Thinking Your Boss Is From Hell?

After years of applying for Jobs in Nigeria, finally you are offered one. You are now faced with a boss who criticizes relentlessly, using fear tactics or seemingly throws up unnecessary roadblocks that make it harder to do our job. 

But unless you see no end in sight or your supervisor is ruining your health or your career prospects, a bad boss may not be a reason to quit. Instead, consider your difficult boss a personal tutor designed to teach lessons a great boss never will.

Here are some of the skills you can glean from a difficult boss:

1. Developing a Positive Attitude. Careers consist of getting through ups and downs – including the occasional bad boss. “This, too, shall pass” should be your mantra during this challenging phase. You have a job to do. Jobs come and go – so will this boss. In one of my early jobs, I had a never-smiling, never-complimenting, ever-unpleasant boss – sullen, negative and critical at every moment. Rather than let his attitude infect mine, I made it my goal to surprise and delight him to the point that he would simply crack a smile. He never did. But after three months of coming in early, sweeping up at the end of the day, surprising him with beyond-the-call output, he did write me a glowing letter of recommendation.

2. Demanding High Standards. Another bad boss I worked with as a peer was great at frightening people into over-preparation. After seeing him threaten subordinates with their jobs if he didn’t get what he wanted, I still use his example to remind myself to avoid fear or intimidation as motivators. That said, I also remember his intensity. Although I chose not to adopt his punishing techniques, he raised my standards by his demands, and I learned to set high expectations. It was my job to translate his expectations to others, and I learned to bring out the best in them by tapping into their desires not to disappoint.

3. Learning How to Motivate. I recall another boss who thought it was his job to point out every flaw, to put everyone on his or her heels, and to strike fear in the team. I could not have had a better tutorial on how not to motivate, inspire or help others achieve their potential once I became a manager myself.

We learn from mistakes, bad experiences and failures. It's better to learn from the missteps of others (including a bad boss’s management style) than from having to make every mistake ourselves. So if you have a difficult boss, study him. Figure out what makes him problematic. Resolve to do things differently if you ever get the chance. But don’t miss the opportunity to see if you’re reading things correctly. In other words, you may be the problem. Perhaps you’re not getting it – not doing things to learn, grow and produce great work.

One notoriously tough boss, George Patton, said: “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. Rather than criticizing your boss, you could learn a lesson or two about relying on your own ingenuity.

Also keep in mind that even if you don’t like your boss or don’t think s/he’s easy to work with, it doesn’t necessarily mean s/he’s not a great boss. Please note that bad systems make people behave badly. The system made beasts of them. Maybe your “bad boss” is a function of a really lousy system that keeps both of you from thriving and that’s all the more reason to view your situation as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Ultimately, there is no better teacher than adversity, and a really bad boss can excel at providing it. Studying hard under such a tutor will prepare you for future opportunities. At the very least, it will help increase the odds that you won’t become a terrible boss yourself.

You can also View Current Job Vacancies In Nigeria by clicking HERE

What Do Recruiters Really Look For?

This is way beyond a polished resume

Just think, you applied for one of the current vacancies in Nigeria and you were invited for an interview. The new hire could potentially be the team's new rock star -- the catalyst for improved productivity, efficiency, not to mention, better team energy. Could that rock star be you?

But, wait. Let's take a step back. What qualities are interviewers looking for?

Having seen firms hire many employees and freelancers past years, I've witnessed some incredibly high (and low) interview moments. Regardless of industry, there are some universal truths about what interviewers are really looking for. (Hint: It's more than just a polished resume.)

The first thing: Are you excited to work for this company? Whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, they need to feel and see that you are curious, knowledgeable, and, yes, excited about working for the company. Did you do some research about the company? Better yet, did you do some research and come with some well thought out questions about the company?

Interviewers really love this. It shows initiative, commitment, and engagement. Qualities this new employee will hopefully bring to all of her work projects. Also remember that even if they hire someone else for the current position, if you stand out for having the afore-mentioned qualities, they will probably remember you when another opportunity comes up in the future.

The second thing: Body language. Yes, it's been talked about over and over, and there's a reason. It's important. Eye contact, how you sit, your posture, how you shake hands, all of this matters. Maybe you're nervous? Say so. That can be an ice breaker. It shows your realness and can be the start of a dialogue about who you are and speaking of who you are.

The third thing: How you tell your story. They do love to have three hours to discuss what's been meaningful to you in your work history and personal life, really they might. Sadly, that is a rare luxury. You have a limited amount of time. It's in your best interest to maximize this time when discussion about your employment history and why you think you're the right person for the job starts. Some people have a hard time tooting their own horn, but toot you must.

Yes, there are people who go on and on about what they've done and it can be painful. Better approach is to spend some time not only thinking about your accomplishments but also a few of your character traits that make you the right person for the job. It's not bragging when you are genuine and speak from the heart. Trust me, it really comes through.

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Presenting An Outstanding CV Profile

A well structured personal profile helps you draw attention to the gems in your CV. In our immediate environment, we have thousands of prospective job seekers vying to fill up the current job vacancies in Nigeria which are very few in number as seen, day to day, in the job advert/alerts by numerous online job sites.

Most of these job seekers are actually interested in jobs that pay high and comfortably, like Oil and Gas jobs, Banking Jobs, etc. But no organisation will allow you in without you earning the opportunity the appropriate way. You may be qualified academically, physically and so on but if your CV doesn’t present you so, you may definitely not land the job

This explains how to write and structure your introduction for maximum impact

Do you need a CV profile?

The main reason for writing a profile is that it provides the kind of explanation you would give if you were presenting your CV in person. You'd probably say something like, "before you read this, let me tell you..." What you're really saying is, "please notice this," "don't look at that" and "let me tell you the things I didn't mention."

Usually you won't be in the room when someone reads your CV, so it should tell its own story. The profile sets out your stall, and draws immediate attention to the things you want an employer to see – it's your way of telling the reader what to notice.

The profile is the hardest part of your CV to write, and, since it draws on your very best evidence, you probably can't compose it until the rest of your CV has taken shape. A CV will contain about 50 or 60 examples taken from a lifetime which spans thousands of events. Your job eventually is to filter these down so your best information is what hits the reader first. You'll find that you work out what gems to lead with by building up bullet points gradually, starting with jobs you did some time back.

Writing style

A profile needs to be concise to be effective. Too much text provides a large block which readers tend to skip; they need short bursts of information. If you can't get your messages across in a maximum of five lines, the profile is probably too complicated.

When writing your profile statement, try using the "smart" third person.

For example:

"Introduced a call centre function on shift working basis, re-engineered existing claims processes and commissioned new IT systems in support."

Why does this work? It's punchy, and the very first word is a verb. It quietly misses out the pronoun,

for example, "managed" rather than "I managed".

It also underlines the idea that this is a past event – something complete and therefore successful. This "smart" third person is a neat way of getting information across without your CV sounding too personal or too distant. It also means you cut at least one word per sentence and start each bullet point with a word that makes a mark.

Structuring a CV profile

You: Who you are in terms of occupational background and experience.

Where: Your sector knowledge and experience of different kinds of organisations.

What: What do you have to offer in terms of know-how and skills? What have you done and achieved? What in your mix of skills and experience makes you unusual or attractive?

Next: What kind of role, organisation, culture and challenges would provide the right next step for you?

Problem profiles

Too many profiles are badly written and full of empty adjectives and clichés. Phrases like "self motivated" and "team player" simply suggest you have nothing special or different to offer. Don't try to impress by claiming things that employers take for granted in good recruits such as "hard worker" or "punctual". Focus on particular skills rather than making sweeping statements that suggest perfection, and don't make bigger claims than your evidence allows. For example, "excellent communication skills" – excellent by whose standards?

Your profile must be focused, free of flowery adjectives and in a language targeted at the right decision-maker in the right organisation. All listed achievements should link to hard evidence and, where possible, should indicate where you were working when you used the skill.