10 Tips about how to start your career after graduation, how to create LinkedIn profile, and freelancing work.

1. 20 10 Tips about:
How to start your career after graduation?
and freelancing work…
years
Eng. Hany Saad Mostafa
Senior Teaching assistant and lecturer
ITI – Assiut Branch
hghiett@iti.gov.eg

2. What’s Next…?
What’s next after graduation?
“It's time to take your career seriously…”
You’ll get graduated in few months, congratulations 

3. Tip No.1
Tip No.1:
“Focus on one Job field”

4. Tip No.1
Tip No.1: Focus on one Job field:
• Focus on the field that you like most, and you have more skills on it,
for example: Software development, web development, mobile apps
development, network engineering, cyber security, graphic design,
web design,… etc.
• You may combine maximum two related or frequently needed together
fields.
• Review job ads in that field to know the topics and technologies most
needed on it.
• Prepare yourself well in that field and its related topics, read and learn
more about it.
• Keep yourself updated with all new technologies in that field.
• You may try to get a good training or get certificated in your field.
• Never Stop Learning, and keep updated on other related fields.

5. Tip No.2
Tip No.2:
“Technical skills isn’t enough, you need
also strong Language and personal
skills.”

6. Tip No.2
Tip No.2: Technical skills isn’t enough, you need also strong language
and Soft skills:
• Technical skills are the key, but you need also strong language and
personal skills, in professional and real work environment.
• You need to enhance and improve your English skills (or other
language according to your field and work place), and this includes:
reading, writing and conversational skills.
• Also, you need to develop and improve you personal and soft skills,
such as: communication skills, soft skills, teamwork skills,… etc.
• You can find a lot of online resources for English and soft skills courses
and learning.

7. Tip No.3
Tip No.3:
“Make a good CV right now”

8. Tip No.3
Tip No.3: Make a good CV right now:
• Make your CV right now, not tomorrow, not when you need it.
• Focus on key skills required for your field.
• Don’t write basic and minor skills that aren’t key skills for your field,
for example: MS office, Windows OS,.. Etc.
• CV presentation in very important.
• As a fresh graduate your CV must not exceed 2 pages as maximum.
• Tailor the CV to the role and to each job.
• Keep your CV updated.
• You may use CV building tools and websites.
• Prepare yourself for interviews.

9. Tip No.4
Tip No.4:
“Create a professional LinkedIn Profile”

10. Tip No.4
Tip No.5: Create a professional LinkedIn Profile:
• LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking service, and it’s the
world’s largest professional network on the Internet.
• In 2016, total number of LinkedIn user reached 414 Million users, and
number of active job listing on LinkedIn more than 3 Million jobs.

11. Tip No.4 (Cont.)
Tip No.5: Create a professional LinkedIn Profile (Cont.):

12. Tip No.4 (Cont.)
Tip No.5: Create a professional LinkedIn Profile (Cont.):
• Create professional profile:
• Add your skills, work information and samples in details.
• Clarify your contact information and use formal and right Email.
• Use clear profile name.
• Use suitable profile photo.
• Customize your profile URL.
• Grow up your network, by connecting to your professors, colleagues
and friends.
• Ask your professors, colleagues to recommend you on LinkedIn.
• Follow known companies in your field, their job vacancies, and you
can apply to them through LinkedIn.
• Be Active In LinkedIn Groups.

13. Tip No.5
Tip No.5:
“Follow and create accounts on known
recruitment websites”

14. Tip No.5
Tip No.5: follow and create accounts on known recruitment websites:
• Create accounts on known recruitment websites, and follow the job
opportunities on it.
• Follow FB recruitment groups and pages.
• Some of most known recruiting websites in Egypt and Middle East:
• http://www.bayt.com
• http://www.egyptitjobs.com
• http://www.wuzzuf.net
• http://www.arabrec.com
• http://www.wzayef.com
• http://www.jobzella.com
• http://employermagazine.com
• http://www.jobs-eg.com
• http://www.recgate.com
• http://www.meait.com

15. Tip No.6
Tip No.6:
“Participate actively in Job fairs, technical
events and online forums related to
your career field.”

16. Tip No.6
Tip No.6: Participate actively in Job fairs, technical events and online
forums related to your career field:
• Participate in job and recruitment fairs related to your career field;
you’ll find a lot of good opportunities on it.
• Participate actively in technical events and conferences related to your
career field; you’ll gain a lot of knowledge and good connections from
it.
• Follow and participate actively in known technical forums (MSDN
forums for example), technical blogs and websites related to your
career field; you’ll gain a lot of technical knowledge and experience
from it.

17. Tip No.7
Tip No.7:
“Always ask yourself how you want to see
yourself after 2, 3 and 5 years, and plan
for it.”

18. Tip No.7
Tip No.7: Always ask yourself how you want to see yourself after 2,3 and
5 years, and plan for it:
• Plan for your Next 5 career years at least from now and from your first
job.
• Draw and plan for your career path from now, and to at least next 10
years or more.
• Draw your career dreams, think how you can achieve them, then plan
for it.
• Begin to search for a new work, when you feel that you aren’t learning
or developing your skills from your current work.
• Work actively, and with passion.

19. Tip No.8
Tip No.8:
“Plan for Post-graduate studies”

20. Tip No.8
Tip No.8: Plan for Post-graduate studies :
• Plan for post-graduate studies during your career life.
• Plan for taking your first post-graduate degree (Master) during your
first 5 career years, because it will be valuable a lot for you during your
senior and later career levels.
• It’s not preferable to start your first post-graduate studies directly after
graduation, you can work for a year at least first, because during your
junior level career practical experience will be more valuable and
beneficial for you.
• Choose Post-graduate studies field relevant to your work field.
• You can search for scholarships in known universities.

21. Tip No.9
Tip No.9:
“Think about starting your own business”

22. Tip No.9
Tip No.9: Think about starting your own business:
• Think about being an Entrepreneur or a business owner.
• It’s not an easy way, don’t start it unless you’re ready.
• It may be a risk, and need special skills; so think, and plan for it well.
• Read about different entrepreneurs success stories; read well about the
reasons of their success or fail, and their advices.
• You own business can be: your own idea, your own product, or your
own company.
• There’s no specific time to start; you may start while you’re still
studying (specially if it’s about a software product for example), or
after your graduation directly, or later after you gain more experience
in work.
• Try to be different and innovative.

23. Tip No.9 (Cont.)
• Some of organization and venture capital (VC) firms that can help
you in starting your own business:
• TIEC: http://www.tiec.gov.eg
• Flat6labs: http://www.flat6labs.com
• Sawari ventures: http://www.sawariventures.com
• Tennra: http://www.tennra.com
• preneur-masr: http://preneur-masr.com
• Ideavelopers: http://www.ideavelopers.com
• Arab Innovation Network: http://www.arabinnovation.net
• Egypreneur: http://www.egypreneur.com
• Funders and founders: http://www.fundersandfounders.com

24. Tip No.10
Tip No.10:
“Freelancing, and working online is a very
good option”

25. Tip No.10 - Freelancing
Tip No.10: Freelancing, and working online is a very good option:
• Freelancer, or freelance worker refers to a person who is self-employed
and is not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term.
• Other related terms are “outsourcing” and “offshoring” that mean a
company that delegates another company to accomplish some of its
work or tasks.
• There’s a lot of websites that working as a broker between freelance
employees and companies or individuals who offer work for them.
“Freelancing is the new normal -- and we have the numbers to prove it.”
By Sara Horowitz, Founder and Executive Director of Freelancers Union and Fabio Rosati, CEO Elance-oDesk.

26. Tip No.10 - Freelancing (Cont.)
• Freelancing and working online growth:
(34% of
entire
workforce)

27. Tip No.10 - Freelancing (Cont.)
• Top requested services:

28. Tip No.10 - Freelancing (Cont.)
• Jobs posted growth:

29. Tip No.10 - Freelancing (Cont.)
• Some of most common freelancing websites:
• www.upwork.com (Formerly: oDesk and Elance - Top famous freelancing site)
• www.freelancer.com (One of the most famous sites)
• www.rentacoder.com
• www.vworker.com
• www.guru.com
• http://www.peopleperhour.com
• www.fiverr.com (For small services)
• Some of fast-growing Arabic freelancing websites:
• www.khamsat.com (For small services)
• www.ikhedmah.com (For small services)
• www.freelanceme.net
• www.mostaql.com

30. Tip No.10 - Freelancing (Cont.)
• How does freelancing websites work?
• Create a worker profile, and define your skills.
• Search for posted projects that fits your skills and bid on it (time and cost
quotation).
• The employer (project owner), will review the freelancer applicant, review
their profiles, and shortlist some of them for online interview, and
provide a final offer.
• If the employer accepted your offer, he’ll start the project for you on the
website, and notify you to start working.
• After finishing the project, the employer will close the project, and
transfer the agreed cost to you.
• The website will ask the employer to evaluate your commitment and
professionalism, and also will ask you to evaluate the employer.

31. Tip No.10 - Freelancing (Cont.)
• Project cost estimation:
• Hourly based: estimate the work hours in the project, and define a
rate for your man-hour cost.
• Fixed-price: estimate and fixed price for the whole project.
• Money withdrawal from your account:
• Payoneer.
• Skrill and PayPal.
• Wire transfer.

32. Thanks…
20years
Hany Saad.