ASK HR: I want to stand out, but will I be overqualified if I do my master's degree?
I am writing to request advice on my career path. I have done B.com (finance option) and I have CPA (K) but finding even an internship has been difficult. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
Your academic and professional qualifications indicate a career interest in the field of Finance and Accounting.
Six years is a long period to hold such qualifications without an opportunity to work; it is likely that considerations beyond them are standing in your way.
Q. Dear Fred
I am writing to request advice on my career path. I have done B.com (finance option) and I have CPA (K) but finding even an internship has been difficult.
Some of my connections have tried to get me a position, but the feedback I keep getting is that I should study more to stand out from others applying for the same position.
I have applied to do my master's, but the future seems blank. Some say I will be overqualified if I do a masters, that I should just look for experience, which isn’t forthcoming. What path should I take?
David.
Dear David
Your academic and professional qualifications indicate a career interest in the field of Finance and Accounting. Six years is a long period to hold such qualifications without an opportunity to work; it is likely that considerations beyond them are standing in your way.
The advice you have received from your connections that you now need to acquire further qualifications requires further examination. There are successful Finance and Accounting professionals who possess qualifications similar to yours. At present, you do not need new academic decorations to start the journey of your career. Your results, more than your qualifications, will prove to be and remain a more suitable yardstick with which to measure your contribution at work.
What responses do you usually receive from organisations to which you have applied for work? Have you called them back seeking feedback? Have you sought advice on your cover letters, CV, how you present yourself and interact with others? Have you offered to intern or work for free in an organisation or an accounting firm? What about a club or association to which you or a friend belongs, your local church or your former learning institutions?
Connections are important and so is their quality and diversity. Do you have a mentor who could relate to you the story of their career and advise you on what you need to do to get started? What have you done to actively expand your network of helpful acquaintances through whom you may come across career opportunities? Some of your classmates may already be working: what might they have done differently? If you presently perceive your future to be blank, you are unlikely to overcome inertia. A clear mental picture of your career aspirations will help you find traction towards your destiny.
