HOW civil servants destroy governments

INTERNATIONAL JOBS: Why your job applications aren't taken seriously?

ON the Twitter Space, a group of passionate Zambians share real issues that make your job applications thrown away without you getting regret letter.  In summary "stop pissing off employers!!"

Don't accuse an old man in the village for blocking your breakthrough when you are messing up things yourself. It is about how you position yourself. No job falls on your laps by mistake. Felix Mwenge & team try hard to help us sharpen our CVs & get those dream jobs internationally and locally.

I have summarized issues for you. Who knows, you may earn yourself a dream job by following whatever you think is valuable from many tips they shared on the Twitter Space last night. They shared great insights.

1) Competitiveness: Put in mind that you're competing with the BEST! "How do I stand out? Ensure your CV is water tight. Your CV & cover letters matter most. But remeber,there will be more rejects than you can count, it's not the devil, but it is what it is. Don't relent. Although there's no single template for a good CV, here are the 5 points to pay attention to: 

a) Presentation: be structured, clear & concise. Don't add your picture, name of village/chief, cover page for the CV, career objectives, etc. In short, "No waffling".

b) Less is more: You don't need more than 2 pages (even if you have 15-20 years of experience). Make an impression above the fold i.e. put the most selling points on top of the CV/cover letter. What do you bring to the job, what skills do you? This should be made priority.

c) Biodata last: Date of birth, religion, tribe, marital status, etc are all worthless. You are wasting time to market yourself. Biodata shouldn't be the first thing on the CV. Employers throw applications once they don't see important skills you are bringing to the job.

d) Understand the job description: Understand what the employer is looking for & tailor your CV to the job description. Have as many CVs are possible. Don't submit a general CV you send everywhere. Spend your time on your CV. Refine it to speak to what the employer needs.

e) Examples of CVs that set you apart: On your CV, put your results & responsibilities. Here are 2 candidates with same expertise, work experience & skills for a front office job. 

Candidate A "I am responsible for the operations of the receptions and front office." Candidate B "I manage the efficient running of the front office to enhance positively the organisation brand." 

Candidate A “I handle petty cash for buying stationary and fuel for company cars and other supplies.” Both are selling their skills/experience mind you. Candidate B “I control the office budget ensuring that all supplies are sufficiently stocked while expenditure remains within the allocated budget.” 

Candidate A “I am responsible for filing company correspondence and key documents”. Can you see how one is setting self apart? Candidate B “I manage company data storage and retrieval systems for effective decision making”

Candidate A “I manage the supervisors diary for meetings and appointments". Candidate B “ I oversee the principal’s timely engagements with internal and external stakeholders.” On initiative, candidate B adds to the CV/current job. “I put in place systems and interrogative data management protocols to ensure that all correspondence with stakeholders is addressed within 24 hours, a first for my company.” 

Candidate A is silent. Knock out punch number 1

Candidate B goes on to say“I reduced turnover for processing quotations from 72 hours to less 24 hours thereby increasing the volume of sales per week by more than 45%.” Nangu (even if) you don't want to shortlist Candidate B, you will do it.  The candidate has spoken via CV.

POINT: Use ACTIVE language to sell yourself. Instead of saying… “I was responsible” say “I managed, I controlled)!! The use of language matters. How to say it matters. You can be saying the same thing, but the other candidate beats you at your game by using the right language.

2) Ejection will happen: You can be rejected 50 times, but let your fire continue burning. Fall & rise again until you get where you want to be. Don't let temporary defeat throw you off balance. Rejection of your job application prepares you to sharpen your job applicant.

3)Aim to be shortlisted - Leave out worthless things e.g. objective like "to be a reliable stuff". This is throwing the job under the bridge. Don't include your religion,  your marital status, etc. Put out important issues & leave out valueless stuff.

What a CV is NOT: 

a) an opportunity to tell the employer everything about yourself. The employer wants your suitability for the job. Ensure your CV answers the question in the ad. If the CV wants someone who is practical, talk about your practical competencies.

b) Don't flatter the employer- eg I want to be employed in your wonderful organization. No one wants to hear that, show your suitability, share your skills. Flattery words can end up pissing off the employer. Avoid those tired phrases. Go for what matters most -your suitability

4) Overdressing- This can be a turn off to the employer. Be moderate. Don't dress like they are going for a fashion show or a music audit.  Combine your colours appropriately. Don't wear screaming colours & eye hurting stuff e.g. make up, colour combination, etc.

5) Brief about the organization: read about the employer. The question about the organisation will often come. Don't over talk about the organisation more than the owners of the company thinking you are proving a point when you are shooting yourself in the head.

6) Politeness: Some of you are so rude when called for either a jon interview or offer. You even claim you don't pick calls from unknown numbers. Why then applying for jobs? Be polite when called over a job. Don't be too lazy and rude, sound lazy and less focused.

7) Picking calls: The company will call you 5 times, you don't pick for reasons best known by you. You don't want a job. Busy complaining "who is this now?"  How will you get employed when you don't pick calls? Be serious, learn to pick calls.

8) Answer questions professionally and not arrogantly:  Arrogance is about putting your ego than suitability out there. You can be confident, but professional in the manner you answer questions. Don't belittle that seeming annoying panellist. S/he could the decision maker.

9) When you don't know, say it- Waffling negates your suitability. If you don't know, put it out that you don't know. No one knows everything, you won't be the first one to acknoledge it that you don't know. It earns you respect than going on waffling.

10) Build your career on social media: Put what you claim your expertise is on social media. Don't always argue with people, fighting others. Employers check you out on social media. Some of you ONLY post chilling moments, no time to engage into intellectual issues. You can engage in intellectual issues in line with your expertise, you can share your beliefs about certain issues eg about climate change. You can't claim to be an expert in enviromental issues & have a social media profile littered with bola bet ONLY.

11) Anticipate why a question is being asked- Every question asked is for a purpose. No interviewer asks a question for the ride of it. They are assessing something. Be sharp when asked a question & respond appropriately. It pays to think fast & speak with the righ tone

12) Culture & ethos: international jobs mainly about personal goals i.e. being in for the ethos of the company but ONLY money. Once the employer realizes that you are not connected to the ethos of the company, you will lose the job opportunity. Be balanced.

13) Work experience - Apprenticeships, volunteering & part time jobs build your line of work &  gain you valuable experience to refer to when applying for the job. Your good grades in school matters less, the employers want outputs (suitability, experience & skills). The world of work is not about grades you got in university. It is about output. How suitable are you to the company output? You can be an A+ student academically, but if you can't show anything for it at when it comes to KPIs, you get thrown out.

For international jobs & any other job (maybe except Government jobs), they're results oriented, skills matters, experience is golden & your linkages open doors. Your brand and people you affiliate with differentiate you from others.

All the BEST!!

INTERNSHIPS in Zambia: Entitlement graduates or exploitative employers?

In our effort to share information & help others be competitive in the world of work, we often have a Space on Twitter to learn from each other. The idea was initiated by Felix Mwenge, a committed son of the soil. One of the topics was on internship in Zambia. The critical qualification was: "Internship in Zambia: entitlement graduates or exploitative employers?"

The topic brought out very serious issues that immediately needed attention to enhance employability of youths & open up opportunities for them in the job market. We must act now. Employers had their voices, youths who went thru internships shared their experiences (good/bad) & experts threw their weight too on internships. Thanks to Felix Mwenge & team for the great insight. You're building a different generation of youths. Summary of points shared:

1) Legal lacunas - The labour law is not clear on paying interns. An employer does it as s/he wishes. Further, an employer can't tell where they're within or outside the law. The Apprenticeship Act of 1964 is archaic & difficult to effectively implement an internship programme. Internship is not adequately provided for in the legal provision under the Apprenticeship Act of 1965. It provides for apprenticeship. It focuses on learning & not employment. Apprenticeship legislation was meant to balance skills gaps from graduates from universities.

2) Interns in NGOs- The interns learn the Civil Society Organization (CSO) works. The NGO system provides for learning & getting employed once the youths are acquainted with the CSO world. The duration is only 6 months to avoid labour law issues. Some perform well & get employed. Some CSOs have well structured internship programmes with thought out learning framework for interns. Stipends are paid to help interns meet logistics & never lose morale to do their best at their job. The space is a mentorship ground for the youths without work experience.

3) Attitude matters- Many youths need opportunities in the job market. It builds youths into job ready persons for the world of work. But their attitude is critical in grooming them into valuable assets for the job market. Bad attitude jeopardises their opportunities. It is very critical to have the right attitude towards work, time mgt, ethos & productivity virtues development, etc. Some youths are not ready to get 'dirty' when going thru the milling process for employability. They feel they're too elite to do certain tasks.

4) Employers & identifying essential skills - Hard & soft skills are highly sought by employers.  However, most employers focus on hard skills & neglect soft skills e.g. attributes, attitude & values. Hard skills are typified with many skills gaps from their education.

Most graduates leave the education system without being grounded on hard skills (skills gaps, which negate their employability). learning institutions have left employers to retrain graduates as they're poorly prepared for the job market. This needs to change.

5) Interns & valuing opportunities- Our education system disadvantages youths. Thus, they should be ready to learn. What could have been done by universities is passed on to employers. Youths must utilize these opportunities. Entitlements cost career growth. There are youths who think the world owes them space for internship, the world is competitive. It has no time for babysitting anyone. The world of work needs skills, right attributes, attitudes & dedication. Employability is premium. 

6) Informal internship- This happens a lot especially in the art industry. Many youths find spaces for internships in the industry. But due to systematic internship programmes in the sector, youths are abused sexually/emotionally, financially & go thru other bad experiences. Most youths are taken advantage of in the art/music industry as they try to enhance their employability. The industry is loosily monitored & players take advantage of the situation. 

7) Work Based Learning (WBL) -Was developed to address lacunas in the Apprenticeship Act. It provides for informal & formal internships, industrial attachments & apprenticeships. This is a long term capacity building platform to enhance employability of youths across sectors. WBL provides for people to learn at work for their employability sharpening. It is a way out of legal lapses in the Apprenticeship Act of 1964. It is broader & provides for financing Internships by a sustained financing mechanism. 

8) Rebate for internship- the WBL provides for rebates to attract organizations to take on interns. Stipends are needed for youths to get by as they intern. Without paying them, it remains a preserve of the well to do. We need to broaden it to cover any youth across the country.

There are thoughts to use part of CDF to finance i) internships ii) industrial attachments & Apprenticeships; won't it help enhance graduates' employability & smoothen their transition into the job market. We already have skills bursary under CDF, can we extend it to internship?

The thoughts are that if a youth has an internship opportunity at Zambia Sugar, proceeds of CDF can meet my internship stipend for my movement to & Zambia Sugar & upkeep for the period of internship. That will give me some pride & decent as I find my footing in the job market. Trade Kings Group of companies can take several youths, have a system to document practical knowledge & competencies they're gain & competency certificates can be given afterwards for all those who complete the program. The knowledge/competencies will become practial experience

Companies in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, etc who take up interns can get REBATES or upfront payment for being part of the human capital development program under Internship, Apprenticeship & Industrial Attachments. We've to find a way of making it work. The Skills Development Fund (SDF) may take care of costs when it comes to those in technical & vocational training whilst CDF takes care of costs for those outside technical & vocational training or something like that. We can refine the thoughts we we learn lessons from experiences.

In Zimbabwe under the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (ZIMDEF), two types of Apprenticeships apply: i) recruited by GRZ thru Industrial Training & Trade Testing Department & ii) direct recruited by employers. ZIMDEF meets costs for apprenticees across companies. In Kenya, taking up internships/apprenticees is part of PKIs for both GRZ agencies & GRZ departments. Interns are NOT mere erand boys/girls. A training plan is done & log books are used to document competencies acquired in the process e.g. using E-GP System, filing taxes, etc

What this has done is creating a collective responsibility to provide "work experience" to graduates. It has become a national responsibility whether in private or public sector. Each sector plays their role & the country wins in enhancing employability of youths.

9) UN internships- It is not paid up. You have to meet your own logistics & any other costs to go by with the internships. Your internship at the UN is for personal growth. Payment won't come your way. You should have the means to sustain your needs during internship. This is an elitist system that has no space for those who can't meet their upkeep & other costs involved during the internship. The UN needs to rethink its model to create inclusive internship opportunities.

10) What interns are NOT- They are not an extension of your house keepers. Never limit them to doing errands & never learn anything from it. You're wasting time for the youths by making the errand runners. Develop a training plan for them & mentor them to improve employability. Some organisations have no learning frameworks for the interns, they end up during errands for anyone who is too busy with real work stuff. The interns don't learn anything the end of their internship. Their time is wasted.

11) Talent building - Interns are talented & great minds to drive organization goals. With good mentorship programmes, we can build vibrant talents & national human resources capital for wealth & job creation. We must harness them & their potential. A well thought learning framework is needed for the interns to benefit from any internship opportunity. 

12) Don't settle for abuse - You won't learn anything in any abusive space. You're being abused only. Whenever you get an internship, there should be a structured learning framework to show the kind of mentorship you will go through to build skills to improve your employability.

13) Paid or unpaid internship- Any unpaid internship should come with a learning framework. You should get value from it. You're spending money to get to the organization for your internship, get value for it. Without value from the intership, you're better off being home & focusing on other things. You will be comfortable in an internship program that add no value to your life.

14) Deliver value - Get an internship with good attributes & values that help organizations see the importance of Keeping you. When you add value, no employer will let you go. Unless the organization is bad at identifying talent, nurture it & utilize it.

Way forward

15) Database - We need a database for skilled youths across sectors for organizations to pick talent to take up as interns. 

16) National Internship Programme - A stipend should be provided for the smooth transition of youths into the world of work.

HOW Civil Servants Destroy Businesses

1) Procurement: GRZ is among the biggest buyers of goods & services. Civil servants control procurement. You've to dance to their music or never get the contract. You've to butter them to get contracts. If you play smart, you're the loser. If you've done any business with GRZ, you've an idea the procurement blues existing to get a tender. Some civil servants are experts is 'selling tenders'. They sell to the highest bidder. They can even help you win the tender. They are movers & shakers. 

2) Payment: You can win the tender, supply the goods or render the service. But another gatekeeper civil servant comes in here: accountants. These pay masters can make your life hell if you don't dance their Michael Jackson music of oiling them to quicken payment. Those who know the Jackson steps get their payment in no time. But poor dancers go for months without seeing their pay. By the time they get it, the monetary value of the contract would have been eroded. Most businesses are caught up in this systematic corruption & bend. 

3) Time wasting: If you know time wasters on earth, civil servants can top the list. "Come tomorrow" takes forever. Kaya which part of tomorrow is in their vocabulary. You will know Jesus when dealing with these people. They look for opportunities in these delaying tactics. Businesses don't have time for these merry-go-round gimmicks of civil servants. They end up learning the dancing steps for the civil service. Whereas "time is money" in the business world, to the civil service, that's your business. They do it at their pace. 

4) Cuts: The civil service is littered with "cuts" [ncekelako] almost everywhere you pass to do business with GRZ. Even security guard will want a cut to open the gate. These people are powerful. They can determine the sustaibility & death of your business. We need sanity. Sanity in civil service business conduct can largely reduce cost of doing business & growth of many businesses. Fair play rules & efficiency in doing business needs to be core in the civil service for entrepreneurs to get a return on investment (RoI). 

WHAT happens when caught up in this civil service net?

5) Inflate price: Businesses end up pushing the price upwards to meet these civil servants "cuttings" littered in the whole value chain. You factor-in amounts to oil everyone in the value chain. This comes at additional cost to GRZ. A tractor costing K200, 000 can be pushed to K400, 000 to meet the oiling needs of supply value chain beneficiaries. When ACC says it will sit in every procurement committee, this is what it seeks to address. 

6) Compromise quality: some businesses go for the most substandard materials to meet the cost of supplying GRZ so that they also meet the oiling needs of the system. No business owner would deliberately supply low standards goods/service. It is system blues pushing them to do so. The useless bridges, equipment, infrastructure & others we see GRZ paying for comes from complex GRZ systems that need oiling to get thinking moving. "wacenjeza ng'anga ukalibe kupole" (you've alerted the healer b4 getting healed) follows you when you refuce to oil the system. 

7) Stick to principles & be the loser: Your business can fold easily when you dare the civil servants. You can get:

i) arrested for corrupt practices with them, ii) banned from public supply by ZPPA for poor service service/ horrible goods or iii) smoked out of business. Being among the biggest buyers & sellers, GRZ needs to sanitize its systems for every entrepreneur to effectively do business with diff GRZ agents/departments. Arm twisting, blackmailing (never to get another GRZ contract], ect tricks by civil servants is ruining many businesses. 

WHATEVER magic GRZ needs to apply, it has to bring sanity to its systems. It needs to attitude change among its system. The business world is failing to create jobs to meet the oiling needs of those entrusted with public office. Business is hard, it needs support systems. Every coin counts in the business world. When the support system is siphoning money meant for business growth/expansion, jobs & wealth vanish in the process. No matter how good GRZ policies to support businesses can be, without a good support system; it will be all in VAIN.