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Mr. Godwin C. Nwaogwugwu

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Current Responses By This Mentor

Question:

How Can I Get IT Placement?

 
please can you kindly give me information on how to get student internship in Nigeria, Lagos to be precise. I am going to embark on my industrial attachment program in a few months time and I don't know how to go about it

Folarin (Lagos, Nigeria)


Answer:

I just came back from a work mission to Nigeria and observed that most students are denying themselves this wonderful opportunity to gain hands-on experience and prepare for life after school. Industrial Attachment (IT) is US' equivalence of internship. However, most students in Nigeria insist on getting paid while they are on IT, thereby, making themselves unattractive to employers. Generally IT is an extension of school curriculum Nobody pays you for going to school to acquire knowledge, so most employers argue why they should pay IT students. If you remove the monetary compensation, then getting an IT placement in Nigeria is quite easy.

•  Focus on the experience and not money

•  Start on time

•  visit the places you have in mind to do your IT

• Submit your IT letter to the personnel department, and collect their phone number

• Continue to follow-up until you get a favorable reply from one.

• When you get in and prove yourself as a serious worker, then you can make a case for allowances. Like a job interview, putting salary first is a sure way to lose it.

• It's better you do your IT at a place, where accommodation and transportation will not be a problem incase you don't get paid.

•  Don't over-look small places around, sometimes they offer even better opportunities than big companies.
  
  All the luck!
   

Question:

How Can I Get Government Jobs In Nigeria?

Dear sir,

I am a third year Political Science student at one of the universities in Canada. I spent two years studying International Relations. I shall be graduating next year by God's grace. It has always been my dream to work in Nigeria once I graduate. I have worked in an NGO for about 4 years now during the summer period. I have volunteered in high school and a member of different clubs both inside and outside school. This summer, am hoping to work for the Canadian government.

Now, my question to you is, how do I apply for government jobs in Nigeria from here and as soon to be a political Science graduate, what areas of work should I be looking into if I want to apply for jobs in Nigeria? Other useful advice will be appreciated. Thank You.
 

Nne (Canada)

Answer:

Thanks Nne,

Nigeria has three tiers of government: Federal, State, and Local governments. It may be necessary to narrow down your interest. At the Federal level employment is based on what they call ‘Federal Character’, which is a type of quota allocation that ensures that each state in the federation has a fair representation on federal jobs. So availability of federal jobs is also subject to availability of slots for your state of origin. Most government jobs require registration with the civil service commission.

Since you have been in Canada for the past few years, what you are actually considering is relocation to Nigeria and not just employment. You may start reducing your overall financial obligations (including liabilities, and assets) in Canada, because “where your wealth is, there your mind is as well.

As a liberal art major, a graduate degree will be of benefit. With a foreign graduate degree, it’s easier to get employment in the education sector first, perhaps as a lecturer. Nigeria’s financial institutions are also absorbing great number of young graduates from all fields. With a background in NGO work you may also consider opportunities with local NGOs or international NGOs with operations in Nigeria.  Getting employment with a government-sponsored program may be easier than a core civil service position. Start making contact with Nigerian firms via their websites, and in addition attend international summits/ conventions on Nigeria. Most of them attend. The bottomline is that you need something to sustain you for few months while you network for government jobs.

I will advise you have a letter of employment in your hand first before relocating permanently to Nigeria. But before than you need to travel to Nigeria for at least 2 months to acquaint yourself with the job market. It’s a tough and competitive job market. Once your foot is on ground and stable, getting any type of job (including federal positions) will depend on your job networking skills.

Question

How do I get my songs/ compositions sold to artists

I want to really commend your efforts on how you've been sensitizing and motivating us -the youths. I've been following your programs and write ups sensitively, they're really great. However, my question is this: I'm a songwriter and composer, how do I get my songs/ compositions sold to artists, musicians or producers who will perform them?

Thanks in advance.

Vining (Owerri, Nigeria)

Answer:

If your goal is to have your songs recorded by artists, you need to have a targeted market and specific audience. You will have more chances if you write the kind of songs that most artists in that area either do not have time to write, or cannot write by themselves. Secondly, find other songwriters who are already in the business and collaborate with them. Songs are like any other product, consumers always want to go for trusted brands. In this case the popular the Songwriter the better. Working in collaboration with established Songwriters will give you exposure.

To create awareness among your audience, I suggest you  attend talent show auditions. There are great artists who fail auditions because of poor lyrics. Such artists are excellent candidates for your songs. If they can make it through auditions using your song, you are already on your way. After acquiring some experience, put advertisements with local recording studios targeting musicians and artists. Sometimes artists show up at studios with great sounds but poor lyrics. I will also suggest you reach out to school music departments, churches, theaters, etc. But don't send your lyrics to companies who advertise in magazines.

Godwin C. Nwaogwugwu

Question:

How Can I Get Noticed By International Organizations?

Hello Sir,

Thanks in advance for considering my question. I am a young graduate from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, where I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Economics in 2003. Getting a non-teaching job with a single honor course is very difficult in Nigeria. My dream is to work for an international organization like the World bank, having drawn inspiration from Dr. Mrs Ngozi-Okonjo Iweala (Nigeria's Finance Minister), who I understand is also an Economist. Please apart from seeking direct employment, how else can I attract attention from international agencies/ organizations.

Thanks

Angela (Enugu, Nigeria)  

Answer:

Thanks Angela, and do not be discouraged

The easiest way could have been to seek internship opportunity with your dream organization while you were still in school. If  you missed that opportunity, the next alternative would be to carry out a research that's relevant to what the organization does and submit a copy of the final report to them. Another secret is that in addition to your CV (resume) and references, most companies (people) run your name (first and last names) in major search engines such as ‘Yahoo’, ‘Google’, ‘infoseek’ to see how many articles and publications come up  under your name. The quality of the articles and sites, where they appear also matters.  Since contributing articles and columns to mainstream print media has always been very competitive, and often reserved for established scholars and journalists, a good way to get your name out there is by contributing write-ups, articles, research papers and publications to reputable internet sites. Eventually, these publications are picked up by search engine crawlers and listed under your name. But be careful of what you post out there, because once posted, it’s no longer easy to remove pages from some sites.

Godwin C. Nwaogwugwu

Question

How Can I Accumulate Years Of Experience?

Dear Sir,

Most companies look for candidates with at least 5 years of experience for certain positions. Where are we suppose to get up to 5 years experience if they can't give us the opportunity to start somewhere?

Matthew (Lagos, Nigeria)

Answer:

Hello Matthew, your question is a very important one. Years of experience is important to establish competence. Companies depend on competent employees to achieve their goals. You can accumulate years of experience through internship, industrial attachment, vacation jobs, and part-time jobs. Some good ways of acquiring experience that're often neglected are volunteer opportunities. Volunteer to work free for companies or assist with community-based/ charity projects, volunteer as a research assistant to a law firm, government agency, school professor, etc. Finally, take your NYSC program serious. Focus more on where to get hands-on experience than monetary compensation. One year industrial attachment, two years of vacation/ volunteer jobs, and one year NYSC will add up to 5 years experience.

All the luck!

Question:

Are Traditional Wears Official Work Attires in Nigeria?

Sir,

I have read your publication titled 'Preparing For Life After School' by Godwin C. Nwaogwugwu;  it's so informative ; I recommend it to every Nigerian student. My question now is why are Nigerian traditional wears not considered official work attires by some banks operating Nigeria ?

Biola (Lagos)

Answer:

Hello Biola, I am happy you found the publication useful.

I have always believed in cultural diversity at workplace. Nigerian traditional attires are considered official attires if they come with matching head-wears. If that condition is met, I wouldn't know why banks operating in Nigeria would not accept it. Generally, financial institutions around the world have very strict standards on official attires to maintain their professionalism. However, Biola, I think it's more of a bandwagon effect for bank staff to wear suit. Traditional attires with matching head-wears are very acceptable in banks. I will suggest you ask your Branch Manager.

Godwin C. Nwaogwugwu

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