Dr. Zunaira Saqib

HR teacher and aptitude-test co-founder

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Dr. Zunaira Saqib is a teacher of human resource subjects and co-founder of an aptitude-test company. Saqib teaches human resource subjects in a business school. After her Masters in HR, she started teaching at NUST.

Early life and background

Saqib says she belongs to Lahore. She studied at her mother's school and says the experience was not good. She says her school taught maths in Urdu. She says she memorised her whole maths book and scored 89 marks in matric. She also says she lost both her parents within a span of six months. [1]

Education

Saqib studied at a government college in Lahore. She completed FSC and then a BA. She says she started with fine arts, then English literature, ended up with a Punjabi subject, and then thought of economics and statistics. [1]

She went to the university the day before her computer science classes began and asked to shift to an MBA. She says she loved her MBA. She found she enjoyed marketing and HR. [1]

Saqib completed a Masters in HR at Lancaster University, UK. She completed her PhD in 2018. [1]

Academic career

Saqib teaches human resource subjects in a business school. After her Masters in HR, she started teaching at NUST. She says she had done much of what she needed to in academia and wanted to contribute elsewhere. [1]

Career guidance company

Saqib has said she started the company with her husband, who also holds a PhD. She says her company spent about a year developing its aptitude test. She says successful cases were picked, given aptitude testing, and their results were used to build an AI model. She says the model is self-learning and that the operation has been running for only a year. She also says the AI model must be updated every year, because success changes. [1]

Saqib says the platform generates an automatic report of 25 to 30 pages. She says anyone with a phone and a 3G or 4G connection can take the test. The test is available in both Urdu and English. She has also said the company has an app. [1]

Users can take the test and see the report after paying. Saqib has said the company accepts EasyPaisa, JazzCash, cards and bank transfer. She says some customers do not trust the online system. [1]

Saqib has said the company started at 1000 rupees per test and later raised the price to 1500. She has said the company lowers its price when it works with schools and colleges. She has also said it works on a no-profit basis with non-profit partners. She has said the company once offered part of its tests free, then opened the full test to everyone. [1]

Saqib has said the company works with Akhuwat and the Aga Khan Foundation. She has said the pandemic was a real struggle because schools and colleges were closed. She has said the company aims for 65,000 students a year within five years. [1]

Saqib has said the company has a small team and that her whole team is under the age of 25. She says she prefers hardworking people to candidates with fancy CVs. She has said funding is the main problem for the company as a startup. [1]

Saqib says the company went through schools because individual awareness was low. She says even counseling is a luxury, unfortunately. The company has an Advice from Professionals section and a YouTube channel, and runs live sessions with career mentors. She has said the company recently launched a separate website for university students. [1]

Saqib says the company has very different customer personas. She says school owners and principals reach the company through LinkedIn. She says parents reach the company through Facebook. She says reach on social media now depends on how much is paid, and that influencers now sell more products than ads do. [1]

Views

Saqib says many people came to her for advice but did not act on it. She says she concluded there was no point in continuing as before and that she had to reach a wider audience. [1]

Saqib says the system did not change between 2000 and 2021, and students still face the same struggle. She says someone sitting in a remote area, such as a village, should have the same access as anyone else. She says the purpose was that everyone should have access. She does not want the company to serve only the elite. She says aptitude tests were not developed locally in Pakistan. [1]

Saqib says more data points make counseling more objective. She says a student's view of careers is limited by what parents, cousins and teachers know. She says a GPA is not a true measure of success. [1]

Saqib says it is sad that people choose a university before choosing a program. She advises against choosing a degree for its scope. She says the telecom bubble burst within one to one and a half years for the students who entered that field. [1]

Saqib says South Asian parents often feel they own their children, which she calls very unfortunate. She says emotional blackmail often starts when a child refuses a parent's choice. She believes a child should own both their failures and their successes. She says some people blame others instead of building their own career path. [1]

Saqib says parents should guide children, not order them. She says parents can only nurture their children's talents. She says every child has a unique talent. [1]

Timeline

2018
Completed her PhD.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2021-07-19 Pakistan doesn't have career counsellors. So she built an AI one. Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Dr. Zunaira Saqib?

Dr. Zunaira Saqib is a teacher of human resource subjects in a business school. She started a company with her husband, who also holds a PhD. The company developed an aptitude test.[1]

What does Dr. Zunaira Saqib do?

Dr. Zunaira Saqib teaches human resource subjects in a business school. After her Masters in HR, she started teaching at NUST. She also started a company with her husband.[1]

Where did Dr. Zunaira Saqib study?

Dr. Zunaira Saqib completed a Masters in HR at Lancaster University, UK, and completed her PhD in 2018. She studied at a government college in Lahore and completed FSC and then a BA.[1]

Where is Dr. Zunaira Saqib from?

Dr. Zunaira Saqib says she belongs to Lahore. She also studied at a government college in Lahore.[1]

What does Dr. Zunaira Saqib's aptitude test offer?

Saqib says Merafuture.pk offers a detailed aptitude test of about 40 to 50 minutes. She says the platform generates an automatic report of 25 to 30 pages. The test is available in both Urdu and English.[1]

How much does Dr. Zunaira Saqib's aptitude test cost?

Dr. Zunaira Saqib has said the company started at 1000 rupees per test and later raised the price to 1500. She has said it lowers its price when it works with schools and colleges. Users can take the test and see the report after paying.[1]

Which organisations does Dr. Zunaira Saqib's company work with?

Dr. Zunaira Saqib has said the company works with Akhuwat and the Aga Khan Foundation. She has also said it works on a no-profit basis with non-profit partners.[1]

What does Dr. Zunaira Saqib say about choosing a degree?

Dr. Zunaira Saqib advises against choosing a degree for its scope. She says it is sad that people choose a university before choosing a program.[1]

References

  1. Pakistan doesn't have career counsellors. So she built an AI one. . Thought Behind Things , 2021-07-19.
Show the source passages (72 statements)
  1. Her name is Dr. Zunaira Saqib. guest, Dr. Zunaira Saqib.
  2. She teaches human resource subjects in a business school. Human resource, business school ke andar hi, I teach human resource subjects basically.
  3. After her Masters in HR, she started teaching at NUST. I went on to did my Masters in HR from Lancaster University, UK. Then started teaching at NUST.
  4. She completed a Masters in HR at Lancaster University, UK. I went on to did my Masters in HR from Lancaster University, UK.
  5. She completed her PhD in 2018. Started my PhD, phir woh complete ki 2018 mein.
  6. She studied at a government college in Lahore. So, I went to a government college, Samanabad College in Lahore.
  7. She completed FSC and then a BA. FSC bhi kar li kisi tarah ro-pit ke, phir BA bhi kar liya.
  8. She says she started with fine arts, then English literature, ended up with a Punjabi subject, and then thought of economics and statistics. I started with fine arts and then English literature, I even ended up with a Punjabi subject, and then I thought ke okay, economics and stats.
  9. She says she belongs to Lahore. basically mera taluq Lahore se hai
  10. She studied at her mother's school and says the experience was not good. I studied in my mom's school, unfortunately. It wasn't a very good experience,
  11. She says her school taught maths in Urdu. hamara maths Urdu mein tha
  12. She says she memorised her whole maths book and scored 89 marks in matric. So, maine poori book ka ratta lagaya and I ended up getting 89 marks in matric.
  13. She says she lost both her parents within a span of six months. life took a turn, sort of lost both my parents within a span of six months.
  14. She went to the university the day before her computer science classes began and asked to shift to an MBA. So, a day before starting my computer sciences classes, I went to university, I said, 'I want to shift to MBA.'
  15. She says she loved her MBA. But MBA was fantastic. Loved it. I loved it.
  16. She found she enjoyed marketing and HR. Aur then phir mujhe marketing bohat achi lagti thi, HR bohat achi lagti.
  17. She says she had done much of what she needed to in academia and wanted to contribute elsewhere. Ab jo hai, woh jitni contribution academia mein karni thi, badi hadd tak kar li hai. Ab need to do something else, need to contribute somewhere else.
  18. She says many people came to her for advice but did not act on it. Mere paas bohat log aate hain mashware lene ke liye. Bas lete hain, phir amal nahi karte.
  19. She says the system did not change between 2000 and 2021, and students still face the same struggle. yaar 2000 se lekar 2021 tak kuch bhi change nahi hua. Matlab maine jo system mein struggle kiya hai, aaj ka bacha bhi wahi struggle kar raha hai.
  20. She says someone sitting in a remote area, such as a village, should have the same access as anyone else. Agar aap kisi door-daraz ke ilaake mein baithe hain, aap GB ke andar kisi gaon mein baithe hue hain, to aapke paas bhi wahi access honi chahiye jo kisi aur ke paas hai.
  21. She says South Asian parents often feel they own their children, which she calls very unfortunate. parents feel like they are the owner of the child, which is very unfortunate.
  22. She says emotional blackmail often starts when a child refuses a parent's choice. Aur agar bacha kahe ke maine nahi karna, to woh aage se ek emotional blackmailing shuru ho jati hai.
  23. She believes a child should own both their failures and their successes. He is, should be the owner of his failures as well as his successes.
  24. She says some people blame others instead of building their own career path. Woh har kisi ko blame kar denge, woh khud nahi effort dalenge to be able to build their own career path.
  25. She advises against choosing a degree for its scope. Aur scope ke baare mein soch ke kisi degree mein mat jayein. If you are good at it, you will become successful.
  26. She says it is sad that people choose a university before choosing a program. it's really sad that people select the university first and program later.
  27. She says the telecom bubble burst within one to one and a half years for the students who entered that field. jo bache telecom mein ghuse, within one to one and a half year, telecom ka bubble ek dam burst ho gaya.
  28. She says she concluded there was no point in continuing as before and that she had to reach a wider audience. maine kaha ke there is no point, I have to reach to a wider audience.
  29. She says her company spent about a year developing its aptitude test. To humne pehle apna ek saal company ka is baat mein lagaya hai ke humne aptitude test develop kiya.
  30. She says successful cases were picked, given aptitude testing, and their results were used to build an AI model. we picked those successful cases, we did aptitude testing with them, we took their results, we build a AI model with that.
  31. She says Merafuture.pk offers a detailed aptitude test of about 40 to 50 minutes. hamari merafuture.pk website hai, woh aptitude test deta hai. Bohat detailed hai, koi 40-50 minutes ka test hai.
  32. She says the platform generates an automatic report of 25 to 30 pages. ek usko jo 25-30 safhe ki report jo bilkul automatic generate hoti hai system ke through
  33. She says anyone with a phone and a 3G or 4G connection can take the test. aapke paas agar ek mobile phone hai, 3G, 4G connection hai, aap kahin bhi baithe hue hain, you go to the website, you can take the test.
  34. She says the purpose was that everyone should have access. Purpose yahi tha ke access sabke paas ho.
  35. She says the model is self-learning and that the operation has been running for only a year. It is self-learning. Yeh woh ab aahista-aahista uske andar hum woh kar rahe hain, mazeed bhi data points jo hain, woh add karte ja rahe hain. We've only been operational for a year.
  36. She says the AI model must be updated every year, because success changes. To woh usko har saal humein update karna hi karna hai aur phir dekhein, aaj jis cheez ko aap success define karte hain, aaj se chaar saal baad woh success nahi hai.
  37. She says a GPA is not a true measure of success. If you say GPA is success today, which it is not, by the way, but if you say it is today, it is not four years from now
  38. She says more data points make counseling more objective. jitna data points zyada honge utni hi objective counseling aap jo hain wo zyada de sakte hain.
  39. She says a student's view of careers is limited by what parents, cousins and teachers know. Woh uske parents ki soorat mein hai, koi successful cousin hai, koi teacher hai, koi case is tarah ka woh pehle hi hai aur wohi aapki pehli baat ke vision limited hai.
  40. She says aptitude tests were not developed locally in Pakistan. ek to aptitude testing Pakistan mein locally develop nahi hai, pehli baat.
  41. She has said the company lowers its price when it works with schools and colleges. But when we work with schools and colleges, to hum aur reduce kar dete hain.
  42. She has said the company works on a no-profit basis with non-profit partners. Aur jab hum non-profits ke sath kaam karte hain, to hum bilkul no-profit basis pe chale jaate hain.
  43. She has said the company started at 1000 rupees per test and later raised the price to 1500. woh we started with as low as 1000 rupees per test per person. Ab humne thoda sa badha ke use 1500 pe kar diya
  44. She has said the company works with Akhuwat and the Aga Khan Foundation. we are working with Taameer-e-Millat, we are working with Akhuwat, with Aga Khan Foundation
  45. She has said the company has served around 10,000 students so far. To till now we have served around 10,000 students.
  46. She has said the pandemic was a real struggle because schools and colleges were closed. and has been a real struggle because of pandemic as well because educational institutes were closed down
  47. She has said the company aims for 65,000 students a year within five years. agle paanch saal mein we have to become a website where 65,000 students come every year
  48. She has said she started the company with her husband, who also holds a PhD. We started the company, my husband is also a PhD, his area is this particular area.
  49. She has said the company has a small team. We have a small team, we are not a very big company.
  50. She has said her whole team is under the age of 25. Meri jo saari team hai wo under the age of 25 hai actually.
  51. She says she prefers hardworking people to candidates with fancy CVs. I would actually rather go for people who work hard rather than people who have very fancy CVs.
  52. She has said the company has an app. We do have an app right now.
  53. She has said the company accepts EasyPaisa, JazzCash, cards and bank transfer. we have EasyPaisa, JazzCash, debit, credit card, bank transfer
  54. She has said users can take the test and see the report after paying. So you register, you have access to the test straight away, you give all the test and then your report becomes visible when you make a payment.
  55. She says some customers do not trust the online system. But they won't do that because they don't trust the online system.
  56. She says the company went through schools because individual awareness was low. The only issue we were having, why we went through school was ke individual level pe awareness us tarah se nahi hai.
  57. She says even counseling is a luxury, unfortunately. even counseling is a luxury, unfortunately.
  58. She has said the company once offered part of its tests free, then opened the full test to everyone. Hum us model pe bhi gaye the lekin uske baad humne phir poora test accessible kar diya
  59. She does not want the company to serve only the elite. are we becoming the company which is serving the elites? Which is something I do not want to do.
  60. She says the company has an Advice from Professionals section and a YouTube channel. Hamari ek section hai 'Advice from Professionals' ka, hamara YouTube ka channel hai
  61. She says the company runs live sessions with career mentors. hum live sessions karte hain career mentors ke saath
  62. She has said the company recently launched a separate website for university students. humne unke liye bhi abhi recently launch 'Career Wonders' ke naam se na, ek separate website.
  63. She has said funding is the main problem for the company as a startup. Major problem hamari I think ke as a startup are the funding.
  64. She says reach on social media now depends on how much is paid. social media has sort of become a place where the more paid it is, the better outreach that you have, unfortunately.
  65. She has said the test is available in both Urdu and English. hamara test Urdu aur English dono mein hai
  66. She says the company has very different customer personas. because we have very different personas when it comes to customers.
  67. She says school owners and principals reach the company through LinkedIn. So, the school owners, uh, and principals are coming to us through LinkedIn.
  68. She says parents reach the company through Facebook. The parents are coming to us through Facebook.
  69. She says influencers now sell more products than ads do. aaj kal jo cheez actually sell hoti hai, to be very honest, ad se zyada wo influencer sell hote hain.
  70. She says parents should guide children, not order them. Aap usko guide karein, aap usko hukum na dein.
  71. She says parents can only nurture their children's talents. Hum as parents sirf nurture kar sakte hain aur kuch nahi kar sakte.
  72. She says every child has a unique talent. Bas ye batana hai ki har baccha jo hai na, uska koi unique talent hota hai.