| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Tannhauser(m): 3:00pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
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| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by mmsen: 3:05pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
Once again, this is what happens when a population doubles every 25 years. It really shouldn't surprise anyone. What does surprise me is the refusal to curtail the population growth rate. |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Chardon90(m): 3:10pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
membranus:
The Interview
By Bayo Adeyinka
March 15, 2022
Each time I conduct interviews, I usually end up shaking my head and lamenting about the state of education in Nigeria. Our tertiary institutions are churning out graduates who are mainly unemployable. Earlier today, I interviewed almost 50 candidates and by the end of the whole session, the only conclusion I could arrive at was that we have a BIG problem.
In one particular instance, I was alarmed when I read the CV of a particular female graduate of one of the Universities in the South West. It was full of outlandish errors and so I asked her to spell a few words. She spelt the word 'redeemed' wrongly four times before she got it right the fifth time. On her CV, she described herself as one of the officials of the church fellowship when she was an undergraduate but she wrote the name of the church wrongly. She couldn't spell the word 'corper' despite trying more than five times. Yet, during her national service, she taught pupils at a school. I underlined about 10 grammatical errors on her CV and showed them to her. She couldn't even determine where to use apostrophe s.
A particular candidate couldn't speak a whole sentence without committing serious blunders. Even when I repeated those errors while thinking he would correct himself, he repeated the blunders again. Another candidate found it difficult explaining what he studied in school. Some have not developed themselves in any way since they graduated. I had to spend some time to talk to a lady who had her Ordinary National Diploma fifteen years ago but had not done anything to improve herself since then. When she mentioned the issue of paucity of funds, I pointed at her designer bag and her well braided hair as evidence that fund was not the problem.
I asked a female candidate what her aspirations were if money was not a restraining factor. Her answer left all of us on the interview panel with mouths wide open. "I want to live large and live big", she told us. One of the candidates told us he studied 'BSc Economics'. He made the mistake thrice until I corrected him that he studied Economics and not BSc Economics. A fellow was asked to introduce himself and he started with 'My names are...'. I asked him how many people he's introducing. Even when I tried to correct him, he insisted he was correct so I gave up on him.
On one occasion, I asked a female candidate what her husband does. She replied, 'I'm sorry but he's a driver'. I asked her why she was sorry about the legitimate job that her husband does. I told her that the job of her husband does not define who he is. His job is simply a job. I told her I also drove a cab before. I spent the longest time with her as I wanted her mind to be disinfected of the low self-esteem she seemed to carry. I played the video of Femi Ogedengbe, the Nollywood actor turned security guard in the United States and encouraged her to be proud of her husband. Interestingly, the husband is a graduate and I've asked her to give me her husband's CV. She almost broke down in tears when I told her I'd rather hire her husband than her. She knelt and apologized before she left my office.
A few guys had the labels of their suit on their sleeves- at least three of them that I recall. When I asked why the labels were not removed, they grinned sheepishly. One of them told me that is the current trend. When that same guy sat down, I observed that he wore ankle socks with a significant part of his legs showing bare skin. One candidate was particularly striking for his naivety. He came in shaking and stammered while introducing himself. He could barely string a sentence together. When I tried to make him comfortable by asking him to take a deep breath, he answered by saying, "I don't know why I'm like this today. This is actually my first interview". He just finished his national service and anxiety was written all over him.
I made two major observations during the interview session today:
1. Candidates who engaged in extracurricular activities while in school turned out better. There was a lady who was a member of SIFE- Students In Free Enterprise- while she was on campus and she was one of the bright spots. There was another fellow that represented his University at a competition outside Nigeria. He was also outstanding. Likewise, a lady who was Vice President of her Students Union while she was an undergraduate. She demonstrated so much confidence during the interview.
2. Candidates that went to private universities performed better generally. There must be something the private universities are getting right as their graduates communicated better. They demonstrated a far more superior level of intelligence. I was disappointed by the performance of most graduates of mainstream universities and polytechnics. One could almost guess whether a candidate attended a private university just by listening to them.
If you're preparing for an interview, it's in your best interest to do some research about the company you want to work with if you know the company. Google is your friend. Work on your communication skills. You should be able to talk about yourself very clearly and also describe what you have done before-if you're an experienced hire. Your body language is critical- no fidgeting and no show of anxiety. All of us have butterflies in our stomach when we face strange people on an interview panel but with a smile on your face, no one will ever know. A lady cracked her knuckles throughout the interview today. It's very irritating but also shows she was nervous. Your posture is important. Dont slouch on the chair. Sit straight with your back on the chair and your legs together.
Mind your language while being interviewed. It's better to be brief than to be unnecessarily verbose. By talking too much at times, you demonstrate that you know so little. Pronounce words well. It can take some practice but stand in front of a mirror and rehearse until you get better. Be ready to defend your certificate. Demonstrate that you actually earned your degree. Maintain eye contacts. That shows your level of confidence. Good grooming is key to your success. No matter the current fad, it's safer to be conservative in your dressing. Dark coloured suits are best for interviews. Stay with white or blue shirts for men. You can never go wrong with them. You must have a great sense of colour to want to try very bright colours. It's either it turns out so good or you turn out like a magician's apprentice. Ladies have the latitude to try out more colours but the simpler, the better. Pay attention to your hair and hand bag. Synchronize your colours properly. Avoid loud jewelleries. Look your best as the book is often judged by the cover during interviews. Your appearance is what we see first before we hear what you have to say.
We need to declare a state of emergency in our education sector and even start to teach intending graduates certain life skills. Nigerian graduates will not be able to compete with their African counterparts in a few years at this rate.
I need a job asap please. Conduct an interview for me and see if I will disappoint you. I also do not have a problem with relocation to any state. Thanks in anticipation
SOURCE |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Gmajor(m): 3:12pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
How exactly did an interviewees husbands job come up in an interview? |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Milesbillions(m): 3:12pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
When it comes to the use of diction and words, people differs in a lot of ways because of so many factors that comes into play. Sometimes, if you don't conversate or speak English always or frequently, you will find yourself making some little mistakes once in a while. Before I completed my nysc early this year, I noticed that some corp members in my local government can't speak good English...why? Because they are used to their local dialect in Yoruba....even in schools, teachers speak local dialects to students, so how do you expect the students to perfect their English speaking skills. So this is one of the factors that make some graduate to find it hard to speak English. Ps: English speaking is not a measure of intelligence, some people can't just express themselves orally....I have met few of them. So stop comparing private and public schools. I went to a public uni but I bet if any of thos private uni graduates will compete with me when it comes to use of diction and making correct sentences. Let me stop here for now. membranus:
The Interview
By Bayo Adeyinka
March 15, 2022
Each time I conduct interviews, I usually end up shaking my head and lamenting about the state of education in Nigeria. Our tertiary institutions are churning out graduates who are mainly unemployable. Earlier today, I interviewed almost 50 candidates and by the end of the whole session, the only conclusion I could arrive at was that we have a BIG problem.
In one particular instance, I was alarmed when I read the CV of a particular female graduate of one of the Universities in the South West. It was full of outlandish errors and so I asked her to spell a few words. She spelt the word 'redeemed' wrongly four times before she got it right the fifth time. On her CV, she described herself as one of the officials of the church fellowship when she was an undergraduate but she wrote the name of the church wrongly. She couldn't spell the word 'corper' despite trying more than five times. Yet, during her national service, she taught pupils at a school. I underlined about 10 grammatical errors on her CV and showed them to her. She couldn't even determine where to use apostrophe s.
A particular candidate couldn't speak a whole sentence without committing serious blunders. Even when I repeated those errors while thinking he would correct himself, he repeated the blunders again. Another candidate found it difficult explaining what he studied in school. Some have not developed themselves in any way since they graduated. I had to spend some time to talk to a lady who had her Ordinary National Diploma fifteen years ago but had not done anything to improve herself since then. When she mentioned the issue of paucity of funds, I pointed at her designer bag and her well braided hair as evidence that fund was not the problem.
I asked a female candidate what her aspirations were if money was not a restraining factor. Her answer left all of us on the interview panel with mouths wide open. "I want to live large and live big", she told us. One of the candidates told us he studied 'BSc Economics'. He made the mistake thrice until I corrected him that he studied Economics and not BSc Economics. A fellow was asked to introduce himself and he started with 'My names are...'. I asked him how many people he's introducing. Even when I tried to correct him, he insisted he was correct so I gave up on him.
On one occasion, I asked a female candidate what her husband does. She replied, 'I'm sorry but he's a driver'. I asked her why she was sorry about the legitimate job that her husband does. I told her that the job of her husband does not define who he is. His job is simply a job. I told her I also drove a cab before. I spent the longest time with her as I wanted her mind to be disinfected of the low self-esteem she seemed to carry. I played the video of Femi Ogedengbe, the Nollywood actor turned security guard in the United States and encouraged her to be proud of her husband. Interestingly, the husband is a graduate and I've asked her to give me her husband's CV. She almost broke down in tears when I told her I'd rather hire her husband than her. She knelt and apologized before she left my office.
A few guys had the labels of their suit on their sleeves- at least three of them that I recall. When I asked why the labels were not removed, they grinned sheepishly. One of them told me that is the current trend. When that same guy sat down, I observed that he wore ankle socks with a significant part of his legs showing bare skin. One candidate was particularly striking for his naivety. He came in shaking and stammered while introducing himself. He could barely string a sentence together. When I tried to make him comfortable by asking him to take a deep breath, he answered by saying, "I don't know why I'm like this today. This is actually my first interview". He just finished his national service and anxiety was written all over him.
I made two major observations during the interview session today:
1. Candidates who engaged in extracurricular activities while in school turned out better. There was a lady who was a member of SIFE- Students In Free Enterprise- while she was on campus and she was one of the bright spots. There was another fellow that represented his University at a competition outside Nigeria. He was also outstanding. Likewise, a lady who was Vice President of her Students Union while she was an undergraduate. She demonstrated so much confidence during the interview.
2. Candidates that went to private universities performed better generally. There must be something the private universities are getting right as their graduates communicated better. They demonstrated a far more superior level of intelligence. I was disappointed by the performance of most graduates of mainstream universities and polytechnics. One could almost guess whether a candidate attended a private university just by listening to them.
If you're preparing for an interview, it's in your best interest to do some research about the company you want to work with if you know the company. Google is your friend. Work on your communication skills. You should be able to talk about yourself very clearly and also describe what you have done before-if you're an experienced hire. Your body language is critical- no fidgeting and no show of anxiety. All of us have butterflies in our stomach when we face strange people on an interview panel but with a smile on your face, no one will ever know. A lady cracked her knuckles throughout the interview today. It's very irritating but also shows she was nervous. Your posture is important. Dont slouch on the chair. Sit straight with your back on the chair and your legs together.
Mind your language while being interviewed. It's better to be brief than to be unnecessarily verbose. By talking too much at times, you demonstrate that you know so little. Pronounce words well. It can take some practice but stand in front of a mirror and rehearse until you get better. Be ready to defend your certificate. Demonstrate that you actually earned your degree. Maintain eye contacts. That shows your level of confidence. Good grooming is key to your success. No matter the current fad, it's safer to be conservative in your dressing. Dark coloured suits are best for interviews. Stay with white or blue shirts for men. You can never go wrong with them. You must have a great sense of colour to want to try very bright colours. It's either it turns out so good or you turn out like a magician's apprentice. Ladies have the latitude to try out more colours but the simpler, the better. Pay attention to your hair and hand bag. Synchronize your colours properly. Avoid loud jewelleries. Look your best as the book is often judged by the cover during interviews. Your appearance is what we see first before we hear what you have to say.
We need to declare a state of emergency in our education sector and even start to teach intending graduates certain life skills. Nigerian graduates will not be able to compete with their African counterparts in a few years at this rate.
SOURCE 1 Like 1 Share |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by B3sty(m): 3:19pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
GardenOfGod:
People like you is who she's complaining about  Are your Sure? Most Jobs in Nigeria today are through Connections & most importantly, Grace... just a single Phone Call, you get your Appointment Letter. |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Nwanna2588: 3:20pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
Your corrections did not go well with me. Especially in the area of rating private universities ahead of public universities. The prior cannot be compared to the later. The law school is there for the graduates of private universities to reprise their acclaimed high grade performance. I can see that your hatred for public school graduates caused you to write them off even without interviewing them. membranus:
The Interview
By Bayo Adeyinka
March 15, 2022
Each time I conduct interviews, I usually end up shaking my head and lamenting about the state of education in Nigeria. Our tertiary institutions are churning out graduates who are mainly unemployable. Earlier today, I interviewed almost 50 candidates and by the end of the whole session, the only conclusion I could arrive at was that we have a BIG problem.
In one particular instance, I was alarmed when I read the CV of a particular female graduate of one of the Universities in the South West. It was full of outlandish errors and so I asked her to spell a few words. She spelt the word 'redeemed' wrongly four times before she got it right the fifth time. On her CV, she described herself as one of the officials of the church fellowship when she was an undergraduate but she wrote the name of the church wrongly. She couldn't spell the word 'corper' despite trying more than five times. Yet, during her national service, she taught pupils at a school. I underlined about 10 grammatical errors on her CV and showed them to her. She couldn't even determine where to use apostrophe s.
A particular candidate couldn't speak a whole sentence without committing serious blunders. Even when I repeated those errors while thinking he would correct himself, he repeated the blunders again. Another candidate found it difficult explaining what he studied in school. Some have not developed themselves in any way since they graduated. I had to spend some time to talk to a lady who had her Ordinary National Diploma fifteen years ago but had not done anything to improve herself since then. When she mentioned the issue of paucity of funds, I pointed at her designer bag and her well braided hair as evidence that fund was not the problem.
I asked a female candidate what her aspirations were if money was not a restraining factor. Her answer left all of us on the interview panel with mouths wide open. "I want to live large and live big", she told us. One of the candidates told us he studied 'BSc Economics'. He made the mistake thrice until I corrected him that he studied Economics and not BSc Economics. A fellow was asked to introduce himself and he started with 'My names are...'. I asked him how many people he's introducing. Even when I tried to correct him, he insisted he was correct so I gave up on him.
On one occasion, I asked a female candidate what her husband does. She replied, 'I'm sorry but he's a driver'. I asked her why she was sorry about the legitimate job that her husband does. I told her that the job of her husband does not define who he is. His job is simply a job. I told her I also drove a cab before. I spent the longest time with her as I wanted her mind to be disinfected of the low self-esteem she seemed to carry. I played the video of Femi Ogedengbe, the Nollywood actor turned security guard in the United States and encouraged her to be proud of her husband. Interestingly, the husband is a graduate and I've asked her to give me her husband's CV. She almost broke down in tears when I told her I'd rather hire her husband than her. She knelt and apologized before she left my office.
A few guys had the labels of their suit on their sleeves- at least three of them that I recall. When I asked why the labels were not removed, they grinned sheepishly. One of them told me that is the current trend. When that same guy sat down, I observed that he wore ankle socks with a significant part of his legs showing bare skin. One candidate was particularly striking for his naivety. He came in shaking and stammered while introducing himself. He could barely string a sentence together. When I tried to make him comfortable by asking him to take a deep breath, he answered by saying, "I don't know why I'm like this today. This is actually my first interview". He just finished his national service and anxiety was written all over him.
I made two major observations during the interview session today:
1. Candidates who engaged in extracurricular activities while in school turned out better. There was a lady who was a member of SIFE- Students In Free Enterprise- while she was on campus and she was one of the bright spots. There was another fellow that represented his University at a competition outside Nigeria. He was also outstanding. Likewise, a lady who was Vice President of her Students Union while she was an undergraduate. She demonstrated so much confidence during the interview.
2. Candidates that went to private universities performed better generally. There must be something the private universities are getting right as their graduates communicated better. They demonstrated a far more superior level of intelligence. I was disappointed by the performance of most graduates of mainstream universities and polytechnics. One could almost guess whether a candidate attended a private university just by listening to them.
If you're preparing for an interview, it's in your best interest to do some research about the company you want to work with if you know the company. Google is your friend. Work on your communication skills. You should be able to talk about yourself very clearly and also describe what you have done before-if you're an experienced hire. Your body language is critical- no fidgeting and no show of anxiety. All of us have butterflies in our stomach when we face strange people on an interview panel but with a smile on your face, no one will ever know. A lady cracked her knuckles throughout the interview today. It's very irritating but also shows she was nervous. Your posture is important. Dont slouch on the chair. Sit straight with your back on the chair and your legs together.
Mind your language while being interviewed. It's better to be brief than to be unnecessarily verbose. By talking too much at times, you demonstrate that you know so little. Pronounce words well. It can take some practice but stand in front of a mirror and rehearse until you get better. Be ready to defend your certificate. Demonstrate that you actually earned your degree. Maintain eye contacts. That shows your level of confidence. Good grooming is key to your success. No matter the current fad, it's safer to be conservative in your dressing. Dark coloured suits are best for interviews. Stay with white or blue shirts for men. You can never go wrong with them. You must have a great sense of colour to want to try very bright colours. It's either it turns out so good or you turn out like a magician's apprentice. Ladies have the latitude to try out more colours but the simpler, the better. Pay attention to your hair and hand bag. Synchronize your colours properly. Avoid loud jewelleries. Look your best as the book is often judged by the cover during interviews. Your appearance is what we see first before we hear what you have to say.
We need to declare a state of emergency in our education sector and even start to teach intending graduates certain life skills. Nigerian graduates will not be able to compete with their African counterparts in a few years at this rate.
SOURCE |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by musicwriter(m): 3:20pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
I saw this years back and have written and continue to write about education. Because unless education is gotten right, there's no hope.
A nation cannot develop more than the system and standard of education is has.........Africason
This is the type of discussion that should be everywhere in the media. Another person wrote yesterday and said the problem begins from age five. We need all these discussions. I am really happy people are waking up to this topic. 2 Likes |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by eeetuk(m): 3:23pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
"On one occasion, I asked a female candidate what her husband does."
Dear Bayo Adeyinkia,
You over stepped your bound by asking the interviewee a real personal question. That to me is condescending question on your part. An interview is built to assess whether a candidate for the job has necessary skills to do the job. Instead of you to ask questions to assess her skills , you went into her private life. That to me is wrong.
So, the personal question you asked the interviewee above makes her uncomfortable and forgetful about her preparations for the interview. i understand the job market in Nigeria is tight, but you really put that young lady through hell.
In my view, you as an interviewer is the problem and not the interviewee. Were you trying to date the young lady by asking her the above question? Please next time, stop making an interviewee to feel very uncomfortable. If you don't want to hire someone, leave him or her alone. Okay? 2 Likes |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by derecho(m): 3:24pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
Mind you his is just one HR firm out of many.The truth is, there is no tertiary institution that you'll not find extremely intelligent students. Again, some schools focus more on communication skills more than others.It's not a matter of private universities, it is the individual. Personally, I don't judge people based on your ability to conform to things eg parroting what could be crammed. I usually like testing people with senseless things and see how you solve it.All these sit straight, maintain eye contact blablabla doesn't mean much to me.Some may never look you in the eye but don't dare them. After all said and done, you'll only employ what you want.Who you want isn't necessarily the best but the most suitable for you. wpadmin:
The highest qualification my father has is an O'level certificate but his oral and written English is better than a lot of graduates today.
The Federal government left secondary schools to deteriorate and focused on Universities. They tried to make University education cheaper, where has that brought us?
I laugh when students from Public schools say Private schools are glorified secondary schools. I simply tell them to go and asks HR's of different organizations which is better.
2 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by bergs2: 3:33pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
SugarGirl44:
They should start conducting interviews in our mother tongue then.
All this complaints eveytime because people can't speak English very well.
Chinese would never call their citizens unintelligence based on their inability to speak english, like wise French people or German.
Na only we dey carry English for head eveytime.
You people should rest jare.
When I start my company soon by God's grace, Yoruba would be our official language and ties and suits would be prohibited.
English would be optional for speaking to foreigners.
And you wrote this nice point of yours in English. Why not Yoruba? Nonsense! 2 Likes |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by ayenale1(m): 3:35pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
[quote author=SugarGirl44 post=111530405]They should start conducting interviews in our mother tongue then.
All this complaints eveytime because people can't speak English very well.
Chinese would never call their citizens unintelligence based on their inability to speak english, like wise French people or German.
Na only we dey carry English for head eveytime.
You people should rest jare.
When I start my company soon by God's grace, Yoruba would be our official language and ties and suits would be prohibited.
English would be optional for speaking to foreigners.
[/quote_,]
My brother interviewing job seekers in Yoruba will be worse than English when we're not Indians or Koreans...ha what is the Yoruba of "I graduated with second class upper in Economics" 2 Likes |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by PJ123: 3:38pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
wpadmin:
The highest qualification my father has is an O'level certificate but his oral and written English is better than a lot of graduates today.
The Federal government left secondary schools to deteriorate and focused on Universities. They tried to make University education cheaper, where has that brought us?
I laugh when students from Public schools say Private schools are glorified secondary schools. I simply tell them to go and asks HR's of different organizations which is better.
You nailed the point. My father died at 92 and didn't attend university but spoke and wrote better than myself with all the degrees and many bright guys that I know. The problem is that FG has over funded the university education within the limited available resources at the expense of primary and secondary schools education. It's unfortunate that our technical education is dead and forgotten. Primary and secondary schools education have higher social benefits to the society than university education. That was simple development economics! University education is not for everyone; whoever is interested should be able to adequately fund it or bright enough to win scholarships! Give everyone and every child compulsory but quality and sound primary and secondary education, and sound technical education for the interested people. Whoever wants to proceed to university should be able to pay! All the noise of ASUU is too much around university education. Many lecturers cannot speak fluently and write well. 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by GardenOfGod(m): 3:39pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
B3sty:
Are your Sure? Most Jobs in Nigeria today are through Connections & most importantly, Grace... just a single Phone Call, you get your Appointment Letter. You have not proven her wrong. Are her candid observations obvious or not, are they true or not? |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by derecho(m): 3:45pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
Many atime confidence may not come from what you know but Who you know.
The confidence a Davido would exude even if he knows nothing can't be same as an intelligent guy who came from the backwaters.The former would be more relaxed while the other one is more tensed. 1 Like |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by ETIIKO: 3:51pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
membranus:
The Interview
By Bayo Adeyinka
March 15, 2022
Each time I conduct interviews, I usually end up shaking my head and lamenting about the state of education in Nigeria. Our tertiary institutions are churning out graduates who are mainly unemployable. Earlier today, I interviewed almost 50 candidates and by the end of the whole session, the only conclusion I could arrive at was that we have a BIG problem.
In one particular instance, I was alarmed when I read the CV of a particular female graduate of one of the Universities in the South West. It was full of outlandish errors and so I asked her to spell a few words. She spelt the word 'redeemed' wrongly four times before she got it right the fifth time. On her CV, she described herself as one of the officials of the church fellowship when she was an undergraduate but she wrote the name of the church wrongly. She couldn't spell the word 'corper' despite trying more than five times. Yet, during her national service, she taught pupils at a school. I underlined about 10 grammatical errors on her CV and showed them to her. She couldn't even determine where to use apostrophe s.
A particular candidate couldn't speak a whole sentence without committing serious blunders. Even when I repeated those errors while thinking he would correct himself, he repeated the blunders again. Another candidate found it difficult explaining what he studied in school. Some have not developed themselves in any way since they graduated. I had to spend some time to talk to a lady who had her Ordinary National Diploma fifteen years ago but had not done anything to improve herself since then. When she mentioned the issue of paucity of funds, I pointed at her designer bag and her well braided hair as evidence that fund was not the problem.
I asked a female candidate what her aspirations were if money was not a restraining factor. Her answer left all of us on the interview panel with mouths wide open. "I want to live large and live big", she told us. One of the candidates told us he studied 'BSc Economics'. He made the mistake thrice until I corrected him that he studied Economics and not BSc Economics. A fellow was asked to introduce himself and he started with 'My names are...'. I asked him how many people he's introducing. Even when I tried to correct him, he insisted he was correct so I gave up on him.
On one occasion, I asked a female candidate what her husband does. She replied, 'I'm sorry but he's a driver'. I asked her why she was sorry about the legitimate job that her husband does. I told her that the job of her husband does not define who he is. His job is simply a job. I told her I also drove a cab before. I spent the longest time with her as I wanted her mind to be disinfected of the low self-esteem she seemed to carry. I played the video of Femi Ogedengbe, the Nollywood actor turned security guard in the United States and encouraged her to be proud of her husband. Interestingly, the husband is a graduate and I've asked her to give me her husband's CV. She almost broke down in tears when I told her I'd rather hire her husband than her. She knelt and apologized before she left my office.
A few guys had the labels of their suit on their sleeves- at least three of them that I recall. When I asked why the labels were not removed, they grinned sheepishly. One of them told me that is the current trend. When that same guy sat down, I observed that he wore ankle socks with a significant part of his legs showing bare skin. One candidate was particularly striking for his naivety. He came in shaking and stammered while introducing himself. He could barely string a sentence together. When I tried to make him comfortable by asking him to take a deep breath, he answered by saying, "I don't know why I'm like this today. This is actually my first interview". He just finished his national service and anxiety was written all over him.
I made two major observations during the interview session today:
1. Candidates who engaged in extracurricular activities while in school turned out better. There was a lady who was a member of SIFE- Students In Free Enterprise- while she was on campus and she was one of the bright spots. There was another fellow that represented his University at a competition outside Nigeria. He was also outstanding. Likewise, a lady who was Vice President of her Students Union while she was an undergraduate. She demonstrated so much confidence during the interview.
2. Candidates that went to private universities performed better generally. There must be something the private universities are getting right as their graduates communicated better. They demonstrated a far more superior level of intelligence. I was disappointed by the performance of most graduates of mainstream universities and polytechnics. One could almost guess whether a candidate attended a private university just by listening to them.
If you're preparing for an interview, it's in your best interest to do some research about the company you want to work with if you know the company. Google is your friend. Work on your communication skills. You should be able to talk about yourself very clearly and also describe what you have done before-if you're an experienced hire. Your body language is critical- no fidgeting and no show of anxiety. All of us have butterflies in our stomach when we face strange people on an interview panel but with a smile on your face, no one will ever know. A lady cracked her knuckles throughout the interview today. It's very irritating but also shows she was nervous. Your posture is important. Dont slouch on the chair. Sit straight with your back on the chair and your legs together.
Mind your language while being interviewed. It's better to be brief than to be unnecessarily verbose. By talking too much at times, you demonstrate that you know so little. Pronounce words well. It can take some practice but stand in front of a mirror and rehearse until you get better. Be ready to defend your certificate. Demonstrate that you actually earned your degree. Maintain eye contacts. That shows your level of confidence. Good grooming is key to your success. No matter the current fad, it's safer to be conservative in your dressing. Dark coloured suits are best for interviews. Stay with white or blue shirts for men. You can never go wrong with them. You must have a great sense of colour to want to try very bright colours. It's either it turns out so good or you turn out like a magician's apprentice. Ladies have the latitude to try out more colours but the simpler, the better. Pay attention to your hair and hand bag. Synchronize your colours properly. Avoid loud jewelleries. Look your best as the book is often judged by the cover during interviews. Your appearance is what we see first before we hear what you have to say.
We need to declare a state of emergency in our education sector and even start to teach intending graduates certain life skills. Nigerian graduates will not be able to compete with their African counterparts in a few years at this rate.
SOURCE From my experience it not about school that any person attended; it all about "individual". self development plays a major role. Imagine someone will tell you i have spend four, five, and eight years in school, why do i have to attend any other advance modern course. Our youth want to follow the trend but in the aspect of intellectual development they are far away. |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by blaquebelle: 3:53pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
Is there a need for the rude reply? I was only seeking an explanation. Have a great day. CountVersailles:
Go back to school and stop quoting me. Go and learn about conditionals |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Gotze1: 4:30pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
wpadmin:
The highest qualification my father has is an O'level certificate but his oral and written English is better than a lot of graduates today.
The Federal government left secondary schools to deteriorate and focused on Universities. They tried to make University education cheaper, where has that brought us?
I laugh when students from Public schools say Private schools are glorified secondary schools. I simply tell them to go and asks HR's of different organizations which is better.
My brother, right now, jamp cut off mark is 150, soon going to 120. You see the problem? |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by bnovative(m): 4:32pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
Any student whose parents could afford a private university education in Nigeria is in the elite class. His poise and command of English is not a function of the private university, rather his exposure to myriad of things around him. The quality of TV. Programmes, the vacation, the movies, the internet etc constitute his knowledge base.
It's likely he attended special primary and secondary schools. All these helped groom him for the intelligence and confidence he exuded.
However, having been exposed to these environments does not necessarily mean he is better than a child who attends a public university; Or that private university is better.
How many public university graduates have you interviewed? Your conclusion is subjective. 1 Like |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Pravedk: 4:35pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
You see, the OPs opinions are partly true and partly flawed.
One this is certain-our school system here in Nigeria is useless
I was once a teacher in a unity school so don't quote me.
But the issue of dress sense, confidence and spoken English is flawed.
Some people are actually very intelligent but have difficulty with expressing themselves. This has to do largely with the environment they were trained. The public school system is mostly patronize my middle to low income families.
There is a very big correlation between poverty and self esteem. That is why you find poor people becoming too loud when they make it. They have suppressed a lot while growing.
About clothes, maybe they are broke or have been using all their savings on application and transport for many interviews
Dear HR people, do not allow any form of biases to stop you from hiring great talent 1 Like |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by wpadmin: 4:36pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
Gotze1:
My brother, right now, jamp cut off mark is 150, soon going to 120. You see the problem? It was reduced because students were not meeting up. If JAMB maintained 200 and above, some schools will not get a single candidate. JAMB sacrificed quality for quantity. If the secondary schools were doing a good job, students won't find it hard to get good grades in JAMB. |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by SugarGirl44(f): 4:39pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
bergs2:
And you wrote this nice point of yours in English.
Why not Yoruba?
Nonsense! Must you people always use foul languages? So you mean you can't disagree with someone in a civil way? Who raised these people on Nairaland? To your question. We're still under Nigeria, so I have to write in English for everybody to understand. |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by SugarGirl44(f): 4:42pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
[quote author=ayenale1 post=111532364][/quote]
That's what we've been programmed to believe dear, that your language is inferior to theirs.
Other less gullible countries like China, Russia etc believe otherwise and have words for everything in their language. |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by SugarGirl44(f): 4:45pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
womenareapess:
just forget those ediots interviewers and the mushroom company who employ them to do there recruitment!
I keep saying this go to civilise world and see how they carry there interview and their key requirements of interviews 
Only in Nigeria you will see everybody forming English. It's very pathetic how everything ours has been shredded from us and we now have a very low self esteem and call it wokeness. |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by B3sty(m): 5:08pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
GardenOfGod:
You have not proven her wrong.
Are her candid observations obvious or not, are they true or not? How do I ascertain whether She's right or wrong with her Observations? Do you think every student(s) have the same level of understanding? |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Educonomist: 5:09pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
Nigeria's educational sector is faulty due to the problems in pre-primary, primary and secondary education. One who has a faulty foundation in his/her primary and secondary education would find it difficult to assimilate in tertiary education. There are some undergraduates that copied in most of the semester's exams from 100L to 400L. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a lecturer rendering assistant to some set of students by giving out answers secretly in the course he took for that semester in the exam hall. |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by GardenOfGod(m): 5:35pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
B3sty:
How do I ascertain whether She's right or wrong with her Observations? Do you think every student(s) have the same level of understanding? What a question! |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Gzman(m): 5:41pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
CountVersailles:
As you have taken it upon yourself to correct others' English, I have also taken the time to point out a few of your own errors. Nevertheless, I should say that all you demonstrated here is traditional thinking. It's not that surprising. It appears interviews with you can only go one way. Any candidate taking a detour from the normal is quite likely to fail with you. . Kudos! But I must point out that "He was" can also be shortened as ''He's''. Just as "It was" can also be shortened as ''It's''. |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by ib0221: 5:42pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
CountVersailles:
As you have taken it upon yourself to correct others' English, I have also taken the time to point out a few of your own errors. Nevertheless, I should say that all you demonstrated here is traditional thinking. It's not that surprising. It appears interviews with you can only go one way. Any candidate taking a detour from the normal is quite likely to fail with you. Thanks for pointing out his errors. I saw the post about a week ago in a private platform and going through it I had the urge to point out his own mistakes, but I decided otherwise. Reason being that it is a forum that, I have every reason to believe, exemplify Dunning-kruger effect. An average speaker who cannot make distinction between different errors goes around correcting another person. Besides, is it wrong to say my names are? Based on my learning, though it is not commonly used, it is not wrong. I will appreciate your response Thanks once again. |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Olaideolayemi(m): 6:10pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
Comparing public and private education in Nigeria is irrational.. Private education, especially the university education are more expensive compare to public university..And level of infrastructure, training, guidance, lecture, and many real life problems were shared, compared to public institution, where to pay school fees and other infrastructure aren't available.. It's after graduated that someone can actually add value to himself/herself,if interested in education not in business..self confidence, fluent English spoken,and better written and communication skills depends on your abilities to read different Article and attend seminar/ conference that can build your self esteem in any interview you are going.. Reading and researching and also have mentor will help in improving self.Even having additional qualification especially post graduate helps alot,because they teach well and solve pratical real problem in the society.. But today society prefer to chase money rather than knowledge/wisdom in good decision making..May God help us, Nobody is perfect,but,we are trying our best.. |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Drastick(m): 6:14pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
FinegirlLA:
The time and money I spent going to school, if I invested same into learning a trade, I would be $2m more or less than Cubana. After which I will buy two PhD's in business I can't defend Pls sir, help me with transport fare(2k) to a job interview tommorow |
| Re: Job Interviews And The State Of Education In Nigeria by Drastick(m): 6:18pm On Mar 31, 2022 |
[quote author=princeemmma post=111530146]whose fault is it? the student? the lecturers? the institution? Nigerian Government? Sometimes we all need to think and ask ourselves if there is gain in education.
Before i start processing my admission, my dad ask me, do you really want to school, or should i establish you on your ict knowledge...... "Don't wast my money on the wrong way" My dad told me either i go to school or not, i will make it in life, everything is centred on my determination..... And i chose the right one.....................this days children does go to school just because they wanted to school, but just because they wanted to please there parents.
Jamb student in my area organised a get together party at a beer parlour, i laughed and ask myself, what do you expect this student to think about when they get to school...
I personally came to conclusion that, we are all at fault for not doing our part to make things right.
Pls sir, transprt(2k) me to a job interview venue tommorw |
