16Nov

How to negotiate salary in Africa?

A salary shouldn’t be a sensitive subject in the working relationship. Every employee had to talk about the yet sometimes delicate subject of wage bargaining at some point of their professional lives. There is no way around it. Negotiate salary with your employer OKAY, but HOW? The goal behind this questionnaire will be to bring light to the techniques that will allow to successfully accomplish this not so easy task.

A salary negotiation must be legitimate

There is an essential rule that you have to keep in mind when it comes to negociate salary which is the fact that employers are not angels. That is the reason why your salary negotiation must be based on well presented and justified facts. It is not about convincing your employer that you can negotiate a salary. You will have to show him why you want to negotiate your salary? Therefore you will need to prepare good arguments that will be beneficial to you before you go into it. For example, you can explain how efficient you are by showing that you met all the professional goals that your supervisor assigned you to. You can also use your years of experience as an argument by showing that you have never had a raise despite the fact that you have always had good results. In brief, give your employer proofs that you need a raise.

Be realistic …

A raise always represents a type of additional effort for the employer. For that reason, if you want to ask for a renegotiation of your salary, you will need to make sure that what you ask your employer is realistic. The chances of getting what you want will be low If you ask your employer for an excessive raise. It would be safer to try to have a good idea of the common salary that the people doing the same job as you usually get. Also keep in mind that when you ask for a salary negotiation that you will face a lack of openness and flexibility that will jeopardize the discussion. Do not try to force your conditions upon them. Accept, if needed, to make concessions.

Choose the right time

The outcome of a salary negotiation also depends on the moment you have chosen to do so. Don’t be in a rush. Obviously, you don’t go ask to negociate salary when your supervisor is overwhelmed and mad. Do not forget to see if your company is in a good financial health. If it is not or it is facing major issues then asking for a raise would be inappropriate. In any case, there is no magic trick on how to successfully negotiate a salary, the context, the state of mind of your employer and the economic situation of the company are all elements to be taken into consideration.

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22Oct

Recruiters in Africa did you know that a disappointed candidate is a lost client

It is a clear fact now that there is a thin line between professional life and personal life. Needless to say that, setting apart work relationships and private matter is, in deed, a hard task to handle even though we wish it wasn’t. The type of relationship we have developed with the company we are working in can shape our perception of the company itself.

The fact that, for example, a job seeker would see his job application rejected or not taken seriously could result in him feeling frustrated and to the company losing a potential client or consumer. Either companies don’t realise what they are doing or they just don’t take it into consideration. It is however something that shouldn’t be neglected.

Some serious studies showed just how big the issue really is. It led to the surprising conclusion that a dissappointed candidate is potentially a lost client. In fact, most of the surveyed candidates admit that their experience as candidates had an impact on them as consumers. The candidate experience during a potential recruitment can have some real consequences on the overall image of the company. A job application that has not been handle accordingly could change the way the candidate sees the company as a consumer and that wouldn’t be good for the business.

Specialists that gave some thoughts to the question came to the conclusion that HR and marketing became a one thing that cannot be separated. As a result, the company is obligated to take into consideration the candidate experience or else it will tarnish its reputation or even have clients turning their backs on them.

Today, a lot of companies send automatic responses to their different candidates. It is certainly a move to the right direction however it is still not enough because this impersonal format gives to the candidate the impression that he didn’t really get a feedback. Some specialists suggest more personalized systematic emails that would be able to explain to the candidate why he was not a good fit for the job. There are many ways to explain why an application has been rejected. It could be because of a lack of experience, a position that is already filled etc.

Either way, an application with no response can have a negative impact on the way the candidates see the company. Try your best to handle the situation the best way possible.

You can also read Fitting into a new company: essential tips

03Oct

Companies, train your employees for the jobs of the future

Technology innovations have yet to turn the professional world upside down. The changes that they are bringing are forcing workers to get out of their comfort zone and throw themselves in the fast growing job market of the future. It is even more true knowing that a study made by World Economic Forum revealed that 65% of the children who have started elementary school this last years will do jobs that don’t exist yet. Therefore technology innovations will result in the creation of new jobs. One should be prepared to not miss the progress of the world. It is essential for companies to get their employees ready for tomorrow’s jobs. For that to happen,one has to think about a new way of training.

Train your employees to become thristy for knowledge and go-getters

Training your employees to jobs that don’t exist just yet is a hard task to handle. It is necessary to have them ready to open up to new skills. The main goal of the employer will be to boost the curiosity of its employees by training them into people who are thirsty for knowledge and go-getters. Naturally,this new approach is totally different from the classic training concept based on the short term, for the simple fact that the speed evolution of jobs in the companies makes it impossible not to have planned trainings in the future. You must make your employees want to acquire some knowledge.

Prepare your employees to consider a career change in a peaceful manner

It is a knowed factor that technology innovations will result in creating new jobs, however on the downside some professions will also have to disappear because of the digital era. The employees will have to get use to that new reality and acquire new techniques that will allow them to quickly retrain in new jobs. A worker will now be able to go from one profession to the other all through his professional life and acquire new skills. It is in the companies’ best interest to keep the employability of their employees in the years to come in order to set themselves aside eom the bunch.

Make it easier for employees to have access to training

Training employees have always been something necessary for companies to do but sometimes it tend to be underestimated or ignored by employees who are more interested in making profits. Today, the way things are going, getting training for the jobs of the future is becoming a viability for the company. It is necessary to look training differently and make it more accessible. The companies will have to handle the school education now. Training should not be viewed as an obstacle. It is something that has to be the company’s own decision to prepare the employees.

You can also read How to become a successful negociater as a salesman ?

25Sep

How to become a successful negociater as a salesman ?

Having salesmen with great negociation skills is a recipe for success for a company. The art of negociaion is not limited to the world of sales only actually. It touches all parts of life, from the life of a couple, a life of politics, to a life in business or even a family life. Nowadays, the fact that they are plenty of training courses aiming at maximizing the chances of being a good negotiator in terms of business, is proof of how important it is especially for a salesman for who it represents a good deal. For salesmen in deed, having a successful negociation means managing to establish a long lasting relationship with the clients and the partners. It is therefore crucial for the salesman to be on top of the game when it comes to negociation so he can fully understand it and find ways to improve the skills in that department.

Good negociation comes with good preparation

The first thing you need to know is that as a salesman, it is essential to be rightfully prepared before you start a process of negociation. To do so you will need specific coaching and management from salesmen managers. This would mean for a salesman who cares about being the best at négociations, to be fully prepared and know the product perfectly, the market and the needs of potential clients. The preparation requires a certain analytical mind, an intellectual curiosity, reasoning skills especially when the negotiations are about a specific subject.

Knowing how to improve and develop your emotional intelligence

As a part of the soft skills intelligence, emotional intelligence is something very important especially in negotiation. Emotional intelligence comes with control of yourself and your emotions in order to handle negotiations in the best conditions. This quality comes handy in situations where you find it hard to close a deal with a client. Self-confidence and empathy are more than needed in that type of situation. The best negotiators are the ones with the best emotional intelligence. It can be improved by getting coaches that will give you training and specific advices. Also, determination and a strong will to persuade are very important qualities that facilitators look for.It does not mean that salesman who don’t have those qualities are not good negociators. It is never too late to overcome our own weakness by planing specific tactics to do so.

You can also read Ways to successfully and truthfully explain gaps in your CV during an interview ?

17Sep

Ways to successfully and truthfully explain gaps in your CV during an interview ?

It is common for a professional to notice in the CV of the candidate, what we usually call a « gap » in the career path of the latter, during the process of a job interview. Beyond a pure conjecture this embarrassing situation that appear as inconsistency in the career, whether it is true or not, is actually quite common. It does ring a bell especially knowing that majority of people have had that happened at least once in their lives. A gap in employment can be due to many factors. It could be due to a maternity leave. Or again to a personal project like trying to start a business for example. Finally, it could be the result of a contract breach that both parties agreed on and that led to a year leave. Either way, whatever the nature is, a gap in employment is always something that requires some logical explanation unless you want to fail the interview. But how exactly do you go around it without making a mistake? We will try to give an answer to that question in the following paragraphs.

Justifying a gap in your CV by making a coherent plan ?

First thing first, one of the smartest techniques used to explain a gap in your CV is by setting up a coherent plan that would fit with you career path or working experiences. It is crucial because you can be sure that the recruiter will not take lightly the words you choose to justify the gap in your CV. It is obviously a determining factor in the profile of the future employee.

Avoid lying to explain a gap in your CV by all means.

Because they want their interview to be successful some people are tempted to systematically lie to justify an existing gap in their CV. That type of behavior that consists of lying to justify in bad faith those times of inactivities or to change the dates of employments can end up having the opposite effect because if they find out about it, the candidate will lose any chance of having a successful interview. This is why it is very important to be honest when you are trying to explain a gap in the CV. Also, whatever the reason why your career was interrupted at some point of your life, be brief about your personal life. It really is the number one rule.

Use your cover letter to be ahead on the justifications

Contrary to popular misconceptions, a gap in the CV does not mean that you will not have a successful interview. Your cover letter can come handy when trying to anticipate on the questions you will probably get at the interview. It can help overcoming any concern the employer might have. Be honest no matter what and have a persuasive presentation. Make the person you’re speaking to know that what you were doing during your time of inactivity is not the proof of an incoherent behavior but rather the proof of an existing sense of initiative and determination. Taking this type of approach will help you gain some points and convince the employer that you are the best candidate for that position…Making an obstacle turn into an advantage will therefore show how good of a master mind you are.

You can also read Occupational burnout, an unknown disorder in Africa

11Sep

Well-being in the workplace: Where do we stand in Africa?

Following the succession of suicides of some workers that shook France in 2007, the topic regarding quality of life in the workplace is not something that Management takes lightly anymore. People merely talked about it before but these dramatic event that occured, make them realise how well-being in the workplace plays a key role in motivating the worker. It is not a secret anymore that nothing great can happen if the worker is in a working environment where he is feeling down and is stressed out constantly. Actually, some companies have understood it very well. That is the reason why they put in place some mechanisms to encourage the well-being of their employees. The same is true for African companies. However it is sad to see that it underlines a deeper issue that doesn’t seem important. Many African companies have yet to find a way to deal with the matter effectively.

A wake of interest from the World Health Organization about the concept of well-being at the workplace.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is very much concerned with the issue of well-being at the workplace and gave an official definition to describe it. It is defined as “ A state of mind where there is a quite good balance between the skills, needs and aspirations of the worker and the pressure and opportunities at the workplace. Basically “well-being at the workplace”refers to all elements that could potentially have an impact on the working conditions of the employees. It includes security, hygiene of the premises, health protection of workers, the physical and mental effects of the tasks carried out, workplace ergonomics etc. According to the Administrator of Syntec and president of the consulting firm Stimulus, David Mahé who published a look out about stress at the workplace “there is 2 types of stimulation, one that gives meaning to what we do and another that is about duty. Being committed is about the meaning and the enjoyment.”Despise all that, in Africa, many companies struggle to adapt to that reality.

A theoretical approach of the issue of well-being at the workplace for many African companies

Officially in Africa, many companies talk about the interest they have on the well-being of their employees. However, if we pay more attention to it, we notice that there is a gap between the declarations of interest and the reality. Progress is not for pretend anymore. African companies really need to commit themselves to finding ways to improve the working conditions. It is about, putting the human being in the center of the values of the company for its own sake and for the sake of the co-workers.

You can also read Professional retraining in Africa

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?

06Jun

Tag: Recruitment Africa