The competition for grades in campus is fierce. It’s the
reason why ‘mwakenyas’ are so popular in many campuses, or for some students,
sex for marks is an easy avenue to getting better grades. Underlining the
competition for better grades is the weight that many employers place on good
grades. If you happen to get a Second Lower or a Pass grade, here are a few
ways you could make up for your shortcomings in grades:
Know where you stand.
For some employers, grades are everything, especially when
applying for the first job. For others, grades are simply the screening tool to
whittle down the number of prospective job candidates to numbers that they can
actually sit down and interview. With a single job opening attracting hundreds
of applications, an easy way to cut down on the number of applicants is to put
down a pass mark, say, a Second Upper degree.
As a prospective job seeker, it would be better to research
on the future employers. For example, in government and civil service jobs, as well
as for jobs in parastatals, grades are usually one of the biggest
determinants as
to who gets hired and who doesn’t get hired. You would therefore be
disadvantaged if you apply for such jobs, given that thousands others also eye
these jobs.
Equally, for blue chip companies that look to hire graduate
and management trainees, As and Bs on the transcripts is one of the sure ways
to get to the next stage of the hiring process.
Highlight your other
talents and skills.
If you have remarkable talents and skills that cannot be
effectively captured on the academic transcripts, make sure you bring them to
light. You could especially mention them in your cover letter, always
remembering to connect your skills and talents to the job you are applying for.
If you have impeccable leadership, teamwork, problem solving, and a track
record of community service, a progressive employer would likely make
exemptions for you even though your grades might be average or poor.
If you get an opportunity to do aptitude and psychometric
tests, then a high score may help compensate for your weak grades.
Grow your networks.
Now, this isn’t to endorse that you should skive classes and
go out to connect with the important people in town to be known. However, it’s
a well known fact that people hire people whom they trust, and one of the
easiest ways to be trusted by a prospective employer is to be recommended by
someone influential within the employer’s circle of friends. This isn’t the
same as ‘kujuana’, since you already have the skills, and perhaps, with a just
a little push, you could get hired. Start by being proactive in the influential
clubs in campus, like the media or marketing club, environmental club, engineering
club, or taking small jobs like a contributor to the campus student’s magazine,
or a position in the student’s leadership body.
Choose future
employers carefully.
In this age of high unemployment rate, it seems
counter-intuitive to even consider screening employers. For an employer, a good
grade might indicate that you are hardworking, brilliant, and are willing to
follow instructions. Such employers however also want a complete holistic
package, and may be willing to overlook one aspect of a candidate if they think
that the candidate is otherwise qualified. While this is true, some other
employers are unintentionally rigid, and consider grades to be everything in
the selection process. These are the employers you might want to avoid.
0 comments:
Post a Comment