Stepping into the job market amid a pandemic: UL alumni Hadi on his new role in the medical field and the value of upskilling yourself
University of Limerick alumni Hadi has recently completed a two-month training period entirely online before he stepped out into the field to carry out his role. Here, he tells us about his current job as a Medical Field Service Engineer, as well as his new initiative: a social enterprising group back in his hometown in India.
Name: Hadi Hameed
Home country: India
Alumni of: University of Limerick
Course studied: MSc Project Management
Current role: Medical Field Service Engineer
Graduate employment: Associate Medical Field Service Engineer at Stryker, in Dublin Ireland.
Hadi on…
Securing and starting a job mid-pandemic
“I had an Irish friend from my course who was working as a Field Service Engineer for a US-based company called Stryker. They’re a great company to work for and have lots of appreciation for their staff. When an opening came up in Ireland, he referred me for the role. My job will involve going into hospitals and dealing with defibrillators for cardiac patients. This meant I had to get certifications to go out and work with the devices, Luckily, they let me complete all of my training online, which took two months.
I made contact with some customers today and I’ll be going out into the hospitals from tomorrow. I’m really excited because for the last two months all of my work has been from home, but I prefer getting out and meeting different people as part of a hands-on job. It’s a really busy time for our company and I feel fortunate to have secured this position just before everything changed.”
Starting a social enterprising group back in India
“In the past 8 weeks, I’ve also taken new initiatives to start a social enterprising group back in my hometown in India, where we are working with new, innovative ideas for the socio-economic development of our community. The group started with a few young like-minded friends, and now we’re 150 people from diverse backgrounds and I’m one of ten core committee members.
Our model is a charitable trust called REACH. We work towards a common mission of community development through various offerings in some of the most important areas such as health, education, employment and small-scale sustainable business plans. The primary motive is to support the community in the long-term rather than providing a one-off financial aid to make both ends meet.”
Stepping into the graduate job market
“Initially, I really struggled to get a job. During my second month in Ireland, I wasn’t getting many responses because I’m a non-EU international with visa restrictions. Patience was key and I just kept trying. I then secured a graduate internship and, shortly afterwards, applied for my current role. The recruitment process was far from easy: five months and seven rounds long. It was challenging but rewarding.
Many of my friends at UL will complete their course this year and are trying to enter the job market. I like sharing my experiences with them and giving tips on how I cracked the interviews. I like to consider myself a bit of a career coach, helping those around me going through things I’ve already done.”
Using your free time to prepare for the future
“During this unprecedented time, I have been exploring lot of new things, with time no more an excuse! I believe this is the best opportunity to upskill your personal and professional abilities. I’ve completed courses in things completely out of my field, such as accounting and finance. This has also helped me to improve my knowledge base in certain areas, undertaking various learning courses which gave me the much-needed motivation to stay home and feel energized. I have no doubt they’ll come in useful in the future too.
I have also been entertaining myself with reading books, following social media, especially LinkedIn to expand my networks and gain valuable insights from people who have mastered in their trade. Now I can assure myself that I am a much better reader and a learner!”
A key message that shines through from Hadi’s comments is that any experience is good experience. Students and graduates may not be able to secure their dream job immediately, but being open to opportunities may even introduce you to a field that you didn’t know much about. Things will get better, but in the meantime why not seek out opportunities to learn something brand new and develop yourself?