how to write a good cv for finalist especially

Increase your
chances of getting
the job of your
choice
Edna Sempeho
Rotary Club of Dar es salaam Mzizima
HR Manager – Songas Limited
What we will cover:
• What is a CV?
• Why write a CV?
• When do you write a CV?
• Difference between good and bad CV writing
• How to present your CV
• Key tips for CV writing
• Significant factors to consider for successful interviews
• Job hunting tips
What is a CV?
A general description of
your knowledge,
experience and skills
related to the job you
are applying to
Types of CVs
• Chronological
Highlights the areas
of study usually
starting with most
recent
• Skills based
Highlights the proven
abilities and skills
acquired over time
Why CV writing?
To generate an
interview
Why CV writing?
Not an opportunity to narrate your life history
When do you write a CV?
• Responding to an advert
• Forward to recruitment firms/websites
• Speculative application
Bad CV writing
• No specific target
• First page does not have any relevance to
the reader
• Too many pages
• Spelling mistakes, bad selection font type
and sizes
• Skills, experiences and achievements not
clearly outlined
• Inconsistent structure
Good CVs
• Structure is neat and organized: easy to
read
• Accurate is spelling, content and grammar
• Maximum 2 A4 pages
• Informative and concise : In 10 seconds
the CV translates the past experiences to
match the job being applied for
Example bad CV
Curriculum Viti
Address
P.O. Box 123
Dar es salaam b123@funkyorbits.ac
Tanzania
Nationality: Tanzanian
Date of birth: 12 December 1987
Personal Statement:
I have good team working and communication skills. I would like job in business
Education
St Mary Primiary school 1990-1997
St Mary Secondary School – 1998-2002
St Mary High School – 2003-2004
Example bad CV
University of Dar es salaam – 2005 – 2008 ( BA Hons)
Working Experience
May 2006 – August 2006 – Internship Songas Limited, Accounts Department
Hobbies:
Swimming, watching television, reading
Skills
- Computer skills
• French speaking
Others:
I have won several swimming competition awards
References
Dr. Solomon Bauer
Vice Chancellor
UDSM
P.O. Box 34980
Dar es salaam
Example good CV
ANASTACIA SOLOMON
P.O.BOX 123 DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA, E-mail: asolomon@gmail.com, Anytime Phone: + 255787345876
Personal Statement
I am a talented, hard working graduate accountant, with specialization in taxation and auditing. I have sufficient
and working knowledge on the Tanzania tax laws and audit requirements. I envision to work in a business that
offers me the challenge and opportunity to further explore my talent and ambition in this area.
Education
BA, Accounting and Finance, University of Dar es salaam – May 2006 – May 2008
Key area of study: Tax Laws, Audit Laws, Business Management, Bank Reconciliation, Tax and audit processes
Division 1 - A Level Certificate of Completion, St. Mary’s High School - January 2003 – December 2005
Area of study: Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics
Example good CV, cont’d
Working Experience
May 2006 – August 2006, Songas Limited, Intern Student in the Accounts Department, reporting
to the Accounting Supervisor
Songas is a gas to electricity firm in Tanzania and produces and sells electricity worth 190MW to
Tanesco.
Key responsibilities:
- To file tax returns
- Prepare cheques
- Assist in the mid year audit preparation
Key achievements:
Within the internship time, I was able to assist in the development of a communication flow chart
during the audit process, for the company.
Example good CV, cont’d
Working Experience
January 2008 – present, Kiwale Children’s Home, Volunteer Accountant reporting to the Country
Manager
Kiwale Children’s home is an orphanage taking care of 200 children of the Kinondoni area.
Key responsibilities:
- Prepare monthly financial reports
- Develop periodic bank statements
- Assist in development of Financial Manual for the NGO
Key achievements:
To date, I have been able to assist the company to recover Tshs 3,000,000.00 from
mismanagement
Example good CV, cont’d
Hobbies:
Travelling, keeping updated with world economy trends, visiting children’s home
Skills and competencies:
1. Working knowledge in Microsoft office word and excel
2. Basic language skills in French ( speaking only)
3. Driving: I am in possession of a clean and valid class D license
Other Training courses attended:
World Economy Trends by CDE Bank in Dar es salaam, August 2008
References:
Mr. Augustine Swai
Head of Accounting, Songas Limited
email: hoa@songas.co.tz
Presenting your CV
• Attach a cover letter to it
• If you are emailing it make sure you send
it as a word attachment ( not large) –
cover letter is the body of your email
• If hand/post delivery do not fold it, let it be
in a A4 envelop
• Address it to the right person
• Make sure it is clean and not cramped
Tips for good CV writing
• Know yourself
• Know your goals
• Believe yourself
• Sell yourself
• Be creative
• Relate the skills to the job
• Criticize your own CV
• Improve your
communication skills

Purpose of interviews
The purpose of a job
interview is for you to
get to know each
other and find out
whether there's a
good fit of skills,
experience and
attitude.
Types of interviews
• Tests: psychometric, aptitude
• Face to face interviews
• Telephone interviews
• Assessment Centers
What are recruiters looking for?
The right attitude, skills and knowledge that
fits the company culture and job
requirement
Why do companies exist?
• Make more profits
• Sell more
• Become more efficient
• Get more customers
• Beat competition
• Improve customer
satisfaction
• Enter new markets
• Drive higher quality

Employability skills
Employability:
Ability of getting and keeping a satisfactory job
Employability skills:
A set of achievements, understandings and
personal attributes that make an individual more
likely to gain employment and to be successful
in their chose occupation
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsintro.htm
Key employability skills
1. Leadership: cooperating with others, planning,
organizing and decision making
2. Teamwork: persuasion, collaboration, involvement and
participatory
3. Communication: verbal ( assertive), written ( logical,
precise and clear)
4. Initiative: working under minimal supervision, proactiveness,
thinking on your feet
5. Flexibility: change management
6. Enthusiasm: go getter, self driven, positive attitude
7. Problem solving: open minded
The interview meeting
• Prepare yourself, arrive
on time
• Select what to wear
• Maintain eye contact
• Greet with a firm, warm
and friendly grip
• Keep your palms visible
• Keep your chin up,
shoulders out, straight
back
The interview meeting, cont’d
• Avoid negative body language:
– Defensiveness
Crossing your arms
– Boredom
Feet tapping, looking down, slouching, head resting in hands
– Nervousness
Locked ankles, fidgeting, playing with hair, biting nails
– Arrogance/Over Confidence
Brisk and erect walk, hands clasped behind head
– Aggression
Hands on hips, angry gestures including banging fists on tables
and pointing
– Doubt
Rubbing eyes or nose
The interview meeting, cont’d
• Close the interview
professionally
• Follow up with a
thank you note
Common interview questions
Enjoy your interview
• Be passionate
• Interview the
interviewer
• Be yourself
• Keep time
• Work on your image
Job hunting tips
• Network
• Recruitment firms
• Read newspapers
• Volunteer for jobs; keep yourself busy
• Meet company expectations
Thank you
e.k.semiti@gmail.com

entrepreneurship theory

THEORIES OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP:

i: Pyschological Theories

—   “Entrepreneurs are born”

—   It is a matter of individual, mostly in-born qualities

(1) The need for achievement model (see details from McClelland, 1961)

The need for achievement (n-Ach) is associated with one’s desire to do well for the sake of an inner feeling of personal accomplishment.

People with n-Ach traits are portrayed to (among other things):

—       Spend more time thinking about how best to do something

—       Like situations where personal responsibilities are pursued

—       Like immediate feedback

—       Prefer tasks that pose challenges but which are achievable

Accordingly, people with high n-Ach are more likely to be successful entrepreneurs.

Criticisms of the N-Ach theory

—   Criticisms include concerns on cultural insensitivity and contradictions to Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy of Needs, particularly in African developing contexts.

—   Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory identifies a number of stages through which an individual’s needs hierarchically pass by, namely physiological need, safety, affiliation, esteem and self-actualization.

(2) Locus of control (Rotter, 1966)

—       This refers to “the extent to which people believe that they control their own destinies”.

—       People with internal locus of control believe that they control their destinies, while those with external locus of control believe on some external factors – lucky, powerful people, nature, etc.

—       Accordingly, individuals with internal locus of control are supposedly more likely to behave entrepreneurially, and would also display high need for achievement than others.

However, the debate behind the theory is strong, as there are both supporters and criticisms.

—       For instance, it is difficult to differentiate entrepreneurs from managers (who also have internal locus of control)

—       Among the major criticisms is the one based on culture, particularly in connection with the African context. The possible influences on the trait itself are also not evident (religion, history, culture, etc.?)

(3) The psychodynamic model (Kets de Vries, 1977)

—       Entrepreneurial behavior is posed as “an outcome of family background that is often filled with images of endured hardships”

—       In this perspective, the entrepreneur is a deviant, non-conformist, unable to fit in established structures, leading to an innovative rebelliousness kind of life.

—       Criticisms against this model include the observation by Robbins (1979), that the model has a serious theoretical problem. It deals with the extremes of a given population and leaves the rest untouched. It also doesn’t tell why deprived persons are likely to choose an entrepreneurship and not other sort of career.

(4) Risk taking propensity (Bird, 1989)

—       Is related to the generalized tendency to choose more risky alternatives

—       Central to the theory are individuals’ perceptions of risks – “low – moderate – high”

—       Those with high propensities are more likely to do better in entrepreneurship

—       Entrepreneurial risk are broadly considered to encompass financial resources, career opportunities, family relations, psychic well being, etc.

—       However, there is consensus that since any business undertaking is associated with some risk of failure, successful entrepreneurs are the ones who take calculated risks. In calculating the risk: they first of all, scan the environment; secondly, devise imaginative solutions; and thirdly, gain confidence and hence decisively take action.

—       They avoid low-risk situations because there is no challenge, and they avoid high risk situations because they want to succeed.

—       One major criticism to this theory is that there is no appropriate instrument for measuring the various aspects of entrepreneurial risk-taking or for distinguishing among the various contributing motives.

—       Moreover, the perception of risk changes with time.

(5) Innovation theory (Schumpeter, 1934)

—   This views entrepreneurship as focused on “bringing about new resource combinations”

—   Innovation is contrasted to invention

—   Schumpeter identifies five types of new resource combinations:

—   A new (novel) product,

—   A new method of production,

—   A new market,

—   A new source of inputs ( or raw materials) and

—   A new organizational design

—  ii. Sociological explanations of entrepreneurial behavior

These have an inclination on the view that entrepreneurs are mould by the society.

They include:

(1) The social marginality model (Stanworth and Curran, 1976)

This theory basis on two pillars:

—   That, economic action is driven by the desire to satisfy some needs and wants

—   It is the society that shapes the desires we experience

Accordingly, individuals who perceive inequalities between their personal desires and attributes on one hand, and the roles they hold in the society on the other, will be motivated to change their social realities.

The theory has been applied in explaining both minority groups within societies and individuals within organizations.

—   Examples include – the Jews in Europe and America

—   Indians in East Africa

—   Chaga, Ibo, Kikuyu

—   However, the theory lacks power in explaining why some marginal groups in some social settings do not behave entrepreneurially, for instance the Blacks in the U.S.A..

(2) The inter-generational Inheritance of Enterprising culture via role modeling (Birley, 1984)

The main line of reasoning here is that entrepreneurial behaviour is largely inherited.

—  Children of enterprising parents are more likely to display entrepreneurial behaviour as they see, learn and adapt from their parents.

The experiences they get, the exposure, guidance and even resources they acquire from their parents count a lot in their decision making processes.

(3) Small businesses as role models (Chell, 1985)

—       The explanation here is that those who form small firms are likely to have previously worked in similar firms, which they use as role models.

—       The employee makes the comparisons in terms of the boss’s competences (education, skills, age, etc.), and then develops the courage that he/she can also be a boss of her/his own.

—       However, on the contrary there is also an observation that it is employees of large firms who are more exposed to wider experiences, which in turn motivate them to start small firms.

(4) The social development model (Gibb and Ritchie, 1981)

—       The main theme here is that entrepreneurs can be whole understood in terms of the types of situations they encounter and the social groups into which they relate.

—       The argument is that entrepreneurial behaviour is made and shaped by the society.

—       Nevertheless, the theory is criticized on the grounds that it downplays the role of the individual as being central to the entrepreneurial process.

—       Moreover, it is challenged in that its ability to predict success is not apparent.

iii. Social background, economic, and environmental factors

A number of other variables (at both micro and macro levels) are put forward as antecedents of entrepreneurial behaviour.

These include:

(1) At a micro level (individual level)

—       Age – in connection with this variable individuals within the age group of 30-40 are more likely to do well in entrepreneurship

—       Ethnicity -  this is based on the social marginality theory

—       Marital status – relative to unmarried people, married people are placed in a better position. However, this variable goes hand in hand with the age factor.

—       Education – here there are conflicting views about the role of education in the entrepreneurial process - However, to a large extent it is agreed upon that education helps an individual in becoming a successful entrepreneur

—       Experience (accumulated skills and knowledge)

Three types of experiences are often mentioned:

                - Industrial expertise (technical know-how)

                - Managerial expertise

                - Entrepreneurial experience

However, the experience factor is closely related to other factors such as role modeling and age.

(1) At a micro level (individual level)

Gender

Male and female entrepreneurs are considered differently, with men being given better chances. This is subject to cultural backgrounds that disfavor women, but with the ongoing reforms in social relations the differences are expected to diminish.

(2) At macro level (Environmental factors)
The focus is on factors that pose both opportunities and threats to entrepreneurs. These include:

The economy – government policies and their influences

- Undeveloped infrastructure

- Availability of relevant information

- Access to finance

- Access to large markets at favorable terms

- Employment and unemployment levels

Dominant values

-The predominant culture’s perception of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship

- Individuality tendencies versus social ties and their influences

Conclusion

It is worth noting that Entrepreneurial behavior can never be explained by focusing on any one perspective, be it psychological, social or environmental. Instead, we can be in a better position if we focus on the way the above perspectives complement each other.

Tanzania commision for university (TCU) release list of students not qualified

Tanzania commission for university (TCU) release list of students not qualified to join for university studies for academic year of study 2011-12 due to 3 reasons behind
1 students missing 3 credits at ordinary level (o'level)
2 students missing 2 principles at advance level (a'level)
to display lists of names follow the link below
http://www.tcu.go.tz/info/news/view_news.php?id=53