Do good grades really matter when looking for the first job?

When looking for the first job, one can be sure that grades are going to play an important role in the hiring process.
In fact, for some companies, too many Cs and Ds is an automatic disqualification for the job. Such auditing companies as Pricewaterhousecoopers (PWC), Deloitte, Ernst&Young, and KPMG always insist on strong grades. In fact, a majority of those hired by these companies either scored a First Class Honors or a strong Second Class Honors Upper Division. In newspaper adverts, many insist on one scoring at least a second class honors Upper division.

So, why do employers love good grades? One of the reasons is that a good grade indicates that you are hardworking. With hardly any experience, employers are left to rely on grades as their gauge for your hard work. It is fair to say that someone that is really hardworking in campus will manage to get a fairly decent grade.

Secondly, good grades indicate that you are bright and learn things fast. Many employers want to hire you, train you for the minimal amount of time and begin assigning you tasks immediately. A strong grade shows that you can learn the essential skills fast and perform the tasks adequately.

Thirdly, grades act as a screening tool for the employers. Many average employers do receive thousands of applications for a simple job vacancy. With no alternative elimination strategy, grades become the most common denominator to select those that will advance to the next stage of the interview and eventually be hired.

Of course, many HR practitioners will tell you that excellent grades are not in way a measure of how a potential recruit will perform in the workplace. After a few years, grades cease to matter as the job skills become more appropriate and those who got lower grades have a chance of catching up with those who scored high grades upon graduation.
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8 questions to ponder as you select the best company to work for.

Every year, Kenyans get to know which companies are ranked the best in various categories.

The Company of the Year awards (COYA), seeks to celebrate the best company in each industry, and an example that others in the field could emulate. While the awards have produced surprises here and there, the same companies seem to dominate here and there. Some of the companies that have made it to the top list in the past include Bamburi, Bidco, Nation Media Group, Safaricom, Airtel, General Motors amongst other companies. Below is a list of factors that could guide you as select who your next employer should be.

1. Does the company offer opportunities for career progression e.g. promotions?

2. Does the company enable you to develop personally? (Personally development).

3. Is the work environment conducive, free of stress?

4. Are the employees empowered to make major decisions?

5. Do employees get enough time to rest and avoid burnout?

6. Are women and other under represented groups in major decision making positions?

7. Is the salary enough, is it in accordance with the market trends?

8. Does the company offer leaves, maternity leaves, children pickup from school and other recreational facilities?
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5 Must haves for career Progression.

Many young professionals routinely wonder what it takes to rise fast in their careers, and to get to the top.

While there is no straight path to get to the top, there are some avenues that can help one get to the top quickly.

1. Deep knowledge in your field.

Having deep knowledge in your field will make you every indispensable. If you are talented, you can easily hop from one job to the other, as your skills will be high in demand.

2. Some financial skills.

At the heart of every company is the need to make money and profits. The company wouldn’t exist if it didn’t churn out profits. That’s why many professionals are enrolling for extra classes in Finance or MBA, so as to get that extra edge in the corporate rat race. Even if you are working in a non profit field or for an NGO, you will still need the financial literacy skills.

3. Creativity and innovation.

Innovation I the buzzword these days, and the ability to solve problems within your company or organization will make you be relied upon and indispensable.

4.Team player and other soft skills

It is no longer just enough to possess only the technical skills. You will also need the soft skills to advance. For instance, you could be the most talented computer programmer but if you don’t know how to work with people, then you might not go very far. Other soft skills that one should work on includes presentation and other communication skills.

5. Leadership/analytical and problem solving skills.

You will need great leadership skills to excel, perhaps, a leader encompasses all the above traits and inspires trust and confidence in whoever he/she is leading.

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Should one choose pay over experience?

The competition for jobs has gotten increasingly tight and many Kenyans consider themselves lucky if they can hold on to just one job alone.

Others are plain lucky and manage to hop from one job to another with relative ease. At the top of most people’s mind as they look for a new job is the pay. The higher the pay, the more likely a person is to choose that job. There are however certain times when taking a job merely because of the pay can prove to be risky.

Take for example taking a job outside your profession. Even though the job might be high paying and very lucrative in every sense, it may not enable you to gain additional skills in your area of training. While there are some people who would definitely want to change careers for whatever reasons, many would want to stay in the careers that they trained in. For instance, a number of engineers take up high paying jobs in banks, auditing firms and other finance firms. Does this add any skills to their engineering expertise? I bet not. So, unless they gain additional papers and skills in the new finance field, they may be disadvantaged in both professions.

To many people, pay is the ultimate king, which is a given fact. After all, we all need to pay bills and cash is king. However, if the pay comes at the expense of acquiring more skills that can help in the career and professional progression, then you might want to consider if the high pay is worth it.

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What makes a great CV?

The curriculum Vitae (CV), is one of the most essential tools that can help one land the job.

Some people use the word CV and resume interchangeably, so that shouldn’t confuse someone at all. At it’s heart, the CV is a great marketing tool, helping a potential job applicant to get short listed for the interview and hopefully be recruited by the employer. So, in essence, your CV should ac as your promoter and your personal brand.

With thousands of CVs to go through, potential employers do not have much time to scan one’s CV. A quick glance for important facts is all it takes for your CV to be either accepted for consideration, or to be thrown into the dustbin, or to receive a regret letter/email. So, at most, many Human resource personnel just give your CV one minute tops. If it fails to impress them during this duration, then too bad, one will not be considered for the job.

So, quite literally, the most important information should appear on page one. If the first page does not make a great impression, few would be bothered to read on. However if the first page makes a great impression, this prods the recruiter to go into the inner pages, so as to get to know you better.

If possible, one should elaborate on the accomplishments with action words e.g. started, founded, changed, achieved etc. The accomplishments should be in quantifiable terms if necessary. This is because; it makes it easier to compare figures or percentages. E.g increased sales in my department is very vague, one would rather say, under my leadership as the sales manager, the department realized a 100% rise in sales over the previous two years, from kshs.1 million to kshs.2 million.

Keep the CV short, in many cases, a 2 to 3 page CV is enough, unless one is applying for middle or senior management positions, where the depth of the CV will be more, in tandem with the position applied for.

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Do MBAs make great managers?

These days, every young ambitious professional is seeking to enroll in a masters program so that he/she increases the chances of rising up the corporate ladder.

To be sure, there is a cut-throat competition and only the most competitive are able to get ahead in the murky corporate world.

The most popular post graduate course is the Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Nearly every

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First year- A make or break year

When First year students enter campus, one doesn’t help but notice the innocent looking faces of the Freshers.

During the first few weeks, some students will be talking about the big schools, the Alliances, the Starehes, and others, but such students soon realize that even though you might be admitted twenty of you from the same school to the same faculty, at the end of the day, it’s everybody for himself/herself. Soon, everyone develops their own unique interests and pursuits. There is also the walk round campus, which some students will find to be very confusing.

Soon, the first CATs are given, and everyone forgets about the clean As they had in KCSE, it’s now another battle altogether. Some students manage to hold onto the excellent grades, some drift to average grades while others start posting poor grades, and wonder where they brilliant brain might have gone too.

The first year female students are the most in demand, as second, third and fourth year students rush to get a share of the new girls in town, and dump their usual girlfriends. This rush, which many Universities call “Gold Rush”, leads to many relationship breakups in campus. And then there is the signing up in various clubs, societies and organizations. The CU, the SDA, the Catholic, Rotaract, Muslim students, environmental club, all those clubs constantly need new members to ensure continuity and First year students are routinely hunted to join them.

And then some weeks later, some First year students will be introduced in student politics. The rough and tumble of the student politics in every way resembles the national politics. The mudslinging, the horse trading of votes, the violent tactics used to campaign, the glamour acts as a good breeding ground for future politicians.  And soon, the First year students will join in the culture of the University, and soon it will be time for them to usher in another set of First year students, and the cycle will start all over again.

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Is it time for technology revolution in Kenya?

The June 2011 issue in the Time magazine had an article on the technology revolution currently taking place in the country, and the article was titled “Silicon savanna” revolution in Kenya.

Silicon, is an adaptation of the famous Silicon Valley in California, known to be the heart of the internet and digital revolution in the world.

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Kenyan universities and the real job market-Is there a disconnect between them?

There are many Universities that are springing up left right and center.

To be sure, the number of form four graduates is increasing by the day, and so the demand for colleges and Universities is at an all time high. Many jobs now require that an applicant possesses at least a bachelors degree.

However, some employers have expressed reservations on the link between the quality of the curriculum in the universities and whether it really prepares one for the practical on the job skills in the field. To this end, such Universities are opting to train fresh graduates round the various departments of the company and then posting them to the relevant fields. It would appear that the universities would have produced better equipped graduates if they collaborated with corporate companies to prepare the curriculum.

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Which are the best Kenyan careers to pursue?

Many young Kenyans routinely ask how which careers they should pursue in order to get the most satisfying life and a lucrative job.
Previously, all one needed to have is possess a University degree and they would be guaranteed of a job. However, this is not the case anymore.

Even with a degree these days, it is becoming harder for fresh graduates and experienced professionals alike to secure jobs. To be sure, there is no right or wrong career to pursue. One only needs to consider their talents and whether they will excel in that profession. It is also important that one does well in their chosen profession and excels in it, then; they can use that as a stepping stone to secure a more lucrative job. These days, many companies are hiring graduates from a variety of courses, as graduate management trainees, and then post them to the relevant jobs.

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Too many graduates working in professions they did not train for- Is it bad?

These days, it appears that the profession you train for is not what you will automatically work in.

These days, there are biologists working in banks, engineers working as marketers, teachers working as human resource professionals etc. So, is it really bad if one gets a job outside their profession?

In a country where one is lucky to get a job, the advice that most job seekers are given is that they should take whichever job comes along. With the spiraling unemployment in the country, where else does one think that they can get a job? Bills such as rent, food, transport are to be taken care of. As soon as one wears that graduation gown and the graduation party is over, reality sinks in and one discovers that they have to stand on their own two feet. The parents will in most cases be reluctant to give you any money, having already spent a huge fortune on your education.

Whilst the there is no harm in taking the first job outside your profession, care should be taken so as not to lose sight of what you really wanted to achieve professionally. It’s also very hard to grow professionally if one doesn’t have the requisite papers in that discipline. It is also understandable that some people want to do what they love, what they have a passion for. Many people do courses that do not fully utilize their real talents and skills. It is for this reason that some companies have began the graduate management recruitment, where graduates are rotated through the various aspects of the business. They will then be posted to areas where there real skills and talents are.

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What should motivate someone to choose a career?

So, what should ideally motivate one to choose one career over the other?

Since one will spend most of his/her adult life working, choosing the right career is one of life’s most important decisions. True, the society

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Why the rush for post graduate degrees?

The number of students seeking postgraduate degrees has been increasing by the day.

The most popular postgraduate degree seems to be the masters in Business Administration (MBA). Besides the academic certificates, many young Kenyans are also

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What’s the difference between BSC in engineering, BTech in engineering, BEng in Engineering?

Some readers have asked about the difference between BSC in engineering, BTech in engineering, BEng in Engineering.

To be sure, the differences are not that much, especially when one looks at the Kenyan job market and is keen in working in the country. The differences are wide however in universities abroad.

A BSC in engineering, in the strict sense, prepares one for a career in research, and the level of theory is much more in depth. One will learn both the theoretical aspects as well as the practical aspects needed for the job. However, the primary aim of the course is to make one ingrained in the basic principles of a discipline. To a large extent therefore, a specialization in BSC Eng is more design and research oriented.

On the other hand a BTech or a BEng in engineering prepares one for a career in the field, in the professional aspects. The curriculum is much more devoted to the application of the theories to practical problems in the field. Equally, craft and other skills may also be incorporated, skills that are essential in the day to day performance of the job.

As I stated earlier, these differences are mainly in universities abroad. The job sector in countries abroad allows for such broad distinctions. However, when one considers the Kenyan job market, the market is basically the same, and the graduates of these fields end up working in the same places. For example, there is not much difference in the career prospects of a BTech or BEng mechanical engineering graduate from that of a BSC Mechanical engineering graduate.

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Beware:- Is your University course registered by professional bodies.

I received this email from a student of  Kisii University:

“Hello sir,i am a first year student who has been called to
join kisii campus to study law,but we have been told not to join campus till further notice because Lsk (Law society of Kenya) does not approve of that course being done,i wonder when the further notice will be but seriously this is very unfair,i suggest that if the campus is unable to reach any agreement with the Lsk we be transferred to other campuses and if that is not possible then jab should allow us
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Are national schools overrated?

The number of national schools in the country looks set to increase from the current 18 to over 50.

National schools are some of the oldest high schools in the country, with a rich history. Many of the national schools were founded during the colonial era. Some of the most prominent national schools include Alliance High

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Bachelor of Science in Agricultural engineering- The course and where one can work.

Agricultural engineering, as the name suggests, is a course that mainly deals with the agricultural domain.

You will learn to design tools and equipment used in the agriculture sector, maintain machine, equipment and other tools used in the production of products and goods in a factory or a manufacturing set up. In a way, one will

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Diploma in Computer Science/IT/Computer engineering

As the demand in computer and information technology has increased, so too is the demand for professionals in these disciplines.

A diploma program in Computer science/IT/computer engineering should ideally take between one and two years. A diploma program in computer science /IT/Computer engineering can be

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Diploma in Business administration.

Business administration is one of the most popular courses in Kenya.

One will learn the important aspects of business such as accounting, finance, marketing, sales, human resources, insurance and cooperatives. There are so many colleges offering the diploma in Business Administration and the challenge is in identifying the

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Diploma in Journalism/Media studies

Journalism is one of the most coveted careers in Kenya.

The sheer opportunity to hob nob with high and mighty, celebrities, musicians, revered public figures makes many people dream of becoming journalists. There are also those who have an innate passion to inform the population of what is happening in the country/world.

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Diploma in Clinical medicine

Clinical medicine is a course that ordinarily takes between three and four years.

One will be trained in all the facets of medicine, and the graduates of the program (clinical officers) are meant to assist doctors to better treat patients. Clinical officers act as a useful bridge between doctors and nurses. A majority of clinical

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Diploma in Cosmetology/Cosmetics/beauty.

These days, the desire to look fresh, youthful and have a good public image has gripped Kenya and the world in general.

Many people nowadays invest lots of money in order to maintain a perfect image. Cosmetologists/beauty professionals are at the heart of this. The demand for such professionals is manifested

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Bachelor of Pharmacy- The course and where one can work.

Bachelor of Pharmacy is a course that is widely popular among high school students.

It is one of the most competitive courses, and the cut-off points for the course are among the highest. The weighted cluster points for the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree course has been hovering around 47. The individual cluster subjects for the course are Math or Physics, Biology, Chemistry and English or Kiswahili. To be assured of getting the course, one will need straight As in the above subjects as well as an overall grade of an A Plain or a very

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Bachelor Of Medicine and Surgery (MBCHB)- The course and where one can work.

The Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBCHB) degree is a six year course offered in a number of public Universities in Kenya.

Currently, the course is offered at University of Nairobi (UON), Moi University and Kenyatta University. Since the course is arguably one of the most competitive courses in the country, one needs near perfect scores in order to be admitted through the regular government program. One needs to score an overall grade A and get grade A in Math or Physics, A in Biology, A in Chemistry and A in English

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