Monday, March 14, 2011

UNIBEN Students Thanks TY Danjuma Foundation

AGDC/TYDF UNIBEN W.I.N.G.S TRAINING PROGRAM
28th February – 4th March 2011

The W.I.N.G.S training continued into its second week and lectures kick started on Monday 28th February with facilitators; Tunde Ojikutu and Tunji Alao taking participants through; An Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Basic ICT Skills respectively. The day after, Tuesday, the duo of Tunde Ojikutu and Tunji Alao continued with topics; The Interview Process as well as Entrepreneurship and Social Networking.

At the end of day two, trainees were so appreciative of Mr Ojikutu’s class, they insisted of taking group pictures with him after the sessions. And having learnt how to manage their online image from Mr Tunji Alao, participants were in a hurry to change unprofessional e-mail addresses and implicating pictures and comments from their online profiles. It was as clear as day; attitudinal changes had occurred.

Wednesday 2nd March, the various groups into which trainees had been divided sharpened their presentation skills among others when they came up to present sector specific business proposals to the rest of their classmates. Sessions were moderated by Brian Oji who helped the ‘businessmen’ with creative and instructive ways to package their businesses in an open market for real profit.

Participants deserve commendations on how much effort they put into the entire program, groups prepared tirelessly and on presentation day most of them showed up with interesting ‘company’ branding antics. From branded bust tags to uniform outfits, the presentations were very colourful, educating and incisive. They gave me an opportunity to appraise the business intelligence of trained Nigerian graduates and like it has been proven, time and again, a little guidance can make our youths come up with wonderful solutions to our business and life problems.

Details about the groups are as follows;

S/N Group Name Leader Sector
1 Dunamis Incorporated Anjorin Babajide Social Networking
2 Strat-Net Corporation Okoh Jimoh Fashion
3 Rev X Strategies Rowland Aigbogun Banking
4 Dynamic Corporation Avwioroko David Entertainment
5 Excel Group Oghobaghase Ceasar Branding
6 Eagles Inc. Ikharea Vera Efe Social Networking
7 I-Ternal Corporation Eromosele Austin Banking
8 The Strategists Omozuwa Roland Youth Advocacy
9 Beacons Intl. Kingsley Ifoga Fashion
10 Brains Int. Incorporated Oubure Godbless Oil and Gas
11 Midas Touch Jibunoh Chinenye Education
12 Acme Alliance Onore Martins Entertainment
13 Pacesetters Inc. Dafe Steve Youth Advocacy
14 De Classique Azeke Daniel Food Services
15 Lead Giants Inc. Agbamoro Michael Oil and Gas
14 G.A.T.E Inc. Yukwe Emmanuel Youth Advocacy

Group presentations were held for all groups on Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd March 2011.
Then on Friday, despite their delayed flights (see bullet points below), facilitators; Mr Sam Gemegah and Mr Emmanuel Bright handled sessions on Small Business Accounting and Creative Thinking&problem Solving respectively.

Important Information
• Eagles Incorporated proposed an online social network that connects university students from all across the country called ; TertConnectt. They have now gone ahead to create the website online and it is live right now; the URL is http://tertconnecttt.socialgo.com/. I think that is very commendable.

• Facilitator, Tunji Alao had his 9:15 class on Basic ICT shifted to 12:15 because he missed the Arik 7:30 am flight to Benin and had to wait for the 11:30 am flight. He however explained that the delay was caused because the public address system in the wing of the Lagos local airport, where he had been sitting for over an hour before takeoff was bad. As such he did not hear the boarding announcement. Arik apologised for this and put him on the 11:30am flight without the ‘no-show’ surcharge.

• On Friday 4th March, Arik moved their regular 7:30am flight to 9:30am for logistic reasons. And two of our facilitators; Mr Sam Gemegah and Mr Emmanuel Bright were delayed therefore; they however arrived the training venue at about 11:30am to take their sessions. The early spare time was effectively utilised by participants as they watched informative videos and discussed their experiences during the training program.

• On Friday 4th March, training sessions rounded off at 3:00pm instead of the regular 1:45pm because of the facilitators’ time of arrival.

Pay-it-Forward project
Participants have been mobilised into functional groups and would start submitting their Pay-it-Forward project plans from Monday, 7th March 2011.

Internship
On the issue of Internship, over 60% of the participants would be travelling to Lagos after the training. Do we then seek internship placement for these ones in Lagos?

The second week of the Wing’s training was momentous and inspiring and all the members of my volunteer team were very agile to the vision throughout. I thank Seyi Babatunde, Adejumo Ibukun, Nkiru Nwaorgu, Egbon Edosa and Susan Chukwuedo.

In addition, I have here some feedback mails from the participants themselves; please read;

“Schools come and schools go but there would never be one like Wings!”

– Nweke McDuke (I-Ternal Corporation)

“ With heart full of gratitude I say thanks for the provision you made available to us this week. The task brought out my real potential, reminding me of my strengths and the need to maximize it. The training so far, has made me identify where and how to begin my career, giving me a good reason why I should propel forward without fear. It has really impressed upon me the need for a continuous personal appraisal evaluation of myself with a view to implementing all I am learning so as to attain the maximum benefit. For this very reason, I say THANKS A LOT.”

- Vera Efe, IKHAREA (C.E.O, Eagles incorporated)

“Before, i use to ask myself where i belong in d society but now i know or at least have an idea where i belong. Thanks to AGDC.”
– Anavenwu Mercy (The Strategists)
“I have now been upgraded to a higher level in all spheres of my life.
All thanks to AGDC. I'm being daily convinced that everything is working for my good.”
– Faith Innocent (Excel Group)

“My experience these past few days has been one filled with a series of
‘wows’ and superlatives that are a mile long. The quality of the
speakers are simply out of this world- most of them being HR heads
and top management staffs if not CEO’s. You should know that there are very few times my time has been better spent, than at this WINGS training. I remain grateful.
THANK YOU.”

- Omadudu M.Charles (The Strategists)

Monday, March 7, 2011

What is your Unique Selling Point (USP)?

In the last two weeks we have addressed the role of your resume in getting that dream job. The importance of having a good resume cannot be over-emphasized because that is your first contact with the employer. The truth is, a lot of resumes are turned down in 10 seconds flat! You need to have your resume stand out, and be noticed by the employer. Your resume must catch the attention of the employer right away. The question is; what is your unique selling point?

A major tool to market your unique selling point is your cover letter.
Cover letters are still important today, and should be sent along with your resume In your cover letter, begin with a powerful first paragraph about yourself. Have this action paragraph relate to the job at hand. Sum up your job relevant experience, your strengths that are relevant to the job, skills and accomplishments. Sell yourself quickly in the first paragraph of your cover letter. Your cover letter should be only one page in length. At the end of your cover letter, add your telephone number and your email address. This way, your telephone number and your email address will be right at hand for the employer - in the first lines of your resume, and in the last lines of your cover letter.

Having scaled through the first selection stage and you are invited for an interview, this is another opportunity to pitch yourself as the applicant of choice to the employer. Always remember; first impressions are very important. An interviewer usually forms an impression of you in less than five minutes. Make that impression a favorable one, and a memorable one. Address your strengths, the ones that show you are an excellent fit for the job and the company.
When the interviewer asks you to talk about yourself, favorably sum up your strengths and qualifications in 60 seconds or less. Talk about your five best features, the ones that show you are a good fit for the job and the company. Select selling points that state that you would be able to fulfill the company's needs. State your qualifications with confidence. Also, maintain good eye contact with the interviewer. Project yourself as Confident, Capable and Competent

To equip you with skills on how to market your unique selling point, AGDC is organizing a one-month intensive program, commencing on Mach 28 2011, to launch you from a regular graduate to a High Potential Graduate. AGDC High Potential Graduate Program (HIPO) is a management skills development program for recent graduates and young professionals. For enquiries about this program; contact Bolanle on 07029777474.

Remember! There is no second chance to make a good first impression. Always, always, sell your brand; you are a product, pitch yourself as the best and brightest! Till next week, keep on selling Brand YOU!