Pls I'm a married mother of 1 oo, don't land me inside a hot pot of soup LOL

I will try to transcribe the interview (it takes soo much time )

Once I do, I'll put it up and leave a comment here. Thanks.

abumeinben:
GenoMI my babe


I don't haff data...

Please include downloadables on ya blog...

Trust me....it'll boost ur traffic.

GenoMI:
Pls I'm a married mother of 1 oo, don't land me inside a hot pot of soup LOL

I will try to transcribe the interview (it takes soo much time )

Once I do, I'll put it up and leave a comment here. Thanks.

Fear fear...I'm not toasting u na...ur height is almost 3 times my own already na

I'm just ur e-boifuend.

Sha help up coming youths like us with the mp3 downloadables

the job seekers outnumber d jobs shikena. in d 1980s pple get lik 3 offers before they even serve first. anyone sayin graduates are unemployable needs serious beating

.

Yes @ednut1, the job seekers certainly out-number the jobs as you rightly pointed out.

BUT did you know that the gap between the skills that young job seekers have, and those required by employers in today's job market is the 2nd largest driver of youth unemployment in Africa? You can find all the statistics here - http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/theme/youth_employment/obstacles-and-needs-of-young-people-in-african-labour-markets/

Our graduates most definitely need help articulating their skills and values in a way that employers find attractive. I've had to screen CV's and also sit in interviews, and well, I'll just say that I know for a fact that a lot of graduates in this country need job market training that they are not receiving from our tertiary institutions.

Regarding your point about people getting multiple offers before they even serve, it still happens today o. It still happens, trust me. I personally know a number of young graduates who employers have pretty much fought over - the savvy ones even use it as a salary bargaining chip.

ednut1:
the job seekers outnumber d jobs shikena. in d 1980s pple get lik 3 offers before they even serve first. anyone sayin graduates are unemployable needs serious beating

GenoMI:
Yes @ednut1, the job seekers certainly out-number the jobs as you rightly pointed out.

BUT did you know that the gap between the skills that young job seekers have, and those required by employers in today's job market is the 2nd largest driver of youth unemployment in Africa? You can find all the statistics here - http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/theme/youth_employment/obstacles-and-needs-of-young-people-in-african-labour-markets/

Our graduates most definitely need help articulating their skills and values in a way that employers find attractive. I've had to screen CV's and also sit in interviews, and well, I'll just say that I know for a fact that a lot of graduates in this country need job market training that they are not receiving from our tertiary institutions.

Regarding your point about people getting multiple offers before they even serve, it still happens today o. It still happens, trust me. I personally know a number of young graduates who employers have pretty much fought over - the savvy ones even use it as a salary bargaining chip.

Employers fighting over graduates in this Nigeria where supply greatly exceed demand...Well I will not totally disagree but am very sure these cases are usually rare.

For real, it's TRUE, trust me! .

Yes, supply greatly exceeds demand in Nigeria but it's all about quality, and not quantity.

It's all about how much VALUE you can add. Plus it's very crucial to be able to sell yourself / your skills and prove that you'll actually be a value add to the organisation.

It all begins in your mind, where as a job seeker, you know that you are bringing something to the table. Your mindset automatically changes from 'I need a job (any job)' to 'I would be a great addition to a {insert your preferred career here} company/ team because I can bring my {skill 1}, {skill 2} and {skill 3} to the table. If you truly believe in yourself / your abilities, and are able to show prospective employers HOW you can apply your skills and knowledge to help them achieve their corporate goals, then the sky will be your limit!

Gnen:
Employers fighting over graduates in this Nigeria where supply greatly exceed demand...Well I will not totally disagree but am very sure these cases are usually rare.

Following u guys. Genomini i think age restrictions does alot of harm to our graduates and u wont get honesty with that. Are you saying you dnt want birth certificates but afidavit. Its like forcing everybody to become liars.
Also, these outsourcing thing should be discouraged in nigeria. Its like we enslaving ourselves and the rich sharing our stipends we receive frm the company with us, no company want to do direct employment again most want to outsourcee cause they feel its cheaper and stress free, but its killing mehn.

Thanks @Joecares. It's actually illegal to discriminate against job-seekers based on their age in other parts of the world. But I guess anything goes in Nigeria.

I've asked the Head of HR at the NSE the reason for the restrictions, and I'm just waiting for her to come back with a reply. Once she does, I'll post it here.

Joecares:
Following u guys. Genomini i think age restrictions does alot of harm to our graduates and u wont get honesty with that. Are you saying you dnt want birth certificates but afidavit. Its like forcing everybody to become liars.
Also, these outsourcing thing should be discouraged in nigeria. Its like we enslaving ourselves and the rich sharing our stipends we receive frm the company with us, no company want to do direct employment again most want to outsourcee cause they feel its cheaper and stress free, but its killing mehn.

@GenoMI, am curious maam I would love to know how aptitude tests are used in the selection process. A friend and I wrote a test last year, it was very easy It was Cbt based test and results was out immediately. We were both successful suprisely he got a regret mail while I got an interview invitation, is there a special process in selection via aptitude tests? What are the rules am curious.

Hi @paulGrundy. Psychometric tests are used mainly as a first-level screening tool, especially for entry-level or graduate positions.

There are also different types of tests - the ones designed to test your verbal, numerical and spatial reasoning (these are called aptitude tests), and then there are also the personality tests which are designed to help employers gain an insight into your personality, with a goal of figuring out whether or not your personality / character fits the role you've applied for. So there's no pass or fail for a personality test, it simply helps them judge if you will be a good fit for the job.

So to answer your question, it really depends what the organisation was looking for. It could be that:
1. If it was a personality test you wrote, you were a close match to what they were looking for whereas your friend was not

2. If it was an aptitude test, they may have had a cut-off just to help them screen candidates further. So even though you both passed, it is possible that many others passed too and so they set the bar high in terms of the mark at which a candidate qualifies for the interview.

Hope this helps

paulGrundy:
@GenoMI, am curious maam I would love to know how aptitude tests are used in the selection process. A friend and I wrote a test last year, it was very easy It was Cbt based test and results was out immediately. We were both successful suprisely he got a regret mail while I got an interview invitation, is there a special process in selection via aptitude tests? What are the rules am curious.

@GenoMI I sent you a mail. Would appreciate your reply. Want to learn a few more things from you.

Hi @adedee14, please send yor message to me using this link:

http://skillsonthehouse.com/contact/

adedee14:
@GenoMI I sent you a mail. Would appreciate your reply. Want to learn a few more things from you.

Mrs Genomi, I still disgree with you on some tins....
On the issue of additional skills,in the 80's graduates didn't need those additional skills but dy still got 3 job offers so employers just use the additional skills as a bait since they now have a large pool of job seekers to select from, I don't disagree with the fact dt graduates still get 3 job offers but it's 1 out of about a thousand graduates and wen u look at the 3 offers sef.....smh.....Btw how will I even add additional skills when I dunno the kinda job i'll do yet, for example a chemical engineer like me could have learnt all the autocad and Hysys and Pdms nd then top it with hse level 1-3 then Nebosh nd after one year I can't get a job in my field nd now have to maybe consider crossing to banking I would now start thinking of adding additional skills like peachtree nd ats and ican, so u see its really hard, in places where stuffs work the way dy should, the only criteria for employing a graduate is just your a good grade in ur degree, nd offcos the regular aptitude tests nd interview, proving to the employer that you are teachable then after they employ you,they put you on probation for sometime during which they'll train you an verify if you can reproduce what you have been trained on and that ends it, whatever the situation of Nigerian unis is nobody's fault, we spend so much money to go to uni and after uni still spend our nysc savings adding value with Nothing to show for it....the supply of graduates is just way above the demand nd except sth is done about it, employers will continue to take advantage of it, plus govt parastatals still take advantage of dt to nt do a merit-based employment but rather put their family members.....tho there also need to be some labour laws put in place to curb some evil that many employers of labour in Nigeria do that dy can't dare in developed countries
anyway I have a dream dt Nigeria will get dr one day but before then I'd have ditched her a**, maybe when I hear she's arrived, i'll come back.

GenoMI:
Hi @paulGrundy. Psychometric tests are used mainly as a first-level screening tool, especially for entry-level or graduate positions.

There are also different types of tests - the ones designed to test your verbal, numerical and spatial reasoning (these are called aptitude tests), and then there are also the personality tests which are designed to help employers gain an insight into your personality, with a goal of figuring out whether or not your personality / character fits the role you've applied for. So there's no pass or fail for a personality test, it simply helps them judge if you will be a good fit for the job.

So to answer your question, it really depends what the organisation was looking for. It could be that:
1. If it was a personality test you wrote, you were a close match to what they were looking for whereas your friend was not

2. If it was an aptitude test, they may have had a cut-off just to help them screen candidates further. So even though you both passed, it is possible that many others passed too and so they set the bar high in terms of the mark at which a candidate qualifies for the interview.

Hope this helps

It sure does, thanks.

But please with respect to skills, could you maybe like give examples of skills would average organisation be looking for in a graduate trainee.

Well it really depends on the role, but in general, companies will always value problem-solving, communication, IT (think Microsoft Office tools especially Word, Excel and PowerPoint), ability to take the initiative and also work unsupervised when necessary, critical thinking, team building and interpersonal skills.

paulGrundy:


It sure does, thanks.

But please with respect to skills, could you maybe like give examples of skills would average organisation be looking for in a graduate trainee.

GenoMI:
Well it really depends on the role, but in general, companies will always value problem-solving, communication, IT (think Microsoft Office tools especially Word, Excel and PowerPoint), ability to take the initiative and also work unsupervised when necessary, critical thinking, team building and interpersonal skills.

Thanks

[quote author=GenoMI post=43578115]Yes @ednut1, the job seekers certainly out-number the jobs as you rightly pointed out.

BUT did you know that the gap between the skills that young job seekers have, and those required by employers in today's job market is the 2nd largest driver of youth unemployment in Africa? You can find all the statistics here - http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/theme/youth_employment/obstacles-and-needs-of-young-people-in-african-labour-markets/

Our graduates most definitely need help articulating their skills and values in a way that employers find attractive. I've had to screen CV's and also sit in interviews, and well, I'll just say that I know for a fact that a lot of graduates in this country need job market training that they are not receiving from our tertiary institutions.

Regarding your point about people getting multiple offers before they even serve, it still happens today o. It still happens, trust me. I personally know a number of young graduates who employers have pretty much fought over - the savvy ones even use it as a salary bargaining chip.


I had a similar experience while working in the HR unit of a large government parastatal. The disconnect between applicants' knowledge/skills set and the job requirements is appalling. I have concluded that a good percentage of the ESOTERIC courses taught in our schools is IRRELEVANT to the world of work. Schools are teaching one thing, employers are asking for another. Unfortunately, many youths and graduates have REFUSED to improve their knowledge/skill set. It is only graduates themselves that can break the vicious cycle. The idea is continuous personal development and a constant desire to stay RELEVANT. May God help us all.

Hi @iamclime, love your comment and agree with you 100% - the gap is indeed very wide and glaring. Our tertiary institutions are simply not preparing graduates for the real-world. I also strongly agree that the onus is on each and every one of us to develop ourselves. If you find yourself in a country like Nigeria where the system is broken, and isn't helping you, then you have to help yourself otherwise you will get left behind by those people who continue to develop themselves and their skills, and always stay ahead with the trends..

Thank God for resources like the internet where you can go online and learn for yourself.

This is the MAJOR reason I started Skills On The House so that young job-seekers in Nigeria who haven't had access to a careers service office while in school can easily come to the site and learn what they need to succeed in the job market.

[quote author=iamclime post=43601580][/quote]

I'll be interviewing the recently retired HR director of SHELL to get his thoughts, tips and advice for the young job-seekers out there. He worked in Shell HR for over 20 years and retired a few months ago.

Do you have any specific questions you would like me to ask? I won't be able to get all your questions in due to time constraints, but I will try to ask the most common ones.

So if you have any questions, please submit them here - http://skillsonthehouse.com/questions/

Deadline for submission is 9:00pm today 9th March, 2016.

Please note that only questions submitted using the above link will be taken into consideration. Thank you.

Hi @PresVA, I got a response from Pai on the reason they place the age restrictions on the graduate programme and I quote:

"The programme is specifically designed for new graduates who will be trained for entry level roles within the capital market. We recognise that there are matured graduates, however this route is not designed for them."

I suppose this means that mature graduates are encouraged to apply for other roles as advertised on the NSE website.

GenoMI:
Hi @PresVA, I got a response from Pai on the reason they place the age restrictions on the graduate programme and I quote:

"The programme is specifically designed for new graduates who will be trained for entry level roles within the capital market. We recognise that there are matured graduates, however this route is not designed for them."

I suppose this means that mature graduates are encouraged to apply for other roles as advertised on the NSE website.

She didn't answer your question, she merely rephrased it back to you.

LOL! It is what it is. You wanted me to ask - I did. And I copied and pasted her response

paulGrundy:


She didn't answer your question, she merely rephrased it back to you.

GenoMI:
LOL! It is what it is. You wanted me to ask - I did. And I copied and pasted her response

Hello Geno! Please can u provide a link to your Facebook group? Would really love to join. Thanks

ednut1:
the job seekers outnumber d jobs shikena. in d 1980s pple get lik 3 offers before they even serve first. anyone sayin graduates are unemployable needs serious beating

QED...

The gap btw The TOWN and the GOWN is so wide.
But the annoying thing is that the TOWN wud do nothing to bridging the skills gap. All they do say is " our graduates are unemployable'. How? Same sch system they passed thru and get connected to a job thru one brother, uncle, sister, aunt, papa, mama, etc, same sch system has suddenly started churning out graduates that are not employable, how come they were employed? These companies should help in getting the right skills in our tertiary institutions. How does most of these companies carry out their corporate social responsibilities? Organising a singing show abi,the rest littering our gutters with their products in the street in the name of dashing their products to the pple. Why not liaise with the NUC to get the best from the university system since they feel they can't get the best from the sch system. See OP, I hate it when pple keep seeing problems without proffering solutions. They shud help the unemployable youth to be employable and stop telling us these poo. Like someone said, the supply of Labour is greater than the demand for Labour and that's what we are witnessing and not all this bull crap

Hi @Prodigee - here is the link https://www./991127117635687/

Prodigee:
Hello Geno! Please can u provide a link to your Facebook group? Would really love to join. Thanks

"But the annoying thing is that the TOWN wud do nothing to bridging the skills gap."

Ah ahn @komek, but that's exactly what I'm trying to achieve with Skills On The House

komek:
The gap btw The TOWN and the GOWN is so wide.
But the annoying thing is that the TOWN wud do nothing to bridging the skills gap. All they do say is " our graduates are unemployable'. How? Same sch system they passed thru and get connected to a job thru one brother, uncle, sister, aunt, papa, mama, etc, same sch system has suddenly started churning out graduates that are not employable, how come they were employed? These companies should help in getting the right skills in our tertiary institutions. How does most of these companies carry out their corporate social responsibilities? Organising a singing show abi,the rest littering our gutters with their products in the street in the name of dashing their products to the pple. Why not liaise with the NUC to get the best from the university system since they feel they can't get the best from the sch system. See OP, I hate it when pple keep seeing problems without proffering solutions. They shud help the unemployable youth to be employable and stop telling us these poo. Like someone said, the supply of Labour is greater than the demand for Labour and that's what we are witnessing and not all this bull crap

GenoMI:
"But the annoying thing is that the TOWN wud do nothing to bridging the skills gap."

Ah ahn @komek, but that's exactly what I'm trying to achieve with Skills On The House

Funny u.

You can't do it by what u r just doing dear. These organisations shud partner with the NUC. In my days in sch, I discovered I did not know most of the things needed in the corporate world. And it was like that with many of the pple who left the sch wif me. Our ICT level was near to zero. I know in the Nigerian University curriculum( Public Universities) microsoft packages are not there. What about the use of other HR, accounting etc softwares. This is where the partnership is needed. Again, if I am consulted to change our education system, one thing I will do is to make sure that for one to be a lecturer in our universities, u most have practised in the corporate world for atleast 5years. Sorry to say this, most of our lecturers are not impacting the right knowlege because u don't give what u don't have. They know little or nothing about the operations of the corporate world. So what do u expect from their output?

Of course I can't do it all alone, and it's soo easy to stay on the 'other side' and complain about the problems with this country (that used to be my modus operandi, I was a master complainer )

But if we ALL continue complaining without doing what we can as our own little contribution, then the situation will unfortunately remain the same.

"These organisations shud partner with the NUC." - Have you approached any organisations? Have you approached the NUC? It sounds like you feel very strongly about the issue, so I would encourage you to also take action. We are lucky to be in this internet age where social media has made it soo easy to get our voices heard around the globe.

I will carry on doing my own little part, and I hope other Nigerians who are as worried as I am about the way things are, will stand up to be counted, and be an active part of the change our country so desperately needs

And as Michael Jackson captured in his great song..'I'm starting with the (wo)man in the mirror'

komek:


Funny u.

You can't do it by what u r just doing dear. These organisations shud partner with the NUC. In my days in sch, I discovered I did not know most of the things needed in the corporate world. And it was like that with many of the pple who left the sch wif me. Our ICT level was near to zero. I know in the Nigerian University curriculum( Public Universities) microsoft packages are not there. What about the use of other HR, accounting etc softwares. This is where the partnership is needed. Again, if I am consulted to change our education system, one thing I will do is to make sure that for one to be a lecturer in our universities, u most have practised in the corporate world for atleast 5years. Sorry to say this, most of our lecturers are not impacting the right knowlege because u don't give what u don't have. They know little or nothing about the operations of the corporate world. So what do u expect from their output?

GenoMI:
Of course I can't do it all alone, and it's soo easy to stay on the 'other side' and complain about the problems with this country (that used to be my modus operandi, I was a master complainer )

But if we ALL continue complaining without doing what we can as our own little contribution, then the situation will unfortunately remain the same.

"These organisations shud partner with the NUC." - Have you approached any organisations? Have you approached the NUC? It sounds like you feel very strongly about the issue, so I would encourage you to also take action. We are lucky to be in this internet age where social media has made it soo easy to get our voices heard around the globe.

I will carry on doing my own little part, and I hope other Nigerians who are as worried as I am about the way things are, will stand up to be counted, and be an active part of the change our country so desperately needs

And as Michael Jackson captured in his great song..'I'm starting with the (wo)man in the mirror'

My dear I appreciate what ur doing.

But make we no go too far sha.

Hello house,

Hope your week is going on fine.

I’m organising a Free Workshop (on Whatsapp since people don't find this data matter funny ) on the 2nd of April, 2016.

I will share my tips and tricks on how to make yourself attractive to employers, as well as how to determine whether or not your CV passes the famous ’30 second test’. We will also have a Q&A session where you can ask me your questions.

I used the same strategies to:

- Work with 8 different companies (part time) as an undergraduate in University
- Land 2 solid graduate job offers before graduation
- Change jobs pretty much every year since graduation (6 jobs in the last 8 years)

The session will hold on WhatsApp because I’m trying to go with the least data-intensive option possible.

Sign up for the workshop here - http://skillsonthehouse.com/get-the-job-of-your-dreams-workshop/

I hope to see you on the 2nd of April.

Also,

I have a limited number of slots (10) for 1 on 1 consultations where I spend an hour with you to:

a) Discuss the problems you are facing with regards to getting a job
b) Understand what you have tried to do to resolve this challenge so far, and why it hasn’t worked
c) Get a feel for ‘who you are’ as a jobseeker
d) Review your CV and give you detailed feedback on possible areas of improvement

This session is not free, but if you are among the first 10 people to take this up, you can pay me whatever you want.

If you're interested, please send me a message - http://skillsonthehouse.com/contact/