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You didn't follow up: Major trait of an unprepared job seeker...

In the religious circle, a system is created for the growth of a new convert or member. This system is designed to make a convert, or new member committed, dedicated, and consecrated to the newfound faith. Often, the religious leaders of these beliefs go the extra mile in ensuring that the new converts or: members understand what it means to be reborn in their new faith. They make it a point of duty to do the work required. Such "work" entails incessant calls for invitation, prayers, seminars, crusades, and many other activities to keep the person occupied, thereby becoming a strong member. 

With this, the religious leaders do the "work" of initiation while the new convert does the "work" of willingness and commitment. Hence, they both did the "work" together. This scenario here can be likened to the subject of discussion. The connection here is strong and relatable. A job seeker is a religious leader, while the new convert/member is your potential employer or the person ensuring you secure employment with a potential employer/ organization. 

However, getting the job is not dependent on the person doing the "work" either by connection or helping in sending resumes. It would help if you carried out the real "work" here. The person helping you or your potential employer is a means to an end. They can only push through for you in recommendations, referrals, and all. There are a few things a job seeker should work on before approaching anyone for job opportunities: 

1. Don't downplay relationships: relationships are usually tickets to success. In Nigerian parlance, it is called "who you know." These days jobs are hard to find; it is like jobs have gone on strike, yet there is a shortage of human resources in some organizations, but they can't find people to fit in. And those that can fit in are not well connected to link them to their dream jobs. Hence, networking with people becomes key. As such, going out often, especially at events, connects you with people through that. Contact friends either from high school or even university. 

2. Knowledge makes you dare: At this point, you are not complacent with what you've known in the past. You keep evolving in your quest for your dream job through certifications in professional courses and research areas that can catch your potential employer's fantasy and add advantages to what you think your potential employers might need. Also, make google and YouTube your best friends. 

3. Develop your Resume and Cover letter: some resumes are boring and not catching. Use the recent and updated template to work on your resume. Talk about your achievements in your previous work experiences instead of responsibilities, and if you don't have any experience, be persuasive in your words, thereby convincing your prospective employers. 

4. Look forward to your interviews and tests: after you must have worked on your resume, anticipate your interview. Adequately prepare for it, get whatever you need a day before the interview, rehearse your responses, and search for likely questions frequently asked in an interview session.  As for the tests, don't rush them. Don't be in a hurry to answer them. If the time allotted is short, kindly ask for more time to finish it. 

5. Follow up every job lead overtly or covertly: Get people who serve as intermediaries to follow up on your submission. Doing this keeps your name in the mind of the hiring manager. A continuous reminder of you in their heart makes it possible for them to consider you. You can send messages, calls, or anything you think will be acceptable to you and the person involved. 

A serious job seeker will make his search for a good job a top priority until his goal is achieved, while a job seeker lacking seriousness will not do the above and expect a job to fall from heaven. Due diligence and resilience are keys needed for job hunters.

©Boluwatife Oladipo 

Do you know my business collapsed last year? Would you believe me if I told you I lost my customers to a new competitor? Chai, I didn’t foresee this happening to my business to be honest! Can this business be revived? These questions amongst others are what most start-ups in business in their first-three years ask after establishment. Most times, the problem is not with the CEO, co-founder, or staff working with or for them. 

The problem is with the business and the problem it wants to solve. The world at large is full of problems and people are scouting and, hunting for solutions, it would be unnecessary for a business that is supposed to solve problems to add to the list of existing problems. Hence, business start-ups are always up to build something someone wants.

Most businesses are doomed to fail from the outset because they didn’t go through the right channel and consultation. These consultations are what start-ups don’t consider because the of cost of money and they perceive it can be brain-tasking forgetting that the success of a business is dependent on this consultation. This consultation however is not far-fetched from what the business owner has envisaged rather it is deeper more and analytical than what the business owner had in mind. The business owner in the euphoria and floods of excitement that emanates from his idea omits important and salient issues that will determine the success of his business. 

The consultation here is the business analyst. A business analyst has been trained and equipped to help a business owner achieve his optimal prospect and success in his business. Business in itself is strategic hence a business analyst helps to take charge, find problems, and put in place strategies and, processes to solve seemingly present and future issues. An experienced business analyst instills and takes initiative plans within the operations of the business and implements them. Virtually, all companies considered successful today fly and benefit from the inputs of business analysis. A business is successful when it addresses its issues upfront. 

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If a business owner understands the efficacy of business analysis, he should be quick into buying into their ideas. There are however strategic ways through which a business analysis works for business start-ups. Business analysis works in these ways: 

• The business must clarify its goals and the needs it proposes to meet
• Identify the barricades that might hinder them from reaching their targeted audience
• Brainstorm and come up with solutions to the problems perceived 
• Ensure immediate implementation of the solutions generated.

The business consultant can take different approaches to help the business scale through hurdles. The approaches are many but one will be discussed or used as a template that is widely used by the business analyst which the business owner can follow through with and keep close tabs on what the business analyst is doing or about to do. With this, the business owner is not oblivious.  

The commonly used approach is SWOT Analysis. This term summarizes the techniques the business analyst aim to use to fine-tune your business. 

• S – Strength
• W- Weakness
• O- Opportunities
• T- Threats. 

At this point, the business analysis puts into consideration both external and internal weaknesses and opportunities. SWOT analysis is a four-quadrant analysis for a business analyst where he places the data as the answers for each quadrant. A business analyst answers the questions under each of the quadrants. The SWOT analysis stands tall among other techniques because it is easy to operate, it solely works for small enterprises or businesses. 

The wall of a business does crash suddenly, the foundation might have been built a shaky ground, but it can be restored if proper consultation is made on time and the problem the business aims to solve will be possible with the help of a business analyst and the willingness of the business owner to do the needful. No business can stand the test of time without prior analysis.

© Boluwatife Oladipo

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Pessimism 'kills' naturally; however, assuming the role of pessimists in situations where you can't define or accurately tell what the future holds in relationships is key. A pessimist believes and foresees the tendency for the worst to happen even before they occur. He could smell the dead rat before it was killed. In truth, no one wants to see pessimists or assume it, yet we always play the role of pessimists in relationships. Of the common ones is love relationships. Does this make you a bad person? Oh no! You are not. You are just a human who wants to find reasons to love even when it is not convenient.

Hey, you, are you saying I am in a relationship inconvenience!? That's not what I'm saying. I meant that the power of love compels us to love sometimes unconditionally. Thus, pessimism is a state of weariness in a relationship. No one would admit this because the word "pessimism" sounds harsh and so uncalled for. Sit and 'lemme' explain...

Initial 'gra gra' in a relationship will motivate you to go the extra mile(s) for your partner. Often, you wouldn't mind absurd things for them. The tempo of your love is high and obviously can't go down. But how do we explain the weariness or the feeling of tiredness? Is it your partner? Or the feeling of boredom in the relationship? Well, sometimes it is none of the above. Suffice to say that your partner couldn't have been the problem but the "pessimistic syndrome" in the form of weariness or tiredness. Hence, "pessimistic syndrome" in this context or article means the state of tiredness.

It is like some people to feel tired. This set of people would always reiterate that they are tired even when they aren't stressed in any way. Also, when they have everything working out for them. They can't just trace why they feel the way they feel. Yet, these people crave relationships and cannot sustain them. People with this syndrome find it hard to keep relationships, and as their nature is, they only get to enjoy the thrills of a relationship for a while before they begin to react.

The efficient way to keep dealing with this feeling of tiredness is to:

• Spice your relationship up.
• Collaborate with your partner or friend to help overcome your pessimistic syndrome.
• Let them know what interest you and find ways to navigate through them. 

Positive Relationship Breaks: this might get out awkward, but taking a break in your relationship can help you evaluate your personality while you are with your partner and helps to discover yourself and how to do better in the relationship. I read somewhere that "love goes on holiday" (this idea sounds scary as it can lead to a breakup if not carefully handled). 

Erase unrealistic expectations. Expectations of what you want your partner to be can often make you feel tired, especially when they don't meet up with what you have stored up in your head. Separate your expectations from the person and enjoy what your partner can do for you positively. 

Thrive to become a better version of yourself. We are often not engaged; we tend to focus on our partners. Change the narrative and engage yourself in something tangible that would make your partner or friends love you more and value you.

You must take care of this feeling if you've noticed this feeling of tiredness. There are no strict rules or ways to overcome it, but with these a few points, you can defeat the feeling before it deprives you of a good relationship and friendship. However, the best way to deal with this is communication. Let your partner know you tend to feel tired, and together, you both, like lovers or a group of friends, can overcome the cost of losing each other to 'pessimistic syndrome.'

By Boluwatife Oladipo

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The next time you look at yourself and/or everything and you feel (bad as you) have got nothing to be thankful for, try and do everything for the remaining of that day with a part of yourself. For instance, walk to the market/downtown on one leg, blindfold yourself and see movies, eat solid foods without having to chew. This will remind you how ingratitude you have been come this far. 

It seems to me we tend to quickly forget about the things we have already, lost in our ‘lust’ for more –the things we have deemed as our needs as we exist. Although, needing and wanting more will always remain with humanity as long as there is life and time. This has been (with us) even before the beginning of time as we know it –that is by the way. Hence, that is no news –shouldn’t be surprising desiring is in-built with everyone.

However, what should seem surprising is that most of us live and we forget to remember the things we have which others are longing to have even as we are yet longing to have what others have, we don’t have. In-between this cognizance or understanding is where a space for appreciation and thanksgiving could be found or should come in. Just like you standing in the middle of a parted ocean, to your right and left.

When it comes to possession or acquisition of whatever, name it –properties such as cars, houses, monies, and the likes and other things abstraction such as meekness, sagacity, ‘health related status’ and so forth, even as you feel you lack behind in any of them, there are those having less of what you have and are appreciative. The bigly sense in this is all about seeing a good reason to be contented in the present moment naturally even as you are practically longing for improvement. Anything other than that will mean, no matter what you have, appreciating yourself and any other external agent, your Maker, human helper(s) or influencer(s) for instance, will be very hard no matter what more feat you add as time advances.

You see, living a life of appreciation is a lot healthier than not. When you feel appreciated, or are appreciated you naturally glow inside out. Compare when you aren’t appreciated or there is nothing like appreciation at all, it will taste lifeless –imagine that. Thank others; thank yourself. 

Always find a reason to be thankful to yourself and external parties even when occasion doesn’t call for that. It helps the psyche better than the otherwise. It helps to heal the world in a little way than leaving it as it is or making it much worse. A life that is filled with thanksgiving doesn’t imply such life is perfect and no problems at all, it implies such life is reasonable enough to understand that we will never have everything we need but we can always have reasons to be thankful and appreciative if we can stop our chasings and look back or around us to note those who have less what we have in abundance. 

©Jodekss

Life has always had me fascinated concerning everything about it. Whenever it happens, the moments the mysticism of life has me pause whatever I am doing to think about it all, I often find myself lost in my own thoughts. I hope there is someone who feels exactly as I feel –I think not. There is no word to describe the feeling that everything that happens to us forces us to run around in a circle. Imagine running around in a circle from the dawn of your life to the time you breathe your last; it looks pathetic and monotonous, right? But really, this is actually how the world works for us all,  maybe.

We wake, work, and go to bed and repeat the same thing the following day until that day comes in, and we cannot do the next routine. In a way, this would make someone wary to feel sad. It is possible to make one reconsider a lot of things or approaches to life living. 

The world is vast. Thousands of tribes, origins, histories, backgrounds, and the likes differentiate our individualities. Is it not ironic that inside all these seemingly compounding complexities life presents us naturally, if we look deeply at it, it still seems as if we run in tight cages? Now, we are in the age of technology, and it only keeps getting better –albeit, the same tech comes two-faced: positives and negatives. Even with the addition of this suiting enhancement which we leverage for sustenance today, it has, directly and indirectly, increased our constraints as humans if we consider some realities that abound in societies today. Is it normal and comforting to be right in front of your gadgets, amassing millions of information filled with both truth and lie, good and evil, uprightness and corruption, and the likes? This calls for raising an eyebrow –being constrained to anything excessively will naturally resort to harming the person in question. Tech is just one of the primary things limiting us even as it is meant to advance us today. Any other thing that we should worry about today are notions -GREED, S~E~L~F~I~S~H, and HATE. We need to get past these constraints life presents us as we live our individualities and as we coexist with others in our communities. There is the need for us to extend past what limits us to what everyone suffers commonly. We need to expand and live a meaningful life –one that stretches out of the restrictions life presents us through its variables and vicissitudes. 

How do you enlarge your world?

Two things are involved, basically: understanding that life is indeed fleeting and time is priceless, irretrievable. 

Acknowledgment is the first phase of proffering a tangible solution to any problem or difficulty of life. Once there is a clear understanding of the truth about life, pinpointing your essence in it would be easier. You will or can then have a resolve that will clear the dark clouds, beclouding that move that will help you live a life that has more meaning than just the usual routine –waking, working, and sleeping. Once you know you have a very limited time, whatever has a beginning has to have an end, making moves on things that will outlive you would come next. This will make:

1. helping others grow be natural for you 
2. taking time out for recreations would be easy for you 
3. saving for a BIGGER picture would be a default thing
4. forgiving others for their misdeeds would be a lot easier 
5. living a life crazing to invent or create something exceptional from among crowds would be a default
6. ultimately, loving yourself and others be primary in your living principle.

Hence, life is literally a circle and not flat. It is a journey that has us take the same route repeatedly until we cannot anymore. In the process of your journey, always try and find time to come down to do things that are much more meaningful. It is meaningful if/when you engage in things that most find hard to engage in. Your essence has a person lies in leaving an enlarged life, which it cannot be erased over time, now or later. Try, enlarge your world!