Khalid Bhat is our APAC (Asia Pacific) Talent Acquisition leader for Customer Service and Risk Operations and has
been with PayPal for over 3 years. Khalid is deeply passionate about bridging the gap between talent and
opportunities. Aside from recruiting, Khalid loves physical fitness and aging science and believes good health is
one of our greatest assets.
Here Khalid shares some useful tips for people in their early careers, or what he likes to call “freshers”:
- Slow Growth Does Not Equal No Growth: If you are aiming to kickstart your career with a top-notch company
then do not restrict yourself to a full-time opportunity. Sometimes, accepting a contract role can become a
full-time role if you “play it smart.” At PayPal, we invest in our internal employees and encourage them to take
on additional responsibilities which brings career growth and the opportunity to learn more and make an impact.
Around 26% of our new roles are taken up by internal promotions or lateral moves to a new position/department.
- Look Beyond Money: A lot of freshers evaluate a company's basic compensation and the benefits it offers.
It is also important to evaluate a company’s culture, business model, long-term growth plan, and the investment
it makes in people’s learning and growth. Develop a rapport with senior managers and ask them for guidance on
growth opportunities. Networking can be essential to the trajectory of your career.
- Being in Your Comfort Zone Isn’t Always Bad: A career is a journey and there aren’t any shortcuts to
growth. Oftentimes, in desperation of meeting a monetary goal people switch jobs in their early years. Sometimes
it can be advantageous to focus on one company while building strong business acumen and a strong relationship
with your managers. Although switching companies could potentially increase your earnings in the short term,
overall, people who stay in one company are the ones who eventually surpass smart movers not only in earnings
but also in career growth.
- Be flexible: Having the best academic record does not mean you are job ready. Look at companies that have
great internal mobility and career paths for employees. I have seen engineers take operations and customer
service roles and make their way into technical roles. At PayPal, we have a strong career path program called
Tech Career Pathways (TCP) where most of our operations and customer service employees with an inclination
towards tech roles get absorbed in Tech roles after going through an upskilling program.
Following these tips will help ensure that your first job is a positive, productive, and enriching experience! Make
sure to check out Career Blog for more insight, career tips, and stories from PayPal employees.
To join our Talent Community and apply for open roles, click here: https://bit.ly/3v2ZJli
#PayPalCareers #WorkatPayPal