A Catalyst Providing Multiple Opportunities

BrightSpyre the largest job portal in Pakistan has provided career opportunities to 10,000+ candidates in Pakistan and abroad. BrightSpyre.com users are sharing their success stories now. Here is one of the success story of a candidate hired through BrightSpyre.

Hina Akhtar
Communication Specialist
The Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF)
Job Link:Communication Specialist

I was working in a multinational company for some years within the field of Communication and Community Development, and although I was content with working for a well reputed company, I started feeling an urge to explore my opportunities in the job market. I wanted a role through which I could further refine my professional as well as personal development, but I had no idea where to look. This urge made me start looking for a platform or catalyst which would enable me to view optional organizations and work scope and give me the sense of job competition and updated requirements within my field of expertise.

I started surfing on the net and viewing the job vacancies, when I came across the website of BrightSpyre. I read about their online hiring system which made me submit my CV online. The BrightSpyre site became a regular hit on my daily surfing and I was amazed to see the vast list of job opportunities, which were all collected under one “roof”. One day I saw the vacancy of a Communication Specialist. I read the comprehensive work details, which contained a role which was in line with my current experience as well as providing more learning and exposure within the field of Communication. I immediately applied for the job without any expectations of a response, but to my great surprise, it was only a matter of a few days before I received a call from the BrightSpyre team. I was very impressed to see the professional way through which BrightSpyre dealt with the potential candidates for a job, and I was kept in constant loop of the interview development. I was lucky to get the job and although it has only been a month since I joined my new job, I feel I made the right decision of joining them as the exposure and learning I am getting here is a great basis for my future career development. I personally believe that one should never stop learning and constantly challenge one self for improvements. We should always pursue opportunities in life, which contribute to our continuous and sustainable career development. My interaction with BrightSpyre and their professionalism has developed a great trust in me that life is full of opportunities – you just need to grab them using the right platform and support.

I recommend everyone to register themselves on the BrightSpyre site and trust this professional team to help you grab the opportunity of your life time.

Best of luck to you all!

Hina Akhtar

Another Success Story - Qamber Ali

The vision of BrightSpyre is to provide sustainable employment opportunities for people in the Pakistan, who face certain employment challenges while seeking for a job, whether they are fresh or experienced professionals. Read another success story of BrightSpyre in higher level management.

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I have been very pleased with the standard of services BrightSpyre have provided during the process of hiring with highly professional and skilled team. Though I belong to the technical field and its very hard to find out such career oriented jobs in most of the available job portals in Pakistan, but BrightSpyre has done a great entrepreneurial effort in terms of providing me a platform to get my field related and career enhancing position. Now I am part of Zoomio International as "Director of Development".

One of the most impressive thing that I came across was BrightSpyre constant communication and keeping me in loop from the initial phase of interview till the final selection. I would say that BrightSpyre is one of the best place to find middle management to higher level positions among all Pakistan job portals. Also I would like recommend BrightSpyre to anyone looking for a job in technology sector and also in other areas.

Its really Appreciated and thanks again for the great service !!

Qamber Ali
Director of Development
Zoomio International-Islamabad
Job Link: Development Manager

Feedback from Qandil Ali

BrightSpyre Testimonials:
We have received great appreciation from many of you and realize that others would also like to see and hear that people really do get hired and that BrightSpyre is part of that success. We will include few success stories in our BrightSpyre Testimonial Section.

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I have done my bachelors in Computer Sciences from Comsats Islamabad in year 2006 and soon after my graduation i started looking for a job in order to start my professional career. Though i have registered myself with several job portals and received hundreds of job alerts too but i was never considered for a single interview or shortlisted. Than i registered BrightSpyre after the recommendation of my friend which later prove a right decision and now i am a happy Employee at Cybernet and working there as " Corporate Support Engineer"

I would like to mention here that without the assistance of BrightSpyre it would not have been so easy to find a dream job where you can enhance your abilities and skills. So I congratulate BrightSpyre team for helping me out in finding a job and making it a success for me.

My heartiest & Warmest wishes to BrightSpyre team, especially HR department.

Keep doing the good work!

Qandil Ali
Corporate Support Engineer
Cybernet Islamabad

BrightSpyre Launches MySpyre.pk

Pakistan's fastest growing email service

On the joyous occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, BrightSpyre launches yet another value-added service for its loyal users. Starting today, all BrightSpyre members can enjoy"MySpyre" (http://www.myspyre.pk/) which is a comprehensive e-mail service with lots of features and extra services.

• Its free, easy and simple to use
• Get 6000 MB of free email Space
• Email accounts are safe, private and secure
• Complete Spam and Virus Protection
• Contacts, Calender, Chat and other tools

This is another milestone achieved by BrightSpyre and it continues to be the largest job portal in Pakistan. BrightSpyre now has striking figures of of 4 Million hits per month and a resume bank of 400,000+ from all over Pakistan and abroad with 450+ companies on the board (http://www.brightspyre.com/).

Testimonial - Ejaz Ahmed

BrightSpyre Testimonials:
We have received great appreciation from many of you and realize that others would also like to see and hear that people really do get hired and that BrightSpyre is part of that success. We will include few success stories in our BrightSpyre Testimonial Section.
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Being a professional student of ACCA I was conscious about a career oriented and rewarding job in strong standing organization. Comparatively smaller job market and direct hiring from top four CA firms made me even more scared about a decent job. Luckily I got registered myself with BrightSpyre and forgot as I was not much hopeful. But I was surprised to got first interview call for a post of "Internal Audit" in of a reputable cement company of Pakistan. All procedure of interview till the offer letter was competed within 15 days and now i am glad to be a part of professional team because of Brightspyre.

God Bless BrightSpyre Team!

Ejaz Ahmed
Islamabad

400,000 and Counting

BrightSpyre continues to grow at an unprecedented pace and has achieved yet another milestone in its short history since its launch in Pakistan in 2002. This past year (the first ten months of 2007), it signed up well over 100,000 unique new job seekers who have flocked to BrightSpyre to find better jobs. Thus, swelling the unique job seeker community on BrightSpyre to 400,000.

“This is the third year in a row, that BrightSpyre has registered over 100,000 unique new users in one calendar year.” boasts Usman Bangash, Manager Sales and Marketing. “It goes onto show that BrightSpyre is still the first choice job portal for all job seekers and employers alike.”

BrightSpyre, owned and operated by Cogilent Solutions, is also credited with initiating and creating the professional online recruitment business in Pakistan.

“Before BrightSpyre, organizations used to rely on newspapers and references”, says Ahmad Jawad, CTO of BrightSpyre. “We not only changed the market, but created a whole new segment within the recruitment sector with our web portal.”

In the past three years, over 1 million jobs applications were submitted through BrightSpyre for various jobs in Pakistan.

"If every resume consists of at least two pages, then BrightSpyre has saved over 2 million pieces of paper by giving users an electronic alternative to apply for jobs and not waste paper over and over again. Thus helping create a "greener" Pakistan." explains Usman Bangash.

BrightSpyre is still the only jobs portal in Pakistan that is ISO-9001-2000 certified and has recruited certified CISSP (Certified Internet Security Professionals) to protect the privacy of its users.

These facts and statistics once again prove that BrightSpyre is still the leading jobs portal in Pakistan.

BrightSpyre participates in ITCN Asia 2007

BrightSpyre participated in this year’s ITCN Asia (Aug 9 -11, 2007) held at the Expo Center in Karachi. The event has grown into the largest IT, Telecom & Media extravaganza of Pakistan. This year ITCN Asia was attended by the region's most influential business professionals, entrepreneurs and policy makers.

BrightSpyre was at the forefront of the event by promoting its services to job seekers as well as potential employers in Pakistan. Please do check out the event in pictures at the BrightSpyre stall at ITCN Asia.

PSEB Joins Hands with BrightSpyre in Launching IT Job Board

On August 9 2007, BrightSpyre in collaboration with PSEB launched Pakistan's first Job Board focused on the IT Industry talent pool.

http://pseb.jobboard.com.pk

“Talent acquisition is the first step in talent management.” Yusuf Husain, Managing Director said at the launching ceremony.

“PSEB and Brightspyre have joined hands together to help the IT industry by upgrading their talent acquisition to international standards besides providing help to the foreign companies in acquiring talent pool directly from Pakistan.” Added the Managing Director at the launching ceremony of the portal at ITCN Asia in Karachi.

PAHSA-BrightSpyre Career Fair Lucky Draw Winners

BrightSpyre announces the winners of the lucky draw held at the PASHA-BrightSpyre Career Fair in Rawalpindi this July. The winners for prizes are :

• Mr. Waqas Asif
• Ms. Nosheen Zaidi
• Mr. Ahsan Masood
• Ms. Nighat Iram
• Mr. Tanvir Ahmad

For more information about the lucky draw please feel free to contact BrightSpyre office. The career fair was a tremendous success BrightSpyre aims to regularly hold such events nationwide.

PASHA-BrightSpyre host a successful Career Fair

BrightSpyre-PASHA hosted an extremely successful and well managed career fair at Rawalpindi. "This is the first time, there has been such a large career fair for job seekers in the city of Rawalpindi", mentioned, Faisal Chohan, from BrightSpyre. Over 3,000 job seekers filtered throughout the day to meet with prospective employers that included companies like Si3, Wateen Telecom, Buraq Telecom, Orgoo, Cisco, Green and White and many others.

There were numerous sessions arranged specifically for young graduates. This included, career advice in various fields including, Resume building, Software engineering, Telecom sector, BPO-Call center and many others.

There was also a separate section where job seekers could get one-on-one career advice through councilors provided by Green & White (www.greenwhite.org).Overall, the event was tremendously successful. BrightSpyre also received hundreds of visitors throughout the day at their booth. At the same time, they interviewed and provided guidance to a lot of potential job seekers.

"The candidates that we interviewed were not only for our own internal hiring, but also for our customers who had requested to seek out good candidates for them." mentioned, Ahmad Jawad, from BrightSpyre.

BrightSpyre is especially thankful to Jehan Ara (PASHA), MAJU Students (Mohammad Ali Jinnah University) and Osama Hashmi's Green and White (www.greenandwhite.org) for making this event extremely successful.

For more information, please click on the links below.

• See the event in Pictures
• View the Blog of Jehan Ara about the Job Fair in Rawalpindi
  

PASHA-BrightSpyre Career Fair In Rawalpindi/Islamabad

BrightSpyre-PASHA (Pakistan Software Houses Association) Career Fair is now scheduled to be held on July 8, 2007.

Time and Date: July 8, 2007 (10:00am - 8:00pm)
Location: Pearl Continental Hotel, Rawalpindi

A large number of companies and over 3,500 jobs seekers have already registered to attend. This makes it one of the largest such event in Rawalpindi area.

BrightSpyre will be holding career counseling and on the spot interviews for potential job seekers at the event. This is one of a kind event in Islamabad/Rawalpindi region to assist professionals get better jobs.

Please click here for more information about this event.

PASHA-BRIGHTSPYRE Collaborate on THE CAREER EXPO

PASHA (Pakistan Software Houses Association) has been instrumental in organizing capacity building events in Pakistan since 2004. This year, PASHA is holding three mega Career Expos in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. These events are focused on fresh graduates and young professionals to assist them in their careers. They will learn more about the kind of careers that are available to them across the spectrum of ICT and will also become aware of the growth and maturity of the sector they are either joining or are already a part of.

The Career Expo shall focus on the following:

1. Job Matchmaking through company booths.

2. Presentations on different career tracks including Software Engineering, BPO/Call Centers, Telecom, New Media & Animation, System Integration, Networking and Finance

3. Interactive Workshops

4. Expert Panels

5. Career Counsellings

The event in Islamabad is co-organized by BrightSpyre (www.BrightSpyre.com) in collaboration with PASHA (www.pasha.org). It will take place at the Convention Center on June 23, 2007.

Please click here for more information about this event.

BrightSpyre Protected by Certified Security Professional

BrightSpyre's now boasts a unique talent in Pakistan. Ahmad Jawad, CTO, BrightSpyre is now one of the unique group of 25 Pakistanis who are CISSP (Certified Information System Security Professional) certified Professionals. This exam is managed and undertaken by (ISC)². It is the world's leading authority on information system security. Currently there are around 48,000 certified such professionals around the world. It is a further recognition of the fact that BrightSpyre continues to hire the best talent and continues to maintain a very high standard when it comes to handling data of its prestigious clients.

The role of any CISSP in an organization is:

• Strategic overview of Information Security needs.
• Develop/maintain an Information Security Program.
• Provide advice regarding new information Security technologies.
• Assurance of compliance with regulations.

Under Jawad, BrightSpyre is working deligently to further improve the standard of security and reliability of the largest Job Portal of Pakistan.

"At any given day, there can be as many as 35,000 unique visitors to our web portal. This number is likely to increase to 100,000 daily visitors by the end of 2007." explains Ahmad Jawad.

"This exponential growth requires radical changes in the way the whole Portal is setup. Security of the system needs to be carefully evaluated whenever there are changes in the software or hardware setup of any application. This certification enabled me to further polish my skills and gave me access to a privileged club of Security professionals worldwide. I will bring all that information to BrightSpyre and set a new standard of service." With such ambitions and goals, Jawad hopes to bring about a major change in how security is perceived in Pakistan.

BrightSpyre is owned and operated by Cogilent Solutions which is headquartered in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Interview; Some useful Suggestions

Giving an interview can be made an exciting experience and a source of learning if one has prepared well. There are things that every job seeker must learn and prepare for, before appearing for an interview, simply because no one can predict the nature of questions expected in an interview. The rule of thumb is to prepare and practice well.

What would be the first thing that an interviewer notices after the physical appearance of a candidate?

The answer is The Body Language.

The body language includes the way we stand,walk, talk and sit, position our hands and the way we communicate. The employers in this world of cut throat competition need leaders, the decision makers who can make the market based decisions but the people with the vision and foresight to handle any crisis as best as possible, as well. An open and frank demeanor with confident personality shows the positive side of the job seeker.

When answering the questions please make sure that the answers are brief and to the point, but communicated properly and sincerely. Answer should be only to what is being asked.

Irrelevant details and personal matters must not be discussed. Lengthy answers and personal matters are not what an interviewer is looking for. The emphasis on strengths is more important than disclosing the personal problems.

Your knowledge of the company, product line and services must be complete and up to date. Not knowing about the company and related details show casual and disinterested attitude. A little homework about the company, its inception, background, products and services and work environment can prove to be very helpful in the actual interview.

You can ask relevant questions though. The interview is a good time to know the details like what would be the initial responsibilities of the new employee, what kind of training would be available, what are the performance evaluation methods adopted in the company, what could be problematic areas of this job and what is the kind of team a new employee would be working with.

The initial assessment of a job seeker if positive, results in the discussion of salary and the benefits included with the salary, but it is never a good idea to state your expected salary first. It would be better

to wait for the offer of salary from the employer. The salary is usually based on the market trends and according to the qualifications and skills necessary for the post. More chances for you to get the prevailing salary if you fulfill the necessary criteria for the job.

Your Guide Towards a Successful Career

Step 2:

Appearance for the Interview

Getting an interview call is an achievement, because that indicates the resume you sent, left the right impression on the employer who now wants to see you in person.

This is the opportunity you were waiting for, the time to present your self in person, the time to prove what you wrote in your resume, the time to face the challenge.

Right now you have equal chances of getting selected as any other candidate who applied for the same position as you did.

What is the right step to take at this stage; Dress Up appropriately for the interview.

Dressing up is one area where you can earn extra points over others easily. A Little effort to look into the culture and work environment of the company would certainly help you to choose what color to wear on the interview occasion.

For Men

The corporate culture asks for formal wear. Dark Colored suit, suitably matched neck tie, polished shoes and an over all clean, professional look is all you require. Bright colors, ill fitted suit, loose necktie will do you no good. If you have already seen the office environment and you know how people dress up for the work, try to use the information to your benefit. The more you try to blend into the company culture, the more easy it would be ultimately, for you to adjust in the new work environment.

For Women

The corporate culture for women does not define much. Most of this part of the initial preparation is left to you to decide. Please remember that what goes for men, goes for women as well. Make sure that the choice of colors is appropriate for a formal occasion. Make up and jewelry should be minimal and should help in enhancing your over all image. Being over dressed up for an interview is never a good idea.

Some General Tips

Take a clean, crisp copy of your CV with you. It is always a good idea to have a copy of your resume in case you need it, besides, it is something to hold in your hands.

Wear a watch, wearing a watch has certain benefits. A watch is an accessory that enhances the over all appearance positively. It helps giving the impression of a person who values time.

Be on time. Remember, being ten minutes early for an interview is better than being five minutes late.

Keep track of the time and leave early if the distance requires so. Being early not only gives you time to relax and catch your breath but would also show a committed and professional approach.

Resume: The First Step

Step 1:

The Pakistan’s job market is expanding. With the growth in economy, and incentives from the government, more and more Multinational Companies are venturing into Pakistan’s market. With the economic growth rate of 6.6 per cent this year, the chances are, there will be more entrants into our product and service industry and each new entry, will in turn provide a chance to our talented job seekers to get employed.

Every enterprise wants people who have the potential to become an asset. They look for people who can take initiative, who can take the business forward while taking calculated risks and managing multiple tasks, the individuals who have the vision and a strong grasp over issues related to companies and their busines

There are very few universities in Pakistan that provide career counseling to their students. Most of the job seekers learn the preparatory steps necessary in the job search when they actually start looking for a job after completing their education. For Pakistani youth, getting a job at the right time is considered the single biggest factor contributing to their financial and personal growth.

There are certain things that every job seeker needs to have and present appropriately to get noticed by the prospective employer.

The first step to take is to make a professional Resume.

Resume is your first introduction. A professionally made, well formatted , clear and concise resume gives you a definite edge over some of the not so well made resumes. The first look that a resume receives from the employer decides the course of direction for the employer and the job seeker.

Do not forget to mention the important dates, and try not to leave gaps between the dates. Remember the dates you provide in the resume and support them with the relevant documents.

Mention your skills, strengths and achievements, besides your qualification and experience. Let the employer know what you can contribute towards the collective organizational growth.

Your contact information must be accurate and up to date. Give the phone number and e mail address that can be used to reach you. Much of the initial correspondence now a days ,takes place through e mail. When you apply for a job, check you e mail regularly for any updates from the company you applied to.

Something important to remember; be completely honest about the information you provide in your resume. Lack of honesty is more harmful than lack of experience when you make your resume. Do not mention something in your resume that can not be supported through documents or can not be verified through people. Any discrepancy found in your resume, at the time of interview, at worse, will render the whole exercise futile.

The reward for a well made, attention grabbing resume is, a call for an interview.

How to Give a First-Rate Interview

One of the biggest challenges facing any candidate is how to present themselves intelligently and coherently enough to impress the interviewer.

This is especially true for entry-level job seekers and can be a most daunting task because so much is at stake when we present ourselves for scrutiny before others ( do I feel your stress levels rising? ) Following are helpful tips to put in your repertoire basket and come from tough interviewers themselves:

1.Know your Company:

It is always a good idea to research upon the Company you wish to join. Key things to keep in mind are the growth, development and business changes occurring within the Company. Information of this kind is available through other people working in your choice of concern and through business sections in the papers as well as, on-line profiles on the net (corporate websites).

Merits:
Prior research is a systematic approach, which will impress. The best outcome of this acquaintanceship increases confidence to discuss your future with the Company. It eases edginess during the session because your mind knows you have created a link with the interviewer through your pre-hand knowledge and this in turn, eases the image of the interviewer from a cold, unfeeling machine capable of ruining your fate and thereby adding to your stress levels during the interview to an ordinary human being, someone whose working at the same Company as you might be.

Cautions:
Make sure not to bombard the interviewer with your pre-hand knowledge and do not name your insider informants. Do not get over confident just because you have extra information, as it is no guarantee to get you the job.

Know how to communicate well:

Unless you have a good English-Medium Schooling, which has hopefully strengthened your English Language skills, it is imperative to learn the English Language as it is used in offices everywhere. If you are deficient, this will adversely affect any future employment and growth in a professional environment. Please take language classes (elearning classes included) in order to be able to both speak and write. The best time to do this is before actually entering professional life say, during the vacations following your Matriculation Examinations.

Merits:

Being able to communicate gets your point across to the other person and obviously people who can talk well and talk sensibly tend to be more impressionistic.

Cautions:

Do not try to speak a language if you do not know it and definitely do not speak it with an accent. The interviewer will not be impressed at all. Always communicate in the language you know best. When answering queries take a moment to think up the answer and then speak up in a measured, controlled voice with a confident stance. Never remain silent for too long, no one likes to drag answers out of a quiet mouse. On the other hand, do not try to be over smart- the interviewer is after all the interviewer and will not want to silence a noisy jabber mouth

3.Personal presentation:

Good grooming is important. Do not go to an interview looking scruffy and unkempt. You will be mentally dismissed even before you start speaking. Keep in mind that there are standards to accrue to in a professional environment. Unless you are absolutely sure that the atmosphere is always a casual one where strict dress codes are not applicable, do not try to be individualistically experimental (no slippers or blue hair) this applies to women as well (no low necks, or unbelievably high hemlines).

Merits:

The outer appearance is the first thing people notice about any person and more often than not, there is an unconscious tendency of judging a person by how they look and dress. A well turned out person gives an impression of being ‘in tune’ with the requirements of a job plus, knowing you look good will boost your own confidence levels.
Cautions:

Men should not under dress by wearing jeans and tee shirts and please no crumpled clothes. This last bit applies to both. Also, in your zeal to look good do not over dress. This is especially important for women who might have a tendency to look like a Christmas tree. Too much make-up, jewellery and over glitzy clothes are not suitable.

4. Final Word:

After applying for a job and sending your resume or CV, ask someone you trust to take a mock interview (this exercise will help you prepare for the real meeting) and create answers to typical questions like, ‘why do you want to join this Company?’ ‘What are your future goals?’ Salary negotiations are bound to prop up. Keep in mind your work experience in the field. A person who has worked for five years and over will have the right to ask for a higher package than a fresh graduate; at the same time, a solid degree from a recognized and respected University adds to the strength of your educational resume. The last tip is, be punctual. Tardiness is tantamount to being fired in some places.

Online Survey Winner at BrightSpyre.com

BrightSpyre recently conducted an online survey to understand better as to how Pakistanis would prefer to share their grievances when they are faced with injustice. In a short span of time (30 days), an overwhelming number of people responded and 90% of those who replied to the questionnaire, responded that they would like to express their opinion at all levels including being able to voice their anger at international forums. All those individuals who responded were clearly confident in saying that the truth must be told and the distressed should be able to communicate his/her grievances at all appropriate levels.

At the conclusion of the survey there was a lucky draw to award prize to one randomly chosen participant. Miss S. R. Choudhary from Sargodha won the web cam. She is a registered user of BrightSpyre.

BrightSpyre, is Pakistan's largest jobs portal and conducts numerous surveys and draws through out the year and gives away prizes to its valued users.

The 300,000 Club

December 2006 brought about another distinction for BrightSpyre. The job portal became the first website (of any genre) in Pakistan to register 300,000 unique users on its website.

“Today, we have achieved another distinction of registering over 300,000 unique registered users” mentioned, Usman Bangash, Manager Corporate Sales. “Another record for BrightSpyre and for Pakistan. The first time any website has achieved this feat in Pakistan.”

“It goes on to show that job seekers and employers both rely on BrightSpyre when it comes to finding the best jobs and the best talent in Pakistan.” Usman added on the popularity of the job portal.

BrightSpyre is among the pioneer ebusiness based web portals in the country and has been extremely successful in providing jobs in Pakistan since 2002. It is owned and operated by Cogilent Solutions, an ISO-9001-2000 certified company. BrightSpyre has also won the coveted Shell Tameer Award in 2004.

Microsoft and BrightSpyre Collaboration

Microsoft has joined hands with BrightSpyre to promote and provide job seekers with free Microsoft tools and resources to get them started in the growing field of Application Development.

Microsoft in collaboration with BrightSpyre shall provide IT professionals an option to register and receive free copies of MS-Visual Studio® Express and MS-SQL Server™ Express editions. Together the two companies shall also provide links to additional resources from Microsoft Learning. The learning resources and easy-to-use development tools that are made available through this collaboration will help job seekers learn critical skills for jump-starting their professional career in the software development industry.