CAREER TIPS

CAREER TIPS

ADVICE TO FRESH GRADUATES -THINK LONG TERM

Don’t jump jobs!

It definitely has been a tough period for graduates searching for a good job in Nigeria; jobs have been short in supply compared to its rate of demand. But once you get your first job make sure you stay on the job and learn all you can about the job. Even if the employer is not paying the “millions” you wish, stay to learn at every opportunity. Once you have gained all you think there is, then plan to move on to a higher level job.

For example, finance employers like to see stability and candidates that can remain with them for few years (and not just months). They feel more secured with candidates that have been committed and dedicated to past employers. Once they notice how long you stayed with your past employer, it gives them a good picture of how trustworthy you can be. 

Chief financial officers consider lack of long-term career plans as the biggest mistake young accounting and finance professionals make in the career ladder.

Another great thing an employee should consider is upgrading himself or herself with the latest knowledge in their fields. A fresh mechanical or civil engineer should consider having training on AutoCAD. There’s hardly a way a professional engineer can run away from this. So if you want to become a professional engineer then you should invest in such trainings. Remember the more knowledge you have in your field, the more value and respect you gain (and obviously, more money).

Staying in one place for a significant amount of time will not only ensure you gain as many skills as possible, but will demonstrate to potential employers that you are reliable and can think long-term

Recommendation: Stay put to a job for a minimum of two years. Even if it’s not the dream job for you, stay there to learn. There is a lot to learn. What you have learnt will carry you to the next level whenever you hunt for a new job.

There's a lot of pressure on young professionals in Nigeria about where they want to work and how quickly they want to progress. But it's just as important to get the necessary skills and experience over time in order to get your dream job.


....................................................................................................................

 HOW TO BUILD A SOLID RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR BOSS

A lot of workers grumble about their bosses at work. About 55% employees have troubles with their boss. Your boss doesn’t have to like you for him to deliver his company’s targets. All he wants from you is to deliver according to the targets and goals he sets for you. He is not concerned with your good looks but all he wants is your good level of delivery. A manager hence becomes aggravated if his or her subordinate doesn’t meet up to expectation.

For you to have and develop a good association with your boss, you must consider observing some of the points highlighted below

1. No matter how close you are with your manager when it’s time for work, you must be ready. Even if he is your uncle, you must value the work period. You must have the good judgment to distinguish between leisure time and work time. If you do not observe and respect these moments appropriately, you might be arousing troubles that can even extend into personal relationship between you and her.

2. Seek an opinion from your fellow colleagues about how well you are doing with your manager. They will be in the best spot to tell you the exact way the relationship is. You might not be able to verify this yourself.

3 Take the situation as an opportunity for you to learn how to handle whatever kind of person. If your manager is a great one, it will be very difficult for you to know how well you can deal with people. But if he is a bad one, you have a great chance to determine how well you are in managing your co workers and other people in general too.

4. Find out what exactly are the aims and objective of your manager. You can only do your job to his satisfaction if you are doing it in line with his goal. If you are doing anything short of this then you will be digging up some problems with him. If you fail in your obligation, he has failed too and this affects his job too.

5. Ask yourself this question. What actually causes the differences between you and your boss? Is it you? Do you have to change some of your behaviors to fit into what your manager wants? If you must replenish your attitude to suit what your boss wants, then what’s stopping you from achieving that?

6 Suppose after you examine all this, you still are not able to have a best of time with your boss, then it’s high time you moved on and find another job with an even better manager.



..................................................................................................................


JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

................................................................................................................

AGRICULTURAL ENGINEER DUTIES

An agriculture engineer is a person who uses engineering principles and technology in agricultural production and processing. The agricultural engineer uses different engineering as chemical, mechanical engineering and biology as well as zoology and botany principles to develop the agriculture production. He uses the mechanical and chemical engineering principles to improvise agricultural machinery and chemicals for crops respectively. The agricultural engineer should have good knowledge of both engineering principles and technologies as well as the methods of agriculture. He designs agricultural machinery and equipment. He also works to improve the crop production as well as management of poultry and crops.

Agricultural Engineer Job Duties:

• Planned, supervised and managed building of dairy production schemes.
• Developed irrigation, water control systems and agricultural processing programs.
• Studied crop status and developed irrigation programs after assessment.
• Interpreted analysis results and implemented programs and technologies accordingly.
• Improvised machinery components and tested agricultural equipments.
• Designed tools to study crops and soil testing.
• Developed innovative and effective strategies and tools to increase the production and improve the quality of farm products.
• Worked with farmers and workers to develop and analyze farming machineries.
• Supervised food processing plants.
• Prepared reports and proposals of work.
• Researched soil fertility and condition and environmental effectors.
• Designed advanced storage sets for storing crops, crop processing, animal shelters and improvised them as per required.
• Advice farmers on improving water quality and discard pests and fix equipment defects.