Indeed, nothing has ever remained the same. The success paradigm before this information age was to get the best grade out of schools to be employed by top organisations. Things are changing. We are producing more graduates than the available jobs, and the quality of our school system is dropping in terms of capacity and contents.
Those days, as you graduated from the university or polytechnics with top grades, or you passed your professional examinations as an undergraduate, you are the toast of the employers. But today, we have many graduates and semi-qualified products whose knowledge are staled with the fast-moving social media and information age.
I have been sitting on job interviews as a consultant for some friends and companies in the last eighteen months. It is both a hobby and a career path for me to be involved in assessing people for vacant roles. In most instances, we have graduates who have spent years at home doing nothing after graduating from school except endless search for jobs amid opportunities to do one thing or the other to serve over 120 million Nigerians.
The vast population, though a pain in the neck for some, is an advantage for others who could use their education to solve problems or provide services if the ego of being graduates is not a showstopper for them. My default decision for anyone who is not doing anything after graduating from school for 24 months is not to recommend them for employment except in a few cases when their performance is exceptional.
For employers who want the best out of their staff, it is better to employ graduate entrepreneurs. I place a premium on people who avoid ego education can give and exude humility by doing things to prevent idleness. After all, an idle mind was said to be the devil’s workshop. I don’t know any employer that want unused and untested minds and still expect high productivity.
I met Francis Ejembi at the NYSC Sagamu orientation camp in March 2019 during one of my speaking engagements for the Positive Growth Africa. Francis stood out with his multiple skills among the corps members. Aside from being a graduate of Industrial Physics, he has expert level skills in graphics, sewing and has driven cars as a driver while in school to survive financial hardship. Life has taught him a lesson and prepared him ahead of the post-school job shortages. He is today serving Nigeria and at the same time earning income to support his family. He is not among the graduates that are at the offside lane of what education is meant to be – education is intended to open the minds of people to see possibilities even when the eyes cannot see correctly. Francis is under my mentorship programme, where his soft and life skills are being refined to support his service and technical skills.
Also, I met another graduate who will preferably be his boss than begging family and friends to survive. I took an uber cab to Wuse zone 5 from Itako district in Abuja last week. No one needs to tell me that the driver is a well-educated and promising Nigerian. As I engaged in a conversation with Atuegbu Joseph, I saw that the future of work and dignity in Nigeria is bright if we get our national value right. Joseph is a graduate, but the urge not to be an idle mind or liability to others prompted him to drive uber cab when the white-collar jobs are not forthcoming. From our conversation, you will notice his positive attitude, ambience and high proficiency in body language.
No doubt, companies and recruiters want to hire staff with the possibility of staying on the job and with the organisations for years. However, being threatened by candidates who are not idle and have the gut to start their business or do other legitimate jobs to earn income pending the right opportunity is another way of embracing slavery. Many candidates attending interviews often hide what they are legitimately doing to earn income for fear of not being considered for the role.
You cannot hire the likes of Francis and Joseph without getting something extra for the work environment. They are graduate entrepreneurs that will think and act like the owners with lots of innovations. Life has developed skills in them. They will be more secured and effective than someone who has not tried other things. The battle is how to moderate and align their zeal with that of the organisations.
This is where an appropriate onboarding programme for new hires come into play. These graduates’ entrepreneurs are looking for opportunities to use the developed capacities unlike the “paper graduates” who have waited years without developing their creativity with the challenge of lack of employment.
Recruiters should stop seeing people who dare to venture into running businesses or doing things outside the scope of their studies in schools as distracted or have the propensity not to be focused at work but see them as people who have developed their capacity and tenacity to add value in the workplace.
A significant advantage from employing graduate entrepreneurs in the Nigeria content is to discourage being lazy, dependent and unimaginative. If you can’t figure out what to do in the middle of a problem like unemployment, you might be under-employment with a job. I can see the few who can go out of their ways to earn a living being those that will be a career entrepreneur and add more value to the employers.
Another reason a recruiter should look beyond paper qualifications and give a nod to people who dare to venture and declare what they are doing to engage their minds is to reward being truthful. Being truthful at interviews is a virtue that speaks volume about the strength of the character of the would-be employee.
Two years ago, Yakubu was bold to tell the interviewers that he needs the job for two years to raise capital to start his business. Only one of the panellists insisted Yakubu was the best candidate and should not be judged by being truthful. Thank God Yakubu was not dropped for having the gut to express his desire to start his business. Today, he is over two years with the employer and has built a reputation of a highly cerebral and performing staff. He has equally found what he loves to do on the job and made up his mind to commit his career life with the company.
It is high time we started rethinking our educational system and align the output with the realities of our time. Recruiters and leaders are, therefore enjoined to look beyond qualifications and hire potentials to be a good fit and go-to employees by giving opportunities to graduate entrepreneurs.
BABS OLUGBEMI
Babs Olugbemi FCCA, the Chief Responsibility Officer at Mentoras Leadership Limited and Founder, Positive Growth Africa. [email protected]
08025489396.
