Think ahead to move upward

Now and again we are caught up in a web of doing things the same old way. We are resistant to change and this affects our overall attainment of career success. Most importantly, we worry about how people will percieve us if we did the direct opposite of their expectations.  This leads us to the issue of trying to develop our skills and talents in the direction that brings the greatest utility.

I am passionate about speaking on the need for career minded people to ensure that they create a strong point and build upon new skills that can be learned. New skills can be learned and used for advancement.  To develop new skills, you must make use of new experiences that present to you.

A friend of mine trained as a computer scientist and was completing the compulsory National Youth Service Corp scheme when intuitively he learned about a new skill he could use-managing aquatic livestock!  He had devoted a lot of his time to reading about this new passion of his. He knew well that more than just passion was necessary for success to be achieved. He also knew well that experience revealed that most investments and ideas die primarily from lack of skills and vision to drive them, more than lack of funds. So he ventured into learning. Learning and relearning about fishing. Whilst he pursued this brazenly, many kill joys were around to suck up his zeal. But he stuck to his gun. This experience reveal what happens to many on the road to change.  Many will continue to dream but never awaken themselves to the consciousness of execution of dear dreams. Dreams will continue to remain un-mined.Such undetermined people will likely not learn more than is basically needed for change and success. And ordinary thinking will not yield extraordinary feedback!

Learning a new skills, thinking outside the box seperates you from the wishful thinker. It sets you ahead. It gives a leverage above others who are content with the basics of life and nothing more. If you want to be, not just that other man, set aside time to think out new ways of doing things by identifying the gaps anyway, and filling it up. This does not come by accident.

Don't spend your time thinking about the job you did not land after a job interview.  That is sad enough. Think about what skills you learned from the interview,  which previously were hidden away from you. Use experiences you have daily to build thought process, to build thinking patterns that serve the bedrock for grooming new skills. When you work in this fashion, not only will your creativity be manifest, you will have succeeded in thinking new ways to move from who you are now, to who you want to become-the man you see in your dreams.

Start up today to migrate to a higher level. You never can tell what this spice will mean for your future.

Preparing beyond UTME 2014

The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exam (UTME) forms are out again. The forms started selling last year and as usual,  many young people are thronging to get it. Yearly, only less than 50% of those who applied for admission into our universities are admitted. Yes, we say universities because nearly every candidate that presents for that exam favours a university education above any other advertised in the admission brochure.

So again the hurdle begins. A negligible number of the candidates spending time to read through the brochures and selecting the disciplines that they feel suit them. Not with the guidance of a career manager. Many have stormed registration centers, just to get their forms filled by untrained personnels whom I recently learned fill up the form for a price and still fill up schools or course choices they assume suit the student. Ofcourse they do not administer any form of test to attest to the fact that these candidates will perform here and or there.

So goes the same challenges we will have yearly. Many students present themselves for courses they know nothing about. Often they are told they would change into a preferred course when they are admitted,  and that usually is near impossible when they do not get an acceptable cummulative grade point required by the department they plan to migrate to. This scenerio is fit for those who gained admission in the first place. Sadly, the majority do not. They usually get exceedly high scores during their qualifying exams organisaed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) but fail woefully at the University's internal exams because the ring is not the training field for victors!

I recently spoke to a young man who had written the UTME three times. He had vowed not to write it again, no, he was never going to waste his money on forms. He says he will go to any school of his choice and take a predegree form. He had and is spending most of his energy thinking about where to study and not what to study. At some point it appeared to me he was confused too. He was not sure if he should take lessons in computer appreciation or not since he confided in me that he was not computer literate. Then I wondered how he would have managed since a number of candidates now write a computer based test for university admission. This is beginning to get popular. And here is a man who has not developed a simple skill in computer use. How does he work in today's technologically motivated society?

Again and again, same old names will continue to apply for admission through the qualifying exams, yet no gaining access. Most candidates assume they are victimised. But we also know that most of them are not prepared academically and can't handle the simple heat from such standardized test.

The time tested line of argument will be to ensure that candidates take enough reading about the various career options available. They must learn about the subject combinations that make them possible to attain. They must learn about these and get a mastery over them. They must try to develop skills that are useful, one of which is skills in ICT. They must remain relevant because even a modern day driver will need to use computers for effective driving and navigation.  There is no seating on the fence . Diligence will prevent a candidate throwing his dependence on a registration center staff to decide what and where he would study.

Parents on the other hand must continue to support their children's quest for knowledge.  Already Our youth have a craving for education.  That is a good indicator of something progressive. Tomorrow's success is planned today, so lets do the right things now.

As we prepare for the UTME 2014, let's one and all take time to identify what skills are within us and how we can effectively identify the disciplines that will sustain them. Only with this can we reduce the scourge of unsatisfactory career among the citizenry!

Career plan and your success

The distinction between a career successful man and a failure is planning. Planning ahead, seeing beyond the present. Career planning is a serious business indeed. It involves setting goals and objectives right and ensuring that activities are warmed up towards achieving targets.

A career plan is never something that happens by accident. It is also not something that is tailor made from the factory. Like you will recall, self scrutiny will continue to play a part in charting your career path. With this approach you can be sure to leave no stone unturned. You will be making advancement that is clear and glaring.

To plan ahead for your career will mean having an understanding about the career path that you want to pursue. It is not enough to say you want to become a doctor or a librarian.  You must be sure you know what that entails in its entirety and match it with your interest, personality as well as skills and aptitude.  When this is sure, you can then begin to run your race to the top.

I recently read about a young graduate from a Nigerian University who graduated with an outstanding result.  He graduated with a first class honours in economics.  The same student had run a degree in medicine and had studied to the second year before he left it. From the information released by him to the press, he had lived a life of lie, tailored only to satisfy his quest to be like his late father who was a doctor. Alas, his career appetite suffered abruptly before he got midway in medicine and he turned back, looking inwardly and doing what he was really sure he liked.

The same can be said of many young people today. Sadly a number will never plan ahead and even when they find themselves on the wrong road, they will never return to the right career path. Pride often seem to be at the root of such strict adherence to that path that brings them nothing but gloominess.

When you plan ahead, you may find that you will need to change the game along the line. That means that you may find yourself needing to take some trainings that will beef up what you already have. This is what I mean. If you have been on a career in management, and uniquely have a flair in IT, that is fine indeed and this must never be let to die off. If you could, why not horne your skills and see how you develop it if that makes you happier than you presently enjoy in the present assignment?

Career planning therefore is important to your success. Check out what you are good at.  Know the qualifications needed to build upon it since you may have the skills in raw form. Build hard upon what you have and ensure you are learning daily. Find out about the job market for that skill and how you can uniquely contribute to it. You are marketable and an asset to a career industry if you are unique.  So bring it on, and shape that dream. Plan for success today.

Conference and Career fair 2014

250 Youth Corpers who are passionate about making a difference in the Nigerian society will gather in Abuja for a 1-day leadership conference and career fair in Abuja called The T2T (Transformed To Transform) Nigeria Conference. Are you a Youth Corper? Do you desire to be a part of Nigeria’s transformation? Are you looking for a post-NYSC job? Then the T2T Conference & Career Fair might be for you.

Speakers at the conference will include Obiageli Ezekwesili (Former Vice President, World Bank Africa), Dr. Chidi Odinkalu (Chair, National Human Rights Commission), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai (Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory), legendary singer Onyeka Onwenu, and others from the private sector. There will also be a special video presentation from Fela Durotoye (CEO, Gemstone Group) at the conference.

During the Career Fair organized in collaboration with The World Economic Forum’s Abuja Global Shapers, participants of the conference will get to network with employers from the public and private sector, and will have access to free skill training such as CV reviews and on-site interview training. All participants will also be able to sign up with the Abuja Global Shapers to gain access to its free Employability Skills Workshop (a year round series that focuses on increasing participants’ chances of becoming gainfully employed).

Participation in the conference (including lunch) is completely FREE but is strictly by invitation. Interested Youth Corpers must fill an application form and submit their CVs at: www.t2tnigeria.com by Wednesday 15th January 2014.

Upon application, selected applicants will be invited to participate in the Conference and Career Fair. Batch A Corpers are particularly encouraged to attend. (The first 50 Corpers that apply & are selected will get a free pre-conference CV review from the Abuja Global Shapers)

Date: Wednesday 22nd January 2014 Venue: The Yar’adua center, 1 Memorial Drive, Central Business District (Opposite Sheraton Hotel and Towers), Abuja

To get more information connect with The T2T Team via Twitter @T2TNigeria | Like them on Facebook: Facebook.com/T2TNigeria | Email: @T2TNigeria T2TNigeria@gmail.com

© www.bellanaija.com

Grants for unique business initiative in Nigeria

YouWiN! stands for Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria. It is an innovative business plan competition aimed at job creation by encouraging and supporting aspiring entrepreneurial youth in Nigeria to develop and execute business ideas. The accomplishments of the 1,200 YouWiN Awardees were celebrated at the Presidential Villa on April 12, 2012.

YouWiN! Women was the second edition of the entrepreneurial scheme, which was designed for only female entrepreneurs aged 45 years or less.YouWiN! 3 is the third edition and will feature men and women entrepreneurs in Nigeria between the ages of 18 to 45.

YouWiN! Applicants: APPLICATION EXTENSION!!! Submission Of YouWiN! 3 Concept Note has been Extended till 21/01/2014!

Visit https://www.youwin.org.ng/ for registration

4 Common career mistakes to avoid

In today's world of uncertainties,  choosing a career can weigh us down. First,because career is miscalculated as having a paid employment and therfore not much is done about nurturing it well. Many people become dissatisfied in life after spending many years on a job.

Too much mistakes are made by job seekers and indeed people on a job. The following mistakes come readily to mind. Read through and see if you can identify with this.Taking the job just because it pays higher than you had planned to earn.  This appear tempting but this may be the trap that cages your career forever. Most jobs that offer higher pay will require higher commitments.  If you are at a job that you don't find fascinating or with skills that's matching, you may become like the old horse of yesteryears that found itself on a repeatitive chore,  walking back and forth for years.  And after its release, it did nothing meaningful but to walk in the same old fashion. Commitments are indeed required from all workforce but even then,  your commitment is infectious when it is backed by tissues of thrills and passion. Work for the work that helps you to make the best impact rather than the one that offers the larger pay. Of course, it is possible to find that job that helps your career grow, which also doubles for you in comfortable and exciting remuneration!  It only takes your ability to discern that out.

Expecting the Human Resources Department to set your career growth.  This is one big mistake you will make if you are not careful as an employee. Many employees remain fixed in one academic or professional stage throughout their work life . On a visit to a certain school on inspection,  I realised a number of the teachers got their teaching certificates over 30years ago. Nothing was added to it. I imagined what would happen if they lost their jobs. How they would fit into the teaching profession outside their present domain where they added nothing to their skills. This is a less satisfying life and it was no wonder I found most of the teachers particularly unenthusiastic about their work. They haven't really contributed much to learning outcomes in children under their care. Lack of plan for their career has done its magic on them... they may never recover from this if they don't seek a way out of this frustration.

  Remaining on a job when you find that your relevance is suspect.  Many times employers make some employee redundant on a job, with intention to frustrate them out. When you see this sign, its time to move.  Never remain on the job just because you want to leave an impression in the minds of others that you have an 8 to 5 job. The earlier you begin to develop skills that you can use if your job fails, the better for you. From time to time, appraise your work. Be observant enough to know when you are being tolerated on your job. If you are, its not likely you will rise to the top in such an organization because you will be stunted beyond all imagination.

  Avoid office politics.  You may have heard about this many times. This is it. Office politics is dirty.  Everyone wants to be close to management,  providing gossips and information to bosses who will lean so low to use these as basis for appraisals.  Office politics make the less careful employee loose focus as hhe spends most of his energy trying to impress a boss who has some distorted information about him.

Whilst you cannot avoid this totally, do all you can to ensure you work at your work. That is why you are paid. Develop skills which you can use on another job. Do not be that man who looses his job and say " what else am I fit for?". Just grow your career. Grow your skills. Take on new trainings and skills. And you will be better off with this. don't spend your energy on the wrong reason,  as you haven't come to work because you want to 'fight for shirt'.

Let us know what you feel about these tips

Career tips- Setting the ball rolling

Career development is a particularly daunting exercise when we have little or no plans made for them. Like is with a child born, efforts must be put in place to ensure they are not only nurtured but that they survive.

Every year, many people think about the burden of having to remain on a job that brought them little or no satisfaction.  For many in Africa,  it is indeed even more worrisome because social economic conditions are worse than anywhere else in the world. Perhaps corruption seem to be blamed most times for this.

We want to look inwardly like we have always encouraged in the past. Like we have noted before, many people are on jobs that are not fulfilling any unique aspect of their existence.  So they wake up to a job daily, a repeating chore of burden and melancholy.  But they seem chocked and locked in angle 9O. Throughout their technical worklife, they spend time doing what they naturally don't enjoy. They are busy doing what they naturally wouldn't have wished to... all because they must earn a living.

I have come to the realization that many of us will do well if we took a bold step to define what we want to do. Identification of the right career and skills have been discussed extensively here and many career development sites are replete with information on doing this. Many read and shove off the information ... and as it is, many more wont read them,  let alone get the idea to apply the information provided.

For those who want to get started, those who are working but still need a breakfree from their jobs. Those who want to be career masters and not servants, these tips below wont hurt. I call it LEARN

L learn: once you are sure you are not satisfied where you presently are careerwise, learn about the situation you desire for. Learn about yourself.  Learn about the skills you possess. Learn about how you can use them to your aadvantage. Learn about what people need and how you can satisfy these needs. Learn about how you can make your career grow and make you relevant.  On this is the best rock to begin.

E Engage: Engage yourself in identifying the various options you have to provide career growth for yourself. When building your career, think about how you will sustain the tempo and not just how you will make money. When you are satisfied with what you are doing, the money benefit will be heartwarming too, even if its not with the six zeros. Therefore engage yourself in finding solutions and options that are best suited for challenges . Think ahead and pre-emptively know that a poor plan will kill the skills you have and groomed through application of knowledge.

A Apply: Now that you are learning a lot through reading and now engaging yourself. Apply what you learn.  Have you learned that a mentor will be a good boost towards your career growth,  why not seek one. Have you learned about internship programmes and their benefits, can you seek out some firms that offer this chance? Think it through. don't let what you know remain stale until you need to prune it with more energy to revive it.

R Redefine: often we have plans and we work towards them. Alas, human nature and existence is filled with changes that make those plans stale and obsolete,  just before we use them or slightly after we set the ball rolling. Whichever way,  redefine your career. You can do this only when you are in top gear... learning new things, engaging thought processes, applying what you have learned and so forth. Internship for example may be what you have learned about. And now,  probably you have tried to use that as a way to set your career going. If you were alert, maybe you will find that volunteering is the Vogue. You wont therefore need to expend time on internship search. You will know where to go.

N Network: this is key.  Find like minds. Rob minds. Share ideas and passion.  Work with a group that share your vision. And then watch the birth of your dreams!

Scholarships for students from Nigeria

Scholarships for students from Nigeria

The University is pleased to offer a range of scholarships to students from Nigeria who show exceptional academic potential and are starting their studies at the University of Sheffield in September 2014. Undergraduate Scholarships eg BA, BSc, BEng, MEng Faculty Undergraduate Scholarships

We are pleased to offer scholarships to all international students commencing their studies in the Faculties of Engineering, Science, and the School of Law in September 2014: Engineering International Scholarships 2014 Science International Scholarships 2014 Law International Scholarships 2014 Arts International Scholarships 2014 Nigeria Management Scholarships 2014

We are pleased to offer Nigeria Management Scholarships to Nigerian undergraduate students starting their studies in the Management School in September 2014.

The scholarships are worth £1,500 per year each Eligibility and Award Criteria: You must hold an offer of a study place and begin your undergraduate studies in September 2014 in the Management School. You must be self-funding and classified as overseas for tuition fee purposes. The scholarships will be awarded automatically - no application is required in first or subsequent years.
The scholarships will be awarded unconditionally in the first year of studies. Award in subsequent years of study is subject to the achievement of 60% overall average mark. The scholarships will take the form of a tuition fee reduction.
We are pleased to offer Social Science Scholarships to Nigerian undergraduate students starting their studies in September 2014 in any of the following departments: East Asian Studies, Economics, Education, Geography, Information School, Journalism, Politics, Sociological Studies, Town and Regional Planning. The scholarships are worth £1,500 per year each.
Eligibility and Award Criteria: •You must hold an offer of a study place and begin your undergraduate studies in September 2014 in any of the departments listed above. •You must be self-funding and classified as overseas for tuition fee purposes. •The scholarships will be awarded automatically - no application is required in first or subsequent years. •The scholarships will be awarded unconditionally in the first year of studies. Award in subsequent years of study is subject to the achievement of 60% overall average mark. •The scholarships will take the form of a tuition fee reduction.
Nigeria Merit Undergraduate Scholarships 2014 (£7,000) There are two Nigeria Merit Undergraduate Scholarships available for Nigerian students starting their undergraduate degree studies in September 2014.
Each scholarship is worth £7,000 per year of study for all undergraduate programmes except Medicine and Dentistry. Students of Medicine or Dentistry will only receive the scholarship in the first two years of study.

The scholarships will take the form of a fee reduction. To be eligible for the Nigeria Merit Undergraduate Scholarships 2014 (£7,000), applicants must be a Nigerian national or permanently domiciled in Nigeria, apply for a study place by Friday 18 April 2014 and hold an offer of a study place for entry in September 2014. The deadline for applications is Friday 25 April 2014, results will be announced by Friday 30 May 2014.


The Nigeria Merit Undergraduate Scholarships 2014 (£7,000) are awarded on the basis of academic merit. If you wish to be considered for one of these scholarships you need to apply. Eligible students will automatically be sent details of how to apply from January 2014 onwards. Applicants cannot apply for the scholarships before being offered a study place at Sheffield. Postgraduate Scholarships eg MA, MSc
The University offers the following scholarships for Nigerian students who show exceptional academic potential starting a postgraduate taught masters programme at the University of Sheffield in September 2014. Nigeria Merit Postgraduate Scholarships 2014 (£7,000)
Each scholarship is worth £7,000 of your postgraduate taught masters degree tuition fee per year, for one year of study. The scholarships will take the form of a tuition fee reduction. To be eligible for the Nigeria Merit Postgraduate Scholarships 2014 (£7,000), applicants must be a Nigerian national or permanently domiciled in Nigeria, apply for a study place by Friday 20 June 2014 and hold an offer of a study place for entry in September 2014. The deadline for applications is Friday 27 June 2014 and results will be announced by Friday 25 July 2014. The Nigeria Merit Postgraduate Scholarships 2014 (£7,000) are awarded on the basis of academic merit.

culled from : http://www.shef.ac.uk/international/countries/africa/west-africa/nigeria/scholarships

Online Freelancing, watch before you throw in your weight

I recently applied to an online freelance site that promised to bring me in contact with clients from all over the world. I was excited about this because this opportunity afforded me chance to make input into knowledge and development issues as well as making some money by the side. As usual, I filled up a number of forms online, spending a lot of my time trying to be as up-to-date as I could so as to give clients the rest of mind they deserved. I had equally applied to the myriads of jobs that suited my competencies and experiences and I had landed my first job. The site had promised to be a clearing house for the deals between freelancers and clients, so I was excited about this.

However , I woke up to a rude shock this morning. I got a mail informing me that "We noticed you're using our services from a country not supported by (name of site).Unfortunately,we're not able to support users in all countries...because of this your membership has been cancelled,effective immediately". This is indeed disturbing to use the most humble words.This is because the world has become a global village and I was not informed about this in the Term of Agreements. It hurts that I was not given any chance to respond to the mail before actions were taken. And typically, I rushed to my computer, tried to log in , and I found the username "expired!".

Now back to reality, I sent in a mail asking what happens to the money earned? I am yet to receive a feedback. Now the lesson, look before you leap. Many persons try to develop their skills by joining several online sites that provide such opportunities, while helping them earn. Yet, it appears to me that the majority of these sites are not helping globalisation as I wonder how a few countries will be exempted from the process. Sadly, I feel that during the sign up stage, there should be filters to prevent such candidates from registering in the first place. This will prevent the waste of resources, in the area of manpower and time wasted already.

I commend sites that bring a melting between freelancers and clients to ensure they d this to effectively satisfy both parties without recourse to making the freelancer scapegoat.

Have you suffered such before?Lets hear from you

Are our colleges grooming us enough for the job market?

I recently stumbled over a material talking about something that seems to remain a constant truth in Nigeria. Every year, the over 100 universities,  these excluding polytechnics turn out graduates for the job market. This is something we should naturally have been happy with.  But there is a dimension that continues to bother my mind. That is, how much training for the real world are we getting from our higher schools of learning.  It appears that a lot of emphasis continue to be placed on course work at the sacrificial table of practicality.

Our graduates are becoming unfit for the world of career development basically because they now attend schools to make grades and graduate.  They are not groomed, not trained in their area of specialisation. We will continue to have a challenge in our economic development as long as many are not able to apply their knowledge and skills on the job.

What career can a youth groom when he is unable to learn enough about his expectations in a job? When he can't think outside the box strategically? When all he thinks is a job for the sake of its remuneration and not the impact he wields on his present position?

We wont go far as a nation if we don't stem this disaster now. Lets work it out, as it begins with you and I.

Mentoring- A beneficial career stimulant

Most of the great career professionals and businessmen and women today can trace their success to a figure, a mentor who impacted positively on them through their formative years. Mentoring simply put is a situation where an individual pairs with another who is an expert in a chosen field or skill.

Mentoring is regarded as a mutually beneficial partnership between the mentor and mentee. For a profitable career development therefore, this form of programme should be sort by people who desire to go far on their career path!

Career mentoring is not a job waiting in the near future to be cashed upon. It is not a situation for people to make decisions for you. It is a mutual partnership.  It is a situation where the mentor serves as a motivator to you,inspiring and encouraging you to greater heights. It is about offering you alternative perspective and sharing personal experiences and expertise with you. Therefore it goes to say a mentor is not one who simply provide you solutions.

To advance in your career will mean seeking out great minds.  There are a number around you. Be open to new ideas and experience whilst accepting feedbacks and learning from it.

Get an edge now. Speak up, find a worthy ally on your way up!

©credit on picture to www.mindtools.com

Recognising the catalyst for career growth in high schools

Schools and their academic tone seems to be first in the hands of their managers, in high schools, principals. Its against this backdrop that the school and its vision as well as its dedication to providing career path of students cannot be overemphasized.  School principals are known to support the drive for students achievements and successes. So no parents should take this for granted.  Whilst your child may be intelligent,  it takes a good school manager to help nurture such intelligence and bring the best out of it.

For parents, it is advisable that you get familiar with your children's principal much as is to know their teachers. Introduce yourself at the next chance possible. You will find how eager they are to meet you and their desire for your own input.

There is no loss in knowing the school manager... its a way to help them motivate those who shape the career dreams of your children. Try that out today and watch how much success you will claim for your child, in career terms!

Are you networking enough to get your career ahead

Where is your networking taking you to? Many people seeking a career or employment over the past years will attest to the fact that they have visited countless dozen online job sites, in vein search for a job. Averagely they send in about three CVs weekly and still get no response. They are the ones who stay online all day forwarding and attaching cover letters and CVs to potential employees.

However, many have ignored their networks. Many social meetings and media will continue to provide opportunities for people to quickly share their skills with those they meet. Use every chance to sell yourself, know what you are good at. Present them in active sentences. Why not try to make a new friend at the car wash, when at the mall, or in church. You will find that the opportunity to talk to them yields something positive for you. They may get attracted by your talent or skill and/or may know someone they can recommend you to.

Never assume its something shameful to tell others about your need for a job, or the need to move to a different career field. More often you will find that many people also desire as you do and they can also share one information needful to you about where and how.

Take the network seriously ... not just your Facebook or twitter, but every avenue that brings you in contact with people!

Give us a feedback on this when you try it out today.

Psychometric Test- what career suits me?

Have you ever tried it? Giving up less than an hour to determine in no small measure your strengths and perhaps weaknesses professionally. Most online sites provide free psychometric test that has provided career minded people with a better information about their personality and skills coupled with their aptitude.

Many people find it embarrassing to be graded by others.  This tool therefore comes handy to you. I am sure it will be worth the effort. A phychometric test will not make you feel inferior in any ways. It will only serve as a pointer to you, helping you save the much scarse time available in today's world of advancements.  It would help you define even better and shape more accurately your career. Don't rely on guesses, or put down in writing skills that you assume or guess you possess.

Build upon the skills you now have, but first find out what they are. Try out these sites for a start. See www.monroeconsulting.com/recruitment-resources/free-psychometric-test and www.practiceaptitudetests.com/psychometric-tests/

Let us know how it went

picture credit: wikihow.com

Letting your skills work for you- transfer them

This past week I read about how three Nigerian Banks laid off staff. In all, over 350 persons were laid off. The latest being just a few days before the new year. Its sad how these employees have to manage through the abrupt depression they find themselves.

Technological advancement will continue to make job elimination as well as organizations downsizing a common trend. Armed with such information,  career minded persons must brace up to this challenge as no one knows who's next. Faced with such reality, forced to find a new employment,  workers next ask " what else am I qualified to do?".

Good news is, through your present career you are learning and using skills which can come handy to you again. Now is the time to identify such skills and groom them even more.  They would come as assets shortly if you decide to even become self employed too. The skills include communication and writing skills, computer skills, as well as management experience.

Are you trying to build these and many more skills that you would transfer when it becomes needful?

Hiring- online job portal as preferred channel

The print media seems to be loosing much ground in terms of acceptance especially among career persons and job seekers. There seem to be a heavy reliance on job portals as can be seen in Nigeria.

Though there has been no recent surveys to show how much of online portal has gained acceptance among Nigerians, there is no doubt saying that it is really a point of first contact for most job seekers today.

The preferred social media channels that are used for hiring are LinkedIn, jobberman, ngcareers as well as naijahotjobs.

The choice seems to favour organisations as it is cost and time effective.  It also appears to reach more people and thus providing a larger and more reliable pipeline for quality talents.

Which of these sites appeal with you most? How well do you relate with it? Share your thoughts with us please

Resumes and words that are overused

Responsible, strategic and creative thinker? These words appeared to be the most used by potential employees as revealed through the 2013 Linkedin's survey on the most overused words by the over 259million users.

Nicole William, career expert at Linkedin notes that it would make a better presentation to show rather than tell when selling yourself on resumes.

While there's nothing wrong with using those adjectives, there's the possibility that you will be classed with all in the job pool as nearly everyone else has the same words on their resume.

It would therefore make sense if

1. Tie words to actual result
2. Use active language
3. Let others vouch for you through endorsement or recommendations

Do you think those words listed above have been a hamper to some seeking employment towards landing a job interview?

Is internship now without stipends?

Many years ago, graduates from colleges followed on with internship programmes in organizations. This approach was a sure way to help Horne their skills and careers. Internship programmes have never been salaried. In fact a number of them only provided for perhaps transportation and minor allowances.

Unfortunately this is becoming a fast fabulous expectation of a distant past. Internship in career growth is now becoming the last option for young people as economic challenges continue to assault the citizenry. Many are not able to cope with the biting cost of transportation and are not able to manage the period of internship in an organization that wont give a stipend. Have you been a victim of this before? Lets hear from you.

Millions of youth out of school or work

It is estimated that over 6million youths are not in school nor have a job in the United States of America. The story is even worse in Africas most populated country, Nigeria. The implication of this is grave as there will be an economic down side to this. In a few years to come, we may need to spend more money in the area of social security, poverty management, corruption and falling health. It is more likely that youths unemployed will continue to seek ways to escape depression springing up from lack of a job or atleast the chance to study and prepare for life. What do you feel will help to stem this doom day which is not far off,anyway? Lets hear from you.

How prepared are graduates for work life?

There is a lot of complaints streaming from employers about the quality of graduates that are churned out from our colleges of learning. Many a graduate come out ill prepared to take up jobs available to them. More worrisome is the fact that most of them apply to jobs just to get Monthly incomes and not because what they applied for matches interest. This is even against the initial backdrop that most college graduates study a discipline different from what they initially desired. It is no wonder that we are far from career satisfaction and many will continue to be dissatisfied through their worklife! Do you think this is a challenge to us?

Career and personality

Very often we ignore the will to develop a strong personality towards reaching a great career. A persons personality will continue to contribute to his overall choice of career and profession. Never delve into a career without being sure how you fit into it. You may as well end up feeling detached and unfulfilled in your job and career if you so ignored this. What do you think?