Pls wat skills can one go for to improve marketability.

Ehimenboy:

How do I vote, pls?

@House VOTING STARTS BY 10am to 6pm.
to vote just open the link below and comment
"I VOTE nabsprada"
https://www.nairaland.com/1980633/miss-
nairaland-deceemer-2014-contest#27706664

SundayPhilip:
@xfire and other experienced fellow. Please i need an urgent advice on this. I am a graduate of agric engineering and i want to add more value to myself by enrolling for piping engineering training. Please is it a nice decision, as per, possibility of getting a job easily. Please advice me and b blessed.

Piping engineering is good. You get to work in engineering /oil servicing companies that deal with piping designs. What training are you going for specifically?
Why not go for an MSc instead?
BTW, direct this to any of the several oil and gas related threads. Mention me if you need my assistance.

petengine:
hello xfire et al

please can this email bassey_essien@yahoo.com be used on a CV? am asking this because of the underscore sign.
thanks

Yea. It's cool though I personally avoid the use of underscores to prevent typing errors. Nothing wrong with it anyway.

kfrosh:
I wonder how best to move.forward with my career after a disappointing third class degree (2.37) in Mechanical Engineering. I would appreciate any useful advise or tips from my fellow nairalanders.

Hmm...all hope isn't lost.
What are your options? Do you still want to continue with engineering or do something else? Do you still think you can still cope with engineering? Do you mind a career switch? Or are you weighing all the available options? Answer these and I may chip in one or 2 tips.

mrarranger:
Please xfire i need your help
I just finished my ND programme but i got admitted to the university this year.I will like to work part time as a teacher in a secondary school and combine it with my academics.My question is;is it advisable to write unsolicited application to schools

With an OND, you are not qualified to teach in secondary schools. However, this is Nigeria and such anomaly is commonplace. Most definitely, you can write unsolicited applications to any company / firm / institution of your choice. That's why it is unsolicited. Submit and follow up. If they need your services, they will get back to you.

britnex:
Pls wat skills can one go for to improve marketability.

You have given too little detail for you to get a comprehensive answer. Computer skills, communication skills, leadership experiences, postgraduate degree, relevant certifications, internship experiences, etc. can improve marketability.
It's not enough to have these skills. You also have to network and search for jobs that require any specific skill you possess.

xfire:

With an OND, you are not qualified to teach in secondary schools. However, this is Nigeria and such anomaly is commonplace. Most definitely, you can write unsolicited applications to any company / firm / institution of your choice. That's why it is unsolicited. Submit and follow up. If they need your services, they will get back to you.

Thanks a million times,am very grateful

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sir@xfire, i jst gain
admission into The
polythecnic,ibadan as
mechanical engineering wat
nxt du u think i should pursue
to achieve my Goal as
(automobile engr)??

Pls sir xfire I am a jambite, aspiring for EEE but because of some little problems in jamb n ssce I am left with the option of studing stats in a poly. Sir I want to knw is it gud that I go for stats then divert at Msc or shd I wait till the next yr? Tanx

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deewon56:
sir@xfire, i jst gain
admission into The
polythecnic,ibadan as
mechanical engineering wat
nxt du u think i should pursue
to achieve my Goal as
(automobile engr)??

Bro, I studied Mechanical Engineering too (although it wasn't in a poly). That being said i think you should focus on ensuring you see the course through (with good grades).

The opportunities are endless for a Mechanical Engineer (or any engineer for that matter).

http://timmsvillee..com/

Geniuz:
Pls sir xfire I am a jambite, aspiring for EEE but because of some little problems in jamb n ssce I am left with the option of studing stats in a poly. Sir I want to knw is it gud that I go for stats then divert at Msc or shd I wait till the next yr? Tanx

There is little or no correlation between statistics and elect/elect engineering (EEE). It will be practically infeasible to divert to EEE at MSc, moreso that you will be attending a polytechnic.
You have to decide now whether to stick with statistics or rewrite UTME next year. My own advice is to register for statistics in the polytechnic. Then rewrite your UTME and SSCE the following year. If you pass, you make the switch. That will depend on the size of your pocket though.

xfire:

With an OND, you are not qualified to teach in secondary schools. However, this is Nigeria and such anomaly is commonplace. Most definitely, you can write unsolicited applications to any company / firm / institution of your choice. That's why it is unsolicited. Submit and follow up. If they need your services, they will get back to you.

Engr plenty greetings to u. Unlike me i studied EEE and wish to further in the Engr'g profession and practicalize it, wat should I do? I've done Certification on HSE and thinking of going PGD and later M.Eng to meet up. Outside these what else do u think I should do? I am also a bit open to other disciplines except marketing and banking jobs.

Tiimmy:


Bro, I studied Mechanical Engineering too (although it wasn't in a poly). That being said i think you should focus on ensuring you see the course through (with good grades).

The opportunities are endless for a Mechanical Engineer (or any engineer for that matter).

http://timmsvillee..com/

tanx

xfire:

There is little or no correlation between statistics and elect/elect engineering (EEE). It will be practically infeasible to divert to EEE at MSc, moreso that you will be attending a polytechnic.
You have to decide now whether to stick with statistics or rewrite UTME next year. My own advice is to register for statistics in the polytechnic. Then rewrite your UTME and SSCE the following year. If you pass, you make the switch. That will depend on the size of your pocket though.

Thank u sir for the advice. Pls one more question. Is it advisable that I stick to stats i.e is a career in stats lucrative? because I love calculation and I wouldnt mind a career in stats.

As promised, I will post all 4 graduate CV samples today. They are meant to be used for illustrative purposes only. The intention is not to use them as templates.

Key notes:

1. I varied the templates for each of them to further emphasize the fact that any good template can be used so far as it is simple and neat.

2. I am not a professional in the fields I have chosen for the sake of writing the CV's. It is therefore advisable that more attention be paid on the organization and presentation of the contents on the CV rather than on the accuracy of the contents itself.

3. I have tried as much as possible to vary the career aspirations, circumstances, purpose and background associated with each of the CV's and this reflects in the differences in the content and style. This is to demonstrate that CV writing is an art and should be flexible and adjustable.

4. You don't have to lie on your CV. You just need to include accomplishment that you often overlook.

5. If possible, try not to include all your achievements or skills on your CV. Save one or 2 for the interview. This is just an advice.

6. It is good to use bullet points for better presentation and emphasis.

7. Contributions, comments and questions are welcome.

8. Hopefully, This will address the several mails I get requesting for a CV review.


Cheers....

[size=14pt]1st CV [/size]

Background:
This is a CV of an HND holder in mechanical engineering, whose intention is to practice in his field of study. Notice the following in the CV:

1. A career objective or personal profile was not included. It's not mandatory for a graduate to include one, especially when applying for well publicized vacancies. It will be beneficial to include one for an unsolicited application.

2. He included his date of birth, though it is usually optional. I did include my date of birth in some of my CV's but left it out in others.

3. He graduated with a high CGPA in his HND programme though it capped at an Upper Credit. The CGPA was therefore included to capture that. Looking further, it can be seen that he finished with distinction in his OND programme but the CGPA wasn't included. Probably his CGPA fell at the lower on the range for distinction.

4. He intends to work in an engineering company. Thus it is necessary that he includes his past internship experiences. He also added his NYSC experience.

5. His CV is achievement driven. Note that an achievement may be as simple as learning new skills or gaining competence in a particular endeavour. It doesn't necessarily have to be extraordinary.

6. The personal qualities are specific, with some examples to back up some of them. Many times, graduates prefer to just use generic qualities like 'hardworking', 'team player', ' self-motivated', 'ability to work under pressure', etc. Be more specific.

[size=14pt]2nd CV[/size]

Background:
The CV below is that of a third class industrial physics graduate wanting to make a career switch. His goal is to become an IT specialist, particularly in programming. He therefore seeks to gain experience in an IT/software company. A few insights below:

1. He added a personal profile because he is seeking a job in an area that is not related to his course of study. It is therefore necessary that he writes a profile that reflects his current strengths, skills and ambition.

2. You will observe that he omitted his grade. This is because he graduated with a 3rd class and doesn't want that to affect his chances. Besides, he is not aiming to work as an industrial physicist. He included that so that prospective employers will be aware that he is a graduate.

3. He included the professional IT courses taken by him and IT related experiences. Though he isn't currently employed, he does freelance jobs and has included that on his CV. The CV is also achievement driven as he highlighted his key achievements in each of his individual work experience. In particular, notice that he included an achievement related to IT/computer in the NYSC experience. He also added specific computer skills in addition to general soft skills like communication and leadership skills.

4. It is acceptable to just write 'Available upon request'. However, he decided to add 3 referees. Those 3 referees are people he has worked with in the past. Referees are meant to be senior professionals you have been associated with in past work or academic activities e.g. clients, former boss, past lecturer, past project supervisor, etc. They are the people who can vouch for you.

[size=14pt]3rd CV[/size]

Background:
Here is a 2.2. Accounting graduate looking forward to working as an accountant in a corporate firm. She has started writing ICAN exams. She knows that her 2.2 may be a little setback for her, thus she has made effort to gain skills in all her work / volunteer experiences which she can leverage on. She currently teaches in a secondary school. Here are a few highlights:

1. She gave a well detailed personal information about herself. Notice that she includes her place of birth which is in US. Thus, she has dual citizenship. She must have included it because she feels it will give her an edge. She included her date of birth because she's still quite young and that can give her an edge in the labour market.

2. She finished with a 2.2 but deliberately left her grade as a second class honours.

3. Though not compulsory, she includes her primary school education. I never included my primary school education in my CV and no employer has ever asked me for it. If you have a long CV, and you are looking for contents to delete, that should be one of them. I hear that it should be compulsory for civil service in the past, but I doubt if it is still applicable

4. Never overlook any achievement. Achievement can be as simple as receiving a certificate of satisfactory service. Many will overlook it. Add it. She taught in a primary school during her NYSC, thus she doesn't see any need to give a detailed description of that experience.

5. She included past volunteer / leadership experiences. They include her activities from her days as an undergraduate and a corps member.

[size=14pt]4th CV[/size]

Background:
She has a bachelors in Economics from UI. She didn't get a job immediately after NYSC so she decides to further her education in UK. She has no previous work experience. Her desire to join a reputable oil firm as stated in her career objective. A few comments:

1. A career objective does not have to be long. It can be a sentence, especially if your CV is rich.

2. MSc holders with zero experience may include some of the key course modules to further highlight their areas of strength and knowledge. It is absolutely not necessary for BSc holders to write out course modules.

3. Notice that she decided to write skills acquired during his NYSC work experience rather than achievements. That's another alternative if you can't think of any notable achievement in a particular work/volunteer experience.

4. She won a couple of academic scholarships and included them clearly on her CV. She also emphasized that she graduated in the top 2% of her postgraduate class.

5. Though she doesn't currently have a job, she decided to engage herself in blogging and writing articles relating to her field. What a wonderful way to utilize her time and keep herself current in her chosen field. Furthermore, she joined relevant professional bodies.

6. To save space, she merged skills and hobbies together, thus maintaining a 2-page CV.

7. She wants to be a financial analyst, hence her NYSC experience in the bank will be useful. That prompted her to give a detailed description of her role as an administrative assistant.

Good job done xfire. What if ur CV entered 3 pages perhaps because of working experience that is within 2 years, is their anything wrong with it?

Good @ Oga xfire...nice posts. Please what should half baked accounting education with 2nd class lower do? Should she further and change course of study or continue with the same course with professional exams like ican,gmat etc

buoye1:

Brother please could you help me with a
copy of a cover letter sir...I'm about to
apply for a training programme with
exxnnomobil but the cover letter is needed
and I have no idea on these...I ll appreciate
your kind gesture sire.....
(elbiggybaadoh@gmail.com)

what training programme does ExxonMobil offer at present?

Can someone who made a 2:2 in engineering bSc and a 2:1 Masters still get a job in somewhere like shell,nnpc,chevron,etc?

Hello xfire et al, please permit me to post this on this thread. I regret any inconveniences this might cause anyone.

hello great nairalanders,
am a final year student writing a research topic
on "BODO OILFIELD" please any information
regarding this field on the areas of
exploration
appraisal
development
reserves (both recoverable and proven)
production history
transportation of crude from the field
operating cost
estimated CAPEX
others should be send to me either through this
thread or pilotansajon@rocketmail.com
thanks for your time and consideration which
shall highly be appreciated

petengine:


what training programme does ExxonMobil offer at present?

apprentiship trainning for ond holders in some engineering field

Thank you very much @xfire and @nabsprada
to think that i just saw this thread and have learnt so much in a little time.
My best so far!
Graduated and waiting for service.

Brethren, please permit me to derail a bit.

Which is more difficult to get: a job (in a MNC) or a scholarship? I have the impression the later is harder to land.

What do you think?