Two of the greatest hurdles Nigerian youths face are gaining admission
into university and securing decent job after graduation. With the
proliferation of universities in every village today, the former is no
longer a big problem as the latter. The latter challenge also comes in
two folds – getting invite for job selection process and scaling the
process. The scaling process in most cases also involves crossing two
bridges – tests and interviews.
Personally, I prefer interview to test, despite the fact I am not the
best of orators you can think of. But truth be told, interview is
easier. It gives you more avenues to maneuver. Unlike test where you
either get the answer correct or miss it, in interviews, you can give a
good impression even when you don’t know the answer. I have flunked a
couple of tests, but I can’t remember ever flunking any job interview.
I have compiled top interview questions Nigerian job
recruiters ask, especially for entry level and non-managerial
experienced positions. The answer tips are based on my personal
experience, experience of masters in the trade, and formal and informal
accounts of job interviewers I am privileged to have interacted with. I
hope it will be helpful to readers.
- Tell us about yourself: In many interviews,
one-on-one or panel, this is the first question you will be asked. It
can also come in different forms like, Can we meet you?, Can we know
you?, Who is Mr. Your Name? Can you introduce yourself to us? etc. They
all mean the same thing. The answer is simple – briefly summarize your
CV. I said, summarize, not download your CV. Don’t be too detailed that
the interviewers will be the one to stop you. Be brief, just 5 to 7
liners should do. Just state your name, your educational qualifications
(you may start from your secondary education), your achievements (if
any). Something like:
“My name is Surajudeen Oyewale, born some 30 years ago in Kwara
state. I attended Offa Grammar School in Kwara state, where I finished
in the year 2000 as second best student. I later proceeded to Obafemi
Awolowo University, where I finished with second class upper degree in
economics. At the university, I was the president of Economics Students
Association. I also won a number of scholarship awards, including the
Chevron University scholarship award. I did my youth service in Sokoto
state between 2007 and 2008. I like writing articles and some of my
articles have been published in National dailies including Guardian,
Tribune and Punch. During my leisure period, I play football and table
tennis.”
The above is just a guide. Depending on other important things you
have to say, you may add or take out some things. You may decide to
start with your university education. You should also mention any
relevant experience if you have. You may leave out your state of origin.
You may also not mention that you write articles, if you think the
types of articles you write do not have any bearing with the job or can
even count against you (e.g strong religious and political writings).
For example, I put on my CV that I write articles, and even list some of
them on the face of my CV, but not the one in which I abused Jonathan
or Bukola Saraki (lol. But seriously, Suraj the 9-5 professional
accountant is different from Suraj the weekend/night political
commentator, but both converge in Jarus the blogger). So you have to be
circumspect.
But in any case, make your delivery chronological. Try to emphasize
your achievements as you progress, e.g, I finished as best student, I
won scholarship etc, but don’t come across as arrogant. Be subtle while
mentioning them. Having one helps, but no need to fabricate if you don’t
have. You should be able to say that within 2 to 3 minutes. When it is
getting too long, it can become boring.
- What do you know about our company? : This is
another question you cannot escape. It is usually the 2nd or 3rd, or,
rarely, 1st, question. This should be the simplest, to me. I expect
anyone going for interview with a company to have visited the company’s
website, print some useful stuffs about the history, mission, products,
management, etc of the company. You have to read them well, but don’t
cram, else you may mix things up and make a fool of yourself in front of
the interviewers, who, no doubt, know more about their company than
you.
If you want to wow, go beyond the website information for latest news
about the company. Imagine telling them what you read in the newspaper
about that company that interview morning. Imagine pulling a
masterstroke like this: “just this morning, I was reading in Guardian
that your company is going to the capital market to raise additional
funds. This is no doubt a welcome development and it falls in line with
your company’s corporate goal of expanding to become the industry leader
in the next three years…”. These are extra things you can use to dazzle
your interviewers.
So, let’s use Oando as an example. Assuming, you are interviewing
with Oando and you are being asked this question, having read their
website, pieced together news about them and asking one or two questions
from insiders in your research, I expect your answer to be like this:
“Oando is the leading integrated energy group in sub-saharan African,
with operations across the entire value chain of energy sector –
exploration, servicing, supply and trading, gas distribution, petroleum
products marketing. It started with the acquisition by a group of then
young Nigerian businessmen of the then government-owned Unipetrol in the
year 2001, and later, acquiring the downstream business of Agip, to
become the Oando of today. The company has undergone serious
metamorphosis and now at the commanding height of the sector. It is no
doubt a success story in indigenous participation in the sector. Just
couple of weeks back, I read in BusinessDay that you acquired stake in a
Canadian energy firm. Your recently concluded Rights Issue is also
widely reported in the media as oversubscribed”
I doubt there will be any interviewer that will not be impressed with
the 8-liner above which you can say within 3 to 4 minutes. Once again,
you don’t need to cram anything. Just read enough and be familiar with
facts about the company you are interviewing with. Lest I forget, while
answering the question of what do you know about us, try to highlight
the positive news about the company. God help you if you are
interviewing with Zenon and you remind them of Otedola/Faruk Lawan saga.
Still on this question, you may need to do some cramming on things
like core values of the company. All these are available on any
company’s website. You may inquire from insiders as well. I remember
going for an interview with an oil company in the downstream sector and
being asked the core value of that company. Thankfully, that was the
last thing I checked on the company’s website via my BB few seconds
before it got to my turn. I didn’t remember everything, but out of 5, I
remembered 3 well and gave a faint recollection of the 4th one.
- Why do you want to work for us? I remember being
asked this question some 7 years ago by the then CEO of a top Nigerian
financial institution, now member of President Jonathan’s Economic
Management Team. Thankfully, I had asked someone that entered before me
and he told me he was asked that question, so I quickly packaged three
reasons. It was an investment banking outfit and my response was:
- I
had always wanted to become an investment banker and from close
observation of this company as the industry leader in Nigeria, I believe
it is the best platform to achieve my dream, while contributing to
further success of the organization;
- I had long watched this company,
right from my secondary school days, and I believe in her dream, I
believe in her future, and I want to be part of its success;
- I have
always valued integrity and from my knowledge of this organization, I
know integrity is the watchword. This integrity-driven environment falls
in line with my career goal, my ideal workplace.
I was asked same question in another interview, this time around with
an oil marketing firm and my answer was: I have long watched this
company from afar, and I am impressed with its giant strides. Here is a
Nigerian company, managed by Nigerians, doing extremely well in a sector
dominated by foreign operators. I will like to be part of this success
story. So in essence, just look for the high points of the organization
interviewing you and carve your answer around it.
- Why should I hire you? : This is somehow related
to the above. The answer to the above may also suffice, but in addition,
you may add your strengths, your special skills. If I were to be on the
hot seat, in addition to the above, I will add: I have been involved in
a number of engagements in the past and I have never failed. From my
primary school through university, through professional qualifying
examinations, to the places I have worked in the past, I have been
outstanding. I don’t believe your organization will be an exception. So
if you hire me, I have no doubt that I will excel. Your organization
cannot be an exception.
- What are your strengths? This may not be the
success decider because truth is, everybody, including your competitors
for the job, will always have something good to say about himself. So
common answers to this include: I am a fast learner; I am a team player;
I always excel in all I do; etc. I don’t know of any stunner of a
response other than these common answers. This question can also come
as: what are your selling points? Also, depending on how you are able to
maneuver, answer to the fourth question above can also be modified as answer to
‘what are your selling points?’ too. It can also come as, what are your
competencies?
- What are your weaknesses? I remember an interview
I did with an investment institution in late 2006, my first interview
experience, just few weeks after finishing university. I had read a lot
about interviews (that was basically what I spent the most of my final
year doing) and knowing that you don’t say you don’t have any weakness. My
response to that question was:
“Hmmnn, a couple of people have told me I can be impatient while
working with a team, especially with slow members. When two, three
people say something, they may be right. So I think this is a weakness I
am working on. In actual fact, the desire to achieve a team goal drives
my impatience as I hate failure. But I have come to realize individual
differences, especially in pace, and I’m beginning to adjust.”
Need I say, I saw the panel interviewers nodding their head
sub-consciously. The basic principle in answering this kind of question
is, don’t say you don’t have weakness, tell your weakness and make it
known you are working on it. Also, ensure it’s a weakness that is
tolerable. God help you if you say your weakness is sleeping on duty.
- Why do you want to leave your current company? If
you are moving from one organization to another, expect this question.
Sometime early last year, I was interviewing with one company in the
downstream sector. I was then working in another company, its biggest
rival in the industry. I was asked this question: why do you want to
leave ABC Plc for our company? The basic principle in answering this
kind of question is knowing the strength of the one you’re interviewing
with over the one you currently are. One was a Nigerian company, the
other was a foreign multi-national. That was what drove my response:
“No doubt ABC Plc is a good organization with good management. I have
been there for four years and I came of age there. However, I have
always wanted to work in a multi-national organization, where I will
have the opportunity to hone my skills at the global place. I believe
your organization offers great platform to achieve that.” Note that I
did not bad-mouth my then employer. That is in line with a golden
principle of interview – never bad-mouth your employer.
Still on this question, if it was the other way round, i.e you
currently work in a multi-national and you are interviewing with its
Nigerian competitor, and same question is asked, just look at the
strength of the Nigerian company. If I were in that seat, I would answer
thus:
“I have watched your organization from distance, and from what I read
in the media, your company has a good rating and is doing Nigeria proud
in the sector dominated by foreign participants. I am a Nigerian, I
believe in Nigeria. I believe in things Nigerian. I’m impressed in a
Nigerian company doing this and I will like to deploy the experience I
have gathered working in a multinational to the development of a
Nigerian enterprise. I believe in the future of your organization, and
as a Nigerian, I want to be counted as part of the success.”
Same is applicable if you are moving from Diamond bank to Zenith Bank
for instance. Just look for the advantage of one over the other and
package it as reason you want to join them. God help you if you go say
pay is your motivation, although we all know that that is the motivation
for 70% of career movements, especially for non-managerial positions.
- What pay do you expect? Truth is, if you’re
interviewing for entry level position, you have practically no say in
the pay. Almost 100% of companies have their pay structure and know how
much they will pay you already. If Zenith bank, for instance, pays entry
level employees N3m per annum, you can’t get more than that, except you
have relevant experience. So most times, at entry level positions, this
question is inconsequential, but it may be your undoing. Imagine asking
for N10m as entry level in GTB – it can annoy your interviewer and an
otherwise inconsequential question can mar your chance.
Personally, I and people I know that are top management staff in big
organizations – always advise that you don’t say an amount. Respond
with something like: “ABC Plc is a well-structured organization and I
believe you will fairly place me where I fit within the structure
(knowing full well that you’re entry level), with commensurate
remuneration.”
But if pressed further, you can state a sum, preferably a range,
which you must have researched. A good way to research is to ask people
that work in the organization what entry level pay is or you put a
thread in a forum like Nairaland, where you are guaranteed of good
response. You may add 1 or 2m on top. For example, you know Ecobank pays
N3m for entry level position, you may call 4m for them at the
interview.
If however you have some special skills or qualifications, you can
charge a premium for that. For example, you have CFA, very marketable
qualification, you can be daring and request for pay that is more than
what is ordinarily obtainable for that position. Or you are coming with
Imperial or Harvard certificate. Experienced hires are also in good
position to negotiate.
- Do you have any question for us? This is another
area you can dazzle. Don’t ask the general question every Ade and Ada is
expected to ask. Research well. Have your question at the back of your
mind, although you can change it for a better one if in the course of
the interview something more interesting comes to your mind.
Interviewing with upstream oil companies, you can ask question around
how they have been able to cope in the face of security challenges that
threatened the sector; interviewing with a GTB, you can ask them how
they manage to emerge even stronger in the face of the crisis that hit
the sector few years back; interviewing with an Oando, you can psyche
them up, asking how they did the wonder of being the most successful of
all privatized government enterprises. Everybody likes to be praised,
explore this psychology.
- Confidence is the rule of the game: To me – and
this view is shared by many top executives I have discussed this subject
with – confidence is the most important thing in an interview. It is
not easy, you will shake in the first few minutes, but once you get your
rhythm, you can dazzle. At entry level, they don’t expect you to know
so much other than some basic things. So your composure is key.
A number of things fire you up – having good credentials give you
some confidence as does preparing well. I have always mentioned being
versatile, knowing one or two things beyond your discipline, as helpful
in interviews.
However, the low point of interview is that it can also be subjective
sometimes. I have a friend, a very brilliant dude, that stood his
ground on a question in an interview. He was marked as being arrogant, I
later got to know. Meanwhile, another set of interviewers can give that
a positive, interpreting it as knowing one’s opinions, the type of person
they need, not some sheepish employee. Similarly, I have another friend
that was asked what her core competencies were and she told them she
didn’t know the meaning of core competencies. Yet, she came first in
that interview (I came second).
On a final note, the above are just guides, which I have put together
based on personal experience, experience of friends and colleagues,
formal and informal interactions with experienced interviewers and
executives. They are templates. One is not meant to be mechanical, but
there is no harm in sitting down in front of your mirror and rehearsing
how to go about responding to such questions, or simulating with a
friend or brother in the room. Yes, I did that. And it was helpful.
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written by Jarus.(http://www.jarushub.com/common-interview-questions-and-answer-tips/)
