₦airaland Forum

Emma1Oj:
(1) connection, and every other thing will fall in place.

Some jobs are still gotten without connection. However, even with a connection, you still have to prove your skills and ability, except for Nigerian civil service jobs, where ethnicity comes into play. It is not like that in the private sector. No businessman or woman wants to hire brain dead employees.

Good evening, Emma.

Good evening!

When you are about to go for job interviews and you are preparing to answer the questions you will be asked, stop thinking only about answering those questions correctly. You should also consider answering them in context, using a relatable story, and taking the interviewer through a brief narration, giving him/her/reasons why you should be hired.

This can be properly done through the following steps;

1. Ensure that all your challenge, action and result stories are short and easily recalled, not one where you have to stammer your way through because you did not remember the story details or one where you have to lie (telling lies during an interview will always come back to haunt, so, don’t do it).

2. Strategize ahead of your interview. Stop taking interview preparations for granted, a lot of professional interview preparation experts are available out there. However, if you believe you can prepare all by yourself, make sure that you cross all T’s and dot all I’s. When preparing, take steps to make sure that your stories and answers to possible questions, will communicate your accomplishments to your interviewer in a succinct and memorable fashion.

3. When making a choice about challenges to talk about to your interviewer, remember that challenges that could arise again if you are offered the role you applied for at the new company, could be a good choice to demonstrate your skills and strengths. For instance, you have managed a team before as a supervisor and the new role is also a supervisory role, you could relate one challenge and how you resolved it to a question like; ‘was there any time during your career that you displayed effective leadership qualities’?

4. If asked to talk about your strengths and weaknesses, you should use examples that emphasize your value to your potential employer. Do not self-deprecate and do not inflate praises showered on you by a former boss. Instead, tell stories based on how your work ethic has benefited your past employer and how you have evolved for the better, ready to serve and benefit your potential employer by sharing concrete examples of your achievements. Make sure you sound great, not just only on your CV, but also during a face to face interview or a phone/digital platform interview.

5. Consider the special aspects of whatever stories you will be telling the interviewer about your past work experiences through challenge, action, and results. Were you creative and innovative in your thinking? In detailing your action, arrive at why you chose the line of action you took. Focus on stories that will prompt the interviewer to want to hire you. Do not embellish the stories, do not lie, do not feel intimidated either. Just state facts and express self-confidence while doing so, and remember, let your stories be BRIEF.

Good luck!

Source - https://lingoafrica.com/5-ways-to-succeed-in-an-interview/

Lingo Africa.

GideonG:
Thank you for these awesome tips

You are welcome @GideonG!

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Success has different meanings to different people, but, what it mostly represents is fulfillment. That feeling of fulfillment is interpreted differently based on mindset. However, we can all agree that success is the destination for many while building a career, no matter the industry. Now, with the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution, it is very important to note that what obtained in terms of sustaining a great career prior to this time, may not be applicable now.

Lingo Africa has compiled a list for the factors to consider to enhance one’s career in this time and age;

1. Focus on improving your people management skills. As you climb the corporate ladder, it is inevitable that you will come across more people. In order to be able to work with them and manage stressful/demanding work situations effectively and communicate properly with them, while managing your emotions and theirs, you need to understand human behavior. You can take online courses on understanding the science behind human tendencies and maintaining good work/career relationships.

2. Remember to protect your personal brand. Yes, even if you are not an entrepreneur, your personal brand still matters. Do not rely solely on your skills and talents – at some point, these will not open as many career doors for you as your personal brand will. First, remember that in this digital age, social media platforms are a major contribution towards how you are perceived by others, especially recruiters (yes, they always check your social media profiles after you apply for a job). What are you posting? What are your comments? Are you vulgar online? That could hurt your personal brand.

3. Carry out your own learning and development. Some employers organize retreats and training for their staff, but some don’t. It does not matter if you are getting learning opportunities from your employer or not, don’t neglect your own learning opportunities. If you do not have the money to buy online courses, search for MOOCS (massive open online courses), you do not need to pay a dime for the knowledge you will gain. Don’t wait to be spoon-fed, go after what you want.

4. Leverage on mentorship. No matter the number of years you have worked, someone can always gain from your experience. Why not take out time to mentor someone or some people? Lead them and guide them towards making better decisions and towing a focused and successful career path. You can do this online and offline. Dedicate a few days a week or month to listen to them and try to proffer solutions to what they are going through. You should also look out for and engage anyone you can learn from and ask them to mentor you. We can all learn from each other.

5. Maintain cordial relationships with everyone. Even those you think may have sabotaged your career at one point or the other. Human relationships are very important especially in this day and age of job referrals. Build a bridge with everyone. Don’t look down on anyone because you think they are currently below your professional level. Anyone can climb up the corporate ladder at any time and can help anyone do the same. Understand this, and never allow small disagreements or conflict, rob you of a better future.

Source - https://lingoafrica.com/5-ways-to-make-your-career-count-in-todays-job-market/

Lingo Africa.

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John got hired as an intern at a progressive Logistics company. By nature, he is a reserved person, an introvert. He really did not see any need to relate very well with people or play office politics.

It so happens that one day, John learned that if he did not behave like he was the best at his job and in the company in general, he would lose out and be stuck in the same place he was for many years to come.

So, he started doing things to become more noticed by his boss. He talked more, made his boss aware of all his efforts and he leveraged on every task he was given to show off his skills as much as possible.

Soon enough, he was promoted from the position of an intern to a more permanent role. John realized that in playing office politics, one must not necessarily be an extrovert to make things work. One only needed to act, and talk smarter.

John was really good at his job, but, before he realized that office politics could work in his favor, he was content with allowing colleagues to take the glory for his hard work.

However, he would later understand that with office politics, he could get promoted faster and be recommended by his boss for available opportunities in the office.

It is never enough to just work hard and be skilled at your job. Playing office politics will also provide you with the opportunity to fly higher in your career and become a known face and voice in your industry.

Keep your personality at bay while in the office and indulge in positive behaviors that will promote you as the best and get to the point where you are supposed to be in your career journey. Be passionate about your work, use your talents to promote yourself, and take credit for all your hard work!

Source - https://lingoafrica.com/office-politics-can-work-out-in-your-favour-contrary-to-popular-belief/

Lingo Africa.

Good afternoon!

You are welcome! Happy Sunday!

For those who are interested in working with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), aside from being a graduate in any of the related courses, volunteering and participating in community-related work, you may need to take some specific courses to enable you to become noticed by any potential NGO on the lookout for work colleagues.

Most of the time, you will find organizations that are involved in creating opportunities for people to take these specific courses and get certified afterward but be careful not to be duped by fraudsters, ask the necessary questions and be sure the organization is approved for such before giving out any amount of money.

Another option is using online platforms to earn certification in such specific courses, of course, any approved online platform will also give out certificates after the course is done.

Below is a list of some of the specific courses needed. Please, note that this list is not exhaustive;

a. Monitoring and Evaluation – This is the collecting, storing, analyzing, and finally transforming data into strategic information so it can be used to make informed decisions for program management and improvement, policy formulation, and advocacy.

b. Peace and Conflict Resolution – This is a way for two or more parties to find a peaceful solution to a disagreement among them. The disagreement may be personal, financial, political, or emotional. When a dispute arises, often the best course of action is the negotiation to resolve the disagreement.

c. Logistics – The management of the flow of things between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations.

d. WASH – This simply means water, sanitation, and hygiene. A lot of NGOs focus on this ideal as a way of protecting public health when it comes to cleanliness in the environment as well as raising awareness for rural communities.

e. Cost-Benefit Analysis – This is a systematic approach to estimate the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives, for example in transactions, activities, functional business requirements, or project investments.

f. Consultancy – This is a specific study of any field for growth in expertise. It is a focused exploration of the field and practice of consulting, including its conventions, theoretical basis, and applications.

Source - https://lingoafrica.com/specific-courses-that-will-help-increase-your-chances/

Lingo Africa.

Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend!