One of the challenges that can be observed in the average Nigerian graduate is getting employed. This in part is because of the dearth of opportunities in the market, limited and turbulent economic activities that do not enable investors and management to be confident to invest in the business and staff on the long run, the lack of funds and a professional and structured entrepreneurship by graduates to provide themselves with employment, and the low quality of graduates in the market to employ, leading to some employers shipping in talent. Much can be said about each of these drivers but I will focus on how Nigerian graduates can transform themselves to being employable, i.e. an employment asset.


The reality is that the Nigerian environment is a very poor environment for developing and nurturing the skills set and personalities required for the modern professional work environment. Only very few of the graduates are able to overcome this environmental restrictions on their personality outcomes. The few that achieve this do so based on their natural talent and/or their proficiency in seeking and finding the right kind of knowledge from other informal channels. This leaves companies with only a small pool of highly talented candidates to employ from and affects the quality of products and services remitted to their customers. It is pretty much very difficult to develop a high performance team in Nigeria.


These environmental restrictions on development and nurturing the skills set and personalities required for the modern professional work environment also affects many Nigerian graduates that emigrate to the West. They end up struggling getting the good jobs they desire and which their paper qualifications suggest to them they ‘deserve’. For graduates that want to learn how to transform themselves from unemployable to employable asset, I will advocate self-development in the following competencies:

1. Knowledge and demonstration of high IQ


It is essential any job-seeker strengthen their knowledge of their career line, the industries they want to work in, the types of companies they are applying to and the economy in general. Employable people will be people that can talk intelligently on key topics of their area. They will be able to back up their arguments with facts and logic instead of being the type that throw beer-parlour arguments. They will have an in-depth knowledge of some of the developments (especially cutting edge or disruptive innovations) that are pertinent to their career-line or the industry of interests, or at least (or as well as) knowing the basics of the work they want to do.

The Nigerian education system will hardly help in achieving these. Graduates need to expand on their knowledge by exploiting the free and accessible resources around them. Be an ardent news reader/listener, read resources online, subscribe to industry/functional magazines and watch & qualify your utterances. Don’t make claims or arguments that makes you look like an idiot. Many Nigerian graduates do. When you read or listen to something think through it and synthesis the information. Ask the “why” and “how” questions and use this to acquire more knowledge.


Another serious pointer that relates specifically to Nigerians is that, although you should feel free to have and practice your religion, but refrain from dogmatically stating your religious edicts are the “facts” in environments outside your religious circle. Religion and reason have many difference and gaps. Faith is not evidence of reasoned fact, so don’t use it as your demonstration of intellectual thinking. I strongly suggest you keep your religious logic to your Church/Mosque except you work for a religious organisation. Most work places are secular, logical and scientific.


2. Emotional intelligence

Getting ahead in the modern work place requires evidence of EQ in addition to the evidence of IQ. Candidates need to show they are able to read others and work in a team with diverse people. Many Nigerian graduates have a poor mentality based on the environment they grew up in where their fundamental emotional attachment is at a very primitive level; founded on tribalism/religious groups/race/etc. Their thinking, support and sense of achievement are usually oddly tied to these primitive associations. Many are also very one-dimensional in thinking and can’t incorporate other’s ideas or consider how to win them over. There are a lot of materials on the net to help with developing the emotional intelligence, e.g. MBTI, Belbin Team roles, Learning Styles, Situational Leadership etc.

3. Professional mannerisms

Mannerisms are also important.
The composure and behaviours demonstrated by people creates an impression in others’ minds.
Two sayings come to mind:

– First impressions count.
– You are what you are perceived to be.
Nigerian graduates need to develop their professional manners and attitudes at work. I have heard of a Big 4 secondee from Nigeria to the UK office using the phone to make private international calls to Nigeria and talking loudly in the office while doing it. The office is not your home and a place to play. Dress smart or appropriate for the culture, speak eloquently and professionally at all times, do your work to the highest standard within the constraints of the available resources to you and do not take the piss.

4. Adding value & justifying your pay

One of the hidden weaknesses of majority of Nigerian graduates is the mentality. Many think they should be paid “plenty moni” in Ghana-must-go bags because of some qualifications they have gotten, or because they have heard of what some other guy is earning, without any thought about what value the can add to a company. Even when offered the job, they come to work every day and go through the paces without any evidence of adding extra-ordinary value and then think their pay needs to be upgraded periodically.

If you cannot give NXm to someone who you cannot see a matching result of their work, why do you expect a shareholder to pay you an amount of money that you cannot justify you are more than worth? Graduates should be willing to start from, at least, a reasonable base and gain some more knowledge and skills in their career field. A reasonable base is an amount that is within the market rate and makes it worth your while to leave home (i.e. pay for transport, food, rent etc. and still have some disposable income). When you have learnt and can demonstrate you are one of the best in the market for your area of work, you can start dreaming of “plenty, plenty money”.

http://www.jarushub.com/sagamite-unemployable-4-things-to-do-to-make-you-employable/

cc: Lalasticlala & Mynd44

when a requirement for a job is Post SSCE, what does it mean?

Nice... meanwhile, my signature offers a major hurdle to be overcome on your career journey.

While I agree with you on the various points you made about continuous improvement, your headline statement is very wrong.

The truth is that young Nigerian graduates are not given the same opportunity to succeed as some of their peers in the developed world. When unemployment is very high as it is in Nigeria, the few opportunities available become extremely competitive and people are eliminated based on some flimsy excuses. Besides the best of the few opportunities will go to the children of the high and the mighty leaving fewer opportunities to the regular people.

The same Nigerian graduates go abroad and succeed. Our people are succeeding in the UK, US, Canada and several other countries. If some of these people did not travel abroad, their careers may never have started in Nigeria and you folks will say it is because they are unemployable. That is very judgmental and wrong. Our current political and economic climates limits the number of people that can succeed in Nigeria. A country where the budget for the 600 people in the National Assembly is more than most States in the Federation.

Nigerian graduates are actually victims of the society and not unemployable.

A guy was asked at an interview at Ogba in Lagos, "why do you rhink people need insurance?". D guy cud not say a word about it. And he had already failed all the questions they asked him in his field (accounting).

Hiwever, I think government shud focus on entrepreneurship more. If govt commit 10bn in a program like YOUWIN, every year, for the next ten yrs, you can imagine the effect such practice will have in the economy in the next 20-30 yrs.

the main point is that there is lack of company in the country. that is why we are rooting for someone like atiku to great employment in d country

omokudu:
when a requirement for a job is Post SSCE, what does it mean?

Go back to school!

omokudu:
when a requirement for a job is Post SSCE, what does it mean?

it means u shld ask google

ok

the reason why most female graduates are unemployed is cos they dont kbow the worth if their pussy.... become a prostitute snd see yourself rich.

Topics like this gets me angry

@op, well said.. But thats not the problem.. Many have tried...

Lie lie lie

this subject again?

Only theory

It's okay.

Seen

Okay

omokudu:
when a requirement for a job is Post SSCE, what does it mean?

Your qualifications that are above SSCE or which you acquire after SSCE

How can you Be a graduate and still looking up for government jobs.The Entity that failed to Aid ur education?!


...Every potential graduate should be a potential thinker either...

Employment is a limitation to ur Dream..


Be ur own boss,think Big

How will this help create more jobs??

okey oooh. for me just find one oga dey send am text and messages, even prayer

Good.

Many Americans have IQ less than Nigerians but the difference is that America educational system recognizes these bright kids at early stage irrespective of social status and groom them up

Here we take the dumb rich kids and try to force intelligence on them, thinking that speaking English is intelligence while the potential nuclear scientist with natural high IQ is fed garbage and "expired education" by frustrated teachers and lecturers in public schools

Our educational system do not nuture students to be thinkers.

In this 21st century, should we be writing articles on the employability of graduates or writing articles in making graduates business men, innovatirs and entrepreneurs? No nation or society advances on the back of churning out people to look for paid jobs. Industrialization and innovation is the catalyst to societal progress. Let us teach our graduates and students to be street smart and open businesses not book smart and looking for none available jobs

JARUSHUB:
3. Professional mannerisms

Mannerisms are also important.
The composure and behaviours demonstrated by people creates an impression in others’ minds.
Two sayings come to mind:

– First impressions count.
– You are what you are perceived to be.
Nigerian graduates need to develop their professional manners and attitudes at work. I have heard of a Big 4 secondee from Nigeria to the UK office using the phone to make private international calls to Nigeria and talking loudly in the office while doing it. The office is not your home and a place to play. Dress smart or appropriate for the culture, speak eloquently and professionally at all times, do your work to the highest standard within the constraints of the available resources to you and do not take the piss.

4. Adding value & justifying your pay

One of the hidden weaknesses of majority of Nigerian graduates is the mentality. Many think they should be paid “plenty moni” in Ghana-must-go bags because of some qualifications they have gotten, or because they have heard of what some other guy is earning, without any thought about what value the can add to a company. Even when offered the job, they come to work every day and go through the paces without any evidence of adding extra-ordinary value and then think their pay needs to be upgraded periodically.

If you cannot give NXm to someone who you cannot see a matching result of their work, why do you expect a shareholder to pay you an amount of money that you cannot justify you are more than worth? Graduates should be willing to start from, at least, a reasonable base and gain some more knowledge and skills in their career field. A reasonable base is an amount that is within the market rate and makes it worth your while to leave home (i.e. pay for transport, food, rent etc. and still have some disposable income). When you have learnt and can demonstrate you are one of the best in the market for your area of work, you can start dreaming of “plenty, plenty money”.

http://www.jarushub.com/sagamite-unemployable-4-things-to-do-to-make-you-employable/

cc: Lalasticlala & Mynd44

baba bone story
naija yoots are unemployable bcuz their ancestors keep reducing age to remain in jobs
anyoda tin na story

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long leg aka connections is all that is required in Nigeria to get a job

No need for sugarcoating the thing