Just Learning is not enough

Since I am going through job search a lot of questions come into my mind each and every time I apply, get a feedback, and try to build a network or talk to the people about the opportunities. After a lot of brainstorming about the job search process, i have concluded that only learning is not enough, you have to prove that you are more than a certificate.

I can give you an interesting example of myself. I had 16 years of education including a four years Bachelors in an Engineering program, a certification in Merchandizing Merchandising management, five internships and one year of experience as a president of a student union during my final year. After that i had one semester in MBA (Evening Program) and one and half years of work experience until the middle of 2009 when i was just 23 years old. I moved to Sweden in autumn 2009 and since then i have completed 218.5 credits (Ects) related to Masters in Industrial Engineering and Masters in Project Management. To give an idea one year Masters Program has 60 credits. I have also completed Swedish for immigrant up to level C, and have worked for four years in evenings, on the average 140 hours/ month. These are all the stuff that i can prove on papers in the forms of certificates. What i have learnt from my personal interests by reading, learning online and social life cannot still be proven, and i believe that i am still learning every day.

After doing all that my job applications are still not successful. And therefore i am saying that learning is not enough until and unless you can prove it on a paper or in front of other people. I have read it so many times that there are better candidates from me, i do not have the right skills or they need something different. That prove that i am still not good enough to prove what i have learnt.

One of my favorite quotes is “Love what you do and do what you love”. But i believe that it was said in some context. And that context might be the opportunities. And sometimes it takes years of struggle to achieve what you love to do. 2 months ago i contacted many successful people online and asked them what they did in their life that made them successful if they think they are successful. Some of them said that they got the right opportunities and then they did what they loved to do. In the end the world only remember the successful ones. No one mentioned that how many times they have failed and how many were there with them who quit in the way.

Recruitment is a process that can lead you to something that you love to do. Since it is a process that has some inputs and some outputs. No matter how great data you have, if you do not do the right input, you cannot get the right output. And with experience everyone can learn the right way to put the right input. Right now i am learning this process; i do not know how long it might take me to do it right and better than I am doing now. People in the recruitment jobs do not have enough time to read the context of every application, they are just are a part of the process. Since i am a lifelong learner, I still have to learn a lot to master the art of job applications. Until now i have learnt some stuff that I am practicing in the limited time that I have now.

1-      Professional Network: I am trying my best to build a professional network on Linkedin by adding the right people, participating in the desired interest groups and following the desired organizations. Besides that i am trying my best to attend all the job fairs and find people related to my background. I am also attending conferences that can contribute in building network and enhance my knowledge.

2-      Reading: I am reading articles related to job search process.

3-      Talking to professionals about their life experiences in the profession.

4-      Writing applications for the jobs I love to do.

I am carrying out all these processes along 45 credits this semester. The quality of the output is totally dependent on the quality of efforts. In the end I have to prove to the people I am going to work, that I am the best person for the job I love.