My Review of the Career Fair Season 1 Organised by Onwuatu Joy

Okay! Career fairs aren’t common place in Nigeria, in fact fairs are not common place here except of course for the Lagos trade fair and church bazaars (that’s if you’re Catholic). The first fair I ever attended was an Edufair that had foreign schools looking for prospective students, that was back in Benin during my campus final year.

All those reasons above kind of heightened my expectations for this fair and well, it was worth every bit of the sacrifice I put in. So here’s my review. If you were there, just read and drop your own comments or write your own review (don’t forget to share with me sha!).

Career fairs are usually free opportunities where job seekers (unemployed, under employed, graduates and even students) meet to network, learn new stuffs and possibly meet recruiters, well this particular fair didn’t fail in that standard. My review will cover the following aspects. Reception and atmosphere of the meeting venue, publicity, time management, logistics and organizing, presenters, sound, slides and lighting, participants interactions, talks and seminars then,participating recruitment agencies.

Then a general score (on a personal basis).

Okay! Here goes;

Reception and ambience: while locating the church wasn’t all particularly hard, thanks to the naming of Lagos streets and the nice banner by the Toyin street junction, the hall itself was nice and beautifully decorated. Those by the door where very welcoming. The registration process was smooth, though the spaces for filling in data could have been made larger, all the same, the whole place was welcoming.

Publicity: Holding a free career fair in Lagos (lasgidi itself) without too much shout needs little publicity, with nearly 18 million people and a bulk of Nigeria’s job seekers, I was expecting a larger turn out. I guess the event planners didn’t want the whole of Lagos youths to turn up to make the event a daylight hell hence the registration and limited publicity. If the event was shared on say Nairaland for example, crowd control would have been needed. All well and done, this was just the first edition; I know the next one would make the whole Lagos stand still.

Time Management: True to Naija saying ‘Time, nah money”. The event started a bit behind schedule but again the program planners did a great job. By reducing allotted time for break and cooperation on the part of the speakers, the event ended before the real expiration time (not including the profiling section).

Logistics and Organizing: Planning for the smallest event needs proper logistic planned out. The materials (jotters, fliers, resource materials, slides etc) got to everyone and the ushers were excellent, they made sure everyone was properly seated and the mics available for asking questions and getting feedback.

Talk and Seminar: Yeah, this is the crux of the matter, so I will write on all four speakers and how I think they fared.

Oluwaseyi Jegede: He spoke on creating career visions, linking one’s course of study to career. He listed five integral components of a career vision as; Value, personality, knowing ones limits, recognition of skills, understanding what motivates you and having passion and mentors. His session was interactive and resourceful. 

Gbenga Ogun: His part covered CV writing tips and aptitude test taking. He gave some key insights into what can count as wastes and valuables on a CV. He gave the formula STAR (Situation, Task, Action and Results) as a good tool to use in penning down one’s work experience. On the part about aptitude test, he mentioned two must visit web pages. I especially loved how he mixed the Yoruba with English, who says we can’t have world class presentations in our local dialects. 

Joy Onwuatu: I call here Mrs. Recruitment, being an HR person, she shared valuable interview tips. She spoke on preparations, how to handle difficult questions and dwelt a lot on getting feedback from recruiters and proper recruitment etiquette. 

Victor Adebayo: unarguably the best presenter for the day, he began by asking the famous ‘Hey dad, what’s the secret formula” question from Kungfu Panda. Off course, we all know that the answer is NOTHING (except for those who don’t watch cartoons). He spoke on the secrets to getting to the top in one’s career. He mentioned about 14 secrets and then went on to speak on working smart or do I say hard. I personally liked how he used his own story (and a couple of others) to deliver crucial lessons to the audience. This is yet another pointer to the fact that our local success stories offer the best examples for motivating our youths.

Finally, I will write on Pastor Sola Osunmakinde’s brief speech and award presentations. As expected an MOG will always be an MOG, you can’t take away the “praise the Lords or halleluyahs” just as a minister of God can never come to a place without pronouncing God’s blessings. Thank you for supporting this vision, Sir, may God enrich you the more.

YOU CAN GET ALL THE PRESENTATIONS (AUDIO) here

Sound, Slides and Lights: the sound was perfect, the speakers and mics worked fine although screeching noise were produced only when the presenters went close to the loudspeakers, but it was still on point. The lighting for the hall was excellent. The slides however offered a bit of challenge. Some of the fonts were just too small to be seen, while one of the projectors displayed low quality images, but again, that can be worked on.

The participants: I believe they enjoyed themselves and the learnt a lot. Interactions among the participants went well and they all showed maturity and composure throughout the fair. The profiling session went well (thanks to the ushers). A couple of the participants didn’t hold their CVs while some left. Kudos to those who had to travel from Delta state, I know it was worth the money. Hoping you can also replicate this in your different locations.

Participating Recruitment Agencies: Only 7 agencies were represented namely, Evaluation and Staffing Africa (ESA), BestSearch, Talent Bureau Ltd, Jobberman, Konga and McTim Associates. They all gave their presentations and had opportunities to meet and counsel the participants. Shortlist was however absent.

In all, the career fair went well and it met all my expectations. However here are jut the few places that I think would need a bit of fine tuning for next year. Publicity, via social media, word of mouth, normal media (TV, radio etc) quality of projection and finally an increase in the recruiting agencies as well as possible opportunity to actually interview as against only profiling of candidates. If possible, a category of the expected attendees should be listed on the means for publicity.

My final thanks goes to the entire Household of David family members, thanks for welcoming and hosting us. To all the volunteers and partners, You are loved. The biggest thanks however is reserved for the convener of this great event, Joy Onwuatu, I say, God bless you and many more mighty exploit awaits you, you won’t fail the many generations ahead.

Joy Onwuatu

Final review score, it going to be 90%, that’s an A*

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Marriage remains one of the most rewarding life experiences anyone can have. The thrills of finding, loving, saying "Yes I do" and eventually living together (for life) with someone remains the dream of nearly everyone on earth. 

The challenge however is in knowing when one is ready to make the mind shift. Marriage is a whole bunch of things wrapped into one. 

Are you about to marry, or still single and about to begin your search, you might find this post invaluable in your walk up to being a hubby or wifey. 

1. You are male or female (and I mean that with all seriousness).
2. You are single and hooked already, or single and searching/not searching or you’re divorced.
3. You already have or found someone who loves you.
4. You are an earthling, meaning you are not tribalistic or a racist.
5. You have or found someone who shares the same religious beliefs as you.
6. You are lovable and charming. 
7. You are not apologetic about who you are (shape, size and all, including disabilities).
8. You don’t mind sharing your deepest secrets – at the right time I advise!
9. You are disciplined and trustworthy.
10. You are serious about getting married.
11. You’ve got the right physique, figure 8 with everything* fitted to good size for female and TDH (tall dark and handsome) for guys.
12. You are matured in the mind and will.
13. You have something you do for a living, skilled or unskilled. Simply put, you earn money.
14. You are purposeful and passionate about something, and who isn't?
15. You cook great food, local cuisine inclusive.
16. You love kids and want your own fair share.
17. You support ‘no sex before marriage’.
18. You believe in ‘one man or woman, one vote’, news flash! Marriage is a vote too.
19. You are flexible and teachable.
20. You are not manipulative.
21. He or she is someone who shares similar financial mentality as you.
22. You are charitable and hospitable.
23. You know how to say NO - it’s not as easy as it sounds.
24. You know how and when to be serious and playful.
25. You are not perfect yet, but working towards it.

     Image Credits: Christian Post

   I love to discover new things, so if you have other thoughts, kindly drop in the comment section.

   

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