All posts by : Chikereuba Orisakwe

Social media can be a valuable job search tool, but it’s important to leave out details that don’t serve you in your search for work. Here are some things you might want to consider not doing before your next job application:

Complaints About Your Current Job or Employer

Refrain from complaining about a specific position, company, or supervisor by name online. Airing your issues in such a public space could show a lack of discretion and disregard for confidentiality that may not sit well with potential future employers.

Sharing Current Work-Related Plans or Projects

Make sure you don’t reveal information about confidential or proprietary projects you may be working on for your current employer, or about work assignments you were involved with in the past. This is unprofessional and it may also get you into some legal trouble.

Bad Grammar and Poor Etiquette

Even if you’re not looking for a job that involves writing or editing, it’s important to make sure your social media posts come across as professional, use proper grammar, correct spelling and double-check for anything auto-correct may have switched. Swearing is, of course, off the table By knowing what (and what not!) to post and share on social media, you’ll be able to reap all the benefits of your accounts and find a job you love.

Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence…Sheryl Sandbag COO of Facebook

How do you know if your leaders are effective? Here are 5 common symptoms to quickly assess for ineffective leaders:

1️⃣ Issues and grievances from their team consistently get escalated above or around the leader.

2️⃣ Their team is chronically risk-averse and delivers mediocre results.

3️⃣ Members of their team are stagnant in their career development.

4️⃣ The team deteriorates into confusion or conflict when the leader is absent.

5️⃣ Compared to the rest of your organization their team has higher absences or turnover rates.

The success of your organization hinges on the performance of the people, particularly the managers and leaders.

If any of the above symptoms ring true, your leaders might be in need of some extra support.
Investing in your leadership development can pay off in spades.

We offer individual coaching and structured leadership development to executives and leaders to hone their skills, better manage their teams and steer their organizations through times of challenge and change.

So what are you waiting for? Let us help you position your business for success in 2022, dm us or email us at info@primekbsinstitute.org or call +234 (0) 803 308 281

This 2022 take a strategic, active approach to managing your career that will improve your odds of achieving success this year and beyond. In other words, don’t just float around in an ocean of opportunities hoping the currents will take you to an island of your dreams. Instead, actively search for that island and then start swimming!

In this spirit, adopt these three career essentials and avoid the dangers (stagnation, layoffs, “settling”) that come with a more passive approach to your career.

1. Develop a vision for where you want to go with your career.

Having long-term goals help you to make better short-term decisions. Center these long-term career goals around creating a purpose-driven, meaningful life. According to research, you’ll achieve a deeper sense of wellbeing from your chosen path if you choose your career goals with this in mind.

To better understand what’s needed to achieve your long-term vision. The questions you ask yourself might include:

How do I want my career and job to fit into or support the rest of my life?

What type of work do I want to be engaged in, and at what level? You may find that these assessment exercises will help you to figure this out.

What industry or sector do I want to be in?

What type of organization do I want to work for (including potentially my own)? Is it the same as the one I’m in now or something different? If different, how is it different?

2. Come up with a plan.

Figure out how you’re going to get from where you are now to where you want to be at each point in the vision you laid out. The best plans are highly specific around actions, metrics, benchmarks and timeframes.

To help you move forward, consider creating a four-month plan that will include these three phases:

A decision-making phase around job targets, which includes taking self-assessment exercises, developing your long-term vision, and several other several sub-steps.

A planning and organizing phase, which should include a contact management strategy, your positioning, filling any gaps in knowledge, and your job search marketing materials (resume, LinkedIn profile, pitch, and emails).

A getting-interviews execution phase – where you would join the right associations and prioritize your network and cold outreach over job postings and search firms.

Some plans to achieve your vision may involve taking a financial risk. For example, you may be contemplating quitting your job to start your own business or make a big career change. If this risk is holding you back, try to assess a) how likely the risk is to be realized, b) if there are ways to mitigate it, and c) what the opportunity cost is of not taking the risk, via this “Fear Setting” exercise.

3. Build and maintain your network of relationships.

In a job search, whether internal within your current organization or at a new place, the best opportunities are usually found through your network. Also, if you’re trying to move up within your current organization, building your network and optimizing your relationships with those at all levels of your organization will be key to your success.

As an added benefit, building and maintaining relationships, even those that are based on “loose ties,” will make you happier.

A New Year is coming up quickly, and your team is looking to add new members to help prepare for a successful 2022.

But what skills should you be looking for when reviewing resumes? What abilities will help best position your company for success?

Here are a few things to look for.

1. Innovative problem-solving.

The world is changing faster than we’ve seen before. If the last 18 months have taught us anything, it’s that you need a team of people who are quick on their feet, adaptable and willing, and able to make big changes with very little notice. You’ll want people who can see a big problem and figure out a way to address it. We never know what’s coming around the corner, but the more innovative thinkers and problem solvers you have, the better off you’ll be.

2. Strong communication skills.

With people working in all kinds of settings, both on your team and with your clients, you’ll need employees who are great communicators. You need people who can make everyone feel connected and up-to-date on all projects, never feeling like they’re on the outside looking in and feeling out of the loop. Good communication skills also help sharpen and improve your social media presence, sharing your company’s successes and opportunities online to help expand your bottom line while also attracting new talent.

3. Emotional intelligence.

We’ve all been through a lot recently. Having people on your team who can be flexible, respond in real-time, understand what you’re saying when there are unspoken implications; people who can be an impromptu leader when the going gets tough – all of these skills and signs of emotional intelligence can help your team stick together when there’s uncertainty. This also means speaking deliberately and focused, using the best language to keep your team together.

4. A positive outlook.

No one’s happy all the time. We’re all human and have bad days. That’s fine! But you also want to have people on your team who are more positive and can find opportunities in every challenge. These people will help navigate your team through the dark, stormy times and will keep everyone on track and focused while also brightening spirits. They see the big picture and can help communicate your company’s goals with the kind of reassurance people need from time to time.

5. Teamwork and collaboration.

The successful teams are the ones that can pull together, work as a unit and have each other’s backs when things get rough. A good sense of collaboration and respect for everyone in the group is important for making sure everyone is viewed as important and valued. It’s important to find employees who know when to switch from “I” to “we.”

Who knows what 2022 has to offer, but keeping these skills in mind when hiring new employees can better prepare your company to deal with whatever comes next.

We’re winding down 2021 and looking ahead to 2022, a time for thought and reflection while also thinking ahead. It’s a great time to consider where you are in your life and where you’d like to go!

In that spirit, here are some goals to consider for the year ahead, ones that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, or SMART. Setting goals with these attributes in mind will make them easier to reach and will help focus your efforts.

1. Start small: updating your resume.

If you’re looking for a new job or a career change, start here. Using the SMART mindset, pick a date by which you will update your resume. Whether you chip away at it little by little or dedicate a big block of time to it, this is a specific goal that can be achieved in a set amount of time. It’s relevant to your job search. compared to other goals, it won’t take too much time, and you’ll know you’ve achieved it by having it completed.

2. Next step: Decide how many positions you want to apply for.

Looking for jobs can be exhausting and can feel overwhelming. A SMART goal can be really helpful here! For example, if you want to change jobs, determine how many jobs you want to apply to each week, or each month. Start a list and write down every resume you send out. Decide that, if you want to apply to 20 jobs in a month, you’ll apply to at least one job each weekday. This specific goal allows for both the occasional off day (if nothing new has been posted that strikes your interest) and gives you the chance to exceed your goal.

3. Keep going! Expand your horizons.

Suppose you’ve been thinking about adding to your skillset and knowledge base, either for personal enjoyment or professional advancement. In that case, you can set a goal of taking a certain number of courses in a year. If you want to take five classes in the year, decide that you’ll enroll in your first by March, your second by May, and so on.

Set aside time to look for courses that appeal to you — you’d be surprised how many free tutorials and instructional courses are available on YouTube or through LinkedIn, not to mention things offered by local colleges and adult education programs — and keep a list of what you’ve enrolled in or applied for. They don’t have to be college-level courses, it might be a six-week certification program, but this is a goal that can be easily accomplished, measured and will be relevant to your life.

4. Expand your circle.

Socializing of any kind has been kind of tricky the past year, which makes getting out more an excellent goal for 2022. How is this a SMART goal? Easy: Decide that you want to attend five networking events in a year, for example. Start looking for groups that interest you and sign up. Circle the dates on your calendar. That’s it! Keep a running list to make sure you’re meeting your targets — and keep those business cards and names of people you’ve met handy, you never know when you might be able to help each other out!

5. Think about your future.

Most interviews ask where you want to be in five years. But have you asked yourself where you want your life to be? Give it some thought and start setting your own goals for yourself. Would you like to save money? Start an automated savings account with a few dollars each week or month automatically deducted, with a goal of raising a certain amount by the end of the year. If you reach your goal earlier, so much the better! Decide what you’d like to use that money for and start daydreaming. If you want to move to a different house or a different city, take steps to make that happen, like looking at real estate listings or taking a trip to see if you’ll feel at home there.

Goals are great things to have, but making them measurable, and holding yourself accountable for achieving them, is a different story. Making incremental progress is, in itself, a victory! It will also help you stay on track to achieving whatever it is you’re working toward. Break big goals down into little steps, keep track of your actions and see how much more manageable it is. Good luck!

The importance of the saying “no man is an Island” has been proved to be the reason why many of us need to make a collective effort in the bid to achieve professional success.

For many individuals that have succeeded in their careers, the causes have largely been attributed to the strong networking channels they have created over time.

There’s no denying the power a strong professional network can have over your career success. When it’s done well, networking will not only help you land a job faster but will give you a competitive edge throughout every stage of your career.

A fundamental need to succeed at work is effective communication. How then, do you perfect your communication skills? You can start by doing the following:

How often have we avoided talking to someone simply because we do not want a difficult conversation? Fortunately, there are certain steps that you can take and be prepared for difficult conversations.

Succession Planning refers to the process in which employees are recruited and developed with the aim of filling a key role within an organization.

Organizations are now more and more moving away from the once-confidential process of hand-picking successors to a more transparent process of identifying high-performance leaders and preparing them for top leadership positions.