Hi there! I am back with the second article. I almost slipped on this, but I did turn to my motto this year; No Excuses 2020. So, we move! I gathered a couple of interesting views from twitter and I think you should see them.
Apart from Ghana, there are six other countries – Israel, Nigeria, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and Turkey that have the National Service System. With the exception of Ghana and Nigeria where members of the scheme, who are graduates, are made to work in public or private institutions, the other countries have their army as the destination for all members of their scheme who are usually males (Pulse News – http://bit.ly/38fB0vT). Ghana and “Naija” are privileged right? People hold different conceptions on what National Service really is, but this article emphasizes how to leverage the National Service concept to kick start your career.
What really is the purpose of National Service Scheme (NSS)? As published on the NSS Ghana website (http://bit.ly/2TuaWaU), the mission of the Scheme is to mobilize and deploy Ghanaian graduates of 18 years and above for national development. The Scheme provides fresh graduates the opportunity to have practical exposure on the job, both in the public and private sectors, as part of their civic responsibility to the State and this is mandatory. Unfortunately, these statements seem not to have been lived fully. NSS personnel face a lot of challenges at their various posts. While we make jokes about these situations, like being sent every morning and at lunchtime to buy bread or beans (could be any food), doing practically nothing from 9 to 5, not having enough resources to execute tasks etc., it is very important that you own the process as an NSS personnel. Instead of seeing NSS as a mandatory job, TREAT IT AS YOUR FIRST JOB.
While we make jokes about these situations, like being sent every morning and at lunchtime to buy bread or beans (could be any food), doing practically nothing from 9 to 5, not having enough resources to execute tasks etc., it is very important that you own the process as an NSS personnel. Instead of seeing NSS as a mandatory job, TREAT IT AS YOUR FIRST JOB.
Let us focus on the positives here, amidst the various conceptions. The reality is that NSS is not the time to focus on making money or enjoying some sort of comfort; you are allowed to hold your personal opinions about this, but this is the reality. It is every graduate’s dream to be posted to an institution that aligns with their skills, qualifications and organizational preference. However, graduates trained for the medical, pharmacy and nursing professions, among others get to enjoy this. Even so, the enjoyment is limited to the first two factors; skills and qualifications. Generally, while graduates do not have so much power to legitimately execute their preferences with regards to place and type of work for their national service, you must still own the process wherever you find yourself. For example, most National Service personnel do not have a defined job description. If you find yourself in such a situation, own the process and develop a core job description for yourself within the first two months of work with a last point that reads “performs any other tasks as directed by superiors” or any statement in line with this after which you can set personal targets (KPIs). You could verify this document with your superior and adopt it as a foundation to measure your performance. Since NSS is your first job, you should have the following questions guiding you to prepare for the real world of work in addition to measuring your performance:
i. What is my career plan after National Service?
ii. What skills can I pick up during my National Service period that will be of value to my plan? This tells you that you are unconsciously planning to fail if you fail to plan.
iii. If I feel idle at work, how can I transform this into an opportunity to learn a new skill? There are a lot of online courses that are free.
iv. What problems can I identify at the workplace and how do I find solutions to them and measure the impact of my solution? This particular point requires you to have an ownership mindset. Remember that this work is temporary. You can imagine that if this institution was yours, how would you manage it to increase revenue, reduce losses, save time and other resources or reduce risk? Do you know that the state where you can actually achieve better, but you settle for good can be labelled as a problem? Do not always look out for bad things. Also look at the good things that can be improved.
v. How can I leverage the errands to build a stronger relationship with my senior colleagues? Remember that these senior colleagues may not be in the capacity to hand ready jobs to you after National Service, but they can readily offer other valuables. Manage your expectations by focusing on what they can readily give you – Could be access to their networks, resources, skills, experiences, information etc. Remember, information is your greatest resource. The more information you have, the less the chance of making wrong decisions.
Although this list is not exhaustive, master it. I will also want to urge all senior colleagues to treat NSS personnel with respect, understand their schedule and be willing to build their capacity. You have a critical role to play in their development. To conclude, what really matters is ignoring the distractions and seeing National Service as your first job; a steppingstone to career success. Whether you like the institution or not, treat the job like it was yours, learn a skill, build relationships and create a difference, no matter how small it is, because you will definitely need it after the National Service period. Also note that till space is created, you stand a lower chance of being retained. Manage your expectations while you are putting in the hard and smart work, so you do not get frustrated in the long run. If you get retained, HURRAY!
Trick for the month: One way to get close to your superiors is to have good Technology-based skills. This way, you will help them bridge their ICT knowledge/skill gap. It works amazingly because it makes them value you more.
Did you miss my first article? Catch up with it here: http://bit.ly/2Tvkeor
My name is Joel Kojo Abaka Anaman. A Pharmacist by Profession, a Salesman by Occupation, a Career Coach by Passion and a Techpreneur by Vision. It is also my vision to reach 1 million students, new graduates and young people in active jobs with this initiative. Join me in this journey as we debunk some myths and activate some life hacks to propel us towards our career goals. Guess what?! This is not reserved for 9-5 workers; Entrepreneurs will also benefit massively from this.
