CAREER ADVISOR

“Your Career Advisor” is responding to two inquiries:
“

Q1: What does the job market need and what kind of advanced studies would be useful for my career?
I just graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences - Cairo University in 2001. Taking into consideration the recession we are going through I did not find a job related to my field of study so I find this the perfect time to enroll in postgraduate studies.

My problem lies in what should I study? I am flexible but what does the market need and what kind of studies would be useful for my career? There are some points I would like to mention:

I thought of enrolling in an MBA program, or studying for a CMA (certified management accountant) but I'm hesitant because I'm not sure if they would be really useful and afraid that the market is saturated.

Even though economics was my major, I did not really enjoy studying it, so I would put a master of economics as a last resort.

The kind of subjects I really enjoy reading about and very interested in (in order of preference) are things like; psychology and human resources, political sciences (which was my minor), business and finance.

I work right now as an assistant teacher in a respectable American school, teaching 13 year old children who have minor disabilities a variety of subjects such as English, math and sometimes science. I was in "New English School" so my background is really helping me. I enjoy this job and sometimes think I can find myself in it and would love to take teaching as a career. I could teach business or political sciences, etc. when I discover what I shall study.

O. A. S.. (Egypt)

Replying:

Dear Miss. A.S.

Your message reflects the traits of a mature and pragmatic person, thus giving you already a good head start. You also seem to know what you like and do not particularly enjoy, which is very useful.

Many young professionals throughout the world (including the US) are considering graduate studies until a suitable job could be found. This definitely better than having one or more years unaccounted for in one's CV. However in you case, you are currently employed and you seem to enjoy what you are doing (teaching). Teaching to children (or teenagers) with minor disabilities already differentiates you from the majority of those in the teaching career. So the issue for you with regards to advanced studies is not how to fill a time gap in a CV, but rather one of the following questions:

1. Should you enroll in a post graduate degree (Diploma or Masters) ?
2. Should you enroll in other - more practical - non degree courses ?

Prior to answering the above, we need to consider the field of work you would like to end in. Before addressing each field, we would like to state that over supply should not be a major concern. We are not dealing with a commodity (like oil, gold or wheat), the personal factors heavily influence career prospects, so having tens of thousands graduate every year from the faculties of Law does not mean someone who likes working in that field should ignore it. Now that we have settled that matter, let us consider the various potential areas of knowledge advancement for you:

Economics does not attract you; and practically speaking working in that particular field means you could be in Academia, a research center, the government (Central Bank, Ministry of Foreign Trade, Diplomatic Service etc…) or in the media (printed or other). Thus no need to consider further studies in that field.

Business and Finance, are not high on your priority list. Additionally, advanced studies in that field are always heavily thought and relatively more expensive since they are considered directly related to an income increase post graduation. So since you are not hot on this field we suggest we set it aside.

Political Sciences are relatively more interesting for you, but again the employment prospects directly related to that field are rather limited, most of them are similar to those previously described under "Economics". So while you are more interested in PS, unless you are keen to work in the media, research, government or academia, there is no point in going for a Master's degree in Political Sciences.

Psychology; here things become more interesting ! specially that it relates - in a way - to your current field of work you seem to enjoy. Pursuing studies in psychology (with a thesis on children, or if it exists on children with minor disabilities) could add value to your work and you would benefit from your work in your studies. Here it is not a matter of filling available time, but if you will adopt teaching for a career - a very noble one indeed, even if not the most highly paid - then an advanced degree with be a valuable addition. While we are on the subject, teaching has other perks you should consider, relatively shorter working hours and more convenient holidays (mid year, summer etc…).

Human Resources; is a field you seem to like and it will always be in demand in each and every organization. In previous issues of "Your Career Advisor" we have addressed in more depth the HR function, you may wish to refer to them. If you still believe HR is a career you would like to pursue, then we would recommend an HR professional certification or other related non degree courses. No academic degree will be relevant, regardless of their name or what they promise.

From the previous one sided discussion, and you being working in something you like, an advanced degree or courses do not seem a high priority. Specially, that in Egypt - unfortunately - people cannot get in academia or university teaching positions at various stages of their lives, it is either they are appointed upon graduation or they are out of that loop. It is a very unwise system - to say the least - but we are here discussing facts of life and not re engineering the system.

A final word of advice, in many cases young Egyptians and Arabs in general tend to focus on formal education and ignore general knowledge and awareness. Attentively reading newspapers and magazines (we do not mean the entertainment and sports sections), following up serious TV programs, reading books in various subjects, visiting useful web sites; and attending public lectures (at public libraries, universities etc…)… all leads to a well rounded person, with good general knowledge, aware of what is happening around them in the community, country and the world. This, is more valuable and important to many careers then a Ph. D. Trust us on that.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck.

Q2: I recently graduated, I have no experience in human resources should I start by finding a job or taking courses?
I recently graduated from the Faculty of Commerce . I have no experience in human resources (HR), and I do not know by what to begin first: finding a job or taking courses? Also how to find a job or at least a training in a well known company or firm?

S. K. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Miss. K

The question here - similar to frequent ones "Your Career Advisor" receives - has more to do with getting that first job. Whether is in HR, IT, sales, accounting, banking, advertising or contracting, getting the first job is always a challenge.

The name of the game is to differentiate one's self and be noticed. Being noticed is critical, since the supply market of recent / new graduates offers tens of thousands of individuals who have nothing to show but a university degree in addition to language competency and PC skills. So prior to graduation, and in order to improve the odds, smart students work on the following:

• Becoming competent in the most commonly used PC application (specially Office programs: Word, Excel & PowerPoint)
• Improving their language competency, specially English and preferably a second language (German, French etc…)… this requires reading a lot and attending courses in a reputable center if necessary.
• Trying hard to find summer jobs/internships, even if for free. This shows they are serious and are keen to learn. It is also helpful in providing the student with a first hand experience of real life in a company or organization.
• Getting involved - during university years - in extra curricular activities (not related to studies) is also helpful. These could be social or university union activities inside the university, or through other non for profit organizations that have charity, social or environmental objectives. Again, this demonstrates a mature and responsible personality.
• And finally, why at university, it does not hurt to obtain good grades. While having super grades in university does not mean you must be a good employee; recruiters may prefer someone who graduated with an Excellent or a Very Good (GPA 3.0 and higher) over someone with a "Pass". At least it shows he was serious and worked hard at achieving an objective.

Obviously, in your case you already graduated, however we thought of presenting the previous points to show how recruiters think about fresh graduates. So now what should you do ?

Of course keep on looking for a job, meanwhile if you can identify (and afford) a course in a field you like, you should go for it. Having attended courses in a given field, such as human resources, will at least indicate you are seriously interested in that field. It will never hurt you.

The more difficult task if finding the job; it is not easy, but again try and differentiate yourself and get to those job opportunities not commonly known. How ? the following are a few tips:

• Of course to start with, you should register a full CV on online recruitment sites, such as skill-link.com. Regularly check the advertised vacancies. You should keep in mind that most of the recruitment happens through the companies direct search of our database as opposed to advertising vacancies.
• Identify companies you would like to apply to, do not wait until they advertise vacancies on a web site or a newspaper… but be proactive. You do not loose anything by addressing a letter of interest and your CV. If you do that do not fall in the trap of 85% of the job seekers of: a) not having a well written cover letter with the CV, b) not personalizing the letter, people tend to save by having a dear Sir letter… no you should research the name of the General Manager of the company and address it in his/her name and have the letter describer why you are interested in their company and what you know about it…. Trust us , this makes a big difference. Information about various companies, not widely known could be found in directories of business associations (such as the American Chamber of Commerce, the French Egyptian Businessmen Association, the British Egyptian Businessmen Association etc….). Also, searching on the net is very useful. On that front, you can inquire from family, neighbors and friends on leads in companies they know of or work with.
• Avoid as much as you can sending your CV by fax, you cannot guarantee the quality of the transmission and where it will end up. Always use a nice A4 expensive envelope and good quality paper…. this is not the time to be saving a few pounds… you want to start with a good impression.

We hope the above was of some use.

Good Luck

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

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