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shuja · Newbie Joined: 05 Apr 2009 Posts: 1 Career Advice: +0/-0

Hi,

I am from India and I want to give some background to my case.

I completed a Bachelors and then a Masters degree in India in Business and worked for 3 and half years at a leading private sector bank. Neither my job nor the team I was working with was satisfying (to say the least!) and my boss who was extremely jealous of my progress deliberately withheld my name for a second promotion which was due. I was a star performer and within 6 months of joining I was promoted to Assistant Manager from Senior Officer. This incident amongst others led me to a lot of introspection and I decided to finally fulfill my long time dream of studying for a professional masters degree in US from a top University.

So I left my job in Sept. 2005. It was a hard decision - applying for graduate courses in US is extremely expensive and I was on a tight budget. My job at the bank required extremely long working hours - I was working for 6-7 days a week for 16-18 hours a day (no I am not kidding when you work in a country like India in a retail bank things can be pretty out of control!!!). I used this time from Sept 2005 until May 2006 (when I came to US) and worked hard on finding universities, preparing for GMAT, taking exam, interviews etc and then finally making the trip to the US!

I joined a top school here and worked very hard. I worked as an intern in my university for a year without pay while studying a full time demanding MBA course and kept looking for a job. My problem - the US and world economy tanked just as I graduated in May 2008. Plus I was on a student visa looking for a company that would sponsor my work permit.

It is now April, 2009 and almost a complete 1 year since graduation. I am returning to my home country jobless.

My biggest concern now is that I have been unemployed for about 9 months prior to MBA + almost 12 months after my MBA i.e. a total of 21 months and counting!

I want to be honest when I am interviewing with the companies and yet I am struggling with how to explain this to them without coming across as a loser.

I have worked so hard, given up 2 years of salary paying job to do an MBA, paid so much in tuition, living expenses, traveling for job interviews across the US and yet to find a grain of success.

I am losing hope, and have had terrible thoughts about my future or a lack of it!

Please advise on how to explain these gaps on my resume which I did not want and worked hard to avoid them but still ended up having them.

Thanks and may god bless you!

Pauloz · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 5:52 am Post subject:

shuja

Look, it takes some guts to go to another country and do an MBA, particularly self supporting. Most people are covered multiple ways over when they do the MBA, with management experience and that sort of income.

You could have picked a better time to dive into the shark pool, but that's about all.

Never mind what anyone thinks, the facts say something quite different. You just went to get an MBA, which you've done, and have a look around to see what was available. In practice, the finance sector has been shedding jobs since about May 2008, not hiring.

So-

You spent some time pre MBA setting up the degree.
The degree is pretty much full time.
You had little or no chance of finding any finance gigs in the US, but you did try.

Any US election means forget everything between November and January, anyway. The administrations come and go, and nobody gets much done. That applies to business, too, because Wall Street is in lock step with that echelon of the society, even in the best of times.

This is almost self explanatory. How do you figure you're a loser, after going through what was practically the Apocalypse, in your profession? Einstein would have had trouble finding work in that environment. The only guy finding extra work in finance is Nouriel Roubini.

Gaps explanation:

May-November 2008: Sector meltdown, Lehmann Bros, US election.
Dec 2008- Feb 2009 TARP applications coming on line, industry shakeouts.

In practice, you've only had any credible chance of finding anything for about a month, and those are still very thin on the ground. There's been no such thing as a finance job market since Lehmann Bros. Most of the Americans are still busy firing off their CVs and winding up their networks.

I know India's a tough, occasionally brutal work environment. I think you could consider working in healthier places, where your situation will be less "selectively understood". Canada, Australia, and New Zealand might be more receptive places to look for work.

If you want to stick around in the States, check things out with your university and your friends. There will be someone there who knows the ropes, and will have a few ideas, and probably some contacts.

You're in MBA Land, now. Pick up the phone and start networking.

A word of advice: Never give up.

goravrama · Newbie Joined: 15 May 2009 Posts: 1 Career Advice: +0/-0

You don't need to be so concerned about being unemployed despite having an MBA. What you need to understand is that the market is extremely tough especially in the USA since many Americans themselves aren't getting jobs let alone a foreigner. Perhaps going back to India is a blessing in disguise since India is a booming economy with lots of business opportunities. I myself was in a similar situation to yourself around 3 years ago when I finished my MBA from a Top 10 University in the UK but was unable to get employment in the U.K. Imagine, that was a so-called booming period and I couldn't secure employment. I should be ashamed. However, God is great, and I managed to get some capital to start my own business. I started my own business in India and have made more money than I ever could with an MBA. Furthermore, I have done well enough and never dream of going to the USA or UK anymore. The kind of business and income I'm generating here in India is impossible in those economies. Perhaps this gives you a good idea of what to do. Why do you want to look for a job when you can run your own business? I would strongly recommend identifying small but profitable business opportunities that can definitely bear fruit. Furthermore, these businesses are owned by you and nobody can make you unemployed except yourself. I'll be more than happy to suggest ideas if you are interested.

rahulsharma1982 · New User Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 8 Career Advice: +0/-0

Hello friends, this is Rahul here.... an MBA aspirant. I am a bit confused about the country from which i shud do MBA. I m planning to join a B-school by next year.

I have a few questions:-
1. How will, probably, be the job scene in US after, say, 2.5 years from now?
2. How is Canada, for doing MBA & getting a good job over there? I am planning to settle there, if i can.....
3. I think, UK, being a small country with a high density of population, wont be able to take any more load of foreigners... Is my thinking right?
4. If we talk about Australia, US, UK & Canada for MBA & Job prospectus, in which order can these countries be ranked starting from the best?
5. Can a Canadian or an Australian MBA, get me a job in US?

Kindly provide me the replies of this questions, if possible.

Thanks in advance,
Regards,
Rahul

Pauloz · Posted: Sun May 24, 2009 9:41 am Post subject: Re: Why be so concerned?

rahulsharma1982

Comments in italics in your quote:

rahulsharma1982 · New User Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 8 Career Advice: +0/-0

Thanks a lot, Pauloz, for your such an informative reply.
I think, going for Australia or Canada will be a better option...

However, I have read on some web-site that job scene after MBA in Australia is not good... Its really tough to get even a work permit in Australia after MBA. Is that true?

I have nearly 5 years full-time experience in marketing field.... By qualification, I am an Engineer. Wot would be the job scope for me in Australia after MBA? & How about migrating to Australia?

Same thing, I have heard about Canada also.....There, the work permits are given only for the span of time, for which you have studied... As for example, after a course of 8 months, job permit/work visa will be given only for 8 months..... Is this true?

Also, please let me know the names of globally renowned B-schools of Australia.

Pauloz · Posted: Sun May 24, 2009 11:59 pm Post subject: Re: Why be so concerned?

rahulsharma1982 · New User Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 8 Career Advice: +0/-0

Thanks again.....
Your reply, based on my experience & qualification, is quite motivating. Well, I will tell my primary concern. I, basically, want to migrate to some cool, clean, developed, systematic & less populated country. That is the real reason, why I am pushing myself for an international MBA.

As such, I do not have any specific choice for any country, it can be some country in Europe/North America/Australia/New Zealand. Only thing, which I want is clean atmosphere, cool climate, educated & broad-minded people around me.

However, as Indians are, mostly, good at just one foreign language - English, I am planning to do MBA & get settled in some English speaking country.

Pauloz · Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 6:01 am Post subject: Re: Why be so concerned?

rahulsharma1982 · New User Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 8 Career Advice: +0/-0

Thanks a lot again..... I will surely come back to you when I have something to share.

Regards,
Rahul

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