Jobs for my course [Archive]

Altwegg

Jun 22, 2003, 07:04 AM

I am a BS BIology graduate. I pursued medicine but I decided to take a leave first and try working. Three weeks ago, I had my first ever job interview and passed the written and typing tests. Unfortunately, there were applicants who are deserving than me. I just would like to inquire about job openings for a BS Biology graduate like me. I graduated last March 2000 from UST.

Thank you.

med_trans

Jun 23, 2003, 01:39 AM

rabbaddal

Jun 23, 2003, 05:17 AM

Originally posted by Altwegg
I am a BS BIology graduate. I pursued medicine but I decided to take a leave first and try working. Three weeks ago, I had my first ever job interview and passed the written and typing tests. Unfortunately, there were applicants who are deserving than me. I just would like to inquire about job openings for a BS Biology graduate like me. I graduated last March 2000 from UST.

Thank you.

Have you tried becoming a career biologist? That being said, why limit yourself to the course you took? If you just graduated from college, there are lots of career paths you can explore. Marketing and brand management jobs, for example, don't really require any college course as pre-requisite so long as you can demosntrate in your application your aptitude for the job. You can even go for a marketing job in a pharmaceutical firm so you can leverage on your background, but don't limit yourself to that. There are many careers that you can pursue regardless of the major you took in college.

golfer_guy

Jun 23, 2003, 07:30 AM

hi altwegg! maybe you can try the World Health Organization and International Rice Research Institute. :)

saywhat

Jun 27, 2003, 07:25 PM

If you want good money, you can try and be a medrep for any of the multinational pharma companies.

Zeratul

Jun 28, 2003, 01:52 PM

Magkita tayo Altwegg. Ganun din predicament ko. May family business akong tinatakbo sabay grad sch pero ewan kolang - gusto kong maging entry-level employee dahil ba ang experience pag gagapang ka pataas sa formal sa kumpanya.

BS BIOLOGY din ako. Masters program ko MALAYO sa kors ko. :)

aajao

Jun 28, 2003, 04:18 PM

try taking the Civil Service Exam and apply in the government. Any job related to your course, i guess, in the government will be well-compensated. :)

Altwegg

Jun 29, 2003, 07:19 AM

Thank you very much guys for your suggestions. I am seriously considering some of them.

The problem with me is I only send my resume through e-mail so it's taking too long for companies to contact me plus the fact that I always use this phone for the Internet (although I have call-waiting).

Anwyays,

med_trans, I applied online but no calls yet.

rabbadal, thanks. I applied for a call center po, so i guess I'm open for any field.

golfer_guy, as what po?

Zeratul, since you are running your family's business why not hire me? :glee: Just kidding. Meet? Sure! When?

aajao, yup my friend told me to do that nga. Ang kaso is hindi ko alam where.

Thanks again guys!

Altwegg

Jun 29, 2003, 07:25 AM

aajao

Jun 30, 2003, 12:01 AM

can't log on to TEx.
musta sina kLaZo andun pa ba? :)

Altwegg

Jun 30, 2003, 05:33 AM

aajao, who are you po?

Anwyays, any other suggestion?

rabbaddal

Jun 30, 2003, 11:48 PM

Originally posted by Altwegg

rabbadal, thanks. I applied for a call center po, so i guess I'm open for any field.

BTW, what kind of industry do you think you would love to work in? Maybe you can figure it out and see how you can start a career from there. Start by asking yourself what is it that interests you very much. Like, I have friends who have a passion for magazines so they joined the media industry as strategists.

Altwegg

Jul 1, 2003, 05:48 AM

Hi rabbadal!

I really love computers and the Internet.

rabbaddal

Jul 1, 2003, 01:33 PM

Originally posted by Altwegg
Hi rabbadal!

I really love computers and the Internet.

Depending on your current skill level, you can find work in the industry. If your interest is in IT solutions/consulting, firms like Accenture or Soluziona hire fresh grads regardless of major. I you're into programming & development, SVI and Software Brewers have training programs for beginners. Come up w/ a list of companies in the field you want to get into and develop a strategy for yourself. Ask around, check the classifieds, or go to online postings like Jobstreet to name a few. It could mean as simple as sending your resume or as thorough as talking to somebody inside (such as an alumnus of your university).

Stampede

Jul 1, 2003, 03:43 PM

there's an interesting report on cnet on how tech is changing the way some vertical industries conduct their business. two of the the industries highlighted are bio sciences and health care.

http://news.com.com/2030-6678_3-1001397.html?tag=fd_lede1_hed (http://)

maybe you can parlay some of that bio education and tech interest into a career in one these areas. saw a few companies mentioned in the article. wouldn't hurt to check if they have local affiliates.

good luck.

Altwegg

Jul 2, 2003, 02:27 AM

Thank you rabbadal and Stampede.

I will check that site out.

Zeratul

Jul 2, 2003, 05:57 AM

Di naman ganun ka hi-profile family business namin. Low key lang! Actually I want to work entry level now coz I don't feel I'm ready to be an entrepreneur. Iba talaga and first-hand experience sa ilalim kasi masasanay ka sa routine work di tulad ng solo negosyo.

If you are into computers, why not take a 1-year CS degree? La Salle has a 1-year straight postgrad BS CS program which does not require work experience nor calculus. Kaya lang toxic siya coz you have to maintain a 3.0 GPA or else you'll get called to the dean's office! Try mo kaya?

Regarding Accenture, soluziona, etc, 14,000 ang starting nila at dapat at least pogi yung grades mo or at least may OJT or Java programming certification ka at astig ang extracurriculars (eg AIESEC, JMA, etc). Forget P&G, Unilever, McKinsey, and the like coz the competition is cutthroat!

Yun lang. Hope this helps.

Zeratul

Jul 2, 2003, 05:58 AM

Di naman ganun ka hi-profile family business namin. Low key lang! Actually I want to work entry level now coz I don't feel I'm ready to be an entrepreneur. Iba talaga and first-hand experience sa ilalim kasi masasanay ka sa routine work di tulad ng solo negosyo, solo oras.

If you are into computers, why not take a 1-year CS degree? La Salle has a 1-year straight postgrad BS CS program which does not require work experience nor calculus. Kaya lang toxic siya coz you have to maintain a 3.0 GPA or else you'll get called to the dean's office! Try mo kaya?

Regarding Accenture, Soluziona, etc, 14,000 ang starting nila at dapat at least pogi yung grades mo or at least may OJT or Java programming certification ka at astig ang extracurriculars (eg AIESEC, JMA, etc). Forget P&G, Unilever, McKinsey, and the like coz the competition is cutthroat!

Yun lang. Hope this helps.

rabbaddal

Jul 2, 2003, 03:02 PM

Originally posted by Zeratul
Regarding Accenture, soluziona, etc, 14,000 ang starting nila at dapat at least pogi yung grades mo or at least may OJT or Java programming certification ka at astig ang extracurriculars (eg AIESEC, JMA, etc).

For Accenture and Soluziona's entry-level consultant/analyst positions, not having IT certification or background is not a hindrance. However, demonstrating some interest in IT (ex. working on a school project, developing a website for a friend, etc.) may be helpful, but not necessary. Some of my classmates who worked as consultants in those firms were humanities majors who didn't know anything about computers beforehand besides MS Office.

For more info. on careers in either firm, check the following websites:

Accenture Careers (http://careers3.accenture.com/Careers/Templates/HomePage-1.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fcareers%2fglobal&NRNODEGUID=%7b3F50FA10-7F03-4E2D-B0EA-C393DE0762E0%7d&NRCACHEHINT=Guest)

Soluziona Careers (http://www.soluziona.com/htdocs_en/global/empleo/quienes_somos/equipo.shtml)

Extra curricular activities are very helpful in applying to any company. Grades count a lot too, but I think I can assume that altwegg has decent undergrad grades, having made it to UST's medical school.

Originally posted by Zeratul
Forget P&G, Unilever, McKinsey, and the like coz the competition is cutthroat!

If someone is sincerely interested in a particular field, then nothing should stop him from pursuing it. P&G and the likes may be competitive but if the applicant can demonstrate that he can fit in a field like marketing, for example, then that person has a pretty decent chance. It pays for the applicant to research on the job he/she’s applying to so that he can be prepared for field-specific interview questions.

And if the applicant doesn’t make it to these companies at first, he/she can always work in his field somewhere else and reapply once he/she has demonstrated his/her capabilities. Some of my batchmates started their marketing careers in companies like J&J, URC, and CFC and later moved on to multinationals like Colgate and Unilever after a few years of performing well on the job.

Zeratul

Jul 3, 2003, 03:02 PM

Rabbadal, I agree with you.

"There are no mountains you cannot climb, no deserts you cannot cross, no oceans you canot swim, if you fully set your heart to it."

B.S. Whatever. Balik topic.

Considering the dismal situation of the job market, most ordinary grads from the top 4 have to consider call centers as last resort careers (no offense to call center workers - I have friends there esp in Etel :) ). With information being widely available today, there's the rat-race toward learning new technologies. A simple project study for an org cannot stand in comparison with an active elbow-rubbing Ateneo ME grad or a DLSU CS grad with proficient Java background or an MCSE.

Dati 1995 pogi resume mo pag "Proficient in Word, Excel, Powerpoint". Ngayon 2000+ pagtatawanan ka pag nilagay mo yun sa resume kasi pati salesgirl at sekyu maaring mas proficient sayo. Ngayon dapat sa resume - "Proficient in Java 2 SE/EE, C/C++, Basic, XHTML, XML, CCS, Flash, Photoshop....etc" (the first three + a web app actually will be sufficient).

Unless you have the shamless glib tongue of MLMers to hurl excellent convincing bull$h@t to your interviewer from philo orals,(like someone I know - Ateneo AB Divinity turned bank VP - possible but more of the exception to the rule), it is very hard to land a good job nowadays coz there are SOOOO many people more qualified than you. Nauubusan na ang mga pwesto habang nahuhuli ka sa biyahe (me being partly into IT, that's what I can say).

And by the way, how would the corporate world react to people who left grad progs like law or med? There's the "quitter stigma" attached to it, which you must overcome. HR interviewers usually try to be objective and unbiased, but there still is the prevailing stigma that the applicant (sorry - no offense meant, Altwegg) altered from his/her career orientation, which may convince the company to believe that the applicant is unsure about career plans. If I were the interviewer, I would hire someone with a straight, specific orientation towards a functional area (eg DLSU MFI for credit banking), with a broad grasp of general business concepts, rather than some humanities dude with no specialization nor exposure to the corporate/IT world.

What do you think?

rabbaddal

Jul 3, 2003, 08:37 PM

Originally posted by Zeratul
Rabbadal, I agree with you.

"There are no mountains you cannot climb, no deserts you cannot cross, no oceans you canot swim, if you fully set your heart to it."

B.S. Whatever. Balik topic.

Did I say that? I think it was more like setting your heart to the right thing.

Originally posted by Zeratul
Considering the dismal situation of the job market, most ordinary grads from the top 4 have to consider call centers as last resort careers (no offense to call center workers - I have friends there esp in Etel :) ). With information being widely available today, there's the rat-race toward learning new technologies. A simple project study for an org cannot stand in comparison with an active elbow-rubbing Ateneo ME grad or a DLSU CS grad with proficient Java background or an MCSE.

Dati 1995 pogi resume mo pag "Proficient in Word, Excel, Powerpoint". Ngayon 2000+ pagtatawanan ka pag nilagay mo yun sa resume kasi pati salesgirl at sekyu maaring mas proficient sayo. Ngayon dapat sa resume - "Proficient in Java 2 SE/EE, C/C++, Basic, XHTML, XML, CCS, Flash, Photoshop....etc" (the first three + a web app actually will be sufficient).

But we don’t really know what particular area in IT altwegg is interested in, right? Let’s assume the person has zero skills in a programming language, what options are there for him/her? As someone who has been accepted into both Accenture and Soluziona, I can tell you that as far as their consulting practices (you may be referring to their functional practices when you mentioned "Proficient in Java 2 SE/EE, C/C++, Basic, XHTML, XML, CCS, Flash, Photoshop....etc") are concerned, they do not require prior IT skills outside MS Office. What they want are people who can demonstrate they can solve difficult problems, are creative in finding solutions, can face top client executives, and can be trained. Hence being a non-IT major can be turned into an advantage if the applicant can show that he/she can work outside the box. That is why these firms continue to hire non-IT people, sometimes from humanities courses.

If on the other hand programming and development is what the person is interested in, then there are programming houses that hire fresh grads straight out of school or short programming courses. The person may have to endure low pay, stinky benefits, and long working hours for a couple of years. But if the person is sincerely interested in the field then he/she will treat it as an investment towards a career he/she loves. One of the technical people I recruited when I was a product manager for an IT firm was a hotel and restaurant major when she was in college. She started out as a programmer trainee in SVI being paid one-fourth of what we offered her. After hiring her, she turned out to be the best techie in our company’s batch of recruits. What made her stand out was her sincere love for the job. She would buy her own books and teach herself a new technical skill, sometimes spending nights tinkering with new software. She also had the demeanor of somebody we could present to clients and speak authoritatively. Those are the qualities that were really important to us, the IT skills et al were just the effects.

Originally posted by Zeratul
Unless you have the shamless glib tongue of MLMers to hurl excellent convincing bull$h@t to your interviewer from philo orals,(like someone I know - Ateneo AB Divinity turned bank VP - possible but more of the exception to the rule), it is very hard to land a good job nowadays coz there are SOOOO many people more qualified than you. Nauubusan na ang mga pwesto habang nahuhuli ka sa biyahe (me being partly into IT, that's what I can say).

Maybe a “shameless glib tongue” is what the company was looking for. If you are aiming for an upper echelon career path, you have to be creative in packaging yourself. Think of your career as your own business. In a competitive market, you will have to learn how to sell yourself. I disagree that Mr. Ateneo AB Divinity-turned-bank-VP is an exception. In my former IT company, our clients (banks, utilities, insurance firms, etc.), and our competitors, top executives came from diverse backgrounds ranging from engineering, to business, and humanities. A few of them even came from nursing or PT. Our GM was himself a civil engineer. Now don’t think that these fortunes just landed on their laps. Every phase in their careers was work-in-progress where they demonstrated their ability to be promoted to the next level.

Originally posted by Zeratul
And by the way, how would the corporate world react to people who left grad progs like law or med? There's the "quitter stigma" attached to it, which you must overcome. HR interviewers usually try to be objective and unbiased, but there still is the prevailing stigma that the applicant (sorry - no offense meant, Altwegg) altered from his/her career orientation, which may convince the company to believe that the applicant is unsure about career plans. If I were the interviewer, I would hire someone with a straight, specific orientation towards a functional area (eg DLSU MFI for credit banking), with a broad grasp of general business concepts, rather than some humanities dude with no specialization nor exposure to the corporate/IT world.

Look around the corporate world and you will see examples of people who came from college backgrounds not related to their functional areas. Investment banks, for example, hire physics, chemists, and philosophers into their analyst ranks. Consumer goods and pharmaceutical companies take in non-business majors into their brand management groups. No, interviewers of corporate career paths do not always hire people with straight, specific orientations towards functional areas. Like I said re. Accenture et al, they prioritize qualities that are beyond specific orientations. The bigger question is, granted that the applicant has discovered what he/she really wants, how can he/she convince the recruiter that he/she is right for the job? First, research. Go to the company websites and independent career advice websites (ex. Top-Consultant for aspiring consultants). Talk to people in the industry. Call them up and ask them if they can spend a few moments face-to-face explaining what exactly is it they are looking for. Most of the time they will say “No” but that is where endeavor comes in. If you really want to get in, you will do whatever it takes. These days, the burden of managing one's career is on the individual and not the company. Next, show the recruiter that you are indeed right for the job opening. Explain it tersely but clearly in your cover letter, show your knowledge in the interview. If an interviewer asks a non-IT grad why he/she wants to enter the corporate world, he/she can always say something like “After thorough research, I realized that is best suited for me. I have talked to [Messrs. X and Y] from [company A and B], been active in [C and D projects], etc. I believe my bio background is a strength bec. I learned how to work in projects w/ strict deadlines, how to analyze data and make strategic recommendations…” Check websites like these for info. on how to shift careers:

Career Shifting (http://www.ivillage.co.uk/workcareer/findjob/changejobs/articles/0,9545,183_178101,00.html)

To sum it up, it’s not B.S. It’s about knowing what to fully set your heart into first before you jump into the game. Accenture and Soluziona are [I]problem solving companies first and foremost. Someone who wants to work as a consultant in Accenture should do so because he/she loves solving problems regardless of background and not because Accenture is a prestigious IT company. If he/she is sincere, then the applicant will find any way possible (ex. networking, working for another lower-paying company, volunteering, etc.) to demonstrate that he/she fits the job. The same is true for other companies.

That is what I think. Apologies for the long post but given the changing dynamics of the job market, the jobhunter will have many things to consider.

Altwegg

Jul 6, 2003, 03:58 AM

Thanks for the insights everyone. Anyway, just to make it clear, I'm not in UST Med school. I am taking my medical course at UERM.

rabbaddal

Jul 6, 2003, 03:02 PM

Originally posted by Altwegg
Thanks for the insights everyone. Anyway, just to make it clear, I'm not in UST Med school. I am taking my medical course at UERM.

You can start off by looking at the Vault website:

Vault.Com (http://www.vault.com)

It gives an overview of the career landscape in the corporate world, assuming the corporate sector is where you want to be. Then you can search at industry-specific career websites (ex. Top-Consultant (http://www.zambeasy.com/top-consultant/default.asp) for the consulting industry, etc.) and even join in forum discussions.

the_BuGs

Jul 6, 2003, 04:08 PM

Altwegg

Jul 9, 2003, 05:02 AM

My cousin told me to take units in education so I can teach. Will this be a good move? Actually, I am also considering teaching as one of my fallbacks.

med_trans

Jul 19, 2003, 03:25 AM

Originally posted by Altwegg
My cousin told me to take units in education so I can teach. Will this be a good move? Actually, I am also considering teaching as one of my fallbacks. okay din yang option... yung iba kong classmates nung college take some units in education para magturo...in daw to ngayon...

musta na application mo for medical transcriptionist?

wonder_chaser

Jul 19, 2003, 03:52 AM

Altwegg :wave:

i was also a Biology grad so i can understand your dilemna :) of course, i was dying to get a degree in Medicine some years back but because of financial problems, i was forced to look for a job that will suit our course but to cut the story short, i was here now in a medical billing company here in Ortigas :) i can say that it was hard to look for a job for a Biology grad because some says after all, Biology is really a pre-Med course so what else can we do but to take up Medicine afterwards :( but of course, not all of us can do that but all i can say is most of us went to Med school afterwards... some of my blockmates are now studying in some Med schools ;) actually, one of my co-Biology graduate and friend and officemate as well, is trying to get herself a job in Accenture, they're hiring now, but of course, you have to be well-adept with computers as much as she do (hehe), while one of my former officemate, a Biology grad as well, is now working in a call center also here in Ortigas...we have many options so far, but all we can do is maybe choose for the job that we can do better with!!! just like one of my co-graduate in UP, she pursued Marine Biology, took up lessons in scubadiving and now working in Diliman for research projects...

i hope ive helped you think of some better options ;)

and med_trans and ur cousin is right *okay* as i can remember, one of my friend and co-Biology grad had taken her education units and she was teaching now in pre-school

Altwegg

Jul 20, 2003, 04:37 AM

med_trans no calls yet butI'm still waiting. I'll be enrolling na ulit this Wednesday against my will because my dad wants me to continue so I am running out of time na talaga.

:glee:

wonder_chaser, I applied for 2 call centers and they haven't called yet.

Waaaaaah. Ganito pala ang maghanap ng work.

:lol:

Altwegg

Jul 24, 2003, 07:26 AM

I decided to continue with my medical education. Whenever my dad says his rhetorics, my heart melts eh.