Can Masters Degree Help in my Job Search After a lot of Rejections?
Dear Jarus
I’d like to seek your advice on a critical issue which has been giving me sleepless nights. I graduated in 2017 with second class upper degree from the Faculty of Social Sciences, OAU.
Since then, I have taken up jobs as a Sales executive, and Training officer and a bit of HR, however, I haven’t been able to make as much impact or felt the desired growth while working these jobs.
To also add, the salaries I have earned from them are nothing to write home about. Moreso, I have used the bit of experience I have gathered to apply for graduate trainee jobs in MNCs and some of the big firms but I usually don’t get to make it past the interview stage.
Most recently was the NNPC job which I had really hoped for, but it’s still the same story of not being able to get the job.
As a result, I have decided to go back to school to pursue a graduate degree (MSc), but where I am having challenge is what program to enroll for.
Honestly, I could have decided to pursue my dream of doing Humanitarian studies but I do not have the luxury of coming from a wealthy home, so I am inclined to pursue something that can lunch my career quickly and allow me lift my parents and siblings out of poverty.
So, I’d be grateful if you will advice me on degrees or programs that I can enroll for that would make me valuable to multinationals and international organizations in the short term and even MORE valuable to them when I have gathered some years of experience. I am also open to you critiquing my decisions.
Thank you sir.
Kay
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Dear Kay,
Sorry about missing the NNPC opportunity.
The issue is, this thing is hardly by degree as you’re likely not going to have an edge with someone with just Bsc plus work experience. I don’t think your issue is coming from you not having masters. You get invited for interviews, which means your degree certificate is working for you. The issue is you acing the interviews in the extreme interviews.
You may need to read up on interview tips and get prepared when next you have an interview so you can ace it.
But there is absolutely no harm in pursuing any masters of your choice. It will no doubt be helpful in eligibility for more positions, especially those that require masters (examples: international organizations).
But ultimately, it is still same you that will sit down for the interviews, not your degrees, so you need to improve your interviewing skills.
All the best.
Jarus
