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| Alfred Ajani |
About this time last year, Alfred
Ajani made headlines when he stood at Waterloo train station to catch the fancy
and hand out his CV to possible recruiters – ( more about it). Today, all that
is history, in fact earlier this year, Fred stood at the same station that
brought him fame, this time not to hand out CVs but to give back back to his community.
I caught up with him and had this
awesome interview with him. Listen to Fred as he retells his story, why he went
and what he sees in the future.
Jude: Hello Alfred, thank you for
granting us this interview, may the readers meet you
Alfred:
Thanks, Jude. I am Fred, from UK and I’m a Marketing PR and Project
manager.
Jude: You
made quite a headline pulling a stunt last year, what drove you or motivated
you to pull off such a stunt.
Fred:
Simply put, I motivated myself.
Jude: Your approach to job hunting
got you massive publicity (something necessary when job hunting), how
have you managed it all.
Fred:
yeah, it did! However, what I have done
is to remain level headed and true to self. I also give advice to those who
seek it as much as possible.
Jude: I am sure you got lots of
offering after such a feat yet you chose your current job. In the report, it
said you were looking for your ‘dream job’. To you, what is a dream job and
what should job seekers look out for in a ‘dream job?’
Fred:
A dream job to me is that which allows you to work on your own projects,
build your own team and create your own buzz.
Jude: So
I guess that means, a dream job should allow for flexibility, team work and an
opportunity to excel in what one loves while still meeting the employer’s
expectations.
Earlier
this year, you were back to the same station, what was the motive behind that?
Fred: In going back to the station, I wanted to
give back to those who supported me and made my story so big. I know the
difficulty for graduates and wanted to show them in my own way where they can
come if they too are struggling to find a role after graduation.
Jude:
wow! That’s awesome, a little giving back, we tend to forget the community that
has made us. Nice one Fred.
Fred: Thanks!
Jude: I
just want to know, as a graduate who has seen it all and has gotten what many
other graduates out there would love to get, what do you think are some of the challenges facing job
seekers?
Fred: There is a lack of trust from employers to hire
fresh graduates, it seems they do not believe they can do or learn the job
quick enough or bring fresh ideas to the table. Graduates do need to make sure
they are doing the most to stand out from the crowd.
Jude: As a person that works for a
recruitment organization, what do you look out for in a potential candidate?
Fred:
When looking through
candidates I need to see more than the generic guidelines to writing a CV. In
the personal profile, thousands of graduates claim to be creative, passionate,
ambitious, and driven, I want to know what drives you, where your ambition and
passion for the industry comes from and what creative ideas you have.
Jude: I
agree with you on that.
So what’s next for Alfred Ajani?
Fred:
Personally I am working on
several projects at the Asoria Group. Women in Business is my yearly project
where I interview women from across the property, digital and renewables sector
to share their stories, experiences and advice to inspire a younger generation
of women to pursue a career in either sector. I am also working on an awards
ceremony for Young Leaders in the Digital sector, to reward the top creative
minds under 30 in the digital sector. In the future I will be pursuing a career
in the advertising sector.
Jude:
that’s great, wish you success on that.
Fred:
thanks, I’ll need that.
Jude: What advice would you give job
seekers out there?
Fred:
My advice to
graduates is that they should struggle to proceed, safe is risky, don’t be
scared to promote yourself today for a better tomorrow.
Jude: That’s all for today dear
readers, I know you have gotten one or two hints from Alfred.
If you are still searching for a job, remember to do all
you can to stand out and if you currently
have a job, then don’t just stay there, do something to contribute to the
larger society plus start something of your own, do something you’ve always
wanted to do. Go ahead and make a name for yourself.
If would like to connect with
Alfred, you can find him on LinkedIn.
Jude: Thank
you so much Fred for granting this interview.
Once again, thank you and see you next time when I will be sharing the story of another success.
Till then, remember,
There’s always hope, so long you are
alive.
The grass is actually greener where
you water it.
Dear readers, I hope you have gained something from Fred’s story.
Feel free
to share in the comments section.