Pratima Pokharel began her career in the banking industry from the ground-up at the City Development Bank. Now the HR Manager at Om Development Bank in Pokhara, she places high value on candidates who display an aptitude to learn and seek to constantly grow and evolve. With the job-market in the Lake City becoming increasingly more competitive, she remains optimistic that its corporate culture is on the upswing as well. In this interview with the Post, Pokharel speaks about Pokhara’s corporate sector and what for her makes the ideal candidate. Excerpts:

How is the working culture in Pokhara? Is its corporate culture different than the Capital’s?

Pokhara is fun place to live and work. Because it is a tourist destination, large sections of the local economy are geared towards the tourism sector. But when one sector flourishes, it has a knock-on effect on all the others sectors. The corporate sector in the Lake City is gathering steam as well with the opening of numerous branches of banks and other financial institutions based out of the Capital. So, you could say that in a way, Kathmandu’s corporate culture is slowly filtering into Pokhara as well. But I think because of the tourism economy, Pokhara is a unique place to work in and is definitely less stressful than the Capital. However, that is not to say that the job market here is not competitive.

Given how competitive the job market is, what are the prime qualities you are looking for in a candidate when they turn up for an interview?

The hiring process is actually quite long. We end up filtering out a lot of candidates based off their resumes and the written examinations. It is only once you have gone past those initial filters that you sit down for an interview with the recruitment committee.

As for the qualities, I think as a rule most organisations are on the lookout for people with certain essential qualities. I think the candidate needs to be creative and be willing to tackle an array of problems, with solutions that can be out of the box. It is essential that the candidate has the right aptitude to learn and the right attitude as well. In the banking sector, you need to deal with a lot of customers and clients, so it is quite important that a candidate is personable and courteous.

Another thing that is essential in the banking sector is that secrecy is paramount. When we are hiring a new employee, we need to be able to trust them completely.

How important is educational qualification and prior job experience when you are judging a candidate? Is it a make-or-break-it requirement?

It is and it isn’t. A lot of the candidates do get filtered out because they don’t match the educational or experience requirements. But I think in this day and age when they are so many millennials going into the job market, it is equally important to gauge how well-rounded a candidate is. Yes, degrees and job experiences, do tell you a lot about a candidate, but it shouldn’t be the only marker to judge a candidate by. After all, a degree doesn’t necessarily mean the candidate will fit into the organisation and its goals and values. It, however, plays a key role in making sure you get through the initial filters so that you can flaunt your personality and right attitude at an interview.

What advice do you have for young candidates about get into the job market?

The job market is getting more competitive by the year, so you need to stay focused. Don’t get too caught up with the degrees and prior experiences, in the end your passion and your willingness to pursue your dreams will always win. The two important things for your career is the right attitude—as in the willingness to adapt to any situation and a positive outlook on life; and the right aptitude—as in the willingness to continually learn and grow, both as an employee and a human being. If you can get those two things in order, everything else will fall into place.