The Office of Career Services on Thursday May 28, 2020 hosted a Career Webinar session for students on how “The power of Digital platforms for today’s job seeker” from 2.00 – 4.00pm. The webinar focused on online learning and using LinkedIn to position yourself in the job market.

The guests for this session was Kevin Oywa, the Production Manager and Brian Amani, Employer Brand Executive at Unilever Kenya.

Kevin started off his presentation by encouraging students to have a LinkedIn profile as they slowly transition to the job market. He said that “you can use LinkedIn to get yourself over the edge”. To optimize your LinkedIn profile, you need to

1. Add all genuine certifications and this includes free online certifications.
2. Interact with industry champions in your area of interest.
3. Create top awareness about your existence on the platform by contributing to conversations of interest
4. Updating your profile every so often when you have a new milestone to update
5. Following as many companies as possible in your line of interest.

For one to optimize on the opportunities digital platforms bring, Kevin emphasized that students must know the type of learners that they are. There are four types of learners highlighted and these include:

1. Visual learners – prefer to take in information using charts, maps, graphs, diagrams, and more. Using images, shapes, patterns and other visual aids to explain concepts and ideas is the best way to reach a visual learner
2. Auditory Learner – This learning style describes students who learn best when information is heard or spoken. They benefit from lectures, group discussion, and other strategies that involve talking things through.
3. Read/Write Learner – Students who have a reading/writing preference prefer information to be presented using words. They love to read and perform well on written assignments such as stories or book reports.
4. Tactile learner – this type of learner learns best when they can use tactile experiences and carry out a physical activity to practice applying new information.

After identifying the type of learner that you are, then it will be easier to get the most out of online learning platforms such as LinkedIn Learning; Udemy, Skillshare and Coursera.

In his presentation, Kevin indicated that LinkedIn Learning offers over 1,000 business courses on diverse topics that are relevant to current working place dynamics and is an excellent platform for working professionals looking to keep their skills up-to-date. The platform also offers certifications that you can add to your LinkedIn profile, showcasing your expertise and improving your online resume.

Udemy on the other had offers access to over 150,000 courses (taught in over 65 languages) in a wide range of subjects. Udemy is a massive repository of online courses, with topics ranging widely on development, business, finance, IT, office productivity, personal development, design, marketing, photography, health, music and teaching and academics. Each one is created and managed by the instructor. The platform also gives students certificates of completion at the end.

Finally, Coursera is an online learning platform that can give students access to academic courses and can even lead to a University degree, for less than the typical cost of attending such courses or programs in person. Topics range widely, including subjects like arts and humanities, math and logic, I.T., languages and beyond from over 200 universities and companies, including Yale, Google and the University of Pennsylvania

In concluding his presentation, Kevin pointed out some of the advantages of tapping into online learning platforms which include the leeway to arrange your schedules, Online courses prove a more affordable option than traditional ones.

This webinar session brought out the importance of online learning to build new skills in your career. Clearly, online learning is the future and will undoubtedly replace land-based learning. Mobile platforms have given access to more people to benefit from online learning, and this has created a huge data, then machine learning has given personalized solutions to the course content with using the big data.

Brian informed students about the opportunities available at Unilever for them including the Unilever Leadership Internship Program, Unilever Future Leaders Program and the Idea Trophy program. Students are encouraged to explore these opportunities on the Unilever website and apply for the programs when open.

The Office of Career Services appreciates the career advice and knowledge passed on to the students by Kevin and Brian both who are alumni from the University of Nairobi giving back to their alma mater.

Join us for the Live streaming of the handing over ceremony of the Confucius Institute of the University of Nairobi along the Arboretum drive.

Date: Friday 29th May

Time: 10.00am

Guest of Honour: The event will be graced by Cabinet Secretary Education, Prof. George Magoha.

The Office of Career Services in partnership with My Jobs in Kenya on Wednesday May 27, 2020 held a Career Webinar for students from 3.00 – 5.00pm.  The Webinar focused on the future of jobs, interview tips, CV writing tips, personal branding and career mentorship. Over 300 students attended this session.

The panelists for this session included:

1. Nancy Mokua – CEO, My Jobs in Kenya
2. Terryann Chebet – General Manager, Metropol TV
3. Susan Karambu – Country Manager, Tally Solutions Kenya Ltd.
4. Angela Karamba – Legal Counsel, Safaricom, PLC
5. Oscar Onguto – Director, Lexicon + Ion

On CV writing, students received tips from Nancy Mokua, CEO My Jobs in Kenya. She indicated that a CV must be neat with visible headings, should be kept short, have personal details, personal statement, education background, skills, work history, hobbies, referees and should avoid irrelevant information. In addition, use a professional font, add your social media handles and do no lie because the lies will catch up with you. A CV should be accompanied by a cover letter and be tailored for each job. Signing up with job searching companies like LinkedIn, Brighter Monday, Fuzu and My Jobs in Kenya to receive tailored notification of jobs related to your background.

Angela Karamba the Legal Counsel, Safaricom, PLC focused on alternative/emerging jobs. She indicated that with the advent of technology, there are new emergent careers. Some of the jobs she highlighted are Photography, Online Tutoring, Online Music Teachers, Social Media Manager, Videographers, Article Writing, Movie Makers and Urban Planning. Angela further indicated that with the Covid pandemic, many online jobs have emerged and now the future of work is online. Students were advised that for them to develop in their careers, it is important to set goals, have emotional intelligence, possess leadership and soft skills.  This therefore means that students should learn s many skills as possible and always be ready to upskill for them to spread their net wide to secure an opportunity.

Oscar Onguto, Director, Lexicon + Ion highlighted what employers look for in potential employees. He indicated that the interviewer would like to understand the career path the interviewee would like to follow through the interview questions asked and see whether they can fit in their company and what value they will bring.  Oscar also focused on how to manage income for retirement. Students were encouraged to begin saving for their retirement immediately they secure employment. Some tips given include, budget for every income, manage debt well and live within your means. On developing one’s career, Oscar emphasized on venturing into opportunities that are aligned without your passion, be the best you can be, have a brand identity and be different from the rest and consistent in everything you do.

Terryann Chebet, General Manager, Metropol TV focused on personal branding and networking. She emphasized that for one to develop in their career, there is need to create a good network for career opportunities. She indicated that networking comes with all jobs in this day and age and your network is your worth. Social media is now playing a big role in networking. In her remarks, Terryann encouraged students to have Twitter and LinkeIn accounts. Students were encouraged to use their formal names on social media, follow people in their career sphere and add value to conversations that they relate with. For one to add value to conversations, research and wide reading is a must. Being as social as one can be is also important but, remember to be professional. Of great importance is to look through your social media posts and remove any posts you would not want an employer to see. Remember, the internet never forgets. Social media can be used positively to enable you build your visibility online, who knows, it could be your key to that dream job. Terryann wound up her session by advising the students to ensure their character, skill, attitude, and digital footprints to speak well for you. In summary, build networks, a great digital portfolio, great character, global trends and share the knowledge you earn on a blog, become a thought leader.

Susan Karambu, Country Manager, Tally Solutions Kenya Ltd. Gave the students tips for virtual interviews. The tips included going to a silent room without disruptions, have your documents with you, have great internet connection, listen carefully, respond without deviating from the point, acknowledge questions then answer, do not eat during the interview, speak with confidence, speak honestly and finally be presentable. Some of these tips also apply for physical interviews.  Oscar added a few nuggets on interviews and encouraged students to talk openly and negotiate during interviews and share any good ideas they might have for the company.

In conclusion, students were reminded that learning never ends, integrity is key, believe in yourself and always learn a new skill, keep upskilling.

This was indeed a very educative webinar session and students appreciated the choice of panelists who gave a wide array of knowledge and advice on career development. The Office of Career Services values the partnership with My Jobs in Kenya and all the panelists that played an immense role to make the webinar a success

The Office of Career Services invites you to yet another Webinar, details are as follows.

Topic: Getting Ready for the Workforce

Date: Thursday May 28, 2020

Time: 2.00 – 3.00 pm

Webinar Link: 

Webinar Password:  CRicATfg733

All students are welcome to join this useful session.

The University of Nairobi on Tuesday May 26, 2020 achieved a great milestone of conducting the first online exam ever on Masters students from Centre for Advanced studies in Environmental Law and Policy (CASELAP).

Over 26 students from the Master of Arts in Environmental Law and Master of Arts in Environmental Policy successfully sat for their exams online from the comfort of their homes and the exam lasted 4 hours.

UoN resorted to conducting exams online after a series of senate meeting to find solutions on how to tackle the disruptions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a media coverage by a team from different TV stations and UoN’s communications team, Dr. Collins Odote, the Director of the Centre for Advanced studies in Environmental Law and Policy (CASELAP) said, “We used Google platforms to administer our exams-first we invited our students to Google Classroom so that we are able to see all of them and then we used Google Meet to monitor or invigilate the process.”

This online exam was necessitated by dedicated planning and intense weeks of teaching and learning by lecturers and students respectively conducted online using a wide array of eLearning platforms such as Zoom, Webex, and Google Suite. The collaboration with Telkom to offer data bundles to students has also greatly promoted the online teaching. For students with poor connectivity, the University resolved to send to them playback lecture videos and coursework material.

While addressing the quality of the online exams, Prof. Kiama said, “As a World Class university all our examination guidelines and procedures have been benchmarked against the global best practice and we shall continue to ensure that they are reliable, consistent and of integrity.” The exam system automatically locks after the scheduled exam time lapses and there are invigilators supervising the students throughout the exam to avoid cheating cases.

The University of Nairobi celebrates the strides it has made amidst all the challenges being experienced due to the covid-19 pandemic and for the students that come from disadvantaged groups and might not be able to sit for the online exams, the University will address each case as it arises individually.

The Office of Career Services invites all UoN students to a Webinar session on “The future of jobs, setting career goals and how managers measure performance”.

Date: Wednesday May 27, 2020

Time: 3.00 – 5.00 pm

Link to join Webinar:

https://uonbi.webex.com/uonbi/onstage/g.php?MTID=e8b5751b7a8696a05579690c08ac4a3a0

Event Password: UtNwm3qZ3g5

This session is aimed at preparing students for the job market.

Are you one of the student applicants of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) loan? Worry no further. HELB has released Kshs. 7.6 billion loan for university students. Over 196, 613 students drawn from both public and private universities are said to benefit from this loan.

The HELB CEO, Charles Ringera indicated that applications are now open for all continuing students despite the learning disruptions by the Corona pandemic. The current government budget for supporting students in colleges and universities s currently Kshs. 11.2 billion as indicated by the CEO. This therefore means there is a deficit in the loan to students that will be recovered from the loan recoveries.

It has also been announced that going forward, all loan applications will now be done on the HELB mobile phone app. This is good news to the learners as the submission of hard copies to the HELB offices was deemed tedious by a number of students. This will also save on paper and crowding at the offices with more seamless service provision.

For the 110,250 first year students who will join universities and colleges for the September 2020 intake, Kshs. 4.7 billion has been set aside.

University of Nairobi continuing students who applied for the HELB loan are encouraged to be on the look out to receive their loan.

The University of Nairobi in conjunction with the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran- Kenya, and East African cartoonists society launch a virtual African cartoon festival aimed at highlighting the current global crisis and educating masses through art.

Click the below link for more information

https://kenya.mfa.gov.ir/en/newsview/594284/virtual-cartoon-festival-on-africa-and-covid-19

The Office of Career Services in partnership with Fuzu, an online job listing company and career coach that provides exciting job opportunities, new skills and career guidance to job seekers has planned a career Webinar on Friday May 29, 4.00 – 5.00 pm.

The webinar will focus on the following topics

• How to set up a winning profile on Fuzu
• What Employers look for
• Essential tools for your career development

To register, please click on this link https://t.co/z7MIN8VzXA

Mr. Paul Mbugua, the Group Managing Director of Eclectics International is also an ICT expert and founder of the company. He asserts that technology has no boundary. Africa needs innovative technology to create wealth and employment opportunities. Eclectics International is a technology savvy company transforming Africa through innovative, state of the art tailor-made software solutions for Banking, Financial, Agricultural and Transport & Public sector and has existed for over 10 years with a presence in 25 African countries.

One of its main activities is automation such as e-wallet in banks. It is now easy to open a bank account with just an Identification Card (ID). Eclectics International competes with other international companies to provide local solutions. The importance of planning before undertaking tasks cannot be overemphasized.

Lack of formal employment has led to the growth of the informal economy. The youth are getting into jobs not because they want to expand their career path but because they want to survive. Therefore, there is a need for inculcation of entrepreneurial skills to students. Technology has opened a window of opportunities for the youth. Eclectics International provides a forum for local companies to advocate for local solutions and this is a great opportunity for graduates with excellent start-up ideas to benefit from business opportunities offered by Eclectics.

Entrepreneurship is one of the skills being promoted by the Office of Career Services to enable students come up with innovative ideas and create jobs for others in this economy with dwindling jobs by the day.