This is not my question. It's from one of my favorite columnist in today's Daily Nation. And coming from a weekend its a timely question. Did you drink all your money like there will be no Monday? Are you the type always broke by the 10th of the following month? This article is all about being organised with our finances. Read on. With all the new cars, one would be forgiven for wondering where reports of the economy going south are
coming from, that people are living on shoestring budgets.

If things were so bad, how is it possible, then, that poorly done apartments are being sold for ridiculous amounts?

If you are one of those people who are wondering all the above, stop kicking yourself for ‘not working hard enough’ to keep up with the Kamaus next door because you — although you might be living in Umoja but would prefer to live in Kilimani, although you might be a regular matatu customer but you would be happy to drive even a Probox — are probably in a better financial position than the guy who seems to have all you would like to have. Confused? Not for long, just belt up mon ami.

To the naked eye, Kenya is full of rich people. You would be forgiven for thinking that you, your neighbours and the guys in Kakuma are the last lot of poor people, but you couldn’t be far from the truth.

Many people are living way beyond their means.
They might be smiling on the outside, but on the inside, they tread like they would on a minefield.

They pray a lot; not for world peace, but that they do not lose their job for at least three years — enough time to sort their debtors.

There are a lot of big salaries, but very few people can claim to be rich. Ideally, it would be wise for the big salaried to immediately start investing a fraction of their money, if only to be ready for a rainy day (which always comes at some point), but we live in a cosmetic world, our priorities tend to be warped, we want the good things in life now.

Before you consider yourself rich, ask yourself these questions.If you answer ‘yes’ to more than two, you, my friend, are living beyond your means.
If you lost your job today, would you be able to survive for a year without asking for bailouts from friends?
Are you saving less than five per cent of your salary?
Does a third of your salary go to your rent? (How could you?)
Are you taking loans to buy luxury items, for instance installing a Jacuzzi?

Do you have more than four items in your house on loan; for instance the car, the 50” flat screen, the leather sofas?

Do you use your credit card more than your debit card, and do you have more than one?

I hope our MPs will read this because I believe the reason they are so resistant to the idea of paying taxes is that they have been living way beyond their means.

Not to say debts are a no no because big economies are driven by borrowed money, but we need to know what we can do without.

What do you think? Are you living within your means?

This article explores how many job seekers in Kenya mentally value themselves and more so how young Kenyan professionals devalue themselves all the time, which then holds them back. You can think of it in terms of your job, starting your own business, or even dating people who suck.

For example, when someone asks you “what’s your rate/how much are you hoping to ask if given this job?” do you say, “well um, yeah, geez- it’d be nice to make x but honestly whatever you think is fair is fine.” Guess what you will get?

A. Someone on the other side of the table who now views you as inexperienced, unconfident and possibly not that good.

Or, B, s/he just sees cheap labor. They will pay you the way you respond.

Solution: State your expected salary confidently, stick to it, be wiling to walk away and pursue other companies who WILL pay you what you deserve.

Outcome: Regardless of if you landed the job, you just established yourself as valuable and enticing. You will now be in higher demand because you were willing to be uncomfortable for 3 minutes.

Now think of this situation in terms of dating. Perhaps it is very important to you that your life partner shares your religious background and shares your love of marathon running and traveling etc etc. Stick to your criteria and be willing to walk away. Not only are you more attractive, but you are more likely to get exactly what you want by confidently “naming your price” and sticking to it.

Whomever you are devaluing yourself to, you are only hurting yourself. Business people and people in your personal life will gladly take what they can get if you’re willing to give it to them.

This week, pay attention to what you say and how you portray your value to others. I bet you will devalue yourself at times without even realizing it. First gain awareness, then try putting your poker face on to get what you want.

www.careerpointkenya.com

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Ngugi sent as an email as published below in regards to a very common job interview question in Kenya. Help me answer by commenting below.

my name is Ngugi am a follower of career kenya, i have suddenly come across this question which i figure is the hardest to answer and so if possible i would like your advice. am 23 years old, unemployed, no experience, but, with a diploma in cooperative managemnet and recently sat for Cpa II.

yet these are not the career paths i wish to follow. am doing it because it cheap, am able to study as private candidate and with hope i can secure employment and be able to finance my main career in business administration at university level all the way to MBA.

yet today am asked the question where do i see myself in two years, or five years time. how best can i answer that question. please inbox me if you can

regards

Ngugi.

What is your advice?

www.careerpointkenya.com

To Receive daily jobs In Kenya in your inbox,please subscribe here below. This entry was posted on Sunday, June 12th, 2011 at 8:31 PM and is filed under INTERVIEW GUIDE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

It`s one of the most frequently asked questions in an interview: Tell me about yourself. Your response to this request will set the tone for the rest of the interview. For some, this is the most challenging question to answer, as they wonder what the interviewer really wants to know and what information they should include.

Eleanor dreaded this question. When it was the first one asked at her interview, she fumbled her way through a vague answer, not focusing on what she could bring to the job.

“I`m happily married and originally from Nakuru,” she began. “My husband was transferred here three months ago, and I`ve been getting us settled in our new home. I`m now ready to go back to work. I`ve worked in a variety of jobs, usually customer service-related. I`m looking for a company that offers growth opportunities.”

The interview went downhill after that. She had started with personal information and gave the interviewer reason to doubt whether she was an employee who would stay for very long.

* She`s married, and when her husband gets transferred that means she has to leave; she did it once and can do it again.

* She has some work experience with customers but didn`t emphasize what she did.

* She is looking to grow. What about the job she is applying for? Will she stay content for long?

The secret to successfully responding to this free-form request is to focus, script and practice. You cannot afford to wing this answer, as it will affect the rest of the interview. Begin to think about what you want the interviewer to know about you.

Focus

List five strengths you have that are pertinent to this job (experiences, traits, skills, etc.). What do you want the interviewer to know about you when you leave?

Eleanor is strong in communications and connecting with people. She has a strong background and proven success with customer relationships. Her real strength is her follow-through. She prides herself on her reputation for meeting deadlines.

Scripting

Prepare a script that includes the information you want to convey. Begin by talking about past experiences and proven success:

“I have been in the customer service industry for the past five years. My most recent experience has been handling incoming calls in the call centre industry. One reason I particularly enjoy this business, and the challenges that go along with it, is the opportunity to connect with people. In my last job, I formed some significant customer relationships resulting in a 30 percent increase in sales in a matter of months.”

Next, mention your strengths and abilities:

“My real strength is my attention to detail. I pride myself on my reputation for following through and meeting deadlines. When I commit to doing something, I make sure it gets done, and on time.”

Conclude with a statement about your current situation:

“What I am looking for now is a company that values customer relations, where I can join a strong team and have a positive impact on customer retention and sales.”

Practice

Practice with your script until you feel confident about what you want to emphasize in your statement. Your script should help you stay on track, but you shouldn`t memorize it — you don`t want to sound stiff and rehearsed. It should sound natural and conversational.

Even if you are not asked this type of question to begin the interview, this preparation will help you focus on what you have to offer. You will also find that you can use the information in this exercise to assist you in answering other questions. The more you can talk about your product — you — the better chance you will have at selling it.

We at Career Point wishes you success with the interviews this week.

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Many people’s careers and lives are often held back by one small thing.

You might also be holding yourself back in your career, but if you can fix this one small thing, your career and life will change for the better. If you are not able to make this minor yet substantial adjustment, then everything will just continue in the same way as before, and you may never achieve all that you are capable of achieving.

I have always believed that it is best to focus mainly on our strengths, not our weaknesses. When you work on your strengths, you are much more likely to improve. Certain people are good at certain things and bad at others. You will improve more in something you are good at than in something that is a weakness. Many of us have giant weaknesses, and just making a small gain in our weaknesses, or a shift in our perceptions, can make a major difference in the quality of our lives and careers.

One of the biggest weaknesses that people have is job-hopping, which comes about due to a weakness they have neglected to address.

Some reasons people give for hopping from one job to another are:
* They do not think that their employer fits them.
* They are bored.
* They do not feel they are receiving enough feedback.
* There are not enough advancement opportunities.
* There is too much criticism in the workplace.
* They find their employer unethical.
* They do not get along with coworkers.
* They dislike their boss.
* They do not think that they are paid enough money.
* They feel unrecognized for their contribution.
* They feel devalued.
* They do not believe their employer is prestigious enough.
* They do not trust the company.
* They do not feel challenged.

Most job hoppers go between jobs for the same primary reason over and over again. When this reason keeps repeating itself, I believe that this is often a signal that something is wrong with the person’s perceptions and attitudes, not necessarily with their employers.

What would happen to people who addressed this one reason for wanting to leave–while still at their existing job? What would happen if the people who are constantly leaving one job after another decide to fix themselves, instead of constantly blaming the employer?

I have heard various statistics about employment rates lately, one of which states that as many as 55% of employed people are always looking for a new job. This is a very high statistic. This tells me that a large proportion of people out there are already “out the door” of their current employer on a psychological level. Holding on to and advancing in a job are often greater challenges than looking for and taking on a new job. Therefore, many people prefer to simply take a new job, rather than to try making their current job work. I think this is a mistake.

Generally, the best opportunities are those that are before you right now. Your best prospect for advancement is more often than not at your current job, not at another job. Your current relationships are often your very best asset. Your current experience with an employer is often more valuable than taking a risk with a new employer. You should always try to make the most of your existing relationships and jobs before starting over with someone or someplace new. If you stop and think about it, it is likely that you already know what would be required of you to advance in your current job, whereas you could spend years learning the requirements of some new employer.

I cannot tell you how many people I have encountered who constantly hop between jobs for seemingly no reason at all. There are, of course, good reasons to change jobs. However, this is a very important decision to make, and it is not something a person should do often. For better or for worse, taking a new job means entering into an unknown set of circumstances; it means taking huge chances with your future. You should never take a new job if you do not have to, and you should never switch jobs unless you fully understand whether or not the problem with your current job is something that you can fix.

There are people who are always complaining about their job–whatever it may be–and jumping from one place of employment to another. Such persons will generally be happy with a new job for a short while, but after some time, for one reason or another, they will decide that the job is not everything it seemed to be in the beginning. At that point, the persons will become highly critical of the job and will begin fantasizing about and eventually looking for a new job. Such types of people tend to be always looking outside of themselves, blaming others for their condition. This is extremely common; you probably have known people who are like this.

Is there one thing that is holding you back in your own career? If something is holding you back, driving you to look for a job when you should not, and creating other issues for you–then fix it. Fix this one thing and your career and life will change for the better. When you are having difficulties in the workplace, it is almost always about you, not others.

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To Receive daily jobs In Kenya in your inbox,please subscribe here below. This entry was posted on Sunday, January 30th, 2011 at 11:42 PM and is filed under CAREER ADVICE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

To succeed in today’s demanding and ever-changing work environment, you must take charge of managing your own career.

Look upon yourself as a company with a product or service to sell. Understand your market and devise a marketing campaign, remembering that Kenyan companies hire employees who offer them the best results and the best value for money.

Begin by identifying your skills, qualifications, and accomplishments. Adopt a customer-focused approach. What benefits and results can you offer employers? Are your skills marketable and up-to-date?

Employers are in the market for team-players and problem-solvers. They want to see evidence in your CV or resume of specific, quantifiable accomplishments.

Determine what additional skills you need to develop to make yourself more marketable. Take advantage of all opportunities for continuous learning and professional development.

Successful businesses win customers by developing a unique selling proposition. To give yourself a competitive advantage, analyze what other employees in your field are offering.

It is not enough to emulate them; you must strive to differentiate yourself by offering something extra, something unique.

Try to assess yourself as objectively as possible in order to identify your marketable features. Analyze your performance appraisals and, if possible, enlist the help of a trusted friend or colleague to help you evaluate yourself.

Define and priorities your short-term and long-term career goals.

Study recruitment websites and the appointments pages of newspapers to familiarize yourself with the current requirements of employers.

Your CV/resume should be fine-tuned regularly and kept up-to-date to enable you to make a swift and targeted response to any suitable job opportunity that arises.

Learn all you can about job search strategies, job-specific CV, and professional interview techniques.

By adopting a planned and proactive approach, you will maximize your chances of landing the job that best fits your skills and personality, and increase the likelihood of achieving your long-term career goals.

Have a great start this new week.

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