BEFORE YOU GET THE JOB

What do you spend most of your time on? You have two choices; to either feel disappointed and frustrated about the whole situation in the country: high rate of unemployment, poor governance etc or take responsibility for your career.
It may not seem easy to accept, high unemployment rate or not, you are responsible for your life’s outcome.
You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.
― Jim Rohn
“There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.”
― J.K. Rowling
 “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
 

Below are 17 habits you should strive to look out for/get rid of before and as you join the job market or the world of business.
1.       Blaming everyone else but yourself:
“When you blame others, you give up your power to change”. Anthony. Dr. Robert.
Being caught up in the habit of blaming others except you only spells out lack of responsibility. If you are in the habit of blaming your lecturer, friends or school for your results, this habit will not help you in the long run.

2.       Spending most of your time on tech gadgets – PC, mobile, TV:
“’I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us’”. In the Movie, Lord of the Rings.
The millennial-generation is known for the habit of spending a lot of time on tech devices and activities with little lasting benefits. If you want to get ahead in your career, you must minimize the “unproductive” time you spend consuming devices. The same technology that kills your time is making someone else rich.

3.       The it’s-all-about-the-money attitude:
“You can have it all. Just not all at once.” Oprah Winfrey.
Life is not all about you achieving your money making goals. If you don’t develop the habit of adding value to other people, you’ll have a tough time navigating through life.

4.       Keeping every friendship:
“The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice; it is conformity.” Rollo May.
Don’t get me wrong – we all need to make and keep friends. But if your friends aren’t adding value to your life, and don’t share in your aspiration, there is no point trying to conform. This simply means to choose who your ‘close’ friends are.

5.       Worrying about competition:
In the end, the only competition you have is with yourself. You goal is to strive to be better than you.

6.       Trying to be perfect:
“Life is not about being; it is about becoming.” Ikenna Odinaka.
Perfection is a quality we may strive for, but we can never reach. Being judgemental and condescending is a sure way to build an island. Accept that you are human prone to make mistakes. Forgive yourself when you do, learn from your mistakes and move on. Likewise, understand that people aren’t perfect either.

7.       Being selfish –it’s all about me attitude:
It should never be all about the money nor all about you. Be considerate. If your dream does not have other people in it, it is not worth dreaming.

8.       Doubting your potential and ability:
Sometimes, School system can steal away your true personality and make you believe you are not as capable because of your poor performance in exams and tests. The reality is that life is not about passing tests and exams. And you have within you what it takes to achieve your dreams no matter how poorly or excellently you may perform academically.

9.       Hating to read:
“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” Oscar Wilde.
Who you become after school will be determined by the people you meet and the books you read. I’m not talking about academic books but books about self help, business, entrepreneurship, relationship, negotiation, lifestyle or any subject that interests you. You’ve got to cultivate the habit of reading, willy-nilly.

10.   Hating to write:
“If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important that the ability to communicate effectively” Gerald Ford.
Everyone cannot become an excellent writer but everyone can and should learn basic communication writing skills. You are forgiven if you don’t like the academic style of writing. That makes the two of us – in fact most accomplished authors and writers defile the academic writing style. So you are in safe hands, if that is you.

11.   Dodging to speak in public:
This one is huge and a career killer. Everyone at one time or the other has to deal with this demon. In fact, having the fear of speaking in public is human. According to study, for most people, the fear of speaking in public is only second to the fear of death. That should encourage you that it is safe to have these fears. You can join a Toastmasters club near you to start developing this skill.

12.   Spending more money on pleasure than self education:
Where do you spend your money? The best investment you’ll ever make is in yourself.

13.   Feeling entitlement: Eventually, you must accept that your certificate is overrated and does not entitle you to a good life. Because you spent 20 years of your life acquiring academic education does not entitle you to any job. The government or anyone for that matter does not owe you for going to school. You owe yourself and loved ones to achieve your dream; degree or no degree.

14.   Living above your means:
You’ve probably heard the story of that big girl in campus, living large. Then the wretched mother from the village visits, and she publicly denies her poor mother. School is a good place to start cultivating personal finance habit but sadly lot of students, while trying to conform, take this for granted. By the time you have lost your dependency on your parents and guardian after graduation, you will be forced to live within your means the hard way.

15.   Relying on federal government for jobs:
I’ve mentioned this earlier but it’s worth a point of its own. Governments don’t build nations; industrious people do. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone waits for the government to provide jobs – wouldn’t we all be miserable creatures? If you cannot find a job, find something to do. The only jobless people are people who don’t get something doing.

16.   Fearing to fail:
How do you treat failure? How do you treat other people when they fail at something? Eventually, if you are serious about achieving your goals, you must make failure your bosom friend.

17.  Holding on for too long:
“There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you’d better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you’ll never understand what it’s saying.” Sarah Dessen.
For some people, you have to hold on to your career path. For others, you may need a change along the way. Majority of students chose their course of study ignorantly. You don’t have to hold on to a career path that doesn’t fit you. At some point, you need to allow yourself to let go and try something new.

There you have it – 17 habits to quit before you get that job or into the world of business. Which of these habits are you addicted to? What other negative habits would you advice students on? What effort are you making to rid yourself of these habits? Are you willing to Make A Difference today?

Please share it along if you find it useful.