Are Entrepreneurs Born Or Made? Part II | #MyPost on @VenturesAfrica

Posted by Segun Akiode on May 6, 2013 in Business | 0 comments

“In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.” – Malcolm Gladwell

VENTURES AFRICA – This post is a sequel to an article – Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made? – which generated quite a buzz mostly due to the nature/nurture question it posed. Notable among the feedback was one from a Nigerian entrepreneur, Tayo Oviosu, Founder/CEO of Paga. According to him, I hadn’t taken a stance in the article, thus this sequel will do the needful. Dans mon avis, entrepreneurs may be born, but they would have to nurture their entrepreneurial traits to be truly successful a la Johann Rupert, Bill Gates, etc.

The above is an excerpt from my post on Ventures-Africa.com titled “Are Entrepreneurs Born Or Made? Part II”. The post was published over the weekend and I had to share with you all today. Click here to read full post…

5 Tips for Landing Your Dream Job Using LinkedIn | #MyPost on @Social_Meep

Posted by Segun Akiode on Apr 29, 2013 in Social Recruiting | 0 comments

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network has multiple usefulness for business owners, recruiters and job seekers.

Being on the world’s largest professional network as a job seeker, gives you the opportunity to access over 200 million professionals who use the network to exchange information, ideas and opportunities. It also, increases your visibility to recruiters and hiring managers.

Recently, LinkedIn did a compilation of tips for landing your dream job as told by actual members who found their dream jobs.

The above is an excerpt from my post on SocialMeep.Com titled “5 Tips for Landing Your Dream Job Using LinkedIn”. The post was published last week and I had to share with you all today. Click here to read full post…

5 Quick Tips To Make Your LinkedIn Profile Rock | #MyPost on @Social_Meep

Posted by Segun Akiode on Apr 29, 2013 in Social Recruiting | 0 comments

Your LinkedIn profile is your professional identity on the web, helping you connect with others and build relationships. Keep your profile up to date so you can get the most out of the world’s largest professional network.

Your profile on LinkedIn has to stand out of the over over 200 million professionals currently on the network. Your visibility would sure help you in your job search as a job seeker or give you access to customers as a business owner.

Recently, LinkedIn did a compilation of 5 quick tips to make your profile rock. Read below the slides of the 5 Quick Tips to make your profile rock as published on slide share.

The above is an excerpt from my post on SocialMeep.Com titled “5 Quick Tips To Make Your LinkedIn Profile Rock”. The post was published last week and I had to share with you all today. Click here to read full post…

7 Personal Tips On Entrepreneurship | #MyPost on @VenturesAfrica

Posted by Segun Akiode on Apr 22, 2013 in Business | 0 comments

“Three components make an entrepreneur: the person, the idea and the resources to make it happen.” – Anita Roddick

VENTURES AFRICA – I get confused with quotes sometimes – one points at a direction and the other seems to point at the opposite. However, the above quote is meant to set the pace for this exciting account of a touching account of entrepreneurial experience which I have the copyright to share with everyone willing to pick up a thing or two in their personal sojourn into entrepreneurship.

Ventures Africa sat with Bukky Shonibare, the Group CEO of “The 555 Group” owners of 555 Consulting Limited (Human Resource Management, Operations Management, and Strategy); 555 Foods (owners of ‘Beans City’); 555 Impact Centre (Training & Development); and 555 Foundation (Corporate Social Responsibility with focus on promoting Entrepreneurial Development, Personal Development, and Poverty Alleviation) as she shared a story every budding entrepreneur must take to heart as you navigate the mucky waters of entrepreneurship. Bukky holds dual Certificates in Entrepreneurial Development and Social Sector Management from the Pan African University, Nigeria. She is also a Training partner on the SME Toolkit, with the International Finance Corporation (IFC – member of the World Bank Group). Read below her story and tips on entrepreneurship…

The above is an excerpt from my post on Ventures-Africa.com titled “7 Personal Tips On Entrepreneurship”. The post was published over the weekend and I had to share with you all today. Click here to read full post…

5 Common Career Mistakes You Should Avoid | #MyPost on @Jobbermandotcom

Posted by Segun Akiode on Apr 19, 2013 in Career Advice | 0 comments

Having a career is like birthing a child. You have to nurse it and watch it grow. And by reflex, you are always thinking, worrying, happy or crying about it.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word career is defined as “a person’s course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)”. It can either be an occupation or a profession.

You will make mistakes in your career. Take my word on this. Those kinds of mistakes you’ll lay on the table and give yourself a good spanking for. Not because you are not smart – far from it – but mostly because you fail to learn from them or find a means to avoid them. Of course, there are some mistakes you can’t foresee even if you were the 3D version of Nostradamus.

But some of these mistakes are easily identified, but are consistently made by many people.

So go ahead, take a failure bow or read through to find out how you can avoid these career mistakes you might regret in years to come.

The above is an excerpt from my post on Jobberman.com Blog titled “5 Common Career Mistakes You Should Avoid” which was published earlier today. Go read it now and let me have your feedback. Read it here…   

Crafting A Social Employer Brand | #iPunch Post via @MobilePunch

Posted by Segun Akiode on Apr 18, 2013 in Social Recruiting | 0 comments

Social media has come to stay, at least, by all indications so far. And it is fast changing our ways of life, as well as how businesses are conducted. The field of human resources is not left out in this ‘subtle change’; where recruiting talents (or say quality employees) has completely gone social with social recruiting. As we take this discussion a notch higher today, I plan to introduce to you the concept of building a highly social employer brand.

Employer branding is like marketing for your corporate culture. When you hear the name of a particular brand, say XYZ Bank you immediately create a perception of the services they offer –financial services known for innovation, service delivery …You can fill in the space. Same hold for a brand like Blackberry. The key point of any brand is customer perception, more of the brand experience.

An employer brand(or company brand) is the way an organisation’s prospective applicants, candidates, and employees perceive it as an employer. It includes the sum of a company’s efforts to communicate to existing and prospective staff, what makes it a desirable place to work. Your employer brand entails the sets of employment-related messaging being pushed to the labour market to attract potential employees – saying come work for us!

The above is an excerpt from my post on the iPunch column of The Punch Newspaper titled “Crafting A Social Employer Brand” which was published earlier today both online and in print. Kindly read the online version of the post here and drop your comments. Cheers

[SPEAKING EVENT] My Speech at The Harvest Place Job Fair, #HPJobFair2013

Posted by Segun Akiode on Apr 2, 2013 in Social Recruiting | 1 comment

On Friday, March 29, 2013 The Harvest Place in partnership with Jobberman.Com hosted a Job Fair in the city of Lagos and yours truly was part of the speakers at the event. The Job fair was targeted at teaching the recruitment skills and trends that job seekers need to thrive and excel in today’s competitive job market.

The Job Fair hosted 5 Speakers in all and I was the last speaker, but that didn’t reduce the impact the speech had on hundreds of the participants at the Job Fair. Honestly, I was elated and full of joy that I could make a real lasting impression on them. I appreciate The Purpose Driven Professionals of The Harvest Place for the invite and the participation award given, I’m grateful

The title of my speech for the job fair was “Social Media: Your Key to Getting Your Dream Job” and I just uploaded a copy of the presentation on SlideShare today which you can download by following the link below…

7 Social Recruiting Tips from Top HR Experts | #MyPost on @Social_Meep

Posted by Segun Akiode on Apr 2, 2013 in Social Recruiting | 0 comments

Social recruiting for many organizations is a fad! Many do not want to go the path of social recruiting for fear of failure and many are still wondering how to use social media to attract, engage and hire candidates effectively.

One of the Co-founder of HireRabbit asked HR pros/experts for social recruiting tips that businesses need to know today. Read below their advice aimed to help you pump up your social media recruiting in your organization.

The above is an excerpt from my post on SocialMeep.Com titled “7 Social Recruiting Tips from Top HR Experts”. The post was published this week and I had to share with you all today. Click here to read full post…

[SocialMeep] 3 Fears of Blogging and How to Overcome them

Posted by Segun Akiode on Apr 1, 2013 in Social Recruiting | 0 comments

Despite the numerous benefits of blogging, it is common to find a common man on the street without a blog. Many are often hindered by so many fears which they convert to excuses for not blogging. Today, let’s consider 3 of the most popular excuses people give for not owing a blog.

The above is an excerpt from a recent post on SocialMeep.Com titled “3 Fears of Blogging and How to Overcome them”. It was published over the weekend. Click here to read full post…

[SPEAKING EVENT] The Harvest Place Job Fair, #HPJobFair2013

Posted by Segun Akiode on Mar 28, 2013 in Career Advice | 0 comments

Hello my good friends, welcome to a great day and I believe this meets you well. This is a quick post on my speaking event for this week Friday.

On Friday, March 29, 2013 The Harvest Place in partnership with Jobberman.Com would be hosting a Job Fair in the city of Lagos and yours truly would be part of the speakers for the event. The Job fair is targeted at teaching the recruitment skills and trends that job seekers need to thrive and excel in the job market.

The title of my speech for the job fair is “Social Media: Your Key to Getting Your Dream Job”. Please if you are in the city of Lagos, plan to attend. Follow the instruction on the banner below to register for the event as I look forward to meeting you all in ‘real life’