Sincerely Maryam

Hi Dolls!

Happy Memorial day to all my American readers! I've come down with the flu unfortunately so I won't be enjoying the beautiful weather outdoors! Please make a quick prayer for my speedy recovery! :)

Anywhos, I've decided to dedicate today's blog-post to corporate talk: tips and advice. As many of you may or may not know, I am a Business student with a degree in Management Information Systems and I work for Hewlett-Packard as a Specialist in Project Management. I've got asked many times how it feels to work in a multinational corporation and if I am treated any different because of my choice to wear Hijab. And the answer is: NO.

Alhumdulillah, my overall experience with the company and the corporate world has been nothing less than amazing. Of course you run into people who choose not to smile at you but I like to think they're just having a rough day. There's a saying that goes, "judge me by whats in my head, not on my head." This is sooo true. You are your biggest critic; don't ever allow yourself to feel intimidated just because you stand out, just because you are an obvious indication of a faith. Never feel sorry for anything you have not done and always soar through the day with positive wit and energy! These are just my two cents and what I have learned over the course of almost two years.

For those of you who are fresh graduates and are starting the journey of finding a job, I know how that feels! I interviewed with many companies before landing a position at HP so don't feel beaten if you're not called back after your first interview. I was given some amazing advice in order to prep for interviews and here I share those tips with you:

1)Prepare.

If you have a job description for the position you are interviewing, review the requirements/roles and responsibilities very thoroughly. Take a portoflio with additional resumes and plain pages for notes with you. This shows you've come prepared and are eager to jot down notes.

2) Be Sharp.

Talk about something you contributed in school, previous job, volunteering opportunity, etc that was new and effective. Use your experience to make something sound interesting even if it was super simple.

3)Hard Working.

You had a critical deadline to meet and you worked extra hours over the weekend to make sure the deliverable was completed on time. Again if you can think of a specific example, have that in your mind in case they want to hear it.

4) Quick Learner.

I believe this is a key quality. You want to show your willingness to learn and accept new roles without extensive preparation. Again, give an example of a time you grasped knowledge rather quickly in order to complete a task/assignment.

5)Team Player.

Think about the times you were a leader in your group focuses or studies at school. What did you do to make sure everyone in your group was on track? Have some examples ready in your head.

6) Handles Adversity.

You made a mistake which could have had downstream impacts so you identified the mistake and came up with an approach on how to resolve the issue and mitigate the impacts. If you ever made a mistake, think of that time. The point here is that you were honest up front and handled the issue as quick as possible.

Always ask for a business card as you wrap up your interview. You want your recruiters information so you can send a Thank You and follow up email after the interview. Again, this shows your eagerness and continuous interest in the job.

Lastly, be calm and be yourself! No matter how professional you are, the recruiter at the end of the day wants to talk to a person who is practical and social. Everyone can follow these tips but you can differentiate yourself by letting your personality shine through!

To end with, here's an inspiration for an outfit. Keep it simple. Let your personality and your intelligence speak!