Organized jointly by Nepalko Yuva (NKY) and Farkeka Nepali (FN), the December 14 edition of the series held at House of Music dealt with working in development sector in Nepal. [break]
Sharing their experiences were a panel of speakers that comprised Sushmita Malla, Coordinator at Centrums für internationale Migration und Entwicklung (CIM); Saurav Bhatta, Senior Education Specialist at World Bank; and Sagar Prasai, Deputy Country Representative, The Asia Foundation.
With majority of returnees from abroad planning on venturing out in the development sector, the Bhetghat session touched on a variety of topics from various job openings available within the sector, meeting up with the prospective employees’ expectations on how to go about applying for jobs.
Stressing on the importance of getting hands-on experience at the grassroots level, Prasai urged the participants to think out of the box.
“Experience counts, and if need be, don’t hesitate to head out of Kathmandu. Don’t make money your top priority,” he shared, adding that if one’s work is good, it will eventually lead to monetary benefits.
Adding to that, Bhatta said that individuals should make the habit of documenting their experiences and write as much as possible.
“Have at least three writing samples when you apply for jobs. Decision based solely on one’s CV and interview isn’t the most credible one. We, as prospective employers, do tend to veer towards those who can provide credible documentation on their experience, and such reports help.”
A sector that almost always involves a lot of interaction, honing communication skills are imperative, believes Malla who adds that having knowledge of extra languages, whether local or foreign, is handy and beneficial.
On the importance of a complete and compact bio-data, she said, “The misconception here is thicker the curriculum vitae (CV), better it’s going to look. There have been times when I had to tell applicants to cut down their forty pages of bio-data to only two.”
On the topic of entrepreneurship, all three speakers unanimously agreed that taking risks and creating opportunities for jobs for oneself and others far outweighs being an employee, whether in the private or government sector.
An informal event comprising recently returned students to working professionals who are seeking to build their network, the discussion brought out interesting responses from speakers on their personal experiences on returning to Nepal, getting into the development sector, and navigating professionally to achieving their
career goals.
The next event is scheduled to take place tentatively in January 2012 and will focus on women in the workplace.
Related story
Accelerating career via networking
