The First Degree: Bankable?

MAKING SEPTEMBER COUNT

DAY 12: September 12th, 2017.

Olá!

Trust your interviews are taking shape. You might have to go through several before landing the dream job. It’s not time to take a break then, but sit back, reflect and reorganize for imminent success.

Over the course of the next few days, I’d be facilitating a Pre-employment chain within the Making September Count series. It’s intended for students of tertiary institutions and fresh graduates, who are unsure of strategies to implement in improving their skills, personal appeal and general employability.

Today, we explore an illusion. I refer to it as an illusion because it’s propaganda that an embarrassing number of young people have guzzled; hook, line & sinker.

Our generation of millennials is regaled with tales of the absolute indispensability of First Degrees (for the purpose of clarity; the certificate and grade you obtain at completion of studies at a University or Polytechnic) to building a successful career. I want to submit here that a First Degree bereft of accessories (some of which are highlighted in this publication) is grossly overrated, and could impede your progression through the ranks.

Much ado has been made about the need to face your lectures and practical classes, and neglect other ‘irrelevant aspects’ of school that might impact adversely on your graduating grade. Some of those irrelevant aspects manifest in the form of Student Entrepreneurship, Community Development Service and Student-run organizations. For the mature generation, the First Class or 2:1 is more important than any other undertakings you pursue on campus. Rationale: they guarantee you stable, pensionable employment post-graduation. They worked in 1985, why not now? Utterly flawed theory!

The 21st Century has witnessed a revolution; we now exist in a value-driven society, one where your personally-developed technical and soft skills trump your certificate and graduating grade. Employers are now more interested in what you bring to the table, than the magna cum laude. The reality of the situation is this; in 2017, a rational firm of Consultants will RARELY employ a fresh graduate with zero Excel and Presentation skills! After all, school should be about broadening your horizon and building you skills for life, not just about obtaining grades.

Critical Imperatives

In this article, I’ll share with you some crucial tips, alongside my experiences, to aid your personal development quest. Whether you’re a student, or a fresh graduate seeking employment, this is relevant to you.

Get Involved. While studying for my undergraduate degree at the University, I joined (and eventually led) the student-based Social Entrepreneurship group, Enactus. As students, assisted by faculty and business advisors, we conceived and implemented a wide range of sustainable social impact projects, impacting the standard of living and quality of life of our beneficiaries. We carried out needs assessments and market surveys, carefully documenting our results at each stage of the project implementation. As well, we were mandated to make available reports (including financial reports) of our activities to our Country Office at periodic intervals. Above all, at the end of each Enactus Year, at a competition, we were required to present the outcomes of our projects to a judging panel carefully selected from different sectors of industry and the economy. Those years were the groundwork for my forays into Human Resources, Business and Financial Advisory, and a convincing reference point for virtually all of my interviews. You should consider joining similar groups, if you’re still a student (you don’t have to be anyway). Some common ones are Junior Chamber International (JCI), AIESEC and Toastmasters International. You’d build teamwork, relationship, leadership and analytic skills; competencies that are now considered largely indispensable to the modern workplace.

Apply to Internships & Fellowships. The educational system has clearly failed us in one respect; its inability to effectively link our classrooms to the workplace. One way to develop the critical requisites of today’s labor bazaar is to undergo internships and fellowships, particularly in your preferred career space. You have an opportunity to see firsthand, how classroom theory dovetails into practice. Additionally, all progressive organizations value the fact that you have actually been in a work environment before your first full-time job – it means you can settle in seamlessly, with less brushing-up and monitoring required. You would have made all the mistakes and improved immensely before landing your first real job. Prior graduation, I had the good fortune of internships with a manufacturing multinational and two reputable professional services firms. You can find a number of great internships via sites including Stutern, Opportunities for Africans, Sesewa and Opportunity Desk. Spend your summer holidays working. It comes with the extra perk of monthly stipends and other non-financial benefits. There are however, internships that come unpaid. Regardless, give it your all and acquire all of the knowledge and experience you can. You’re eventually the better for it.

Stay on the Learning Train. I have already pointed out that employers want to hire people with real, multidisciplinary skills. The fact that you studied Accounting doesn’t preclude you from an understanding of programming in Java™, an ability to design websites or write and edit books. Everything you need to know these days can be learnt on the web. You should visit sites including edX , Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, MIT OpenCourseWare and Alison more often. They contain online databases that improve your skills and knowledge in just about any area that tickles your fancy. A number of them offer certificates for a small fee as well. Websites such as YouTube™ also present you massive archives of learning material via Do-It-Yourself (DIY) videos. There are quite a number of offline learning centres that you can leverage to get better in your either your key area or another. Register to take Microsoft Excel™ tutorials or take professional courses. Whatever you do, don’t stop learning. It eventually sets you apart from the crowd.

Final Words…

I can barely discount the importance of earning a First Degree with a great grade. Your employability prospects depend on it to a reasonable extent. However, depending wholly on the degree and grade would be injurious to your chances at being hired by your dream establishment. In the ensuing article, we’d take a look at some other strategies that would place you on the right pedestal to valuable self-development. Don’t bank on your first degree!

Today’s Interview Tip

Query: Why have you been unemployed for such a long time?

Response: I have been engaged in some freelance writing and editing work, while I also enrolled for a web-based Emotional Intelligence course.

Author’s Note

The views expressed and points raised here, though not exhaustive, are an outcome of my careful study, research and observation. Do you need to prepare a winning CV/resumé, Cover Letter or Motivation Letter and are pressed for time? You can send me a mail via mailthefresher@gmail.com or call +2348138800012. You can also reach out via LinkedIn through Olumide Ibikunle for discounted assistance.

Do more!

Olumide Ibikunle

12 | 09 | 2017