career – Page 9

Ready to work (Published in Republica)

Posted on December 22, 2018December 22, 2018 by Nirmal Thapa

Thousands of Bachelor and Master’s graduates enter Nepal’s job market to hopefully land the job of their dreams with a handsome salary and unbelievable office perks. Yet, the current job market values skills and knowledge over degrees and a college or university degree is not enough to land the job that you hoped to get. Although there are many college graduates around the country who enter the labor market, there is a shortage of skilled manpower to fill the hundreds of job vacancies. Colleges and universities should do a lot more to prepare young graduates for the “real world” and students need to be equally prepared and responsible for what may come after graduation.

Currently, many Management and Engineering colleges and universities in Kathmandu are producing graduates who are not ready for the job market. The students do not have adequate experiences, communication skills, and job interviewing skills. I believe it is the responsibility of colleges to conduct the needed workshops and programs to prepare their students for life after graduation. Students are looking for a career direction and the right guidance at the right time will make a profound difference in their future careers.

How colleges can help

Colleges can do a myriad of activities to prepare students for the job market. The Career Services office is one of the most important departments at a college. Students should be encouraged to consult the college’s Career Services office right from the start of their college career, not when they are about to graduate. For students to visit the Career Services office right before they graduate is extremely last minute. The urgency and preparation needed to get the job based on experiences should be felt as early in the college career as possible.

To further prepare students, colleges can facilitate an orientation of the Career Services office to their students, especially those in their first year. In the orientation, students should be made aware of the different services available through the Career Services office (Resume/CV writing, interviewing skills, soft skills, etc). As students go through their college career, they will require more guidance and mentorship to be ready for the job market. For example, Sagarmatha Engineering College (SEC) and its sister college Sagarmatha College of Science And Technology organized ‘Sagarmatha – Institution to Industry’ in its college premises that was held in Sanepa on November 17, 2018. This was a well-received event where job and internship seekers were able to network with companies such as Fusemachines Nepal, Karkhana, Javra Software, etc.

Events like these are where students and job seekers can get a chance to interact with companies face to face and get details on job openings. Colleges in Kathmandu and outside of the capital can also organize career fairs, management and technology meetups and other career-related events to help their students get exposure and access to various companies. One such opportunity for the students is the upcoming IT MEET being held at Kathmandu University on December 28 and 29. The IT MEET is marketed as the largest non-profit tech meet up organized at a University level that is annually held in Nepal. This event will be a good platform for students to meet company representatives, interact with them, and hopefully be a gateway to a job or an internship. I strongly believe that the above avenues are better platforms to obtain internships and jobs than applying online.

Students have to also realize that there are always opportunities for competent, qualified and proactive individuals. Students need to be proactive and take up internship(s) during their college career. Some colleges require students to take up an internship in their final year, while others have internship(s) as an option. Students who want a job closer to graduation or when they graduate should use the internship as a springboard to a rewarding career. Internships allow students to get inside the company and it is the best opportunity to understand what the company does, its culture and how the individual can best fit into the work environment.

I have seen many young professionals enter a company as an intern, hone their knowledge and skills, and then become part of the management team of the company in a few years. An internship does not always guarantee a job, but the experience and knowledge can be instrumental in gaining further opportunities. Thus, an internship experience cannot be underestimated nor overlooked.

Onus on students

Other ways for students and job seekers to get interviews and eventually a job is to visit career fairs, networking events, and by calling or emailing the company. From my experience, I have seen students apply through online job portals and just sit back and wait for calls from potential employers. Students and job seekers have to do more than that. They have to take more initiatives and be creative in their job search. That means talk to your friends, professors, mentors, alumni of your college or university and let them know that you are very interested in a job. Even if students are keen on starting their own company, gaining a few years of work experience will be valuable to them.

College and university students need to be realistic and prepared for what comes after graduation. A Bachelor or a Master’s degree alone does not guarantee a job. Yet, complaining about the job market and not hearing back from employers will do no good to job seekers. I know of many established and startup companies looking for talented individuals but they are not finding candidates with skills that they need. There seems to be a huge gap between what the industry is looking for and what the colleges and universities are producing. The gap can be attributed to outdated course syllabus that does not reflect the market’s dynamic needs, teaching styles and priorities of teachers, and lack of seriousness and maturity of students about their careers among others. These problems are serious and we need to address them promptly. The solutions will not come overnight and each of the stakeholders—colleges, curriculum advisors, students, and parents—have to keep working at it.

Both colleges and students have to be proactive and do much better going forward. The college years are important to instill the right foundation of knowledge, experience, values, and optimism in students. It is also the time for students to seriously think about their career plans after graduation. Students should wisely use their time in college, enjoy the college years, and most importantly be prepared for life after graduation.

The above article was published on Republica national daily on December 18, 2018.

Making a global impact

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Nirmal Thapa

There are certain moments in your life when you get a chance to make a global impact. You’re excited to embark on that journey and see where it will go. You’re thrilled about the process itself as much as about the results.

That moment for me now is with the Artificial Intelligence Scholarship Program powered by Fusemachines. The goal of this scholarship program is to provide 10,000 scholarships worldwide for basic AI courses. The scholarship program will help individuals start their careers in AI.

To spread the word on the scholarship program, Fusemachines has promoted it through press release, social media posts, and by visiting colleges in Nepal. Reaching out to colleges, explaining about the exclusive scholarship program and then visiting those colleges for presentations has been exciting and meaningful. The current AI talent is concentrated in the West and with our AI scholarship, the talent can grow from Asia to Africa. It’s important to democratize AI and provide opportunities to individuals around the world and not only for a specific group in a certain destination.

An article on The New York Times reported Typical A.I. specialists, including both Ph.D.s fresh out of school and people with less education and just a few years of experience, can be paid from $300,000 to $500,000 a year or more in salary and company stock, according to nine people who work for major tech companies or have entertained job offers from them. The demand for AI talent is extremely high and the supply extremely low. Thus, the need to democratize AI is not just the right thing to do but also presents a huge economic opportunity.

It makes me very proud to work on a global movement that is building the future of AI talent from Nepal to Nigeria.

Starting a business (while working full time)

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Nirmal Thapa

There’s no “right” time to start a business. It’s never too early or too late to start one. I believe what’s most important to consider is timing of launching the business.

When you’re working full time, you get to understand the challenges, problems and opportunities of working in a particular field/industry. Using that domain knowledge and skills you have acquired, you can work to build something on your own. Instead of quitting the job right away and working tirelessly on your venture, taking some calculated approaches can pay off big later on and minimize the time/cost/pain of launching a business.

Launching a business is very exciting and it completely changes your life. Taking the initiative to start an enterprise is daunting, challenging and thrilling at the same time. Here are few tips based on my experience and from others I’ve learned from on how to start your venture while still working full time.

In the beginning all you have is an idea. So do the research, collect data, talk to people/stakeholders, figure out how big is the problem you are solving, understand why no one has started the business you are about to or how many players are currently in the market. At this stage, your full time job will help you financially to start the ground work.
Once you’ve identified the problem you’re trying to solve for others, think of the name of the company and get the domain name/social media handles and channels in that name. Once I was at a Startup Weekend Kathmandu event and the winner’s web domain was taken by a competitor as soon as they were announced the winners. At this stage, you don’t need to leave your job yet because the above things can be easily done in a few hours.
Start putting up content and slowly work to build up your audience. You can tweet/post/write through the company handle so it won’t be noticed by your current employer. No need to mention that you’re the founder of the company yet. At this stage, your full time gig will be paying the bills that come along of initially setting up the business – domain/hosting/lawyer fees/company registration fees etc.
If you’re going to be selling a service or a product, build it yourself or hire people to make a MVP. You should not quit a job without getting your idea first tested in the market.
Once your product or service gets a bit of a traction, work to get paying customers and a steady revenue stream. Identify a business model that works and how you can scale it up. When the idea has gone from conception to execution and a product/service is out in the market, you will start to realize that the moment has come to devote full time on it. You will then have to approach your boss and explain to him/her why you will be moving on. Always important to maintain good relationship with your boss because they can offer your mentorship, support and help as needed. Then quit your job and devote 200% in your startup. It’s now or never. Nothing great has ever been achieved without taking some risks.

Starting a business is both extremely exciting and challenging. There’s no formula to predict the right time to launch a business. The timing of the idea is a crucial component of how successful the startup can be in the present/future. By taking calculated steps to launch the business as mentioned above, you will be in much better shape when you actually do.

As an entrepreneur, how did you decide it was the right time to launch the business? Do share.

Internal leadership

Posted on August 5, 2018 by Nirmal Thapa

Each company has a culture. Some cultures are lead by senior management, others lead by the employees and some lead equally by the management and employees. In any company, I believe there are a few people who aspire to lead, want to do new things and make a bigger impact in the company/society. Some company cultures give those people the platform to lead while in other companies the ideas stay with the employees and never sees the light of day.

If you want to lead an initiative within your company, you have to start with a simple mindset. Telling yourself “you are the right person to lead this initiative.” When you have the confidence and feel the responsibility to lead, then things fall in place. Picking the right time to launch the idea is equally important. The name of the initiative has to be catchy so everyone can easily understand what the group or initiative is all about. Catchy names are usually between 1 to 3 words.

In the beginning days of launching the initiative, you have to proactively engage with the audience. Overtime, it should be your audience putting up content, leading the initiative and engaging other members. That’s when you know it has become a success-when the group members lead and take it to newer heights. The initiative/platform needs to be constantly monitored so that non relevant content or activities that go against the group’s values/ethics is not shared or encouraged.

Skills blog series: Language skills

Posted on June 23, 2018 by Nirmal Thapa

Welcome to the Skills blog series-

Language skills

The most widely spoken languages in the world are Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi and Arabic respectively. If you are a native speaker in any of the languages above, that is great. If not, then knowing one or two of them would be the way to go. Being from Nepal, most of us are familiar with Hindi and English to a certain degree (basic to advanced), thus knowing basic to moderate Chinese or Spanish is beneficial for us. Being proficient in Chinese can create a lot of job opportunities for those in the travel & hospitality industry. My one year of Spanish classes in high school has proved very helpful in my travels around Europe and US.

Knowing another language especially Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi or Arabic could be very useful in your personal or professional life. A plethora of websites and apps are now available to get you started in learning a new language. Even having some basic foreign language skills will help you when visiting another country or interacting with someone whose native language is different than yours. In the global marketplace, bilingual speakers get more job opportunities and can build rapport easily with people from different countries.

In the write up “The Value of Spanish in the Workplace”, it mentions that bilingual executives are most frequently needed in marketing, sales and general management and to serve as president or CEO. “If you see yourself doing work internationally or going into banking or trade or any other business where you’ll travel, you’ll take Spanish more seriously,” said Tom Birmingham, Korn/Ferry’s managing director of global accounts. Plenty of reasons available for you to start or hone your language skills now.

Key takeaways:

-Learn any of these languages: Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi or Arabic

-Start learning a language today

Previous Skills blog series:

–Being financially savvy

Image source: Think New Asia

When you have…it all

Posted on August 4, 2012May 11, 2018 by Nirmal Thapa

When you’ve achieved success in your activity or task, it’s a great feeling of accomplishment. But that sense of emotional high wanes down after a few hours, days or weeks. To continuously relieve that moment (those moments), I think each individual has to push his/her own boundary and go outside the comfort zone.

I believe when you evolve as a person, you keep reinventing yourself and you get to experience various levels and degrees of emotion. Those emotions will truly make you feel that you almost have it all.

Rebranding the concept of "Nepali time"

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Nirmal Thapa

Last month the Prime Minister of Nepal was in New York for the UN General Assembly. In his weeklong visit he took the time to speak at the New School in Manhattan and at The Chian Federation in Queens. Both places drew a crowd and the concept of “Nepali time” seemed to get rebranded.

At the New School, the Prime Minister arrived on time and the program went as scheduled at 12:45pm. At The Chian Federation, the Prime Minister and his delegation arrived at 7:25pm and the event was scheduled to start at 7pm. The Prime Minster went on stage and immediately apologized for the tardiness. He stated that if he had known that getting to The Chian Federation would take long from Manhattan, he would have left earlier. I applaud him for acknowledging that he was late and apologizing to the audience.

The Prime Minister’s acknowledgement of his unpunctuality triggered a few thoughts to me. First, it showed that he valued time. When you acknowledge the value of time and especially other people’s time, you are being considerate and respectful to others who are there to listen to your speech. Second, he apologized for it. As a person of his stature, people could understand why he could be late but he did not offer excuses. Instead the PM acknowledged and admitted his part.

Nepali people are familiar with the concept of “Nepali time.” Generally the case is you tell someone that you will meet them at a certain time but show up 15, 30, 45 minutes or even an hour later. Of course, there will be times that you cannot avoid being late because of weather, traffic or some unforeseen circumstance but I am talking about the times when you arrive late for no valid reason.

The idea of “Nepali time” has paralyzed our culture and can be seen at its highest level of governance. This is a bold statement and I stand by it. The drafting of a new democratic constitution has been postponed several times from the original date. When we have created an environment where time is not highly valued, it should be little surprise to hear when critical government deadlines are not met and decisions not reached on time. The concept of time has definitely played a part in the decision dilemma. If as a culture, we regard time as a valuable commodity, meeting deadlines would not be such a monumental task.

My point is that we need to rebrand the concept of “Nepali time”. This new concept of “Nepali time” will mean that we arrive early rather than late. Why can we not arrive at least 10 minutes early to a meeting or an important event? Do we want to be known as a culture who does not value time? Are we teaching our youth that arriving late should just be expected?

There are major implications culturally that comes along when living by the “Nepali time”. In the Western business context, if someone says to their clients to meet at 2:30, coming later than that time will mean tardiness and a lack of consideration on the person arriving late. You will lose your client’s trust and most likely obliterate business opportunities. When at times you’re late because of certain unforeseen circumstance, it is good practice to call the other person waiting on you to let them know that you are running late. A simple courtesy can save the reputation of an entire group of people.

I believe the concept of time in our culture is generational and context based as well. I observe that most young people who have grown up in Western societies arrive on time. It’s much harder to change a cultural reputation that we have built so far. When you arrive late because you expect the other party to arrive late too, what is the value in that relationship? If we build a reputation on always being on time or completing work on time, I am sure we will be regarded highly for our punctuality and also build trust and credibility with the people we are dealing with.

I strongly propose that we work on rebranding the concept of “Nepali time” and establish a reputation that we are ALWAYS early than the scheduled time. This message is more for the younger generation who can change a cultural stereotype that we have built. As the saying goes, first impression is the last impression. Just imagine that first impression saving your culture face.

Prabal Gurung: A Cultural Icon

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Nirmal Thapa

Prabal Gurung is a recognizable name in the fashion world. His success is even more remarkable when you consider that he is from Nepal where most people are encouraged to pursue careers in the sciences rather than the arts. I could only hope that his success gives everyone to believe in their talent and pursue the work they are passionate about.

At this year’s New York Fashion Week, Prabal launched his spring 2012 collection at the modern IAC building on Manhattan’s West Side to huge applause and press. Adam Glassman, the creative director of O, The Oprah Magazine was quoted: “Loved, loved, loved it. Super fresh and chic. He obviously worked very hard on it. Polished and well made.”

If one were to follow Prabal on Facebook or Twitter these days, you would see celebrities from Reese Witherspoon to Michelle Obama wearing clothes designed by him. Now I’ve started to think who has not worn his clothes yet.

The brand Prabal Gurung is strong and culturally iconic. His background is unique and I think they show in the eclectic designs of his clothes. He has attained a great amount of respect and press from the fashion industry and the mainstream media. We have not seen a fashion designer from Nepal take over the fashion world before as Prabal has done. This is a great accomplishment for Prabal and in which Nepalese everywhere can be proud that he represents one of the best qualities of Nepali culture: ambition and humility.

I don’t follow fashion religiously but I am more fascinated with personal brands. I’m extremely intrigued with how Prabal has established himself as a brand in the fashion industry and what he represents. I believe he has inspired a generation of young people and pushed the envelopes of a culture where a career in arts had almost always taken a backseat to a career in academics. It’s great to see Prabal pursue a career path that was different from the cultural norm.

In Nepal, there is still a cultural emphasis for students to pursue careers in the sciences more than the arts. Individuals whose talent resides in the arts and crafts can get lost and their potential never realized. I hope there will be other fashion designers from Nepal or individuals pursuing careers that would be different than the typical career paths.

Someday it should not even be news to see a Nepali person becoming a musician, a chef, an author or a fashion designer and make a living off of it. The ultimate measure of someone’s success should be their talent, work ethic and how much passion they have for their work. At the end of the day we are all trying to be happy or lead a meaningful or purposeful life. And if that means following a path not taken, then dare to be adventurous and you might even push a whole culture to follow in your footsteps like Prabal.

Join Ascend. Be Involved. (Published on Competing in a borderless world – Ascend blog)

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Nirmal Thapa

Ascend’s vision is to enhance the presence and influence of Pan-Asian business leaders and to serve as a collective voice for those business communities.

Ascend is very active in putting programs that benefit both their student and professional members. I have derived a lot of value by being a Professional Ascend member since joining the organization in January 2010.

The Ascend National Convention is their flagship event. The Convention features panel discussions, sessions on leadership topics, professional networking, case competitions and corporate and career fair just to name a few. Besides the main national event, there are also regional conferences and local chapter events.

The professional Ascend members are helpful and approachable. This provides a great opportunity for students to build their professional network and seek mentorship. There are multiple avenues to become involved with Ascend from volunteering at events to joining a committee. The National Convention serves a great opportunity for volunteers to become involved with Ascend and also gives them a chance to meet professionals.

Ascend offers a wide array of programs for professionals. From the Signature Series, Business Roundtables to the Lead Series and Executive Insight Series, professionals have various ways to get involved with Ascend. The Mentorship program is a great way for professionals to contribute to Ascend. The professional mentors can work with students and young professionals and provide them guidance and invaluable assistance.

Ascend is a community of professionals and students who are there to help each other grow and succeed in the corporate world. The organization also provides multiple avenues for students and professionals to meet through social mixers, picnics and other out of the office events.

So join Ascend and be involved.

Living with a Purpose

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Nirmal Thapa

I might need Oprah’s help on this one. Perhaps she can help me answer some of these questions. How do you find your purpose in life? How should one go about finding what they are meant to do? Then there is that one question that I would personally love to discover is How can one live a fulfilling life. These questions have both captivated and perplexed me for some time.

Networking Your Way To Success

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Nirmal Thapa

On December 9, 2010, I walked into the Barclays Capital auditorium in New York to find professionals and students gathered for an ALPFA event. After a few hours, I walked out with a handful of business cards and a sense of motivation and inspiration.

ALPFA stands for Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting. Their annual event, Encuentro took place at Barclays last year. My brother was involved with ALPFA for some time and told me to come to the event. I attended the event and listened to professionals enthusiastically talk about diversity and its importance in corporate America. When ALPFA’s CEO Manny Espinoza spoke at the event, I could sense his passion and pride in the organization. At the networking reception afterwards, I immediately connected with professionals and students. I heard stories of students who received job offers at the ALPFA convention and professionals who switched jobs through their ALPFA contacts. I was impressed to hear their ALPFA stories.

ALPFA’s New York Chapter includes 13 student chapters, and is the second largest professional chapter in the country. The chapter is led by 14 professionals, who volunteer their time to develop and execute events and programs that realize the mission of ALPFA for Latinos in New York. In the last few years professionals from a variety of fields other than finance and accounting have joined the organization. Although I have a marketing background, I have been involved with ALPFA since that event at Barclays.

In today’s competitive job marketplace, there are multitudes of avenues one can take to get a job. In my opinion, the most effective one is networking. Networking is a two way relationship; it will not work if you only consider what’s in it for you. Although it has become a cliché that it is not what you know but who you know, this sentiment is still very true. The popular job avenues such as online job posting sites do not distinguish one’s unique skill sets and background. It is important to get noticed and the best way to do that is to get in front of people. Whether this means going to job fairs, networking events or attending conferences, it is crucial to meet people who can hire you or help you in your career. Professional organizations such as Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA), Ascend and the American Marketing Association (AMA) are some of the best avenues to professional development. They help expand one’s network as well as increase industry knowledge.

I encourage students to become involved in professional organizations early in their professional careers. Students can join various professional organizations at a reduced fee while in school. If your school does not have a student chapter for a professional organization, take the initiative to start one. Besides putting that achievement in your resume, you will gain valuable experience that will be beneficial in the long term. Various professional organizations also have an annual convention where professionals participate in panel discussions and presentations. Some of those conventions also have career fairs and this is a major opportunity for students to meet professionals in the field, learn more about their career interests or even get a job offer.

Upon attending a career seminar, I learned that one of the best ways to stand out from the competition is to take the initiative and ask professionals or senior personnel to have a conversation over coffee. A majority of the time, it might not come to fruition because senior professionals are very busy or they will refer you to HR but it does not hurt to try. I have taken that step and met a few professionals over coffee. Once you have a chance to meet someone face-to-face, you can learn more about the company, talk about your background and unique skill sets and impress the professional as much as you can. Who knows the next time a position opens up at the professional’s company, you might be the first one to get that call.

Your next job might only be a coffee away, so go ahead and keep networking.

Diversity (Published on MinorityMBAs.com)

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Nirmal Thapa

When we generally hear of the word diversity, we tend to visualize people of different colors or physical characteristics. But what does diversity really mean? Is a Dutch person more of a “diverse” candidate than an American when both are applying to a job in the U.S.? What does an applicant interpret as diversity when applying to jobs and internships? Companies have created pages highlighting diversity and how it is part of their growth strategy.

Upon a quick browse through Google’s career page, we find Google claiming Diversity is our Business. Everybody’s searching for something different. Just as the very idea of Google depends on diversity, so does delivering the best possible products. Our success hinges on our ability to understand the needs of all 597 million of our users. That’s why we work hard to attract and hire talented individuals of every possible perspective, from all over the world. No matter how you slice it, diversity is our DNA. Upon browsing Nokia’s career page, we find the words, While diversity is one of the key drivers of our business success; it is also at the heart of Nokia’s Values and of the Nokia Way. We expect our employees to respect and encourage the strength that comes from diversity.

So what is in fact diversity? How do companies from different continents view diversity? Then there is the overarching question, is diversity always good?

Diversity is hard to define. The Concise Oxford Dictionary definition of diversity is 1. Being diverse; variety and 2. A different kind; a variety. A dictionary definition seems inadequate here (nor concise) or maybe I have an old edition Dictionary. Thus we ask ourselves and interpret what it means. For me, diversity means different; it means difference in ideas, language, culture and essentially backgrounds. No two people have the same background so essentially everyone is “diverse” in some sense. A person growing up in New York City is not necessarily more diverse than a person growing up in Auburn.

Google, an American company sees diversity as a tool that they can leverage to understand the needs of its 597 million users. It makes business sense to value diversity. Nokia clearly defines diversity. Nokia, a Finnish company states in its Diversity page, our goal is to enable men and women of different cultural or ethnic backgrounds, skills and abilities, lifestyles, generations and perspectives to contribute their best to our success. My interpretation without normative data, tells me that although both multinationals value diversity, a job candidate has a better understanding of diversity at Nokia.

Companies seem to value diversity dearly. They share their love stories with diversity by putting up pages, pictures and videos to showcase its presence in their company. Yet there is a lingering question, how effective is a diverse team? Are companies embracing diversity because it’s the right thing to do or do they really see it as a competitive advantage? If a company only operates in the U.S., does immersing a qualified candidate from India help or hurt the group? For companies which operate globally, it is essential to have employees from different background because it helps localize its offerings or for reverse innovation purposes. For a company that only operates locally and has no plans of going international, it would be interesting to find out if embracing diversity contributes to its growth. It helps to have different ideas brought to the table before a decision is implemented. But if diversity is not managed properly, it can prove to be very costly and detriment the organization’s image.

Do non-American companies have a better understanding of diversity than American based? What are the statistics comparing organizations in the same industry where diversity has helped achieve competitive advantage? Is diversity critical to success only for an organization planning to go international in the long run or is it equally important for small businesses? Are there industries that thrive on diversity while in others it does not really make a difference? These are all interesting questions and as more minorities pursue their MBAs and enter the workforce, they will be at the forefront of all this discussion. Research across companies and industries is needed on how companies have achieved competitive advantage through diversity.

This article is featured under “Advice from Career Coaches and Experts” on MinorityMBAs.com

The importance of being resourceful (Published on MinorityMBAs.com)

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Nirmal Thapa

Resources can be the difference between success and failure. While resources are critical, being resourceful is a vital attribute in itself. Being resourceful helps one achieve their goals whether it’s short or long term and thus is a key skill to develop.

Attending an Ivy League school provides students with vast amounts of resources. It serves as a huge advantage in terms of getting a job amongst others compared to attending a small liberal arts college. Even without attending an Ivy League school, there are numerous ways students can tap into resources of large universities.

Internships in renowned research institutions allow interns to attain experience while also tapping into the university’s resources. The Columbia Institute for Tele-Information at Columbia Business School offers a challenging research internship program for undergraduates and graduates. Another way to leverage on university resources is to get in touch with professors at research institutions to see if they require assistance in their research studies. Also volunteering at university conferences gives students an access pass to the event while boosting resume credentials. Schools also have partnerships with other universities which allow students to take classes in any of the participating schools.

When it comes to applying for jobs and internships, most are familiar with Monster, HotJobs and CareerBuilder. With the ease of applying to jobs and internships through these career portals, employers are stormed with hundreds of online applications especially when the national unemployment rate for March 2010 was at 9.7 percent. From applicants’ perspective, it’s hard to stand out and even to get a response; from companies’ perspective, they have a huge pile of applications and might have second thoughts on posting a job online next time. Thus, lesser known career portals become perfect alternatives to the mass-marketed job search engines. Startuphire.com is a great online resource for individuals interested in start-up jobs and internships. LinkedIn is another valuable resource and as the cover story of the April issue of Fortune magazine claims, if you don’t have a profile on LinkedIn, you’re nowhere. It also states that the reason LinkedIn works so well for professional matchmaking is that most of its members already have jobs. Also, there are some jobs posted exclusively on LinkedIn.

It is ever more important to be resourceful at a`time`when the labor market is tight. Hard work, perseverance along with some creativity could help both students looking for internships and graduates looking for jobs.

This article is featured on MinorityMBAs.com

Category: career