, the financial compensation becomes more suitable. You must also remember, that financial sufficiency is very relative. It depends on the person's social background and the standard of living he / she is used to. Let us not forget that whole families live on LE 500 a month, while some single professionals living with their parents find an LE 1,500 just enough to cover their personal expenses and life style …

We cannot tell you what is a suitable salary in general… it differs based on the job, the organization you are joining and the work conditions… Egypt has really no averages.. We see young graduates earning anywhere from LE 500 a month to LE 1,500 a month depending on the factors we mentioned. For instance you have junior technical support professionals starting for LE 700 to 1,300; bank tellers earning anywhere from LE 800 to LE 1,200, software developers starting at 1,000; young secretaries that are presentable, alert, with good communication, PC and language skills starting for a much higher figure.. it depends on a lot of factors as we said.

If you were living in a Gulf state other than Saudi Arabia, we would have advised you that you stand better chances for the first two or three years to find a job in the country you are residing in, as opposed to returning on your own to Egypt. Saudi Arabia is very restrictive as to the job opportunities available to women (other than teaching and health care). We agree it is not an easy situation.

On a final note, we did not really understand how you got so many interviews and ended up being told "we have problems hiring girls" ? If this was the case, why did they interview you in the first place ? it is obvious that your CV shows you are a female !

We are sorry we could not be of more help to you..

Good Luck
 

Q3: Should I go for a CFA or a CMA ?

I am a fresh graduate of the Faculty of Commerce English Section , my main objective is to work in bank and I am currently researching what certificate may add value to my status I narrowed them down to CFA and CMA , I am leaning to the CMA as it seems more convenient study wise but I heard it wont benefit me that much in the banking industry , any suggestions ?

E. I. (Cairo)
 

Replying:

Dear Ms. I. 

Let us first briefly mention what each of the certifications you mentioned is (for the benefit of our other readers, at least):

The CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) is a professional designation given by the Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR) that measures the competence of financial analysts. Candidates are required to pass three levels of exams covering areas such as accounting, economics, ethics, money management, and security analysis. Before one can become a CFA he/she must have a minimum of three years of investment/financial experience. To enroll in the program one must hold a bachelors degree.

The CMA (Certified Management Accountant) designation provides corporate management and individual professionals with an objective measure of knowledge and competence in the field of management accounting. Only the CMA certification requires the broad range of topics that are key to management performance and contribution. Exam topics include economics, business finance, situational analysis, and decision making with a strong emphasis on ethics. Combined with relevant rule-based subject matter, the four-tiered CMA exam is designed to develop and measure critical thinking and decision-making skills.

As per the above brief description, each one of these certifications has its own objective. The first one (CFA) is more geared towards those in the field of investments.. such as funds, private equity investment companies, brokerage firms' research units, large holding companies' investment analysis department etc.. It could also be useful to banks in certain areas.. but not of high relevance compared to other skill development opportunities. For instance, enrolling in a credit program or a banking diploma (such as the one offered by the AUC) may be of higher relevance to starting a banking career. As you advance in your banking career, you will find the programs and certifications offered by the Chartered Institute of Banking in the UK (now renamed the Institute of Financial Services) of high relevance (you can visit their web site on www.ifslearning.com).

The CMA, is less relevant to banking… not that it will hurt… more knowledge in the fields of accounting, finance and analysis is always useful, but do not consider it as a ticket for a banking career. The other skill development opportunities we previously mentioned would be more relevant in your case.

We hope the above was of some help to you.

Good Luck

Q4: What could a Police Officer do for a more promising career ?

I would like to have an advice for shifting my career, which way to look in for a job, and how to track a job at the career. As you are going to find out in my attached resume, I'm a police officer who is trying to shift to a more promising career.

Oil field is the most interesting career I would like to join although I am have ended up the studies of MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer) but still this is not my the preferred career for me as I'm looking for a much better career to join.

2 years in a mission with the United Nations has affected my communication skills too much, as I was dealing with almost 56 nations, never had a problem with any of them although we had different cultures and religious beliefs.

Salary will have great consideration, specially to face a new life with no facilities as at police service.

Ps. Kindly send your answer privately to my mail as it wouldn't be nice to publish that a police officer trying to shift his career.

Initials withheld (Egypt)

Replying:

Dear Mr. X.

We apologize for not complying with your request not to publish this message and reply to you in confidence (by email). Since, we did not reveal your identity, we felt our tens of thousands of readers should also benefit. There is nothing wrong with a Police Officer interested to change his career.. like in any other profession…. For your info, we have addressed before inquiries from Police Officers keen to move back to civilian life.

While some parents and high school graduates do every thing they can possibly do, to join the Police Academy, a few discover that this is not what they would like to do with their lives for the next thirty years of so…

Now back to your particular case, you obviously have skills (technical, communication etc..) not available to a large segment of police officers in Egypt. In other words you have an edge… The more traditional venues for ex police officers to get into the corporate world is usually to assume administrative, security, personnel or legal roles… in banking we sometimes see them is collection and problem loans departments… but this is not frequent. In your case, your IT skills could be an asset. However, from you message, we do not sense a career in IT networking is very exciting.. and you did not specify what are the fields you are really interested in ? You mentioned the oil sector… since you do not qualify for specialize petroleum jobs (rigging, exploration etc…) and you are not excited about IT / networking.. we are probably back to the functions we previously mentioned such as administration, personnel, security etc… You may also consider the catering companies supplying remote oil sites, these require extensive discipline, control, integrity, people handling and operations management. This may be a venue to explore.

Your attached CV is well written, it should however include dates (which you omitted); you must also remember that the CV should be customized for each opportunity you are applying to… (always think what is that particular employer interested in and what would he be looking for.. in what I could offer ?). And finally, never send it without a nice and personalized cover letter.

We hope the above was of some help to you.

Good Luck

Q5: Are taxes on salaries in Egypt really going to be reduced ?

I heard from friends and colleagues that the government of Egypt is reducing taxes on employee salaries… is this true ? And how can I calculate the salary deductions for taxes etc...

Y. I. (Giza)
 

Replying:

Dear Mr. I.

It seems you are not keen on following the Egyptian media and newspapers… this is an important aspect of any professional's development and advancement, regardless of what he / she does for a living… there is not excuse for reading at least one daily newspaper and following one or more weekly publications…

Now, back to your question, yes the government announced in September 2004 (during the annual convention of the ruling National Democratic Party) its intention to increase tax deduction allowances and reduce tax rates. Such measures if applied will reduce what we all pay to the tax authority. Obviously the exact saving will differ from one person to the other depending on his / her income. Just as an indication, the highest income bracket is currently taxed at over 32%... this will be reduced to 20%.

Are these tax reductions already implemented ? no, because any changes to the tax laws must be first approved by the Parliament (People's assembly), which is expected to take place in late November of December 2004…

We are not in a position to provide you with specific information as to what the new tax rates will be, however, if you are interested in finding out about the current deductions (ie. Taxes and social security) under the existing system… please click here to access our online salary calculator.


We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck
 

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