I am a typical Pakistani girl, well almost (I am sure you all would know what that is)
I did my masters three years ago, almost. I wanted to work back then but due to lack of exposure and confidence, I wasn’t able to find a job.
In between I taught for almost 8 months but teaching in a school was not what I wanted to do, so I left that since I felt I wasn’t able to do my work honestly and few other reasons. In last few months my life went totally upside down and I HAVE to work now, if not for monetary reasons tou bhi for personal reasons. Confidence bit has improved a bit due to teaching but I still don’t know how to cover the three years I didn’t work and where and how to look for a job. Also what ever little experience I have its’ in teaching, which is not what I want to do. All other jobs in my field require experience or fresh graduates, am neither so what should I do? How to cover the blunders I made for several different reasons.
Btw those of you who don’t know I did my masters in Mass Communication.
hmmm...for starters, i think u shud go thru the jobs ads, and prepare a resume and send it in to the places...if u have any contacts, any friends working in places, ask them if they know of vacancies, or fwd ur resume to their HR depts...
r u sure u dont wana teach? some of my friends r doing it....its not that bad at all...u cud teach in a college if u dont wana teach in a school....
also have u thought abt writing for newspapers?
u could also get the numbers of the major newspapers, call their HR depts and check with them...
what kind of a job r u looking for? any idea?
p.s. the three yrs r not an issue, ur qualification is what counts. just, in the way u present urself in the interview and cover letters etc, dont let it sound like a weak point, be confident abt it
Do Not think of the three years as a "Blunder" but more from the perspective of self-exploration... at least you've nailed down one career track that you Do Not want to get into. That's the perspective you should portray to others when you're interviewing with them.
If nothing else, through teaching you would have improved your communication and interpersonal skills that you can utilize to contribute effectively towards a new career. Maybe even while working for media, you can get assigned to covering issues dealing with education and human resource development. Trust me, there are tons of ways to espouse those three years as a career asset!
Just start applying to anything and everything that interests you... make sure you customize your resume' for the exceptional opportunities you would really like to avail. InshaAllah you'll find something that suits your persona and your ambitions real soon!
you can easily land a good job at some ad agency, a newspaper, magazine office. there are always a lot of vacancies in these places.
with a MC degree i think you can do ok in any office, in general administration or managemet.
you can teach communication studies to senior students at undergrad level.
Hehe joking aside … do go through ads in newspaper… although most of them are just to let you kno they had vacancies… sum really do mean it… talk to the people who are already working (in your relatives or cousins)..they hav first hand knowledge about the vacancies at their own offices…Net wont help much.. specially if you are in pakistan… or you could try to comb through the companies websites you wish to join n find their career section… they might hav sumthin to interest you… Good Luck :k:
PS: i would still give you that seceretary job if you would come to Karachi for me
See I don't have enough exposure to know where to apply and how to apply. I apply for almost all jobs, related to my field that are advertised. But although there might be a lot of jobs in my field, not many of them are advertised.
Secondly I have no idea how much salary to demand at what place. Don't wanna ask too much and don't wanna ask for less then they actually pay.
if you're in Pakistan (or for that matter anywhere) you'll only be successful in getting a placement if you ask around.. so ask the friend of a friend of your uncle etc kind of people.. just spread the word around among people in the 'hiring circle' that you're available.. inshallah afaqa hoa ga..
hmmmm.....anyone who starts a job search or wants to enter the job market has exactly those apprehensions so dont feel like u r the only one :) i remember going thru the exact same type of issues when i was starting my job search :D
just keep applying everywhere...any job u see in the newspaper that interests u at all...inshallah u'll land upon something...
the way to negotiate salary is to do a market survery (ask others who are in this field and are doing similar jobs how much they are getting...r u in touch with any of your old classfellows...? you can even post on GS describing what the job/company is, maybe ppl who r working in pakistan can give u an idea) , then compare it to your qualification and work experience. and have a figure in mind.
then, when you go for the interview, ask the employers what their range is that they have budgeted out for your post or that they normally offer to someone in that position.
they will mention a figure or range. really press them subtly to do that.
then compare that to the figure you had worked out and bismillah kar k just ask them for a figure. they will reply with an offer and just decide if you wana accept that.
i think right now you should just focus on entering the market and then later you can even switch jobs into a more highly paying or one thats more relevant to your field :)
oh, i think LUMS has a placement office and they maintain a list of companies on their website...if u dont find enough ads, just sending out your resume and cover letter to all those places might not be a bad idea...
**I am a typical Pakistani girl, well almost (I am sure you all would know what that is) **
Tell me about it
Jobs and arranged marriages are pretty similar. You need to do you homework…know exactly what you want and apply for it accordingly i.e your resume and cover letter should meet the employer’s needs.
You don’t go out applying like crazy every where…unless u r tight on money.
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