Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Answering Your Job/Internship Search Dilemmas with Bukola Omokehinde
337 Plays1 year ago
Season 3 Episode 3
In this episode, Bukola flies Solo and answers some job search dillemas. This is especially important for people looking to apply for upcoming global internships and would like to know the best way to position themselves for success.
Remember to,
Send us your career dilemmas here.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out the new website layout - Growdiance
Join our mailing list to stay up to date on everything Growdiance - Join us
------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow Bukola on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram
Follow Veronica on LinkedIn Twitter and Instagram
Follow Growdiance on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram
------------------------------------------------------------------
Remember to leave us a 5-star ⭐️ rating.
Recommended
Transcript
Uncovering Unsuitable Career Paths through Internships
00:00:06
Speaker
And so what internship is going to teach you is it helps you cross out those opportunities that are not for you. So to improve your interviewing skills, you need to know the start method and you need to know how to judiciously use it. So say if you're a student right now, start spending time giving your network because you never know how they will help you.
00:00:31
Speaker
Hi Tim Groydience. I hope you're doing very well today. What's wrong with me? Normally I'd say hi everyone, but today I just felt like saying hi Tim Groydience.
Career Questions from Listeners
00:00:40
Speaker
I hope that has a nice ring to it. Okay. So once I talk about today on your more serious note, it actually was just me speaking alone. I wanted to address a couple of career dilemmas that people had sent me over the course of the month. I get a couple of
00:00:58
Speaker
messages on LinkedIn, especially this period where we are approaching when international companies would come to Africa to recruit talented young people. And so it's just with many questions about the job process, CVs, cover letters, everything and anything, interview, anything that will help you in easing and bagging.
00:01:20
Speaker
the offer. So I addressed a couple of the questions, but then whilst I was doing the episode, I felt like this is something that we would like to do a lot more often, addressing some of your questions.
Real Success Stories for Broader Perspectives
00:01:33
Speaker
And so I decided to create a link where you can ask us some of the questions that you have around job search process, or you could probably be in a job, but you just
00:01:42
Speaker
wondering about how the hell do you get out of this department or this company or you have a toxic boss or anything that has to do with career, has young people, we're here to help you address all of those questions. And so go to that link, ask the questions that you have and hopefully in the next episode, we will touch on your question.
00:02:05
Speaker
Alright! The Gross Podcast is a space where we share the real stories behind the stories. We take you behind the scenes of the success stories we read and see online. We lift the wheel and ask the questions that no one else is asking. To expand your mind and break the limits that society and quite frankly yourself have placed on it.
00:02:29
Speaker
and all these is to get you to realize that your version of success is attainable for you, which is attainable for you too. I'd like to start with how my day has been. My day has been completely chaotic and that's why I have been very excited to share it with you, just so you can share the chaos with me.
00:02:48
Speaker
Oh my god, I did not conceive at the beginning of today that I would be recording a podcast episode, because I wanted to record this episode in the weekend, but I've had to push some things to the weekend, so it meant that I have to use today to record the episode. What other chaotic thing did I experience today? My assignment. I was working on this assignment, I was just completely bizarre. This model is not a model that I, in my
00:03:17
Speaker
opinion that I think should ever exist. It's not a model that I think the lens can even be replicated in the real world or I don't even think I can extrapolate anything that I have learned to any situation in
Addressing Career Dilemmas and Job-Seeking Advice
00:03:30
Speaker
the real world. So why, why do we have to suffer ourselves? Why academics like this? Why do we have to complicate things?
00:03:39
Speaker
It's so weird and maybe I feel this way because it's been a while since I have done anything in school related but yes for those who are wondering I'm currently taking a master's program in University of London in organizational psychology. It's a master's program that I'm doing part-time so I get to work whilst I do the program. Hopefully I get to finish it in two years but I have about five years to complete the program so I'm
00:04:06
Speaker
good but obviously it's not a PhD so i'm hoping to complete it in two years anyways that's really what i've been up to today aside from the fact that i've been eating a lot and i want to stop eating as much because i'm trying to dedicate myself to my wellness journey it's been beautiful that i have been dedicated to my wellness and fitness journey
Tailoring Resumes and Cover Letters
00:04:34
Speaker
I have been eating right although eating a lot but eating right actually eating very good and have been going to the gym almost four times a week that's impressive how many of you guys are doing this I know you aren't I know you aren't don't mind me okay so from the cut of today's episode I'm sure you can tell what we're going to be talking about today I'm going to be addressing a couple
00:05:03
Speaker
career dilemmas or job seeking related dilemmas that I have gotten from a couple of you guys. And if you are looking to share your dilemma and you want myself or Veronica to address it on the podcast, then check the show notes. There's a link on there that allows you access to drop your questions.
00:05:25
Speaker
and we will get right back to you. I'm not promising that we'll answer all of the questions that we receive, but obviously some of the questions that will be answered might be relevant to your situation. So always look out for this section of our podcast where we sit down to help you drop mic. So today I am going to start with this question. Obviously everyone who has sent in their
00:05:53
Speaker
questions will be anonymized. These are some of the questions I've received on LinkedIn. So the first question that I'll be addressing says, I am just starting out my journey in job searching and I'd like to know how to tailor my resume and cover letter to suit the jobs that I am looking for.
00:06:18
Speaker
I think I like this question because even though this person is for the first time just trying to build out their cover letters and their resume, they have used the word tailor, which is just absolutely incredibly important for anything that has to do with your job search. You have to tailor your resume and cover letter to suit the specific job that you're looking for.
00:06:42
Speaker
So maybe I should start with what a resume is and what a cover letter is, just to give context to people who are probably just hearing that for the first time. So a resume is your professional portfolio where you have, in chronological order, your experiences. And this experience is not limited to just job experience. You can also include your volunteering experience, your leadership experience, your academic experience, the skill sets that you view over time that is relevant to the role that you're applying to.
00:07:11
Speaker
And while for many of us, we want to suffocate our resumes with all of the experiences that we've amassed over time, just so we can show the recruiter that we have what it takes to be able to perform on the job, it's not advisable. For the most part, a recruiter spends less than 15 seconds looking at your resume before they decide to put it in the yes bucket or trash it in the can. You have to as much as possible
00:07:40
Speaker
slot in only things that are relevant to the role that you're applying to. Now let me give a beautiful story, a very funny one. So myself and Veronica, we worked at a career advancement office at the University of Lagos. Many times just see people submitting a one-page resume. I'm like, how can your resume be in one page? Are you telling me that these are the only things you have done over the years?
00:08:07
Speaker
Oh my God, my resume is four-paged. So what are you saying? And so like for a very long time, we taught having four, five, six, seven pages shows that you're badass. But we later realized after being sophisticated that you shouldn't have more than one page, especially if you're a student. So I don't know your specific situation, but I'm guessing that you're a student. So if you're a student, keep your resume to one page.
00:08:35
Speaker
That's really what I would say about the resume. For cover letter, and there are more things about the resume, of course I can share everything on this goal, but these are things that I can share that can help you kickstart your resume. For your cover letter, your cover letter is that additional document that you send with your CV to augment the things that you said in your resume. It's not a repeat of your resume. It's a storytelling way of letting your recruiter know
00:09:05
Speaker
that you are qualified, capable, and well able to perform on the job, and you're a fit for the company. So those are basically the things that you show in your cover letter. Your cover letter should have a good style. I mean, you should have paragraphs that buttress on specific points. If you want to know the points that your cover letter should buttress, you should get our cover letter pack. We also have a resume pack ingredients that has helped a lot of people. Here's their interviews.
00:09:35
Speaker
especially the application process, because we have a signature way in which we write our resumes and our cover letters, your ingredients that has helped myself and Veronica back bad ass roles over the years. So definitely I'll recommend that you get the packs to have more understanding on how you can tailor your resume and your cover letter.
Building Genuine Professional Networks
00:10:02
Speaker
Second question.
00:10:04
Speaker
Hello, I hope you're doing very well today. I'm just going to skip on a couple of parts. How can I network with professionals in my field to increase my chances of being noticed by potential employers? That's a very deep question. A very important question as well. I think this has been proliferated lately. Especially on LinkedIn, you'd see a lot of posts around people saying that
00:10:35
Speaker
they no longer get jobs by just applying. Many of the jobs that they get right now, they've had to get it through their network. And especially with the current market where there's a lot of people right now looking for jobs, a lot of people have been laid off from their work and a lot of people are now looking for jobs. So the question is what will set you apart from the pack of people? And one of the answers is your network.
00:11:05
Speaker
So this question is really about network. How do you build that network? And for me, I'd like to say that I think network building should be something that you do, not just for the sake of getting a job. It's something that you have to see as a consistent habit and something that should be part of your
00:11:25
Speaker
professional life. And sometimes like the word networking can be very nebulous because we think that we have to perform and act a certain way that is different from who we are just beginning network. And for me, I don't force networks if I network with you and I don't see anything that connects
00:11:47
Speaker
I just let it be. And one thing that I like to say also, just not to sound very shallow, is the fact that there's a difference between your professional network and your friends. So you have to still be deliberate about the networking process, but it's not like you have to constantly check on your network all the time. Like you will check up on your friend. So the networking relationship has a life of its own. And so
00:12:13
Speaker
Building this network can be as simple as sending a message to people on LinkedIn and saying you like to be connected with them, you like to have a catch-up call with them to understand what they are doing, to learn more about them and to learn from them. Your network doesn't have to be vertical. So the person you're networking with doesn't have to be someone who is more senior than you.
00:12:38
Speaker
your network can be a result or it could be your mates because in the next 10 years, you and your mates would be in positions that currently seems like an out of the world position for you right now.
Gaining Experience through Internships and Volunteering
00:12:52
Speaker
So I've said a lot of things, but I don't want to go off tangent. I want to address the question. So how do you view network for the sake of getting noticed by potential employers? So I think referring back to the things that I've said around network, the purpose of network shouldn't be
00:13:07
Speaker
Oh, I'm not talking with you because I want to get into your company. Start building touch points, networking. Now companies are you're looking to work with. So it doesn't mean that you would leverage that network tomorrow. So you text the person, Oh, I like you to be on your network because I want to get a job at your company. I'm currently doing something and the person that put me on has been someone that I built a relationship with without even the thoughts that person would help me to get.
00:13:37
Speaker
that thing. And now that I saw something and I was like, oh yes, this person is very close to that thing. This person will be able to help. Let me reach out to them. You're able to, even this year, just by the network that I have built through the group podcast, I was able to get an opportunity that I cannot share with you now, but I'll share with you later. I was able to get an opportunity that I cannot share with you now, but I'll share with you later just by building
00:14:08
Speaker
authentic network that did not seem forced at the time it started. So say if you're a student right now, start spending time reading your network because you never know how they will help you. So I just hope I've answered this question. Question number three, blah, blah, blah. Okay. The question is what type of internships, volunteer work or extracurricular activities can I participate in?
00:14:35
Speaker
to gain relevant experience and improve my chances of receiving job offers? Good question. So I think this really depends on part of the world that you are. But I will assume that you are an African. So you're probably Nigerian or Ghanaian. I'll start with internships. What kind of internships can you do? For many people in Africa right now, there's that almost what I would call a fascination.
00:15:03
Speaker
for international internship opportunities. And while they are great, I'll tell you to start using things from home, engage in internship opportunities from home. And I'll use myself as an example. When I was in my second year at university, I drew everything that I could try to find an internship. And at the time, I interned in a public law firm.
00:15:32
Speaker
Although I can't even remember what I did there because I spent two weeks and learnt nothing, even being very honest. But I had them on my CV to brag, you know, you know how we roll. But I did that internship and whilst on that internship, I realised that that was not for me. And so what internships kind of teach you is it helps you cross out those opportunities that are not for you. Although you don't enjoy and then you're able to sit next
00:16:02
Speaker
What can I do? And so I always encourage people that are in school to spend time applying for internships within the country, apply for internships, apply to internships that you want to do and restrict yourself to your costs. I mean, if you're that kind of person like me who loves to explore, don't restrict yourself to your costs because you'll find that there's a lot of life that exists outside of that.
00:16:32
Speaker
And so in my total year, I interned in a private law firm, a transaction law firm. I didn't exactly enjoy it, but it was nice. It was fair in comparison with the public law firm. It was okay. I could see myself doing it. I could see, I really could see myself doing it. And then in my fourth year, I said, okay, you know what? I've studied law. I've interned in law firms. I want something different. And so I decided to intern in a,
00:17:01
Speaker
public relations firm, a media firm. And there I did like some community-related work, some media-related work. I found absolutely amazing. And they paid me, they paid me good money at the time. They gave me some nice, that kind of lovely products. That's by the way. But here, intern in your country. So find some internship in Ghana or Nigeria.
00:17:30
Speaker
and then take advantage of the internship opportunities that are outside the country. Especially if you're one of those that would like to have a global career, a career that is not limited to just one specific jurisdiction. You want to have an international career, then you might want to take advantage of the internship, global internship opportunities that are available for Africans. And there are many, you have the internship with Bank of America, and JP Morgan,
00:17:59
Speaker
Goldman Sachs. And there were even a couple of law firms these days, Link Laters, that are now doing international internships where you get to intern in the United Kingdom. So those are some of the things that you can do and have to see. But before you get those opportunities, charity begins at home. You have to start at home. Then volunteer work. Just take advantage of any volunteering opportunity that you think is worth your while in university. Volunteer experience is great, but don't overdo it to the detriment of your
00:18:30
Speaker
your school work, because at the end of the day, your academics as well, you're in school, but still take advantage of volunteer work to build leadership qualities.
Mastering Interview Techniques
00:18:39
Speaker
And a lot of these companies like to see interns who have built this model for being able to carry on tasks and you most likely be able to show that through your volunteer work. Same as extracurricular activities. So that's what I can share on that. Next.
00:19:00
Speaker
How can I improve my interviewing skills to make a good impression of potential employers? interviews. I find it like an audition where you get to audition yourself. So I don't know if any one of you has watched. No, I don't know if you're familiar with the voice. There's not even the voice because it gets to see you. So probably like Project Thane or British Got Talent.
00:19:29
Speaker
When you're in front of the panel, you get to show them, oh, I have this skill and I can do it. I have magic. Okay. Don't mind me. Or you get to sing, you know, you get to do all of these things. That's really what interview is. You're in front of people, you have to prove to them that you're what being granted the opportunity. And one thing that I always tell people is the fact that you even called for an interview.
00:19:56
Speaker
That's a big round of applause for you. Why? Because it shows that you've seen something in your CV and cover letter that makes them think or has given them the impression that you are qualified for the role. But then they want to have a conversation with you to see you in two years in level and match the resume with the person. And so it means that you, there's
00:20:26
Speaker
And so it means that there's a signal that they want you. You just need to show confidence, competence, enthusiasm, and positive energy. These are some of the things that are important for you to demonstrate during the interview process. And of course, there are different kinds of interviews. So to improve your interview skills, what you need for your technical interview would be different from your behavioral or situational interview. So for technical interview, you need to know your staff.
00:20:57
Speaker
So if you're applying for a project management role, you need to know your store. Of course, you do have the skills required to be a project manager because they would have vetted that from your CV. So maybe you're showing the certification that you're taking, going across several costs, project management that you've done, but you generally do have the skills. Now you need to show them that you are competent enough. And that's by being able to answer
00:21:27
Speaker
questions around your skill area. For many of us before the interview we have to do some run through on some of these technical questions. While for some others they probably might not be preparing, I don't know why they've done, but I always always encourage that you do prepare for technical interview no matter how competent you think you are. Where many people have a problem with is not the technical interview because
00:21:55
Speaker
If they can call them for the interview, one way or another, you already have that competence. But the problem comes in answering behavioral and situational questions. And so there's this STAR method that's been highly preparation. So STAR, S, you tell the situation, T, you tell the task, A is the action, and R is the result. So you want to answer an interview question, you have to cover that with STAR. So S-T-A-R. Yeah.
00:22:25
Speaker
So to improve your interviewing skills, you need to know the start method and you need to know how to judiciously use it. If you want some examples on how to answer questions using the start method, then I think you should be getting the gradients interview pack because we have a lot of examples on there that will be helpful to you. But I think generally to improve your interviewing skills, just go back to the competence, confidence, authenticity, positive energy and enthusiasm.
00:22:54
Speaker
showing all of that, combining it with all of the techniques that you need for an interview, you'll be a star candidate.
Exploring Diverse Job Opportunities
00:23:03
Speaker
Finally, what are some alternative job search methods, such as using online job boards, attending job fairs, or reaching out to recruiters that I can use to find job opportunities? I think these are really the things that you can use to find job opportunities, but one thing that I
00:23:22
Speaker
know was very useful to me when I was a student was having my years on the ground or anything opportunities. And there are a couple of students who have group chats where they share opportunities about anything.
00:23:40
Speaker
So if you're one who is looking for job opportunities, you might want to be on some of these groups. There's also this thing, which is not just limited to job opportunities, but opportunities in general. So like competitions and scholarships, whatever you, there's this thing called opportunity for Africans. And so I think that will be very important and helpful to people looking for opportunities, good opportunities.
00:24:09
Speaker
Online job boards, I think the most useful one that I've heard of is LinkedIn jobs. But of course there's Indeed and there are other things. In Nigeria, I'm not sure of specific job boards, but I know of someone who has this thing called Inclusively Remote. It's a job board where there's an array of remote jobs just on there. So if you're someone that is looking for remote job opportunities, you might want to be looking at Inclusively Remote.
00:24:39
Speaker
Attending job fairs is amazing. I don't think in Nigeria there's really many of that for students. In this part of the world, in London, there's a lot of that. Sometimes I'm amazed as to the attention that companies give to schools in this part of the world. It's mind-blowing. These are in a good way. But I wish a lot of companies could do the same in Nigeria. I think
00:25:09
Speaker
One thing that we might get to do with gradients and I don't want to promise is we might start having maybe online job fairs, partner with companies and get to create something for you.
Encouraging Listener Engagement and Questions
00:25:20
Speaker
But it's something that I think is very important for students because it just gives them a visual representation of where they could be. And you see a lot of these companies like, oh, wow, you work at Google and you're an alumni from my school. So I definitely have a chance with Google. So yeah.
00:25:39
Speaker
reaching out to recruiters. I don't know. Like these days, reaching out to recruiters does not work. Stop spamming them. Okay. With all of this, I hope I've been able to answer these questions. Like I said earlier, if you have any questions that you'd like us to answer in relation to job search, career dilemma, so you're currently working at a place and you're probably looking to switch to a different department or to leave your company to another company. I am the best to talk to about that.
00:26:09
Speaker
You won't talk about anything promotion related, negotiation of your offer, whatever. All of those questions will be answered in this section of the podcast. I know I have delivered today with my very tired voice because I'm so tired due to the chaos of today. But I'll stop now because I'm already sounding a bit drunk.
00:26:36
Speaker
But I'm not. I honestly am not, okay? Well, guys, enjoy. Do all of the things with the social media. Follow us everywhere. And share this episode with your friends, because I know it would be useful. Take care. Enjoy. Bye.