Career Focus is a newsletter that is published every semester by the USIU-Africa Placement and Career Services (PACS) department. It features various events and services organised by PACS, insights from industry professionals and PACS staff, career tips, jobs,, key interviews and profiles, mentorship opportunities, PACS must haves, success stories in the workplace among other stories. We welcome your comments and views. Email us on careeroffice@usiu.ac.ke

1. career
focus
PACS Newsletter - Spring 2015
United States International University– Africa
Placement & Career Services
“Raising the Bar”

2. 2

3. 3
As I sat down with my team to con-
ceptualize the first career specific
newsletter, we pondered many
things. We asked ourselves why we
needed to develop a career specific
newsletter in an Information Age
where everything is available to us by
touch whereas previously it was at
the click of a button making access to
specific information even easier; what
sense is there in packaging tips from
local industry professionals to a tar-
geted USIU audience and in the
end….. We recognized that while it
was required of us, we needed to de-
velop it for a bigger, bolder and
greater purpose. Thus after much de-
liberation, we agreed that it was time
to raise our game and take it to the
n e x t l e v e l . H e n c e t h e
theme…..’Raising the Bar’.
Why raising the bar ? Keep reading
and you`ll get the drift….
As a premier institution of higher
learning, we (USIU-Africa) have tradi-
tionally presented ourselves as an or-
ganization that values personal space
and self-expression and one that seeks
to grow the whole person in addition
to the academic degrees we offer. We
pride ourselves in going the extra mile
to prepare you to better compete
with your counterparts and excel in
whatever you put your mind to do….
(I mean that`s why we have the PACS
office among other amenities).
But in my view, the approach has
become very one-sided, with the in-
stitution on one hand creating a con-
ducive learning environment and
(some) students on the other hand
detached about their very own future
– choosing to do just enough. The
prevailing attitude is ‘I’ll go to class,
get my assignments done, and just do
what I need to do to graduate and
maybe be part of a club here, show
up in an event there’ but nothing
more. Sure we have some students
who are clear about what they want,
how and when, but these are the ex-
ception. What about you? Where has
the hunger and thirst to be exception-
al and outstanding gone to?
As a USIU-Africa student you are not
here by accident! Regardless of how
and why you are here, this is how I
look at it and hopefully you will too;
you are here, you might as well make
the best out of it instead of consistent-
ly kicking the can down the road. We
(USIU-Africa and its constituents) are
only extras in your play called
life….you get to determine how it
transpires by you decisions or indeci-
sions. You have everything you need
in you to become all that you aspire.
You only need to engage and plug in,
show up and make things happen.
In raising the bar, our goal is to help
you see what we see in you. The real-
ity is that the game has changed.
Competition is real whether you are
seeking to do business or get a job,
you have to be prepared but more
importantly you have to show up.
Showing up does not mean being
there in spirit but engaging, participat-
ing be it in class or activities within
campus and learning, learning, learn-
ing and staying curious. We want to
reposition you, but you need to want
to equally raise your game.
Sure, we can develop the best pro-
grams, engage the best in delivering
the programs, build the funkiest build-
ings but if you the student does not
show up, it all means nothing. We
have got to go beyond just enough,
and stop propagating a mediocre
mindset. We are a premiere institu-
tion of higher learning and have the
capacity to offer more to the world.
Believe that you are an important
part of the puzzle and wake up each
day with the intention to not only do
your best, but to go over and above
what is expected of you.
Let us raise the bar in all we do. In
our conversations, in our classwork,
in our engagements, and in our quest
for knowledge and a better future. If
you can get it right while in college,
nothing will stop you from achieving
your dreams. We will do our part,
staff and faculty alike, but all that is
nothing if you do not show up in the
play of your life and take charge. It`s
really all up to you.
So what are you going to do intention-
ally to raise the bar where you are?
Let’s continue the conversation
@ l i l b o g o n k o @ U S I U C a r e e r s
#raisingthebar and on Facebook-
USIUCareers
Be Intentional
Lillian Bogonko
HEAD, Placement & Career Services
Mock Interviews
are opportunities to prac-
tice in preparation for real
interviews.
We’ll take you through
different types of questions,
how to sell yourself and
how to follow up after interviews.
Book an appointment with a career advi-
sor on careeroffice@usiu.ac.ke or call
0203606311.

4. 4
Inside...
Articles & Events
 Be Intentional 3
 Content Page 4
 One-stop Shop 5
 Gaining new heights every wake 6
 Must have for your Job Search 7
 Your Personal Value Proposition 8
 PACS Open day 9
 Building Blocks 10
 Group Career advising 11
 Mentorship program 12
 Life After USIU-Africa 13
 Success factors for you 14

5. 5
USIU-Africa promises Education to take you places. This means that
students benefit from exposure not only to outstanding programs and
faculty, but also to career advising and placement opportunities which
enable them practice what they have learnt and grow to become game
changers in the society. Whether it is in the area of choosing a major,
writing resumes and cover letters, preparing for interviews, job search
skills training, mentorship, placement and networking events, there is a
one-stop shop for these and more. The USIU-Africa’s Placement & Ca-
reer Services department (PACS); is a resource center you will want to
locate within your first semester on campus.
Many students enroll into university undecided about what subject to
choose as a major, and even if they have already declared a particular
program during application, doubt still exists in their minds as to wheth-
er the program they have chosen is truly the "right" one for them. Other
students enroll into university with a sense of direction and purpose only
to change their minds when they delve more into the subject area or
when they are exposed to options they never knew existed. Such situa-
tions are critical and need to be managed professionally. PACS has pro-
fessional staff willing and available to take you through such moments.
There has been a tendency for students to postpone their use of career
services till their senior year when little time remains for them to fully
benefit from the programs that PACS has designed towards building
their employability. We do not want you to say "I wish I'd come here
sooner!"
As a student you need to realize that the choices and experiences you
choose to follow during your life on campus will greatly impact the op-
tions available to you after graduation. It would be impossible to men-
tion all of the services available PACS office in one word, so stop by
and see what they have to offer. Become a “familiar face” at PACS…
volunteer during Career Fair…attend their weekly workshops, check
your school email for jobs, have your CV reviewed and follow them on
social media. It is important to note that opportunity needs to meet pre-
paredness and therefore failing to plan is planning to fail. You need to
have a plan for your studies on campus. PACS has a four year plan to
help with just that! Albert Schweitzer said, "Success is the key to happi-
ness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing,
you will be successful." Let the staff at your PACS office provide you
with information and assistance to plan for a career that you will love
and subsequently thrive in.
One-stop Shop
Ritah J. Asunda
Deputy Vice Chancellor
Student Affairs & Enrollment
PACS Programs
 Career Advising
Helping students chart their career path.
 Mentorship
Linking students with industry professionals for ca-
reer, personal and academic guidance.
 Job search Skills Training
CVs, Interview skills, goal setting, career develop-
ment etc.
 Entrepreneurship Workshops
Creating a platform for students to explore their self
-employment potential.
 Work-study Placement
On-campus work opportunities for practical learn-
ing.
 Placement & Recruitment
Linking students with jobs & internship opportunities.
 Networking Workshops
Providing a platform for students to acquire and leverage
professional connections.
 Volunteerism
Connect students with opportunities for experiential
learning.
 Career Fair
An event that brings together potential employers and
entrepreneurs to provide students with insight into the
workings of the world of work.
 Career Peer Advisors (CPAs)
Training students to be PACS ambassadors.

6. 6
GAINING NEW HEIGHTS IN EVERY WAKE
What if someone told you
and guaranteed you that
everything you are doing
right now will have a rela-
tively proportional impact
on you and the quality of
life that you will live for
the rest of your life?
Wouldn’t you do anything
and everything to make it
the best you can? More
often than not, we take
statements lightly to only
regret our actions in the
not so far away future.
I am positive that the mag-
nitude of success was not
known to William Procter
a candle maker and James
Gamble a soap maker
(brothers-in-law) who be-
came business partners
forming the now multi-
billion dollar company
Procter & Gamble (P&G).
The two however believed
in a dream- a dream that
177 years later has grown
to produce some of the
most impactful consumer
good products the world
has ever known.
Starting a company and
building it to a multina-
tional may seem like a far-
away dream and to some,
an extremely far-fetched
idea at this point. There
exist many other ways to
however be personally im-
pactful towards self-
growth and self-build.
Raising the bar means
much more than raising
ones test scores, it means
elevating oneself over
what teachers expect and
what we expect of our-
selves. It translates to
what accountability we
attach to our expectations
in both academia and life.
What can one do to raise
the bar whether in school
or out?
 Challenge yourself
daily, weekly, month-
ly, yearly-
set a challenge for yourself
- a target that you would
like to meet; it could be
physical, mental financial
or spiritual and you work
towards it. When you are
hired at P&G, you are given
responsibilities that chal-
lenge you, stretch you and
mold you into a better per-
son from the first day.
 Compete with your-
self first
we live in a fast paced
world where the natural
inclination is to compete
against our peers, neigh-
bors etc. In fact our school
system inculcates this into
us from an early age. How-
ever learn to compete with
yourself, aim to out-do
your own limits.
 Move from good to
great
one of the hardest things is
to improve on a really
good result. When you feel
you have accomplished,
the natural inclination is to
relax and give yourself a
pat on the back however
even as you give yourself a
pat on the back go on and
become great. Most of our
brands are global market
leaders for example Pam-
pers, Always, Gillette etc.
However we do not bask in
that glory but continue to
innovate to ensure that we
maintain leadership; hence
we invest millions of dol-
lars in innovation- we are
not satisfied but want to
become better and better.
 Plan to leave a legacy
When you think of any
great leader, one of the
things that is remarkable
about them is they left a
legacy. They moved from
being successful to being
significant. This does not
just happen but needs to
be intentional. Make prac-
tical resolutions on what
you need to work on and
work on them.
For those in school, all the
best from P&G- we know
some of you will be our
future colleagues- but
wherever you find yourself
- raise the bar.

7. 7
Must Haves For your Job search
Download the above from: https://cx.usiu.ac.ke/ICS/Campus_Life/Campus_Groups/Placement_and_Careers

8. 8
So, you’re looking for a job? You`ve been invited to
a growing list of interviews but haven’t heard a word
yet? I suggest to you that the main issue might be in
your personal value proposition in relation to the posi-
tion and company/organization you are applying to.
Your value proposition is a statement (s) of the unique
benefits that an employer would realize by employing
you. It is a highlight of your skills, strengths and core
areas of interest. It is where you offer your personal val-
ue proposition
For most people, and especially students, selling self is
a concept too difficult to comprehend. This is because
even though they know themselves and their inherent
skills and acquired capabilities, they fail to make those
qualities easily identifiable…no, uniquely identifiable.
So, how can one go about creating a personal value
proposition?
 Identify what you want to be known for. This is not
where you create a fake version of yourself. You
need to be authentic and real because what you
identify needs to be something you can deliver.
You need to strike a healthy balance between
ambitious and attainable. Remember the key
word – unique.
 Identify your strengths. There are specific skills you
are good at and that you are inherently equipped
with and others that people might have men-
tioned about you. You should also consider what
you enjoy doing and where you thrive. These form
the basis of the benefits that an employer will gain
by hiring you.
 Identify your target audience. This is an important
exercise because you need to link your strengths
and what you want to be known for with your tar-
get audience. The companies that you identify
need to have similar values, and should have pro-
jects in which you can thrive. You need to be care-
ful to identify organizations/companies where your
skills would be put to the best use.
 Show how you can benefit them. You need to
identify success stories highlighting and/or justifying
the strengths and capabilities you have outlined.
Your previous experiences in employment, extra-
curricular activities, internship or volunteer work-
offer good fodder for success stories.
Finally, do not limit your market to your home country
or town. You have received a world class education
so that you can solve the world’s problems. Remove
the limitations that you have set for yourself and RAISE
THE BAR!
Cecilia Mweru Waihenya,
Placement and Career officer, USIU-Africa
WHY THE USIU-AFRICA STUDENT?
 Multicultural Perspective
The University’s programs include a strong commit-
ment to providing students with a global understand-
ing and a multicultural perspective.
 Technologically Savvy
Program delivery at USIU-Africa acquaints and equips
students with the latest tools to meet technological
challenges in the work place.
 Smart & Well Trained Students
The students are highly motivated and self-driven with
an emphasis put on self-confidence, research and
team work. Competency in critical, creative and
quantitative skills in thinking, writing and speaking are
reinforced in and out of class.
 Articulate & Equipped to Lead
Through participation in student activities including
sports, clubs, and leadership trainings, students have
opportunities to enhance key skills including leader-
ship.
 Resourceful
USIU-Africa encourages students to be creative as they
apply acquired skills and knowledge, and to leverage
their networks in order to meet set objectives.
Your Personal Value Proposition

9. 9
PACS Open day 2014

10. 10
Building Blocks
All over the world,
There are plenty of successful
individuals, men and women,
young and old in various fields.
Most of them seem to have their
career game on point, climbing the
corporate ladder with ease, work-
ing in correct companies with the
right bosses, teams and even
earning a handsome pay.
On engaging them on the secret of
their success, they will seem to
say it is hard work and focus,
which definitely are the best build-
ing blocks for success the world
over. But really, what is the secret
of their success? What are the
reasons behind their unstoppable
gains?
Every student has a plethora of
dreams about their lives after
school, all laden with success.
Plum jobs with amazing perqui-
sites (perks), trips to London and
Dubai, an army of personal assis-
tants, personal and office cars all
chauffeur-driven, endless amounts
of money to spend on themselves,
family and friends, constant honour
and recognition in society and
business circles, authority and
expertise in their chosen careers
as well as having their name on
the wall of fame.
These dreams are valid, they are
to be cherished and worked on.
The secret of success is seldom
shared by many, because it is not
palatable and neither is it glamor-
ous.
From athletes to film stars, from
professors to business moguls,
even presidents of companies and
countries, the one thing they would
be honest about is the fatigue they
have undergone, sleepless nights,
missing meals at times, it is all
blood, sweat and tears. It’s real
tears before attaining their current
shiny status, that gives them confi-
dence in their careers and places
them as authorities in their fields.
Definition of Success
Attaining success at anything re-
quires one to have a feel and idea
of what their success will look like.
This helps one to know and recog-
nize when they are finally success-
ful, lest they keep at one goal even
way after they have succeeded.
Also, one needs to define success
for themselves, as success is a
relative term, varying from one
individual to another. One person’s
success may not be another per-
son’s point of aspiration. Everyone
needs to define and know for
themselves what it means to be
successful. Also, a point to remem-
ber is that the meaning of success
changes as time goes by. Young
people at the age of 25 define
success in a way that is different
from people who are 65. There-
fore, success is not a static state, it
is dynamic!
Focus
Focus means keeping one’s eye
on the prize, never forgetting one’s
goals no matter what changes in
the work or business environment.
Sometimes things don’t go as
planned and it may bring discour-
agement. Staying focused will
mean that you don’t drop the ball
and that you keep moving even
when it does not make sense to
other people.
Once success has been defined,
described and believed in, one
needs to aim for it with laser sharp
focus. Find out what you will need
to be successful in your chosen
field. The education, the skills, the
expertise and the professional
networks too. Networking is very
much a part of success and having
a rich social capital means a lot to
the process.
In keeping with one’s focus, attain-
ing the necessary requirements for
success in the chosen field, it is
important to get and stay in touch
with mentors; professors, teachers,
practitioners and other experts.
These will guide you on your jour-
ney and connect you to relevant
people and opportunities as need
arise. While one may seem to feel
that these people are not as
speedy and ‘with it’, it helps to be
humble and get guidance rather
than rush ahead and make mis-
takes that may take longer to un-
do.
Focused people look for advisors
and when they do get advice, they
consider it, no matter the source of
the counsel. They keep in touch
with these advisors so that they
can check the levels of their skills
and viability in the market.
Evolution
If you don’t change, you’ll become
obsolete. One important thing to
note is that, no matter what career
path one has chosen, evolution is
mandatory. With technology, plen-
ty of jobs have changed in terms of
description and scope. Also, plenty
of jobs have been phased out,
causing plenty of people to lose
employment and a source of in-
come for their families. The word
usually talked about is retrench-
ment or downsizing.
This calls for constant updating of
one’s skills and knowledge in their
chosen path as well as learning
other skills that would enhance
one’s employability and retention
in an organization. Even in busi-
ness, if a company does not
evolve in terms of expanding the
types of goods and services it
offers clients, it will most likely
suffer loss or shut down altogether.
Take a look at one of our mobile
telephony companies,
Safaricom. They start-
ed out selling commu-
nication via scratch
cards. Today, they
offer airtime, business
support services, mon-
ey transfer services,
insurance services,
banking services and
they also do plenty of charity work.
This has kept them relevant and
viable in terms of business.
People with multiple skills tend to
fare better in their career paths
than people who are mono-skilled.
This is because they have more to
offer their employers or clients.
Again, there’s a difference be-
tween being a jack of all trades
and being multi-skilled. The former
produces no special touch or ex-
pertise, therefore one cannot quite
be said to be an authority in their
field. Multi-skilled people have
their basic skills as well as techno-
logical and linguistic skills to en-
hance their capacity. For example,
a tax expert who speaks different
languages can work in several
countries easily or help to translate
documents for their organizations.
Remember
You don’t have to have it all fig-
ured out as you start. Get going
and your focus lens will sharpen as
you zoom into certain goals that
you may define along the way. Be
willing to evolve in your attitudes
and approach towards your goals,
so you can make the most of every
situation you find yourself in.
Whatever field you choose, wheth-
er a corporate or business career,
set out to be among the unforget-
table experts in it. Mediocrity does
not appear on the wall of fame. So
go for it with all you’ve got, guns
blazing! A great mix of focus and
evolution will elicit the best career
confidence ever!
By:
Violette Nduku Wambua
Founder & CEO

11. 11
Group Career Advising 2014
Topics Covered
 CV Critique
 Interview Success
 Mentorship
 Career Development
 Job Search Plan
 Personal Branding
 Skills Development
 Soft Skills
 Self Assessment

12. 12
USIU-Africa/SCB Mentorship Program
MENTOR’S TESTIMONIAL
Fridah Masaki—Standard Chartered Bank
“I walked in to the launch and found the proceedings underway. Then they started pairing up the mentees with their
mentors. The entire list was called and my name wasn't on it, neither was her's. The meeting broke up and we were invit-
ed to have tea while any mentor that had not been allotted a mentee and vice versa was asked to see Cecelia. I
went to tell her that I'd been missed and she said, "oh, yes, there's a young lady here that also just joined the bus as we
were leaving this morning, so perhaps you can pair up with her?"
I find participating in the USIU - Standard Chartered Bank Mentorship program such a delight. Not because it adds a
day to my volunteering leave, but because it challenges me to bring out the best in a person over whom I have no con-
trol. Perfect match as it happily turned out. My mentee and I got along great, and we have had the most interesting
year. She has grown in leaps and bounds (not that she had far to go as far as I could tell) and she thinks that it's thanks
to me. It's humbling.
I enjoy the conversation and the challenge these young people pose to me because I keep thinking, when I grow up I'd
like to be like they are now... full of ideas and enthusiasm for the next big thing in life. As a person, mentoring has helped
me grow up, and hopefully helped the ladies stay young.
For the second year running I have had a brilliant mentee who made me think, hmm... this person already has so much
going for her, how can I add to that? And so the challenge has been met I believe. I look forward to next year.”
MENTEE’S TESTIMONIAL
Sheila Chepkoech—USIU-Africa student
My first encounter with the PACs office was my freshman year, third semester. I was anxious and uncer-
tain about my future but also curious about the opportunities that were available for me at USIU and
so I decided to consult a counselor. This visit, I must admit shaped my student life in USIU. I took a per-
sonality test which enabled me to discover more about myself and I was able to work on issues of self-
confidence, self-discovery and setting my priorities right. The one thing that stood out for me during
these sessions however was a challenge that the counselor gave me. She told me, ”USIU has three
types of student, the ones who perform exceptionally well but are not involved in co-curricular activities, the students
who are very active in almost all activities but do not do so well in academics and lastly those who neither perform well
nor participate in co-curricular activities.” Then she challenged me to be that student who can not only perform excep-
tionally well academically but also be active in co-curricular activities. Three years later, I have been awarded the top
female sophomore and Junior GPA award, I am the founding captain of a growing volleyball team, a member of the
Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa (YALDA) and a graduate of the one year USIU- Standard
Chartered mentorship program. All this has been possible because of the challenge I received in my freshman year as
well as the guiding hand that the PACs office has continued to give to me over the years. The career office has ena-
bled me to have an outstanding CV and great interview skills which makes me confident whenever I find myself in an
interview. I would like to challenge my fellow students to make good use of the PACs office and participate in the bene-
ficial programs that the office offers for in doing this they will stand out in a positive way.
MENTOR’S TESTIMONIAL
Idah Manjara—USIU-Africa student
The mentorship program has benefit-
ed me tremendously. I have gained
a clear vision of the career path I
want to pursue as well as life skills for
a successful life. Through the continu-
ous encouragement, guide and ad-
vice of my mentor, I have gained an insight into schol-
arship opportunities and vast career knowledge that
has given me a head start. I am grateful to my mentor
for helping me lay a foundation to a successful career.
YOUR TESTIMONIAL
XYZ—USIU-Africa student
To apply for the mentorship program, send in an essay
detailing why we should consider you to
careeroffice@usiu.ac.ke and attach a copy of your re-
viewed CV and Cover letter.
For further enquiries, call extension 515/560/162 and
speak to a career advisor.

13. 13
Evidently to most of us graduating
this August, the time leading up to
graduation and the start of a first job
are often muddled and demanding.
You are trying to complete your degree
while at the same time the demands of
job-hunting, interviewing, and facing
the reality of the end of schooling (at
least for the foreseeable future), are
knocking at your door step. You feel
lost and unprepared, you want to lock
yourself in a dark room and scream…
Well it’s not going to be that bad, I
have some few tips for you.
I like to call this Reality Check 101:
Let us have a read at the following
pointers, they will shine a light on what
you should anticipate in the real
world.
#1. Time
One of the major time-related harsh
realities is free time. In college, you
get used to planning your classes, time,
location and the like: Most of us
choose afternoon classes so that we can
enjoy the early morning sweet com-
fortable sleep, and also choose to live
near campus for convenience. Well the
reality of life is that this will change
once you face the exit door of USIU-
Africa. The society expects you to
wake up as early as 5am to beat the
early morning traffic and finish work-
ing at 5pm, meaning you get home at
7pm… are you prepared? Note it’s not
like the 9 a.m. class that you often
skipped when you hit the snooze but-
ton too many times on your alarm
clock; show up for work late one too
many times and you’ll find yourself
unemployed.
#2. Professionalism
Most of us are here as a rite of passage,
maybe because your mom or dad and
uncles expect you to be here. You
know college is where we all want to
try out some new things, go crazy. One
can act unprofessional and get away
with it, requesting an extension to sub-
mit your term paper or getting late in
an exam room, stepping into the class
room dressed funny, you can get away
with all these… However, acting un-
professional at your workplace will get
you fired, it’s vital to stand out to your
employer. Are you a self-starter, and
can you work independently… Since I
stepped into the job market I have had
to be accountable and eager to learn
more. Are you prepared to go the extra
mile to get noticed?.
#3. Job or Career
It is necessary to know the path you
want to take, but this does not mean
that you despise available jobs in the
marketplace. If you are not clear on the
path you wish to take, focus more on
the job search not on the type of jobs
you feel you must apply to but the one
you desire & aspire. Do not panic if
your first job doesn’t match your ca-
reer path. Remember statistics show
that majority of the first degree holders
start at entry level and grow upwards.
Always keep a good trail of all
achievements and be aware of the
transferable skills that you gain at your
early jobs as they will be very applica-
ble to future jobs down the line…
#4. Self-Entitlement
In the current market, most people hold
at least a degree, hence holding one
does not entitle you to a job, or to cer-
tain treatment. It is important to know
this because most employers may not
be impressed by your grades or educa-
tion. In the current market employers
are looking for people who can con-
tribute positively towards the growth
of their companies or brands, not only
what you attained in college. It is vital
that one focuses less on why the em-
ployer should be so impressed by their
credentials and more on how they can
use their talent and initiative towards
the growth of the organization. The
reason why we advise for a one page
CV (Resume) is to help you not over-
sell yourself; if you want to impress
the employer keep it short & Sweet
(KISS)
#5. Negotiation kills
At least 1 in every 100 college grads
gets the opportunity to choose a job,
this happens when they get more than
one offer. This gives you the luxury to
choose and decide which works best
for you. When choosing between two
or more offers, it is important for you
to choose wisely, as this is not like a
class you can easily drop when things
get tight or a lecturer you can easily
change, to a more “lenient” one. If you
get two or more job offers, how would
you decide? What criteria would you
use? What is important to you..? Sala-
ry? Prestige? Travel? Benefits? Relo-
cation? Company culture? Ultimately
the choice is yours, make it wisely.
Assess the offers based on your values
and what you want. Some opportuni-
ties do not come twice thus do your
homework, ask questions and make an
informed decision.
AFTER COLLEGE
John W. Mutahi
Placement and career officer
USIU-Africa
Aptitude tests are
structured systematic
ways of evaluating how
people perform on tasks
or react to different situ-
ations.
More and more employers are admin-
istering aptitude tests as a means to
select potential interviewees.
Have you practiced lately?

14. 14
After a long and arduous
search, Jane has just
clinched the dream job she’s
been longing for. She has just
collected and signed her
letter of appointment with a
reputable firm operating with-
in the financial services sec-
tor. She has been asked to
report on duty the following
week. For her, this is nothing
but a breakthrough, remem-
bering the rigorous and tough
recruitment process that she
went through and the tens of
equally competent fresh
graduates that she beat to
the prize.
But then, there is an anticli-
max….. On reflecting further,
she feels a bit apprehensive.
She happens to be quite an
ambitious person and she is
keen to make a mark with her
new employer fairly quickly.
Being a fresh graduate, with
hardly any job skills, how will
she achieve success in this
new environment, she won-
ders? How best will she posi-
tion herself to succeed?
Luckily for her, she quickly
finds a mentor who shares
with her some useful and
proven tips that have been
applied by many young suc-
cessful executives. This is
what she learns….
Create a Vision: From the
start, develop a clear vision
of what you want to achieve
from this job. Is it ability to
meet living expenses com-
fortably? Is it ability to own a
car within 3 years? What is it?
Try and visualize that picture
of yourself attaining that cov-
eted goal. Feel the thrill of
success and savor it. This is
very important because it will,
from the beginning, be the
basis of your self-drive and
motivation. To succeed in
anything, you need self-drive
to energize and propel you
towards desired goals. What
you want to achieve from the
job will determine:
 How quickly you settle
down on the job.
 Your motivation levels.
 The likely duration of ser-
vice with the particular
employer.
 Your resilience against
setbacks that you en-
counter.
Remain focused on the goal:
Settling down in a new job
and a new work environment
as a fresh graduate can be
daunting. The work environ-
ment is a community, with
fairly well laid out structures,
culture, reporting relation-
ships, policies, procedures, ad
infinitum. Even in companies
with well laid out and closely
monitored onboarding pro-
grams, new employees still
sometimes find themselves at
sea, because it is very difficult
to eliminate the influence of
detractors and negative col-
leagues who a new employ-
ee is sure to encounter. Be
aware that you will encoun-
ter these, but remain focused
on your goal. What brought
you here? You came in as an
individual and you will leave
as an individual. You will suc-
ceed or fail as an individual.
Do not therefore allow your-
self to be subject to negative
influence.
Be a master of your own des-
tiny: Take time to learn and
understand what exactly is
required of you in the job.
Meticulously learn the skills
and knowledge required to
excel. Do not accept the
mindset that your employer
has the responsibility to devel-
op and grow you. As an em-
ployee, you bear the greater
responsibility in this regard.
Aim high, focus and commit
to superior performance of
your duties and no matter
what the circumstances, do
not allow yourself to be disillu-
sioned. Do not fear to ask for
help from your supervisor and
from those with better skills
and knowledge than yourself.
Pursue professional qualifica-
tions: Whichever field of spe-
cialization you are in, aggres-
sively pursue professional cer-
tification. Professional train-
ing is more closely aligned to
your specific job than aca-
demic education. This is one
way of getting skills directly
related to your job. Aim to
attain full professional qualifi-
cation (e.g. CPA, ACCA,
ACII, CIPS, CFA, IFA.) within
the first 3 years of employ-
ment, if possible. In some sec-
tors, the applicable law re-
quires senior people to hold
full professional qualification,
which means that to get pro-
moted, you need to attain full
certification or have made
significant progress towards
full certification.
Be positive: There is a saying
that goes, “there is nothing
good that comes easy”. As
you position yourself to build
a career, you will encounter
distractions, detractors, dis-
ruptions and discourage-
ments in bagful. Even in the
face of adversity, maintain a
positive mental attitude. If
you trip and fall, rise up and
try again. Keep trying again
and again, till you attain suc-
cess. Learn not to focus on
problems, obstacles and bar-
riers. Rather, focus on the pos-
itive side of things.
Brand yourself: Cultivate an
identity of illustriousness and
industry. Let your name be
synonymous with reliability,
efficiency, high standards,
integrity and trust. When you
under-deliver, let people be
heard to say, “It’s not like her
to …” Develop your own per-
sonal values around which
your life will be built. Stick to
these principles through thick
and thin. You will be able to
attract the confidence and
trust of people much easier if
you are perceived to be a
principled person. Being prin-
cipled does not, of course,
mean being inflexible and
unadaptable.
Work on your emotional intel-
ligence. Within the work-
place, you will be expected
to work well with others – fel-
low workers, customers, supe-
riors. Always focus on the val-
ue you add to other people
rather than what you can
draw from them. Understand
yourself, your strengths, areas
of weakness, your natural
preferences and your person-
ality in general. Be aware of
your natural traits and behav-
iors' which predispose you
towards not fitting in with oth-
ers. Work towards improving
these areas. Always be sensi-
tive about the interests of
others. Deliberately and con-
sciously place the interests
and wellbeing of others
ahead of yours.
The above do not come
easy. A lot of hard work, per-
severance and single-minded
focus needs to be applied to
register success. Many a
young executive who got
noticed and tapped early for
talent development all exhib-
ited the above qualities. Be-
ing competitive at the work-
place takes much more than
cognitive output. It requires
hard work, sacrifice, commit-
ment, focus and self-drive.
SUCCESS FACTORS FOR ENTRY LEVEL GRADUATES
Author: Mahinda Micah
Assistant General Manager,
HR, at ICEA LION GROUP
With 24 years of combined expertise in Human
Resources management gained from a broad range
of backgrounds in the insurance, hospitality,
manufacturing, and educational sectors in Kenya.

15. 15
Why
https://www.linkedin.com/

16. 16
@USIUCAREERS
United States International University-Africa
Placement & Career Services
P. O. Box 14634-00800
Nairobi Kenya
Tel: 020 3606 311/515/162
careeroffice@usiu.ac.ke
www.usiu.ac.ke
USIUCAREERS