₦airaland Forum

I started giving proper thought to my career during my second year at University. The buzz towards the end of that period was CRAZY, and getting an internship was all everyone seemed to talk about. The energy was amazing, everybody wanted to get into big firms, especially the investment banks. I would be having lunch, walking along the corridors, working in the computer labs and it was the same – Goldman Sachs this, JP Morgan that, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas…..my head almost exploded at a point because that’s all I would hear about.

I wasn’t particularly bothered about getting an internship because I had gained a considerable amount of part-time work experience up until that time, and I also had a very well-paying summer job coming up at Edexcel (now Pearson Education UK). I had really enjoyed doing the job the previous summer because of the LARGE number of Nigerian students working there. It was serious fun and there must have been at least 100 of us young Nigerians at some point....

Read the rest of the story here - http://skillsonthehouse.com/6-reasons-you-should-seriously-consider-an-internship/

Hello house,

It's Omo here (www.skillsonthehouse.com), and I'll be interviewing the Head of HR at the Nigerian Stock Exchange next week to get her thoughts, tips and advice for the young job-seekers out there.

Do you have any specific questions you would like me to ask? I definitely 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 11:59pm on Saturday 27th February, 2016. Please note that only questions submitted using the above link will be taken into consideration. Thank you.

I’m sure we all agree that job interviews can be a very nerve-wracking experience. Having said that, actually making it as far as being invited for an interview is fantastic as it shows that the employer thinks you might be the person they are looking for.

Imagine you go for an interview and give it your best, and you actually even think it went well when people ask or just when you’re generally reflecting on the session – you’re pretty positive and almost certain you got the job.

Then 2 weeks later, you get the dreaded rejection e-mail you were totally not expecting. The thing is that sometimes, a seemingly amazing interview doesn’t translate to a job offer. Sometimes it just means that there was someone else more qualified / suited for the role than you, but other times, it could be that you shot yourself in the foot without even knowing it. Watch / listen below to discover 3 often overlooked reasons why you didn’t get that job offer.

http://skillsonthehouse.com/3-possible-reasons-your-job-interviews-are-not-successful/

Thank you @ndecide, I'm SUPER PASSIONATE about young Nigerian job seekers and part of my mission is to 'expose' what goes on behind the scenes in our companies regarding how they recruit.

ndcide:
That's interesting. Seeing you've put in so much resources into this, I really had to ask. I admire what you do and you definitely have a cutting edge in how you present it.

I'm following.

WOW! Is that even legal?? Unfortunately that is Nigeria for you. Please don't let it stop you - it's their loss/their problem, not yours. Keep pressing forward and you will eventually get a YES! I got a lot of no's when I started out as well, A LOT actually. But I can tell you that persistence pays.

ifeajikap:
I listened to your audio it was nice tried to volunteer myself in an organisation once in the accounting dept to get experience nd I was told the accounting dept was meant for only yorubas

Hi @abumeiben, I will summarise the interview and let the house know once I put it up on the blog

abumeinben:
Well...it's alryt.

Will go tru u blog later....would've love Listen to that chat...no data..

I don't know if you can send me the audio

Hi davide470, thanks for your comment. I will be launching my signature online course in June to help young job seekers successfully transition from education to employment. I will continue to publish my weekly videos and HR expert interviews and those will be accessible to everybody!

davide470:
Nice One GenoMI and you got a nice blog/website too.

But aside advisory services, what else do you offer?

Hi @ndcide, not yet, I still work a 9 - 5, but will soon transition to this full-time

ndcide:
Nice one Madam Genevieve, you are doing a great job with this. Is this what you do full-time?

Ahh @abumeinben - my name is Genevieve a.k.a GenoMi on NL (no other handle or 'moniker') .

I have my profile here - http://skillsonthehouse.com/about/

abumeinben:
What are u exactly?


And u seem to have 3 monikers on nl
...

MiddyO
Flowers

Thanks @Samspeaks

Samspeaks:
@GenoMI Well done .

@komek, thanks for you comment. So I COMPLETELY understand where you are coming from, and yes you are right - it is sometimes not fair that recruiters make all these demands from job-seekers - unfortunately it is what it is, they have the upper hand simply by virtue of the fact that supply of labour is higher than demand like you rightly pointed out. Having said that, it doesn't mean that there are no opportunities out there - it's a 'survival of the fittest' kind of situation, and only the strong will survive. So I generally advice job seekers to learn as much as they can about what it takes to get a foot in the door, and that is one of the things Skills On The House is trying to do.

komek:
Nice one a @ OP. I listened to ur guest. Well said and good job to you too.

But wait o, all those things they(HR) want from an applicant, how much would they be ready to pay. An HR wants the best hand in the market and most times they will not keep their part of the bargain.
I guess their is no job in this country jare. The Supply for Labour is higher than the demand for labour and that's the reason for all those skills and qualifications. Eg she said ur look matters a lot, what if you have not been employed for like one year after sch, how does she want u to look? Good right? Without maintenance abi? Abeg u guys shud just chill. Some pple who are working today are not better than those who have not been opportuned to secure a job jare.

Hi everyone, thanks soo much for the feedback, I'm glad you liked it. The plan is to get into as many Nigerian companies as possible, and get the people in charge of HR and recruitment to give us the inside gist.

Really sorry about the poor audio, not sure what happened but it suddenly went wonky at a point - I will try my best to make sure it doesn't happen in subsequent interviews

If your're struggling to get a job, and you're wondering 'What am I doing wrong? What is that employers want that I don’t have?' - this interview will help you gain a level of clarity.

I had the rare privilege of interviewing an international HR practitioner, who is currently the HR Director of a global multinational, working in their Lagos office. I asked her to provide answers to some of the most burning questions on the minds of young job-seekers.

She gave the inside scoop on:

1. The key employability skills employers look for in graduates
2. How to use social media platforms like LinkedIn to find jobs
3. How to negotiate your salary / pay package
+ lots more!

It's an audio recording and you can listen here:

http://skillsonthehouse.com/insider-tips-and-tricks-from-an-international-hr-practioner/

https://i1.wp.com/skillsonthehouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/20160205_111415-1.jpg

https://i2.wp.com/skillsonthehouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/20160205_100856.jpg

That's me on the left by the way

Thanks @afrokid, glad you liked it

afrokid:
Very very nice and educating.

Thanks @Wendyslim

Wendyslim:
Nice one. Keep it up

Here is the transcript for people who are unable to watch the video:

http://skillsonthehouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Skills-On-The-House-Why-you-should-never-stay-idle-while-job-hunting.pdf

Alright @cedaraustine, I will do so. Thanks.

cedaraustine:
One advice. Post the interview transcript. Not everyone will watch the video with slow Internet.

Hi @ril19, yes I understand that definitely not everyone wants to get into paid employment (just as not everyone can be an entrepreneur) - it really depends on what you want for yourself. For me personally, I started working quite early and I've learnt soo much and built a fantastic network in the process so that when I go out on my own, I'll feel well equipped. Thanks for watching the video

ril19:
I really don't wanna get employed by someone op. i'd rather work hard to employ myself and others. nevertheless your piece is valuable. thank you.

Thank you very much

JERRYNIL:
u are doing a good job , pls keep it up.

Hi guys,

Hope you had a good weekend – apologies this is coming late, as it should have been published on Friday but I spent a good chunk of the day interviewing a senior HR executive with a multinational organisation – I will be publishing the interview this Friday so please subscribe to the website (www.skillsonthehouse.com) to get the interview directly to your inbox. It was veryyyyyyyy JUICY because she provided some INSIDER GIST on the whole employment process, how to use LinkedIn to find job opportunities, how to negotiate your salary / pay package as a graduate and so much MORE so please watch out for the post on Friday.

Anyway, today’s topic is focused on the danger of staying idle while searching for a job, and what you really ought to be doing while job hunting. It appears that a lot of young job seekers do not really understand the dynamics of the job market, and the importance of not staying idle while searching for a job - I can’t stress this enough.

If you find yourself in a situation where you are out of a job, there are things you should do to build your profile and develop your skills while you continue to apply and interview for full time roles.

I discuss this in the below video, and I really hope you enjoy it. Please leave your comments or questions on the topic as I really love to hear your thoughts / opinion.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alCFfSpNUyI&feature=youtu.be

Thank you very much

johnnykoko:
Nice video Genny! this is really key to job acquisition and retention and very few candidates (and even employed people) think about this. Keep the good work going and i can't wait for your next video. keeping it coming and thumbs up once more!!!

Thank you

pally212:
nice one

Hi guys!

How was your week? Hope it went well.

Today’s topic is focused on how to market your skills by creating an effective 'Key Skills' section on your CV.

As job-seekers, we often tend to get soo focused on applying for as many jobs as we physically can without stopping to really THINK about the big picture or scrutinise what we are doing. Most of us have never honestly asked ourselves this this KEY question - ‘If there are 10 other people applying for the same job as me, why should my CV be considered or shortlisted for the interview round?’

In this (short) video, I explain:
1. How to create an effective ‘Key Skills’ section for your CV
2. My personal tips for success by understanding how employers think

I hope you enjoy it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5BvF_IFLQM

www.skillsonthehouse.com

Yes you do, it's actually THE 'secret sauce' to getting your CV shortlisted by recruiters. I will do a video about it.

dextrino45:
Nice Video. I just found out i need to include key skills to my cv.

Hi guys, thanks for all the responses. I want to especially address the comment that said he said 'I'd like to head the company or its offshoot'. Do you know why you didn't hear back from them? Because you pretty much told the guy that you are aiming for his job / to displace him / to render him jobless

Please refrain from saying things like that at interviews because interviewers are also human beings.

And also @Snipes009, I understand you, BUT you need to realise that employers have a hard time recruiting (believe it or not, sifting through hundreds, sometimes thousands of applications is a very difficult task), and so are looking for SPECIFIC information when they ask you that question - your goal should always be to communicate the value you are bringing to the table so your answer must cover things they will care about like your education and career progression as you mentioned.

Hi Jonathan – In a nutshell, the interviewer wants to learn more about your career goals and how the job you are being interviewed
for fits into your long term plans. He/she wants to know how committed you are to your career, and even the organisation (in case they decide to hire you). So my advice would be to research likely career paths within your profession / the organisation (when you are doing your pre-interview preparation) and then craft your answer along those lines. I hope this helps – I will definitely be doing a video that goes into more detail very soon.

jony247:
what about .where do you see yourself in five years time ?

Hi guys!

This week's topic is how to answer the pretty much inevitable 'Tell Me About Yourself' interview question.

I've never attended an interview where ‘Tell me/us a bit about yourself’ wasn’t the first question I got asked, and trust me I’ve attended A LOT of interviews . I worked with 8 different companies during my Uni days alone. I’ve also moved on to work with many different organisations since graduation. And my experience has been that ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ is FIRST thing I'm asked at an interview.

I initially struggled every time I heard this question because I didn’t realise that recruiters are actually looking for specific information when they ask that question. Yeah, it’s an icebreaker, and an opportunity for them to get to know you a bit better BUT you need to realise that they don’t care about your marital status, state of origin, how many children you have etc (I've heard those things come up in quite a number of interviews as an interviewer).

You want to know why they don't care about that stuff? Because it’s not about you, it’s about them. Let me repeat that sentence – it’s not about you, it’s about them.

In this (short) video, I share a simple formula to help you answer the question like a PRO every single time you hear it


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCIE839mwrc

Ok no problem, thanks for your response. I'll post more details about the workshop in due time!

Justhere:
All the aforementioned listed by you

Hi people,

What would you say is the NUMBER ONE struggle / issue / pain / problem you have regarding your job search? Is it getting interviews? Or maybe you need help with your CV? Or you have issues doing well at interviews? Or something else?

I'll be organising a FREE online workshop very soon and I would like to cover the things people are really struggling with.

Would love to hear from you!

http://skillsonthehouse.com/about/

Your CV is the first point of contact with potential employers so you need to GET IT RIGHT!

Searching for a job can be very frustrating especially when you've been at it for a long time. But sometimes we need to challenge ourselves, and make sure we've done our very best on our own part.

Watch the video to learn about 3 mistakes you must ensure you never make on your CV.

Can you spot the grammatical error in the video?

http://skillsonthehouse.com/3-cv-mistakes/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aeh9jKx-JcI

58C58FD1

Hello Eninaija,

Thanks a lot for the feedback - I will take your advice on and see how I can possibly organise such a meeting, I like that idea. It's just that I've never done such a thing before. I have no problems organising the meeting, my issue is how to get the word out so that people know about it. Anyway I will start thinking about and working on it, and of course the house will be the first to know once I figure out a way to bring it to life.

I've also been working on the video tutorial and will let everyone know once it's done.

Thank you guys for all the support and encouragement!!!

eninaija:
GenoMI,

Here is my idea
You should have a once in a month meeting where you can teach people what they need for Career success. It could be once in 2months depending on your schedule
You can also involve other Volunteers who want to share their knowledge and skills

In such meetings create a platform for Networking and access to information on job opportunities, scholarships, internship, enterprise and self development generally
The meetings need not be big; 10 to 20 persons is fine.
Have a Skills on the House banner, take nice pics and promote it online.
I believe with this Skills on the house will make more impact and better ideas will come up as you go on.

I wish you much more Success!


** Video tutorials is a great idea. Pls do it