Ghalib Hassam

Pakistani electrical engineering graduate and content creator

Compiled from 2 recorded interviews. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Ghalib Hassam is a head of Content and Content creator.

Early life and education

Hassam's father passed away in 2016. Hassam initially studied electrical engineering and graduated in 2017. Following graduation, he took the NTS test while attempting to secure a government job and applied for an electrical engineering role. He searched for employment until 2018 without success. [1][2]

In 2018, Hassam moved to Istanbul to pursue a master's degree. He lived in Istanbul until returning to Pakistan in 2022 while completing his degree. [2]

Career

Hassam decided to leave engineering because he felt he was not good enough at the discipline. He selected marketing as a new career path because the industry offered remote positions, which aligned with his goals to have flexibility and live with his mother. During his transition, he completed free courses on LinkedIn and HubSpot Academy. [1][2]

While working in Pakistan, Hassam worked at a company with an office located near the market in Lahore. He built his personal brand on LinkedIn at the start of his career and spent four to five years creating content for himself on the platform. At the beginning of his career, he manually took notes during calls as recordings were not yet made. [1][2]

Hassam later transitioned into running a business and has worked with founders internationally. Around 2025, he acquired his first client, who was based in Poland. When pitching prospective clients, he audited their profiles and provided feedback using Loom video recordings. In another initiative, he compiled a dataset of approximately 250 barber shops and offered free business process automation to a barber. [1][2]

Content creation and teaching

Hassam creates content, produces educational material on Instagram, and shares third-party posts on the platform. He also operates a YouTube channel where he explores topics in depth, including a video titled "The Psychology of Getting Hired Remotely". Hassam has also produced content advising professionals against pitching themselves directly, and he conducts instructional workshops. [1][2]

Views

Hassam views the local job market in Pakistan as having been in poor condition for years and advocates for securing remote international employment from within the country. He maintains that conventional resumes and single interviews cannot adequately convey cultural fit, making online platform visibility critical. He advises Pakistani graduates and professionals seeking entry into foreign firms to build networks with startup founders and offer initial services free of charge. [1][2]

Hassam argues that formal courses are ineffective for modern learning and that direct work with companies provides the best practical upskilling. He stated that if restarting his career, he would learn fundamentals from YouTube and provide unpaid work rather than enroll in courses, noting that YouTube serves as a long-form medium that requires time. He cautions against choosing careers solely for money and believes freelancing has commoditized Pakistani workers. [1][2]

Hassam believes artificial intelligence replaces execution-based roles such as copywriting, data entry, and graphic design, requiring workers to become strategic thinkers. He recommends that individuals seeking remote roles learn Claude, considering it suited for tech and AI while ChatGPT serves general uses. He suggests utilizing conversation modes for IELTS preparation rather than academies, emphasizing using AI tools to acquire global knowledge rather than merely studying the tools themselves. He also holds that single individuals cannot effectively make decisions while handling the workload of five or six people. [1][2]

Personal life

Hassam is married. He is based in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, located approximately one hour from Peshawar, and also lives in Atlanta. His brother works as an architect. [1][2]

Timeline

2016
His father passed away.[1][2]
2017
Graduated with a degree in electrical engineering.[1][2]
2018
Moved to Istanbul to pursue a master's degree after searching for employment.[2]
2022
Returned to Pakistan while completing his master's degree.[2]
2025
Acquired his first client, based in Poland.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2026-08-06 The entry-level job is gone. Unpaid work is the way in. Thought Behind Things
2026-05-29 Penetrate, don't apply: a Pakistani's path to a remote US job Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ghalib Hassam?

Ghalib Hassam is the Head of Content at Darkroom and creates educational content on Instagram. He graduated in electrical engineering in 2017 and transitioned from engineering into marketing.[1][2]

References

  1. The entry-level job is gone. Unpaid work is the way in. . Thought Behind Things , 2026-08-06.
  2. Penetrate, don't apply: a Pakistani's path to a remote US job . Thought Behind Things , 2026-05-29.
Show the source passages (91 statements)
  1. He graduated in electrical engineering in 2017. 2017 में ग्रेजुएशन हुई थी मेरी इलेक्ट्रिकल इंजीनियरिंग की
  2. He took the NTS test while attempting to secure a government job. मेरा भी एक शौक था कि मैं एक सरकारी नौकरी लैंड करूंगा। तो तो मैंने एनटीएस टेस्ट दिया
  3. He believes that the knowledge one receives should be distributed to others. मेरा तो मकसद यह है कि जो सिखाया गया है मुझे जो मैंने सीखा है अल्लाह ताला ने नॉलेज दी है तो यू हैव टू डिस्ट्रीब्यूट इट
  4. He applied for an electrical engineering post. उसको मैंने [] पोस्ट के थ्रू भेजा। लेकिन फिर मुझे अखबार [] में पता लगा कि एक 17 ग्रेड की स्केल थी [] ग्रेड की पोस्ट थी इलेक्ट्रिकल [] इंजीनियरिंग के लिए
  5. He worked at a company. जिस कंपनी में मैं काम [] कर रहा था डार्क रूम वहां पे एक कांसेप्ट [] था फुलस्टक मार्केटर का
  6. He believes that one person cannot efficiently make all decisions when handling the workload of five or six people. एक बंदा इवन इफ [] दे हैव ऑल द नॉलेज ऑफ डिफरेंट डिसिप्लिंस [] हर एक फील्ड के दे कैन नॉट आई थिंक इन [] ह्यूमन कैपेसिटी टेक ऑल ऑफ़ द डिसजंस विद [] 100% एफिशिएंसी। अगर पांच छह बंदों का काम [] वो इकट्ठे करेंगे।
  7. He studied electrical engineering. मैंने इलेक्ट्रिकल इंजीनियरिंग की है।
  8. He advises fresh graduates to pitch their services for free if necessary to gain initial work experience. जस्ट पिच योरसेल्फ इवन इफ इट्स फॉर फ्री। आपका प्राइमरी गोल है कि आपका थोड़ा बहुत एक्सपीरियंस आपके हाथ में आ जाए।
  9. He believes the local job market in Pakistan has been in a poor condition for years. पाकिस्तानी लोकल जॉब मार्केट सालों से बुरे हालात में है।
  10. He views geography as no longer being a barrier due to the internet. इंटरनेट के थ्रू जियोग्राफी हैज़ एंडेड। इट्स नो लगर अ बैरियर इन माय ओपिनियन।
  11. He was 27 years old when he realized that the world was within his reach. जब मुझे पता लगा कि दुनिया पहुंच में आ गई [] है। मैं 27 साल का था।
  12. He believes that staying up to date and building an international network creates opportunities. अप टू डेट रहें और [] उसके बाद बिल्ड अ नेटवर्क इंटरनेशनल। [] उन्हीं ताल्लुकात के थ्रू आपको फिर [] ओपोरर्चुनिटी मिलती है।
  13. He believes that despite the disappearance of entry-level routes, massive opportunities still exist. एंट्री रोड्स आर गॉन। लेकिन आई थिंक देयर [] आर स्टिल अ मैसिव अपोरर्चुनिटी।
  14. He offered to automate business processes for a barber free of charge. आई वांट टू ऑटोमेट योर बिज़नेस प्रोसेससेस फॉर फ्री। आई विल नॉट चार्ज यू एनीथिंग।
  15. He compiled a dataset of approximately 250 barber shops. मैंने अपनी जो डाटा निकाला हुआ है उसमें कोई 250 बार शॉप्स हैं।
  16. He believes job applicants cannot adequately demonstrate cultural fit to employers through a resume or a single interview alone. कल्चर फिट यू कैन नॉट शो इट थ्रू अ सीवी या थ्रू वन इंटरव्यू।
  17. He previously held the view that working with international entities required moving abroad from Pakistan. आई यूज्ड टू थिंक मैंने इसके बारे में कंटेंट भी आज बनाया है कि अगर आपने एक इंटरनेशनल गवर्नमेंट के साथ काम करना है यू हैव टू लीव पाकिस्तान।
  18. He views online visibility on platforms as essential for candidates to demonstrate cultural fit to international hiring teams. विज़िबिलिटी एंड शोइंग पीपल कि आप कल्चरली किस तरह फिट हो सकते हैं उनकी टीम में। दैट इज़ इनबली इम्पोर्टेंट। एंड दैट इज़ गोइंग टू बी डन थ्रू अ प्लेटफार्म लाइक Link।
  19. He initially studied engineering. जिस तरह मैं शुरू में इंजीनियरिंग कर रहा था
  20. He learned at the age of 27 about professional opportunities available from Pakistan through online platforms. मैं जब 27 साल का था मुझे पता लगा कि दुनिया छोटी हो गई है थ्रू लिंकन तो मुझे उससे पहले यकीन माने कोई आईडिया ही नहीं था कि मैं पाकिस्तान से ये कर भी सकता हूं
  21. Hassam spent four to five years creating content for himself on the platform. आई स्पेंट द पास्ट फोर टू फाइव इयर्स क्रिएटिंग कंटेंट ऑन Lindin अपने लिए।
  22. Hassam has worked with founders from all over the world. दुनिया के फाउंडर्स के लिए हर एक कोने से फाउंडर के साथ मैंने काम किया हुआ है।
  23. He lives in Atlanta. अटलांटा फोकस हो जाता हूं जहां पे मैं रहता हूं।
  24. He created a YouTube video titled "The Psychology of Getting Hired Remotely". मैंने कुछ दिन पहले वीडियो बनाई थी YouTube पे कि द साइकोलॉजी ऑफ़ गेटिंग हाइड रिमोटली
  25. Hassam has produced content advising people never to pitch themselves directly. मैंने कंटेंट बनाया था कि यू नेवर पिच योरसेल्फ डायरेक्टली
  26. Hassam's career began by proving his skills to an employer over an initial period of one to two months. मेरा अपना करियर इसी तरह स्टार्ट हुआ था। एक दो महीने यू प्रूव योरसेल्फ टू देम कि हां काम आता है।
  27. Hassam shares other people's content on Instagram. मैं उनका कंटेंट शेयर करता हूं Instagram पे कि यार वाच दिस वॉच दैट।
  28. He believes influencers have a moral responsibility to teach people something beneficial to improve their lives. इफ यू आर एन इन्फ्लुएंसरर मैं आपसे आई थिंक इट्स अ मोरल रेस्पोंसिबिलिटी कि आप मुझे कुछ अच्छा सिखाओ मेरी जिंदगी बेहतर हो मेरी घर वालों की जिंदगी बेहतर हो
  29. He believes a primary goal of content creation is to make content relatable to the audience. आई थिंक ऑन ऑफ़ द मेजर गोल्स ऑफ़ कंटेंट क्रिएशन इज़ कि आप अगले वाले बंदे को रिलेटेबल दिखाओ।
  30. His first client, whom he acquired around 2025, was from Poland. एक क्लाइंट था मेरे पास तकरीबन 2000 25 में और दैट वाज़ माय फर्स्ट क्लाइंट ही इज़ फ्रॉम पोलैंड।
  31. He chose marketing as a career because he knew he was not good at engineering. द रीज़न आई चोज़ मार्केटिंग एस अ करियर वाज़ क्योंकि आई न्यू आई वाज़ नॉट गुड एट इंजीनियरिंग।
  32. His father passed away in 2016. मेरे वालिद साहब 2016 में फौत हो गए थे
  33. He left engineering because he believed he was not good enough at it. इंजीनियरिंग में आई नो आई वाज़ नॉट गुड इनफ। इसलिए मैंने वो छोड़ दी।
  34. He chose marketing because he knew the industry offered remote jobs. मार्केटिंग में मैंने एक रिस्क लिया बिकॉज़ आई न्यू कि मार्केटिंग में बहुत सारी रिमोट्स होती हैं। तो दैट इज़ व्हाई आई चूज़ मार्केटिंग।
  35. He secured a remote job in marketing. दैट इज व्हाई आई स्टेड इन मार्केट क्योंकि इवेंचुअली मुझे रिमोट जॉब मिली
  36. Hassam believes that taking courses is not an effective option for learning in modern times. कोर्सेज नॉट अ वेरी गुड ऑप्शन आजकल इन माय ओपिनियन
  37. Hassam believes that working directly with a company is the primary source of practical upskilling. आई थिंक द नंबर ऑन सोर्स ऑफ़ एक्चुअल अपस्किलिंग यू कैन गेट आजकल इज़ बाय वर्किंग विथ अ कंपनी।
  38. Hassam stated that if he were starting his career over, he would learn basics from YouTube and offer unpaid work to companies rather than taking courses. अगेन इफ आई वास स्टार्टिंग आउट मैं कोर्स ना करता। आई वुड YouTube से आसानी से आई वुड जस्ट गेट द बेसिक्स ऑफ अ फील्ड कि यार करते किस तरह हैं। एंड देन आई वुड जस्ट स्टार्ट पिचिंग मसेल्फ। फ्री वर्क।
  39. He lives in Nowshera, approximately an hour away from Peshawar. मैं रहता हूं नौशरा में ठीक है पेशावर से घंटे दूर तकरीबन
  40. He is married. मेरी फैमिली के साथ भी मेरी वाइफ के साथ के साथ भी कि यार मैं रहता हूं नौशरा में
  41. He is based in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. I'm बेसार of नोशहरा KP में पिशाल के क़रीब if anybody doesn't know
  42. His brother is an architect. मेरे मेरा भाई जो है वह architect है.
  43. He studied electrical engineering. तो मैंने engineering की electrical.
  44. He graduated in 2017. दो हज़ार सत्रह में जब मैं graduate हुआ
  45. He searched for a job until 2018 without finding one. दो हज़ार अठारह तक मैंने job ढूंढी. मुझे job नहीं मिली.
  46. His father passed away in 2016. my father is no more. Twenty sixteen he passed away.
  47. He went to Istanbul in 2018 to pursue a master's degree. दो हज़ार अठारह में मैं इस्तेमुल गया masters के लिए.
  48. He returned to Pakistan in 2022. दो हज़ार बाइस में Pakistan वापस आया.
  49. He took free courses on LinkedIn. मैंने LinkedIn पर free courses किए वग़ैरह वग़ैरह.
  50. He works as the Head of Content at Darkroom. working with, Darkroom as their head of content.
  51. His office was located near the market in Lahore while working a job in Pakistan. तो जब मैं Pakistan में था while I was doing that job लाहौर में सख़्त गर्मी थी दिनों में मुझे अभी भी आते फिर दोस्त market के पास हमारा office था.
  52. He transitioned his career from engineering into marketing. आप एक industry में new हो मेरी तरह जो कि मैं engineering से marketing में shift कर रहा था,
  53. He worked for free for one month for the founder. एक महीना मैंने उनके साथ free काम किया.
  54. He offered to work for free for a founder. मैंने एक UK founder को message किया and I told him कि यार, I have one month of experience in your industry and I would love to work for you for free.
  55. He quit his internship to pursue a full-time contract with the founder. I quit that London internship और मैं Berlin वाले founder के पास गया कि now I feel like I'm ready for you to give me a full time contract.
  56. The Berlin founder told him that he was not ready for a full-time contract. मैं Berlin वाले founder के पास गया कि now I feel like I'm ready for you to give me a full time contract. उसने मुझे कहा, I don't think you're ready.
  57. Sam Winsbury offered him a full-time role as a personal brand manager at Kurogo agency in London. Sam नाम है Sam Winsbury, Kurogo agency है London में. उसने मुझे message किया कि ग़ालिब we would love for you to join us as a full time personal brand manager.
  58. He built his personal brand on LinkedIn at the start of his career. वहां से मेरा career start हुआ तो building my brand on LinkedIn, that was massive.
  59. He advises people starting their careers in Pakistan wanting to penetrate international organizations to offer work for free initially. Pakistan में बैठे बैठे if you want to penetrate an international organization, offer your work for free even if you have no experience.
  60. He advises people starting their careers in Pakistan to network with startup founders. Make sure you network with startup founders if you're starting your career Pakistan से.
  61. He used the free trial period as a primary source of learning. मेरे जब आप LinkedIn पर initially sign up करते हो ना, तो they give you a LinkedIn learning one month या दो महीने free देते हैं. Initially जब आप sign up करते हो as a new user. तो that was my number one source of learning
  62. He took free courses while transitioning into a new industry. since I was breaking into a new industry तो मुझे पता था कि यार I अगर मैं एक चीज़ directly उस पर focus करूं ना कि यार I will do SEO या I will do x y z. तो I don't even know if I like SEO या एक specific field. So for me to understand what I like doing, I need to try different things. तो मैंने free courses लिए.
  63. He took free marketing courses on HubSpot Academy. HubSpot Academy भी है जहां पर आप, when you sign up they ask what is your business, email या company website? मेरी company तो थी नहीं. मैं ख़ुद career change कर रहा था. तो मैंने वहां पर लिखा भी भी आते google.com और मैंने submit किया कि यार शायद यह लोग accept कर लें and they were like, okay cool, you're in. तो वहां पर free courses थे about marketing वग़ैरह वग़ैरह.
  64. He believes money should not be the sole motivation when choosing a field of work. तो पैसा should never be the motivation in my opinion.
  65. He believes freelancing has positioned Pakistani workers as commodities. I sort of blame freelancing for this. Mhmm. क्योंकि क्योंकि freelancing ने especially Pakistan में हमें एक as a commodity position कर दिया है.
  66. He lived in Istanbul. Even though I was in Istanbul, मेरी education अच्छी थी, I was like confident enough, चीज़ें तो भाई आपने करनी होगी.
  67. Hassam previously spent time in Istanbul. Even though I was in Istanbul, मेरी education अच्छी थी, I was like confident enough
  68. Hassam believes that artificial intelligence directly replaces workers who focus exclusively on execution tasks such as data entry, copywriting, and graphic design. if you are only focused on executional work आप लोग यह data entry कर रहे थे. Copywriting, graphic designing base से कर रहे थे. हां, AI ने आप लोगों की जगह ले ली है.
  69. Hassam believes that professionals must establish themselves as strategic thinkers rather than merely performing execution work to retain their value. unless you upscale yourself in a way that you build your presence, you prove your value, not just by doing execution work लेकिन being a strategic mind.
  70. When he initially started in the industry, he took manual notes because call recordings were not made. जब मैं initially मैंने industry में start किया था तो हम manually notes बनाते थे, calls recording नहीं होती थी हमारी manually notes बनाते थे
  71. He believes that individuals aiming to secure remote jobs in the future should use Claude. Claude is, in my opinion, if you're actually trying to provide value और आप future में remote job करना चाह रहे हो, you have to go with Claude.
  72. He considers ChatGPT suitable for general purposes but views Claude as capable of handling anything in the tech and AI space. ChatGPT is great for general stuff in my opinion. मैं normally उनसे बातचीत करता हूं लेकिन if you actually want to get into tech which is AI, you can do anything on Claude.
  73. He advises people to start learning and working with Claude. If I would if there would be one one suggestion of people right now is go to Claude and start learning about it.
  74. He recommends using the conversation mode to practice IELTS modules rather than attending an IELTS academy. मैंने कहा ChatGPT पर जाओ वहां पर एक conversation mode होता है. उनको बोलो, लगाओ, उनको बोलो कि यार act as my IELTS tutor और practice with me all the four modules या सिर्फ़ speaking और from now on you're my tutor and you can begin now. बात ख़त्म. IELTS academy जाने की ज़रूरत ही नहीं है
  75. He advocates utilizing AI tools to learn knowledge from around the world rather than focusing solely on learning the tools themselves. utilize these tools not to learn the tools themselves लेकिन आप इन tools पर पूरी दुनिया में जो भी knowledge है सब कुछ सीख सकते हो.
  76. He considers YouTube to be a long-form medium that takes time for learning. even YouTube right now मेरे opinion में it's still long form. उसमें भी time लगेगा.
  77. He believes people should utilize artificial intelligence tools to learn global knowledge rather than just learning the tools themselves. utilize these tools not to learn the tools themselves लेकिन आप इन tools पर पूरी दुनिया में जो भी knowledge है सब कुछ सीख सकते हो.
  78. He transitioned into running a business after beginning his career. बाद में आप business भी कर सकते हो जैसे मैंने की किया.
  79. His goal was to obtain a remote job to have flexibility and remain close to his family. मेरा मकसद था कि मैं एक remote job ढूंढूं क्योंकि मैं उस flexibility के through मैं अपनी ज़िंदगी, अपनी family की ज़िंदगी और अपनी family के क़रीब रहना चाहता हूं.
  80. When seeking business clients, he audited prospective profiles and sent Loom video recordings highlighting areas for improvement. मैं उनके profile में जाकर उसको audit करके उसमें gaps निकालकर उनकी presentation को देखकर मैं directly एक loom बनाता था जब किसी को पता ना हो.
  81. He advocates for people securing jobs from Pakistan. trying to find a job Pakistan से, जो कि I was always I will always champion for.
  82. He was completing a master's degree when he returned to Pakistan. When I was finishing my masters मैं वापस आ रहा था
  83. He is married. चाय पीता हूं अपनी wife के साथ, अमी के साथ.
  84. One of his motivations for seeking a remote job was to live with his mother. one of my motivations to find a remote job was to I want to stay with my mother at home.
  85. He creates educational content on Instagram. Instagram जहां पर मैं लोगों को सिखाता हूं.
  86. He operates a YouTube channel. That is why I have a YouTube channel जहां पर मैं explain करता हूं थोड़ी in depth में.
  87. He conducts workshops to teach people. Workshops देता हूं अपनी तरफ़ से कि लोगों को समझ आए.
  88. He creates content. That is why I create content.
  89. He runs a YouTube channel where he explains topics in depth. That is why I have a YouTube channel जहां पर मैं explain करता हूं थोड़ी in depth में.
  90. He conducts workshops. Workshops देता हूं अपनी तरफ़ से कि लोगों को समझ आए.
  91. He considers it his moral responsibility to teach people. फिर मैं कहता हूं कि अब मेरी responsibility है morally कि मैं लोगों को सिखाऊं.