Why fresh graduates must prioritise soft skills – Alabede

Soft skills account for 85% of job successes

Fresh graduates must learn to prioritise soft skills over technical skills if they must experience rewarding career mobility, said Head of Operations and Experience at Jobberman, Francesca Alabede.

Alabede stated this while speaking at a fireside chat during a public presentation of the book, First Generation: A Fresh Graduate’s Perfect Guide to Starting a Career in Emerging Market by Jonah Solomon.

She said: “I am happy that the book highlights the importance of soft skills in career mobility. This is because, apart from technical skills, fresh graduates must develop soft skills. Soft skills play a critical role in the workplace and most times determines whom employers hire.

“A recent study by Harvard University researchers found that 85% of job successes were because of well-developed soft skills, while 15% was as a result of technical skills. As a fresh graduate, apart from your technical skills, you need to develop your soft skills. These soft skills include how you interact with people, how you get your work done, how you conduct yourself, etc. Therefore, your technical skills are never enough and fresh graduates must pay attention to these.”

With graduate unemployment in the Emerging Market averaging 7.97%, according to a recent MSCI report, and about three million Nigerian graduates without jobs, Jonah Solomon seeks to address this problem by empowering fresh graduates with practical guides to transition into the marketplace to start a career.

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At the public presentation of the book in Lagos recently, the author, Solomon, said he leveraged his experience to start and grow his career in Africa’s largest city, Lagos to offer practical tips that most final year students, fresh graduates and those seeking to make real progress in their careers must never take for granted.

“This book is strictly about getting started on a strong footing as a fresh graduate who has now acquired a university degree or higher diploma and heading to the city to start a life with minted certificate.

“By the time you finish this book, you will be able to answer questions like what is next after your graduation, if you are still getting into school. If you are on the cusp of graduation, say you are in your penultimate or final year; you should have a fair idea of what you should be doing. If you have just graduated and looking to get started on a career, the practical lessons I outlined in this book can come in handy as a perfect guide,” said Jonah Solomon at the book’s official public presentation in Lagos.

**From left:** Founder, KTC Media, Keni Akintoye; book reviewer, Onna Okafor; the Author, Jonah Solomon and Head, Operations and Experience, Jobberman, Francesca Alabede at the public presentation of the book, First Generation in Lagos.

Earlier in a remark, the Deputy Business Editor of Vanguard newspapers, Mr. Babajide Komolafe who was the chair of the occasion said the book was timely, as it comes at a time that graduate unemployment has reached a crisis proportion.

“I commend Jonah for taking the time to write this book. I am optimistic that young people who are leaving the university today will find it invaluable. A lot of fresh graduates are usually confused about where to start immediately after graduation and I think this book will offer that much-needed respite.”

On her part, the book reviewer, Onna Okafor, said the book is a manual for not only fresh graduates but also anyone looking to make meaningful progress in their career.

“While this book is targeted at fresh graduates, I find it compelling for anyone looking to make progress in his/her career whether fresh graduates or practising professionals. The practical tips contained in this book are timeless and I commend the author for taking the time to give back to the society by writing this book.”

The book’s electronic and paperback versions are available for purchase on Amazon or amazon.co.uk for a discounted price. In Nigeria, the paperback and eBook are also available for download on Solomon’s website, Paystack Storefront and Selar.