Mastering Job Interview: A Roadmap to Professional Triumph
Introduction: Your Interview, Your Moment Indeed, interviews are more than just conversations—they’re pivotal moments that can transform your career trajectory. Moreover, for ambitious African women, nailing an interview isn’t just about answering questions; it’s about showcasing your unique value, confidence, and potential. Pre-Interview Preparation: Setting the Stage for Success 1. Research is Your Superpower 2. Personal Branding Matters Learn more about personal branding. 3. Technical and Soft Skills Preparation What to Expect: Interview Landscape Decoded Interview Formats You’ll Encounter Red Flags to Watch and Avoid Notably, here are critical things to avoid: Confidence: Your Ultimate Interview Accessory Body Language Speaks Volumes Communication Strategies Post-Interview Excellence The Follow-Up Game Plan Final Thoughts: Your Interview, Your Power Remember, an interview is a two-way conversation. You’re not just being evaluated—you’re also evaluating whether this opportunity aligns with your career aspirations. Key Takeaways Bonus Tip for She Leads Africa Community Connect with professional networks, attend workshops, and continuously invest in your personal and professional development. Don’t Miss Out! Join the She Leads Africa Employer Program to gain exclusive insights, personalized coaching, and advanced skills to supercharge your professional development and interview success. Our program provides tailored mentorship, networking opportunities, and cutting-edge career resources for ambitious women looking to transform their career trajectories. Read More Disclaimer: This guide is your roadmap, but every interview journey is unique. Adapt these strategies to your style and the specific opportunities before you.
Why Personal Branding Matters in 2023: Insights from Inspirational Black Women
In a world where standing out is key, building a strong personal brand has never been more important. Let’s delve into the top four reasons why personal branding matters, drawing wisdom from influential black women who have paved the way. “Your personal brand is a promise to your clients… a promise of quality, consistency, competency, and reliability.” – Kathy Calvin Authenticity is Your Superpower Unveil the words of Janelle Monáe: “The most powerful thing you can do is be yourself.” Among a sea of voices and personalities, authenticity sets you apart. Your personal brand is an embodiment of your unique story, values, and passions. Embrace your individuality, allowing it to radiate through your brand. Stay true to yourself, and watch as the right opportunities and connections align with your authentic self. Your Voice Deserves to Be Heard Audre Lorde once said, “I am my best work – a series of road maps, reports, recipes, doodles, and prayers from the front lines.” Personal branding provides a platform to amplify your voice and share your expertise. Whether through writing, speaking engagements, or social media, your personal brand empowers you to impart knowledge, insights, and experiences to the world. Embrace the courage to speak your truth and create an impact with your unique perspective. Building Trust is Key Trust serves as the glue of life, as Oprah Winfrey aptly states. A strong personal brand nurtures trust with your audience. Consistency, transparency, and delivering value are vital in establishing trust. By consistently showing up, sharing valuable content, and engaging with your audience, you forge genuine connections that foster trust. Trust becomes the bedrock for lasting relationships, collaborations, and business opportunities. Leave a Legacy In the words of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, “The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who’s going to stop me.” Personal branding enables you to create a lasting legacy. Leave a mark and make a difference in your industry or field. Establish yourself as an expert, thought leader, or influencer, inspiring others and paving the way for future generations. Your personal brand becomes a testament to your achievements and impact, extending a legacy beyond your immediate sphere of influence. As you embark on your personal branding journey in 2023, draw inspiration from these influential black women. Embrace authenticity, amplify your voice, build trust, and leave a lasting legacy. Unleash your personal brand and make a remarkable impact in this new era.
The Boss-Level Talk From The Confidence in Action Summit Nigeria
Have you ever started a new job and realized you hate it? Are you finding it hard to get your dream job or even a job? Would you like to know how to position yourself as the best job candidate? The Confidence in Action Summit helped the Nigerian Motherland Moguls discover how to build their professional brands and answer the questions above. It was juiced up with the boss-level talk that elevates careers and took place on the 12th of February 2022. SLA partnered with Darling Nigeria to bring the summit to 3 African countries. It kicked off in South Africa, came to Nigeria and now is headed to Kenya. More than 2,900 Nigerian queens showed up to the free, 3hrs of masterclasses, workshops, networking sessions and the keynote speech ‘Bouncing Back From Rejection’ given by Dr Chinny Ogunro. All attendees had direct access to some of Nigeria’s high profile career experts, and it was epic. The career expert speakers and coaches included Isioma Coker, an HR Advisor Team Lead at Shell. Nwamaka Okey-Aguorun, Senior HR Manager at Diageo – Guinness Nigeria. Toun Tunde-Anjous, founder & CEO of The People Practice. Tiwalola Ogunlesi, international speaker, author and founder of Confident and Killing it. If you missed the South African and Nigerian summits, register for the Kenyan summit taking place on the 19th of February 2022. You wouldn’t want to miss out on another chance to build the professional brand of your dreams and grow your network. Here are the Boss-Lady Conversations You’ve Missed We learnt how to revamp our professional profile, make a strategic career plan and build our network. The attendees had the option to be in a masterclass or networking session each hour before the keynote speaker. They were also coached on how to harness communication skills needed to negotiate job offers, ace job interviews and gain strategies to propel their career forward. Masterclass 1: Getting Unstuck When You Feel Trapped In A Job with Isioma Coker. Masterclass 2: How to Position Yourself As The Best Candidate For The Job with Nwamaka Okey-Aguoru. Workshop 1: Do Things & Tell People: Develop Your Professional Brand to Land Your Dream Job with Tiwalola Ogunlesi. Workshop 2: How To Find A Job That You Actually Care About with Toun Tunde-Anjous. We lit things up with Confidence in Action and showed our boss ladies how to launch powerful professional brands! We were captivated by world-class information, tips and advice on owning our careers and being intentional about our career moves, from the beginning to the end. Here’s to raising a glass to all our boss ladies who showed up for the Nigerian summit. They came out in numbers to take in the career gems we had prepared for them, and it was an experience worth watching again. You can watch the masterclasses and keynote speeches on YouTube to get a snippet of how the summit was.
2 EASY WAYS TO MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT MISS YOUR SHE MEANS BUSINESS TRAINING
So… you register for She Means Business– all pumped and ready to learn how to dominate the online business world. You are looking forward to your training and all the amazing online business knowledge you KNOW you are going to leave the class with. But then two days later you get an email saying you were absent from your training…yesterday. You had totally forgotten. Believe it or not, it happens to the best of us. This article is going to show you two easy ways to make sure you do not forget to attend your She Means Business training. We want to see your awesome business grow and we are willing to do what it takes to make sure you get the knowledge you need. OPTION 1- Add the event to your calendar. Once you register for any of the sessions, you will get a confirmation email in your primary inbox. It looks like the image below. Please open it. Scroll down a bit and tap on the calendar option of your choice and it will automatically take you to that calendar. It will ask you to give Zoom permission to access your calendar. If you are fine with the terms, agree and your calendar will be displayed. Tap on “Save” and the session will be added to your calendar automatically. On the day of the training, you will get a calendar reminder with a link to your session. Click on the link and voila, your training will begin! OPTION 2- Join a WhatsApp Reminder Group When you open the confirmation email above, scroll down a bit till you see what is in the image below. Tap on any of the blue links to join a reminder group. Interaction is limited to admins on the group, so do not worry, you won’t get spammed. The only messages you will get will be session reminders. If you want to make super super sure that you do not forget, you can try both options. This way, you will get a reminder via the WhatsApp Group and also through your calendar. We can’t wait for you to gain the knowledge you need to run your online business like a pro so that you can strut into places like this: What is She Means Business? She Means Business in partnership with Facebook offers digital skills training and business finance sessions for entrepreneurs to learn how to effectively grow their business online and share strategies for success. Here is what you can expect from She Means Business- Practical courses on how to use Instagram, Facebook and Whatsapp to make more money for your business. Business finance training to help you stay financially healthy. A certificate to show you have successfully mastered the digital marketing skills from the training. (If you can score 80% or higher on our course quizzes?) You definitely do not want to miss out on this opportunity! Tap here to register today.
4 Ways To Become A Financially Literate Mogul In 2021
Every two to four business days, I come across very questionable advice on how to be “financially literate” on the interwebs. I almost want to ask the person giving the “advice” if they believe what they are saying or if it is just vibes. See, not everyone is giving you advice is they have fact-checked, taken time to think through or practice. We have to learn how to filter what we hear about managing our hard-earned money, especially in a Panoramic. So, in this piece, we’ll be discussing- What it means to be a financially literate mogul. How you can increase your financial literacy without any of the shenanigans online. Sign up to get your FREE finance worksheet! So, what does it mean to be a financially literate mogul? A financially literate mogul has a basic knowledge about managing personal finances and building wealth. If this is you, it means you have an understanding of how to Create and stick to a budget Set realistic financial goals Pay your bills Track your expenses and income Save your money Navigate the basics of loans (personal, debt, mortgages, etc) Invest your money Now that all this has been listed, reflect on what you understand through PRACTICE and what you need to get better at. Want FREE finance-related content, resources and updates? Click here! Here are some No-BS ways to become financially literate. Read – Books, Magazines, web articles, newsletters, Facebook posts, Tweets, IG posts- read as much as you can about finance from trustworthy sources. Read sources that speak about finance in a way that is relatable to you. While some sources are very helpful in the advice they offer, the context that they operate in might not provide you with the insight you need. With reading comes fact-checking so Google what you do not understand or need more information on. Use Finance Tools And Apps- As much as we want to learn, we may not be able to do so all by ourselves. This is where apps and tools come in handy. These days, thankfully, there are apps and tools for almost every aspect of finance- be it saving, budgeting, tracking expenses or investing. Some finance apps even have learning centres and blogs to help you stay updated. Find one that incorporates the aspects of finance you want to improve on and commit to using it. Take A Financial Literacy Course- Sometimes, what we need is a course to help us step up our money game. If you are clueless about where to start on your finance journey or how to stay consistent, consider taking a financial literacy course. Find a course that breaks down what you need to know and gives take-home assignments. This will help you practicalize your learning and stay accountable. [bctt tweet=”Sometimes, what we need is a course to help us step up our money game. If you are clueless about where to start on your finance journey or how to stay consistent, consider taking a financial literacy course.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Join A Community Of Money-Minded Moguls- There is nothing as uplifting as being a part of a community of people with similar goals. When you belong to a group that shares your goals and has your best interest at heart, you remain motivated. The added accountability and access to resources can also not be underestimated. Find a community or group of friends and become an active member. [bctt tweet=”There is nothing as uplifting as being a part of a community of people with similar goals. When you belong to a group that shares your goals and has your best interest at heart, you remain motivated.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Key Takeaway Learning about finance takes constant practice. There is always room for improvement so do not beat yourself up about what you haven’t learnt. Approach learning about finance with an open but cautious mind and you will be surprised by how much you will grow. Join our community of young African women to get FREE finance-related content, resources and updates.
Ingressive For Good is Impacting the Lives of Women in Tech all over Africa
Stella Fii had always wanted to learn more about programming and coding, but she never really had the resources and time to take courses. This year, Stella went to visit her brother in Kaduna after writing her JAMB exams and then he told her about Ingressive For Good (I4G), a nonprofit equipping young Africans in need with tech skills to help them impact and contribute to the development of Africa, socially and economically. She inquired and found out about the I4G Coursera program; Ingressive for Good had partnered with Coursera, the world’s leading online learning platform to offer scholarships to 5000+ African youths in tech to help them develop high-demand skills in technology, personal development, and career development. It also provided access to over 4000+ courses and highly sought-after professional certificates like the Google IT Support Professional Certificate from leading universities such as Yale, Michigan, and Stanford, as well as industry leaders such as Google and IBM, designed to train people with no tech background for IT jobs. She took courses in programming in less than 2 weeks, she was able to code a landing page from scratch. This skill has not only opened a new earning opportunity for her but has inspired her to pursue a formal tech education and career. Another woman, Folashade Fapohunda, worked in a hospital as an accountant but COVID19 cases started to increase and she was at risk. The hospital closed down and she lost her job. She casually picked up an interest in Graphic design. That was when she came across the I4G. Folashade enrolled in the Coursera design courses. These courses gave her the confidence she needed to start freelancing and so far, she has had over 3 paying design clients, with payments worth more than her salary as an accountant. True to their promise, Ingressive for Good is impacting Africa and the economy. Two key indicators of a country’s GDP are the economic power of citizens and the percentage of gainfully employed youth. However, 30% of African youth are unemployed. Ingressive For Good (I4G) is looking to change that with their mission to increase the earning power of African youths through tech training, job placement, and community. In the last 3 months, I4G has aided the training of over 20,000 African youth, built a community of over 17,000 youths, provided tech tools and resources for over 10,000, and placed over 100 in jobs. “The I4G community collectively has the strategy, the network, and most importantly, the passion to actually change Africa.” Sean Burrowes, the COO and Cofounder of Ingressive for Good said. “The more our community grows, the less I4G feels like a charitable foundation. It feels more like a Pan-African talent development revolution, powered by Africa’s tech-enabled youth.” With collaboration at the heart of Ingressive For Good, is impacting the lives of Africans, one youth at a time. During this pilot phase, I4G partnered with Coursera, Facebook, Datacamp, HNG, SemiColon, Tekedia, CareerBuddy, FindWorka, Live Your Dreams, Covenant University, StudentBuild, Bankole Williams, and so many amazing organizations to reach the Africans in need and provide training, scholarships, job placements. “Ingressive For Good has not only distributed the most licenses of all of DataCamp’s Giveaway Partners so far, but their learners’ adoption and engagement levels on the platform are some of the highest as well. This exemplifies the enormous impact a nonprofit run by caring and talented people can have on communities big and small, local, and abroad.” Nathaniel Taylor-Leach, Community Partnerships Manager at Datacamp, the leading interactive learning platform for data science and analytics. “Folashade’s success story is one of many young Africans who have been impacted through one or more of the Ingressive For Good programs. Many have gotten access to courses that were cumulatively worth thousands of dollars for free” – Blessing Abeng, Director of Communications at Ingressive for Good. Watch the success story of Christabel Omuboye, another woman in the I4G network and one of the I4G x HNG Internship finalists who received new MacBooks from Ingressive for Good to help her improve their tech skills. She has transformed from selling soap to support herself into a programming whiz ready for a tech career: In the last 3 months, I4G has surpassed its pilot goals in tremendous ways. This is the impact so far: View the full report here. To benefit from other Ingressive For Good Opportunities, join the I4G Network of over 17,000 tech enthusiasts across 55 cities across Africa. To join I4G on this mission to increase the earning power of African youths and eradicate poverty from Africa, send an email to hello@ingressive.org and Follow @ingressive4good on social media to stay updated. About Ingressive For Good Ingressive For Good (I4G) is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating and increasing the earning power of African youth through tech training and resources. For more info, partnership, or donation, contact: Blessing Abeng, Director of Communications, Ingressive for Good on communications@ingressive.co Find out more about Ingressive For Good here.
Performance Appraisal: A death sentence or a means to do better
I remember my first ever performance appraisal calendar invitation and the 35-page document I was asked to fill out before the chat with my manager. I can tell you for a fact that I had a mini heart attack upon receipt of that email; primarily because I was convinced that I would complete that document and still get fired. Recent trends, however, include a less formalized process focused on more feedback and coaching, rather than a time-consuming paper trail. This article debunks the myth that performance appraisals are a death sentence and provides you with tips on how to measure performance in an effective way. Performance appraisals include setting clear and specific performance expectations for each employee and providing periodic informal and/or formal feedback about employee performance relative to those stated goals. A well-structured performance appraisal should do the following: Provide adequate feedback to each person on his or her performance Serve as a basis for modifying or changing behaviour toward more effective working habits Provide data to managers with which they may judge future job assignments and compensation. There is a great deal of evidence to show how useful and effective performance appraisal is to any employer. If your appraisal system does not serve any of the functions listed above, then these tips will be of great value to your team. Effective goal setting This is a process of establishing objectives to be achieved over a period of time. It is the performance criteria an employee will be evaluated against keeping in mind that each goal should align with the organization’s goals. Types of goals include: a. Job description goals: Goals expected to be accomplished continuously until the job description changes. b. Activity goals: These goals may be based on the achievement of a project or objective. They may be set for a single year and changed as projects are completed. c. Personal development goals: Goals can be based on certain behaviors. These goals are expected to be accomplished continuously. Behavioral goals are “how” things need to be accomplished. d. Stretch goals: Goals that are especially challenging to reach and usually used to expand the knowledge, skills, and abilities of high-potential employees. In addition to the above, effective goals should be Specific, Realistic, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. Most importantly, both managers and team members should be involved in the development of goals to ensure understanding and commitment. Goals should be documented, available for review, and managed continuously by providing regular feedback. Goals should be flexible enough to account for changing conditions. Feedback! An effective performance review process should include a feedback process that is continuous and timely throughout the review period so that team members know how they are performing and what is expected. Also, there should be a process for acknowledging the outcomes of the performance review process (checklist) that is documented between the manager and the employee. Regular one-on-one sessions that allow for feedback, coaching and mentorship cannot be overemphasized. I would recommend using collaborative tools that allow for transparency, keeping information in one place, scheduling regular calls and tracking progress. Tools such as Slack, Google Calendar, Google Docs/Sheets, Trello and Zapier. Include the Performance Improvement Plan Many employees see this as a step to getting fired but what I see this to be is a progressive discipline process regarding performance level, a guide to improvement and an opportunity to do even better than before. The first step in planning a PIP chat involves creating a document used to guide the process. This will help in facilitating performance discussions, recording areas of concern and ways to correct them, and serve as legal and decision-making documentation. The format of the PIP should contain the following components: a. Employee information.b. Employment start datesc. Description of performance discrepancy/gap.d. Description of expected performance.e. Description of consequences.f. Action points and timelines for reviewg. Signatures of the manager and the employee. Some of the most common problems with appraisal systems these days include: a. Lack of top management supportb. Perception of the process as time-consuming “busywork”c. Failure to communicate clear and specific goals and expectationsd. Lack of consistent and constructive feedback Oftentimes, the performance review process can be viewed as uncomfortable, unfair and uninspiring. In order to improve the fairness factor and ensure employees accept the feedback, managers must accept that we all have a role to play when it comes to the overall performance of the organization. There are intentional and unintentional biases inherent in appraisals and being aware of them and training managers may be useful in dealing with some of them.
The Ideal Startup Employee
In the 1950s, the average age of a company on the S&P 500 index was 60. Today, that number is less than 18. This just means that the most successful corporations are growing three times faster than they have in the past. To succeed at this rate of rapid change, employees and business leaders in start-ups have had to adapt by adopting growth mindsets, learning new skills, and embracing flexibility. In this article, I will be sharing some valuable tips that make you stand out as an exceptional startup employee. It takes a certain type of personality to want to work at a startup . So just before you submit that resume, take a moment to compare your assets to these must-have traits below: 1. Adopting the Idea Generator personality Most business owners value employees who are able to take it upon themselves to do some exploring on their own, generate, develop, and communicate new ideas while figuring out solutions to difficult challenges. This involves taking ownership and wearing the hat of a divergent thinker. Come up with many ideas, select the best idea (or ideas) and work to implement the idea and put it into practice frequently. 2. Thriving in organized chaos The best way to describe a startup is as fragile as a newborn baby. Some days, you wake up and realize, “What we’re building isn’t actually scalable.” The immediate reaction to this would be to change things immediately. The best startup employees not only understand this but are ready to adapt to new changes alongside helping you spot issues along the way for the improvement of the whole. 3. Adapt to changing processes As times change, processes change too. What that means is, you have to not expect things to always be set in stone in a startup. Obviously, the goal for these sorts of organizations is to find the ideal standards and build processes and best practices that scale and age well. Most of all, the ideal employee just understands when things need to change at a moment’s notice and be willing to run and sprint with it. 4. Look beyond the formal job responsibilities When you’re working in a startup environment, there is a never-ending list of things that can be done. On some days, my to-do list ranges from “in the weeds” tasks like prospective candidate follow-ups, vendor follow-ups and training new employees. Juggling multiple tasks can be extremely mentally tasking, however, the great startup employees realize they are building their “future role” at the company and beyond so they take it upon themselves to not only get their own work done, and done exceptionally well, but find other ways to check things off the company’s to-do list– even if it means being a salesperson for an hour. 5. Don’t measure your value between the hours of 9 to 5 In order to be a valuable addition to a fast-growing startup, you have to be fine with the fact that your day won’t always start right at 9:00 AM and end the moment the clock hits 5:00 PM. Some days will start earlier than normal and other days will go late. Some weekends, you’ll even find that you want to get some work done yourself so that you don’t have a crazy week ahead. In a startup, you typically have more freedom, but with that freedom comes with high expectations of exponential value. 6. Replace short-term rewards for the longer-term payoff It is common knowledge that building something great takes time. It’s also amazing to hear people say, “I was one of the pioneer staff at Uber,” or, “I was part of the first 20 at Microsoft.” In society, these early employees are praised and idolized almost just as much as the founders. If you want to be part of that pioneer group though, you have to really come to terms with the fact that none of those early employees signed themselves up for a “job.” Most of them believed in the vision. They wanted to be part of the building process and bring the founder’s vision to life. 7. Be intellectually curious and willing to learn Working in a startup can be hard because almost everything you do is the “first time.” You’re constantly in exploration mode, which means you’re probably going to be fumbling in the dark for a while. A great startup employee thrives in this sort of high learning environment. They take it upon themselves to do some learning on their own without management having to necessarily push you. Independently identify resources needed to improve on existing skills. Every day is a fire-fighting day for a startup. I have come to realize that both large and small companies will invest in team members who are ready to adapt to change with an intense sense of ownership over their responsibilities, and often beyond them as well. Be ready to bring something new to the table on a daily basis!
Want to map out your own career path? Here’s how!
[adrotate banner=”4″] Think about a career as a personal journey. How person ‘A’ makes it work, is never the same as how person ‘B’ makes it work. In an industry with hundreds of skilled talent coupled with the rapidly evolving times, how can you craft your own path and remain relevant? Now more than ever, is the time to be intentional about what you bring to the table; what makes you unforgettable? Case in point- the career journey of popular Nigerian Media Personality, Toke Makinwa – she went from making the big move from banking to being the media star we know today. The key to her progress has been owning her unique career journey. How do you map out a career path tailored just for you? The three P’s for writing your script are Purpose, Place, and Plan! No purpose means no perspective! The secret to a knock-out career is a personal vision. What is your ‘why’ and how can the world benefit from this? Quickly identifying this helps you to know right where you fit in. Think about it this way: without ‘you’ there is no career. So, authenticity is required to create or find the right opportunities for you. This is what will enable you to be successful irrespective of the dynamism of your sector. So, what if machines took over your sector, how would you evolve to stand the test of times? The answer is ‘you’. I have always envisioned a world with more women who are relevant and living their authentic lives. This is my personal vision and it translates to the kind of career choices I have made. Through my various roles as writer, administrator and civil leader, my purpose has not changed. Knowing your place means there is a vacuum just for you What are you able to bring to the table? Remember it is all about you, and how you can make everything work in your favour. What has kept Ms. Tyra Banks relevant until now, is mapping out a career path that only she can execute. What is your place in the industry you are in? Where can you work or not work? The path becomes even narrower. It takes consistency to find a niche or establish a track record, but when you can identify what exactly it is you bring to the table as well as where you can function in terms of delivering your personal vision? That’s when you know you are off to a great start. In my case, after identifying how I could add value to the female audience, I developed my niche as a columnist on a lifestyle blog for women. I created a column for aspirational women; for daily motivation and personal development. This was how I started out, which in turn enabled me to learn a lot about myself, and evolve. I have built my career on this foundation. Draw up a plan for you or go home when their plan changes I mentioned Tyra Banks earlier. Actually, Tyra was forced to make sustainable career plans when her industry rejected her. If she took the list of designers who said they couldn’t book her anymore and admitted that she was done, she wouldn’t be who she is today. Instead, she rewrote her narrative by creating opportunities for herself. Having found a purpose and a place, then there has to be a great plan to keep you relevant. Like a custom-made strategy just for you. In formulating a plan, ask yourself the following questions: What is the right network for me? Where is the right environment? How can I gain more confidence and experience? What is crucial to remaining relevant? In answering these questions, you will be able to craft a career strategy for yourself. To wrap this up… I have been able to identify opportunities that re-enforce my competencies, which in turn have helped me evolve in my career. This consistency has helped me to learn more about myself, and envision where I would like to be in years to come. I first started out as a content creator for women, but I have evolved to channel my passion of empowering women, into development work and not just media. As a key-employee in an organization for women, I have first-hand experience in helping women stay relevant. If you are hoping for a Toke Makinwa or Tyra Banks type of evolution, then you need to put yourself at the centre of your career. Not the money, or being on fleek, or the people you are rolling with. Think hard to make the right decisions. Long-standing personal brands are birthed from consistency. How have you mapped your career path? Let us know more about you and your story here.
5 Career Lessons Sho Madjozi Taught Us In 2019
If you have not heard of Sho Madjozi, you must be living under a rock. This year, the 27-year-old proud Tsonga ambassador from Limpopo solidified her spot as an international superstar with hits like John Cena. While she’s been in the rap scene for barely 3 years, she’s found major success in a short time. This year, she won the Best New International Act category at the BET Awards, launched her first fashion collection in collaboration with Edgards, and got the world taking the #JohnCenaChallenge. After learning all we could about Sho Madjozi’s career, here are 5 lessons all Motherland Moguls can apply to accelerate their career growth. 1. Use your strengths Maya (Sho Madjozi’s legal name) has spent years honing and leveraging her writing skills to build a career for herself. Whether she’s doing screenplays, poetry or rap, she understands her core strength and has used that to explore career paths including journalism, performance poetry and rap. Develop your strengths and use them to build your career. When you bring something valuable to the table, you set yourself up for accelerated success. 2. Get involved in your community Sho Madjozi has always used her talents to try to shape or change the community around her. As a poet and journalist, she discussed racial identity and the effects of colonialism on the modern African. Now as a rapper, she promotes Tsonga culture and inspires young Africans to be proud of their roots. How does that apply to you when you get to the office in the new year? Plug into the issues of your company, clients, customers and see how your talents can change things. Your involvement keeps you visible and valuable. 3. Collaborate with strategic partners One major way Sho Madjozi accelerated her career growth this year was through her strategic partnership with Edgars. Through her collaboration with the retail brand, she launched her first clothing line at the same time as her album. To reach your career goals, it’s always easier and faster to get some help. Seek out strategic partners within your network that will help you reach your business goals. A great start is to find a mentor. 4. Know your worth In an interview with Africori, Sho Madjozi explains that African artists need to understand that they are very hot in the market right now and need to negotiate their value appropriately. Understanding the value of your skills and experiences is important to accelerate your career. 5. Bet on yourself The most important to take away from Sho Madjozi’s hustle this year is to bet on yourself. Sho Madjozi’s success in the past year has been with no label support. She has continuously taken chances and invested in herself. You must take swings and get out of your comfort zone to grow – volunteer to be team lead on a project, pitch that idea in your head, and start that side hustle! What lessons will you use to SLAY your career in 2020? SLAY Festival is coming to Joburg in 2020! GET YOUR EARLY BIRD TICKETS NOW