Dear Seniors,
Firstly, it was very helpful of you all during my first post while I was interning and had a dilemma.
Now comes my second round of help requirement. But before I get to the question, I want to lend a backgrounder about my profile.
I have a Bachelors in Media Studies from Symbiosis and am just finishing up my MBA for Marketing. I have 5 internships under my belt too - from advertising agencies to digital agencies, with no other full time work experience. From Communications to Marketing has been the journey regarding studies. My likely interests for work are either in brand management OR advertising agency (planning/strategy) OR pure marketing functions (not sales) OR Market Research.
As I finish up my MBA and I write and respond to this thread, I am yet not placed or found a job. I have given an interview at a national Agency in March though I still have to hear from them. Just to stick my interest areas I did not opt for any other placement offered by my college as they were either pertaining to banking or insurance side.
Recently I have been shortlisted to a Masters programme for Cognitive Science at one of the IITs. Now here comes the questions:
1) Suppose I complete my degree from IIT, my profile would have an MSc from IIT + MBA (Marketing) + Bachelors (Media)... Would you be interested in hiring ME towards the aforementioned work interest areas where I want my career to start with?
Will the brand IIT help me gaining attention of the prospective employer?
OR
Would I rather start working to gain a couple of years experience in any firm (not those I mentioned for my interest areas) and try to seek and jump to the right opportunity as and when it comes?
2) I have mailed and applied to a lot of agencies (with the apt resumes as required for the profile in the organisation) and have not got a single reply till now (been applying since January this year). I'm open to waiting for a month or two but beyond that I really don't know if I'd be successfully employed in the field I desire to go in. With this ongoing concern, should I opt for another masters (which is aligned to Communications itself) just to delay employment and wait for odds to favor in my turn?
Thank you for your time. Seeking suggestions / opinions / advice from seniors.
Regards.
From India, Pune
Firstly, it was very helpful of you all during my first post while I was interning and had a dilemma.
Now comes my second round of help requirement. But before I get to the question, I want to lend a backgrounder about my profile.
I have a Bachelors in Media Studies from Symbiosis and am just finishing up my MBA for Marketing. I have 5 internships under my belt too - from advertising agencies to digital agencies, with no other full time work experience. From Communications to Marketing has been the journey regarding studies. My likely interests for work are either in brand management OR advertising agency (planning/strategy) OR pure marketing functions (not sales) OR Market Research.
As I finish up my MBA and I write and respond to this thread, I am yet not placed or found a job. I have given an interview at a national Agency in March though I still have to hear from them. Just to stick my interest areas I did not opt for any other placement offered by my college as they were either pertaining to banking or insurance side.
Recently I have been shortlisted to a Masters programme for Cognitive Science at one of the IITs. Now here comes the questions:
1) Suppose I complete my degree from IIT, my profile would have an MSc from IIT + MBA (Marketing) + Bachelors (Media)... Would you be interested in hiring ME towards the aforementioned work interest areas where I want my career to start with?
Will the brand IIT help me gaining attention of the prospective employer?
OR
Would I rather start working to gain a couple of years experience in any firm (not those I mentioned for my interest areas) and try to seek and jump to the right opportunity as and when it comes?
2) I have mailed and applied to a lot of agencies (with the apt resumes as required for the profile in the organisation) and have not got a single reply till now (been applying since January this year). I'm open to waiting for a month or two but beyond that I really don't know if I'd be successfully employed in the field I desire to go in. With this ongoing concern, should I opt for another masters (which is aligned to Communications itself) just to delay employment and wait for odds to favor in my turn?
Thank you for your time. Seeking suggestions / opinions / advice from seniors.
Regards.
From India, Pune
Congratulations! It takes a lot to build the credentials you have worked so far. Education is a life long process. You have been true to it, so far!
Employability is susceptible to the right fit. Hence echoing your efforts to put down the relevant education and experience to the job requirement.
Lets take a view, had you done this MSc at your job, would that make you unemployable? If not, it shouldn't make you under-employable now. Many of us, continue to study and get certified on areas beyond our work, entirely because of our interests. It can never be a deterrent to being employed.
Remain as focussed as you are, with your service offerings and the role. It is going to take a while for you to find the right job, entirely because, of the fitment and perception.
Please stay grateful to all those employers who wouldn't hire you, as they might not be able to use your service offerings and ensure you grow to the best of your potential.
Right job is on the way, stay as prepared as you are. Wish you all the best !
From India, Mumbai
1856Employability is susceptible to the right fit. Hence echoing your efforts to put down the relevant education and experience to the job requirement.
Lets take a view, had you done this MSc at your job, would that make you unemployable? If not, it shouldn't make you under-employable now. Many of us, continue to study and get certified on areas beyond our work, entirely because of our interests. It can never be a deterrent to being employed.
Remain as focussed as you are, with your service offerings and the role. It is going to take a while for you to find the right job, entirely because, of the fitment and perception.
Please stay grateful to all those employers who wouldn't hire you, as they might not be able to use your service offerings and ensure you grow to the best of your potential.
Right job is on the way, stay as prepared as you are. Wish you all the best !
From India, Mumbai
Hello Deepudost,
While concurring with (Cite Contribution), I would add the following points--mainly to address your specific queries.
1] "........the aforementioned work interest areas where I want my career to start with?"
Pl note that the possibility of getting the career path one aspires for depends on MULTIPLE factors, many of which wouldn't be in one's hands [for eg., the industry scenario @ that point of time, etc]. The combination, per se, is surely good. So the BEST one can look for is to ensure that the combination of qualifications ARE NOT incoherent/mismatches--which you already seem to have taken care of.
2] "Will the brand IIT help me gaining attention of the prospective employer? OR Would I rather start working to gain a couple of years experience in any firm"
There are BOTH Pros & Cons for both the options. But, relatively, I would go for the Brand IIT option--at any point of time, that surely carries more weightage than exp in a non-de-script company.
3] "......should I opt for another masters (which is aligned to Communications itself) just to delay employment and wait for odds to favor in my turn?"
There's a Saying: A bird in-hand is worth Two in the bush. Hope you get the message.
All the Best.
Rgds,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
While concurring with (Cite Contribution), I would add the following points--mainly to address your specific queries.
1] "........the aforementioned work interest areas where I want my career to start with?"
Pl note that the possibility of getting the career path one aspires for depends on MULTIPLE factors, many of which wouldn't be in one's hands [for eg., the industry scenario @ that point of time, etc]. The combination, per se, is surely good. So the BEST one can look for is to ensure that the combination of qualifications ARE NOT incoherent/mismatches--which you already seem to have taken care of.
2] "Will the brand IIT help me gaining attention of the prospective employer? OR Would I rather start working to gain a couple of years experience in any firm"
There are BOTH Pros & Cons for both the options. But, relatively, I would go for the Brand IIT option--at any point of time, that surely carries more weightage than exp in a non-de-script company.
3] "......should I opt for another masters (which is aligned to Communications itself) just to delay employment and wait for odds to favor in my turn?"
There's a Saying: A bird in-hand is worth Two in the bush. Hope you get the message.
All the Best.
Rgds,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Thank you Tajsateesh & (Cite Contribution)1979 for your valuable feedback. Will keep this thread updated of my decision in the future (likely by mid July).
From India, Pune
From India, Pune
If MBA (Marketing) + Bachelors (Media) is not able to get you a job then I am not sure Msc IIT will help that much. What kind of job are you targeting? Could you please mention that?
From India, Delhi
From India, Delhi
Hi Learningnovo,
Thank you for your reply. I am looking specifically for pure marketing functions (preferably in media & entertainment, hospitality or IT based companies) OR account/strategic planning at advertising agencies (both mainline + digital).
The very same thought that even MBA (Marketing) + Bachelor (Media) is not letting me go near my desired profiles is quite surprising when I too think of it. Really don't know what the recruiters are looking as a profile in the aforementioned desired functions.
Regards.
From India, Pune
Thank you for your reply. I am looking specifically for pure marketing functions (preferably in media & entertainment, hospitality or IT based companies) OR account/strategic planning at advertising agencies (both mainline + digital).
The very same thought that even MBA (Marketing) + Bachelor (Media) is not letting me go near my desired profiles is quite surprising when I too think of it. Really don't know what the recruiters are looking as a profile in the aforementioned desired functions.
Regards.
From India, Pune
You are applying for a job at a time when the market is extremely tight. There are few vacancies and many will experience are looking for jobs. That may be a part of the problem. Given the situation, you should accept what jobs you get so far as it applies to your core : marketing or media. You may be able to switch to your preferred area later.
Getting an additional degree sounds good. But who wants that additional qualification in you ? Does it make you more of a specialist (and therefore narrows your possibility of finding a job) or does it enhance your appeal to prospective employers by adding to another skill set ?
Many employers will see your effort as
A) he does not know what he is doing / lacks focus / wasting time
B) he is very qualified. Does not suite me / will leave after few months when he gets a better job.
Adding another degree may make it worse.
I do not know how old you are. After some time, people want to see experience and not take freshers. So you need to consider that too.
From India, Mumbai
Getting an additional degree sounds good. But who wants that additional qualification in you ? Does it make you more of a specialist (and therefore narrows your possibility of finding a job) or does it enhance your appeal to prospective employers by adding to another skill set ?
Many employers will see your effort as
A) he does not know what he is doing / lacks focus / wasting time
B) he is very qualified. Does not suite me / will leave after few months when he gets a better job.
Adding another degree may make it worse.
I do not know how old you are. After some time, people want to see experience and not take freshers. So you need to consider that too.
From India, Mumbai
Seems a very wise approach. I do understand that competition is stiff in the designated areas mentioned due to the presence of experienced candidates.
The dilemma is yet pertinent. Does the prospective employer seek 'brand' (institute/college) from where you come OR do they really subjectively look at your qualifications to make a first impression? What actually is the striking feature in your resume/cv that can potentially lead you to an interview? Cause once you're in the interview it's a different ball game (for which I am confident of).
I am twenty seven btw. And is age really a factor of selection even though a candidate may be good fit for what the job requires/commands?
From India, Pune
The dilemma is yet pertinent. Does the prospective employer seek 'brand' (institute/college) from where you come OR do they really subjectively look at your qualifications to make a first impression? What actually is the striking feature in your resume/cv that can potentially lead you to an interview? Cause once you're in the interview it's a different ball game (for which I am confident of).
I am twenty seven btw. And is age really a factor of selection even though a candidate may be good fit for what the job requires/commands?
From India, Pune
Being in IIT makes a massive difference. Generally at that point employers look at previous history as a positive addition to what you leaned at IIT.
From India, Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
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