THREE THINGS A COMPANY WILL LOOK OUT FOR IN YOUR CV

CVs are like marketing tools for all, because it is the one tool that lands you an interview and then a job. It is therefore important to take your time and arrange it well so that it sells you well. You should write your CV according to the industry and position you are applying for because every industry has its particular quirks when it comes to CVs, and accounting is no different.  Here are a few tips on what your employer would check out for:

WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER  

Your CV should have a short synopsis of who you are and things you have done and achieved and what you have to offer. This part of your CV should get the attention of your employee so well that he should read on. Your major achievement in your field should be clearly stated for him/her to see. If you are in the accounting field, this part should include numbers. Those in business should also add achievements on business development, etc.

IF YOU CAN DO THE JOB

Next thing you should do is to add your work history, qualifications and professional groups you belong to. Talk also about the role you played in your previous workplace and the groups you are associated with.

Use the following as a guide for what to include:
-  Dates of employment
-  Name of company
-  Synopsis of company
-  Turnover of company
-  Global or local?
-  Type of company i.e. publicly listed or privately owned
-  Your title, duties and achievements/outcomes/impact
-  Use bullet points if you can
 

WHERE YOU ARE HEADING TO 

Employers want to know not only what you can do now, but also what you might be able to do in the future. In your CV, make sure to include the type of opportunity you are seeking and state your aspirations for the future.

If you are an accountant, eventually your resume is going to be read by other accountants so be sure to add up things that are accounting related.

THREE WAYS TO COMMUNICATE AND CONNECT WITH EXECUTIVES

Why are executives so fiercely protective of their time? It’s because they have so little of it. If you’re persistent and persuasive enough to be able to secure a CXO’s time, the worst thing you can be is unprepared.  

The mistake people make when communicating with an executive is failing to understand the executive’s world.

As soon as an executive thinks you are not prepared, your meeting is over. You’ll likely find yourself in the tough position of having to rebuild credibility.

How to avoid this fate? Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Here are three things you can do to meaningfully connect with executives and demonstrate that you understand their world.

1.     Learn all you can about the executive.

To be able to connect with people in an authentic way, you have to know something about them first. Be an anthropologist and do your research. Ask and seek answers to questions like the following:

·         How long have they been in their current role?

·         With whom do they work?

·         Where have they worked in the past?

·         Who have they worked with in the past?

·         What are they like at work?

·         What’s their life like outside of work?

·         Do they have kids?

·         Do they have hobbies?

·         What are they passionate about?

To find the answers to these questions, conduct an Internet search and use social networking tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Who do you know that they know? Talk to those individuals. 

Find out what matters most to the executive and discover where your interests overlap. Everyone has something that they care deeply about.

If you look hard enough, you will find unexpected, yet genuine connections and shared interests that you can use to build rapport. You don’t necessarily have to bring up any of this in conversation, but just knowing about those interests and connections will help you get a better sense of the person.

 2.     Learn all you can about the company.

To make a credible case for how you can help a CXO, first you have to know what he or she needs help with. Find out everything you can about the company and its current challenges and opportunities:

·         What is the company strategy?

·         Where is it headed?

·         Who are its competitors?

·         What are the most pressing business issues?

·         What products and services does the company offer?

·         How do customers use those products and services?

When meeting with executives, the goal should be to convince them that you have the ability to help them solve their business challenges. If you start talking about tactical things, a CXO is liable to direct you to the third floor, fifth guy on the right who deals with that kind of thing.

Press releases and speeches offer insights into a company’s current strategy, problems and focus areas, as well as the executive’s specific concerns. Customer case studies help you better understand how customers use a particular product or service.

You’ll want to understand enough about the company’s products and customers and a lot about the strategic issues an executive is facing in order to have an intelligent conversation about how you might be able to help.

3.     Focus on what’s most important to the executive.

Talking about product features is an all-too-common mistake. Unless the executive has specifically asked you to prepare a presentation, don’t deliver one.  Instead, have a conversation.

How you begin that conversation is critical. Never start by talking about yourself or by asking generic questions to which you should already know the answers, e.g., “So, what business issues are you facing right now?” Instead, quickly and concisely show that you’ve been thinking about their business issues and have some ideas about how to solve them.

Time-to-value is of the essence. The first two minutes of the conversation are crucial. Prepare what you’re going to say in advance. Use a personal communication framework that enables you to get to the “ask” quickly and to link it back to helping the executive address the strategic issues. This is vital to your success.

Finally, Be Yourself

The objective is not to manipulate the executive – quite the contrary. Rather, when you take the time to do your research and prepare, it conveys to the executive that you have integrity and that you respect and value the executive’s time. We all know what a precious commodity that is today.

SOURCE: http://www.trainingindustry.com/workforce-development/articles/three-ways-to-communicate-and-connect-with-executives.aspx   

QUESTION FOR TODAY.......

HOW DO YOU THINK THE JOB MARKET WOULD BE IN 20 YEARS TIME?

Will it get better or not? 

Dating back to 10 years ago, I found out that there has been a huge, significant and drastic change in

the job market. Starting from the area of technology, down to the rate of unemployment and on to the 

salary. My guess is that if the changes within 10 years are so obvious, what kind of changes are 

going to be encountered in the next 20 years. Politicians may say the country is slowly crawling out of

the depths of the economic crisis. But what does that mean for ordinary workers? Some people might

think unemployment rate will go high, while others think it will be the salary pay. How about you, what do 

you think will happen in 20 years to come?

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT SAY IN A JOB INTERVIEW

When you are invited for an interview, you are usually advised to prepare yourself and practice hard to create an impression during your interview but you forget to practice the words you say to your interviewer. Words really go a long way in creating a good impression in the mind of your employer, so it is better to really rehearse what you will say in your interview. You should also rehearse things you should not say, here a some words you should not say in a job interview.

1. Dedicated, motivated, team player...

Those words are best fit for your CV, so fill them up there and wave them away during your interview. Besides the fact that these words are incredibly overused in interview situations, they're also better demonstrated than just stated. It is better to share experiences of how dedicated or motivated you are, that will portray a more realistic part of you. 

2. Ummm… Errrr…

If you are asked a question and you do not know what to say, it is better to say nothing than say something and spoil your chance of creating a good impression. This can make you look like you are not prepared for the interview. Rather than hemming and hawing while you try to think up an answer, just be silent and think.

3. Whatever, OMG, groovy, cool, kinda……

Want to use these words? Forget it; you are giving yourself a red card for the job already. They are very casual words to be used with your friends and family. You can keep the slangs at home before going for the interview. You want to come across as polished and professional, and you don’t want them to have to dig out their urban dictionary to understand you.

4. We

This one seems innocuous at first, but if you use it a lot when discussing job duties and accomplishments, the interviewer might start to wonder if it was you or your team that was responsible. Try to use “I” as much as possible.

5. No---- Yes

When you are asked any simple question, try not to use the single words (yes or no). The answer to the question might be NO but make sure not to stop there; add something else to it. For example, if asked if you know a particular computer program, and you don’t, you could say, “I haven't yet had a chance to learn it but would be interested to do so,” rather than  simply saying “No or YES".

NEW CAPITAL SOURCES FOR STARTING UP A BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

As a first-time entrepreneur, your first source of funding should probably be your friends, family or personal savings, before seeking angel or VC funding,” says Ozioma Obiaka, a Director at TalentBase, a Lagos-based HR and Payroll software provider. Ozioma is part of a growing wave of Nigerians who have come back to Nigeria after several years of studying and working in the Diaspora. Positive Macroeconomic trends in emerging economies, and economic stagnation in the West, have drawn numerous repatriates (repats) to Nigeria. While many repats have found opportunities in emergent professional sectors such as investment banking and consulting, a recent McKinsey Global Institute study on Nigeria (Nigeria’s Renewal, July 2014), found that Nigeria is developing a large consumer class who by 2030, are projected to number 160 million, and triple their discretionary spending to almost $1 trillion. Co-Founder of Easy Taxi Nigeria, Bankole Cardoso, also a repat, is particularly buoyant when discussing the opportunities in Nigeria: “The Nigerian market is ripe with opportunities that are not available in the West. With our youthful population there is a market for almost everything and over the next 20 years the Nigerian economy will become one of the biggest in the world.” Many have the following things in common in their quest to raise startup capital: bootstrapping; capital from friends and family; and knowledge/access to Nigeria’s nascent network of startup incubators, angel investors, and venture capital. Nigeria’s network of venture capital firms, angel investors, and startup incubators, may well be increasing in number, but according to Ozioma, “they typically want to see some form of progress before committing any capital to a venture.”   
Startup incubators: Startup incubators are usually collaborative programs run by both public and private entities, designed to help early stage businesses grow, by providing workspace, seed-funding, training, and mentoring. Examples of Nigerian oriented incubators include: Co-Creation Hub, the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program (TEEP), and Wennovation Hub.   
Angel Investors: Angel investors are affluent individuals that provide capital for business startups, usually in exchange for ownership equity or convertible debt. Typically, angel investors have also sought to collaborate with each other in what is commonly referred to as angel investor networks. Angel investor networks, which sometimes partner with incubators, enable angel investors to pool their resources, in order to help budding entrepreneurs. Examples of Nigeria focused angel investors include: Opeyemi Awoyemi – Co-founder at Jobberman and investor in Cashenvoy, and Chika Nwobi – Founder of 440.ng, and investor in Jobberman. A prominent angel investor network is the Lagos Angel Network (LAN), an initiative of the Wennovation Hub.   Venture Capital: Venture capital is money provided by investors to early stage firms and small businesses with perceived high growth potential. The majority of venture capital comes from a group of wealthy investors, investment banks and other financial institutions. The aforementioned groups pool their resources into partnerships called venture capital firms. One key difference between venture capital and angel funding is that venture capital is probably more suited to early stage businesses that have already received angel funding, but require a significant injection of funds to accelerate growth. Two other differences between venture capital and angel funding include: Venture capitalists often require a board seat, and a board of directors to be formed, thereby giving them a stake in major company decisions. Venture capitalists conduct lengthy due diligence before deciding on whether to invest in a company – sometimes six months or longer. Examples of Venture capital firms with Nigerian interests are Adlevo Capital and EchoVC Partners.   
Government and Other Funding Schemes: For the vast majority of Nigerians who are unable to start businesses due to a lack of bootstrap funds or capital from friends/family, a bank loan and government Small and Mediem Enterprise (SME) funding initiatives are the most visible paths to startup capital. Examples of government SME initiatives include the Enterprise Graduate Empowerment Scheme funded by Nigeria’s Enterprise Bank, the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP), and the Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria (YOUWIN). 
Though an obvious route to startup capital, bank loans are often very hard to attain for the average Nigerian. “Basically they don’t get the loans. If they are lucky, the interest rates charged by the banks will be closer to at least thirty percent”, says Olubunmi Asaolu, Head of Equity Research at FBN Capital. When added to other costs such as generator fuel, bank loans even when given, are a major hurdle for Nigerian entrepreneurs seeking startup capital. Moreover, government initiatives though helpful, are often not as scalable or efficient in the fund disbursement process, as they proclaim to be. 
The World Bank’s 2015 Doing Business rankings offers a mixture of quantitative results, as to the ease of raising finance for a business in Nigeria: ranking a paltry 170 out of the 189 economies surveyed overall, 52nd in getting credit (up 73 places), and 129th (up 9 places) in starting a business. 
The new avenues of startup capital are beneficial and growing in number, but in order to truly be inclusive, more effective government SME programs, in tandem with lower interest bank loans, are needed. Joint ventures between banks and the government, where business literacy is promoted, thereby lowering the risk on the part of banks to give startup capital, is a start. All groups have a part to play in helping more Nigerians fulfill their entrepreneurial potential.  

SOURCE: http://www.ventures-africa.com/2015/02/starting-a-business-in-nigeria-these-are-the-capital-sources-you-should-be-seeking/

WAYS OF MAKING TRAINING TO BENEFIT YOUR COMPANY

Training is an important tool in developing employees and job seekers as well. Thus training is important for both working class people and business owners. But a problem with managers is the fact that they doubt the effectiveness of training for their employers, and some believe more in the use of technological form of learning. People believe that training is just to fill up space and not clearly defining their goals for the training. this makes them not to realize the importance and effectiveness of training for themselves and their employees.  You can't measure what you can't quantify and you can't meet expectations if they are not there in the first place.
Here are some questions you may ask yourself before signing that member of your team up for a training programme:

THINK OF THE FUTURE
Look at where your organisation heading in the next three to five years. Think of the gap there is to fill as well as the kind of knowledge and skills needed to fill up the gap. You should then articulate the needs of your company that you want the training to meet.  Good organisations get their employees well trained to perform their current job functions. Smart organisations train their staff to meet today’s needs and be ready for tomorrow’s demands.

GO FOR QUALITY AND NOT PRICE
Talk to as many people as possible and make researches to help you know which training facility to  make use of, this is because there are many programmes that can help to meet your organisation's needs. The idea is to find a programme in the market that best meets your needs, or have a provider design and customise one for you. Do not go for the price, but go for the quality of the product. TO FIND A GOOD TRAINING CENTRE FOR YOUR COMPANY NEEDS, VISIT www.careergong.com.

CREATE A BENEFICIARY CLIMATE
Know the kind of benefits you want to get at your workplace when you send someone for training. You can't expect an employee to put her newly gained innovation techniques to use if your organisation just wants everyone to follow set procedures and frown upon new ideas. A climate that allows the new training skills to be applied is as important as the training. And so is creating opportunities for the employee to use what she has just learnt.

Work out deliverables, and communicate expectations
When it comes to post-training evaluation, some organisations go as far as structuring an evaluation process for their staff to know how well they learnt the skills needed in the training. You can make use of any approach of your choice but the important thing is that the measurements should be fair and achievable. It’s also crucial to map out the outcomes and communicate that expectation to the employee.

Training will continue to play an integral role in people development and a necessary expense for businesses. How well you plan for training may not save your organisation much, but will surely stretch that investment – and actually translate into something meaningful for your organisation, your clients, and your employees.
TO FIND A GOOD TRAINING CENTRE FOR YOUR COMPANY NEEDS, VISIT  www.careergong.com.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF JOB INTERVIEW

HERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF JOB INTERVIEW THAT CANDIDATES SHOULD BE AWARE OF ACCORDING TO www.business2community.com  

• Behavioral interview:

A behavioral interview is an interview where employers try to find out about your personality, your character, and your soft skills to see if you are a good fit for the position and the company culture. The interview focuses on experience, behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities that are related to the job. In this type of interview, you should respond to questions by giving examples from your previous work experience, activities, hobbies, volunteer work, or school projects.

• Technical interview:

A technical interview evaluates your technical skills related to the job, such as your computer skills or your design skills. This type of interview is generally conducted by someone working in a similar position or by someone who is knowledgeable in what is needed for that position and can assess your technical abilities.

• Case interview:

A case interview generally includes a business case that the interviewer or someone else from the company has worked on in real life. This business case usually involves a problem or a challenge that needs to be resolved. In this type of interview, generally employers want to see how you work on a problem and what steps you take to get to the solution. Consulting companies generally use case interviews in their hiring process.

• Mock interview:

A mock interview is a preparation interview for the real one. Usually, a career services office or a recruiting agency conducts a mock interview with you so that you can get used to interviewing and become better prepared for your real interview. A mock interview is a great way to get feedback regarding your interviewing skills.

• Group interview:

A group interview is a type of interview in which you are interviewed with a bunch of other candidates at the same time. Most job seekers find group interviews very intimidating. 

• On-campus interview:

An on-campus interview is the one conducted on campus by employers. It’s only for the students of the school where the interview is taking place. For students, it’s actually more advantageous to do on-campus interviews. Since students are in a place that they already know, they generally feel more comfortable during on-campus interviews than when they go to the offices of the companies to interview.

• Phone interview:

This is the type of interview conducted via a phone call. Companies often use phone interviews to screen the candidates and narrow the applicant pool. Human resources personnel prefer phone interviews to gain basic information about the candidate such as his interest about the job, salary expectations, willingness to relocate if necessary, etc.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN RECENT JOB SEARCHES

A lot has changed in the job market, people who have been out of the job search market will find things different from the way it used to be. This is happening as a result of the poor economic system making job seekers to be more than the employers. Regardless, it’s a different world for job seekers than it was a decade ago.Here’s what you need to know about recent job search  according to Allison Green:

1. It will take longer than you think. Employers who move quickly and wrap up hiring processes in a few weeks are becoming a rarity. Employers are increasingly stretching out the interview process and overall time it takes to hire a new employee. Many employers are adding additional steps to their hiring process, including multiple interview rounds in which candidates meet with multiple decision-makers and others who have input on the process. The time between steps and the time it takes to make a decision once interviews are over can be substantial. Some job seekers report hiring processes that stretch on for four or more months before a hire is made.

What’s more, employers’ own estimates of how long their hiring process will take are often off. It’s not uncommon for an interviewer to tell a candidate that the process is moving quickly, that the company feels urgency around filling the position and a decision will be made within a week – only for the process to drag on for months longer.

2. Simply being qualified won't get you an interview. Employers these days are often inundated with applications for loads of qualified candidates – far too many to interview. That means many, many qualified candidates don't even get interviews.

For job seekers, this means it’s not enough to show that you meet the posted qualifications for the job; you need to show that you'd excel at it. It’s more important than ever to write a compelling cover letter, use your network in any way you can and have a strong résumé that shows a clear track record of achievement and demonstrates your success in the key areas that the employer is seeking.

3. Employers are increasingly relying on online applications, to the detriment of job seekers.While plenty of employers still direct candidates to apply by emailing a résumé and cover letter, there’s a growing move toward electronic application systems, which require you to fill out often lengthy online forms. Before you even get a phone screen, you sometimes have to divulge everything from your salary history to your Social Security number to references’ contact information.

These forms can take significant amounts of time. They also put many job seekers in uncomfortable positions by preventing them from even applying if they don’t answer multiple invasive questions up front.

4. It’s tough to change fields. The job market continues to be difficult for people trying to change fields, since selling your skills as transferable can be an uphill battle when you’re up against plenty of candidates who won’t require any training or ramp-up time. There’s little incentive for employers to take a risk on field-changers or to figure out how skills from one field might translate to another one.

That doesn't mean it’s impossible to do, but if you're hoping to change fields, it’s smart to brace yourself for a longer search and do anything you can to get experience in the new field. (Volunteering can be one good way to do that).

5. You may be asked to demonstrate your work in action. Employers are increasingly testing candidates’ abilities through things like writing tests, skills assessments, problem-solving simulations, role plays and creating mock work plans. These requests are reasonable and useful as long as they don’t take a significant amount of time – but some employers push the boundaries of what’s reasonable. Spending one to hours on an exercise to demonstrate how you’d approach the job is reasonable; being asked to provide a full day of free work or to create work that the employer will actually use is not.

FIND YOUR CAREER MATCH TODAY

When searching for a job, you get bombarded with several job vacancies that you become confused for which one to apply for and how to write a CV to fill up the job description for each of them. Despite such frightening visions, finding your career match can be made easier and less overwhelming by following a few steps. To do this, you should;

§  Be aware of your personal interest and skills, and then match the traits with the job you are searching for.

§  Find out the company’s salary prospect to know if they can take care of your needs.

§  Then make use of all your resources to find the exact job that is in line with your job.

Knowing what you prefer in career will help you to know what job to look out for.

Avoiding clashes between personal values and your place of employment is essential to ensuring happiness and lower stress levels. Your ideal career should challenge your skill level, but not create unattainable or unrealistic goals. You can discover these personal traits by self evaluation or partaking in online career personality assessment tests.

Also, when you are aware of the kind of job salary you are looking for you will know the kind of job you need to apply for. You can learn about the type of salary being paid by making research online for a career field or company. By completing these two steps, you will now have a good idea of what to look for when searching for that ideal match. You are equipped with the knowledge you need to narrow down your search and leave only the opportunities that will most benefit you.

Finding career opportunities can be done in several ways. You will want to utilize all of your resources to ensure you have as many options available to you as possible. If you have an idea of a specific company you’d like to work for, you can visit the company and inquire about job openings.

Also searching for jobs have become easier since online publishing of jobs came on board. Jobs are also posted in the newspaper, bill boards and posters.  Using websites such as www.careergong.com allow the user to search job openings nationwide, and to also know the career that suits your interests.                           

Following these three steps will ensure success in finding your perfect career. Eliminating undesirable careers based on your personality and needs produces more successful results in your search for the ideal match. This leaves you will the knowledge of what to look for. Though searching for your ideal career can seem overwhelming at first thought, it is an attainable goal! By following these three steps, you will find your ideal career.

WAYS OF IMPRESSING NEW EMPLOYEES

Often times I come across certain job seekers who work short term with their former employers, either 3 or 6 months. On asking them the reason for leaving the company, the constant reason is that they were uncomfortable in the company due to certain reasons. This have put some companies in the bad book of many job seekers. The needs of employees should be met adequately to improve a company's productivity level, thus there is need for companies to create a positive impression for new employees to make them comfortable. These impressions are designed to retain customers. 

Here are three things to do to impress and help employees to get used to and comfortable with the environment.

1. GIVE THEM A MENTOR.                                               

When you hire a new worker, assign the person to a mentor who would help the person get oriented with the company. This mentor can be with the person for like a week or two. Mentorship programs give employees an opportunity to learn from more seasoned employees, as well as build connections within the workplace early on.

This will help them to find someone they can meet to answer certain questions. Having someone to go to for questions, comments and concerns is comforting to new employees. It also helps to combat nerves associated with starting a new job. Having mentors help employees to speed up their adaption with the company affairs.  

2. OFFER AND ENCOURAGE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES TO THEM.

Today, employers give their employees training in certain areas that are beneficiary to both them and the company, although the training do not last very long. Although extending this training to provide development is very necessary, so offering new employers training and development opportunities is important.  Employee training should be advised at all times. 
The employees can train themselves for needed skill and understanding. Encourage employees to search for opportunities to sharpen their skills -- professional development events, relevant webinars, lectures -- on their own time. Recognize employees for their efforts to learn and develop work-related skills outside of the workplace. Better yet, have them present what they learned during team meetings so that everyone can benefit.

3. MAKE THE SYSTEM AUTOMATIC.

Make your working system an automated one, starting from the operating system to the communicating system. This is a big one. It makes it simpler for both employers and employees to assign, track and store new hire paperwork and tasks. Gone are the days of mechanical form of operation, companies have now moved to a paperless and technological generation. It will help to make both the employers and employees to be focused and organized. It also helps to make paper work faster and more time dedicated to other activities. Not only does it make things easier for employers, but having everything all in one place enables employees to easily refer back to necessary info when needed.

MAKE THAT ENGINEERING JOB INTERVIEW TODAY

                              
Here is what Live Webinar says about getting engineering job from your interview. 
" If you're like me, you are terrified of the most important step in the job hunting process: the interview. It's that make-or-break moment that could determine your future. 

So how do you overcome your anxiety so you can nail the interview with confidence and land the dream offer? In this webinar you'll learn three keys to success: 

1. Go into every interview knowing how you can help the company
2. Instantly crush your anxiety by breaking the ice and setting a steady pace
3. Become the "Most Interesting Candidate In The World".

SOURCE: ENGINEERING.COM RESOURCES

BE AN EMPLOYEE TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS

There is a lot that is added to being an entrepreneur, it is not just about opening a business. An entrepreneur also has to face a lot of challenges in his business especially in the financial aspect. Many young people take the leap into self-employment without understanding just how challenging the space really is. A lot of things awaits you in your business and you need to know these things. You are likely to face financial issues, competition in the business, lack of customers, etc.                                                 So many startups find it difficult to succeed because of certain reasons;   

• Which could be as a result of spending a lot of money on unnecessary things,     
• Sitting back and doing nothing instead of going out and hustling for customers. 
• Losing focus on your main business goal. now this is one very critical decision, once you lose focus from your main reason for starting something, you lose focus from the business totally. It is better to continue striving in that thing you know than leaping into something totally different from your scope of ideas. Stay focused, work on the original goal, learn what you must from the shortcomings and adapt. Don’t think that starting something new on the side will help your short term shortcomings.

These things and more add to the arising problem in entrepreneurship. Here is what you should do to make your self employment a little less hectic.

BECOME AN EMPLOYEE FOR A WHILE.                                                                                               Although the concept of entrepreneurship is to be your own boss, but one thing you should know is that this is very important to do this because you get the skills and knowledge of a business through your boss and your colleague. You get to understand the notion of team working and endurance. This will go a long way in helping you in terms of certain decision making processes.                                                 This will also help you to make at least a little bit of capital for your business. You can use the money gotten from your company to start up and support yourself for the business. Although it is difficult to make a solid living out of your first company, a little cash can go a long way for you. But you can do other things to get more capital, you can volunteer in your company, offer yourself at entry level jobs, etc.  You must be a willing learner to progress, you can go into internships around the country. When you’re working for someone else you’ll learn crucial lessons about employee morale, waste, strategy, resource management and so on. The list is endless. Get stuck in and learn, it will open your eyes to how naive you would have been had you jumped head first into entrepreneurship. 

Entrepreneurship is a journey that will you repeatedly. Just remember, every knock has a lesson to be learned. Learn the lesson and adapt. This is why I encourage every wannabe entrepreneur to get out and get a job first – the lessons that you learn through employment will save you a lot of grief on your journey to being your own boss.

For more career advice log onto www.careergong.blogspot.com, and to get our services free of charge, log onto www.careergong.com.  

HOW TO GET THAT JOB EVEN AFTER BEING REJECTED

Applying for jobs and not getting any interview invitation can be very frustrating, especially when put all your efforts in it. One thing you should know is that you should never give up on yourself. All you need do is to try and analyze the situation to know the reason for the problem. Check the jobs you have applied for and know how capable you are for them, then ask yourself the following questions;

·         Do I meet the minimum level of experience required for the position?

·         Do I meet the minimum level of education required for the job?

·         Do I have most of the required skills for the job?

·         Do I have the certifications required for the position?

 At the end of this research, you will know how much of the requirement you meet for each question and know if you meet the majority of the requirements.

Hiring managers look for candidates who meet at least 80 percent of the job requirements. One reason you aren't making it to the interview might be because they don't see you as qualified enough for the position.

If you find out that you have an issue like this, then look for ways to gain the experience you need it could be getting trained in schools or cerification bodies, so that you can be fit for the next job. Then, before you apply for any more jobs, conduct this same exercise of analyzing yourself against the requirements listed in the next job posting.

One other issue is the fact that so many forget to put these skills in their CV. Without having this appropriate information in, your CVs will not capture your recruiter’s attention. Also, people have a tendency to apply for higher-level positions than what they're qualified for, and this does not get you the job. So when looking for a job, go for lower-level jobs first and from there apply for higher ones.

WHY YOU SHOULD RECRUIT BOTH FOR CV AND PERSONALITY TRAIT

Upon asking an employer some time back how attributes he uses to employ his staff members, he answered thus, ‘personality and friendliness’. I then proceeded to ask him of how he knows of these attributes in job seeker’s CVs, he said that he does not find that attribute in their CVs but in the interview session he holds with them. This got me thinking about what he said how well does personality trait play a good role in the job interview?

Most employers would prefer to hire someone who appears friendly and personable. A big part of the interview process is discerning not only if a candidate can perform the job itself, but rather if they have soft skills that will fit in with the company culture, get along with current employees, and like the job.

Soft skills are defined as personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people. Some examples of soft skills:

— Adaptability

— Communication

— Initiative

— Project Management

— Follow-Through

— Problem Solving

— Strong Work Ethic

— Positive Attitude

— Aware of Self and Company

It is usually important to not only go through job seeker’s CV but to also check their personality trait to know how fit they are for the job. Know what is important to your organization and then set your interview questions towards those things.

Although some can be gleaned from a first impression, such as a positive attitude or effective communication, behavioral interview questions can help bring forth a candidate’s soft skills. My friend said asking behavioural questions can also help to bring out the goodness of a job seeker’s character. Below is an example of behavioral interview questions:

— “Tell me about a time that you identified a need and went above and beyond the call of duty to get things done.” (Initiative)

IMPORTANCE OF FRANCHISE BUSINESS IN ENTTREPRENEURSHIP

Entrepreneurship is all about starting a business and having ideas to maintain the business. Howard Stevenson defines entrepreneurship as “exploiting an opportunity regardless of the resources currently available.” Adding to this, he elaborates “the key to this perspective is the focus on opportunity” (not on resources).

Entrepreneurs can only gain success when they invest so much of their time, money, skills etc in their business. Entrepreneurship involves a lot of risks and failures, these risks which when undertaken well, can be outsmarted. An entrepreneur undertakes the risks ranging right from the inception of the business idea till the time the business is established.

Competition in business has made it business men and women to seek for other ways that are less risky and rewarding. It requires a great deal of efforts to start a business in any sector. But a budding concept for establishing a business for any entrepreneur is to tread on the franchise path.

Franchising in business involves being in business for yourself but not by yourself. this means that you have a business relationship in which a business owner uses you to market their goods and use their business name for a fixed period of time. this creates great business opportunities for young entrepreneurs to become successful. Franchising is inevitable because it offers aspiring new business owners the best possible chance of succeeding. Franchising in business is important for the following reasons;  

·         It helps to reduce business risks because franchising involves using a system that works.

·         It provides training which can starters turn into business experts.

·         It also helps to create a sense of independence making beginners feel like their own bosses.

·         An entrepreneur receives financial assistance from the franchisor, as he/she makes arrangements with the banks and other financial institutions to lend money.

·         It also helps you get mentor support which will help you to be competent in your operations.

·         It helps you to get more customers because you were in the business already and know how to fetch customers for yourself.

Franchise investment is one of the safest businesses that involves less cost and more revenue. Besides this, indulging in business franchising is a win-win situation for the three parties involved—franchisor, franchisee and the end-user of the product/service.