10 SKILLS AND CERTIFICATIONS YOU NEED AS A FRESH GRADUATE

If you're a fresh graduate in Nigeria, then it is crucial to know that there are certain skills and certifications you will need( depending on your own professional field) to help you stand out and give you an edge over other candidates in your career. Whether you're launching a career as an engineer, programmer, artist, educationist, finance person, or just about anything else, there are certain business skills that every professional must have to be successful and excel in their chosen fields of industry. In a world of so many opportunities and choices, one of the issues fresh graduates who want to advance their education face is 'which way?' Is it getting a Masters degree which gives you an in-depth knowledge of a specialization of your first degree, Or a professional certificate, which gives you the edge in career and makes you seen as professional. Well, the hard fact is that, just having a Masters degree now in Nigeria is not enough. You will need to acquire as much skills and certifications as you can to up your game in the scheme of things. So whether you're gunning for a job, or your first big raise, this list of professional skills and certifications can help you seal the deal.

1. Negotiation skills. Every fresh graduate needs to have essential negotiating skills, it will come in handy in many professional situations, especially when it's time to ask for a raise or secure a great job offer. You will also need your negotiation skills in entering and closing perfect business deals. Having good negotiation skills sets you apart and makes you very valuable to your organisation. Becoming a good negotiator early out in your career is important, since most salary increase are predicated on earlier salaries. Negotiation skills can also help you barter for other job perks and benefits such as signing bonus, flexible work schedule or relocating assistance and allowance. So how can you develop these skills? To lay a good groundwork for salary negotiations, you will need to arm yourself with ample data. Find out how much, on average does someone with your education skills and years of experience gets paid in your industry. Find out from your network, ask your mentors about salary expectations and research online to determine exactly how much you're worth.

2. Technology skills. Another very important skill to arm yourself with as a fresh Nigerian graduate is technology skills. Note that, having only a solid profiency of Microsoft office certainly isn't enough to impress. Go online and find out about other technology skills you need to covet to give you a better edge over other candidates and also make you indispensable to a potential employer. Irrespective of your own unique profession, you can learn how to code by getting certified in Google Analytics and also learn more about the basics of SEO and SEM marketing. Doing an in-depth study of digital marketing is sure to set you apart, so seek to enroll for any course in digital marketing. Ninety percent of the world is now on the internet, so to help set you apart and make you a valuable asset to your organisation, take digital marketing seriously.

3. Soft skills. Also very important: Do not ignore your soft skills. Although you may otherwise feel that your ability to carry out specialized job requirements is sufficient to land you a job, you will need to also keep in mind that having soft skills are relevant across all professions. So don't ignore soft skill as they are just as essential as any other business skill. Team work, people skills, effective common action, leadership skills, planning, task performance, and so on, are soft skills that are not only vital in many work places, but they also mean you will stay around much longer too. This is the reason why many prospective employers always look for these skills in their prospective candidates. They may be soft, but they certainly have the power to land you your dream job. So take them seriously. If you don't have certain soft skills, work on building them early. There are so many online courses and training you could sign up for to effectively train you on developing great soft skills. So start out immediately.


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