Undergraduates: 6 things you should be doing in school to aid your post-school job hunting

If you don’t plan to look for job after school, this post is not for you. But if you do – and 99% of Nigerian students do – here is my humble advice to you.

1, Study hard to make good grade: People will tell you that class of degree does not matter, that Wole Soyinka had a third (which is a lie), that they have one uncle somewhere who is rich but did not go to school. Well, God help them. While I will not dispute the fact the grade you finished with may not determine your eventual level in life, the truth is, more often than not, it does. So why not go for the best. Most good jobs ask for First Class or Second Class Upper. Don’t put yourself in tight corner after school. These grades make your job search relatively easier, at least they get you invite for tests, now left for you to take it from there with your knowledge and ability.

2, Be versatile: Don’t be a student that does no more than moving from hostel to class, and back, everyday throughout your university days. Attending higher institution goes beyond the direct learning from classroom, it is an environment to expand your horizon, maximize the opportunity. All those interactions, those arguments in newspapers stands in front of SUB, those debates in the room, are indirect learning.  I was a computer-illiterate  when I gained admission into university 13 years ago, but through playing with my room mate’s PC (before I later bought my own, thanks to Chevron Scholarship windfall) and asking questions, I was able to learn the basics of computer use. This is just an example. Today, even a primary school pupil knows how to use system. But you can still some things from your room that has some software skill or just any other beneficial knowledge. Versatility aids your job hunting effort.

3, Cultivate a network of friends: This is very critical. Most of my friends today are either my room mates in the university, classmates, or fellow mosque-regulars. Today, my network is so rich, that there is hardly any company that matters that I need information on that I don’t have a friend in, or my friend knowing someone in. I have narrated here countless times how I overheard an HR officer in one company I used to work for, joke with one of my bosses that they needed an accountant. Naturally, when I wanted to recommend someone, it had to be my friends. I immediately called two of my friends who had the required qualifications, and in less than one hour, their CVs were in my inbox, which I forwarded to the HR officer. Both of them aced the test and interview, but only one agreed pay package with them. That was 2009. Today, that friend is a Manager in that company, although I have moved on. He was my room mate in the university. He was also instrumental to the recruitment of another classmate of his by that same company. Just to add that networking aids the prepared, all of us are Chartered Accountants and First Class holders. So this is not by wuruwuru, it is still witin the purview of merit. Truth is, many job openings are not advertised, either due to the speed with which they need to fill the vacancy or the avoidable cost. It is by recommendation by internal people. Of course, the recommended candidate himself has to meet the requirements and will go through the normal selection process (test, interview etc). I have submitted some friends’ CVs in some companies in the past and they were called for test, but they didn’t pass. There was nothing I could do. Networking is very key. Build a strong network of friends while in school. Keep in touch with everyone post-school. Naturally, they tend to remember you whenever there is an opening.

4, Participate in associations: One of the most useful contact I have today is the CEO of the Nigerian office of a multinational consulting firm. I got to know him when I was the President (Coordinator) of Faculty of Social Sciences Muslim Students Society, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), chapter 2005/2006 set. I invited him for a programme I organized for final year Muslim students and that was how I struck network. Today, he is like a big brother to me, very helpful to me in many respects. I will recommend departmental associations too. If you’re president of your departmental association, it is a good opportunity to network with your alumni. Just invite them for an event, get their contact details (email or phone number) and strike friendship with them after the event. Just call or send email once in a while to say hi. When you graduate send your CV to them. Religious associations are also helpful. All these are avenue to build network while in school which will be beneficial after school. Also, having on your CV that you were president or secretary of a relevant association while in school can be a plus on your CV

5, Develop your communication skills: I once asked the CEO of a top company in Nigeria one question about the employability of Nigerian graduates and he said it takes a period of grooming on communication and other basic skills before many Nigerian graduates catch up in the workplace. Please use the university as a platform to build your communication skills. Although my quite decent writing skills started from primary school, it was at the university that I iced the cake. In fact I started writing articles for publication in newspapers from 200 level in the university, and by the time I graduated I was already boasting of over 50 articles published in virtually all major Nigerian major dailies (Punch, Guardian, SUN, Tribune etc), which I put on my CV. I was also a consistent writer for my departmental press outfit. It needs not be articles published in newspapers, just develop your writing skills. It may be for your departmental or religious press outfit. But don’t make my own mistake. While I concentrated on writing, I did little to improve my oral communication skills. I was quite shy, and not so fluent a speaker in the university, with my local Kwara dialect reflecting in my spoken English (lol). When I began working in corporate Lagos, with the ‘tush’ environment where I got to work and relate with ‘phonee’ speaking colleagues, I struggled to catch up, and it initially affected my confidence level. I would have used the university to develop my oral communication skills if I knew.

6, Start writing professional examinations: If your course or the profession you intend to pursue has some professional examinations that can be written by student, please enrol if you are able to. Ability here comes in two folds: money to finance the exams and ability to combine with your academics which should be the most important. If you are an accounting student, I advise you start writing ICAN right from your undergraduate days. This is because when you graduate and start looking for job, you will be competing with other graduates that had finished their accounting professional exams. But if you know you don’t have the capacity to combine professional exams with your academics, please put academics first. You can always write professional exams after school.

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