Whats your name and where do you come from?
I’m Ebenezer Omitogun from Lagos State, Nigeria.
Would you describe yourself as being globally-minded?
Yes, I think of myself as global citizen. I have worked and studied in Nigeria, Niger republic, the United Kingdom and I hope to work in other countries in the near future.
What are your career aspirations?
One day, I want be renowned as a Human Resource professional in a multinational organisation. I also aspire to be a mentor to the younger generation through community development platforms.
What are the three priorities you look for in any potential future workplace?
• Freedom to innovate. I want to work in a place that supports its employees to be innovative and express their creativity. I think some workplaces can be quite primitive; they limit their employees to certain methods of carrying out their responsibilities. They don't give employees the opportunity to discover new things about themselves.
• Development I want a workplace that will support me to grow and develop without limits. I think an organization that doesn’t improve the quality of its workforce in the long-run increases the likelihood of high staff turnover.
• The opportunity to work on other projects. I think I would be my best self where, alongside working for the organization, I still have the opportunity to carry out community development projects. As a global citizen, it’s important to me that committing to a career doesn’t mean I can’t still play my part in the social projects I’m passionate about.
What should employers do to attract globally-minded, outward-looking graduates?
One of the things that globally-minded graduates tend to have in common is that they want to gain new experiences and learn new things. I think employers should design workplace systems that make it possible for graduates to gain experiences from different projects in different departments. Just because I may never become an expert in Marketing, Finance or Research and Development doesn’t mean I wouldn’t benefit from first-hand experiences in those departments.
I would also appreciate an employer that doesn’t use university grades as the only benchmark. I have worked hard to compliment my grades by developing and demonstrating other workplace skills through training, work experience, volunteering and at global conferences. I believe this adds to my effectiveness as employee, but my hope is that employers recognize those experiences when they make recruitment decisions.
The 33Sixty leadership programme aims to equip aspiring Commonwealth leaders (aged 18-30) with the skills and the networks to make a difference now. More info here: http://commonpurpose.org/leadership/programmes/students/33sixty/