[b]Economies around the world are taking a real bashing and this continues to have a telling effect on employment prospects for recent graduates. In my previous posts, I have gone to great lengths to cover writing winning CV's, cover letters and answering interview questions. For those who did not receive personal replies I am extremely sorry. As I explained, the response has been overwhelming. It's just impossible to respond to over 30 personal emails a day.
Today I am dealing with one of the questions job seekers have sent in with a view of helping the job seeker look beyond paid employment

"Tell us about yourself". This is such a significant question often associated with interviews but could also help in unlocking potentials . If you dissect it with the right tools, this may lead you entirely into your el dorado.

Now instead of telling you what to say, I would encourage you to do a SWOT analysis on yourself.
Yes. Identify your
Strengths.

Weaknesses.

Opportunities and

Threats.

What are your strengths? Identify them. Adapt them to a work environment. For example you could be unemployed but yet active in your local community organising residents meetings etc or even responsible for organising your younger ones on a daily basis, you can cite organisational ability as one of your strengths.
If also you are one who usually draws the attention of others to issues in your local community such waste management, NEPA transformer issues, security etc, you can claim to have the ability to work on your own initiative.

You see even without any corporate experience, you are able to give concrete evidence of having these much needed skills.
Regarding your weakness, you can look at an area where you had experienced challenges previously. For example maybe you were never one who had great time management skills. But being a student and also the campus ambassador for an NGO meant you had to divide your time equally and sensibly between duties. That's a great example of time management - accomplishing the tasks within the stipulated time.

Opportunity. What do you have or what can you do well that can thrive in the present clime? A graduate in a food producing region can send food items to a region where it is needed without physically visiting the location. Just a website is all you need. Take advantage of your environment. Or maybe you are home alone in a 5 bedroom house where accommodation can be an issue. Why not think of renting out these rooms even if it will be on a temporal basis? At least it will provide you with some capital which can help birth other ideas.

Threats. What are the factors outside your control that can stop you from achieving your desired goals? There are many things outside our control that can hamper us and that is why i really don't worry about it. Government policies, the weather,....but we just carry on.
Have a great day !
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