Many job seekers have experienced a feeling of frustration that after many interviews, they are yet to secure an offer of appointment. Many things could be wrong, but there is one area we started to look at last week. What do employers want?
You attended interviews, they asked questions, and you provided answers. But are these the correct answers? You don’t know. May be nobody knows for sure, except the interviewer. But there are certain qualities and attributes desired by most, if not all employers. We noted, however, that:
• The point of emphasis differ from position to position;
• The requirement for entry point/low level position differs from that of senior/executive positions.
Listed last week as desirable by most, if not all employers are:
• Basic competence - ability to do what you are to be employed for;
• Communication skills-ability to understand and pass instructions both verbal and in writing;
• Interpersonal skills - being able to relate to others, maintain and build relationships;
• Adaptability - ability to welcome and manage change;
• Willingliness to learn;
• Initiative and independence -ability to make your decisions and get result with little supervision;
• Co-operation and collaboration- understanding and working well within teams; and
• Motivation-inner desire for achievement and enthusiasm. Now, let’s go on to discussion on the others in detail.
Commitment
Employers want employees that are reliable and responsible. You are expected to identify closely with the company and her needs, for better for worse. To what extent is the candidate prepared to give committed service to the company? Although the employer does not expect a promise that you will stay for twenty years, he expects a not-too-short stay and sudden exit that will cause disruption in his system. He also expects that you will be committed to doing the job at hand and giving it your best, as long as you are in employment.
Integrity/character
Employers want employees that can do things right as well as those that can do the right things. No matter your brilliance, no employer would take you if you cannot be trusted. They do not like people with disruptive, pernicious, unstable, intolerant or any other negative character.
Positive attitude
A positive attitude to situation and circumstances is desired in all job situations. Every position has its own content of frustrations, disturbances distractions, but all of these are easily surmountable with the right mental attitude. I will tell you, an individual with “get up and go” attitude is worthy of consideration for appointment, even if he fails to meet some other job attributes/requirements.
Analytical skills
To make decisions and properly evaluate situations, candidates with analytical skills are desired by employers. The ability to make reasonable jugedments and assess expected and unexpected situations is of great value on any job. Are you able to look at a given work load, set priorities and find ways to solve the most, most immediate and important problems? Will you panic and fall apart in the face of work related crisis?
Personal presentation
Employer consider that job candidates, indeed all of their employees to be well dressed and groomed. Like they say, at least dress the part i.e. dress in a manner and way that very appropriate for the position you are planning to occupy. Always, be clean and neat.
Healthy body
To perform at all, you need to look and feel well. No employer will readily employ a sickly job candidate. It will cause disaffection and disruption of work later. Note that it is your primary responsibility to remain healthy, and functional.
The attribute we have been discussing since last week applies mostly to entry to middle level managers, and to some extent the executive positions. However, there are some attributes that most employers desire specifically in respect of senior executives. They include the following:
• Experience and know how:
Senior managers who wants to move into new positions are expected to bring on the table expertise and practical knowledge. This is critical, as they are not only expected to work with little supervision, but also to provide leadership/coaching for their subordinates. They are generally expensive, and the major reason why they are wanted is that there is nobody within the system with the required experience and know- how to perform the job. You see incompetent executive represent an enormous waste and risk to the enterprise.
• Track record of performance:
The position may have because vacant because the previous occupier was eased out for poor performance. Then it is reasonable that the employer will want a replacement with proof of performance. Often history of excellent performance in previous job position(s) give comfort to the employer that if might be better this time.
• Leadership:
As said earlier, senior managers are expected to provide leadership not only within then unit, but also across in the organisation. Employer therefore desire good and tested leaders. They want candidates who know how to be a leader, enjoying being a leader and fully appreciate the attendant responsibilities. He is also expected to understand team dynamics and be able to lead and function with team.
• Administration and management competence:
Aside from technical and departmental responsibilities, employers expect senior executives to be versed in administration, policy development and implementation. They need to understand management processes.
• Intrapreneurship:
As the organisation becomes large, ownership is somewhat shared, and the CEO may not be in a position to see all the opportunities and threat to the business. He desires managed that would assume “ownership” and look out for business and growth opportunities. He also depends on them for product people and process improvement that will reduce waste and increased profitability.
Now where does all these leave the job hunter? What about these in job hunting? One, jobs are lost and won often times on the basis of these attributes. A lot of times, more than the number of required candidates ties on the level of basic qualifications and experience.
In instances like this, candidates may be chosen on the basis of which seemed better on one or two of the attributes we have been discussing considered critical to the job position.
Two, aside from your educational attainments, these desirables when combined well form your unique selling point.
Three, match the key attributes you possess with the specific requirements of the employer for the position. This will work well if you do enough research on the job/company/industry to determine which are the most relevant and critical.
Four, and finally, you must communication this. Even when you have the key attributes desired by an employer in a specific situation, you must endeavour to communicate it to the employer. Don’t ever assume that it is so obvious that he ought to see it. Blow your trumpet. Use every opportunity and contact with the employer to communicate the match (and your suitability) - application letters, telephone conversations, resume, interview, etc. Now that you have the syllabus, go win yourself some job.
By
Source: The Nation
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Facilities Maintenance Engineer at MTN
| Job Title | Facilities Maintenance Engineer |
| Department: | Finance |
| Location: | Lagos |
| Job Description: | •Liaise with project implementation team during design and implementation of new facilities to ensure maintainability of building infrastructure and systems. •Participate in formal handover of new facilities between implementation team and infrastructure maintenance team with appropriate documentation such as operation and maintenance documentation, manuals, drawings and wiring/cabling schedules. •Adhere to scope and best practice procedures for ensuring proper operation and maintenance of building infrastructure and systems in technical and non-technical facilities. •Ensure availability of utilities (excluding power) and settlement of related bills •Adhere to Service Level Agreement (SLA) with internal customers as regards availability of critical systems and building infrastructure. •Adhere to Service Level Agreement (SLA) with service providers •Implement maintenance schedules to achieve specified objectives •Provide maintenance support to expatriate residences and beach houses as may be required (West region only) •Monitor deployment of required building infrastructure and systems during office expansion projects •Provide specific operator’s training to internal customers such as relevant security and IS employees and general awareness training to all other employees •Ensure adherence to the specifications, scope and set objectives for the installation, and acceptance of building systems e.g. access control, closed circuit TV, fire detection and fire suppression systems •Perform 1st line maintenance on building infrastructure and systems •Provide supervisor with relevant inputs for quarterly demand analysis to assess adequacy of current services in terms of available capacity of building infrastructure and systems like office space, furniture, water supply, CCTV system, access control, etc |
| Job Conditions: | Normal MTNN working conditions Must possess driving licence Available 24/7 days |
| Reporting To: | Facilities Maintenance Supervisor |
| Required Skills: | •A first degree in Engineering or technical discipline •A post graduate qualification in Engineering or numerate Business discipline (optional) •4 years experience in any of the following: Facilities Management, Maintenance Management, Engineering, Project Management in a technical environment |
| Employment Status : | Permanent |
| Qualification: | A first degree in Engineering or technical discipline A post graduate qualification in Engineering or numerate Business discipline (optional) |
| This vacancy expires on 4/4/2012 Source:Careers @ MTN To apply | |
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
What employers are looking for (I)
You probably have attended some interviews with-out an offer of employment coming out of your efforts and emotional investment in the position. In the past you may have experienced this frustrating and sinking feeling that you did not do well in this or that interview.
You may also have noticed the uncertainty in the faces of your interviewers, their failure to warm - up to you as the interview progresses and their eagerness to shoo you out of the interview room, barely disguised by patronizing courtesies.
You then ask yourself, what went wrong? Many things could be wrong for failure of candidates to convert interviews to job offer. This week, we will consider one of the issues you may have pondered about: What do this people want?
All organisations, whether for profit or otherwise, is about combining men, money and materials to achieve the organisational goals and objectives. This assertion holds for commercial companies, non-profit organisations and civil service.
The key to optimisation of performance is the human capital. A wrong decision of a high level member of management can cost the organisation a lot of money. At the lower level, an unproductive employee is some investment – in terms of cost of recruitment as well as in terms of salary and emoluments. So a recruitment error (an individual recruited but found to be unsuitable) at the end of the day is a drain, and usually a drag on the system.
The foregoing explains why employer goes to great lengths to ensure that they offer employment to a square peg in a square hole. They are usually very clear on specification of potential employees they want. (It is not unusual for them not to get exactly what they want.)
Today, we will dwell on the kind of employees employers desire and prefer. But before we go on, need to point these out:
• What we will discuss is more or less general, the attributes desired by most (if not all) employers. But the priority and point of emphasis differ from industry to industry, from company to company, and from position to position.
Also work circumstances and context has their own influence on the desired qualities: is it a new position?Have there been changes in technology and skills needed for the job?
• It is obvious that the requirements for executive positions will differ significantly from that of entry / low-level positions. We will elaborate on additional/specific requirement for senior positions.
• What we will say today may not apply to very junior positions: labourers artisans, factory workers and shop floor employees.
The following qualities are desired by most
employees
Basic competence
A candidate must indicate he knows how to do the job for which he is to be employed. A driver must show competence for his primary duty (get a vehicle moving, maneuvering in the traffic, finding his way to different locations, etc) even if he can do other things as well- ironing, operating a lawn–mower, baking bread etc.
You must show at least a theoretical level of competence, if you don’t have the experience. A candidate applying for an engineering job is expected to show competence in engineering basics, at least. A sense of competence gives you confidence and given the employ the basis for comparison and performance appraisal. Nothing should be taken to mean an engineer cannot be engaged in anything aside engineering or that a biologist should look for work only in establishments that concern itself with biology.
Communication skills
Employers desire employees with good communication skills. Success in most jobs requires writing, verbal and non-verbal communications abilities. Can you easily understand instructions, and pass on instructions to others. Will you be able to communication with your supervisor as well as your subordinates? How good are your writing skills?
It must be realised that though communicating well has some element of talent, it can indeed be learnsist.
Inter-personal skills
A one- man island organisation is probably not in existent, especially when organisation must at least relate to others outside. Interpersonal skills are required to establish, build and maintain relationships that last. You are expected to do this within your unit, across departments and with your customers and suppliers. This skill is becoming more important as organisations realise that more than ever before that every employer must have the skills to interact with the customer.
Adaptability
Change happens daily, and is often resisted, even though it is better than what we have now. Change management is an important skill in this age of information and rapid technological changes. Will you be able to adapt to changes that may be required and vastly different from you previous experience? For example if a technical position requires some salesmanship, the question then is whether the candidate realizes the full implication of and accept dealing with customers.
Willingliness to learn
Rapid changes in technology and an extensive availability of information make obsolescence commonplace occurrences. Skills, process, equipment, knowledge become outdated soon after they are acquired. Thus successful organisation requires employee are ready, willing and able to learn in this environment of constant change and organised chaos. Do you realise that learning on-going and never ending? Is the candidate organised and predisposed to learning?
Initiative and
independence
The direction of human resource management is to empower every employee. But for the employee to successfully use his empowerment, the employer needs to be assured that the employee can take on-the -spot decisions with infrequent errors. Employers require a work force that can take on tasks and projects and get them done without having to tell them what to do every step of the way. Ability to work on your own is important in the work- place, more so in certain positions such as consultancy.
By
Source: The Nation
You may also have noticed the uncertainty in the faces of your interviewers, their failure to warm - up to you as the interview progresses and their eagerness to shoo you out of the interview room, barely disguised by patronizing courtesies.
You then ask yourself, what went wrong? Many things could be wrong for failure of candidates to convert interviews to job offer. This week, we will consider one of the issues you may have pondered about: What do this people want?
All organisations, whether for profit or otherwise, is about combining men, money and materials to achieve the organisational goals and objectives. This assertion holds for commercial companies, non-profit organisations and civil service.
The key to optimisation of performance is the human capital. A wrong decision of a high level member of management can cost the organisation a lot of money. At the lower level, an unproductive employee is some investment – in terms of cost of recruitment as well as in terms of salary and emoluments. So a recruitment error (an individual recruited but found to be unsuitable) at the end of the day is a drain, and usually a drag on the system.
The foregoing explains why employer goes to great lengths to ensure that they offer employment to a square peg in a square hole. They are usually very clear on specification of potential employees they want. (It is not unusual for them not to get exactly what they want.)
Today, we will dwell on the kind of employees employers desire and prefer. But before we go on, need to point these out:
• What we will discuss is more or less general, the attributes desired by most (if not all) employers. But the priority and point of emphasis differ from industry to industry, from company to company, and from position to position.
Also work circumstances and context has their own influence on the desired qualities: is it a new position?Have there been changes in technology and skills needed for the job?
• It is obvious that the requirements for executive positions will differ significantly from that of entry / low-level positions. We will elaborate on additional/specific requirement for senior positions.
• What we will say today may not apply to very junior positions: labourers artisans, factory workers and shop floor employees.
The following qualities are desired by most
employees
Basic competence
A candidate must indicate he knows how to do the job for which he is to be employed. A driver must show competence for his primary duty (get a vehicle moving, maneuvering in the traffic, finding his way to different locations, etc) even if he can do other things as well- ironing, operating a lawn–mower, baking bread etc.
You must show at least a theoretical level of competence, if you don’t have the experience. A candidate applying for an engineering job is expected to show competence in engineering basics, at least. A sense of competence gives you confidence and given the employ the basis for comparison and performance appraisal. Nothing should be taken to mean an engineer cannot be engaged in anything aside engineering or that a biologist should look for work only in establishments that concern itself with biology.
Communication skills
Employers desire employees with good communication skills. Success in most jobs requires writing, verbal and non-verbal communications abilities. Can you easily understand instructions, and pass on instructions to others. Will you be able to communication with your supervisor as well as your subordinates? How good are your writing skills?
It must be realised that though communicating well has some element of talent, it can indeed be learnsist.
Inter-personal skills
A one- man island organisation is probably not in existent, especially when organisation must at least relate to others outside. Interpersonal skills are required to establish, build and maintain relationships that last. You are expected to do this within your unit, across departments and with your customers and suppliers. This skill is becoming more important as organisations realise that more than ever before that every employer must have the skills to interact with the customer.
Adaptability
Change happens daily, and is often resisted, even though it is better than what we have now. Change management is an important skill in this age of information and rapid technological changes. Will you be able to adapt to changes that may be required and vastly different from you previous experience? For example if a technical position requires some salesmanship, the question then is whether the candidate realizes the full implication of and accept dealing with customers.
Willingliness to learn
Rapid changes in technology and an extensive availability of information make obsolescence commonplace occurrences. Skills, process, equipment, knowledge become outdated soon after they are acquired. Thus successful organisation requires employee are ready, willing and able to learn in this environment of constant change and organised chaos. Do you realise that learning on-going and never ending? Is the candidate organised and predisposed to learning?
Initiative and
independence
The direction of human resource management is to empower every employee. But for the employee to successfully use his empowerment, the employer needs to be assured that the employee can take on-the -spot decisions with infrequent errors. Employers require a work force that can take on tasks and projects and get them done without having to tell them what to do every step of the way. Ability to work on your own is important in the work- place, more so in certain positions such as consultancy.
By
Source: The Nation
Financial Operations Analyst at MTN
| Job Title | Financial Operations Analyst |
| Department: | Finance |
| Location: | Plateau |
| Job Description: | Generic •Analyse ageing of all Balance Sheet accounts. •Analyse transactions posted into IFS to ensure proper classification and correction. •Analyse general Ledger transactions (Capex, Opex and Revenue). •Provide all schedules and reports (including age analysis, assets movement, etc). •Provide supporting documents, records and schedules to meet audit and regulatory requirements. •Secure company assets. •Implement finance policies, processes and procedures. •Comply with established internal controls. •Comply with MTN PPP’s, IFRS, IAS and GAAP in processing of transactions. •Deliver all month end deliverables within the monthly reporting timelines. •Process account payables and receivables. •Raise and post journal vouchers and other financial transactions in the ERP system. •Prepare trend analysis of Capex, Opex and Revenue transactions. •Prepare weekly and monthly performance reports. •Prepare all General Ledger/Sub- ledger Accounts reconciliation. •Resolve all reconciling items promptly. •Educate staff on finance related policies and ensure compliance. •Maintain departmental filing system. Specific •Analyse additions for upload into Asset register and depreciation groups. •Ensure proceeds on disposed assets are adequately remitted and recorded appropriately. •Provide tax unit with detail analysis of disposed assets for capital gains tax purposes and deferred tax reversal. •Record disposals and movements in fixed asset register. •Carry out periodic verification of company’s fixed assets. •Process cash transactions. •Analyse divisional cash floats for adequacy. •Analyse vendor/staff sub-ledgers. •Ensure efficient reimbursement of the fuel deposit. •Carry out periodic spot checks of company’s cash floats. •Compute Withholding Tax deductions on vendors’ payments. •Analyse withholding tax (\WHT) deductions for remittance. •Analyse PO’s received but not yet invoiced. •Ensure accurate receipt of Purchase Orders on IFS by user departments. •Manage customer/vendor relationships (including response to queries). •Prompt update of databases. •Post Inter-company transactions and assist in inter-company relationship management. •First-line review of departmental accrual submissions. •Monitor network traffic and highlight exceptions noted. •Compute quarterly NCC levy. •Compute doubtful debt provision. •Prepare revenue forecast promptly. |
| Job Conditions: | Normal MTN N working conditions. Extended working hours. Deal with a lot of paper work. |
| Reporting To: | Financial Operations Accountant |
| Required Skills: | •B.Sc./HND in any discipline, but a finance related degree is desirable. •Part qualification in any recognised professional accounting examinations (ACA, ACCA, CPA, CIMA, etc) will be an added advantage. •At least 4 years experience comprising: •3 years post NYSC experience in a Finance function. •Knowledge of Microsoft Office tools. •Experience in using an ERP system is desirable. |
| Employment Status : | Permanent |
| Qualification: To apply | B.Sc./HND in any discipline, but a finance related degree is desirable. Part qualification in any recognised professional accounting examinations (ACA, ACCA, CPA, CIMA, etc) will be an added advantage. This vacancy expires on 4/2/2012 Career @ MTN To apply |
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