Opinion
Give yourself a chance: Your master’s degree doesn’t mean much …
Carlos Monteiro
September 3rd, 2018
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This article is more than 6 years old.
Torn between work and his LinkedIn account (photo: Pixabay)
When I started my company Biassa three years ago, like many foreigners who settle in Denmark, I was struggling to find my feet here.
Getting proactive
It all began when I started sharing content from my blog on LinkedIn, and a few companies approached me to ask how much I knew about the Brazilian business environment.
It was then that I realised I could start ‘selling’ my consulting services – a much better option than waiting for the ‘perfect job’ to appear.
The journey hasn’t been easy, but it’s been interesting, as I enjoy talking to all sorts of people from all walks of life. They energise me, give me a different perspective and at times help me with my blind spots.
Getting practical
I get contacted by many foreign students who are either looking for advice or a job. Invariably they’ve just finished their master’s and have spent their time doing a few voluntary jobs and unpaid internships.
I tell them to get practical – to ask themselves: What are you good at? What would you like to accomplish? What is your dream?
And then I ask them whether they have a LinkedIn account.
LinkedIn can be crucial, from sharing short-form posts to articles. Many users, for example, are unaware it has a whole section where you can share slides.
Starting a blog is a good option. That way, when you share content you’ll direct people back there so they can develop a better idea about you.
Getting pragmatic
Maybe I’m being too pragmatic or even conservative, but I’m not sure having a master’s degree means a whole lot nowadays.
We live in a glorious era in which middlemen are vanishing across the globe. For example, have you seen the number of CPG brands that are heading directly to the consumer? Soon we will no longer have a need for headhunters.
This year alone, I’ve received three job offers – in Denmark from Danish companies; no middlemen!
Forget perfect
We live in an age in which we can all be visible. And more importantly, we can be heard.
Remember: the internet is indeed a miracle, but the only way to explore and take advantage of it is by taking action.
So, are you prepared to roll up your sleeves, get practical and start to work, or are you just going to carry on waiting for the ‘perfect job’ to turn up?
About
Carlos Monteiro
Carlos (cm@biassa.com), a Brazilian resident of Odense, started his business from a blog known as denmarkbrazil.com. It later became Biassa, a business development company, which under the motto ‘Bringing forth results, not reports’ is focused on supporting Nordic businesses that want to tap into and thrive in the Brazilian market
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