5 Great Companies to Start Career in Nigeria

For majority of young Nigerians, pay is the bottomline in job hunting. Other factors such as job satisfaction, career advancement opportunity, work-life balance etc. come secondary. This is understandable. In a country where poverty level is high and people toil to get themselves educated, you can forgive the young graduate that thinks pay is all that matters. In this article, I have compiled 5 great companies that offer great platforms to start one’s career in Nigeria. The definition of greatness is not necessarily by the short term returns, but more of medium to long term benefits. The companies listed are basically for non-technical graduates (i.e may not too useful for engineering graduates, for example).

1, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

PwC is a professional consulting firm that offers services like auditing, tax consultancy, financial advisory and lots more. To me, if you want to be a thoroughbred professional accountant, financial consultant or tax practitioner, PwC is your best bet for solid footing. It is not for nothing that a good percentage of top finance executives in big corporations in Nigeria are PwC alumni. PwC is a great training ground for many professionals. The firm is also highly regarded for its integrity in business dealings. The pay for entry level may not be so juicy, but it is a firm that gives you the best of training as a young graduate and the return from that investment will serve you for life, as you become hot cake when you seek to move ahead in the future.

2, KPMG

KPMG is another great place for a young, non-technical graduate to seek to start career. They have almost all the features listed for PwC above and engage in same range of services. The short-term reward may not be as juicy as some banks will offer, but you can be guaranteed of medium to long term returns. KPMG puts high premium on professionalism and work ethics. It is a fantastic place for one to start career.

3, Accenture

Probably because their work is not one you see on the street, many graduates may not even have heard of Accenture. The sports buff may know Accenture as one of the principal sponsors of golf legend, Tiger Woods, but may not even know they have business in Nigeria. Accenture is another great place to start career in Nigeria. The technology and management consulting firm is a great brand. They are very professional and give young intakes value-adding training that will continue to be of benefit throughout their career, whether in Accenture or elsewhere.

4, Shell

Now, the big fish! Yes, that’s what everybody has been waiting to see. Shell is the signpost of multinational oil companies in Nigeria and it almost naturally comes first whenever a young Nigerian student reels out his wishlist. Getting job in Shell is seen as ‘money ritual’ and it is seen as the pinnacle of making it for a young graduate. This notion is driven by pay. Ironically, what makes Shell tick, compared to other IOCs operating in Nigeria, is not its pay, but its training. In fact, Shell is one of the least paying of the big IOCs, and some independent oil companies almost match its entry level pay package. But it is almost unanimously believed in the industry that Shell offers the best training for its young intakes. That is why IOCs like Total that pay more ‘poach’ Shell staff, who would have undergone great learning under Shell. Shell is also to a large extent merit-driven. Shell is another great place to start career.

5, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB)

Some of us are not fans of professional banking career. But for those who crave banking job, GTB is the best around. GTB is strong, stable and highly professional. They are not doing badly in terms of pay either. So if pay is your motivation, you still have a dream in GTB. If personal development and future career is your motivation, GTB is still fine. Job security they guarantee too.

Related topics:
The role of networking in job hunting
5 common mistakes Nigerian job seekers make

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