What differentiates those who are successful from those who are not? There are lots of ways to approach that question, but one of the most powerful is also one of the simplest.
It’s a matter of habits. In business and in life, if you truly want to succeed, there are some habits that work and there are other habits that never should be repeated.
If you’re not as successful as you want to be and you know you can do better, copy the habits of those who are successful.
Just as important, eliminate any of your own habits that are holding you back. Here are seven top candidates—habits that successful people never allow:
1. Believing You Can Please Everyone
Once you truly understand that it’s impossible to please everyone, you learn not to even bother trying. It’s nothing but a recipe for disaster, misery and frustration—and one of the biggest keys to failure.
2. Repeating What Didn’t Work the First Time
Whether it’s in business, a job, or a relationship, successful people do not repeat the same mistakes. If it didn’t work the first time, they don’t try again expecting a different result. Successful people know that mistakes are for learning, not for repeating.
3. Accepting Short-Term Contentment Over Long-Term Value
Successful people know that things take time, and it’s the daily grind that in the end will get them to their dreams. It’s the small painful steps you go through day by day that will benefit you in the future. If you can make it through the pain, you will get to the gain.
4. Compromising Themselves to Fit In
Successful people never try to adjust themselves to fit in to the crowd. They understand that who they are is what they are, and they don’t try to change themselves for others. The bad news is that if you want to succeed, you are not going to fit in with everyone. The good news is that the great ones never do.
5. Trusting Something That Looks Too Good to Be True
No matter how great something looks on the surface, successful people do their due diligence and make sure that what they are looking at has actual value and is worthy of their time. They know that when something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
6. Taking Their Eyes Off Their Vision
One trait virtually all successful people share is focus. They never take their eyes off their visions, dreams, and goals; they do what they need to do, and they do it with meticulous determination. People who are successful know where they are going, and because they do, they succeed. It’s as simple as that.
7. Disconnecting Appearances and Reality
Who you are on the inside should be what is reflected on the outside. The moment there is a disconnect between the two, there is dis-ease within yourself. Success requires that you bring all parts of who you are—inside and out—and that you keep everything in sync. It isn’t easy, but the people who are most successful never fragment themselves to be successful.
Start today to examine your own habits, determine what’s leading you toward success and what’s in the way, and make the changes you need to—for the sake of your future.
Credit : inc.com
The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) is delighted to offer three weeks Africa fellowship programme. Applicants from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, Somalia and Zimbabwe will be given preference.
The Fellowship Programme aims to effectively equip participants to address challenges specific to democratic transitions by exposing them to various transitional justice tools.
The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) is a non-governmental organisation and think tank based in Cape Town, South Africa. The aim was to ensure that lessons learned from South Africa´s transition from apartheid to democracy were taken into account as the nation moved ahead.
In order to be eligible applicants must have good written and spoken English. This will be necessary to participate in group discussions.
Course Level: This is a three weeks fellowship program.
Study Subject: The programs’ purpose is to enhance participants’ skills and knowledge, with a particular focus on issues related to the development of tools and processes aimed at furthering reconciliation and social cohesion within the context of transitional justice. Accordingly, the Fellowship Programme will engage with some of the key literature, themes, and mechanisms and will supplement teachings with practical experiences, interaction with local organizations working in related fields and guided visits to historically significant sites and institutions dealing with reconciliation and justice.
Scholarship Award: The IJR will cover all travel and accommodation costs for the duration of the fellowship and will provide a modest stipend for daily expenses.
Scholarship can be taken in Africa
Eligibility: To be considered eligible for this fellowship, applicants should meet the following criteria:
- A post-graduate degree in a discipline broadly related to Transitional Justice
- to 5 years of relevant work experience in the realm of justice, reconciliation and/or social cohesion, social justice
- Good written and spoken English. This will be necessary to participate in group discussions.
Nationality: Applicants from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, Somalia and Zimbabwe will be given preference.
College Admission Requirement
Entrance Requirements: Applicants must have a post-graduate degree in a discipline broadly related to Transitional Justice.
English language Requirements: Applicants must have good written and spoken English. This will be necessary to participate in group discussions.
How to Apply: Applications should e-mail the complete application to Ms Anthea Flink on aflink-at-ijr.org.za with ‘Application to 2016 Fellowship Programme: your name’ in the email subject line. If applicants are interested in applying for admission to this programme, please submit to us the following documents in English:
- A detailed resume or Curriculum Vitae of no more than 3 pages
- The full contact details of 2 contactable references
- A 1-2 page letter of motivation indicating why you wish to participate in this programme
- A 1-2 page writing sample (you may include news or academic articles you have submitted or published)
- A letter of institutional endorsement of your suitability to participate in the Fellowship Programme from your employer/affiliated institution.
Application Deadline: The closing date for applications is the 31st of July 2016. Telephonic interviews will be conducted in the week commencing 8 August 2016 and successful candidates will be notified no later than by the 15th of August 2016.
South African Square Kilometre Array is awarding postgraduate-level research (doctoral and masters) bursaries programme for 2016-2017. South African applicants or citizens of Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia are eligible to apply for these Bursaries.
The South African Square Kilometre Array vision is to participate, through its role in the field of higher
education and scientific research, in the creation of a unified, developed and advanced South African Nation.
The Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope – or SKA – will be the world’s biggest telescope – and one of the biggest scientific projects – ever.
Course Level: Bursaries are available for pursuing Postgraduate-level research (Doctoral and Masters) programme.
Study Subject: Bursaries are awarded for the topic relevant to the scientific and technical goals of the SKA and MeerKAT radio telescopes.
Scholarship can be taken in South Africa
Eligibility: The South African SKA Project will consider applications from academically excellent students who wish to undertake postgraduate-level research relevant to the scientific and technical goals of the SKA and MeerKAT radio telescopes, and who are:
- South African citizens, and permanent residents of South Africa; or
- Citizens of Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia.
Nationality: South African citizens and permanent residents of South Africa; or Citizens of Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia are eligible to apply for these Bursaries.
College Admission Requirement
Entrance Requirements: Applicants must have their previous degree.
How to Apply: The mode of application is online.
Application Deadline: Bursary application deadline is 29 July 2016.
1. UFAA (14 Positions)
Looking for a job in a state corporation? UFAA invites applications from suitably qualified and experienced persons to fill the following positions:
2. Qatar (300 Positions)
A company in Qatar is looking for one major Hospital maintenance work urgently – as follows with given job description.
3. Group of Companies (10 Positions)
4. NGO’s
Applications are invited for Wangari Maathai Scholarship Fund in Kenya. Kenyan citizens are eligible to apply for this scholarship programme.
The Wangari Maathai Scholarship Fund is an environmental innovations fund set up in memory of Professor Wangari Maathai that aims at developing action oriented young people with strong values and commitment to the conservation of the physical and social environment in Kenya.
KCDF helps in Promoting sustainable development of communities for social justice, through institution building, partnerships, resource mobilization and policy influencing.
Course Level: Scholarship is offered for university studies.
Study Subject: A scholarship award from the fund is given each year to a young woman who has demonstrated passion and personal commitment to environmental conservation. This individual must also demonstrate their ability to successfully mobilize people and provide leadership in environmental advocacy.
Scholarship can be taken at: Kenya
Eligibility: Applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible to apply for this Scholarship:-
-A young woman of between the ages of 18 – 25 years.
-Kenyan citizens currently residing in Kenya
-The scholarship is limited to applicants who have enrolled in a Kenyan University
-Ability to demonstrate the environmental conservation project(s) they have started or have been involved in and how those initiatives have impacted people in their community, in ways that have improved environmental health and sustainability, and the fund’s goals of achieving a greener, cleaner and a more sustainable community.
Nationality: Applicants from Kenya are eligible to apply for this scholarship programme.
College Admission Requirement
Entrance Requirements: Only Kenyan youth of between the ages of 18 and 25 years, preferably students attending or who have just been admitted to Kenyan University are eligible to apply.
Supporting Material: Application cannot be processed unless applicants have:
-Read and understood the guidelines
-Answered every question to the best of their effort
-Signed the form (three signatures)
-Enclosed their most recent college financial status or financial information
-Enclosed a copy of their Kenyan ID, Student ID, and 2 recent passport photos
-Enclosed a list of names and addresses of their referees
-Enclosed a copy of their guardian or parent’s concurrence letter (if appropriate)
How to Apply: Completed application forms can be submitted to KCDF by email to grants-at-kcdf.or.ke.
Application Deadline: Scholarship application deadline is 28th March, 2016.
South African-German Centre for Development Research (SA-GER CDR) awards Master and PhD scholarships in the field of Development Studies, Public Administration, Public Policy. Applicants from Sub-Sahara Africa can apply for these scholarships.
Scholarships are designed for those planning a career in the field of Development Studies, Public Administration and Public Policy economic.
Within the framework of cooperating in masters and PhD programmes, the aim of the African Excellence Centre at UWC in Cape Town is to prepare the next generation of leaders to meet the typical economic, social and political berlinchallenges arising from the development process.
Applicants must provide evidence of proficiency in English, both written and spoken. This can be TOEFL test or a similar standard test or a letter from an academic institution.
Study Subject: Scholarships are available for pursuing masters and PhD programme.
Study Subject: Scholarships are awarded in the field of Development Studies, Public Administration, Public Policy.
Scholarship Award: Monthly allowances of 650 Euro plus travel allowances for master candidates and 900 Euro plus travel allowances for PhD candidates.
Scholarship can be taken at: The University of the Western Cape (UWC), Cape Town, South Africa
Eligibility: Applicants should have an outstanding academic record – at least 70% for last degree.
Nationality: Applicants should be from Sub-Sahara Africa.
List of Countries: Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana, Cote ‘lvoire, Gabon, Benin, Mozambique, Senegal, Togo, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Djibouti, Sudan, Burundi,
Botswana, Madagascar, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mauritius, Cameroon, DR Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, Gambia, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde
College Admission Requirement
Entrance Requirement: Applicants must apply within 6 years of having completed their previous degree, which must have been completed at an internationally recognised university.
Test Requirement: No
English Language Requirement: Applicants must provide evidence of proficiency in English, both written and spoken. This can be TOEFL test or a similar standard test or a letter from an academic institution
Supporting Material: The required components for complete application packet are as follows:-
-a letter of application, motivating application
-a copy of passport or ID
-a CV, also indicating relevant work experience as intern or as employee: Please use the europass CV
-an academic transcript from last university
-certified copies of all academic certificates
-an academic reference and if applicable a professional reference.
-MA applicants will have to write a one page paper about 1 of 4 topics given on the website
-PhD applicants have to submit a Research Proposal of their PhD project in line with the focus topics of the Centre given on the website.
Certificates and transcripts that are in another language other than English or Afrikaans must be submitted together with an English translation thereof that has been certified by a Public Notary
How to Apply: All applicants have to fill in an online application form.
Application Deadline: The closing date for application is 15 July, 2016.
When you interview for a new position, much of the conversation focuses on you and how you’d fill the given role and meet the expected qualifications. As a result, you spend a lot of time selling yourself and your skills.
But choosing to take a new job isn’t just about what you will do for the company— it’s also about whether the company is a good fit for your professional goals and day-to-day happiness. You’ll spend roughly 40 hours a week at work, so you need to make sure this job is one in which you’ll flourish.
To find out if a company or role is the right fit, ask these 10 questions.
1. What Are Your Expectations for This Role?
You need to get a sense of what you’re in for with this new position, particularly what will be expected of you during the first three months on the job. “Asking about quarterly goals for the position is key to setting yourself up for success before you even accept an offer,” says Lindsay Shoemake, founder of career lifestyle site That Working Girl. “If your interviewer or potential manager doesn’t seem to provide a clear answer, that might be a red flag that they haven’t set clear expectations for the position.”
A related follow-up: “What is the biggest challenge I would face in this position?”
“Many interviewers will respond to this question by providing you with an honest overview of company politics that will help you to evaluate whether you can succeed,” says Joe Weinlick, senior vice president of marketing for Beyond.com. “If the answer is, ‘You won’t have any challenges,’ beware! There are always challenges, and you may want to dig deeper before accepting a position.”
2. What Personalities Flourish Here?
This question is a must. Most managers can easily identify the type of person who would be successful in their organizations. Their answer will give you a better sense of whether you would be a good fit within the organization, says Jenn DeWall, a certified career and life coach. “It’s best to know this early on versus fighting to fit in and be the type of personality you’re not,” she says.
3. What Personal or Professional Development Opportunities Exist?
Learning about a company’s commitment to development can signal how much the organization values its employees, says Maria Katrien Heslin, founder of Business Boostcamp. “For example, there are some organizations that do not provide training or time off for professional development. Some have overly strict policies on employees being able to attend conferences,” she explains. “Organizations like this most often are pretty old-school in their management approach.”
4. What’s the Typical Career Path for This Position?
“For those who are goal oriented, it’s important to know up front what you’re working toward,” DeWall says. “If you are eager to climb the corporate ladder and develop your resume and an employer indicates there aren’t career advancement opportunities, the position may be a dead end for you and your career goals.”
Definitely something you’d want to know before taking a position that could lead you nowhere—and back on the job hunt in a couple of years.
5. What’s the Company Culture Like?
Whether you’re interested in a job that allows for flex time or you’d like to be able to bring your dog into the office, you need to find out what the company culture is like before you’re hired. DeWall advises asking about the organization’s take on work-life balance and what a typical workday looks like.
Of course, you don’t want to come off as unprofessional, so you might not want to ask straight up about working remotely and whether you’re allowed to dress casually in your first interview, but these key elements might be important to find out if you have an offer in hand.
“By asking about office culture you should get the answers to your questions,” says Erik Bowitz, senior resume expert at Resume Genius. “The ability to dress down and work remotely are valuable benefits for today’s graduates entering the workforce,” and companies are trying to entice the best and brightest with more modern policies.
6. Do You Have a Bonus Program?
“Don’t be bashful about asking about compensation,” Bowitz says. He advises job hunters to get all the details on their pay—from base salary to bonus programs and equity—before accepting an offer, even unofficially or verbally. “Remember you both are bringing value to the table, and so you should never feel lower or disadvantaged being the interviewee.”
Joseph Terach, founder and CEO of Resume Deli, also advises not being shy when asking about benefits, especially how much you’ll have to contribute to medical and dental coverage per month and how the 401(k) vesting and matching programs work. At the end of the day, you’re working to get paid, so you need to be sure the compensation is adequate.
7. Why Do You Like Working Here?
The answer to this question can be quite telling. “This is a good question to ask the interviewer because it’s unexpected and the response can be revealing,” says career consultant Melissa Cooley, founder of The Job Quest. “While most folks will pause before answering because they aren’t anticipating the question—which is a normal reaction—others may stumble all over their words. If an interviewer has a challenging time forming an answer, that’s worth noting.”
Some interviewers may give a boilerplate response when asked about company culture, says Weinlick says. But with this question, you’ll get an immediate emotional and verbal reaction. “If the response tells you the person isn’t excited to go to work, then ask yourself if you are likely to be any different,” he adds. “Ideally, the interviewer will paint a picture of why you would want to work at the company.”
8. What Values Are Important to Your Company?
Getting a sense of the company’s values is extremely important, says Ethan Austin, co-founder of GiveForward: You want to find out whether there’s a common mission or goal that employees collectively work toward—and whether it matches your own values. “If different interviewers give different answers to this question, it’s a red flag to the interviewee that the company is not aligned around a clear mission,” he explains.
John Fleischauer, senior talent attraction manager for Halogen Software, agrees. “What you’re looking for is a response where the interviewer can explicitly communicate, with examples, how the organizational culture is intentionally reinforced across the employee life cycle,” he says. “In other words, if exceptional customer service is a cultural value, the importance of wanting to help or serve clients and meet their needs should be included in all job descriptions as a core competency.”
9. What Do You Think Are the Top 5 Assets of This Company?
This is a bit of a trick question, but the answer will give you further insight about what it might be like to work at the organization and how the company values its personnel.
“One of the responses should be, ‘Employees,’” Cooley says. “If the people who make the products or provide the service are mentioned as an afterthought, or not at all, a candidate should really wonder how that would impact the way the company treats them.”
10. Where Will I Sit?
It might sound silly, but literally seeing the office or cubicle in which you’d spend five days each week is very important for assessing your quality of life at the company. “It’s a mistake not to ask to see where you’ll be sitting: Imagine taking a job only to find out on day one that you’re in a windowless basement,” Terach says. Not the kind of surprise you want, right?
Credit : inc.com
Surprises are great, right? Who doesn’t enjoy finding money in a jacket you haven’t worn in a while or running into an old colleague you’re excited to catch up with at a networking event. If you’re like me, those moments make you grin ear to ear.
But on the job search front, most people like to avoid surprises altogether.
The last thing you want is to discover that “Surprise!” you’re not as qualified as you thought, you won’t be moving ahead in the process, or gasp your resume is not as strong as you thought it was. Your application materials are one step of the process where you have complete control, and that means it’s on you to avoid missteps that could hurt your chances landing an interview.
So, once you’re done making your resume absolutely perfect, make sure it doesn’t make you look worse in a way you didn’t expect:
1. It’s a Dead End
Call it whatever you want: These days, hiring managers and recruiters want to get to know you through a number of different channels. So if your resume doesn’t point to some outside platforms, it’s a dead-end document that won’t measure up to those of other applicants with full-bodied branding stories.
Luckily, the fix is pretty easy. You can direct readers to your web presence using hyperlinks on your resume.
LinkedIn’s becoming a standard personal branding platform and it’s an excellent place to start. You can include a hyperlink to your profile within the contact info on your resume, and for added polish, use a vanity URL with only your name (it eliminates all those added garbage characters).
Beyond LinkedIn, include hyperlinks to your personal website or portfolio if you have one. Active in the startup sphere? Link to your Angel.co profile instead. Really proud of your Instagram presence and think it speaks to your professional skills—you can include that, too.
Whatever you choose, the idea is to make it insanely easy for employers to click through to a place on the web that makes you look great and builds on the information your application shares. Giving an in-depth glimpse like this not only lends credibility to your claims, it also shows that you’re tech savvy.
2. It Reeks of Someone Else’s Handiwork
The millisecond your resume indicates “I didn’t write this” or worse “It’s a complete work of fiction” is the moment you start missing out on opportunities. And don’t get me wrong: It’s 100% A-OK to enlist outside help in putting together your materials and personal brand as a whole, but you need to find someone who knows what they’re doing so it still sounds like you. The most qualified people are those who bring out the best in you via bullet points, the others (bad career coaches, your mom, a friend) simply plug your information into a template without a thought about you or the position in question. This almost always shows.
There’s nothing worse than being asked for more information about a project or turn of phrase on your resume and being left with your mouth hanging open. So, if your current version includes details that you don’t quite feel on board with, change it! Same goes for language that doesn’t sound like you or responsibilities described incorrectly (even if they sound more impressive).
And, if someone else helped you physically edit the document, make certain there are no tracked changes or other record of his name (I’ve seen it) anywhere on that doc. When you save the document, check the Save As menu, then check it again. Then send it to yourself and see how it looks—sometimes there’ll be evidence left behind that you don’t seen until it comes through via email.
A recent study of over 500 business leaders addressed what makes an employee stand out. The number one thing leaders said? It wasn’t how late someone stayed at the office. It wasn’t their skill set. It wasn’t their ability to liaise with clients.
It was personality.
But when leaders said “personality,” they didn’t mean whether someone is introverted or extroverted. They meant the deeper, underlying abilities the person demonstrated—their emotional intelligence.
They meant things like this:
1. You Don’t Wait to Be Asked
Instead of waiting to be told what to do, you take action. If you don’t know exactly what to do, you do what you think is best and then take responsibility. You’re proactive and willing to take risks. It’s more important to you to contribute than to wait for step-by-step instructions.
2. You Don’t Gossip
Regardless of how you feel about your boss or co-workers, you keep your opinion to yourself at work. If you need to vent or process, you do so with people outside the office. If you have a real issue with someone at your job (including your manager), you address it with him or directly. You don’t gossip; you communicate.
3. You Do What You Say You Will
You send the email you said you’d send. You follow up with the client you said you’d run point on. You meet deadlines.
If you don’t have the bandwidth for a project, you don’t take it on. You have a strong sense of what you can do in what timeframe, and you stand by that. You’re comfortable saying no because you know that leads to the bigger “yes”—integrity.
4. You Give Value
When people on your team do well, you tell them so. You’re vocal in your support of both of co-workers and superiors, and genuinely excited when someone else succeeds. People want to work with you because they feel uplifted being around you. You’re collaborative, not competitive.
5. You Offer Proposals, Not Suggestions
Instead of just criticizing or brainstorming, you give concrete alternatives. You don’t force your opinion, but rather offer well-researched proposals about what you think should be done. You have a sense of the overall scope of what a change would entail (beyond just your department) and how you can contribute. You’re committed to overall success of your organization, not just your own advancement.
Being exceptional at work isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you grow into. You begin by taking stock and then taking action.
It’s never too late to start standing out.
Credit : inc.com
By this point, you know not to apply to any jobs with an email address that screams, “I created this in the eighth grade!” So, you’re no longer [email protected] as far as your prospective employers are concerned. You also know not to show up late for the interview. And you have a firm grasp on the importance of making eye contact and delivering a solid handshake.
But did you know that there are several other things that could negatively impact the impression you make with a hiring manager? I spoke to four career coaches to get the outside-the-box scoop on the truly unprofessional things that are bound to hurt you in your job search process. Read on so you can avoid them like you avoid crowds on Black Friday.
1. You’re Desperate—and You Show It
Laura Garnett, career coach and consultant, says that nothing makes you look more unprofessional than when “you feel desperate”. This is because, as the old cliché goes, “People can spot desperation from a mile away.” Garnett knows that it can be hard to mask if you’re actually feeling this way, but, nonetheless, “you have to ensure that you are confident, know the opportunity is a good fit for your strengths, and be able to speak to why and how you are right for the role and the organization.” She encourages job seekers to “be clear on what your career vision is and how this opportunity fits into that.”
Avoid “being a yes person,” she says, encouraging job seekers to “demonstrate curiosity and interest in the organization” and not just talk about yourself nonstop. Nary an interviewer is going to be interested in you if you don’t know when to give up the floor.
2. You Hide Who You Really Are
Garnett’s advice is worth its salt, that’s for sure, and so is career strategist, Rajiv Nathan’s, whose unexpected thoughts on the subject are worth remembering. His belief is that if you hide who you really are in interviews, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Nathan explains that he “frequently advises people to stop dividing work life from home life, and acknowledge that you’re one person at the end of the day. Share who you are as a person, don’t just share the role you think the company’s trying to cast for its ‘play.’”
To him, that “includes sharing the weird or potentially ‘unprofessional’ things you’re interested in.” Basically, in order not to appear unscrupulous, you’ve got to delve into the so-called unprofessional. Nathan has gone there, telling “interviewers within the first three minutes” that he loves WWE pro wrestling and that he’s a rapper. This kind of information is going to set the stage for a far more interesting, memorable conversation than if you pretend to be one-dimensional.
Credit : themuse.com
1. CIC Insurance
(i) Support Technician
(ii) Medical Accountant
2. KenGen
(i) Building Technician
(ii) Driver/Tour Guide
3. Elizabeth Glaser
(i) Project Officer
(ii) Finance Officer
(iii) HR Manager
(iv) Logistics Officer
4. BHC
(i) Customer Care Executives
Most job seekers make the mistake of using the same cover letter for different jobs by just changing the job titles and dates.
If you have been applying for that Administrative Assistant position without any success, your problem may be in your cover letter. Best cover letters are those tailored specifically for the job that you are applying for.
Here is a sample to aid you in the next Admin Assistant application
Sample Cover Letter for Administrative Assistant job
‘Your Name’
P.O Box XYZ-00100
Nairobi
4th June, 2015
The Human Resource Manager
XYZ Company
P.0 Box XYZ-00200
Nairobi
Dear Sir/Madam
Re: Application For An Administrative Assistant Position
Following the recent job advertisement on XYZ website for an Administrative Assistant at your company, I am pleased to apply for the position. I believe a high level of confidence, great concern for accuracy and my 2 years experience in handling large volumes of company documents and records make me the best candidate for this job.
Working in the Administration department for XYZ Company, I was tasked with ensuring that all visitors to the company were treated well and assisted with whatever they were looking for.I was also responsible for maintaining company registers, board and shareholder minute books and answering telephone calls which are vital in any Administrative position.
In addition to my Diploma in Business Management, I have received training in the management of records and documents as well as a 6 months training in secretarial studies that meets your job requirements. I am also well acquainted with MS Office and my fast typing speed will be helpful to the company.
Please find attached my CV for further details. I look forward to an interview where I can discuss the value I will be bringing to your company in this position.
Yours Sincerely,
‘Your Name’
Most Kenyan jobs are never advertised. A cold cover letter is an uninvited inquiry to an employer, recruiter or other hiring manager regarding possible job opportunities in their company.
Cold cover letters’ potential advantages include creating a job that didn’t previously exist, gaining early consideration for a position that hasn’t yet been advertised and expanding your network of contacts. By sending a letter
to an employer who is not soliciting candidates, your CV will not be buried in a pile of hundreds of others.
Success stories
Mark is a salesperson with a passion for sporting goods. His favorite shop did not have a presence in his town, so Mark sent a cover letter outlining how he would establish a local presence. After reading the letter, the company invited Mark for interview and hired him on the spot.
Before you write
Know Yourself: You are contacting a company that hasn’t asked to be contacted. So what do you offer? Why should the company take an interest in you? What skills, abilities and credentials would be desirable to the organization?
Research the employer: Find out as much as you can about your target company, including past performance, goals and competitors so you can knowledgeably write about how you would help the operation.
Here is a sample.
P.O Box Nairobi,
Kenya.
HR Manager.
Muajiri Kazi Ltd,
Nairobi,
Kenya.
Dear Sir/Madam:
RE: Looking for a suitable marketing role.
Perhaps you are seeking an addition to your marketing team.
A new person can provide innovative approaches to the challenges of marketing. I am an innovator of new ideas, an excellent communicator with buyers, and have a demonstrated history of marketing success.
Presently, I am marketing computer products for a major supplier using television, radio and retail marketing. I have a reputation for putting forth the effort required to make a sales department succeed.
Enclosed is my CV for your review and consideration. Your company has a reputation for excellence. I would like to use my talents to market your quality line of technical products.
As there is much more to discuss, I’ll appreciate an appointment when your schedule allows.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to meeting you.
Sincerely,
John Job Seeker.
