| Job Hunting | January 23rd, 2007 |
It’s been a while hasn’t it? 
Here’s a small update to what’s been going on with me:
- I graduated -الحمد لله-
- Am job hunting
Truth be said, I didn’t expect job hunting to be so complicated, but nobody said it was going to be easy. Here are some words of advice to those who’ll be venturing for a job soon enough –إن شاء الله-.
Before I went job hunting, I asked for advice from my friends and family. Where do you think I should apply? Typically the answer was “just apply everywhere and take the best offer.” Unfortunately, that wasn’t the wisest answer.
Whatever happened to checking whether or not the place you’ll apply to is ethical, moral and, most importantly, abiding to Islamic laws? Or have we become so greedy and ill-minded to sell our values and beliefs to the highest bidder?
Why do you want a job? We don’t want the trivial answer of “I want to be a productive individual in society”, we all know that, but why do you want a job with THIS organization specifically?
Not many people realize this, but choosing the organization they’ll be working at is just as important, I’d argue that it is MORE important, than how much they’ll be paid.
Let’s analyze.
Are you fine with applying for a job in Emarat FM for instance?
Emarat FM is a music radio station. That’s the description of the organization you want to apply to. If we pass this description through the criteria I mentioned earlier (Ethical, Moral and Abiding to Islamic Laws), some might argue about the first two criteria, but can you argue, as a true Muslim, that Emarat FM is abiding to Islamic law? If Emarat FM came on judgment day, would it be placed in the right hand of the scale or the left? In other words would listening to Emarat FM be written as a good deed in your book? If not then it most surely will be a sin, because that scale only has two hands and the deeds are either good or bad.
If Emarat FM, as an entity, is defying Islamic laws, doesn’t that makes you an accomplice when you work there? Aren’t you one of Emarat FM’s functioning limbs and you are helping out in that defiance? Think about it.
“Mischief has appeared on land and sea because of (the meed) that the hands of men have earned. That (Allah) may give them a taste of some of their deeds: in order that they may turn back (from Evil)” (30:41)
My advice to you is to list down a meaningful and well-thought set of criteria to have a clear sight of where you don’t want to go at least. Keeping in mind that not all organizations nowadays are serving the better good of our society and a person must be critical and selective to where and why they want to work, because it is that decision which determines where our precious society will be headed.
My criteria was:
1- Not an organization that functions by breaking Islamic laws (e.g. Emarat FM)
2- Not an organization that deals with money (e.g. no banks, Islamic or non-Islamic)
3- It must be an organization that benefits my country
4- Pays well
There is no harm in wanting a higher pay. The harm is to set this to be your one and only criterion.
Maybe if no one applies to the unethical organizations they will eventually wear out and decay. Therefore, we’ll be left with the good organizations that are serving the good of society and uplifting us as a productive community.
Final note: I do not expect everyone to agree with me, but I do expect them to respect my point of view.
Sallam 3alaikoum w rahmat ALlah wa barakatuh..
alot of people, from whom i know, prefer to work in banks during the summer holiday.. as a summer job..
and it’s not a good sign at all.. because as you mentioned one of the criteria’s in finding a job or just a summer job is to check whether it abides with the islamic rules..
Jazak ALlah khair brother..