₦airaland Forum

TheRealAdonye:
Wow.. So much Drama..

*sips Kunu*

hmmm...#TheRealAdonye seems to be on every thread I go.

TheRealAdonye:
Wow.. So much Drama..

*sips Kunu*

hmmm...#TheRealAdonye seems to be on everythread I go.

So finally I'm able to post in the famous IELTS thread . Had my speaking test on the 21st and other components on the 25th. Generally, I have 3 comments to make; 1) For those about to register/make payment, online payment is very feasible albeit quite tricky. First, you need to use an atm machine to obtain an INTERNET PIN (I-Pin) for your Visa or Mastercard. This is the very pin you'd use when the portal requests payment. I used Access Bank and it worked just fine . 2) My second IELTS test is set for 7:00am on the 25th, the last Saturday, at National Arts Theatre, Iganmu. Considering this is a sanitation day, I wonder if there's anywhere to lodge at the venue a day before, because I dont live in Lagos (staying at Ajah with a friend though). 3) Are there any Chevening/Commonwealth applicants in the house? @whyna did you apply for any of these two?

rkarang:
Please, I need list of institutions in UK that their MSC application is still on.

Field: Mathematics

If you're looking to do Maths, you probably want to consider the famous schools for maths (COWI) in this order Cambridge Oxford Warwick Imperial. Last time I checked, Warwick was still open.

The Head of Recruitment,
Department of Economics,
University of Well Thought Advice, Nairaland
Nigeria

Dear Sir/Ma,

Thank you for providing such enlightening feedback on my application. I will endeavor to keep you informed on any further development on my end. I certainly do hope there would be no need to apply when a vacancy exists. Thanks again for your time.

Sincerely,
The Applicant

IME1:
people we should use our opportunities to better the society and promote where we are coming from (Nigeria). instead of booking space with alphabets n d likes let's drop a comment or commendation.

What we can do with this information is to celebrate the man, university and country at large.
Also it serves as an inspiration to others that one day too they could be selected from many to speak at an Internationally acclaimed university and top Ivy league university such as Harvard.
People no be beans to do that.
kudos to all my fed unis n state unis n private unis i celebrate wt u all.

Prof. i duff my hat, we see you
God bless Nigeria and us all, amen.

Well said bro, well said.

Laycan:
Covenant secondary school...principal abi

It's a pity that while others are assessing and accepting the transformation happening at this school, some others remain ingrained in their own cynical views

Three is a crowd..

Here's more..

Thought to share these. Extracted from an on-campus video made by the all-student-owned CU Magazine group, SPOTTED. Thought they did a stellar job with graphics tho..

proudlyHebronite
TeamCU

meforyou1:
Lagos

How did it go?

meforyou1:
Hey, got a response at last. Moved to the next level. All d best to other applicants.

Congrats bro! Where are you having interviews?

benELOHIM7:
Hi. My name is promise uHegwu, final year chemical/petrochemical engineering. I have inteNtions of doing my masters abroad but the hitch is I dont know what I would do when the time comes. Someone please put me through

Hi bro I think you should contact the OP's website https://club340./what-we-do/ for advice. On the site, undergraduate and graduate coaching was listed, so I figure you would want to check them out. I hear they give good advice as well.

It's interesting how time has answered this question. #CURocks!

Thought every job-seeking nairalander should read this. Though it was posted in the education section I think it still relevanthttp://www.nairaland.com/2144656/dear-jobseeking-graduate-heres-what

Akosbaba:
Nice write up,i think anyone who refuses to heed the advice of how competitive the Nigerian Labour market is is on a long thing.

True, most times we are not actually prepared to enter the job market after school and we blame the government 100% of the time for unemployment when we're not even prepared enough to take on the available jobs.

AIZubair:
Please help me with a sample of a cover letter. Don't know how to do it. Please help. Here's my email: abdulsalamisahzubairu@yahoo.com
Will be glad if you can.

Hey there, dunno if you've got everything sorted. Thought you could use the help of these guys https://club340./what-we-do/. They help people draft CVs, coverletters and personal statements and for free. You'd get the document within 12 hours of submitting. The group is run by CU alumni

piagetskinner:
Hehe...na so dude..hop uv tried it?

Lol! I actually have..........in my dreams

AirborneLacer:
If I were to be an employer, indicating your graduating GPA wouldn't have me thinking you're the man for the job.

Most students who graduated with high GPA especially in Nigeria actually bought their way through it hence using such criterion to filter job seekers would be unwittingly giving the job to the wrong person.

If you possess the required basic skills for a particular job and can ace your interview then you're good to go. Your GPA counts as nothing here.

Personally nothing beats having a successful internship. It enhances your chances of getting a job much faster than anyother feature.

Nobody said a good GPA would instantly convince an employer that a candidate is a perfect fit. The point being made is that it could come handy as a helpful filter when it becomes the basis for elimination between equally qualified candidates. Say for instance when only one of them is needed. I also know of top MNCs that like to boast of hiring the best graduating students from some schools especially the top Nigerian universities (OAU and P&G for instance). What do you think such students have differently ? Stellar GPAs (and no, they are rarely the most experienced or skilled students in their graduating set.) The point is, if you have it and it is good putting it there wouldnt hurt.

piagetskinner:
So I have to climb mt kilomanjaro, or swim in the pacific before some crazy arse employer gets impressed by my resume...who go get work go Get!

Funny you! I'm sure you know that wasnt what was implied. But it probably wouldnt hurt to try.

geekybabe:
I arrange my resume/cv according to my strenghts. I dont follow any formats. I never put my Cgpa on my CV and I have been invited for a lot of interviews. If my GPA is not my strong point, why would i put it in the CV? I would be shooting myself in the leg if i did that.

These days, a lot of people have the so called high CGPA, and will not even perform well in interviews. Or maybe they dont even have the required skills for the role being advertised. I Know myself, and what I am capable of doing, and what my skills are. I have a couple of certifications, those are the things i place first in my CV. I always ace most of my interviews. Right now I am being faced with choices of which job to go for.

If you are even in the IT field like myself, recruiters will never ask you your CGPA. Its always about your skills. What you can do. What problems you can solve.

My Conclusion: IF your CGPA is not your strong point, you would only be shooting yourself in the leg if you put it in the CV. (Except it is specifically stated that you put it).

True talk. This is in consonance with what I said earlier. However, I'm certain you'd put your GPA if it were stellar.

soulhighman:
And after passing the test, d next tin is d interview ryt? And the C.V will also be checked again by the interviewers. Lobatan. It could help jare.

Well said, at least someone is being rational here.

Ukeachu1:
the cgpa might count for notin. any reputable firm issues a highly competitive aptitude test for graduate employment. ur score in d test is definitely ur cgpa to them. who cares what ur trashy school gives u. so just pass the test first. make I no read about this issue again for here o. everyone is now a c.v expert.

If you've followed the discussions in this thread thus far, you'll realize that I've referred to appropriate scenarios where the CGPA would definitely "count for something". I'm really surprised at the number of folks that think that people just work towards a perfect GPA for the sake of it.

bodeoni:
Nice one OP. Buh lemme first say that I don't there are any rules or any general thing that recruiters want to see on a CV. Each CV should be unique and tailored to a particular Job vacancy.
As regards the GPA thing, I don't really think it matters much in Nigeira cos recruiters conduct their own tests and all. But you should know that stating that u had 4.85/5.0 could mean the recruiter would probably use that as a benchmark for your performance in an interview or assesment centre.

I understand your perspective. However the GPA thing is a fairly new development in most recruitment circles (you could inquire about the hiring process at McKinsey or Roland Berger to affirm this). About the 4.8+ GPA candidate, I dont see how anyone could attain such and not be able to perform accordingly.

magnificcio:
Beautiful, well said!!!

I'm glad you agree

bodeoni:
Nice one OP. Buh lemme first say that I don't there are any rules or any general thing that recruiters want to see on a CV. Each CV should be unique and tailored to a particular Job vacancy.
As regards the GPA thing, I don't really think it matters much in Nigeira cos recruiters conduct their own tests and all. But you should know that stating that u had 4.85/5.0 could mean the recruiter would probably use that as a benchmark for your performance in an interview or assesment centre.

I understand your perspective. However the GPA thing is a fairly new development in most recruitment circles (you could inquire about the hiring process at McKinsey or Roland Berger to affirm this). About the 4.8+ GPA candidate, I dont see how anyone could attain such and not be able to perform accordingly.

patrickdarlins:
aiit....thanks for the enlightenment...

matured response u put up there.

You're welcome bro. I think your response shows you are objective (and mature as well).

Chigorkizz:
As a fresh graduate with no working experience,your CGPA should be one of your best selling points.
You people keep talking as if people with juicy CGPA's are not efficient enough.
we have to get our heads straight to start encouraging our younger ones towards making good grades when in school.
If i become a recruiter...i will recruit with juicy CGPA inclusive.

You're so on point. The mentality that GPAs dont really matter has left lots of fresh graduates in regret. Imagine someone on a 4.38 in 400 level on a 5-year course deciding to stop pushing cos according to him "2:1 is 2:1".

FriedPlantain:
The Op is not wrong, there is nothing wrong in including your CGPA in your CV if you are a fresh graduate with little or no experience but with good grades in school, say at least 4.00 and above. As you begin to acquire necessary professional experience, then you can remove the cgpa from the Cv.
FriedPlantain

What you've said is in order. The higher you climb the experience ladder, the less significant your GPA becomes. At this point the brand of firms you've worked with would become more important. So for instance, Candidate A with experience at any of the Big 4s would be preferred over Candidate B with experience at lower tier firms.

soulhighman:
The CGPA aspect is real o. And besides, I was surprised last week after I downloaded a sample CV from the internet and I found out that the person's CGPA was on it. Who says someone with a high CGPA is not going to be efficient and productive? Infact, that high CGPA goes a long way to show how determined and productive you could be although it may not be enough to conclude. But at least, it gives you the edge over others as a fresh graduate.

True, I presume the CV you downloaded was North-American. It's a very important part of resumes for most applications in the US, and Nigerian recruiters (especially the MNCs with European or US roots) are now preferring to see GPAs. In fact, it is better to put a low GPA cos an absence of one might imply that yours is way lower, hence you're hiding it.

patrickdarlins:
that gpa alone u wrote up there is trash!!!

u will loose a potential employee that is capable of turning your company around for good cos of one silly cgpa??

its not what the company has to offer you these days....is what u ve got to offer the company based on experience and smartness....

not one big mumu that graduated with 4.45 cgpa....and still has no competence in his blood!!


NOTE:i aint upset with grades.....i will even love u more if u are smart....experienced....sharp...and still has that charming cgpa of 4.45.....

all what companies wants these days are peeps that are willing and able..to fit in!!!!.....

Bro please no hard feelings here, but if you must, feel free to vent your fumes on the firms which employ this screening strategy. I Wonder if you're oblivious to a very common scenario in the labour market, where a recruiter after interviewing two or more candidates for a position, realizes that they are equally qualified (with stellar certifications too) and has to employ their GPA as the only fair means of elimination. Certainly, the 4.95 candidate would be selected over the 4.5 and 3.5 candidates and this happens in several firms every time there are limited spaces with exceptional candidates (which is the norm in today's job market). About "fitting in" and "smartness", just about every candidate possesses these features too, so at some point the recruiter would still need a filter.

As originally culled from https://club340./

Ever wondered why that cozy, well-formatted, one-page résumé of yours hasn’t been landing any test invitations or interviews? It’s probably because recruiters of top MNCs have become bored of seeing the very same monochrome documents in every pile of résumés they process. Moreover, the year is 2015 and trends have changed for everything, from Toyota Models to one-page CVs (yeah, seriously!). So here are five suggestions to make your résumé stand-out from the pile.

1. LinkedIn Handle: Over the years LinkedIn has become a very integral platform for recruitment firms. Almost every Human Resources person or recruiting agent wants to know the “LinkedIn side” of you, so you’d better save them the stress of having to open a new tab on Mozilla by linking your résumé to your LinkedIn page. Moreover, since typical résumé length is 1-page, you could use your LinkedIn page to your advantage by putting all other information not listed on your resume. However, recruiters are only prompted to go there if you lure them with your linked handle (okay, enough with the links).

2. Highlights in pictures: As I said before, monochrome is boring. Recruiters can easily miss that awesome internship you did at Unilever or that wonderful scholarship award from Total E&P when you present these details in black and white.It is always advisable to provide graphical highlights of your major achievements. For instance, If I were a recruiter, I’d be more easily drawn to the short summary under the Microsoft Logo on your résumé, than one long statement about the firm, lost in-between the lines in black and white. (Especially when I only have an average of 30 seconds per resume).

3. GPA: These days, it is very common to find people listing their educational achievements without indicating their graduating class or GPA. Well, that might still land you opportunities with some boutique firms around your neighborhood. However, if you’re looking to play in the big leagues, you’d better start saying something about your grades early on in your résumé. This is the major factor most recruiters use in the first part of the screening process for most entry level positions (and even experienced hires), so by not indicating your graduating class, it’s an automatic throw in the “NO” pile. In fact, these days most recruiters want to see your very GPA and not just the class alone (because a 3.7/5 and a 4.48/5 are two different players in the same sport). Of course the only exception to this rule would be those that have obtained a degree class which is way below the requirement. For such people, presenting the degree anonymously can only do good to your application (especially if you have strong internships and notable extracurriculars which could convince the recruiter to offer you an interview).

4. IT Skills: For fellows in Arts and Humanities, recruiters are increasingly demanding just about the same IT skills from you as they require from your engineering and science-oriented counterparts. So spend the next summer break or your NYSC year learning advanced use of Excel (Excel is the most popular of the Microsoft Office suite programs used in most firms) , at least one programming language and proficient use of Windows 8, 8.1.

5. Unique Extracurriculars (ECs): In the 21st Century, almost every job-seeker loves to read, travel and swim as part of their past-times. Unfortunately, recruiters have become too used to these series of hobbies and are unimpressed by them. However, the candidate that says he loves rock-climbing and states that he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro last fall would still get some attention. He’d certainly be invited for interviews so long as he has met other criteria moderately (Which recruiter wouldn’t want to find out what the experience was like?). So it’d be better to highlight only extracurriculars that are unique to you. Of course as part of your ECs, it is also commendable to provide details of leadership experience during your undergraduate studies as this is just about the only way recruiters get know if you have leadership potential.

There you have it! Five suggestions that could change your résumé for good. Keep watching this page for more posts!

Mech. Eng al da way..

Kbabie:
u can carry dada

But seriously, I didn't know guys required a hair style for interview. Look at the industry you are going into, if its not showbiz, then any hair style that makes you look smart. No weaves, no colours, no afros even, punk or mohawk. All kinds of things put off interviewers.

Thanks for your credible opinion . Actually it's consulting. I asked cos recruiters in the US really don't place much interest on things like hairstyle so long as the candidate has value to add and looks moderately smart. However, I've heard a lot about how it's preferable to go on low-cut for interviews in Nigerian based firms. Just wanted to be sure and thought Nairaland was a good way to find out, until I started seeing the miserly comments before yours. Thanks again.

olempe:
Yeye question. You can do this... Mtsvhew

Okay that one was funny. Anyways, I'd just wait until a more reasonable comment pops in.

Seriously guys all I asked for was advice. You'd be surprised at the number of Nairaland stalkers that would be looking forward to your responses as well. Interestingly someone (probably a Nairalander) might flunk an interview for this very same reason. Just your kindhearted, interview-friendly opinion, please!