Mr. Christopher Mwirigi, the Manager, Learning and Development at I & M Bank highlights networking, having a proper mindset accompanied by strong values and integrity as core skills graduates need to acquire as a process of branding themselves for employment.

He notes that some individuals fail to brand themselves sufficiently because they lack passion, confidence as well as aggressiveness. Mr. Mwirigi indicates that habits formed while students are in campus or in earlier life will shape how one will perform in the corporate world. The habits will therefore make or break one’s career. He emphasizes on the importance of standing out from the crowd as a graduate prepares for employment. For this to happen, there are key things graduates need to do.

One is networking, which can successfully take place by volunteering as employers do not solely rely on experience or grades. On the other hand, graduates should be encouraged to travel/ explore the world and get to interact with different people from different backgrounds with different mindsets.

Confidence is also critical as it helps one to socialize and complements a graduate’s papers, CV and resume. Graduates should also have a good perception which they can develop by working on their etiquette; from how one eats to how they speak, and write.

Mr. Mwirigi points out the importance of being honest and researching on the ompany one aspires to work with. For the former, graduates looking out for employment must present themselves in the best way possible to prevent embarrassment or loss of the job in the future. Researching on a company before going for an interview demonstrates one’s enthusiasm for the career and impresses the employer thus making an interviewee a prospective candidate for the job they applied for.

To separate oneself from competition, Mr. Mwirigi states that it is crucial for graduates to manage themselves in terms of time keeping as well as maintaining their values. This helps to avoid peer pressure as they are doing something they have aligned themselves with.