So. ... I got a question about why Ghanaians outside apply for jobs via the Internet and don't get hired. That got me writing on the dynamics of the across-the-ocean jobhunt, and here are a few tips for people who would like to return to Ogyakrom.
Tsooboi!
Here's the low-down ...
Generally, it is difficult to hire people without meeting them in person, because it is important to look beyond the CV and to know the person who will be joining the organization. ... so most companies will not hire someone without meeting that person in flesh and blood because the CV could be inaccurate, and references may also be 'faulty'. Very few companies are willing to bear the cost to invite someone across the ocean for an interview. In some cases, the company may have representatives or offices in different countries, and so in-person interviews can be arranged. Alternatively, if someone from the company is going to be travelling to a country - let's say the US or UK, then an interview can be scheduled. Few would 'okay' that you spend your own funds to attend an interview, because of the possibility that you may not be selected. Also, not all companies are willing to cover the cost of relocation.
What we advise is that if you are interested in moving back home, you start looking around (www.axishcl.com, jobsinghana.com, sabinesolutions.com, ghanaweb.com, businessghana.com, and many others ...), and then actually visit before moving fully. If you can, then you can do some homework and find as many jobs within your career area as possible, follow up on applications and schedule interviews and then when you visit, you can attend interviews, build networks etc, Your experience in doing that will help you to take some decisions, and if you are successful in finding a job, go back to wherever you currently live, resign from your job, and then prepare for relocation.
At Axis, we pay attention to CVs from outside of Ghana. If the CV shows the person as a strong candidate, we get in touch and let them know we are interested in them, and also let them know the client will not pay for relocation etc etc… we at least prefer to let them know we are interested, and then tell them that if they happen to visit, they should come in for an interview. We have a representative in the US and in South America, who may interview the person, and if the person is a really good fit, we inform the client, and if the client has ways of meeting that person (as I described in previous paragraph), then we set a meeting up. We’ve actually recruited through this process before. … fortunately, the client was on a business trip to the country where the applicant resided, so we were able to work that out. Not common, but not impossible either.
If you are outside and are looking to move back home, here are a few tips … …
1. Identify the career direction and area you would like to operate in, and start paying attention to what’s going on in that industry on the ground. The edge that a local applicant has over you the diasporan applicant is local industry knowledge, so you will need to read the news and learn of what’s going on. If you’re interested in private equity, real estate, banking, oil and gas, microfinance, teaching, FMCG manufacturing, NGOs and civil society orgs., whatever the focus (water sanitation, health etc), educate yourself on who the key players are, recent events in that industry, current opportunities in the industry etc… a lot of that can be done through reading the news online… It’s very important to KNOW and understand the terrain, especially if you are looking for strategic/managerial positions.
2. Don’t rely solely on ‘who you know’ – you need to boldly explore all options in your job hunt. If you are serious about moving back, yes, do talk to people you know, but you must proactively look up job listings on the internet, ask someone on the ground to look through the newspapers and relay relevant information to you, and if you are sure about your career path, and have identified companies you would fit very well in, don’t be scared to do some cold calling – find a way of getting in touch with them, or find someone who can be a gateway to them, and let them know of your interest and how you can fit in and add value etc etc…
3. Be ready to make some sacrifices in order to make your move successful. Your sacrifice may be to take your hard-earned money (or credit card), take your annual leave and journey back to see what’s going on. You need to do a lot of groundwork before you get here. You must also be realistic about salary scales – you cannot come down expecting to earn the 120k USD or 70k GBP that you may be earning out there.
4. In cases where you want to set up on your own, try to visit, and each time, have a target and tasks that move you closer to your relocation. You will have many things to plan – putting together a business plan (or whatever you choose to call your planning document), visiting to do some market research to inform you better, registering a company, looking for potential resources to start with (you may not need to hire an office. Can you start from a virtual office and home, till it’s necessary to find an office?)… there are many things to consider, and you can do these incrementally, and it may take a few visits to get settled.
5. Consider and carefully manage all stakeholders in your relocation plans. You never know when you would have to return to your current country of residence, so don't burn any bridges. Put your house in order - clear credit card debts as much as you can (sometimes, you call them to find out about special amortization plans, debt settlement plans, and you'll be amazed at some of the relief they can give you). Make sure spouses and children are involved in the decision-making - don't keep them in the dark, and don't think of your career only as you move - think of the other primary stakeholders in your life. People out there (resident outside Ghana) will question why on earth you want to move back, and those currently resident in Ghana will also question why on earth you want to move back. If that is what you want to do, listen with caution, but carve out your own journey, and don't listen to the naysayers. If you are a Christian, you know that all this can be sorted out in some serious 'kneeology' aka prayer. Do your part (due diligence), and let God do His. Sort all your affairs out both in your country of residence and in Ghana - accommodation, schools for children, bank accounts, office space, etc.
7. One critical thing to do is to do a very serious self-assessment. Your attitude and posture are critical to the success of your move. The right CV and right profile with the wrong attitude will get you in all the wrong places or nowhere.
Here are a few myths you’ll need to dispel, and some hard facts to acknowledge …
MYTHS
1. International exposure means you merit automatic job placement or that you are more employable than the ‘local breed’. Wrong – there are also ‘locals’ with comparable or better profiles.
2. International exposure necessarily/always mean better skills sets – in my line of work, I’ve met some incredibly sharp, open-minded and self-taught professionals who are major assets to whoever hires them.
3. Finding a JOB is good enough, so long as it pays/so long as it can match your current diasporan salary. The move is psychological before anything else, so a J.O.B that does not fit into your career plan and gives you no satisfaction, but pays well, in the context of the stresses of Ghana-life is self-inflicted punishment. (Think of a CAREER, not just a J.O.B. I call it a process of Career Maturity).
4. You know a lot of people, and that will make your re-entry easier (note that more organizations are structuring processes and becoming more accountable, so ‘backdoor recruitment’ is not as it used to be. You must often go through the process/formalities even if you know people etc..., and your success is not automatic.
5. A plethora of references to life outside impresses local people. Don’t be fooled into thinking people are ignorant and hungry for your stories. Many people now live in Ghana physically, but are vicarious global citizens through the internet, or may even go back and forth quite often, so your accent and incessant and sometimes irrelevant references to the US or UK etc. becomes annoying after a while. If it’s so wonderful there, then stay there and spare us the lectures. Oh, and … your heavy British or American accent after your 3 year stay there is not impressive either. The façade wears off quite quickly, so Be Real!
POSTURE
1. Don’t adopt a Tarzanic posture, beating your chest with grand ambitions to return and tame the ‘jungle’ at a go. Yes, we do have problems and challenges on the ground, but don’t come in with an upturned nose ready to lead ‘savages’. You ask for alienation and outright rejection (even sabotage) when you come in with that attitude.
2. Be humble and ready to start from somewhere. Be ready to rebuild your career through learning, and then accelerate beyond your colleagues as you show your worth and ‘grow’ in the industry. Yes, the colleagues you left behind may have climbed high up the ladder, and are now successful business owners and senior executives in big companies, and you may not start at their level, but you can accelerate your way to the top. They have the advantage of local knowledge and ground-level experience, and for positions that involve more strategy than operations, that is key.
3. First, demonstrate how things can be different with action, not with whining. Comparisons to different, more efficient contexts are not encouraging, so come with a mindset to ‘pilot’ positive change. If you feel business should be conducted a certain way, come in, take up a position, and pilot that change on a small, experimental level, and then sell the results. That way, it becomes more difficult for anyone to stand in your way to overhaul the system or turn things around in whichever company you work with.
4. Be impatient with the status quo, and seek positive change, but apply wisdom in how you deal with it. For example, customer service is not what it should be, so you constantly get into quarrels at the bank, in traffic, in restaurants etc… How about also demonstrating and acknowledging positive examples and drawing attention to them? So when that teller does a good job (yeah, yeah, that’s what they’re paid to do, you’d say, but your affirmation showcases what should be, and it’s easier for others to emulate), draw attention to it. Say thank you, affirm them, if possible, ask for a supervisor and acknowledge the person. It can lead to contagion of good behavior.
5. Build your professional network and (re)build old and new bridges. You have a lot to learn, so this is very important. Go through the newspaper or online, and attend some of the business events – AGMs for some companies you are interested in, seminars, etc, so long as they advance your plan to integrate and take advantage of opportunities to build your career. Be ready to consider partnerships, and don’t try to do it all by yourself.
So, in summary to re-enter the system:
Cheers!
Tsooboi!
Here's the low-down ...
Generally, it is difficult to hire people without meeting them in person, because it is important to look beyond the CV and to know the person who will be joining the organization. ... so most companies will not hire someone without meeting that person in flesh and blood because the CV could be inaccurate, and references may also be 'faulty'. Very few companies are willing to bear the cost to invite someone across the ocean for an interview. In some cases, the company may have representatives or offices in different countries, and so in-person interviews can be arranged. Alternatively, if someone from the company is going to be travelling to a country - let's say the US or UK, then an interview can be scheduled. Few would 'okay' that you spend your own funds to attend an interview, because of the possibility that you may not be selected. Also, not all companies are willing to cover the cost of relocation.
What we advise is that if you are interested in moving back home, you start looking around (www.axishcl.com, jobsinghana.com, sabinesolutions.com, ghanaweb.com, businessghana.com, and many others ...), and then actually visit before moving fully. If you can, then you can do some homework and find as many jobs within your career area as possible, follow up on applications and schedule interviews and then when you visit, you can attend interviews, build networks etc, Your experience in doing that will help you to take some decisions, and if you are successful in finding a job, go back to wherever you currently live, resign from your job, and then prepare for relocation.
At Axis, we pay attention to CVs from outside of Ghana. If the CV shows the person as a strong candidate, we get in touch and let them know we are interested in them, and also let them know the client will not pay for relocation etc etc… we at least prefer to let them know we are interested, and then tell them that if they happen to visit, they should come in for an interview. We have a representative in the US and in South America, who may interview the person, and if the person is a really good fit, we inform the client, and if the client has ways of meeting that person (as I described in previous paragraph), then we set a meeting up. We’ve actually recruited through this process before. … fortunately, the client was on a business trip to the country where the applicant resided, so we were able to work that out. Not common, but not impossible either.
If you are outside and are looking to move back home, here are a few tips … …
1. Identify the career direction and area you would like to operate in, and start paying attention to what’s going on in that industry on the ground. The edge that a local applicant has over you the diasporan applicant is local industry knowledge, so you will need to read the news and learn of what’s going on. If you’re interested in private equity, real estate, banking, oil and gas, microfinance, teaching, FMCG manufacturing, NGOs and civil society orgs., whatever the focus (water sanitation, health etc), educate yourself on who the key players are, recent events in that industry, current opportunities in the industry etc… a lot of that can be done through reading the news online… It’s very important to KNOW and understand the terrain, especially if you are looking for strategic/managerial positions.
2. Don’t rely solely on ‘who you know’ – you need to boldly explore all options in your job hunt. If you are serious about moving back, yes, do talk to people you know, but you must proactively look up job listings on the internet, ask someone on the ground to look through the newspapers and relay relevant information to you, and if you are sure about your career path, and have identified companies you would fit very well in, don’t be scared to do some cold calling – find a way of getting in touch with them, or find someone who can be a gateway to them, and let them know of your interest and how you can fit in and add value etc etc…
3. Be ready to make some sacrifices in order to make your move successful. Your sacrifice may be to take your hard-earned money (or credit card), take your annual leave and journey back to see what’s going on. You need to do a lot of groundwork before you get here. You must also be realistic about salary scales – you cannot come down expecting to earn the 120k USD or 70k GBP that you may be earning out there.
4. In cases where you want to set up on your own, try to visit, and each time, have a target and tasks that move you closer to your relocation. You will have many things to plan – putting together a business plan (or whatever you choose to call your planning document), visiting to do some market research to inform you better, registering a company, looking for potential resources to start with (you may not need to hire an office. Can you start from a virtual office and home, till it’s necessary to find an office?)… there are many things to consider, and you can do these incrementally, and it may take a few visits to get settled.
5. Consider and carefully manage all stakeholders in your relocation plans. You never know when you would have to return to your current country of residence, so don't burn any bridges. Put your house in order - clear credit card debts as much as you can (sometimes, you call them to find out about special amortization plans, debt settlement plans, and you'll be amazed at some of the relief they can give you). Make sure spouses and children are involved in the decision-making - don't keep them in the dark, and don't think of your career only as you move - think of the other primary stakeholders in your life. People out there (resident outside Ghana) will question why on earth you want to move back, and those currently resident in Ghana will also question why on earth you want to move back. If that is what you want to do, listen with caution, but carve out your own journey, and don't listen to the naysayers. If you are a Christian, you know that all this can be sorted out in some serious 'kneeology' aka prayer. Do your part (due diligence), and let God do His. Sort all your affairs out both in your country of residence and in Ghana - accommodation, schools for children, bank accounts, office space, etc.
6. If you have been engaged in a lot of non-career jobs, and have not set yourself on a career path, start now. The best advice an uncle gave me when I shared my plans to move home was this: “whatever you want to come and do here [Ghana], find the opportunity to start doing it there.” If you’ve never managed a shop in your life, what makes you think you can do that in Ghana? You may think that ‘anything goes’ in Ghana, but that’s an old-school way of thinking. Service delivery has changed, so we expect good quality now – doing things ‘biara-biara’ is not sustainable, so get with the program. Granted, ‘Nkrataasem’ may hinder you from serious (corporate) career opportunities, but you still need to think ‘career’ over ‘job’ as you plan your move.. … So let’s say you’ve been working as a security officer, or a cashier in a supermarket for a while now, or have worked as a health aid for a while. Don’t expect to come back to Ghana and because of your ‘international’ exposure be propelled into a corporate position. Here are a few ideas for you – you come and find a management position with a local security company, and beef your IT skills so you can help them identify technological tools that will build their business. Come with your background as a health aid, and find a partner to actually consider doing the same business here in Ghana. Think of setting up an agency that provides good, well-trained caregivers for the homebound. Come and offer to train cashiers in a supermarket here, or find a small supermarket and start from there with a target to help them find a niche, train staff, etc… We are still doing individual referrals for tradesmen with skills, so come and set up a company that promises to get a carpenter, plumber, mason, handyman etc. for clients within 24 hours max. Yes, there’s a growing market for non-traditional ventures now – more than you can imagine, so do not belittle your own humble beginnings! Be creative! If you can’t think of entrepreneurial ideas, let me know, and I’ll share many of mine with you at no cost!
7. One critical thing to do is to do a very serious self-assessment. Your attitude and posture are critical to the success of your move. The right CV and right profile with the wrong attitude will get you in all the wrong places or nowhere.
Here are a few myths you’ll need to dispel, and some hard facts to acknowledge …
MYTHS
1. International exposure means you merit automatic job placement or that you are more employable than the ‘local breed’. Wrong – there are also ‘locals’ with comparable or better profiles.
2. International exposure necessarily/always mean better skills sets – in my line of work, I’ve met some incredibly sharp, open-minded and self-taught professionals who are major assets to whoever hires them.
3. Finding a JOB is good enough, so long as it pays/so long as it can match your current diasporan salary. The move is psychological before anything else, so a J.O.B that does not fit into your career plan and gives you no satisfaction, but pays well, in the context of the stresses of Ghana-life is self-inflicted punishment. (Think of a CAREER, not just a J.O.B. I call it a process of Career Maturity).
4. You know a lot of people, and that will make your re-entry easier (note that more organizations are structuring processes and becoming more accountable, so ‘backdoor recruitment’ is not as it used to be. You must often go through the process/formalities even if you know people etc..., and your success is not automatic.
5. A plethora of references to life outside impresses local people. Don’t be fooled into thinking people are ignorant and hungry for your stories. Many people now live in Ghana physically, but are vicarious global citizens through the internet, or may even go back and forth quite often, so your accent and incessant and sometimes irrelevant references to the US or UK etc. becomes annoying after a while. If it’s so wonderful there, then stay there and spare us the lectures. Oh, and … your heavy British or American accent after your 3 year stay there is not impressive either. The façade wears off quite quickly, so Be Real!
POSTURE
1. Don’t adopt a Tarzanic posture, beating your chest with grand ambitions to return and tame the ‘jungle’ at a go. Yes, we do have problems and challenges on the ground, but don’t come in with an upturned nose ready to lead ‘savages’. You ask for alienation and outright rejection (even sabotage) when you come in with that attitude.
2. Be humble and ready to start from somewhere. Be ready to rebuild your career through learning, and then accelerate beyond your colleagues as you show your worth and ‘grow’ in the industry. Yes, the colleagues you left behind may have climbed high up the ladder, and are now successful business owners and senior executives in big companies, and you may not start at their level, but you can accelerate your way to the top. They have the advantage of local knowledge and ground-level experience, and for positions that involve more strategy than operations, that is key.
3. First, demonstrate how things can be different with action, not with whining. Comparisons to different, more efficient contexts are not encouraging, so come with a mindset to ‘pilot’ positive change. If you feel business should be conducted a certain way, come in, take up a position, and pilot that change on a small, experimental level, and then sell the results. That way, it becomes more difficult for anyone to stand in your way to overhaul the system or turn things around in whichever company you work with.
4. Be impatient with the status quo, and seek positive change, but apply wisdom in how you deal with it. For example, customer service is not what it should be, so you constantly get into quarrels at the bank, in traffic, in restaurants etc… How about also demonstrating and acknowledging positive examples and drawing attention to them? So when that teller does a good job (yeah, yeah, that’s what they’re paid to do, you’d say, but your affirmation showcases what should be, and it’s easier for others to emulate), draw attention to it. Say thank you, affirm them, if possible, ask for a supervisor and acknowledge the person. It can lead to contagion of good behavior.
5. Build your professional network and (re)build old and new bridges. You have a lot to learn, so this is very important. Go through the newspaper or online, and attend some of the business events – AGMs for some companies you are interested in, seminars, etc, so long as they advance your plan to integrate and take advantage of opportunities to build your career. Be ready to consider partnerships, and don’t try to do it all by yourself.
So, in summary to re-enter the system:
- Prepare a Plan (articulate it on paper/screen)
- Conduct Research – know the terrain, and be realistic
- Connect with others and conduct a thorough job hunt
- Carefully plan a visit, and come with an open mind, ready to explore the opportunities. Look into the entire relocation ‘wahala’ – schools for children, accommodation, etc etc…
- Return and manage diasporan stakeholders – family, creditors and debtors, employers etc… Leave on a good note.
- Begin process of move – incremental or radical – your choice. Whichever is less stressful
- Periodically review your move, burn no diasporan bridges and keep building your career!
Cheers!
