09Sep

Bien des travailleurs peu enclins à s’aventurer dans des horizons peu connus, ressentent une certaine frilosité à l’idée d’envisager une reconversion professionnelle.

Professional retraining in Africa

A good amount of the workers who are not really open to venture to unknown lands, feel a certain way about contemplating the idea of doing a professional retraining. Whether it is about being afraid to explore the unknown, to step out of their comfort zone or an instinctive search for professional security, professional retraining is not something very popular among workers in Africa and anywhere else in the world.

Change your career to take control of your life

A professional retraining consists of a change of career or work status but more than anything it is about taking your life under control which requires obviously to be someone rather audacious and able to go to the unknown. However, the number of people who are making radical changes in their career, not to mention those who are only talking about it, has risen up this last decade and it keeps growing. According to a study published by Opinion Way in 2016, on “professional retraining” 68% of active workers have considered seriously changing their life and 31% said that they did it at least one time already. Such a decision that is solely based on the desire to take one’s life in controle can’t happen without a change of environment or occupation.

Agriculture: the most popular field in Africa for workers undergoing a professional retraining

In Africa, the issue of migration in addition to a job market getting more and more overloaded make many workers turn to professional retraining. When it comes to investment, Africa still is the continent that offers the most possibilities for investors unlike Europe or the United States where almost all sectors have had some. That is the reason why people who are considering undergoing a professional retraining have plenty of areas to choose from to change their career. Agriculture happen to be a very profitable sector that offers many investment opportunities and job creations. Many professionals who are tired of their jobs or looking to have more independence in their professional lives are going into the agriculture business in Africa. That happen to be the case for the ex professional football player Ferdinand Coly who traded his football boots for a career in agriculture in his home country.

The obstacles that come with undergoing a professional retraining

Just like any adventure in life, a professional retraining is an exciting experience but yet stressful. In Africa, many workers that have the objective of going into a professional retraining sometimes have issues finding the appropriate training that meet with the criterion they have set. Another thing that make a professional retraining difficult in Africa is the funding of a professional activity. In many African countries, the Government have put in place many structures to fund those who want to engage in something or undergo a professional retraining. However they are yet to be efficient. Because of the sense of uncertainty that come with taking this type of decision and the issues mentioned earlier, many people would rather stay in the comfort of what they have instead of going to the unknown. Still, African professionals are being more and more aware of the fact that a change of career is an opportunity rather than an issue related to unemployment.

You can also read Team spirit development in a company: What solutions do the managers have?

05Sep

développement de l’esprit d’équipe dans une entreprise

Team spirit development in Africa

Like we always say unity is strength. This saying happens to be also true within work relationships where a smart collaboration between team workers is key to the success of any project of any kind. A joined interaction between workers constitutes the basis of a better performance and a good environment in the company. Unfortunately not all managers have the luxury to work with a united team capable of collaborating in perfect harmony.

Team work obstacles within the company?

According to a study conducted by Harris Interactive/Apec published in the Capital, 22% of employees say that they don’t like working in teams. A mismatch of personalities, not knowing the skills that the other people have, and the belief that keeping an information to ourself is an asset, are the main obstacles that keep workers from working with each other. However it does not give an excuse to the manager to not do anything to make workers add the sense of team spirit to their values. There are many existing solutions to encourage teamwork in a company.

Make a example out of you thanks to your attitude

If you want to encourage team spirit in your company, as a manager you need to make an example out of yourself. You need to be able to create direct connections with your employees to make it easier to have good communication within the company. Creating direct connections with your team workers means being open-minded so much that it would be contagious. You can, for example, make it easier to have access to your office by letting the door open for discussions to show that you are available and you are all ears. Try not to keep yourself away from your employees. Show yourself by walking down the office for example. You should also insert in your planing a weekly get together with your colleagues to give them an opportunity to talk about how they feel and what is bothering them. This approach will allow you to show your employees the positive result of the transmission of an information.

Set up interconnection tools

It’s not about the simple fact of telling your team workers about managing to create a good collaboration between them. Obviously, You will need to invest in technological means that will make it easier for employees to share with each others. It is therefore essential to set up tools and spaces for collaborative work. It will allow the employee to directly express his difficulties so he can get help from everybody.

Interconnection tools also allow for a team member to share a document he produced. The other members of the team will be able also to give their opinions and constructive criticism that would only help improving the performances. That way a genuine collaborative work would be set up.

Finally, if you want to boost the sense of teamwork with your coworkers, find a grading system based on the collective and not on the individual. It is more relevant knowing that the individual score does not really help the collaborative work. Hence, setting up collective criterion will highly encourage the team spirit.

Either way, you must keep in mind that the cultivation of the sense of team spirit in a company is not an easy task and is something that is done on a daily basis. It is a tremendous load of work.

You can also read How to negotiate salary?

23Aug

What do the young executives want?

It would seem absurd for the recruiter to pay attention to the demands of young executives knowing that we are in a job market where the demand widely exceeds the supply. However, this approach is necessary for employers that want to hire the best profiles in order to have high quality human resources. For that, it is crucial to put your co-workers in the best working condition where their career aspirations are taken into consideration. Between developing a good network to having top notch missions, a personal life preserved, young executives have a wide range of demands.

A rather rich professional network…

It is not a secret anymore. A good professional network is something that is very important for a young executive. A recent survey has actually proven that to be true by saying that 94% of young executives rely on their professional network.It is the reason why they never stop from growing their network. Whether it is internships in companies, traineeship, or vocational training, young executives never get enough of developing a good professional network that would help get their career to the next level. Basically, it is all about getting on field experience and skills that would make their profiles more appealing.

Getting interesting missions…

Beyond the financial consideration, young executives do need to feel empowered in the company unlike popular belief that the salary is the only thing that matter to them. According to the result of a recent survey from Ifop for Cadremploi, 79% of young executives under 35 feel that way and are opened about it with their elders. Managing to get an interesting mission is proof of a certain commitment to the functioning of the company. The young executives put a particular value to that decision that shows that the company have faith in them.

A rather flexible career plan…

You can also read How to exploit the new skills brought by the talents of the diaspora?

Unlike older executives, the younger ones are more opened to the idea of a professional retraining and show more flexibility to the possibility of bringing a change to their professional career. According to a BVA study, 81% of executives under 35 think that they could be led to switch professions (against 66% of executives altogether). To a lesser extent, 58% of them are opened to do temporary work. 44% of the under 35 think that they could be led to change their status at one point of their career (against 33% of the 35-49 years old and 19% of the over 50). Finally, more than the other young people in general (70%), young executives say being ready to start a business of their own (81%). Also, a recent study solely focused on the aspirations of executives under 35 in general. It showed that 8 out of 10 executives worry about their career success on a daily basis, 70% of them have a optimistic view of their professional future despite plenty of bottlenecks here and there that have been noticed in the job market.

22Aug

Resume writing: when your interests become crucial for the recruiter

If you have any type of interest in recruitment process, you should know by now that a lot have changed. The birth of a new paradigm. One that values or takes into consideration some aspects of the life of the candidate, something that never mattered before. The same is happening with non professional competence that became not only essential but also very important part of the resume of the candidate.

Lots of companies admit that they are looking for people with personality. And that is something that just can’t work with a recruitment model that only relies on skills and diplomas. Apart from what you can do, what you actually are represents an important information for your employer nowadays.

This rather new approach means that recruiters will not focus solely on the diplomas anymore but also on the non professional skills. Which simply means that the “interests” section on your resume is crucial because it says a lot about your personality.

You better not belittle that section, considered most of the time as a style clause, when you write your resume. Today, lots of companies actually commit to base their judgement on non professional skills.

Consequently, Allianz launched a general call among its 11.000 partners as a part of a campaign called “Allianz got talents”. The main goal of the executives of that company was to allow partners to see each other in an aspect different from the professional’s one. “More than 60 volunteers, writer, painter, photographer, singer, kite champion, acrobats shared their passion via the dedicated platform. It generated more than a thousand posts from excited staff members”, said Charlotte Guy-Duquesne, Allianz HR development Director, Talent and Diversity Management.

Following a big internal consultation, Allianz noticed some big expectations in terms of workplace well being and social connection creation. It is mostly why the initiative was launched.

In any case, we can’t help but notice that a great number of companies have based their recruiting process on non professional skills.” Technical and professional skills are still very important however it is your attitude and your soft skills that sets you apart”, added Charlotte Guy-Duquesne.

The “interests” section that we can find in almost all resumes is something that matter for more and more of the recruiters looking to find talents but also authentic personalities.

Therefore the “interests” section is no longer a formality but a way for recruiters to find abilities and qualities in candidates and also risk taking capacities, creative minds. So many qualities that could be beneficial to the company

.you can also read What type of diaspora talent is better to recruit?

31Jul

The inclusion of workers with disabilities in Africa

The right for all citizens to work is something that is present in almost all the legislations in Africa however it remains an aspiration more than a reality. It is even more true for people with disabilities. They represent close to 1 billion people so 15% of the world population. Almost 80% of them are old enough to work but most of the time, unfortunately, they are deprived of the right to have a decent job.

Generally, individuals with disabilities tend to have a higher unemployment and economic inactivity rate that their non-disabled peers. In France for example, more than 500,000 people with disabilities are unemployed. That is two times more than the non-disabled population. In Africa, only 10% of children with disabilities go to school and 80% of the adults are unemployed. The majority of them are reduced to a life of poverty and discrimination. Women are even more affected by the issues related to equal opportunity at the workplace.

An urgent need to find the right solutions

Even though developed countries are more and more taking into consideration the professional integration of that specific vulnerable group represented by people with disabilities, in developing countries, however, it still remains a major challenge to overcome. In France for example, the European Disability Employment Week (EDEW) has been organized every year since 1997. Last year, the event took place from the 19th to the 22nd of November and aims at taking actions and raising awareness about the inclusion of workers with disabilities in companies. The EDEW focused its 22nd edition on the obstacles for women with disabilities to have access to employment.

The beginnings of solutions on a legislation level

It was required by law for companies to hire people with disabilities in an effort to overcome the challenges that come with their integration into the workplace. It is an obligation for all employers both public and private. In this respect, they are all in the obligation to report the number of employees benefiting from the obligation to hire disabled workers law known as OETH, included companies with less than 20 employees. However companies with less than 20 employees will remain exempt by the OETH. There could be hope for a decline of discrimination against people with disabilities if it is a guarantee that those measures will be taken effectively.

26Jul

Talent2Africa partners with Congo Business Network

Congo Business Network is organizing an event on the theme: “Digital Ecosystem: What should be the priorities for the emergence of Congolese technology?” Talent2Africa is partnering with this network in planning this conference, which is taking place on July 26, 2019 at Kin Plaza Arjaan by Rotana.

25Jul

3 standards attracting the African diaspora talents in your company

African countries, through their growth rates reflecting a dynamic business environment, have much to attract the diaspora’s talents. Practically, the companies involved in this dynamic, with globalization and competition, always seek to innovate in…

16Jul

Talents Repats versus Local Talents or how to optimize one's employability in the face of competition

Africa- Talents Repats Vs Local Talents

The term repats refers to the continent’s youngster who left their home country to continue their studies in Western Universities and wish to find good opportunities that would allow them to come back to Africa after the years of experience they have gained back in those places. This new wave of mostly trained professionals represent a pot of gold for local companies that are struggling to find loads of ready to work professionals in the continent.

Like majority of Sub-saharan countries, the job market in Senegal is increasingly looking for people with advanced skilled and advanced technicality which the young professionals from the continent are missing due to vocational trainings that are most of the time too theoretical or too academic and consequently unfit to the reality of the country. Those youngsters who stayed in the continent will have to compete with the repats that had the privilege of developing their skills in multinationals and having a taste of a more competitive working environment. When the repats on one side are very much aware of what it would mean to sell their international experiences to the continent based companies, the locals on the other side can barely realise that in the end, they will be reduced to doing staff support or administration positions if they don’t do an assessment to identify their strengths and develop their expertise.

We have noticed 4 essential habits to adopt in order to keep one’s employment value as we grow a career in a competitive and demanding environment.

Get training–

Needless to say that vocational training is the foundation of a successful professional career. Presently thanks to the internet you can find several specialization under the acronym MOOC. Those vocational training are made by professors from prestigious universities and sometimes necessite a few dollars in exchange for a full access to knowledge. Platforms like Coursera Udemy or edX allow you to have unlimited access to high quality ressources and certifications at the end of each course.

Be informed–

Information is power! For a full understanding of the issues that the companies based in the Continent are facing, you need to listen and therefore participate in fairs, conventions, open houses or just do some chatting with friends and acquaintances that happen to work in those places so you can know the skills they are looking for and how you could anticipate their needs and consequently make a good impression at the job interview.

Have a good understanding of the environment–

If there is something that the repats do not really have is a good knowledge of the environment. After spending years away from the Continent and its issues, they are not aware of the environment in which the companies are evolving. It would be wise for the locally based professional to sell his knowledge of the environment and its challenges on the results of the company. It would be a major advantage because it will show that you have skills in understanding and analyzing your environment.

Work on your branding-

If you have all the necessary skills, you will then need to be able to sell yourself. You will need to know the product (yourself) and always display it at its best. Not being able to sell our best product just because we don’t know it well enough would be sad.

Basically, the repats that are entering the job market on the Continent, represent a wake up call for the young local professionals who will need to develop their skills up to an international standing, just like professionals from the rest of the world, so they can be up to competition and remain relevant in a globalized environment.

11Jul

How to write a Personal Development Plan for your career

A Personal Development Plan (PDP) is for most of organizations, like a map that would lead to the development of a career and stimulate the employees. PDP is a tool that helps professionals to set career goals and develop the skills to do so. Currently, Managers use it to help their teams grow by connecting the opportunities within the organization with the skills acquired by the associates throughout the years. Clearly PDP is not about correcting performances because it has to be focused on the qualities of the employee so it can develop his potential, allowing him to grow in the organization.

A personal development plan primarily focused on two approaches: the first one is about all the new skills and expertise that are necessary to guarantee the performance of an employee beyond his current position, the second one is about using the actual qualities and dispositions of that specific employee to not only identify his specific abilities but also use them to seize an opportunity for career development within the organization.

the PDP structure is different from one organization to the other, but most of the time, it is elaborated around 5 steps.

Setting goals for the 3 next years to come.

This step is about giving an opportunity for the associate to think about his own goals and identify the real prospects within the organization. It is also an incentive because the associate will project himself in the future.

Identifying the qualities that are specific and exploitable

It is about spotting 2 or 3 of the biggest qualities of a co-worker and look for ways to use them for his own development. For example, an associate who is an accountant with good abilities in project management could be involved in the implementation of some specific projects that are not really part of his job description but will help him show his skills.

Identifying growth opportunities in relation to the needs of the organization

This step will require to identify all the opportunities that will allow the employee to use all his specific abilities and skills not only for his own benefit but also for the benefit of the organisation. All the opportunities will have to be relevant to allow an increase of the performance of the organization.

Commitment

It is not all about developing the PDP, but mostly about using it wisely and putting all the efforts that are necessary to its achievement. The commitment of the Manager and the associate are essential to the process. Both parties will need to put their signatures to show their agreement and commitment.

PDP Assessment and Correction

The final step of the PDP development is about regularly assessing its relevancy value and adjusting its content in compliance with the different developments that happened during the year. The assessment also helps to measure the progress of the associates in terms of reaching their goals.

PDP is not a legal document used as a way to compel the Manager and his associate. However it is an important tool to use in career management which requires for the Manager and his associate to have a lot of time in their hands to take all the necessary actions to establish it. The lack of commitment will undermine the relevance of such a tool and create frustrations. The PDP is an excellent asset to use in the stimulation, the development and the planning of the organization.

Luc Herve ZOK

08Jul

The keys to becoming an excellent Manager in Africa

Manager in Africa – Management theories have changed since Frederick Winslow Taylor’s work on « The Principles of Scientific Management ». He based his work on the fact that having people work hard was not as useful as maximizing the way the work is done.

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