Tips for graduates looking for jobs

Recently, a number of graduates have told me that they are looking for jobs, usually my next question to them is “what kind of job are you looking for?” and the “I’m looking for any good job” response I get makes me realize that some of our youths today have no sense of direction or ambition.

With the global economy more or less stagnant in most part of the world with the exception of Asia and Africa having significant growth, the job market has become more competitive.

Usually, the way to stand out from the crowd is to demonstrate to your prospective employer that you possess the ability to grasp quickly the unique skill needed to perform your role excellently and you have the passion to drive profitable growth in the organization.

Bearing this in mind, your resume/CV must be specific to the role and industry you are looking to gain employment and must emphasize the particular skills your prospective employer is looking for.

How on earth do you expect to be employed on merit when nothing sets you apart from the millions of graduates entering the job market every year? How do you plan to streamline your resume to emphasize certain skills or demonstrate your passion for a particular role or industry when you don’t even know what you are looking for? Imagine you are looking for something but you don’t know what it is, how are expected to find it!

Please take some time to think about what you want out of your career and make the necessary plans and actions to achieve it. Nothing is impossible to those that believe and are able to define their ideas into structured plans also taking the necessary actions needed to achieving their set goals.

Wish you all the best in your job search. :)

Think Again!

For those that think they don’t need God (Jehovah, Kings of Kings) and feel they can successfully go through this journey of life by their own strength all I can say to you is “Think Again!”

In an ideal world, working at 100% efficiency, the effort we apply into getting work done will be equal to the end result.

I am sure you all agree that this world we live in is far from being ideal or perfect. Therefore our applied efforts are often not equal to the end result. In reality there are a host of spiritual forces that could be against you especially when you are on the road to success. Your success could also provoke jealousy among your friends and family which can drive them into mischievous acts against you.

However when you work with God the effort you apply into your work is multiplied as long as you are working in-line with his purpose for your life, hence with God you work at efficiencies greater than 100%. In addition, you do not even need to worry about spiritual or physical attacks or challenges because when you work according to his purpose for your life you receive divine protection, unmerited favor, divine direction, good health etc.

The challenges and uncertainties in this life are sometimes great and overwhelming. You may choose to deal with them by your own strength or let God deal with them on your behalf. I encourage you to choose the latter.

SIMPLE YET PROFOUND: ACHIEVING YOUR DREAM.

I am writing this with much excitement, I just received a phone call from a company telling me I got through to the next stage of their recruitment process. It’s not just any company it’s THE “Company”, the company on my master plan, the only company I sent my CV to, the company I want to work for, the company where I’ll learn the much needed skills required for me to get to achieve my next goal.

Please permit me to share some of my thoughts with you on the subject of making progress in the pursuit of your dream. This is not limited to career progress alone, it also applies to progress in education, relationship, finance, etc.

The information I am about to share is not new to most of you and may appear as simple and common sense. They are however very profound steps which if followed properly can change your life forever.

Most of the innovative solutions or products  we see today were derived from very simple yet profound ideas. Some of the laws of physics are very simple yet their implications are so great and have brought great benefit to mankind.  One example of this is Newton’s third law of motion which states that “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This simple law applied to aero-dynamics is the reason why airplanes fly.

Firstly, anyone serious about making progress in any area of life needs to have a vision. The nice thing about visions is that there’s no limit as to how crazy or big it could be. What will you like to be in 20 years? Would you like to be a C.E.O of a multinational?

Secondly, you need to ascertain the requirements necessary for you to become what you want to become. Learn from other people who have achieved similar goals. Look at profiles of C.E.Os of fortune 500 companies. What did they have that set them apart from others? Is there any trend among C.E.O's of multinationals? My personal observation is that most C.E.O’s have MBA degrees from very good business schools like Harvard or LBS. Maybe getting an MBA will be beneficial to you. What other qualities do they have? What about work experience? You may need to change jobs so that your work experience will be relevant to the position you want to get in the future. How about personalities? Are you shy? Maybe you need to work on building your confidence level, develop leadership skills, learn another language etc.

Thirdly, you need to have a structured and specific plan on how you will achieve each individual goal that takes you closer to ultimate goal. This plan can have various long and short term goals.

Fourth and final step is to take action. This requires courage.                                  

Some people may think your actions don’t make sense but believe in yourself. They may say stuff like, “You have a really good job so why are you quitting your job to go back to school? What if you don’t get a job after school?” There is always an element of risk but it’s a risk that will be worth taking.

If you need to change jobs, then apply for a new job. The job you are applying to should be specific and fit into your master plan. If you don’t get the job, find out why. Some employers may give you the reasons why they may have decided not to take your application to the next stage. Take it as constructive criticism and improve yourself to better fit what the company is looking for. Don’t relent be proactive and persistent until you get what you want.

In summary, these things don’t apply to everyone, some people are comfortable with an averagely good 9-5 job, an averagely happy marriage, and an average degree from an averagely ranking university. However, if you are really serious about making significant progress and impact your generation then get out of your comfort zone and follow that God given dream you have. Good luck.