Hello people, how's it going? Hope the past articles have been really helpful. Thanks for the comments, requests, and questions. Please keep them coming. I'll be dealing with a few of the questions in this post.
I'm quoting someone here, "Hello, I read your post online on the steps to take after POP. I liked it indeed. I would like to request for your model cv to know if its better than the one I have composed personally. I have registered with some job sites like hotnaijajobs. I graduated with a 2.2 and almost always can't apply for any jobs because of the requirement issues. Its frustrating but I can't give up. Sometimes I feel it would be a good idea to get another degree so I can make atleast a 2.1. I would like you to write on this issue for people below the requirement line. Thanks"
Hmmm, what can I say? Here's the deal,
I won't advice going for another degree (Bsc,Btech etc) except that's what you really want. I feel our educational system isn't worth wasting between 4-5 more years of your life(#MyOpinion). Besides, what's the guarantee that you would make a 2.1 this time? Just saying. Not to mention the ASUU strike that seems hopelessly doomed to continue. Rather, I would suggest you beef up your 2.2 or whatever degree you have with certifications. Take a professional course or something. There are many of them these days ranging from PMP to HSE to ICAN, CCNA etc. Try getting at least one of them. Doesn't really have to be related to your field. For example, every graduate should be able to manage projects. Hence, PMP comes in handy.
Service year would have been the best time to accomplish this but its never too late (if you've passed out i.e). Basically, its about having something that would give you an edge out there. For instance, I'm a computer scientist by degree. During my service year,I got a French certification, oui francais! Awkward right? The point is, let's say I went for an interview after passing the tests and there was this other guy being interviewed for the same position. The guy could do almost everything I could. Programming, networking, database management bla bla bla... What if I could also write those programs in french. Who do you think the company would go for? #thinkonthis . The bottomline is to get something that would give you an edge. It doesn't necessarily have to be a certificate (afterall, its just a piece of paper like some would argue). I'm confident there are jobs out there that would take a 2.2 graduate as long as you can back it up. Y'all can follow my friend @StevenHaastrup, he's a testimony to that.
There's also the issue of work experience. Most job adverts these days require people with varying years of experience. The big question is where/how do you expect a fresh graduate to get experience if he/she won't get employed? Dunno, but you guys ever thought about volunteering (like working as a volunteer without getting paid)? Hope that didn't sound absurd? You could actually volunteer to work for free in some companies. Afterall, the requirement doesn't ask to state one's pay package during the years of experience. So its possible to work for free and acquire the experience needed so you could later apply as an experienced person. As long as its something you love doing. Remember, God's desire is for you to be able to charge a FEE doing that which you can do for FREE.
In summary, identify the industry you wanna work in, identify the skills required, learn those skills either through internship or paid training then you can apply as an experienced person.
Stay purpose driven. Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment