What every university/college graduate needs to know and have before graduating The quality of graduates coming out of our colleges and universities has gone down significantly compared to the pre 2000 period. Some of the problems are not with universities but can be traced to individuals themselves. Based on my experience over the years in human resources and in selection I would like to offer some pointers for graduates who aim to make a mark in the business world. The first point is that most students in colleges and university are studying in order to pass. Period. They do not have the bigger picture. What they need to understand is that there is much more than having good grades. They need to study so that they can make an impact in the development of the country. Our estimate is that 80% of graduates have no clue how they intend to contribute to the development of the country. They studied their program because someone in the family said they must pass that degree in order to have a good life. The majority of these graduates are so frustrated after graduating because no one wants to employ them. They are so raw they will not be useful to an employer hard pressed to deliver results. My advice is study with a purpose. This means you must be very clear on what you want to do and how you are going to do it. The mindset of our graduates is precisely why we are where we are today - because they can’t innovate. Instead of using their university years to innovate and develop new ideas and create more “Steve Jobs” some can not even switch on a computer. Another important area all college students need to be schooled in is grooming. Some of the students even when they come for attachment they look like they are coming from a long stay in the bush. They are not presentable and they are not articulate. We are not talking about having expensive suites here; we are talking about being presentable. As a current student make it a point that you are well groomed. It is a plus when you go into the business world. Communication and presentation skills are another area. The majority of the students can not even communicate properly and present ideas in an orderly manner. As a busy manager it is burdensome to listen to some of the graduates presenting or speaking for even 5 minutes. They are completely lost. Take time while you at the university to learn presentation and good communication skills. You will not get this from your lectures but you will get this from various sources. I was impressed when I went to Africa University. A few of the students organised themselves so that they can learn from those who have made it. There is so much goodwill in the business world to assist our universities but we are let down by poor administrators who do not care about students. I do not even know whether some of the universities still have the Dean of Students. If they are there the majority are doing nothing because the quality of students coming out of the universities is testimony to the poor state of our education system. While you are still in college, in your first year you must be able to use the computer up to advanced level for most packages like Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Some of the graduates know Facebook so well but have no clue about standard business software packages that are very useful in the business world like Excel and PowerPoint. The university will not do this for you. Even as a student you need to invest in the skills that will make you stand out from the crowd. While still here, please learn to prepare your CV in a way that will make you stand out from the competition. Some of the CVs we see coming from college and university graduates; you would think they have been prepared by primary school art students. Basically, you can’t make a decision based on what has been put on the CV. Students must also learn how to handle interviews as even good students sometimes fall by the wayside because, for example, they will be sweating and shivering in an interview. In some instances they can not even put one correct and complete sentence together. All these things can be learnt during the early years of your university education. Dining etiquette is so critical for students aspiring to be executives. In some cases some of the students do not know that it’s bad dinning etiquette to poke your nose while eating, in some instances even retrieving chewed food from the mouth with your hands because you want to make sure it’s properly positioned in your mouth for chewing. No one should see the food you are chewing in your mouth. Some make so much noise when they are chewing their food – to the ignorant ones it is a sign that you are enjoying the food. All the above are a No No. There is a lot you can learn that is etiquette related. One last thing most graduates do not have is a good work ethic. Even though they know it will take them one full year or more to bring any recognisable value to the company, they demand more money when they join. In other countries students opt to work for free to gain valuable experience. Here it is very rare. One lesson here is that companies pay for value and not titles or your presence. Some of the students when they join organisations as attachment students or in whatever capacity, they want to show people that they have degrees. Degrees do not do the work. Attitude is everything. Humble yourself and do even some of the mundane work that you think is reserved for people with half a brain. Recognition comes from you going the extra mile and showing your employer that you will do everything to ensure the business goals of the organisation are met. By the President
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:40:54 +0000
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