Here’s a compilation of the most interesting questions about entrepreneurship, career development, job search e.t.c their and answers.
We had our first ever Ask Me Anything (AMA) session last week featuring our CEO Jussi Hinkkanen. And wow! The Fuzu community is a bunch of curious folks, which is a good thing. But despite receiving an overwhelming number of comments, Jussi responded to at least each one of them.
Here’s a compilation of the most interesting questions about entrepreneurship, career development, job search e.t.c their and answers.
Job search and career development
Is it advisable to take a lower grade job after three years in a senior position in order to enter a specific field? Additionally, some of your job postings have had misleading information on job location. Kindly correct this in the future.- Angela
Hi Angela, I have myself personally stepped down from high level leadership positions three times to lower level positions to change my career path. And always I have managed to climb higher than in the past. So I do not see a problem here, as long as you are willing to learn and challenge yourself. In the modern world, all of us will have multiple careers so we need to be ready for change.
I seem to have stagnated in my career, don't seem to move past the shortlist, or if i get shortlisted don't seem to move past the interview stage. what could I be doing wrong? Or what can I do to showcase my best skills? What can i do to market myself, and jam start my career growth? - Nicholas
Hi Nicholas, we have all been there at some point! You seem to be doing pretty well already, so focus on: 1. articulating better why you would be the right candidate (cover letter and CV) and 2. prepare for interviews by analysing the employer, their industry (painpoints, latest news, etc.). You need to be prepared!
Hello, my Big Q is...How should you respond to a competitive counteroffer after you have issued a notice to resign due to better job opportunity? - Joseph.
Hi Joseph, we see this happening quite often. The key thing is not to burn bridges either side. So be transparent and do not let either side hanging. The worst you can do is not to show up at your new employer without letting them clearly know about your decision. Better to always let your employer know before you sign the new agreement and see if they are willing to fight for you.
How does one negotiate effectively for a pay increase ? Charles
Hi Charles, there are two key points here. First, you need to understand the salary level in the surrounding job market (how much other employers pay) and then secondly you need to be able to argue why your value is higher than the current salary. Be concrete, focus on facts, not on emotions.
Entrepreneurship & Personal
What motivates you every morning when you wake up? Moses
Hi Moses. What motivates me most is seeing the impact we generate for the hundreds of thousands of users we have. There is nothing better than knowing that you have made a difference in someone's life.
How do you listen to your instinct/inner voice/gut when the world is telling you the opposite? How do you build trust within yourself? - Phanice
Hi Phanice, the key is to be true to yourself. You know best who you are and what you are capable of. You need to build confidence and not let other people's opinions to weigh on you. It took many years for me as well to achieve this and to find my inner strength.
Please highlight the critical steps necessary for entrepreneurial startup process. Thanks! - Job
Hi Job, there are few critical steps. 1. identify a market that you are interested on, 2. study the market - what is the market opportunity (size, client behaviour, purchase patterns, etc.), 3. research user behaviour (does your idea provide value to them, what are the barriers), 4. build a team that shares your vision and possesses the right skills, 5. pilot something (if possible without major investment), 6. iterate, iterate, iterate, 7. start selling and then 8. search for investors who believe in your vision. And while doing this be always OPEN FOR FEEDBACK!
What is that one mistake you did and you learnt the biggest lesson in your twenties, in relation to development of your career/professional life? - Janet
Hi Janet, great question. My big mistake was that I waited too long to follow my true calling. I spent several years in an organization I did not 'love', doing a job that 'did not satisfy me'. Following your heart is very important!
About Fuzu
Happy anniversary Fuzu.1 What is your strategic plan for the next 5 years.2 How will you do things differently from other recruitment agencies.3 How can someone increase a chance of getting a job interview from your site. - Eric
Hi Eric, I cannot reveal all the secrets ;-), but the plan is to take Fuzu services to a number of new countries and to strengthen our services to both individual users and employers. The key value with Fuzu to employers is that we radically simplify the recruitment process for them and lower the cost of finding talent. Hundreds of companies have experienced the value first hand and I believe we are on the right track. When it comes to securing interviews, the key thing is to find a unique angle to describing who you are as a professional. What value you add to the organization, what insights you have about the industry they operate in.
Hello and happy anniversary!mine is a suggestion and a request if we may be given a certificate upon finishing learning in different course it will be very great. - Rukundo
Hi Rukundo, we are looking into this and hopefully have a new feature available for micro certificates some time next year. Thank you for the suggestion.
Happy anniversary Fuzu, there are a number of people with no academic qualifications due to lack of funds but they're skilled in some field or maybe they're not but willing to learn. Could it be possible to advertise unskilled job offers or blue collar jobs? Brenda
Hi Brenda, great idea. We are searching for partners to publish blue-collar positions all the time. So our hope is that in the future there will be many more! One correction I would like to make. There is no such thing as unskilled labour. We all have skills that add value and very often blue-collar professionals possess skills that are critical for the economy!
Fuzu's concept is building career and skills; what measures is Fuzu taking to ensure entry level applicants, who may not be able to buy some of Fuzu's products at the moment,get the best of this amazing site? - James
Hi James, you can always apply and access the site without cost. We never discriminate against anyone who does not purchase Fuzu Premium services, so when employers study the applicants they are analysed purely on merit and fit for the position! The logic with these paid-for services is to provide you with additional support and analytics in understanding how you could improve your
Check out how the rest of the AMA session was.
