Duchess of Masvingo🇿🇼 @Chypoh065 - Twitter Profile

My message to a Zimbabwean University Graduate: As someone who has interviewed graduates for jobs across various organizations and sectors, it breaks my heart to see some of them missing out on lifetime opportunities due to a lack of initiative while still at university. That's why I believe it's crucial to share the basics that every university graduate in Zimbabwe should have before leaving university. Unfortunately, these basics are not always taught in lectures. In fact, 90% of what I list below can be self-taught. 1. Presentation skills are essential. There are hundreds of free courses available online that can help you improve in this area. Graduates often struggle during interviews when asked to prepare a presentation and present it to the panel. The presentation format is generally poor, and the visuals are terrible - everything will be terrible. 2. Report writing is another area where many graduates fall short. Sometimes, it's hard to tell if they even studied English at all. The reports lack logic and critical thinking, and the grammar is atrocious. Even a translator would struggle to understand what they're trying to say. 3. In today's workplace, proficiency in Microsoft Office tools such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint is essential. As a university graduate, it is expected that you have advanced-level skills in these applications, as they are commonly used for day-to-day tasks. However, if you're looking to take your skills to the next level and work with more sophisticated tools, you can consider learning applications like Power BI. 4. It is concerning that many graduates lack basic research skills, particularly in quantitative research. The disaster manifests in their inability to perform basic analysis, such as calculating the mean, median, percentiles, and range from the provided data. It is alarming that graduates are unable to perform even simple correlations in Excel. This highlights a significant gap in their education and training, which needs to be addressed to ensure that graduates are adequately prepared for the world of work. 5. Many do not know where to start if you assign them a simple research assignment. Learn one or two data analysis research packages. The common one for social sciences and commerce is SPSS. You can also do basic statistical calculations in Excel. There are tutors on campus and off campus who can teach you this for a fee that is next to free. You can also learn on your own. 6. Grooming and deportment are essential aspects of personal presentation that can greatly influence how others perceive you. Personal appearance and hygiene are key components of grooming, and they include bathing, brushing teeth, hair care, skincare, and dressing appropriately for different occasions. While employers may enhance these skills, it is important to take responsibility for them yourself. Deportment, on the other hand, refers to how a person carries themselves. It encompasses posture, body language, etiquette, and manners. Good deportment can make a positive impression on others and help you confidently present yourself to others. 7. Effective communication skills are essential in today's world, especially with the increasing use of digital technologies. It is important to learn various communication skills to communicate effectively with different people in different situations. 8. Trivial but important: learn to connect a laptop to a projector. Learn how to switch a projector on and off. Some have never used a laptop and fail to switch it on. N.B. It is not the job of a university to teach you all the above except research. Before you leave university, make sure you can do all the above.

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