Thread by @fredwhitecap

Shall we?

DISCLAIMER: These are my own PERSONAL experiences. They may help or they may not. I still believe there is someone who can benefit. Please RT.

https://twitter.com/fredwhitecap/status/1362384279154606082

Internship. There are better opportunities of Internship from local organisations than International organisations. In fact, many international organisations don't even pay interns.

Reflect and really understand what you really want to do in your career. It's good to have that focus. This helps tailor your job search. Same way you curate your TL.

Funnily, many fresh graduates always want to work in the major Cities. As you begin your career, you are better off looking for opportunities outside of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu etc. Kenya is beautiful and you will be surprised how much you can enjoy working away from Cities.

Work on your CV and your LinkedIn profile. Use a professional if you can. I had @B3laze work with me on my CV and LinkedIn profiles. He knows his stuff.

When you are job hunting, work on your social media profiles. Your social media profile plays a huge role in whether you can get a job or not. Avoid abusing people, homophobia, body shaming, bullying...you know where I am going with this.

While job hunting and you have access to Internet, please enroll for any online course you can. Make sure the courses you do add VALUE to what you already have. Please remember what your career goals are. Pin the qualifications of people having your dream job.

Enroll in job platforms. Register for job alerts. They really help.

Follow social media pages of ALL your target organisations. It makes you know the latest information about the organisation.

It is always good to know about international stuff. Watch International News. Read. It helps break the ice in conversations.

Whether you are doing a face to face interview or a video interview, please treat them the same. More importantly, DRESS UP!

My job portals have always been:
1. ReliefWeb
2. UNjobs
3. KenyaJobs
4. Use any site that posts jobs that you are interested in.

Don't be afraid to visit the office of where you want to work. There is always someone willing to give you information about the organisation.

If you can, get recommendations and/or endorsement about your skills from your former managers. For freshers, a good recommendation letter from the University is good.

Follow your industry news and contribute to discussions about your industry. You can see how @Olez and @Sakaja are passionate about data laws. I follow and contribute to discussions about Public Health.

We always make the mistake of just copy pasting our job responsibilities. A winning CV is one where you state what you have ACHIEVED or your SUCCESSES.
For freshers, how did you change things when you were sports captain? Don't just state "Sports Captain"

Use platforms that can give you short consultancies if you can. Development Aid is one of them

I know many of you on here say you will get a driving license when you are able to afford a car but a driving license is very important in many jobs these days. If you can, please get it. It can swing the interview balance in your favour.

Are your professional associations up to date? Do you have a certificate of good conduct?

Are your certificates readily available on soft copy? Have them on Google Drive.

IF YOU DON'T APPLY FOR INTERVIEWS, YOU CAN'T GET INVITED TO INTERVIEWS. Don't get tired of applying. Endure those long online application forms. Send those letters.

Please! Please! Use a different application letter for EACH application. Do not use the same letter for EVERY job you apply for. Tailor your application to the JOB DESCRIPTION. Show how you match the role.

If you can afford it, pay for LinkedIn PREMIUM. It helped me connect with so many recruiters.

Let everyone know you are looking for a job. Ask them to share with you the vacancies that match your profile.

Get a mentor. Someone in your industry that you admire. Or someone close. Mentors help a lot. I have 3 mentors and their advise is priceless.

Please notify your referees on ALL your job applications so that they are aware. Some organisations call your referees without informing you. Then the referee doesn't even know what you applied for. Tell them so that they are prepared to defend your skills and experience.

Always carry a pen and paper to interviews. Note down names of interviewers so that when you address them, you call them by their names. If you can get information about your interviewers, check their profile. Know their background. Use that information in the interview.