The job search journey has been difficult because of my lack of work experience. Fuzu helped by filtering relevant job opportunities and preparing my CV.
Students throw up their hats as an act of relief and celebration to mark the end of the graduation ceremony and the fact that they have earned certificates that will bring with them good fortunes. How would things be like if the outcome was that definite? That academic knowledge equal success. Somewhat easy, right?
Little attention has been paid to life skills, which is vital for success, in curriculums leaving graduates incapable of tackling everyday life challenges. Yusudi, Fuzu’s longtime partner, has been stepping up to fill this gap. Yusudi’s life skills development program is one of a kind designed to help trainees discover themselves professionally while equipping them with the necessary business and life skills. The icing on the cake is that after the program trainees get a paid-internship placement!
Meet Melvin who is a proud product of the program and who is already winning at life.
How did you know about Fuzu and Yusudi?
I discovered both platforms while applying for jobs online.
What was the major push behind you joining the Yusudi life-skills training and paid internship program?
Once I read their story and their model of training online, I was convinced it was just what I needed. Looking attractive to employers and getting a foot in the door within the job market was tough for me and Yusudi provided the platform to do just that.
Kindly share with us your training experience at Yusudi.
I and around fifteen other trainees spent one-month attending training Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. The training involved written exercises, group activities and presentations which taught us communication skills, organization skills, emotional intelligence and presenting ourselves best to employers at interviews. The program was work intensive but very fun because of the trainers’ attitudes as well as my fellow trainees.
There is a possibility of getting an internship placement after the training. Where did you intern and how which skills from your training did you get to use there?
I interned at Invisible Crown Ltd, a performing arts school in Nairobi. I assisted in the marketing department helping to create designs and ideas for digital and traditional marketing campaigns. I learned to use basic Photoshop and InDesign for designs, Facebook advertising and using Mail chimp for Email Marketing.
The training program focuses on key soft skills such as communication, entrepreneurship and other job-related skills that are meant to help you stand out in the current labor market. How do you blend these skills with your IT background?
My IT background allows me to quickly diagnose and solve problems within the sphere of Digital Marketing. This ensures that campaigns run smoothly and minimize the need for external IT assistance.
In terms of self-realization, what impact did the Yusudi training program have on you?
Yusudi demonstrated that I was far more capable than I thought. They constantly challenged me with tasks that were time sensitive and outside my skill-set but by applying myself I was able to produce decent work. This attitude of self-learning and experimentation carries me forward till today.
Your career growth is your responsibility continuous skills improvement is one way to go about it. What other ways have you taken charge of your career?
Contacting a mentor who operates within the digital marketing arena has given me insight into what trends are driving the industry and also tips on improving my approach.
What are your long-term career goals and what are you doing towards achieving them?
My long-term career goal is to start my very own digital content firm where I can develop user-friendly content for emerging technologies. I am currently learning web-development online and this will allow quick deployment of content.
What has your job search journey been like and what role has Fuzu played?
The job search journey has been difficult because of my lack of work experience and incomplete university credits. Fuzu helped by filtering down the job opportunities to the most relevant and preparing the CV beforehand made it easy to apply to many jobs quickly.
