I am involved in selecting staff (recruitment interviews) for various companies in various segments of the Nigerian economy. Over time, I have come to recognize certain trends in job seekers that make them fail preliminary interviews. The first thing you need to have at the back of your mind is the fact that employers are looking for reliable, dedicated and committed problem solvers, not accountants, engineers, builders, etc. Whatever field of endeavor you are practicing, your ability to solve problems is more important than your paper qualifications. I will detail my observations and recommend what you should do before your next interview. Believe me, there are vacancies in Nigeria, the problem is getting the RIGHT PEOPLE to fill those vacancies.

For experienced (working) job seekers;

1. Use the classic “tell us about yourself” to take charge of the interview process. You can actually decide how the interview goes by drawing the panel in any direction you want! So many interview candidates misuse this opportunity by reeling out their degrees, paper qualifications and job roles. NO. Spend a short time talking about your qualifications, then take time to discuss all the problems you have solved in life, in school, when unemployed and in your previous job roles. Discuss all the exciting things you do in addition to your job. Believe me, this presents you as an exciting person and effectively puts you firmly in control of the interview process.

2. Do not limit yourself to your department/skill/role. Employers are looking for cross skilled “all rounders” who will be useful in their present and future endeavors. Someone in the panel may just pencil you down for another job somewhere. You should display adequate knowledge about your present company; Turnover, number of staff, operation locations, profitability, cash flow challenges and e.t.c. You should be able to professionally analyze the (present) company and proffer intelligent solutions to all problems you observe.

3. NEVER badmouth the company or its owners. No need to emphasize on this.

4. If there are any confidentiality agreements in your present job PLEASE never break them in an interview. If you are asked questions that lead that way, politely answer that there are confidentiality clauses in your employment agreement and you intend to honor them because YOU ARE STILL in that employment. However, when asked what you would do if you may need to go against that agreement in your new job, you may state that by then the agreement would have lapsed and you would be free to be loyal to the new employer.

5. In your CV, the places you worked are not more important than WHAT YOU ACHIEVED for the companies; for every past work experience, please list your major achievement in that role. This presents you as a utility staff that could solve problems.

6. If you are having challenges in your present employment, you should enumerate your attempts to negotiate a (mutually beneficial) solution to that challenge with your present management. Challenges can arise in every setting and you should demonstrate your ability to negotiate your way out of difficult situations.

7. Oh! Please ensure to put your phone on silence just before you walk into the interview panel, dress appropriately, absolutely no blings for the ladies and please cover up too. I’ve been in several interview panels where ladies were disqualified because of too much makeup, too much open flesh and/or inappropriate dressing.

8. In my next post, I will speak to the fresh graduates. You can email me if you have any specific questions and i will try to respond by the weekend.