ADD MORE VALUE; WASTE NO TIME

After graduation, it is the dream of every graduate to gain a very lucrative job in order to start life. However, most people get disappointed. This is due to the unemployment situation in the country that is on ascendency. Many graduates are churned out on yearly basis to compete for the few jobs that are virtually unavailable.

The frustration of not getting a job for one whole year and depending on parents, friends and siblings to survive drives many graduates into all manner of lifestyles.

But what can one do with a degree without a job? What do you do? In such a situation, you must reconsider just working on your dream job. While you wait on that job you are so crazy about; upgrade yourself. Add something to your degree. No matter how small that may be, it might be just relevant. You could either upgrade your knowledge base or your skills and experiences. 

Instead of being at home and feeling useless, get busy with something that could either add to your knowledge in your professional area.  You can start be accessing some short courses that can add to your value and make your chance of getting employed even greater.

You could also, get attached with a company for free service. You do this just for the experience sake.

Write to any company of choice that has good records and standing and just request for an attachment. It will be ideal to find a company that is nearest to your house so that you could cut down on transportation expenses or better still, avoid them all together. 

Stop lazying around! Add more value to yourself and get busy with something worthwhile.

STARTING OFF AS FRESH GRADUATE

The first-most thing that comes to mind after graduation from a four year degree programme as we have it here in Ghana, is to get a job that can  help earn a living and start life as an independent person.
However, these expectations get disappointed. We are not able to secure those jobs as expected. We get the opportunity to attend interviews but miss the privilege of getting that dream job. T
his may continue for a long while. What do you do in such a situation? Must you still wait for that green-light for that dream job or must you do something in between that?
How must you start off as a fresh graduate in the face of global economic challenges which is characterized by high rates and down-sizing? Your moment of joblessness must not be your moment of idleness. You ought to find something doing.  You could take up a course and study to built your knowledge base or you could engage yourself in a petty business or get a below-qualification job to upgrade your skills and experiences. No matter what, you must find something worthwhile to engage in. 

Time management and productivity

Editor's note: This is a forwarded message from Biztree's Bullets of Productivity. I believe it will be of help to you.

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Give the Full Instructions

When assigning a task, it's easy to put yourself in the mindset "I'll give quick instructions to expedite the task and not waste more time than necessary". But that often ends up costing you more time in the long run.

Giving vague and sometimes haiku-like instructions has three undesired consequences:

 1) it needlessly creates doubt;
2) it sends the message that the task itself is not important;
3) it makes the task doer less prone to ask you for clarifications, which often leads to a job that doesn’t satisfy your requirements.

Spending the extra time to thoroughly explain the task will avoid uncertainties and ensure that all important elements are in place.
Rushing through the instructions will be of no benefit to you neither to your subordinate or company at large. However, giving every minute details of instruction will help the person carrying out the task to perform to the utmost expectation and thereby contributing immensely to productivity.

Thanks for reading.

TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

Here are few thoughts from an article that talked about the personality traits of celebrities like Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and Michael Dell, and I thought it was right to share with you all.
There are certain traits that are common to such entrepreneurs, though there may be differences in their line of approach. Here are some of the qualities they share:
  

SELF-STARTER- this common trait reveal them as individuals who are self-motivated and self-reliant in their line of duty. Such people wait for no one before starting or carrying out their responsibilities. They possess high initiatives. They are able to diagnose or troubleshoot problems and find appropriate solutions to them. Tasks and obligations are carried out with or without the prompting of no one. They know what to do and how to go about it as well as when it is to be done.

 HARD-WORKING- They all exhibit and unrelenting nature of carrying out their duties/responsibilities. Hard-work is not about working tirelessly but about giving-off your very best; stretching yourself to your very length in getting things done as and when it is expected of you. working time is solely devoted to work with no excuses. This is a demonstration of a focused and a well-committed achiever.

RESILIENT- this is the ability to bounce back despite being stretched, bent or squashed to your utmost. These successful people do not keep lying where they fell. They fall several times. But the difference is that they get back up again. They take up the ruins and start all over again if there is the need to without giving up. Experience of set backs makes them stronger, better and able to tell a very moving story about how it all started and how far they've come.

MOTIVATED BY BIG CHALLENGES- Most at times we love to stay in our comfort zones. And regrettably, this has been the cause of our inability to rise high as expected in life. To excel and achieve great heights, these personalities take on seeming insurmountable challenges. To every greater risk, there is a greater reward; the investment and finance experts will tell you that. Dare the big challenges that confronts you to a very conclusive end.

STRONG DESIRE TO SUCCEED- Amidst confronting the big mountainous challenges, is the innermost desire to succeed. Challenges must not be faced  for the sake of it but to attain success. Such should be the mind of every successful person. Having a very strong and positive appetite for success is in right direction for any individual who accepts strong challenges. Hunger or strong desire spurs us on to accomplish greater heights that ordinarily we couldn't have accomplished.

Hope you have had a great time reading through this little piece? Challenge yourself to greater heights. You can be numbered among such folks. Make a conscious effort to have these traits to be part and parcel of your daily life dealings. No matter who you are or where you are, you become great and be a blessing to many lives.

Thanks for reading.

MANAGING YOUR INCOME

After a vigorous search for work, what remains after one is handed with a letter of employment is how to settle in the job and manage the cash inflows (earnings/income). A lot of newly employed folks face the challenge of managing their income on daily and monthly basis. Some get carried away with the huge amount of salary they receive monthly. Such folks suddenly are caught in spending spree. Some of such spending is acceptable while others are beyond and extreme.


As a young person who just graduated and now has a job, the next line of thought is how to get a room of your own if you are still staying with your parents or under someone else's roof. This is a good way to think of spending part of your income on. While some spend wisely on getting their own apartments as well as other necessities, others go about spending on virtually everything they have dreamed of  for a long while. Such spending ranges from buying expensive and luxurious household appliances, machines, mobile phones, cars and as you thought right, spending on friends outings frequently. Whiles they may not be nothing wrong in particular, but there is a time for everything. You set priorities and you must get that right. You need to do a careful and thorough examination of your spending habits soon after you begin a new job as a fresh graduate.

The world economy is burdened with a lot of challenges and industries are often hit by such challenges and consequently results in lay offs. As a new employee, you need to manage your income in such a way that in the case of lay offs, you could still survive for awhile. Effective income management helps you to survive beyond a month without a regular income.There are a lot of ways to  effectively manage your income wisely. Money is a potential employee. You can put it to work for it to earn you another income apart from what you do. Therefore, the first-most thing to do is to put your money to work. Just as you work to earn income, so you can let your money work to earn you more money. This is called, investment. It is very important to invest due to the following,

1. you gain additional income by investing
2. it prevents erosion of your money's value by inflation rate
3. it helps you to discipline your spending habits
4. it helps you to finance projects and other expenses without effect on your monthly salary

A number of investment options are available to you to consider. There are both Short term and Long term investment options. The short term investments have low risk of loosing your money but comes with low returns. However, the Long term option has high level of risk but promises high returns on your money.

Examples of these options are given below:

Short term options- eg. Treasuries and Certificate of Deposit

Long term options- eg. Shares and Bonds

NOTE: More on these subject at a latter date. You can also contact an investment firm to learn more about the options that best suits you as a life beginner. 

Another way of investing and making your money work for you is by venturing into a business. Think of a business opportunity that may be close to you in your community or elsewhere. The next thing after you have gotten an idea of the business you want to establish is to make a plan as to how to start, finance, manage and grow the business. You could employ other people to work for you and pay them at the end of the month just as you also receive your monthly pay from elsewhere. By this, you also become your own boss having others working for you and paying them. It is very important to know what type of business to set up and how you can finance the business.

The second wise thing to do after investing is to set a portion of your income for yourself. A worker deserves his/her wages. Pay yourself. Set aside a part of your income for your personal up-keep. This is to take care of food, clothing among others as you decide. You must endeavour to spend this money on things that are necessities for you. Remember to include all your bills as well.

Thirdly, support the work of God. Give some portion of your money to support ministry work. It is God who gave you the health and strength to go about your daily schedules. Let others get to know the God you know by supporting with your finances.

More also,  be self-disciplined. Learn to discipline yourself in your spending. Avoid or reduce as much as possible, impulse buying. This helps you to avoid buying items you don't really need but you just felt to buy when you saw them on your way. It is relevant to eliminate such waste.

Again, avoid or reduce spending on luxuries through debts. Do not incur debts as a result of spending on luxurious things. Live within your means and spend only that you have as much as possible. There is a time for everything. There will surely be a time where you spend on luxuries as you wish and still be OK with what is left.

Lastly, save part in a bank account to cater for future contingencies. This could cater for medical bills, projects, children welbeing, family support among a host of others. This account can grow more based on your ability to reduce waste in your spending. The more you avoid waste, the more you save or invest to cater for such things. It really pays to manage what you have. 

YOU & YOUR CAREER (CONTN'D)

Editor's note: This is a continuation of the previous publication titled 'YOU & YOUR CAREER'. You should have read the previous publication before reading this one in order to best appreciate the writer's line of thought. Thank you very much and enjoy your reading.

Michael Anaman Mensah.

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Growing up has always been fun and entertaining. You eat, play, make noise, cry, sleep and have all the fun we wished. But, it all changes when we all reach a certain level where we dream and wish to be at a particular pedestal. Our desires change, our manner of play and fun also changes. We are more often caught thinking critically about some what important. We could be found thinking about what next to do or where next to go either after Senior high or after first degree.

Especially after first degree, we often think of whether to continue straight up to pursue a Masters programme or to take a job or even combine the two. Getting a job with a first degree isn't easy at all given the current rate of unemployment in the country. 

Research findings have indicated that about 250,000 young people enter Ghana's labour market annually and less than 5000 representing 2% get employed in the formal sector, leaving about 98% unemployed. It has been estimated that annual graduate unemployment in Ghana is 44%. More than 30% of the young people who enter the labour market have received education from institutions of higher learning (Appiah-Kubi, 2011).

Pursuing a Masters programme on the other hand is not also an easy decision. There are different choice of programmes to choose from. Another important factor to consider in one's decision to further his/her studies is the availability of funds to start and complete the study. In this current dispensation, you need not just choose a programme to pursue but you need to choose a programme that is relevant to industry and that will enhance your probability of being employed.

Jobs are very difficult to come by; not just in Ghana but outside Ghana as well. Globally, due to economic recessions, many organisations are laying-off huge number of their employees in order to survive and thrive. Many of such employees who are specialists in specific fields find it very difficult getting a new job. However, those in special fields who also possess some form of qualifications in other fields have higher chances of getting a new job. This is a sure way to go given the current happenings in the global economy.

The way forward in securing yourself in the job market is to build yourself in the following manner:

• The first most thing to do is to be both a specialist and a generalist. A specialist in the sense that you ought to be an expert in something. You could be an expert in say Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing among others. You should build yourself in such a way that you have greater knowledge and command in that special field. A generalist in the sense that you have enough knowledge in other fields. For instance,you could have a Masters degree in accounting and a diploma or degree in other fields. 
• Be self-reliant. Build yourself so that a high value is placed on your knowledge, skills and capabilities. Strive to find new ways of doing things and be proactive. See yourself as an entrepreneur (inra-preneur) in you job. Be a person who can work with little or no supervision. Be a fast learner and get familiarized with processes and activities in the organisation. Also, be creative and innovative as if you are working in your own organisation. Ensure that your capabilities are highly valued such that you cannot easily be dispensed with. Be at your very best.
• Be connected. Have a network of people who you know at a personal level in different fields who you think can be of help to you to build on your career. A healthy relationship with your networks will be very rewarding. Networks serve as career path-ways or as back up plans in case something goes wrong and you get hit by a problem/challenge or probably a lay-off. The most lasting network to build is that with your class or course-mates at school.
• Actively manage your relationship with your organisation. Add value to your organisation. Positively impact your organisation with your competences. Have a good relationship with your boss or the owner of the venture. Let him/her see you as having the business at heart as if it were your own.

As you step out from school, your mostly thought-of is your career. It is therefore an important decision that you need to be critical about.This is because, your career comes first and brings in other things- money, marriage, properties, honour and self-actualization. To have the best in life, choose a career you love and enjoy.

YOU & YOUR CAREER

Editor's note: The Editor holds a bachelor's degree in business administration. He has a great writing ability and loves to share his views on issues. Therefore, the views expressed are those he could personally relate to. Enjoy your reading and keep following his future publications.
Michael A. Mensah.
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A career is the job or profession that you do for a long period of your life Or it is that part of your life that you spend working.
Growing up as a young person, the number one and a very relevant decision that confronts you is the career path to choose. For some, it is easier. This is because for such people, their career path has already been decided on by their parents or guardian. In such a case, the individual involved seem to have very little or no say about his or her career path. On the other hand, there are some others that have to think through as to the career path to tread.
Growing up, my most cherished career was to be a Medical Doctor. Hmmm. Yes oo!  a Medical Doctor. I loved studying science especially the Biology. I developed great interest in Science because of biology. For Chemistry, not really friendly to me. However, my dad suggested to pursue a career in the business field. His reason? He had a friend working in a Bank and the working condition or opportunities seem to be very good. What had I to do? As a young Junior High School leaver, I had no say. You know, when you don't pay your fees you don't have much to say. More also, I was very naive about a lot of things. I knew little or nothing about Senior High schools and the programmes they offer. This made it a lot more easier to say, "dad, whatever you say".
With time, I discovered that it was the right decision to choose a business path. I wasn't so into Biology after all- the sight of blood was very difficult to behold.
As you are reading this article, you also have your own story to tell about your career path. You may still be contemplating on your career path right now. You ain't too sure or are you?
Howbeit, it is not a case of who chose your career path for you. But it is a matter of your capability, competence and interest in the chosen field. Another important matter to note is whether there will be enough money to finance your studies in the chosen field.
Life is full of choices and whatever we choose has consequential  effects on our lives. It could also serve as a precedent for the younger generations after you. This is the more reason why you need not to choose a career path just as you select among your clothes. It is very imperative to critically and thoroughly think through your desired career path. Some career paths may just be decorative and may not help unleash your full capabilities. Still, some others are very well paid but yet not very fulfilling.
Given the current economic situations, one could easily choose a career path he/she is not interested in at all. This I call 'situational choice'. Given a different economic condition, one may choose some thing he/she has great interest and love in. Re-examine your choice of career and decide whether you like to continue in that same path or a change will do.
Do what you love and love what you do.
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I will be sharing more on You & Your Career in my next publication. Do make it a point not to miss. On the other hand, your comments and contributions are most welcomed.