9. Another thing that will set a young graduate apart is a professional certification like CPA. She remembers that many of her classmates got jobs very fast once they were armed with a BCom plus a CPA-K.
10. Flexibility is very important, says Norah. She did Accounting and ended up in Communications. Why? Along the way, crunching numbers and balancing books was not her thing. She would work till 2 am in the morning, the job became boring, laborious and she eventually told her boss that wanted to change careers. Lucky for her, her boss obliged and she moved to communications.
11. Norah advised students to do things they are passionate about. Being jobless is only temporary. Meanwhile, as you wait for an opportunity, graduates are advised to horn their soft skills – being a team player, confidence, speaking fluent English, attention to details and being thirsty to learn and the ability to communicate. It’s what will set you apart. Every year universities release close to 50,000 graduates, and hence there is stiff competition for job vacancies.
12. During interviews, Norah noted that graduates need to be informed by researching. Read about the company and know their values. What drives the company? Know about their vision, strengths and weaknesses and how you can solve their problems.
13. She encouraged finalists to make use of the University of Google. You can Google anything; How to write a winning resume, how to write a winning application letter, salary range (or ask people) to avoid selling yourself short. Don’t play with your hands during interviews, as some candidates do. For ladies, don’t giggle when asked questions. When asked, tell us about yourself, you can say: “I am an accomplished Computer Graduate from the University of Nairobi. I have over 10 years experience having worked at X, Y, Z. While at X, I did A,B, C, D. I am problem solver. I solved E, F, G, H.”
You can continue further and say, among my accomplishments are; leading the software development team. I was a leader in the Christian Union. I was a class monitor, I was a captain of KY Club, etc.
“I have this fundamental belief that Communication is the third basic human need, and without it, the world doesn’t move.” Unlike many people who delve a lot family, Norah advises that ‘tell us about yourself kind of questions’ demands only walking through your CV in less than 3 mins, talking more about your career, achievements and qualifications and possibly, how you can solve the problems.
Source: Doxa.co.ke
