The search began and I applied for a lot of Graduate Trainee roles towards the end of 2021. In January 2022, I got a couple of emails, including one from Heirs Holdings, inviting me to participate in several computer-based tests. And to be honest, it was a ray of hope for me as I knew in my heart that “one of these jobs must click.”

It got more exciting as I began to hear back from these different companies to proceed to the next stage. Unfortunately, I could not cross to the next stage in about two of these companies but thankfully, Heirs Holdings came through and I was invited to the last phase of the interview which comprised of a competency-based interview, PowerPoint presentation and a discussion with other applicants.

After the interview, I could tell that I had a slim chance due to the substantial number of applicants involved which made me realise that this was a highly competitive programme, one that would make me feel accomplished if I ever got a chance to get into the fold (HH). I began to console myself as time passed by and I still had not heard from the HH recruiters on whether I would be part of this year’s Graduate programme. Then BOOM, I got a mail asking me to upload my documents.

Wow! I could not contain my joy as I could see my dream coming true. But not long after, another round of suspense that ensued after sending in my credentials drowned out my excitement.

About 3 weeks later, I got another mail congratulating me for emerging successful and stating that I proceed for Medicals. “Finally, I landed myself a job” was the first thought that came rushing to my mind.

After crossing the hurdle of getting to Lagos from Abuja, the Heirs Holdings Graduate Trainee Programme officially began on the 9^th of March with the launch of the Heirs Academy.

Guess what?

I got to see Tony O. Elumelu (TOE) and other CEOs of various investee companies. It got more exciting when the Graduate Trainees were asked to meet with the different CEOs at a cocktail party hosted to commemorate the launch.

“Omo, you be big girl ooo,” was the thought that followed me around throughout the event. Earlier on, during the launch, the HR Director Modupe Adesunloye had mentioned that 18,000 graduates applied for the programme and just 60 of us were selected. So, that highlighted how major this opportunity is for me.

The Programme commenced properly with a 3-week intensive classroom training session. We had a lot of CEOs take us on their journey to the top while providing insight into what their companies do. That was the highlight of the training for me and it was a time that convinced me that I have found a place where I cannot just grow but make significant progress.

“Which organization pays so much attention to its employees like this, Abi na scam?” I wondered.

All the facilitators who addressed us had one thing in common and it was the way they articulated the organisation’s core values of Excellence, Enterprise, and Execution. This ignited a desire in me to ensure that I portray these values whether or not I am in the organization.

Afterwards, I was scheduled for my first functional rotation at Africa Prudential Plc, a leading digital technology solutions provider helping African businesses simplify their processes and customer experience using technology. This lasted for three weeks, and it was mind-blowing. To tell the truth, I was amazed at how much I could learn in the Digital/I.T space in such a brief period. At first, it was a feeling of uncertainty and how well I would fit into such an environment. However, as I journeyed, I got to understand the system and at the end of the three weeks, I was able to learn about product management, scrum methodology, Business/Product requirement document, User flow chart, innovation & design thinking.

Now unto my next functional rotation placement, The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF). I was assigned to work with the Marketing & Corporate Communication (MCC) unit of the Foundation. It’s only been a few days since I started, and I am already super excited to be trying something entirely new. I have met young minds who exhume so much knowledge in their field and are ready to impart their knowledge into the minds of the graduate trainees that work with them.

My personal learning objective for the period of my rotation here is to be able to: create engaging content on various platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram), and use the Canva application to create designs, edit videos properly and broaden my creative skills. I hope that by the end of my stay here, all my expectations will be met.

Thank you for reading and I look forward to sharing more of my experience with you.

~ Author: Fadekemi Ajayi

The post My Journey into the Corporate World as a TEF Graduate Trainee appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

They encouraged and counselled us on how to incorporate these principles into all we do, both at work and at home (work-life integration). As a result, I have begun the process of altering my lifestyle to reflect these values.

One of the highlights of my first three weeks as a Graduate Trainee was interacting and forming an excellent network with other Graduate Trainees from different walks of life, disciplines, and backgrounds. It has been an insightful experience finding myself in the middle of such diversity. I was with the Marketing & Corporate Communications (MCC) division of the philanthropic arm of the Heirs Holdings Group, and we recently concluded the application drive for the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme. It was a phenomenal experience coming up with different ideas to encourage people to register for the programme before the deadline. I also had the opportunity to chat with some prospective candidates and assist them with the difficulties they were encountering during the application process while making sure to escalate when necessary.

I was given the task of creating and posting engaging social media content for LinkedIn and I must say, this opened my eyes to the struggles of content creation. However, with an amazing team by my side, I pulled through! My first post got some encouraging engagement and reactions that kept me going. Subsequently, my posts alternated between having a high level of engagement and sometimes little to no response. I’m still figuring out what works best on the LinkedIn platform, but I cannot deny the knowledge gained. So far, I have learnt how to create designs on Canva, engaging content on social media and how important it is to give and receive feedback. My writing skills in addition have also nicely improved during this content creation experience.

One of the major challenges I have faced so far has to be surviving Lagos. Eko indeed is not an easy city and commuting from the mainland to the island is quite exhausting.

I wake up as early as 4 am and leave the house by 5:30 am at the latest to avoid being late or sucked into the unpredictable traffic. Sometimes, I find myself nodding off on my way to work which is risky, but I guess these are part of the sacrifices I make to be a success. As Thich Nhat Hanh said, “People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now”.

On an occasion last week, I left my house by 5:30 am to get to the Obalende bus stop by 6.45 am. On getting there, I noticed the weather was gloomy and windy. Following my routine, I got on a bike to transit to the office but kept thinking to myself ‘Thank God I’m almost at work and the rain didn’t meet me on the road’. Little did I know the rain had other plans!

After barely 2 minutes on the bike, the wind, the sand, and the dust united and took a stand against us all on the road. I was struggling to see amidst this weather commotion and till today I remain baffled as to how the bike man was able to see through the dust and wind and make talk less of drive through it. At that moment, my earlier prayer and thought switched from thanksgiving to supplication. From thanking God for not letting rain meet me outside to a safe journey to the office without being involved in an accident.

Would you believe me if I told you that despite all that, I still got caught in the rain right before I arrived at the office? Well, that is exactly what happened. ‘Drenched in rain’ would be an understatement to describe that morning. I immediately sought shelter at the nearby fuel station and began waiting for the already angry rain to subside. After 10 minutes, the rain was not giving way! What could I have done but take extreme measures? And mind you, I cannot run late to work or make excuses for my lateness. Remember, excellence! So, I removed my wig. My shoes were already soaked; hence there was no need to take them off. Bearing in mind the short distance from my place of refuge to the office, I decided to run in the rain to the office. Yes, I ran!

Once I got to the office, I headed straight for the restroom to dry myself and gear up for the tasks of the day. 

My life as a graduate trainee has been a whole new experience different from what I have known. It has been exciting, stressful, and impactful, and ultimately, it has been worth it! The learning process is never-ending. I look forward to more challenging tasks and work schedules preparing myself with all I have learnt and all I am yet to do for success. It has been fascinating and exhilarating working at the Tony Elumelu Foundation as it is a totally new experience for me in all ramifications, but I believe and trust myself to turn out to be more efficacious in what I do while keeping an open mind.

~ Author: Amaka Eluemuno

The post As a TEF Graduate Trainee, The Learning Process is Never-ending. appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

At the Marketing and Corporate Communication team, we convey the attitudes, beliefs, and goals of the Tony Elumelu Foundation thereby informing the public about what we do at the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

My focus is on coming up with different social media content and engaging African entrepreneurs in the Twitter space during and after the application phase. Creating and posting engaging social media content for Twitter has been quite difficult yet insightful because it was a whole new playing field for me.

Creating content has been tasking. However, with an amazing team by my side, I have been able to pull through. Trying to figure out what works best on Twitter has been the most challenging part of the journey but the increase in my Twitter post’s reach and engagements daily gets me excited and gives me a sense of accomplishment. So far, I’ve learnt how important it is to give and receive feedback. Also, my writing and design skills have improved due to the nature of my tasks.

To overcome the challenging part of my job which is beating Lagos traffic, I wake up as early as 3:30 am, and leave the house by 5:15 am at the latest to catch up with the first bus that leaves Festac town for CMS every business day of the week, depriving myself of sleep and breakfast leaving me to battle with sleeping in buses every morning, but like Nathan W. Morris said: “The speed of your success is limited only by your dedication and what you’re willing to sacrifice.”

So, my sleep and breakfast are what I am willing to sacrifice to speed up my success in life, and every time a bus I board passes an unknown route I put on my phone location lol

3 weeks spent in the Marketing and Corporate Communications team of the Tony Elumelu Foundation has been a whole new experience different from what I’ve known. It has been exciting, stressful, impactful and a whole lot more. The learning process never ends. I still look forward to the next challenge, tasks, and work schedule of which I’m also preparing myself to take the bull by the horn because of what I’ve learnt so far. It has been quite fascinating and exhilarating working at the Tony Elumelu Foundation in all ramifications, but I believe and trust myself to turn out to be more efficacious in what I do.

Every knowledge gained here at the Marketing and Corporate Communication team of the Tony Elumelu Foundation has fully prepared me for the tasks ahead and can only lead me to a better future anywhere I find myself for my next job rotation, but first I’ll be heading back to class for a one-week intensive session before heading for my next job rotation, I can’t wait to start my next journey within Heirs Holdings.

~ Author: Nurudeen Odetayo

The post It’s Been 3 Weeks of Rewarding Growth, I Am Ready for the Next Chapter appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

In my first week, I was tasked with creating content for the foundation’s social media channels to raise awareness for the programme and ramp up outreach to encourage people to apply. It felt foreign at first because I have never been asked to do something like that in my past roles. In fact, across my personal social media pages, there are just one or two pictures of mine, a few posts, tweets, and retweets. Social media up until this point was like a getaway for me, a place to go laugh or just consume information on whatever field or subject I was looking for. But here I was, trying to come up with quality content that’d appeal to people to engage your post and follow through on what you were asking them to do. Essentially being on the other side of the equation.

“This is going to be tough,” I thought initially. Then, I quickly remembered my 3E’s. Peter Ashade didn’t drum it into my ears for no reason. I got to it immediately. I went through the Foundation’s social media pages to have a feel of what they had been posting previously, and see what it was all about. I realized a few things; it was a bit too formal and uptight. In today’s generation, people want something they can relate to, engage with, and feel like they’re part of. Through the use of slangs, real-world happenings converted to memes or posts filled with humour that would prompt a reply or reaction from the audience you wish to reach. I eventually came up with 5 different content that cut across the foundation’s social media channels (Twitter: @TonyElumeluFDN, Instagram: @tonyelumelufoundation, LinkedIn: @TheTonyElumeluFoundation and Facebook: @thetonyelumelufoundation). Do well to follow, keep up it and engage as well.

These pieces of content were posted across the board, and it was quite chilling because I came up with them in one day. Talk about being a natural, huh?? I was also happy when more of the content got a lot of reach and attracted impressive engagement. 

The director of communications, Somachi Chris-Asoluka used the first task to gauge my performance and creativity levels to assign handling a particular social media page to me and also my other colleagues as well. I was assigned the Foundation’s Instagram page. It was quite tough for me because I felt like I was more of a Twitter person, but Somachi Chris-Asoluka encouraged me and opened my eyes to see that I was good and very creative enough to tackle my tasks head-on. This confidence and words of encouragement reinforced my drive and gave me newfound levels of belief to handle my role better. In the words of Napoleon Hill ” What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”.

I and my colleagues were also put through different aspects such as external relations, creating engaging content, fundamentals of writing a press release, understanding partnerships for sustainable development as well as monitoring and evaluation in line with the functions of the foundation. The whole process of working in the MCC unit has been an eye-opener. Also, the environment and culture at the Foundation are one that allows anyone to thrive. I was given the reigns to the social media pages with utmost creative freedom even without prior knowledge about marketing, corporate communications, or content creation but in a few weeks, with guidance and research, I’ve been able to figure out what people, take years in the university to learn.

I am also grateful to the colleagues I have, fellow graduate trainees and staff. Everyone is readily available to help and share the information which makes it easier to acclimatize and perform better in your role. To be frank, content creation is not as easy as it may seem and there are a lot of technical things involved like using a content calendar or planner to organize whatever content you’re putting out, maximizing your reach, and prompting engagement from your audience through quality posts. Nevertheless, I’ve been able to absorb knowledge like a sponge in water as well as be afforded the opportunity to network with my colleagues and grow my circle. One of the major highlights during the period was meeting one of my idols, Samuel Eto’o Fils during one of the units’ marketing rounds. The general Heirs Holdings culture is one I’d encourage other organizations to adopt as it is vital to the growth of both the employee and the company as well.

My journey so far in my time here has been filled with experiences that’d last a lifetime and I look forward to my next job rotation, the skills, network opportunities and experiences I’d get to pick up on and contribute to my all-round growth and career advancement while contributing to the success of the organization.

~ Author: Tobenna Etumnu.

The post My Third Week as a Tony Elumelu Foundation Graduate Trainee appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Seeing my reach and engagements grow Facebook post by Facebook post gets me excited and gives me a sense of accomplishment. I learnt that working hard isn’t only about putting in long hours; it’s also about being dedicated to one’s craft, achieving greatness, and continually striving to improve with each passing minute. 

To tell you the truth, I had no idea what to expect from a foundation like TEF. As a fresh graduate, I was concerned that my viewpoint would be ignored in such a large Foundation because others would assume I lacked expertise. When my fellow graduate trainees and I proposed suggestions, the TEF team always listens carefully. I have never been made to feel inexperienced, and I am frequently encouraged to work on my suggestions.  The TEF family has been extremely warm and accommodating. (I’m not sure I’ll get tired of saying it.) It’s also crucial to them that you know exactly what you want out of your job experience; after all, you’ve come to them.

My line manager’s words of encouragement boosted my confidence and confirmed that I could fulfil the role’s criteria. I believe that creating my weekly plan, which informs me and my team about what I would be doing each day, has been extremely beneficial.

I was assigned some rather difficult assignments on a couple of instances over the week, which were extremely beneficial because I felt stretched and accomplished far more than I had anticipated. The crew was also eager for my comments and was genuinely interested in my plans, such as my next career moves. Several times during my first few days here, I was asked what I hoped to gain from this programme. I didn’t know what to say; all I wanted to do was learn a little bit here and there, but if you asked me today, I’d have a better answer: I’d like to learn more about the working environment in places like this and gain a better understanding of it and of what professional life is like, and I’m also hoping to pick up some tips that may help me advance in my future career. 

Additionally, the benefits of my experience at TEF’s MCC division have not been restricted to the opportunities to work with amazing people. I’ve also been taking the time to network and grow my circle and it’s been a great experience so far. A big part of what I wanted out of this program was to try new things, and my time here has met that criterion in the first two weeks.  I’m enjoying not only the work I’m doing, but also the individuals I’m working with, whether it’s coming up with fresh ideas for my Facebook posts on my own or brainstorming with my teammates.

Though it was wonderful to work with my coworkers, I also loved the idea that we didn’t have to do everything together and that I was allowed to work alone and remind myself of my abilities and contributions to the Foundation.  Another thing that makes me happy is the support I’m getting from my colleagues. Not only have they been eager to answer my questions, but my line manager has expressed a willingness to assist me with whatever I require to feel at ease, as they believe that the happier you are at work, the more likely you are to stay and contribute your knowledge and experience to help the organisation achieve its goals.  Asking for help is difficult for me, but I know that when I do, help will be provided, and I am grateful for that.

 Even though I am aware that my team is available to assist me with my work, it takes a lot of self-motivation for me to summon the guts to ask for assistance.  I understand that I am still in the early phases of my work and that things will change and evolve over my time here. But, for the most part, things have gone well so far, and I’m pleased with where I’m at. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders after a long and tough job hunt, and I am looking forward to seeing what occurs in the following weeks.

~ Author: Chiemezie Nwosu

The post There’s Nothing More Incredible in Life Than Reinventing Yourself appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.