“Your Career Advisor” is responding this week to:

• How can I realize my professional dream? (g)
• So; you think I should not give up? (b)
• What can make me more qualified than any pharmacist in Egypt?

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: How can I realize my professional dream?

First I would like to thank you for your great efforts in trying to make the image more transparent for the job seekers by offering solutions to them.

During my university year at the Faculty of Commerce (English Section) I was always dreaming of becoming a financial analyst. After graduation; I did my best to get a job in such a role / position in a reputable firm. Unfortunately, every firm wants seniors not juniors ! I wonder where "seniors" will come from if juniors are not hired and trained ?!!

Hence, I had to work as accountant in a multinational firm and I tried to benefit from that experience but my dream still in my mind and now I have been working for the last two years but I am not happy because I didn't get what I want. So what can I do to this problem ? I am feeling that I am growing older without making any positive steps towards the fulfillment of my dream .

M. A. (Egypt)

Replying:

Dear Mr. A.

Thank you for your positive comments concerning "Your Career Advisor".

It is good to have a career objective or aim…. Numerous individuals are annoyed by not knowing what they would like to be working in and seem not to have any particular preferences. So, good for you on that front.

The other good news is that both your university studies and your current work are related to your "dream" job, ie that of a financial analyst. It is not like you had to study history or you are working in customer service or sales. No, you have a business degree and you are working within the field of finance. You should also add to your blessings the fact that you work for a multinational company. In such an environment, you would probably be getting a relatively better exposure and experience; additionally you may be acquiring useful working habits that will be of value for the rest of your career.

Let us also keep in our minds a number of issues concerning the job of "financial analyst":

First: the role of financial analyst is not one that is very narrowly defined (compared to a surgeon or a tour operator); it could include those working in capital market (securities) research in brokerage firms and investment funds, those working in financial advisory firms or consulting firms that develop feasibility studies, credit officers in banks perform significant financial analysis etc… You should also be aware that in large companies (eg. industrial, telecom etc…), there is also a financial analysis role within the Finance Department (or Division); since they analyze revenues, costs, track profit centers, prepare forecasts and study new products and projects By now, we have demonstrated numerous areas where a qualified and ambitious professional could work as a financial analyst.

Second: if you were particularly referring to "financial analysts" working in investment or stock market related roles, that we have to bear in mind that Egypt is going through a severe recession, the country is facing very difficult economic times, and hence investments and the turn over of the stock exchange has been drastically reduced, compared to the second half of the 1990s. This of course have lead many firms - you would be interested in - to downsize and slow down on recruitment. A few years ago, things would have been different, and these firms would have been more open to hiring fresh graduates and teach them.

Third: the nature of the job itself, regardless of the sector, is "analysis"; which means collecting information, identifying missing data, interpreting information (in absolute terms and in relation to similar businesses), developing scenarios and recommendations etc…. As you may realize, performing such tasks in a competent manner requires some maturity, experience and skills. These could be very well acquired in a related field. We see numerous auditors, bankers and accountants moving to the position of "financial analyst", leveraging their previous experience… We even witnessed a few cases of engineers, who were more attracted by the field of finance, after completing some addition studies shifting careers and doing well in their new adopted fields.

So to summarize what we previously said, there are still opportunities ahead of you. You are already on the right track and no we do not agree with your view on "growing older without achieving what you want". Unless of course you have been working for fifteen years or so and are in your late thirties, which is not the case.

To make yourself a more attractive candidate for a future "financial analyst" positions; you may consider the following suggestions:

• While working, enroll in a certification course (such as CMA: Certified Management Accountant or CFA: Certified Financial Analyst). These will give you additional skills that would differentiate you from others.
• With your current employer, try and get involved in some financial analysis work, even if you offer to do it on your own time (ie. unpaid over time and on the week end). This will give you hands on training and will tell your supervisors you are a serious and ambitious professional, who knows where it can lead to ?
• Being a good financial analyst is not only about knowing the technicalities and building financial models on a spreadsheet. One must have a good sense of the business environment and be well aware of the relevant players in each sectors and the relevant laws (corporate law, investment law, tax law, capital market law etc..). Hence, you should read A LOT… business newspapers, visit useful website, you can also by the laws and regulations we mentioned for as little as LE 5 from the Government's print house: El Matabe' El Amireya. Add to this also a few books related to your subject of interest. The wealth of knowledge you will build over time will not better prepare you for an analyst position, but will positively impact you as a professional, whether for future promotions or job interviews.

We hope the above was of some use to you.
Good Luck

Q2: So; you think I should not give up?

I was supposed to graduate this year from the English section of one of the faculties of commerce in Greater Cairo; but unfortunately I failed in ONE subject, and now I have to wait till next April 2003 to pass an exam in this subject. Which means I'm having nothing to do all that period.

Therefore I started looking for work and applying for jobs. I soon discovered that it is very difficult to find a job that really matches my academic skills. I am fluent in both Arabic and English; I also have excellent PC skills. I also consider myself a social person as I like dealing and interacting with people. I also think I am ambitious , organized and responsible too ...

It is true I did not get the chance to work or train before because I was either enrolled in courses or travelling. So I do not have any past working experience, but still I am willing and able to work and learn.

Do you think I have a chance to find a job that matches with my personal and academic skills ? As I applied on skill link but unfortunately I got nothing. And if you think I shouldn't give up then what should I do?

E. M. F. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Miss. F.

Let us start from the end of your message; our answer is: NO DO NOT GIVE UP !.

It is true that you did not yet complete your studies and that unfortunately you failed in a subject (most likely twice, since you are sitting for an April exam) which is of course not very amusing to a number of employers… However, April is not that far, and the good news is, that in a number of jobs, how long you spent in university or what your grade was does not matter to potential employers. What counts, is your character, perceived attitude and willingness for hard work. For someone with your background, grades and university performance will matter for entry level bankers positions or junior audit positions in reputable audit firms etc… However in sales, customer service, administration, secretarial positions etc… they do not really matter.

You are also aware, like most of us, that the job market is rather "tight" those days. We have a slow economy, hence organizations are hiring less and we have a growing population and thus university graduates, resulting in businesses having a larger pool of junior professionals to choose from. This is described in your Faculty of Commerce text books as: unemployment factors. What we meant here is that the difficulties in getting this first job is not only related to the fact that you have not yet graduated, but it is faced by thousands of others. What you may have on your side, are the various skills and competencies you mentioned you have - of course we cannot verify them J

With regards to not receiving offers through skill-link.com, please remember that numerous other people, who have already graduated are also listed on skill-link.com, and that you have only been listed for two weeks. Companies recruiting for skill-link.com look for professionals in different fields and with various levels of experience, so we hope you get lucky soon. Same as the few thousands we have sent to interviews with employers since mid 2000. Allow us also to add a word of advice in relation to your CV on skill-link.com; in your brief self description, which is a very important section to which potential employers using skill-link.com pay a lot of attention, you were rather negative… here is what you wrote:

"Concerning my Experience Actually I don't have any working experience most of my vacations Either on travelling in Egypt or Abroad OR studying computer And for my Graduation year I was supposed to be graduated this year from Faculty of Commerce, English section but Unfortunately I failed in one Subject & I have to wait a whole year to take it in next April with nothing to do."

The above is very negative as you said… it does not encourage anyone to invest time in interviewing you… why not have a positive tone ? say what you are, the good things (skills, character, languages etc…) you have and that you are willing to work hard, prove yourself etc… ? The reader will know you do not have experience and there is no reason to explain why you did not work before and that you failed and you have a whole year with nothing to do. So please turn it into something positive.

In your message, you mentioned twice, that you are seeking a job related to your "academic skills" as you stated (most likely you meant academic background or qualifications). We are not very sure what you mean by that, however it should be mutually understood that with the exception of certain jobs that require a particular education (eg. dentists, pharmacists, lawyers, engineers etc…), graduating with a degree in Commerce opens up more job opportunities than any other degree on earth…. It is relevant, useful and needed in every type of organization and in numerous roles. For instance you will find commerce graduates in engineering firms, law firms and hospitals, But in many companies you will not find a single holder of an engineering, law graduate or medical degree.

So what should you be doing from here until April (and probably a bit later until you receive your degree) ? Two things:

1. Keep on looking for a job, even if not the most ideal one for now. You may also find part time jobs (eg. in Exhibitions etc..) or a temporary one (replacing a staff on a pregnancy leave, training etc…).
2. Get enrolled in useful courses that would develop or add to your skills; these could be in business writing, information technology or in any particular management field depending on your interest (eg. marketing, HR, sales, etc…). If secretarial work attracts you, you could obtain a relevant certificate.

We hope the above was of some use to you.
Good Luck

Q3: What can make me more qualified than any pharmacist in Egypt?

I am a Pharmacist, I graduated from the 6th of October University in summer 2002.

In Summary, I worked in many public pharmacies in Cairo and Alexandria. But really I did not find myself in this field I do not know why !?

By the way if you asked me to evaluate my personal skills , the following would be my assessment:

· Computer skills(MS Word, Power Point): Intermediate
· Communication skills: Expert
· Leadership skills: Expert
· Selling skills: Expert
· Interpersonal skills : Expert
· Organizational skills: Expert

So, please after these long introduction I need any one to tell me if I needing more courses or skills that make me more qualified than any Pharmacist in Egypt or abroad.

And then after I attend these courses where can I go to get a job????

So, finally my question is: Tell me what to do and where to go ?????

A. F. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Dr. F.

Actually, your message or rather "your introduction" as you describe it is not that long, it misses a key element: what is it you like or would rather be doing ? no one can tell you that… you may get advice on career options or how to reach them or the best way to deal with a particular situation … but you and only you know what you like and do not like.

In your message you mentioned, you did not find yourself in working in various pharmacies… was it the working environment you did not like ? or was it the nature of the job itself: working in a pharmacy ? It worries us a bit that you graduated a few months ago and yet you worked in so many places ?!

With regards to your skill assessment, again as we often say in such situations, we cannot judge unless we know you well. However, we feel that you over estimated a bit.. Regardless, we are not here to evaluate these skills. Good for you if they are true.

By the way, is your CV registered on skill-link.com ?

Now back to your question, you (and therefore us) must determine what you would like to do, for instance if not working in a pharmacy you may working in a pharmaceutical company for instance (in sales, research, marketing, etc..)… or you may elect to get out from the whole sector… it is not a must to work in the pharmaceutical sector because you graduated with a degree in pharmaceutical studies. You are in your early twenties and you have a 40+ years career ahead of you. So do not let a degree guide all these years. Once you tell us what you would like to do, then we can advise you on the courses you may wish to consider (if relevant) and / or other channels to acquire the necessary skills you will need.

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

Top