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Veteran business leader, diplomat and board adviser, Mehmet Öğütçü, reflects on more than four decades of hiring and leadership experience, offering practical advice to graduates and young professionals navigating an increasingly competitive labour market.
Throughout my life, I have occupied both sides of the hiring table. I have been the young graduate anxiously knocking on doors, and I have been the executive deciding which doors to open.
That perspective changes the way one looks at careers.
As a university student, I worked in three different jobs before graduation. I needed the income, but more importantly, I wanted to understand the world beyond the classroom. After graduating, I applied to dozens of institutions, sat written examinations, endured demanding interviews, experienced rejection, waited, tried again and, eventually, succeeded.
Years later, life placed me on the other side of the table.
My career took me from the Inspection Board of İşbank to serving as an adviser to the Turkish Prime Minister; from diplomacy to the OECD and the International Energy Agency; from the Asian Development Bank to multinational corporations such as British Gas, Invensys and Genel Energy; and more recently to board memberships and advisory roles with companies including Şişecam, Yaşar Holding, YEO Technology, BGN and Karpowership. Today, I chair London-based Global Resources Partnership.
Along the way, I have worked with governments, international organisations, multinational corporations, investors and entrepreneurs across continents. I have reviewed thousands of CVs, interviewed hundreds of candidates and participated in recruiting young professionals at different stages of their careers.
What follows is therefore not theory. It is the accumulation of experience over more than forty years. It is written for young graduates entering the labour market, but also for anyone who still believes that reinvention is possible.
The question is not about jobs. It is about the future.
The question I hear most frequently is remarkably simple: “I cannot find a job. What should I do?”
At first glance, this appears to be a labour market question. In reality, it is a question about justice, hope and opportunity.
Across Türkiye - and increasingly across Azerbaijan and many other countries - young people are entering perhaps the most competitive labour market in modern history. Thousands graduate with excellent grades. Many speak multiple languages. Many complete postgraduate degrees and internships. Yet they struggle for months, sometimes years, to secure meaningful employment.
Meanwhile, they watch others apparently advance through family connections, political proximity or influential networks. Naturally, they ask: “Does merit still matter?”
My answer is neither romantic nor cynical.
Connections have always mattered. Networks matter. Recommendations matter. Social capital matters. In every country. Pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
But allowing this reality to determine your future would be an even greater mistake. That is precisely the moment people surrender: “They will never hire me.” “The position has already been filled.” “I do not have the right connections.”
Real defeat rarely begins with rejection. It begins when people stop trying.
The challenges facing young Azerbaijanis are remarkably similar.
Azerbaijan is undergoing a profound economic transformation. Energy will remain central to its economy, but logistics, technology, renewable energy, digital services, advanced manufacturing and regional connectivity are creating entirely new opportunities.
Its geography is becoming one of its greatest strategic assets. Situated between Europe and Asia, connected to the Middle Corridor and increasingly integrated into regional supply chains, Azerbaijan’s young generation has opportunities that previous generations could scarcely imagine.
My advice is therefore straightforward: do not compete only within Baku. Do not compete only within Azerbaijan. Compete globally.
Master English. Learn another foreign language if possible. Become comfortable using artificial intelligence as a daily professional tool. Travel. Read. Build international friendships. Develop cultural intelligence.
The strongest passport for your career will not be political proximity or family influence. It will be competence, character and credibility.
A career is not one interview. It is the construction of reputation.
Life has taught me another lesson: people who continue learning, preserve their character and develop the right strategy generally arrive where they deserve.
Perhaps not in their first interview. Perhaps not in their first company. Perhaps not in their first year. But over time.
Careers are not one-hundred-metre races. They are marathons. In fact, they are something even more demanding: the gradual construction of reputation.
Those who start quickly sometimes disappear. Those who advance quietly, consistently and patiently often reach positions of leadership years later.
The manager who rejects you today may wish to recruit you tomorrow. The institution that declines your application today may later invite you to become an adviser or board member. Life is considerably longer than we imagine.
Despair is never a strategy.
Many graduates believe employers hire diplomas. They do not.
A diploma may help you knock on the door. Other qualities determine whether you remain inside: curiosity, discipline, willingness to learn, courage to assume responsibility, analytical thinking, teamwork, humility, resilience and, above all, trustworthiness.
Managers do not simply hire knowledge. They choose people. They choose judgement. They choose character. They choose colleagues they can trust when circumstances become difficult.
What others say about you often matters more than what you write about yourself. I call this reputational capital.
Money can disappear. Titles can change. Companies can fail. Technologies become obsolete. Entire professions evolve. But trust accumulated over decades continues to generate opportunities.
For a while, your diploma carries you. Then your experience carries you. Eventually, only your name carries you.
Board appointments, senior advisory positions and leadership roles are rarely obtained through public advertisements. People ask one fundamental question: “Can we trust this person?”
That is the real interview of life. And precisely because of that, if you have no powerful connections, your greatest advantage may become your strategy.
One of the biggest mistakes I see is the “one CV fits all” approach. A young graduate prepares a single résumé and sends it to fifty or a hundred employers, hoping that statistics will compensate for strategy. They rarely do.
Your CV is not an autobiography. It is a marketing document. Its purpose is not to tell the story of your life, but to persuade an employer that you are the right person for a specific role.
Every application deserves its own version. Study the job description carefully. Identify what the employer is actually looking for. Then reorganise your experience accordingly.
Emphasise relevant achievements. Reduce irrelevant details. Do not try to impress with adjectives. Prove yourself with evidence.
Do not write: “I am dynamic, hardworking and results-oriented.” Everyone writes that. Instead write: “I led a student project involving twenty participants and completed it two weeks ahead of schedule.”
Facts are persuasive. Adjectives are forgettable.
Never underestimate small details: a careless spelling mistake, an unprofessional email address, a poorly formatted document or an outdated photograph. These seemingly minor issues often create a major first impression. Professionalism begins long before the interview. 2. Your cover letter should be about them, not you
Many applicants misunderstand the purpose of a motivation letter. They write about themselves: “I want to develop.” “I want international experience.” “I want to improve my career.”
All perfectly understandable. But employers are asking a different question: “How will you help us?”
The strongest cover letters begin not with “I”, but with “you”. Research the organisation. Read its annual reports. Study its strategy. Understand its competitors. Identify its challenges. Then explain where your skills fit into its future.
A good cover letter tells the employer: “I understand where you are trying to go, and I believe I can help you get there.” That immediately distinguishes you from hundreds of applicants who simply recycled yesterday’s template. 3. Never pretend to be someone you are not
During my career, I have interviewed many candidates. The easiest thing to detect is exaggeration: languages that are supposedly “fluent” but disappear after two questions; software expertise that exists only on paper; leadership roles that turn out to have been minor participation.
Experience cannot always be measured. Authenticity can.
The interview may end successfully. Reality begins on your first day at work. Trust, once lost, is extremely difficult to recover.
Do not fear saying: “I do not know.” Simply add: “But I am confident I can learn.” Even better: “I am not yet familiar with this area, but may I explain how I would approach learning it?”
That answer demonstrates honesty, confidence and intellectual curiosity. Employers are rarely looking for someone who knows everything. They are looking for someone capable of learning almost anything. 4. Your digital reputation is now part of your CV
Years ago, employers read only your résumé. Today, they search your digital footprint: your LinkedIn profile, your articles, comments and photographs, your online behaviour and even your tone.
Everything contributes to an impression. You write your CV. Life writes your reputation.
An employer may overlook limited experience. It is far less likely to overlook poor judgement. The internet remembers. So should you.
Think before posting. Think before commenting. Think before reacting emotionally. Your digital identity is becoming one of your strongest references – or one of your biggest liabilities. 5. Networking is not nepotism
Perhaps no concept is more misunderstood. Many young people believe networking means collecting business cards, taking photographs with famous people or sending messages asking strangers for jobs. It does not.
Networking means building trust.
Many of the most important opportunities in my own career did not emerge through advertisements. They emerged because people had worked with me before. They knew how I approached problems. They trusted my judgement.
That trust had been built gradually. Relationships should never be purely transactional.
Meet people before you need them. Listen more than you speak. Help without calculating immediate returns. Remain curious. Remain generous.
A strong professional network is not a collection of contacts. It is a community of people willing to recommend you because they believe in your integrity.
Do not chase references. Become a reference. 6. Interviews test character as much as knowledge
Many candidates assume interviews are examinations. They are not. They are conversations designed to reduce uncertainty.
The interviewer is trying to answer one fundamental question: “Can I imagine working with this person?”
Listen carefully. Do not interrupt. Take notes if necessary. Do not fear silence. A thoughtful pause often conveys maturity. An immediate answer sometimes conveys panic.
Ask questions yourself. One of my favourites is: “What would success look like during my first six months?” Another is: “What distinguishes the people who succeed here from those who do not?”
Good questions reveal preparation. Excellent questions reveal judgement. 7. Foreign languages and artificial intelligence are the new literacy
When I began my career, English was a significant competitive advantage. Today, it is increasingly a basic requirement. Artificial intelligence is following the same trajectory.
Many young people ask whether AI will eliminate jobs. Perhaps. More likely, however, people who know how to use AI effectively will outperform those who do not.
The competition is no longer limited to your city or your country. You are competing with talent from across the world.
Graduation should not mark the end of education. It should mark its beginning. 8. Choose your first mentor before your first salary
Young graduates understandably focus on salary. Economic realities are real. Living costs matter. But another question deserves equal attention: who will teach me?
An outstanding manager can shape an entire career. An inspiring team can transform your ambitions. A healthy organisational culture can accelerate your development more than a modest salary increase.
Your first hundred days deserve particular attention. Observe before criticising. Listen before advising. Learn before reforming.
Every organisation has its own culture. Understanding it is part of becoming effective within it.
Humility is often mistaken for weakness. In reality, it is frequently the foundation of long-term leadership.
Eventually, careers enter a different phase: board appointments, senior advisory roles and leadership positions. These are seldom advertised publicly.
Nobody asks about your university grades twenty-five years later. They ask: can we trust this person? Will this person keep promises? Will this person strengthen our institution? Can this person remain calm under pressure?
Throughout my own career, many opportunities came not because I passed another examination, but because people trusted me based on years of working together.
That is reputational capital. Like compound interest, it grows quietly. Every ethical decision strengthens it. Every careless decision weakens it. No investment portfolio can match its long-term returns. 10. Do not simply search for work. Create value
A job search should not be a passive act of waiting for permission. It should be an active demonstration of value.
Write. Research. Volunteer. Build small projects. Help others solve problems. Publish thoughtful analysis. Learn a tool that your peers ignore. Offer practical ideas before anyone asks you for them.
Opportunity often comes to people who are already behaving like professionals before they receive the title.
Employers notice initiative. Mentors notice discipline. Networks notice generosity. Over time, these signals become part of your reputation.
The question is not only: “Who will hire me?” It is also: “What value am I already creating?”
Over four decades, I have seen people rejected in their first interview later become chief executives. I have seen graduates unable to find employment build remarkable companies of their own. I have seen individuals once overlooked later invited onto international boards.
Why? Because careers are rarely determined by one interview, one employer or one year.
Knowledge matters. Experience matters. Technology matters. Foreign languages matter. But above all stands one form of capital that appreciates throughout life: reputation.
For a while, your diploma carries you. Then your experience carries you. Eventually, only your name carries you.
So my final advice is simple.
Do not merely improve your CV. Improve yourself. Do not simply search for work. Create value. Do not spend your life searching for influential contacts. Become the kind of professional whom influential people recommend without hesitation.
Do not chase references. Become a reference.
And never forget: your greatest asset is not your bank account. It is your name.
Build it early - with honesty, curiosity, discipline, humility and reliability.
Because a good reputation is the highest-return investment you will ever make. Its returns, like compound interest, continue to grow for a lifetime.
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