IKUSASA LAMI
WORK READINESS GUIDEBOOK
FOR TECHNICAL & VOCATIONAL EDUCATION & TRAINING
COLLEGE STUDENTS
Your future starts on page 9...First Edition
IKUSASA LAMI
Published 14 February 2017
Department of Higher Education & Training
Private Bag X174
Pretoria
0001
SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: +27 (12) 312 5911
Twitter:
@DHET4
Email: callcentre@dhet.gov.za
Web: www.DHET.gov.za
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Credits:
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Back cover photo: Copyright Sasol, source
Media Club South Africa,
www.mediaclubsouthafrica.com
“Our Stories” section photos and interviews:
EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative
Infographics created with free tools from
www.Canva.com
Citation format:
Please cite this publication in the format
provided below -
Department of Higher Education & Training
(2016), Ikusasa Lami.
Pretoria, South Africa: Author
ISBN 978-0-620-68376-0
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FOREWORD
The White Paper for Post-school Education and Training states that the priority of the Department of Higher Education and Training
(DHET) is to ‘strengthen and expand the public Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and turn them into attractive
institutions of choice by increasing their responsiveness to local labour markets and improving student support services’. Research has identified
Work Readiness as a key area of focus to increase access to employment for TVET college students and graduates.
Even before the introduction of the National Certificate Vocational (NCV) qualification in 2007, and the extension of Report 191 (NATED)
Programmes, students exiting the college system with the intention of finding formal employment, had found it difficult to compete
for jobs in the South African labour market. The college system offers vocational subjects in critical skills but college graduates still
struggle to find and keep jobs.
It is against this background that the Department developed a Work Readiness guidebook with the aim of positioning TVET college
students and graduates to compete favourably in the labour market. This guidebook is intended to assist college students and
graduates to find work placement opportunities and employment.
Work Readiness skills are critical to bridging the gap between TVET college graduates and their ability to access unemployment. Work
Readiness skills prepare students for adaptive behaviors that enable them to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of work
and everyday life. Work Readiness skills are wide-ranging and may include among others: behaviors related to self-actualisation, conflict
management, responsibility, study skills, teamwork, diversity, career planning, creative thinking, decision-making and leadership. The
guide provides links for further research and development of more skills and related infographics that will extend well beyond the
guide itself.
The Department is keen to address gaps between employer expectations by ensuring that TVET colleges produce graduates who
are employable and have the attributes, capabilities and dispositions to find work and be successful in the workplace. Research
emphasises knowledge, competencies, values, practical skills, sector and industry understanding and personal attributes instead of
just a list of generic skills. Employers value the conceptual foundation, knowledge and contextualised approach to tasks evidenced
by work ready college graduates.
There is a need for strong partnerships between TVET colleges and potential employers in order to increase student career options
whilst they are still at college. These cover a multitude of issues from life skills to soft skills, from instilling a work ethic to developing
personal initiative and responsibility. This work readiness guidebook is intended to assist TVET colleges to produce thinking, responsive
and well-rounded individuals who are flexible and can readily adapt to workplace demands and challenges.
This work readiness guidebook should be used by Life Orientation lecturers, Student Support Services staff, college students and
college graduates as well as the whole college community. For TVET college students and graduates, there are practical exercises
at the end of each topic to guide them through their work readiness journey. The exercises will guide them to complete their work
readiness journals which can be shared with other TVET college students and graduates.
The Department wishes to express its gratitude to the Danish government for the financial aid that enabled the research, development
and production of this work readiness guidebook through the Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA) Support to
Education and Skills Development (SESD) III Programme.
The guidebook serves as additional support to colleges by enabling them to develop new capabilities in equipping students
and graduates for success in the labour market. It should be used in conjunction with other relevant college materials
and resources to prepare TVET college students and graduates for the challenges of the
workplace. It should also be integrated with initiatives such as Workplace-Based Exposure /
Experience (WBE), Work Integrated Learning (WIL), Workplace-Based Learning (WPBL), programme
specific work readiness preparations and in support of generic work readiness skills, job search,
placement and tracking.

IKUSASA LAMI FIRST EDITION
3
Mr GF Qonde
Director-General: Department of Higher
Education and Training
14 February 2017
THE WORK
READINESS
TOOLKIT
NOTE TO READERS
TO COLLEGE STAFF
Including Lecturers, Student Support Unit staff, and Career
Counsellors
The content of this guidebook has been carefully
selected to provide information that is key to the work
readiness of college students. As a lecturer, student
support practitioner or career guidance counsellor, you
play a central role in preparing students on the journey
to the workplace.
Lecturers, specifically those who lecture Life
Orientation, can use this guidebook as a reference and
teaching activity book by making use of the content
and activities to supplement or enrich teaching and
learning. The student support practitioner or career
guidance counsellor can implement the content in
consultations or workshop sessions for individuals or
groups.
When making use of the guidebook in any of the
above situations, activities should be concluded
with the completion and discussion of the “Work
Readiness Journal” lessons learnt, and workplace
applications which appear at the end of each topic
and are completed by the students. This will ensure
that the lessons learnt and workplace applications are
considered and thought through instead of remaining
mere paper-based activities.
Be willing to share experiences from your own
personal journey into the workplace with students as
this will enrich and add authenticity to the teaching or
counselling and support you provide.
TO STUDENTS
What is the story of your life? Are you the one writing
it or are you letting circumstances write the story for
you? Or are your friends and parents writing the story
of your life? Don’t wake up one day and realise you are
not happy with your life, and someone else wrote your
script.
You are about to cross a river from your college life as
a student to your work life as an employee. Remember
the proverb, “one does not cross a river without getting
wet.” So prepare well before you enter the water, then
cross all the way to the other side and help those who
come after you.
This guidebook provides you with a toolkit which
will equip you with the soft skills necessary to
function effectively in the workplace. The five tools
each address a specific group of skills, attitudes and
values which are necessary in preparing to enter the
workplace and also your employment.
Share the knowledge inside the toolkit with others.
Return to your college when you are successful and
help the staff to write a new edition with more wisdom
and more tips for those who follow you.
You can make use of this guidebook in the following
environments as a journey to the workplace:
▲ Formal teaching and learning process (e.g. Life
Orientation); and
▲ Student support or career guidance counselling
sessions.
It is important that you engage with all of the “To Do”
activities featured within each topic and complete
the “Work Readiness Journal” for each topic. The
“To Do” activities will expose you to skills, attitudes
and values which are necessary for your effective
performance and functioning in the workplace. The
“Work Readiness Journal” will provide you with an
opportunity to reflect on the skills, attitudes and values
in the context of a workplace environment.
The impact that the toolkit will have on your readiness
for the workplace will ultimately be determined by
the effort and commitment you put into your work
readiness journey. Your “Work Readiness Journal”if
maintained and duly completed will accompany you
into the workplace as a reference journal which you
can use as a guidebook once in the workplace.
Space has been provided in this guidebook for you
to keep your “Work Readiness Journal”. Keep it in a
safe place as you will never know when you may need
to consult the lessons learnt on your journey to the
workplace.
You are invited to share the story of your journey into
the workplace once you are placed in employment so
that your experience can be shared and encourage
other college students. Submit your story to your
college’s Student Support Services manager.
The stories you will read

at the end of this book

are shared by many South African


youth.
They are not Hollywood stories

nor stories of the American Dream,

nor are they fairy tales.
They are tough stories

growing out of struggles and tears

and hardship.
They are our stories

and no-one can take them away

from us.
No-one can live them for us

and when we come to the end of

our life on Earth,

our story is what we take with us

into the night sky,

and it shines brightly like a star on


those below...
WORK READINESS GUIDE BOOK
4
PersonalMasteryJob SearchJob InterviewJobOrientationSkillsEntitlement & Expectations
Employers complain that
some graduates have
unrealistic expectations of
their first job and are not
willing to put hard work in
before expecting rewards.
They call this “entitlement”
and believe that such
graduates are not good team
players and fail to learn and
absorb the many new skills
and experiences the workplace
has to offer. Employers value
new entrants who are able to
wait to be rewarded until they
have settled in, learned from
those more experienced than
them, and contributed to the
benefit of their team and
organisation.
WHY?
“The dream is free,
the hustle is sold separately”
FAQs
"What if I am patient and my boss never
recognises me?"
Some organisations and some managers will
not have your interests in mind, and will be
content to use your time and energy for their
business without acknowledging or rewarding
you. Learning to choose an employer who is
responsible and ethical takes time, and many
people go through at least one or two bad jobs
before they can see the warning signs from afar.
Some research has shown as little as 35% of
managers are effective bosses. In situations like
this don’t act immediately or emotionally. Take
your time and get a second opinion of your
situation, preferably from someone who does
not work in the same company. It may be that
you should resign and find a better place to
work, but you should put your interests first and
wait until you have another job opening
confirmed before resigning. Here are some tips
for how to deal with a bad boss, and if you feel
like reading a book about bad bosses and how
to deal with them, you can download “A
Survival Guide for Working with Bad Bosses”
here.
Unknown
"I learned all this stuff at college and my manager is not interested
in trusting me with anything! What should I do?"
Experienced employees can be suspicious of new knowledge that
young employees bring to the workplace. After all they have
worked in that environment for years and now you arrive and want
to change everything. Be patient with your new ideas. Choose your
time carefully to introduce them, and make sure you have
researched the context (the actual situation) and have adapted your
theories to the local setting. New graduates are in fact valued for
their new approaches and knowledge but timing and the way you
suggest the changes are important. Don’t get discouraged if an
experienced coworker or manager cuts down your great ideas
mercilessly. They are watching how you react and respond, and if
you can pick yourself up, be willing to acknowledge weaknesses in
your proposals, and then rework your ideas, they will respect you
for your persistence. Here and here are some suggestions on how
to pitch new ideas to your boss.
Graduating from college can be an
exciting time in your life. You’ve spent 12
years in school and another two or three at
college, and now finally you will be
seeking employment, earning your own
money, contributing to society and have
some freedom. This enthusiasm and
optimism is a powerful source of strength
that will help you get through some of the
obstacles up ahead. It’s also fuel for
ambition, which is an important attribute
many employers are looking for. However
some graduates get ahead of themselves
and are so ambitious that they expect to
go from “zero to hero” overnight. They get
their first job, are disappointed that it
doesn’t meet their expectations, and
resign. They repeat the pattern over and
over and don’t build up deep networks
and work experience. Employers notice
that their CV includes several short work
stints and may interpret this as a lack of
commitment and responsibility.
IN A NUTSHELL
Email
WHY?
"I assume everything I'm saying in an
email or saying on the telephone is
being looked at"
FAQs
"Can I “undo” an email after I have sent it?"
Only some email programs allow you to do this.
Microsoft Outlook for example can do this when the
person you sent the email to also uses Microsoft
Outlook, or a similar email program. Think carefully
before you hit the SEND button. Save the email to
your Drafts folder if you need more time before
sending.
Michael Moore
Email is the most
commonly used
communication channel
for business purposes.
About 2,400,000 emails
are sent every second
around the world. Email
offers a fast and reliable
way to communicate
with other business
people. Be careful what
you say because
business emails can be
used as evidence in a
court of law and your
employer is required to
store emails for 3 years
or longer.
IN A NUTSHELL
Attitude
An older person might think your behaviour reflects a bad attitude, whereas they are
actually just misunderstanding the intention of your actions. In the workplace, your
supervisors and managers (i.e. your “bosses”) will almost always be older than you, since you
have only recently graduated from college. Sociologists study the differences between
generations which they call “social generations”. People born between the 1940’s and the
1960’s are called “Baby Boomers” (find out why). Your generation is referred to as
“Millennials” (born between early 1980’s and early 2000’s). The next generation is referred to
as “Generation Z”, (born between from the early 2000’s onwards).
WHY?
“Attitude”, in this context, refers to your emotional approach
and commitment to your work. A “good” attitude is generally
shown by sincerity, alertness, care, perseverance and a
willingness to overcome obstacles. A “bad” attitude is shown
by a lack of concern for work quality or quantity, rude
communication or behaviour, sloppiness, and giving up at the
first sign of difficulty in a task.
WHAT IS ATTITUDE?
“A bad attitude is like a flat tyre. If you
don’t change it, you won’t go anywhere.”
FAQs
Anonymous
Attitude is often top of the list of
what employers are looking for in
new entrants to the workforce.
Does this mean that many
students have a poor attitude to
work? Probably not. “Attitude”
means different things to
different people. The older
generation (bosses) may be
misunderstanding actions and
words by the younger generation.
They may also not “get” the
different approach to work which
youth around the world have.
Young people want to work
“smarter”, whereas the older
generation value those who
“work hard”. Understanding how
other people interpret “attitude”,
and being sensitive to your
actions and words, can help you
avoid misunderstanding, and
succeed at your first job.
IN A NUTSHELL
"How do I know if I have a bad attitude, or if it’s just
my boss misunderstanding me?"
Being aware of your emotional state at all times will
help you tell the difference. If you are feeling
positive about yourself, your day and your work,
and your boss accuses you of a bad attitude, it’s
likely that he or she has misunderstood you.
However if you cannot be sure of your emotional
state, then you won’t know for sure if their
accusation is true or not. To become more aware of
your emotional state, see the To Do List.
Choosing Jobs to Search For
If you limit yourself too much when job searching, you may
exclude jobs that could benefit you in ways you do not yet see.
You can limit yourself by being too “picky” and by being too
narrow in your searching, by searching for example only for jobs in
the same field that you studied. The Development Bank of South
Africa did research to understand how a person’s first job helps
them to stay employed later in life. They found that if young
people are able to hold down a first job for at least a year, their
chances of being employed the rest of their life was 85%. This
suggests that it is better to keep your first job for at least a year,
even if it’s not your dream job, and even if it’s tough and doesn’t
pay well. Your record of employment at the job can go on your CV
and you can put your boss as a reference for other potential
employers to contact. The experience you learn in this first job can
make a big difference in keeping the more attractive jobs you land
in future. A job candidate who has a year’s experience with good
references at a single company is sometimes more attractive to an
employer than a candidate who has had several jobs over the
year, and left all of them after a few months.
WHY?
“Look before you leap”
FAQs
"What else should I be looking for in a job, other than a good
salary?"
Salary (remuneration) is very important. However you
should be open-minded about the jobs you are searching
for as young people can restrict their career development
by seeking only the best paid jobs available.
To make a good job selection you need to consider many
things:
(1) meeting minimum requirements for the job
(2) costs involved in doing the job (e.g. transport,
accommodation, clothing)
(3) how this job helps you get a future, better job
(4) opportunities for training, education or experience
(5) opportunities for promotion
(6) the quality of the work environment
(7) benefits not related to salary, and of course
(8) the salary offered
Anonymous
Job scams
These are jobs advertised with huge
salaries or other “too good to be true”
offers which turn out to be illegal.
Job Scams advertise huge salaries for
what seems like little or no work. Some
scams require you to pay a “registration”
fee after which the scammer disappears or
you find out the job is actually less
attractive than was advertised. Other
scams get personal information from you,
and then use that to commit fraud in your
name, making you responsible. Report a
Crime - http://www.reportacrime.co.za -
offers a service where you can report
such scams, and also search to see if a
suspected scam is listed there. See Job
Mail (http://www.jobmail.co.za/avoidscams)
for a list of common job scams and tips to
avoid them.
Watch out for...
!
Good job research is the first
step in getting yourself good
employment. Its also part of
building a valuable skill for
yourself - Job Searching -
which can help you many
times ahead in your future. The
objective of job search is to get
a job interview with an
employer. Job search consists
of many different steps, but
this article focuses on the
groups of jobs (occupations)
you are considering. Many first
time work seekers have a
narrow set of jobs in mind, and
this excludes them from
opportunities that other kinds
of work could offer them.
Remember that your first job
does not need to be your last
job, so don’t be too fussy. At the
same time you will be
spending about 40 hours every
week at your job, so it must be
something that you connect to
on a personal level.
IN A NUTSHELL
Job scams
Job Interview Research
Would you score with a boy or girl if you didn’t know their name, or anything about
them? Not likely. In the same way, to build a relationship with your employer, you will
need to know what makes them tick, what they are trying to achieve, what they
value and how they prefer to work. Job interview research will give you an edge in
your job interview, over people who may have a better CV than you. Your employer
will be impressed that you are interested in working in their organisation not just for
the salary, but because you see an overlap between the employer’s mission and your
own life mission.
WHY?
Job interview research is not just a tool you use to land
your first job, then forget it for the rest of your life. The
average number of years young people hold a job for is
about 4 - 5 years, with people born after 1980 likely to have
more than five jobs in their life-time. Job interview research
is a skill you can use again and again to research new
potential employers. Keep in mind however that holding a
first job for 12 months or longer will increase your likelihood
of being employed the rest of your life to 85%.
By the way…
“One important key to success is
confidence and an important key to
self-confidence is preparation”
FAQs
"What kind of information do I need to research
about my potential employer?"
What is important to you? How the organisation
works? Why the organisation exists? The future
plans of the organisation? Who the top management
of the organisation are? Past successes or failures of
the organisation? It is up to you really? What matters
is not so much that you know everything there is to
know about the employer, but that you know things
that are meaningful to you about the employer. In
your interview you will likely be asked, “Why are you
interested in working at *this* organisation?”
You can then mention the information you
researched about it and link that back to your own
interests and motivations. A sincere answer is
better than an answer where you fake an interest in
the employer that is not true.
Arthur Ashe
Job interview research is an
essential part of preparing for your
job interview. It involves learning as
much as you can about your
potential employer, and then
thinking about how this links to
your own personal interests and
abilities. It’s not only about
knowing facts about your
employer, it’s also about seeing the
relationship between your values
and ambitions, and your
employer’s vision and mission. The
fact that you have taken the time
to research your employer shows
that you are “interviewing” your
potential employer as much as
your prospective employer is
interviewing you. This signals to the
employer that you are proactive,
not reactive, and that you check
the facts before leaping to a
decision.
IN A NUTSHELL
Your First Day
We all know about stereotyping and its not cool when it happens to you.
What will your employer and your coworkers think about you after your
first day and the first week? Its easier to maintain a good impression that you
make during the first week of work, than it is to change a negative impression
that you made on the first day. By setting the bar high on day one you show
your employer that you are not afraid of excellence, and you also give
yourself a benchmark for the rest of your days there.
WHY?
“All labour that uplifts humanity has
dignity and importance and should be
undertaken with painstaking
excellence”
Martin Luther King
Jnr
Your first day at work can be
confusing, frustrating and
messed-up. Especially if this is your
first job and especially if your
employer is not used to induction
(introducing new employees to the
workforce). If you are lucky your
employer will make time for you to
experience induction or orientation.
If not you will have to “sink or swim”
in the deep end of the organisation.
This infographic will try to prepare
you for what you can expect so that
your first day is a fantastic memory.
IN A NUTSHELL
Don’t be late for work
Employers expect you to start highly
motivated and organised. Getting to work late
on your first day will trigger all the wrong
switches in your boss’ brain. Just like with
your interview, make sure you know where
you are starting work (if it’s not the same
place as your interview) and make every
effort to get to work early. This means have
a plan B for your transport if plan A fails, and
make sure your watch or phone is working
and accurate. Ask your mom or someone
you live with to double­check that you are
awake at the same time. Arriving late will
mean starting work on the back foot, and
you will have to fight to change negative
perceptions that you triggered on day one.
Watch out for...
!
Don’t be late for work
Planning & Prioritising
Planning and prioritising skills have
been identified by employers as an
essential capability that young
people must bring to the workplace.
With the rapid advances in
technology in the twenty first
century, workers have opportunities
and requirements to multi-task more
than ever before, and can be more
productive than ever before, but not
without learning to plan their days
and prioritise their tasks.
WHY?
“In the modern workplace,
distraction is destruction”
FAQs
Mike Stuart
"Help! I know what tasks I need to do but I
always end up wasting time with less important
stuff"
You may be a procrastinator (someone who
delays unpleasant tasks in favour of something
unimportant). There are many techniques you
can use to break this habit. Find one that works
for you. Each person’s psychology is different,
so you may need to try a few of these
techniques before you find one that works for
you.
Deadlines, targets, interruptions, stress
and distractions. All the ingredients you
need for a large explosion. Fortunately
with good planning and prioritising skills
you can navigate these things without
losing track of what needs to be done
each day, and you can make sure you
don’t forget important things that can’t be
tackled just yet. Your ability to plan and
prioritise is essential for your success in
the workplace no matter what industry
sector or occupation you work in.
IN A NUTSHELL
Overplaning
If you try to plan and control your day too
much you can end up wasting time and
frustrating yourself. Every day there will be
unplanned and unplannable incidents that
you have to squeeze into your schedule
without time to think much about it. Too
much planning can stress you out, make
you grumpy with coworkers and customers,
and make you skip tasks that are actually
important.
Watch out for...
!
Overplaning
(Proverb)
Creativity & Innovation
The world is changing very quickly
and this makes it important for
businesses and their employees to be
more creative and innovative than
ever before.
The internet was invented in 1984
and it took 15 years for it to get 50
million users. 17 years after that the
internet has 2,700 million users, or
39% of the world’s population. 90%
of the data in the world was created
in the last two years.
It is not only technology that is
changing rapidly, but society, the
economy and the environment. The
increase in divorce rates and the
effect of HIV/AIDS means that only
one in every three children in South
Africa now lives with both parents.
The economy and environment are
also changing rapidly.
Rapid change causes stress on people
who have to deal with unexpected
situations that their parents did not
experience. It also causes stress on
businesses. Businesses find that they
have to create new products and
services more quickly than ever
before. Customers are more
demanding now than they were
before and can complain via social
media channels in ways that are
more effective than ever before.
WHY?
Creativity and innovation in a work context means your ability to
find new solutions and improvements to challenges in your job.
For example, if you worked in a clothing shop and noticed that
the babies and toddlers clothes were far away from the
mother’s clothes, you might suggest putting them next to each
other, because mothers are often the ones shopping for babies
and toddlers. That way your shop will sell more clothes and your
customers will find what they want more quickly.
WHAT IS CREATIVITY?
“The real act of discovery consists not
in finding new lands but in seeing
with new eyes”
Marcel Proust
Many employers ask you to
describe something creative
you have done, when they
interview you for a job. They
say they need employees
who can work creatively and
innovate (improve) current
business practices. Young
people are often the best
employees to do this
because they understand
the new forces shaping
business, such as
technological breakthroughs,
social media and
environmental and social
responsibility. Young people
are also the majority of the
population in South Africa,
and therefore the majority of
the customers for many
businesses. But creativity is
not something that is always
taught at schools or colleges.
IN A NUTSHELL
Building a CV
Why don’t employers just use your National
Senior Certificate or your NC(V) statement of
results for hiring purposes? Because employers are
not just looking for clever employees, they are
looking for smart employees, and smart
employees don’t just have qualifications, they
have personalities, character, visions and dreams.
Smart employees are socially active, civically
engaged, proactive, agile and persistent. These are
some of the qualities employers are looking for in
a CV that do not necessarily reflect in a college
certificate alone.
WHY?
CV stands for Curriculum Vitae.
A “curriculum” is a course of study (like your TVET college
programme) and “vitae” means life, so a CV is a document
describing your lifelong learning, including classroom study and
real work experience.
A CV is also called a “resume”.
WHAT IS A CV?
“Find a job you like and you add
five days to the week”
FAQs
H. Jackson
Brown, Jr
"What should a good CV not consist of?"
Here are some humorous quotes from actual CVs to
show you how careless people can be when drafting
such an important document. See if you can spot the
mistakes and think how you would correct them :
* "My hobbies including cooking dogs
and interesting people"
* "My role was to pervert unauthorised people
coming on the site"
* "I was responsible for dissatisfied customers"
* "Duties involved processing clams"
* "I am in charge of ensuring dew diligence"
Clean up your social media posts
Recruiters are increasingly using social
media to build a picture of candidates that
they are considering hiring. This is
something to be aware of whenever you
post on Facebook, tweet on Twitter or make
any other kind of public comments. Check
your privacy settings on these apps to
make sure you post appropriate content for
different audiences. Also remember that no
matter how private your settings are,
anything on the internet can be hacked and
exposed. (How to delete online history).
Watch out for...
!
The purpose of a CV is to
impress an employer so much
that they want to shortlist you
and interview you for a job
opening. Some employers
consider the CV as more
important than your exam
results. Your CV is not
something you write once and
then forget about. It expresses
your continuing learning and
experience throughout the
course of your life and so it just
gets better and better with time.
Considering how important your
CV is shouldn’t you spend a few
days or even a week creating it
and improving it? And
whenever you complete an
important course, or gain
valuable experience, make a
note of it in your CV so that you
can always send out the latest
version to a potential employer.
IN A NUTSHELL
Social Media
Preparing for
the Interview
The difference between a prepared interview and an unprepared interview is like the
difference between getting dressed smartly for a date or going in your pyjamas. Compared
to the amount of exam preparation and study you have done, during 12 years or more of
schooling and college, the preparation for your job interviews is a small task with a
potentially life-changing reward if you get hired. Unlike your exams, you can’t write supps,
or appeal the decision. There is no moderation of your job interview, and no “undo” button.
And for each job opening there is only one person selected, unlike exams, where a
percentage of everyone who writes will pass.
WHY?
“Job interviews are like first dates:
good impressions count,
awkwardness can occur,
outcomes are unpredictable”
FAQs
"I have just got an opportunity for a job interview
tomorrow and I don’t have time to prepare - what do I do?"
It’s wonderful to have this opportunity and if it is not
possible to postpone the interview, then you should do as
much preparation as you can, without getting too hard on
yourself if you still feel you are not ready. Part of being
“work ready” is being able to handle situations that you are
thrown into without preparation, so look at it as an
opportunity to practise your agility and adaptability. Even if
the interview is not successful it will be part of your own
learning experience and growth because the more
interviews you attend, the more experienced you get at
being interviewed.
Unknown
Preparing properly for
your interview will
give you a boost of
confidence and may
make the difference
between being
selected or not. You
have done so much
work to get the
interview opportunity
that you owe it to
yourself to be
prepared for it as
best you can. Don’t
leave your
preparation to the
last minute. Make
sure you have
finished all your
preparations the day
before. This is part of
the work of proving
that you are ready to
be offered the job and
are responsible
enough to make a
success of it. Your
interviewers will
almost always be
able to feel whether
you are prepared or
not, and will be
reluctant to approve
a person for the job
who appears at the
interview not fully
prepared.
IN A NUTSHELL
Attendance & Leave
To understand why attendance is such a sore point with employers, put yourself in their shoes: they are paying
you to *not be at work* every time you are late, leave early or don’t pitch up. Many organisations are already
working with as few people as possible, to keep salary costs down. This means each person is usually doing the
job of more than one person, and so when you miss work it has a bigger impact than just one person not being
there. Your absence means your co workers have to carry your load as well as their own. These days many
companies also have legal agreements to deliver a product or service in a specific quantity, at a specific quality, by
specific dates and times. If even one person messes up their job this could result in the company failing to meet its
delivery agreements, and losing business, or failing to reach a service delivery target.
WHY?
“I want to hire employees who
arrive late” - said no boss ever
FAQs
Unknown
"What are the maximum working hours?"
45 normal hours per week, 10 overtime hours
per week and 5 days per week. However you
can agree to work up to 12 hours a day so long
as you don’t exceed the weekly limit on normal
hours, overtime hours or days. Also if you work
more than 5 days a week then you should not
work more than 8 hours a day, and if you work 1
- 5 days a week you should not work more than
9 hours a day. See the Department of Labour
Basic Guide to Working Hours for more detail.
Many employers state that new
employees are frequently absent or late
for work, so this is one area where you can
quickly stand out from the crowd and
show your value to your employer. In
modern organisations salaries are often
the biggest input cost, yet many people are
simply not at work for significant periods
of time during the day, costing South
African companies more than R10 billion
a year. There are many reasons why
people cannot always be at work on time,
all the time, and this infographic will help
you keep to a minimum your work
interruptions. One of the most important
things you can do is warn your employer
in advance that you are not going to be at
work, or will be late. It’s not always possible
to know in advance, but the simple fact of
communicating as soon as you know
you will be delayed tells your employer
that you take the situation seriously and
care about how it impacts them.
IN A NUTSHELL
There are a lot of laws dealing with attendance,
leave and pay, covered by the Basic Conditions of
Employment Act, plus special agreements for certain
occupations, for learner workers and certain
economic sectors. For this reason there are some
exceptions to the answers below. See the
Department of Labour website for detailed
information, and check with your union
representative or HR department if you are not sure.
Teamwork
In recent years, teams have emerged as the basic building blocks of effective organisations. Teams reduce
inefficient hierarchies, speed decision making, and discover improvements to customer problems more
quickly. In the 1960’s, a typical business unit would focus on one part of a business process (say assembly)
have a manager, a supervisor and a team leader, plus ten regular employees. Nowadays it’s common for a
business unit to have five employees and a team leader, and to cover several parts of a business process
(say assembly, manufacturing, purchasing and sales). Through technological advances and process
improvements, this team does the work of five teams from a typical 1960’s factory.
WHY?
“None of us is as smart
as all of us”
FAQs
Ken Blanchard
Teams are more effective at solving their
own problems and more robust because
of the different skills sets and personalities
they contain. However teamwork requires
more advanced interpersonal skills and a
willingness to drop some of your personal
boundaries to advance the team’s
progress. Arguments, jealousy, rivalry, and
bullying are just some of the challenges a
team can face, and unless these are
resolved quickly, everyone in the team can
suffer. Teamwork requires a paradox
(seemingly conflicting ideas): the
individual’s well-being is as important as
the team’s well-being. Teams that neglect
individuals fall apart, but individuals within
a team who neglect the team end up
falling behind. Perhaps this is a modern
rediscovery of the saying, “All for one and
one for all?”
IN A NUTSHELL
"There are some people in our team who are wrecking it by
their behaviour.
What can I do about it?"
Naming the negative behaviour can help to make everyone
aware of it. The kinds of destructive behaviour that teams
often get into include conflict, withdrawal, monopolising and
scape-goating. Conflict is an issue we have looked at already
(page 91). Withdrawal is a common behaviour where a
person just refuses to participate in the team. A good team
will be a safe environment for introverted (shy) people to
open up more, and will not force people to participate. Some
personality types contribute less than others, but their
contributions are very powerful when they happen. A good
team respects the individuality of each contribution.
Monopolising is a destructive behaviour where one or two
team members are so active that other team members
can’t make a contribution, or are forced to contribute in
limited ways only. Scapegoating is where the group blames
an individual member for its failure to achieve something,
instead of recognising that the failure is the group’s
responsibility. You can read up more about these behaviours
and how to respond to them here.
Personal B
FOREWORD
3
NOTE TO READERS
4
TO COLLEGE STAFF
4
TO STUDENTS
4
THE JOB SEARCH JOURNEY
8
THE WORK READINESS TOOLKIT
9
PERSONAL MASTERY
10
ATTITUDE
10
CREATIVITY & INNOVATION
15
PERSONAL BRAND
20
JOB SEARCH
25
CHOOSING JOBS TO SEARCH FOR
25
BUILDING YOUR CV
27
WHERE TO SEARCH
32
JOB INTERVIEW
36
JOB INTERVIEW RESEARCH
36
PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW
41
AFTER THE INTERVIEW
46
WORK READINESS GUIDE BOOK
6
JOB ORIENTATION
51
YOUR FIRST DAY
51
ATTENDANCE & LEAVE
57
PERFORMANCE
63
ENTITLEMENT AND EXPECTATIONS
68
SKILLS
72
ENGLISH FOR THE WORKPLACE
72
CAREER
78
COMMUNICATION
84
CONFLICT
91
PLANNING & PRIORITISING
97
TEAM WORK
104
TECHNOLOGY
110
EMAIL
116
OUR STORIES
120
CONTACT DETAILS
127

IKUSASA LAMI FIRST EDITION
7
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Job Search Journey
Personal
Mastery
Skills
Job
Search
Job
Interview
Job
Orient-
ation
(fitting in)
(being your
own boss)
Have a look below at the cycle of five steps involved in searching for your desired job.
Note that Personal Mastery is the starting point for your job search journey, and the foundation of all
other skills you will need. Also note that you may have to make more than one cycle through the job
search journey as you learn more about what is required in the workplace,
and build additional skills in your profile.
WORK READINESS GUIDE BOOK
8
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Personal Mastery
Job Search
Job Interview
Job Orientation
Skills
English for the Workplace - page 72
Career - page 78
Communication - page 84
Conflict - page 91
Planning & Prioritising - page 97
Team Work - page 104
Technology - page 110
Email - page 116
Entitlement and Expectations - page 68
Performance - page 63
Attendance & Leave - page 57
Your First Day - page 51
Job Interview Research - page 36
Preparing for the Interview - page 41
After the Interview - page 46
Choosing Jobs to Search For - page 25
Building Your CV - page 27
Where to Search - page 32
Attitude - page 10
Creativity & Innovation - page 15
Personal Brand - page 20
The Work Readiness Toolkit
Personal Mastery
Job Orientation
Skills
Job Search
Job Interview
“ One does not
cross a river
without
getting wet
Zulu Proverb ”
9
Attitude
An older person might think your behaviour reflects a bad attitude, whereas they are
actually just misunderstanding the intention of your actions. In the workplace, your
supervisors and managers (i.e. your “bosses”) will almost always be older than you, since you
have only recently graduated from college. Sociologists study the differences between
generations which they call “social generations”. People born between the 1940’s and the
1960’s are called “Baby Boomers” (find out why). Your generation is referred to as
“Millennials” (born between early 1980’s and early 2000’s). The next generation is referred to
as “Generation Z”, (born between from the early 2000’s onwards).
WHY?
“Attitude”, in this context, refers to your emotional approach
and commitment to your work. A “good” attitude is generally
shown by sincerity, alertness, care, perseverance and a
willingness to overcome obstacles. A “bad” attitude is shown
by a lack of concern for work quality or quantity, rude
communication or behaviour, sloppiness, and giving up at the
first sign of difficulty in a task.
WHAT IS ATTITUDE?
“A bad attitude is like a flat tyre. If you
don’t change it, you won’t go anywhere.”
FAQs
Anonymous
Attitude is often top of the list of
what employers are looking for in
new entrants to the workforce.
Does this mean that many
students have a poor attitude to
work? Probably not. “Attitude”
means different things to
different people. The older
generation (bosses) may be
misunderstanding actions and
words by the younger generation.
They may also not “get” the
different approach to work which
youth around the world have.
Young people want to work
“smarter”, whereas the older
generation value those who
“work hard”. Understanding how
other people interpret “attitude”,
and being sensitive to your
actions and words, can help you
avoid misunderstanding, and
succeed at your first job.
IN A NUTSHELL
"How do I know if I have a bad attitude, or if it’s just
my boss misunderstanding me?"
Being aware of your emotional state at all times will
help you tell the difference. If you are feeling
positive about yourself, your day and your work,
and your boss accuses you of a bad attitude, it’s
likely that he or she has misunderstood you.
However if you cannot be sure of your emotional
state, then you won’t know for sure if their
accusation is true or not. To become more aware of
your emotional state, see the To Do List.


10
FAQs
"I have a lousy attitude all day, but it’s not my
job causing it"
You may have had some bad experiences in the
past, or be worrying about bad experiences in
the future, and this could be causing you to have
a negative attitude at work. Try to deal with this
challenge because it may negatively impact your
work. Sometimes just talking to a close friend
about your experiences can help you move on.
Other times talking to an older person you trust,
a pastor, counsellor or psychologist will be
necessary. If you find your attitude is upsetting
people at work it's ok to say something like this:
“I am aware of my problem and I am getting
counselling to help me. Please be patient with
me.” Saying nothing may just make your work
situation worse, because people will not
understand your attitude.
TO DO
LISTS
Understand generational
differences
Read the Wikipedia articles on Millennials and Baby
Boomers.
Make a list of the differences between your parent’s
generation and your generation. In the columns include
headings like “Speech, Body language, Dress, Diet,
Technology, Emotions”. Fill in the list to see how these
generations are different. Share the list with a person
from your parent’s generation, and a friend, and see if
they agree with your list of differences.
"I do have a bad attitude because I hate my job!"
There are few employees who never experience
hating their job :D
This may be especially true if you have just
started working, or if you have just moved to a
new part of the company, or been given a new
boss or co-workers. In that case your feelings
may change as you settle-in. If you find yourself
still hating your job consistently for more than a
month then there is probably something wrong.
Here are some steps you can follow:
(1) Try to work out what is causing you to hate
your job.
(2) If a person or task is making you hate your
job it can sometimes help to talk to co-workers
first and see how they are able to manage the
same task or person without getting upset
(3) If co-workers can’t help you it’s time to talk to
your team-leader, supervisor or manager
(4) Phrase your request for help something like
this, “Please can you help me with [this person
or this task]. I am struggling to enjoy my work
because of [him or her or it], and I really want to
do my best at this job. Is there anything you can
suggest to help me?”
(5) Don’t expect an immediate solution. It may
take time to get the help you need and your boss
may expect you to swallow your attitude and try
harder for a while. However good bosses know
that they don’t get the best performance from
people who are not enjoying a specific task or
work environment, and they will try to change
your situation as a result
The Development Bank of South Africa did
research to understand how a person’s first job
helps them to stay employed later in life. They
found that if young people are able to hold down
a first job for at least a year, their chances of
being employed the rest of their life was 85%.
This suggests that you should put special effort
into holding down a job for at least a year, even
if it’s not your dream job, and even if it’s tough
and doesn’t pay well. Your record of
employment at the job can go on your CV and
you can put your boss as a reference for other
potential employers to contact.



11
Links
This is a detailed guide on emotional intelligence and how to develop it
Stress management is an important part of keeping a good work attitude.
Check out these apps that help you de-stress. If you don’t have a smart-
phone, try using a stress ball or breathing exercises to reduce your stress
levels. Exercise is another great way to reduce stress and promote your
health at the same time.
Walking (infographic) is a great way to de-stress. Humans are not meant to
sit for long periods of time as many of us do in our workplaces. Use your
lunch-hour or tea-breaks to move around.
Get into the habit of inspiring yourself on a daily basis. A personal journal
can help you to see how you are slowly making progress in your life. Here
and here are two good links for starting a personal journal.
Inspirational quotes can also give you a boost when you need it. Tumblr and
Instagram are great sources of inspirational quotes. Create a Scrapbook
with your favourite inspirational quotes and use it to boost your mental
immune system when you feel yourself coming down with negativity.
Often the way we talk and think about ourselves is the source of our
negativity. Some people enjoy using positive affirmations to turn that around.
Some points to consider when you hate your job.
Understand emotional intelligence
Self-awareness – knowing your own emotions
and how they effect your behaviour
Self-management – being able to manage your emotions
in a healthy way
Social awareness – recognising and understanding
the emotional states and needs of others
Relationship management – being able to relate to individuals
and teams in a healthy way
TO DO
LISTS
Emotional intelligence is “the capacity to be aware of, control, and
express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships
judiciously (with clear judgement) and empathetically (with feeling).”
Develop emotional intelligence so that you can know if someone is right
or not when they tell you that you have a bad attitude. Emotional
intelligence is also referred to as EQ (Emotional Quotient) and it is seen
as important alongside IQ (Intelligence Quotient).
The four skills sets of emotional intelligence are:
Understand how what you eat affects how you feel
If you have a bad attitude, it may not only be caused by negative thinking or bad experiences. The food you are eating can affect
your body chemistry and your body chemistry can affect your emotional state. Keep a daily journal. Record what you eat each
day, and record your emotional state (e.g. happy, sad, anxious, guilty, regretful, bored). After a month look back at your journal
and see if you can find a pattern between what you eat and how you feel.
See this article for some suggestions on foods that can affect your emotions.
The four most common emotional traps in
the workplace
Passivity: agreeing with everything said but
not acting on it
Manipulation: controlling other people
emotionally for selfish gain
Bullying: being mean or cruel to people to
make yourself feel better
Drama: focusing large amounts of energy
and attention on things that are not actually
that important, including gossiping and
excessive complaining
Watch out for...
!
IQ






























12
Understanding cultural differences
Make a list of the differences between your culture and other cultures.
In the columns include headings like “Speech, Body language, Dress,
Diet, Technology, Emotions” PLUS "traditions & cultural practices",
and "male­female relationships". Fill in the list to see how these
generations are different. Share the list with a person from another
culture, and a friend, and see if they agree with your list of differences.
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
How is emotional intelligence affecting your life at the moment?
What lessons have you learned about attitude that you can take
into the workplace with you?
How would you rate your overall emotional intelligence at this point
in time (Good – Fair – Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to the
four skill sets of emotional intelligence by referring to examples in
your own life.
How does your emotional intelligence affect your attitude in the
workplace?
13
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
14
Creativity & Innovation
The world is changing very quickly
and this makes it important for
businesses and their employees to be
more creative and innovative than
ever before.
The internet was invented in 1984
and it took 15 years for it to get 50
million users. 17 years after that the
internet has 2,700 million users, or
39% of the world’s population. 90%
of the data in the world was created
in the last two years.
It is not only technology that is
changing rapidly, but society, the
economy and the environment. The
increase in divorce rates and the
effect of HIV/AIDS means that only
one in every three children in South
Africa now lives with both parents.
The economy and environment are
also changing rapidly.
Rapid change causes stress on people
who have to deal with unexpected
situations that their parents did not
experience. It also causes stress on
businesses. Businesses find that they
have to create new products and
services more quickly than ever
before. Customers are more
demanding now than they were
before and can complain via social
media channels in ways that are
more effective than ever before.
WHY?
Creativity and innovation in a work context means your ability to
find new solutions and improvements to challenges in your job.
For example, if you worked in a clothing shop and noticed that
the babies and toddlers clothes were far away from the
mother’s clothes, you might suggest putting them next to each
other, because mothers are often the ones shopping for babies
and toddlers. That way your shop will sell more clothes and your
customers will find what they want more quickly.
WHAT IS CREATIVITY?
“The real act of discovery consists not
in finding new lands but in seeing
with new eyes”
Marcel Proust
Many employers ask you to
describe something creative
you have done, when they
interview you for a job. They
say they need employees
who can work creatively and
innovate (improve) current
business practices. Young
people are often the best
employees to do this
because they understand
the new forces shaping
business, such as
technological breakthroughs,
social media and
environmental and social
responsibility. Young people
are also the majority of the
population in South Africa,
and therefore the majority of
the customers for many
businesses. But creativity is
not something that is always
taught at schools or colleges.
IN A NUTSHELL
15
Fear of failure
Creativity is fueled by support from others
and your first successes. If you have had
bad experiences with being creative in the
past, or if others have given you a hard time
with criticisms and judgements, it can
cramp your creative style. To help yourself
get beyond this, start with small projects
and build up slowly. Each success will give
you more confidence to try the next more
difficult project. Also keep a record of your
creativity projects, like a scrapbook. Record
your successes and failures. Next to your
failures, write what you learned from them.
Watch out for...
!
Develop your creativity
Start a Creativity Journal or Scrapbook
Every day reflect for 10 minutes on what you did and make a note of
anything creative you or someone-else did.
After a month, start writing down creative challenges at night before
you sleep, at the back of the book. A creative challenge could be
anything you want to make, solve, fix or express. Read these when
you reflect on your day as in Step 2 and make a note of any
solutions
or creative ideas that start to come to you
Make a list of people you think are creative at the back of the book,
and explain why
Research these people and identify at least one behaviour, activity or
discipline these people do which may explain why they are so
creative
If you get a chance to interview these people do so, and ask them
how they get creative, and what their secret to success is
After about two months, offer to teach someone younger than you
what you have learned about creativity. By teaching them you will
strengthen your own understanding and confidence about creativity.
You may even learn new things and see new perspectives through
this. Showing them your creativity journal may help them build their
own creativity
Your journal or scrapbook may just be a useful experiment for a
month or two, or you may keep it going the rest of your life. Either
way you will be able to talk about your creative experience in any job
interview.
TO DO
LISTS
Fear of Failure
Make sure you understand what creativity is first.
Building a CV
Personal
brand
Team work
SEE
ALSO
You can copy a result
but not the creativity
Unknown
16
LinksThis infographic shows how rapidly the internet has exploded, and how companies that were not innovative are
now “extinct”
Discover what a mind-map is and how you can use one to creatively solve problems
“Hackers” are not just computer geeks who create viruses. A “hacker” is anyone who finds a better way of
making things work. Watch this video of a 13 year old boy who is “hacking” his schooling to make it more
interesting and relevant. How would you hack the educational system to make it better for your children?
A Google Search of “how to increase your creativity” yields over 29,3 million results. Browse some of these and
share the best one with a friend.
FAQs
What is the difference between creativity and
innovation?
Creativity refers to the process of coming up with
new responses to any kind of challenge or to
express your desires and intentions. Artists often
talk about the “creative process” which enables
them to think of new approaches and perspectives.
Inventors also use the creative process to imagine
better products and technologies. The creative
process can also be used to develop new business
services, or radically improve existing ones.
Imagination and curiosity are important parts of the
creative process.
Innovation is the development of original
approaches and solutions to challenges we already
face in the world. It is used often in science and
technology situations, as well as in business.
Creativity is a requirement for innovation.
Both creativity and innovation are increasingly
viewed as team or group processes because
complex challenges often require experts from
more than one field to collaborate.
TO DO
LISTS
Research Design Thinking
This is a new approach to problem solving which is
being used in some businesses. This Wikipedia
article provides a good introduction and this video
explains how
Design Thinking works.
Reflect on how Design Thinking could solve a problem
your family, college or community is experiencing
Gather together a group of people who are interested
in solving the problem
Explain to them how Design Thinking works
Then apply the process and see how far you can get
in solving the problem
Make sure to mention your experience in your CV
The worst enemy
to creativity is
self-doubt
Sylvia Plath













17
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about Creativity & Innovation that
you can apply to your life now?
What lessons have you learned about Creativity & Innovation that
you can take into the workplace with you?
How would you rate your overall creativity and ability to innovate
(Good – Fair – Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to (a) your
creativity and (b) design thinking ability by referring to specific
examples in your own life.
How will creativity and innovation improve your performance in the
workplace?
18
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
19
Personal Brand
WHY?
A brand is the set of ideas, feelings, emotions and
attitudes people attached to an organisation, product, or
person. For example, the Vodacom brand is projected as
a fun to use, exciting brand. By sponsoring major sports
events, Vodacom builds this brand over time, and
strengthens this association in people’s minds.
WHAT IS A BRAND?
“Be yourself, because
everyone else is taken”
FAQs
"Is my personal brand the same as
my reputation?"
“Reputation” is related to your
personal brand, but whereas
“reputation” refers to how people see
you, “personal brand” refers to how
you actively affect the way people see
you.
A personal brand is the set of
ideas, feelings, emotions and
attitudes that people identify
with a specific person, rather
than an organisation or
product. For example the
South African singer Lira has
a personal brand that is
distinct from other popular
celebrities, and expresses a
more authentic, more
African, and less commercial
identity. Your personal brand
is something you can
become aware of, improve
and strengthen over time.
While you may work in many
different organisations, your
personal brand follows you
wherever you go and is an
important part of your ability
to succeed at work.
IN A NUTSHELL
Oscar Wilde
20
Building a fake brand may be tempting but it
can backfire badly on you. For example, if
you are naturally a shy person who does not
like speaking in public, it may be difficult to
build a brand that includes the words
“talkative” or “vivacious”. When choosing
how to build your brand, try to be as
authentic (true) as possible. At the same
time try to see yourself in the best possible
light, in other words, see the good in
yourself that may not always be visible to
others. People can be quite harsh on
themselves when describing their current
personal brands. That is why it helps to get
the opinion of other people we trust when we
work on our personal brand. They can see
positive aspects of our personalities which
we may not see as clearly.
If you are working to improve a specific
quality in yourself, don’t stop, but perhaps
leave it out of your personal brand statement
until you are confident you have cracked it.
For example if you are naturally quite shy
and reserved, work on becoming more
talkative and outgoing, but leave this out of
your personal brand until you can objectively
confirm that you have made progress.
Watch out for...
!
Discovering your current brand
Everybody already has a personal brand, whether good or
bad, strong or weak.
Do you know what your personal brand is?
Write down a list of words that you think describe your personal brand
(e.g. friendly, fun, care-free, sociable)
Now ask one of your friends to write down a list of words that describe
how they see you. Then ask one of your neighbours to do the same
thing. Then someone from your family
How similar are the lists of words to the list you wrote about yourself?
How differently do friends, neighbours and family members see you,
compared to each other?
To get a more accurate idea of your current brand, ask more people
for feedback
TO DO
LISTS
Faking your brand
Should I use social media to build my
personal brand?
Social media can publicly represent
your personal brand to potential
employers, supporters or influential
peers, at virtually no cost.
Some social media platforms, like
Twitter, are by default 100% public. Be
careful what you share on them
because what seems hilarious to you
at 11 pm on a Saturday night may not
be viewed in the same way by a
potential employer at 8 am on a
Monday morning. Before you start
using a social media platform, read
their Help pages to check how you can
delete a post.
Despite the dangers of public posts,
your Tweets, Shout-outs, Likes, Posts
and Comments can also communicate
your personal brand effectively to a
very wide audience.
FAQs
If people like you they
will listen to you, but if
they trust you, they'll
do business with you
Zig Ziglar
FA
KE
21
Links
Forbes article on building a personal
brand
Check out these infographics on
personal brands. Post the best ones to
your favourite social media platform
with #PersonalBrand
Check out this 4 minute video by
William Arruda on “How NOT to Build
Your Personal Brand”
The Personal Branding Blog -
http://www.thepersonalbrandingblog.co
m/ - has several tips and articles
focused on different aspects of
personal branding
The Personal Branding TV website -
http://www.personalbranding.tv/ - has
radio interviews and video
presentations on many different
aspects of branding yourself
The Complete Guide to Building Your
Online Brand - this is a detailed online
book with a lot of useful information. If
the link is broken, try this Google
Search to find it
An infographic on what recruitment
managers find out about potential
employees via their social media posts
Creating a new brand
Once you have discovered what your current brand looks like,
you can choose if you need to strengthen it or change it
To do this, make a list of the words that describe the kind of
brand you would like to create for yourself, we will call this
your “future brand”
Compare your "future brand" with the responses people
gave you when you asked them to describe how they see you
The difference between your future brand and how people
see you shows you how much work you have ahead of you in
order to change or strengthen your brand
Identify the top two words that are in your future brand and
work on these first
Write a list of the kind of things you associate with the top two
words, under headings like Clothing, Behaviour, Speech,
Pose, etc. We will call this your “brand toolbox”
Your task now is to train yourself to adopt (or strengthen) the
kind of behaviours, ways of dressing, walking, speaking etc,
that match your future brand
Some of these new behaviours may be expensive to adopt.
For example if your future brand includes the word “stylish”,
you may need to buy new clothes to strengthen that aspect of
your personal brand. If you can’t afford to buy new clothes,
you may need to work on other areas of your brand toolbox,
or just buy one item of new stylish clothing whenever you can
afford to
Give yourself a month at this exercise, then ask another
group of people to make a list of words that describe you.
Compare this list with the one you made at the start of the
exercise. Has anything changed? Have some aspects of
your personal brand become stronger, or weaker? The
results can guide you and hopefully encourage you in
building an even stronger brand
TO DO
LISTS
how you look + how you speak + how
you act = your personal brand
Lisa Marie Jenkins
























22
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about your Personal Brand that
you can apply to your life now?
What lessons have you learned about your Personal Brand that
you can take into the workplace with you?
How would you rate your overall Personal Brand (Good – Fair –
Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to your a) dress code, b)
language use and c) general behaviour by referring to specific
examples in your own life.
What do you need to change about your current Personal Brand
with respect to your a) dress code, b) language use and c) general
behaviour to strengthen your readiness for the workplace?
23
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
24
Choosing Jobs to Search For
If you limit yourself too much when job searching, you may
exclude jobs that could benefit you in ways you do not yet see.
You can limit yourself by being too “picky” and by being too
narrow in your searching, by searching for example only for jobs in
the same field that you studied. The Development Bank of South
Africa did research to understand how a person’s first job helps
them to stay employed later in life. They found that if young
people are able to hold down a first job for at least a year, their
chances of being employed the rest of their life was 85%. This
suggests that it is better to keep your first job for at least a year,
even if it’s not your dream job, and even if it’s tough and doesn’t
pay well. Your record of employment at the job can go on your CV
and you can put your boss as a reference for other potential
employers to contact. The experience you learn in this first job can
make a big difference in keeping the more attractive jobs you land
in future. A job candidate who has a year’s experience with good
references at a single company is sometimes more attractive to an
employer than a candidate who has had several jobs over the
year, and left all of them after a few months.
WHY?
“Look before you leap”
FAQs
"What else should I be looking for in a job, other than a good
salary?"
Salary (remuneration) is very important. However you
should be open-minded about the jobs you are searching
for as young people can restrict their career development
by seeking only the best paid jobs available.
To make a good job selection you need to consider many
things:
(1) meeting minimum requirements for the job
(2) costs involved in doing the job (e.g. transport,
accommodation, clothing)
(3) how this job helps you get a future, better job
(4) opportunities for training, education or experience
(5) opportunities for promotion
(6) the quality of the work environment
(7) benefits not related to salary, and of course
(8) the salary offered
Anonymous
Job scams
These are jobs advertised with huge
salaries or other “too good to be true”
offers which turn out to be illegal.
Job Scams advertise huge salaries for
what seems like little or no work. Some
scams require you to pay a “registration”
fee after which the scammer disappears or
you find out the job is actually less
attractive than was advertised. Other
scams get personal information from you,
and then use that to commit fraud in your
name, making you responsible. Report a
Crime - http://www.reportacrime.co.za -
offers a service where you can report
such scams, and also search to see if a
suspected scam is listed there. See Job
Mail (http://www.jobmail.co.za/avoidscams)
for a list of common job scams and tips to
avoid them.
Watch out for...
!
Good job research is the first
step in getting yourself good
employment. Its also part of
building a valuable skill for
yourself - Job Searching -
which can help you many
times ahead in your future. The
objective of job search is to get
a job interview with an
employer. Job search consists
of many different steps, but
this article focuses on the
groups of jobs (occupations)
you are considering. Many first
time work seekers have a
narrow set of jobs in mind, and
this excludes them from
opportunities that other kinds
of work could offer them.
Remember that your first job
does not need to be your last
job, so don’t be too fussy. At the
same time you will be
spending about 40 hours every
week at your job, so it must be
something that you connect to
on a personal level.
IN A NUTSHELL
Job scams








25
Jobs in the big cities
Jobs in the big cities can offer higher
salaries than those closer to where you
live. However the cost of living is also
higher in the big cities, so the actual money
you earn after your expenses will be less
than it looks. Do your job research properly
to avoid making expensive mistakes.
Check the cost of accommodation, the
cost of transport, the cost of creche or
pre-school (if you have children), the crime
levels in the area, and any other
information that relates to your cost of
living. Factor all of these hidden costs into
your decision about where to work.
Watch out for...
!
Create a job search plan
This article has looked at one aspect of job searching - the
selection of occupations to search for. Job searching
involves many other tasks. Review the key elements of a
successful job search here.
Understand different types of work
Permanent jobs have an employment contract that gives you more job
protection and more benefits than other types of work
Temping is short term work assignments with less job protection but
more opportunities to get exposure to different working
environments. You might earn more per hour than a permanent
employee, but have less or no job benefits.
Contracting is like temping but for longer periods of time with specific
responsibilities or benefits built into the contract. The challenge is
what to do when your contract ends, and you have to start looking
for more work.
Internships can be paid or unpaid and can help you get valuable
work experience for your CV. Most internships at least cover the
cost of your transport.
Learnerships are combined theory and work experience
qualifications. On successful completion you earn a qualification plus
you have work experience to show on your CV.
Apprenticeships enable you to complete work experience needed
before you can write your trade test to become an artisan. You
typically earn less than an artisan but get the benefit of coaching and
mentoring from more experienced workers
Volunteering can help you build networks with potential employers
and co-workers, add experience to your CV, and add to your skills.
Volunteering is unpaid work but sometimes includes free training.
TO DO
LISTS
Understand occupations
There are over 1,200 distinct occupations in the South
African economy. Visit the National Career Advice Portal -
http://ncap.careerhelp.org.za/ - and click on “Occupations”
to learn more about what is involved in each of them.
Which of the following types of work are you considering?
Each has different drawbacks and benefits:
Employers can get government incentives and BEE points for
hiring interns, apprentices and learnership candidates. Tax
incentives also apply to learnerships and the employment of
youth aged between 18 and 29 years of age (see the
Employment Tax Incentive).
Use a decision matrix
It can be a tough decision to choose between occupations
that are different and offer you different benefits. A
decision matrix can help you weigh up different
occupations to see which one may be best for you.
Jobs in the big cities
Links
What to look for in a job besides salary (infographic)
Kheta - http://www.careerhelp.org.za/ - is the largest career portal for South Africans and it lists different kinds
of career advice centres you can get help from. You can contact their helpline on 086 999 0123 or send an
SMS to 0722 045 056. Their Twitter handle is @sacareerhelp and their Facebook address is
http://www.facebook.com/careerhelp
The National Career Advice Portal - http://ncap.careerhelp.org.za/ - has a career guidance questionnaire you
can take for free to help you think more clearly about career choices
UNISA has career counselling resources here that are relevant for TVET and university students
The document “8 Ways to Do Career Research” has more detailed help including how to conduct interviews
with people in jobs that interest you
My Next Move is an international interest profiler that helps you with career choices
Go Study and CareerPlanet are South African websites with career questionnaires and assistance as well as
information on occupations







































26
Building a CV
Why don’t employers just use your National
Senior Certificate or your NC(V) statement of
results for hiring purposes? Because employers are
not just looking for clever employees, they are
looking for smart employees, and smart
employees don’t just have qualifications, they
have personalities, character, visions and dreams.
Smart employees are socially active, civically
engaged, proactive, agile and persistent. These are
some of the qualities employers are looking for in
a CV that do not necessarily reflect in a college
certificate alone.
WHY?
CV stands for Curriculum Vitae.
A “curriculum” is a course of study (like your TVET college
programme) and “vitae” means life, so a CV is a document
describing your lifelong learning, including classroom study and
real work experience.
A CV is also called a “resume”.
WHAT IS A CV?
“Find a job you like and you add
five days to the week”
FAQs
H. Jackson
Brown, Jr
"What should a good CV not consist of?"
Here are some humorous quotes from actual CVs to
show you how careless people can be when drafting
such an important document. See if you can spot the
mistakes and think how you would correct them :
* "My hobbies including cooking dogs
and interesting people"
* "My role was to pervert unauthorised people
coming on the site"
* "I was responsible for dissatisfied customers"
* "Duties involved processing clams"
* "I am in charge of ensuring dew diligence"
Clean up your social media posts
Recruiters are increasingly using social
media to build a picture of candidates that
they are considering hiring. This is
something to be aware of whenever you
post on Facebook, tweet on Twitter or make
any other kind of public comments. Check
your privacy settings on these apps to
make sure you post appropriate content for
different audiences. Also remember that no
matter how private your settings are,
anything on the internet can be hacked and
exposed. (How to delete online history).
Watch out for...
!
The purpose of a CV is to
impress an employer so much
that they want to shortlist you
and interview you for a job
opening. Some employers
consider the CV as more
important than your exam
results. Your CV is not
something you write once and
then forget about. It expresses
your continuing learning and
experience throughout the
course of your life and so it just
gets better and better with time.
Considering how important your
CV is shouldn’t you spend a few
days or even a week creating it
and improving it? And
whenever you complete an
important course, or gain
valuable experience, make a
note of it in your CV so that you
can always send out the latest
version to a potential employer.
IN A NUTSHELL
Social Media
27
If you haven’t already created a CV,
create one
See the “Links” section below for templates and CV builders that can
help you. If you don’t have access to a computer or Word Processor
then make use of the NYDA, Department of Labour, or Thusong
Service Centres to draft a CV. Some internet cafes will also be able to
do this for you.
If you already have a CV then see if
you can improve it
Use the information on these two pages to see if you can improve your
CV. Then ask someone you trust, who is an employer (preferably a
manager) to read your CV and suggest ways you can improve it. If you
are not sure about their suggestions try to get more opinions.
TO DO
LISTS
"What should a good CV consist of?"
CV formatting and headings vary a lot. Check the CV
templates and samples in the “Links” section
below and select one that makes you look the best.
If you are not sure create more than one CV
formatted according to the different templates and
ask some people who are employed which one
they think works best, and why they think so.
Employers are aware that there is no official CV
format prescribed and will not judge your CV on the
basis of conformity, but on the basis of
completeness. These are important headings to
have in your CV:
(1) Your contact details (name, cell number, email) -
see the section “Email” if you don’t yet have an
email.
(2) Important personal information including your
age, if you have a driver’s license,
(3) Your educational achievements (primary school,
high school, college). Include the years you were at
each institution (e.g. 2013 - 2015 Mnambithi TVET
College) as well as the name of your learning
programme (e.g. Grade 12 or National Certificate
(Vocational): Engineering Level 3).
(4) Any important extra-mural activities while you
were at those institutions (e.g. SRC Secretary,
sports captain) along with details (e.g. Helped to
restructure the SRC committees to function more
effectively). This information helps the employer to
understand your personality, your interests and your
potential.
(5) Skills that you have which are not necessarily
from long courses (e.g. computer skills, languages,
safety skills) or soft skills (e.g. negotiation,
bookkeeping, operating a till).
(6) Any work experience you have gained so far. You
can include Workplace Based Exposure or Work
Integrated Learning that may have taken place via
your college, or internship and volunteering
experiences. Give the name of the organisation, the
dates when you were there, and describe your
tasks and responsibilities. Highlight any positive
contribution you made to the organisation. State
why you left an organisation (e.g. received
opportunity for internship).
(7) References. These are names and contact
details of people who can confirm questions about
who you are and what kind of an employee you
could be.
(8) Your CV should be about two pages long
(9) Finally check your CV for spelling and typing
errors. Ask someone who is good at English to
double-check for you.
Be aware that your employer may ask you to prove
the information you put in your CV, so have copies
of your certificates, reports and other documents
available. There is no need to send them with your
CV unless the employer has specifically requested
copies of these documents. Never send the
originals as you may not get them back. Send
copies or, if requested to do so, send certified
copies. See the section “Preparing for the
Interview” to learn more about information your
employer is legally allowed to ask you for.
FAQs
Links
A CV template available from the Kheta website and many
sample CVs from Quintessential Careers. Notice the variety
in formats. The Kheta CV template is more commonly used
in South Africa but US based employers may be familiar with
the other formats as well. Employers are aware that there is
no official CV format prescribed and will not judge your CV on
the basis of conformity, but on the basis of completeness
LiveCareer.com has a resume (CV) builder that helps you
build a CV step by step
Hundreds of resources for building a CV at the
Quintessential Careers website. Note that because this is a
US website some of its information follows different
conventions from what you may be used to.
Read this debate about whether qualifications or experience
are more valuable on a CV so that you can understand how
some people view experience
This video from a recruitment specialist talks about building
a CV when you have just graduated from college and don’t
have experience to put in it, and this video is recruitment
managers discussing common mistakes they have seen on
CVs (called “resumes” here).
The RecruitmentGuy YouTube Channel has interviews with
people from different occupations who explain what their
work is like, interview tips, CV tips and job hunting tips. He
also has videos for employers giving them recruitment tips
which will help you understand what employers are looking
for in new talent.

















28
"My friends lie in their CVs. Will they get found out?"
Lying on your CV is like putting a bomb under your bed.
You don’t know when it will explode but when it does
you will either lose your bed, or your bed and the
person who sleeps on it. Employers have developed
very sophisticated ways to detect CV fraud and they
blacklist applicants whom they know have submitted
fake information on their CVs. Employers can verify your
educational achievements via SAQA’s National Learner
Record Database - http://verisearch.octoplus.co.za/. They
can also contact references on your CV and cross-check
the quality of the references. You may have met some
individuals who get away with this for a while but it’s a
dangerous practice that can lead to loss of life (when
someone unqualified is appointed to a post) and career
destruction (when the truth comes out). However it is
important to show your best side in your CV. This is not
referring to inventing false information about yourself
but rather highlighting or emphasising your strengths
rather than your weaknesses. Sometimes this means
leaving out negative information about yourself (not
lying), for example leaving out a short course that you
failed. However if your employer questions you on
information that is not in your CV you have an ethical
responsibility to answer truthfully.
FAQs
TO DO LISTS
Try to email it directly to a person at the employer (e.g.
Thami@jdgroup.co.za), rather than a general email address such
as info@jdgroup.co.za.
Write a cover note to the email which is unique each time. This can
be hard to do unless you know something about the employer.
Perhaps you see a news article about JD Group, and perhaps your
family has bought furniture there before. This can be something you
mention in the cover note. For example, “Hi Thami. Congratulations
on winning the prize for the most improved business in Newcastle.
My family has bought furniture from JD Group for ten years, and we
are still using it somewhere in the family.”
Your cover note should also make a clear link between you
personally and your application for work. For example, “I have
recently graduated from Majuba TVET college and have decided to
stay in Newcastle and build my community, rather than migrate with
the flocks to Joburg. However I am an ambitious and energetic
young man and will not be content working for any employer in this
town other than JD Group. I didn’t arrive at this decision quickly. I
have been researching JD Group and interviewing current and past
employees to make sure of my choice.” This makes your email
different from a “casual” job seeker who is just trying his or her luck.
Finish the cover note with a commitment to follow-up on the email
so that the reader will think twice before just discarding it. For
example, “Please review my CV to confirm that it fits the profile of
new talent you are seeking to attract to your company. I will call you
next week to answer any questions you have and discuss my
application further.”
The cover note addressed to a real person, customised to their
organisation and explaining your connection to them makes it
harder for the person to just trash your email immediately. The
commitment to follow-up next week makes it more likely they will
read your CV and respond. Check here for more help with cover
notes.
Keep a list of everyone you have emailed, their name and a contact
number (available from their company website), as well as any
commitments you have made to follow-up with a call. Keeping to
your commitment to phone back is already a sign that you are
reliable.
Don’t be disappointed if you get declined. Employers are impressed
by those who respond to negative news with optimism and
perseverance. It may have nothing to do with the quality of your CV, it
could just be because the organisation is not hiring new employees
at the moment. If your CV has made an impression it will be stored
for a time when the company is hiring again. Telling the employer
that you are disappointed and sounding negative is only likely to
leave a negative impression with them. Review the section in this
book on “Attitude” and “Manage your Expectations” to help keep
yourself motivated.
Once your CV is as good as you can make it, send it out to potential employers. See the previous sections “Choosing
Jobs to Search For” and “Where to Search” for help with this step. It’s important to not just send out a blank email with
your CV attached. The chance of getting a response, or even of getting the CV read is very small because there is
nothing to indicate on the email that your CV is relevant to the person receiving it.
So to customise your email do the following:
Send your CV out frequently and with a customised cover note
Pay for help services
There are companies and websites that will
charge you to help you build a professional
CV, write a LinkedIn profile, and train you in
interviewing skills. Some of these
companies will review your current CV for
free. It can cost R600 or more to get
professional help writing your CV. Before
you spend money on these services,
check if you have already made use of the
Exit Support services at your TVET college,
your family and your community. If you
decide to use a pay for help service, speak
to friends and family who have used a
service before that they can recommend,
so that you can avoid scams.
Watch out for...
!
Pay for help services





29
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about building a CV that will help
you find a job?
How would you rate your current CV? (Good – Fair – Poor)
Motivate your rating in relation to the a) format and template
(readability) used and b) skills (all types) and related experience
listed by referring to specific examples in your own life.
What do you need to strengthen about your CV to improve your
chances to enter the workplace?
30
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
31
Where to Search
The world economy is currently shrinking. This puts pressure on job growth in all countries. As a
result there are many more work seekers than job openings in South Africa at the moment. About
36% of young people between the ages of 15 - 35 are unemployed. This means you will be
competing with many other people for the same position. However you can improve your chances
of finding work by increasing the number of search channels you open up, and increasing the quality
of your CV and interview skills.
WHY?
“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find,
knock and the door will be opened to you”
FAQs
See the “Links” section in this infographic for more options:
* Traditional searches *
Your TVET college (Student Support Services)
Department of Labour Centres (register on their work
seeker database)
National Youth Development Agency offices
Thusong Service Centres
Provincial initiatives for youth work seekers such as
Vulindlel’ eJozi (Gauteng)
Government buildings such as libraries, municipal centres,
community centres and provincial departments
The jobs section in your local and national newspapers
Recruitment, staffing and temporary employment
services agencies (check to make sure they are registered
with the Department of Labour)
Visit a career or jobs exhibition or fair to talk to people from
specific industries and organisations and find out more
about what working in this environments is like
* Online searching *
Job search engines and networking sites (see “Links”)
Career pages on company websites (usually labeled
“Careers” in the main menu)
Emailing your CV directly to potential employers
* Networking *
Any event where you meet people who are employed can
turn out to be a successful job search. This includes
church, community meetings, charity events, queues,
visits to the clinic etc.
Anyone who is employed could let you know about an
opportunity. This includes your parents’ friends,
neighbours and relatives. Start a conversation with them.
Even if they don’t know of any opportunities, ask them how
they found their first job so that you can get ideas for
yourself.
Stay connected with your college friends and find out how
and where they are getting jobs.
Matthew 7:7
Don’t rely exclusively on the internet
The internet can give you a false sense of
achievement because you can send out so
many CV’s and reply to so many job
posts. However everyone else is doing the
same thing. The internet is only one of
several channels you should use for job
search.
Watch out for...
!
Job search in the old days used to mean
writing letters to the HR departments of
employers, and reading job advertisements in
the newspapers. All this has changed. Job
search is now a lot easier, and a lot harder!
While it’s a lot easier now type a job into a job
search engine and click “SEARCH”, employers
expect a lot more in a job application, and they
have thousands of job seekers to choose from.
Understanding the many different places you
can search for jobs can make your search
more effective.
IN A NUTSHELL
Relying on the internet
Don’t expect to get your first job
immediately
You may be lucky but don’t depend on
luck. Rather have a job plan- which allows
you some months to search for work, and
be prepared to apply to hundreds of jobs
and attend many interviews before you get
a good job offer that matches your realistic
expectations. Keep a personal journal of
your job seeking which counts how many
jobs you have applied for and how many
people you have sent your CV to. Also
count how many interviews you have been
to. You can use this journal to set targets
every month.
Watch out for...
!



















32
Upload your CV to job search engines
There are eight large job search engines serving South Africa, and many more
international ones (see the “Links” section later). Some of these sites are
simple listings of jobs by region or type of occupation. Other sites (such as
Career Junction and PNet) allow you to load your CV onto the site so that
employers can search a CV database for candidates that meet their
requirements for a specific job opening. When loading your CV think about how
you can make it unique as it will be one of thousands of CVs on the database.
For help see “Building your CV” later in this booklet.
The difference between job seekers who find work and those who don’t is often
motivation and persistence. Motivated job seekers don’t give up. This is where
your work on your Personal Mastery (Attitude, see page 10) pays off. Use the
exercises in that section to avoid negative thinking and self-doubt. If you have a
belief in God, tap into this to encourage yourself. Spend time with motivated
people. Read true stories of people who persisted and never gave up, and see
what you can learn from them. Monster.com has this advice for you, and The
Muse has these eight inspiring stories of job finders. Use this Google Search to
find more inspiring stories.
TO DO
LISTS
Register on LinkedIn and create an attractive
profile page
LinkedIn is the world’s largest networking portal and database of professionals.
Think of it as the Facebook for the working world. It has 364 million people on its
database across 200 countries. Besides creating a work profile that will enable
you to grow your network of work associates, you can search for companies
that you may be interested in working for, chat directly to potential employers or
key people, and learn about the culture of work through posts and articles.
LinkedIn also has an function that lets your work colleagues “endorse” your skills
and experience to show that you are good at specific tasks. Create a free
account at https://www.linkedin.com/. Here and here are some guides to creating
a good LinkedIn profile.
Unprofessional private employment
services
Private employment services charge
employers a fee for searching, selecting,
testing and preparing work seekers that
meet the employer’s unique requirements.
These companies are not allowed to charge
you for this service, they must charge the
employer. You can expect the following
rights when dealing with a private
employment service, and if any of these
rights are not given to you, you can
complain to APSO (a professional body) or
the Department of Labour:
* Right to be treated in a professional and
confidential manner
* Right to be interviewed in a
non-discriminating manner by a consultant
of appropriate experience & skill
* Right to be informed of the full details of
the job you are being considered for –
including location, key performance areas,
salary & benefits and any other relevant
information
* Right to be given the name of the client
company before your CV is submitted for
the position
* Right to always be asked permission
before any of your personal details (CV)
are sent to any client company
* Right to be kept informed of the progress
of your application and to be notified if you
do not gain an interview or the job opening
Watch out for...
!
Stay motivated
Private employment services
Public employment services ->
Employment Services South Africa (Dept Labour) - https://essa.labour.gov.za/EssaOnline/WebBeans/
Private employment services ->
APSO is the industry body for these organisations and you can search for private employment services via their website -
http://www.apso.co.za/search/
Note that private employment services are not allowed to charge you (the candidate) for employment services. This cost is
carried by the organisation that employs you.
Job search Engines ->
Gumtree - http://www.gumtree.co.za
Indeed - http://www.indeed.co.za/
Job Vine - http://www.jobvine.co.za/
Career Junction - http://www.careerjunction.co.za/
PNet - https://www.pnet.co.za/
Careers24 - http://www.careers24.com/
JobMail - http://www.jobmail.co.za/
JobsDotCoZa - http://www.jobs.co.za/
An infographic about LinkedIn
The Career Sherpa Blog has extensive career search advice. While the site is international much of it is applicable to South
Africa:
40 Twitter accounts to follow with job search ideas and tips
A job search toolkit with templates, assessments and guides
Quintessential Careers has many resources for job seekers including some real life experiences of the importance of
networking in job search
If you are interested in a career in Tech, check out http://www.ta3mal.com/ and Microsoft YouthSpark. Both sites have free
learning programmes and career guidance resources and Ta3mal also has small business development resources.
If you are interested in a career in Hospitality, use this job search engine: http://hospitalityjobsafrica.co.za/jobs/
Links
















































































33
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
34
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
35
Job Interview Research
Would you score with a boy or girl if you didn’t know their name, or anything about
them? Not likely. In the same way, to build a relationship with your employer, you will
need to know what makes them tick, what they are trying to achieve, what they
value and how they prefer to work. Job interview research will give you an edge in
your job interview, over people who may have a better CV than you. Your employer
will be impressed that you are interested in working in their organisation not just for
the salary, but because you see an overlap between the employer’s mission and your
own life mission.
WHY?
Job interview research is not just a tool you use to land
your first job, then forget it for the rest of your life. The
average number of years young people hold a job for is
about 4 - 5 years, with people born after 1980 likely to have
more than five jobs in their life-time. Job interview research
is a skill you can use again and again to research new
potential employers. Keep in mind however that holding a
first job for 12 months or longer will increase your likelihood
of being employed the rest of your life to 85%.
By the way…
“One important key to success is
confidence and an important key to
self-confidence is preparation”
FAQs
"What kind of information do I need to research
about my potential employer?"
What is important to you? How the organisation
works? Why the organisation exists? The future
plans of the organisation? Who the top management
of the organisation are? Past successes or failures of
the organisation? It is up to you really? What matters
is not so much that you know everything there is to
know about the employer, but that you know things
that are meaningful to you about the employer. In
your interview you will likely be asked, “Why are you
interested in working at *this* organisation?”
You can then mention the information you
researched about it and link that back to your own
interests and motivations. A sincere answer is
better than an answer where you fake an interest in
the employer that is not true.
Arthur Ashe
Job interview research is an
essential part of preparing for your
job interview. It involves learning as
much as you can about your
potential employer, and then
thinking about how this links to
your own personal interests and
abilities. It’s not only about
knowing facts about your
employer, it’s also about seeing the
relationship between your values
and ambitions, and your
employer’s vision and mission. The
fact that you have taken the time
to research your employer shows
that you are “interviewing” your
potential employer as much as
your prospective employer is
interviewing you. This signals to the
employer that you are proactive,
not reactive, and that you check
the facts before leaping to a
decision.
IN A NUTSHELL
36
Trying to impress with useless information
Memorising lots of information about your
prospective employer for the job interview
may help you feel confident but it’s not
going to automatically impress the
interviewers. What will impress them is if
you can talk about what their organisation
means to you, in other words, how you
applied your job interview research to your
own feelings and thoughts. Also be careful
to come across too knowledgeable about
the organisation. Just from internet
research or from speaking to one or two
employees you will not know everything
there is to know about the organisation. If
you make broad statements about the
employer that are not true in the experience
of your interviewers, they not be
impressed. To show that you are not being
arrogant with your knowledge you can
introduce your statements like this, “From
what I have heard about your company…..”
and “The impression I get about this
organisation is…..” That leaves the door
open for you to be wrong, but nevertheless
sincere.
Watch out for...
!
What types of information are you seeking in job
interview research?
Mission statement - the public statement of the organisation’s vision, mission
and goals
Annual report - their achievements during the past year, and their plans for the
year ahead
Financials - the income, expenses and profit an organisation has recorded for
the previous year
The About Us page on the organisation’s website. Examples: The Transnet
About Us page, and the Sasol About Us page.
Careers page - a page on some organisation’s websites which explains who
should be seeking to work there and allows you to submit your CV. For
example, here is the Pick n Pay careers page, and here is the Vodacom one.
Products and services offered by the company. For example if you are applying
for a job at MTN, it would help to know the kind of cellphone products and
services they offer, not in detail, but the main types.
Locations, branches and head office of the organisation. Again it’s not
necessary to know all the details about the organisation’s “footprint”, but at
least know where they are based (the head quarters), and whether they are
local or international.
The organisation’s social media pages, including their Twitter handle, their
Facebook page, their LinkedIn page and others. LinkedIn is more likely to
have career related information than other social media sites.
The main competitors of the company you are being interviewed by. For
example if you are going to an interview at Vodacom, learn a little about MTN
and Cell C because its very important for Vodacom to understand their
competition. If your interview is with a government department, then they have
no competition so focus instead on the strategic plan of the department which
should be on their website under the heading “documents” or “reports”.
The industry or social sector that the organisation works in. For example Sun
International is a hotel chain that is part of the hospitality sector in South Africa.
See the SouthAfrica.Info website for information on different economic sectors.
Knowing one or two trends or pieces of interesting information about an
economic sector that your potential employer is in is sufficient. For example if
you are researching Volkswagen, then knowing that the automotive sector
makes up a big part of South Africa’s manufacturing exports is relevant
information.
Complains about the company. These can be common complaints you have
heard from people you know. The website http://hellopeter.com/ is another
good source of customer experience on your potential employer.
TO DO LISTS
The following list is types of information about a company that may
be helpful in your research:
Trying to impress

















37
LinksThe Quintessential Guide to Companies, Industries and Countries
Business Day is a publication and website focused on business
news in South Africa
SouthAfrica.Info has useful information about the business
sectors in South Africa and Gov.ZA has similar information about
national, provincial and local government.
The LinkedIn Company Home page and some help in how to
search for companies on LinkedIn
How do you research your potential employer?
It’s not sufficient to base your job research only on the
organisation’s website and their advertisements. That
information will always be biased and a projection of
what the organisation wants people to think about it.
Start with the organisation’s website but also do a
news search to see what other people are saying about
the organisation. To do a Google News search, go to
https://news.google.com/ and then select “South Africa
edition” at the top left, if you are researching a South
African company. Then type the name of the company
in the search box and read the articles that interest
you.
Besides the organisation website and Google News try
to speak to people who work at the organisation,
previous or past employees, to gather more
information. Do an internet search for any interviews
with the current CEO or Director of the company. You
should at least know who the current CEO or Director
General of the organisation is.
TO DO LISTS
When you find that
job that causes you
to be excited every
day - forget about
the pay - with
people you love,
doing what you
love, it doesn't get
any better than that
Warren Buffett






















38
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about researching for a job
interview?
How would you rate your overall job interview research skills (Good
­ Fair ­ Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to the objectives and
the services provided by the employer.
What do you need to strengthen about your job interview research
skills?
39
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
40
Preparing for
the Interview
The difference between a prepared interview and an unprepared interview is like the
difference between getting dressed smartly for a date or going in your pyjamas. Compared
to the amount of exam preparation and study you have done, during 12 years or more of
schooling and college, the preparation for your job interviews is a small task with a
potentially life-changing reward if you get hired. Unlike your exams, you can’t write supps,
or appeal the decision. There is no moderation of your job interview, and no “undo” button.
And for each job opening there is only one person selected, unlike exams, where a
percentage of everyone who writes will pass.
WHY?
“Job interviews are like first dates:
good impressions count,
awkwardness can occur,
outcomes are unpredictable”
FAQs
"I have just got an opportunity for a job interview
tomorrow and I don’t have time to prepare - what do I do?"
It’s wonderful to have this opportunity and if it is not
possible to postpone the interview, then you should do as
much preparation as you can, without getting too hard on
yourself if you still feel you are not ready. Part of being
“work ready” is being able to handle situations that you are
thrown into without preparation, so look at it as an
opportunity to practise your agility and adaptability. Even if
the interview is not successful it will be part of your own
learning experience and growth because the more
interviews you attend, the more experienced you get at
being interviewed.
Unknown
Preparing properly for
your interview will
give you a boost of
confidence and may
make the difference
between being
selected or not. You
have done so much
work to get the
interview opportunity
that you owe it to
yourself to be
prepared for it as
best you can. Don’t
leave your
preparation to the
last minute. Make
sure you have
finished all your
preparations the day
before. This is part of
the work of proving
that you are ready to
be offered the job and
are responsible
enough to make a
success of it. Your
interviewers will
almost always be
able to feel whether
you are prepared or
not, and will be
reluctant to approve
a person for the job
who appears at the
interview not fully
prepared.
IN A NUTSHELL
41
Checklist
Make sure you have the correct date, time and venue for the
interview. Double­check this information with a parent, aunt or
uncle. In each city there are several streets with exactly the
same name (but different suburbs), and in South Africa there
are also several suburbs with exactly the same name (there is a
“Sydenham” in Durban and one in Joburg, and an
“Observatory” in Cape Town and one in Joburg). Google Maps
will sometimes pick the closest match to an address you type in,
which may not be correct, so double­check.
Make sure you have directions to the venue and transport
money to get there, or a lift. Arrange this a week in advance in
case you hit problems. You don’t want to get stressed on the
day of the interview by problems you could sort out earlier.
Have a plan B for transport in case plan A fails.
Select the clothes you will wear at least two days before the
interview, and check them carefully to make sure they don’t
need washing and ironing. More suggestions on what clothes to
wear to the interview here. If you don’t have smart clothes there
are churches and public benefit organisations who can help
you, for example Harambee. Remind yourself about your
Personal Brand (page 20), and plan to accurately express your
personal brand on the day of the interview.
Wash carefully, brush your teeth and shave on the day of your
interview. Make sure you use deodorant. Some more tips on
personal hygiene for an interview here.
Make sure you have a phone or watch that is giving you the
correct time, or frequently check leading up to your interview
with fellow passengers and passers­by.
Aim to arrive at the venue 30 minutes before for the interview to
allow for traffic or accidents on the way there. Enter the venue
15 minutes before the interview and to allow yourself time to
sign­in with security and make your way through the building to
the correct room. Get clear directions from the receptionist so
that you don’t get lost in the building.
Turn your cell phone off before the interview. Your employer will
think you are disrespectful or forgetful if you get a call or SMS
during the interview. This can be immediate grounds for failing
the interview for some employers.
Wait outside the room until you are called. However if it’s now
time for your interview and no­one has called you then knock
on the door and open it, to see if you can now enter. You can
say, “Excuse me I have an interview here at [time of interview],
can I come through now?”
TO DO
LISTS
These are general pointers to prepare for a job
interview. Be sure to check the job advertisement or
correspondence from the employer to see if there
are any additional requirements:
During the interview
Greet the interviewer with a firm handshake, a smile and direct eye
contact. Some parents bring up their children to avoid eye contact as
a sign of respect. Except in very traditional settings, make and keep
frequent eye contact during a job interview. More suggestions on
body language here and here.
If there are several interviewers greet them individually. An
appropriate greeting could be, “Hello, my name is [First Name]
[Second Name]. How are you?” If the interviewers tell you their
names you can respond with, “Nice to meet you [Mr or Ms] [Second
Name].’ After greeting, remain standing to one side until the
interviewers show you to your seat or ask you to sit.
Keep a positive tone throughout the interview (see the section on
“Attitude”, page 10, earlier in this book for help building up to this).
See some typical interview questions here and here. In response to
questions:
If you don’t hear the question correctly, ask the interviewer to repeat
this, for example “Please can you repeat that question?” This is not
considered a mistake. Interviewers will be impressed that you are
making sure what the question is before attempting to answer it.
Use real­life examples to back up your answers where this is
possible
You should be able to answer clearly about your plans for your life,
especially with regard to your career, ambitions and dreams. The
work you have done on your Personal Brand (page 20) will help you
with this
You should have a clear answer about why you are suited for the job
advertised, and what you can bring as a person to the company, in
that post (job position).
Keep your answers fairly short, unless asked to continue or give
more detail. If you are not sure you can ask, “Can I give you more
detail?”
An impromptu question is one that you won’t expect. If you get asked
an impromptu question and you don’t know how to answer it, buy
yourself some time by saying, “Wow, that is a good question, let me
think about that,” or clarify what the question means by rephrasing it
back to the interviewer, for example, “Can I clarify what you mean by
that? [Wait for them to nod yes] Do you mean [put the question in
your own words]?” If you are still unsure how to answer, give the
closest answer you think may be appropriate, but “hedge” (limit) your
answer by starting it with, “That’s a tough question but I think my first
answer would be ….[your answer], although I would have to reflect
on that more to be certain.” Your interviewers may be impressed that
you answered the question in such a way that expressed your
reservation while being sincere.
Some interviewers are not well trained or experienced in
interviewing. In this case you may get some strange interview
questions which can be tricky to answer. See advice on this here.
Ask some questions, after the interviewer has finished asking you
questions, or if given an opportunity. Interviewers will be impressed
that you show a curiosity about the position and are applying your
mind to what it might require of you. Some suggestions about
questions you can ask are here and here. You will already know the
answer to some of these questions from your “Job Interview
Research” (page 36), but you can then confirm your information with
the interviewer, which will give you an opportunity to show that you
have researched the organisation.
When the interview is over, thank the interviewer for their time, and
shake their hands again before you leave. Also request contact
details or a business card from the person in charge of the interview,
if you don’t already have them. This will enable you to do follow­up
after the interview (see “After the Interview”, page 46).











42
Practice makes perfect
Mock (simulated) interviews are an excellent way to prepare yourself for the real thing.
Ideally you need to arrange to be interviewed by someone who is employed in a
company (and preferably a manager or an officer in their Human Resources
department), so that they can give you realistic feedback on your performance. Some
organisations, such as Harambee, and the South African Board for People Practices, run
special Mock Interview workshops for work seekers to help them practice their interview
skills. Suggest this idea to your Student Support Services unit at your college.
TO DO LISTS
Making as if you know everything
A job interview is not an exam where you
get points for knowing facts. Although
interviewers are looking for candidates
who know about the employer, the
sector, and the advertised post (job
position), they are also trying to establish
an overall personal connection with you
so they can feel comfortable with you
joining their organisation. An interviewee
who is honest and upfront about not
knowing the answer to a specific
question is not necessarily going to be
penalised for not knowing the answer.
Your honesty can show that you are
aware of your limitations and not trying to
hide away from them. For some
employers this can be more valuable
than getting the “right” answer, because
it shows that you have integrity.
Watch out for...
!
100%
"Cleva"
www
Links
You know everything?
Here are some sector­specific job interview questions
that you may get. Note that this is a UK site so not all of
the questions may be relevant to South Africa.
How to answer the job interview question “Have you ever
been fired?”
Use the job interview to confirm that you really want to
work at this organisation. This blog post gives some tips
on spotting a bad employer through the interview
process.
Small talk is often used at the beginning of the interview
to make everyone more comfortable. Here and here are
some tips about small talk. Also see the section later in
this book, “English” and “Communication”.
Read about how job interviewers often have a lot to learn
about potential employees from research done by
Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator.
Some job interview questions with example answers
Learn about the difference between traditional job
interviews and behavioural job interviews
Do this Virtual Interview test to see how well prepared
you are
Feel sorry for these poor candidates who got the worst
possible job interviews (video)





























43
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about preparing for a job interview?
How would you rate your overall preparedness for a job interview
(Good ­ Fair ­ Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to your a)
punctuality b) dress code c) performance during the interview
What do you still need to improve in your preparation for a job
interview based on the mock interview?
44
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
45
After the Interview
Many work seekers leave out this all important stage and this can be the “make or break” moment in a job
application. Think about the dating scene for a moment. You have a great first date with someone you
really like. Then…… nothing. He or she doesn’t message you, phone you, spot you in a crowd or even act
like you exist. Follow-up failure. Or the other option, you find you have a stalker on your trail. He or she
obsesses over you, watches your every move, interrupts, bumps into and hijacks your life. Follow-up
failure too. The best approach is a balance between no interest and too much interest. Making absolutely
certain that the potential employer knows you are keen for the position, but not coming across as too
desperate, like you have no other chances in life, and don’t believe in yourself.
WHY?
“Talent will get you in the door
but character will keep you
in the room”
FAQs
"I tried following up after my interview but
no-one at that organisation will talk to you and
they just have an email address that never
responds"
Some large organisations receive thousands of
applications for a single post. They will not take
your calls and you won’t be able to reach
anyone to follow-up personally. In such a case
your follow-up simply means keeping an eye
out for follow-up correspondence (a letter, email
or phone call) to inform you if you were
successful or not. It’s considered very bad
practice for an organisation to fail to send a
letter of regret to unsuccessful job applicants,
so it’s very likely that they will send something
eventually. Check the job advert or any
information from the employer from the
interview that tells you when you can expect an
answer. Be careful to complain on social media
channels when this may damage your
application before it has been decided.
Unknown
"I don’t have contact details of anyone
to follow up with"
In “Preparing for the Interview” (page 41), we
suggested that at the end of the interview you
get contact details, and also mention that you
will call the following week to follow-up.
There are two traps to fall into after a
job interview: (1) forget all about it
and do no follow-up, or (2) get so
obsessed with the interview that it
stops you looking for more
interviews. The job interview is not
finished until you have followed up
and received a yes or a no. In the
meantime you need to keep a
positive mind-set and continue
searching for work so that you don’t
have “all your eggs in one basket.”
The process of shortlisting and
follow-up interviews can mean that
the “After the Interview” phase takes
a long time. Nothing is guaranteed
until you sign an employment
contract or receive a letter of regret,
so you need to keep your focus right
until the end.
IN A NUTSHELL
46
Crash and burn
after hearing you didn’t get the job
Getting depressed after receiving a “no” for a
job interview is understandable but won’t help
you ace your next interview. Allow yourself
time to feel the negative emotions, and
expect that you will be tempted to doubt
yourself. This is normal. Refer to the chapter
on “Attitude” (page 10) for reminders on how
to get back to a positive state of mind as soon
as possible. If you feel you messed up in the
interview, reflect on what you can learn and
improve for next time. The first time you get
something wrong it’s a mistake, the third time
it’s a failure. Then pick yourself up and
remind yourself that not getting the job has
nothing to do with your value as a human
being and may simply be the result of the
company having a better match with another
candidate (or no match at all). Who knows
how close you came to getting the opening?
Who knows if that was in fact the best job for
you personally? Take the attitude that there is
a better job waiting for you and don’t give up
or get discouraged. The right job is looking
for you right now, are you looking for it?
Watch out for...
!
Thank the people that
interviewed you
This is a small act of showing gratitude and respect to the
interviewers, and shows an attention to detail and sensitivity on
your part as a potential employee. In very large organisations
which are interviewing thousands of candidates your
appreciation may be scoffed at, but smaller organisations will
generally appreciate your courteousness (politeness).
Make follow-up phone calls or emails
TO DO
LISTS
Crash & Burn
See the FAQ section previously for suggestions about how to
do this and when.
Alert your references
Let the references on your CV know that they may get a
phone call from your interviewer to confirm your credentials. If
they fail to take a call or respond to a voice mail your
interviewer may not have the time to check your references
and you may lose the opportunity as a result. This is why i’ts
important to have responsible people on your CV as
references, and to update their contact details before you
send out your CV.
Keep your emotional state positive even if
you get a “no”
Like a great sportsman, the psychology of job seeking is just
as important as the physical work you do. Your psychology
can defeat you if you let it take over your emotions, and it can
also give you the boost you need at just the right time to land
a new opportunity. You never know when opportunity will
knock, so it’s important to always be aware of your emotional
state and nurture it (see the heading on emotional intelligence
in the “Attitudes” section, page 10).
"How frequently should I follow up?
By phone or email?"
This depends on the time-frame you were given
at the interview. If you were asked not to
follow-up (“Don’t contact us, we will contact
you”), then follow the instructions and wait. If
the interviewers indicated their decision will
take more than a month, then don’t call until it’s
close to a month later. If you were not given a
time-frame, then call a week after your
interview. Leave a detailed message if you can’t
reach the contact person, and if a receptionist
answers the phone, ask them if they know
when a decision will be made on the job
applications for your post. If you left a message,
send an email as well. Phone calls are more
powerful than emails as they are more personal
and direct, and you can interpret a lot of extra
information by the way they speak. However
some interviewers will prefer emails as they
don’t always have time to speak on the phone.
Don’t follow up more frequently than once a
week, unless asked to. This will make you
appear desperate and pushy.
FAQs
47
Keep focused and keep job hunting even if
you get a “yes”
A “yes” does not translate into a job opening until you and your employer have signed the employment
contract. This can take weeks to finalise, or longer if the employer needs authorisation from higher up. During
this time you may get another job offer and you will need to compare them to see which one is in your best
interests. You will be sent a letter offering you a position at the organisation and detailing what it involves. Read
this letter carefully to make sure you are getting what you expected and what was advertised. If the letter
seems to be offering you less than the job advertisement, double check your opinion with someone at your
TVET college, or a family member. If they agree, then query the differences politely with your contact person at
the company before you sign. It is better to do this in person than over the phone to avoid the
misunderstanding that you are not enthusiastic about the job. When you accept the offer you will then be given
an employment contract to sign.
Read the employment contract carefully and get a second opinion from
someone you trust before you sign it
Your employment contract is a legal agreement that you are bound to, and there are penalties if you break its
conditions. You should therefore take the contract home before signing it, and let your parents, or someone
responsible whom you trust, and who has good English skills, read it and confirm your understanding of what
you are signing. Make a note of any queries you have and go over these queries with your employer before you
sign the contract. To explain this to your employer, and avoid seeming ungrateful for the opportunity, you can
say something like this, “Thank you so much for this opportunity. I take my legal responsibilities very seriously
and therefore always read through legal contracts carefully before I sign them. So can I go through the contract
tonight and return it tomorrow for signing?” An employer who insists on you signing it on the same day is
acting strangely, but if no other option is available, you should at least have them sit with you and explain each
paragraph to your satisfaction. Any legal contract you sign can be negotiated with the other party (your
employer). If something seems unfair or odd to you, question it, and propose something you would be happier
with. At the same time, especially if this is your first job, the value of getting your first work experience, and
the further employment opportunities that may result from it, should be something you weigh carefully before
you become too demanding. A good employer should respect the fact that you take a legal contract seriously
and take the time to clarify what it involves. They should also respect the fact that you believe in yourself
enough to want the best working conditions, but they may expect you to prove yourself first before they agree
to any of your requests.
TO DO
LISTS
Links
The Do’s and Don’ts of Interview Follow­up
Understand about good and bad recruitment practices (infographic)
View one company’s 6 month approach to proper onboarding (infographic)
Watch this video on how employers use social media to screen (filter out) candidates
An interview with South African comedian Trevor Noah on how he got the job of being a comedian.
The Snagajob YouTube Channel has hundreds of videos helping with the job search process, including
before, during and after the job interview.























48
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about the post interview process?
How would you rate your overall reaction to the interview (Good ­
Fair ­ Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to your a) follow up
communication b) alerting your references c) keeping your
emotions positive
Do you understand your employment contract and conditions of
employment? List 5 in order of priority.
49
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
50
Your First Day
We all know about stereotyping and its not cool when it happens to you.
What will your employer and your coworkers think about you after your
first day and the first week? Its easier to maintain a good impression that you
make during the first week of work, than it is to change a negative impression
that you made on the first day. By setting the bar high on day one you show
your employer that you are not afraid of excellence, and you also give
yourself a benchmark for the rest of your days there.
WHY?
“All labour that uplifts humanity has
dignity and importance and should be
undertaken with painstaking
excellence”
Martin Luther King
Jnr
Your first day at work can be
confusing, frustrating and
messed-up. Especially if this is your
first job and especially if your
employer is not used to induction
(introducing new employees to the
workforce). If you are lucky your
employer will make time for you to
experience induction or orientation.
If not you will have to “sink or swim”
in the deep end of the organisation.
This infographic will try to prepare
you for what you can expect so that
your first day is a fantastic memory.
IN A NUTSHELL
Don’t be late for work
Employers expect you to start highly
motivated and organised. Getting to work late
on your first day will trigger all the wrong
switches in your boss’ brain. Just like with
your interview, make sure you know where
you are starting work (if it’s not the same
place as your interview) and make every
effort to get to work early. This means have
a plan B for your transport if plan A fails, and
make sure your watch or phone is working
and accurate. Ask your mom or someone
you live with to double­check that you are
awake at the same time. Arriving late will
mean starting work on the back foot, and
you will have to fight to change negative
perceptions that you triggered on day one.
Watch out for...
!
Don’t be late for work
51
Keep a notebook about new
things you learn
“Too much information” is not just your response to your
parents when they let rip with things that should never leave
the bedroom, but it’s what happens at work on the first day. A
small pocket notebook can be very useful on your first day to
scribble down the names of your coworkers and managers.
Don’t worry about spelling yet, you can clarify that later. And
don’t use your phone to make notes because you first want to
find out the rules about mobile phones in the workplace before
you start using yours. Tip: write notes in between people
talking to you, otherwise they may think you are not paying
attention to them. Another tip: have a separate questions
page where you can jot down questions as you think of them
because you may only be able to ask later.
Dress and hygiene
TO DO
LISTS
Same story as “Preparing for the Interview” (page 41). Your
workplace may allow more casual clothes than an interview
but find out first before you throw on a t­shirt and shorts.
Don’t leave work early on day one
This warning is similar to the previous one.
Employers like employees who arrive early
and leave late. You won’t be able to do that
every day, or perhaps ever :D, but at least
on your first day leave at the normal closing
time, unless your boss tells you to leave
early. Try to “check­out” with your boss each
day before you leave work. This can be as
simple as saying goodbye (in smaller work
environments), or leaving a note on her or his
desk about your progress with your work that
day.
Watch out for...
!
Leaving early
Buy (or borrow) suitable work clothes
This is a tough one. It’s going to be expensive and you won’t
even have your first pay­check yet. Don’t buy work clothes
until you know how you are expected to dress in the
workplace, otherwise you may waste money. You might only
be able to afford a few outfits, and then have to wash and iron
them during the week to wear again. Being stylish at this
point is not as important at being neat, tidy and clean.
Ask questions and ask for help
In most workplaces asking questions is seen positively, though you will need to learn when and how to
ask them. Especially during induction, new entrants are expected to have many questions, so don’t hold
back. If something has already been explained and you didn’t get it, you can phrase your question
something like this, “Excuse me {sir / maam}. I know you have covered this before but please can you
explain it again?” If you still don’t get it, write it in your notebook and later on, when someone asks if you
have any questions, bring it up again.
52
Unfriendly coworkers
Asking for help is generally seen as positive in the workplace, especially when it could
cost the company money if you make a mistake. However when your coworkers are
under the pressure of a deadline they will not give you much space, if any at all. Some
of them may even be be rude, unhelpful or even ruthless in response to your
questions. This is a work environment, not a church group. Some work cultures are
focused on performance at the cost of friendliness, and this can be quite a culture
shock on your first day. You will need to grow a thick skin when it comes to dealing
with work colleagues who are less than helpful but it’s ultimately your choice if you
want to stay employed in a toxic work culture.
TO DO
LISTS
Don’t sit around doing nothing
If you are in a large group of new entrants your employer may struggle to keep all of
you busy from day one, in which case you may need to be patient until work kicks
in. However if people seem to have forgotten you somewhere and you have nothing
to do, try to contact your team leader or supervisor, and ask for work. This is being
proactive and will help build a good first impression. It’s ok to be asked to do menial
(humble) tasks on your first day, like making a cup of coffee for your boss, or
helping out at reception. A willingness to be helpful and fit in with whatever is
needed will be appreciated by most employers.
Don’t do personal work during business hours
Your employer is paying for your attention during business hours, so don’t check
personal emails, handle personal calls, or do online shopping while you are on the
job. Companies have very sophisticated ways to track every call you make, and every
website you visit. Your phone calls can be checked against a known database of
company clients and it will raise red flags if you are making personal calls at your
company’s expense. If its an urgent family matter ask your boss first for permission to
make the call and keep your time to the minimum.
What you can expect from orientation or induction
Most companies have a clearly guided process to on­board new
employees which includes giving you the following:
Where you will work and who your coworkers and managers are
What the requirements of your job are (KPAs ­ Key Performance Areas)
The dress code, what your working hours are, when lunch and tea­breaks can be taken, how leave works and how to
apply for it
How your performance will be measured and when, and training that may be available to help you improve
Disciplinary, ethics and whistleblowing procedures
How and when you are paid and what deductions will come off your salary
Procedures to follow in case of emergencies
53
TO DO
LISTS
Avoid office politics and gossip...
… forever if possible, but especially for the first weeks you are
there. Many new entrants become pawns in office politics that
damage their careers early on. Be careful to trust coworkers or
supervisors with confidential information until you know them really
well. Office politics and backstabbing can be far worse than
anything you experienced at college, because employees are
fighting for promotions with big salary tags attached to them.
Offer advice and improvements carefully and humbly
Everyone else in the organisation has worked there longer than you, and they may have experience of that
environment which you still need to gain. With that in mind, don’t rush to give advice and fix everything as if
you know it all. Maybe you do know stuff that your supervisor doesn’t, but take time to see the situation from
different perspectives before you start to offer advice. When you do offer advice, phrase it carefully, like this,
“Excuse me {sir / maam}. I have a suggestion that might make this {easier / better / simpler}. Can I show
you? ” and be willing to be shown that your idea won’t work. To be sure, many young college graduates have
good ideas for improvements in the workplace that are crushed by supervisors with big egos or
bureaucracies without a soul. Many books have been written about how to introduce changes at work, and
how businesses lose out on innovation because of their stuffiness. For now however, your first job is to keep
your employment, hopefully for at least a year, and gain valuable experience.
Get involved in after-hour activities with coworkers
Most organisations organise opportunities for coworkers to socialise because it helps to improve the quality of
your work relationships. Team building events, competitions and conferences are often used for this purpose.
You need to grow a lot of networks and become visible to a lot of people in your organisation, so try to
participate in these opportunities whenever you can. Remember however to be a professional at all times
during these events because although they are social, they are work­social, so avoid getting drunk, flirting, or
doing anything that your boss or coworkers could be hurt by.
LinksAdvice from college graduates on what kind of things can you expect to try and stress you out in
your first job, and things to be aware of on your first day on the job.
Has your college education prepared you for your first job? Here are some comments from college
graduates about what helped and what did not help
A humorous look (video) at what to not do on your first day of work
A helpful picture with everything you need to remember for your first day
Beena Kavalam discussing her “First 90 days plan” to make an impact at a new job (video)
Some tips from Nestle.com on your first day at work
An hour by hour guide to your first day (note in the USA organisations start work at 9 am and finish
at 5 pm)
You won’t get paid till the end of the month in which you started work, but check out this
Department of Labour guide to understanding your payslip.





















54
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about your first day at your job?
How would you rate your overall readiness for your first day at work
(Good ­ Fair ­ Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to your a)
punctuality b) dress code c) relationship with colleagues
What would you improve about your readiness for the first day of
work.
55
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
56
Attendance & Leave
To understand why attendance is such a sore point with employers, put yourself in their shoes: they are paying
you to *not be at work* every time you are late, leave early or don’t pitch up. Many organisations are already
working with as few people as possible, to keep salary costs down. This means each person is usually doing the
job of more than one person, and so when you miss work it has a bigger impact than just one person not being
there. Your absence means your co workers have to carry your load as well as their own. These days many
companies also have legal agreements to deliver a product or service in a specific quantity, at a specific quality, by
specific dates and times. If even one person messes up their job this could result in the company failing to meet its
delivery agreements, and losing business, or failing to reach a service delivery target.
WHY?
“I want to hire employees who
arrive late” - said no boss ever
FAQs
Unknown
"What are the maximum working hours?"
45 normal hours per week, 10 overtime hours
per week and 5 days per week. However you
can agree to work up to 12 hours a day so long
as you don’t exceed the weekly limit on normal
hours, overtime hours or days. Also if you work
more than 5 days a week then you should not
work more than 8 hours a day, and if you work 1
- 5 days a week you should not work more than
9 hours a day. See the Department of Labour
Basic Guide to Working Hours for more detail.
Many employers state that new
employees are frequently absent or late
for work, so this is one area where you can
quickly stand out from the crowd and
show your value to your employer. In
modern organisations salaries are often
the biggest input cost, yet many people are
simply not at work for significant periods
of time during the day, costing South
African companies more than R10 billion
a year. There are many reasons why
people cannot always be at work on time,
all the time, and this infographic will help
you keep to a minimum your work
interruptions. One of the most important
things you can do is warn your employer
in advance that you are not going to be at
work, or will be late. It’s not always possible
to know in advance, but the simple fact of
communicating as soon as you know
you will be delayed tells your employer
that you take the situation seriously and
care about how it impacts them.
IN A NUTSHELL
There are a lot of laws dealing with attendance,
leave and pay, covered by the Basic Conditions of
Employment Act, plus special agreements for certain
occupations, for learner workers and certain
economic sectors. For this reason there are some
exceptions to the answers below. See the
Department of Labour website for detailed
information, and check with your union
representative or HR department if you are not sure.









57
Asking a friend to cover for you
This is a sure way to get you and your friend
into trouble, and your friend may return the
favour by putting you at risk, and asking
you to cover for him or her. If you have to
miss work for a period of time, let your
supervisor know about it ahead of time,
rather than hoping they won’t find out. More
on this later in this infographic.
Watch out for...
!
Understand about sick leave
TO DO
LISTS
Asking a friend to cover for you
Your employer may have additional policies about sick
leave, but they should not be stricter on employees than
those specified by the Basic Conditions of Employment
Act (BCEA). During the first 6 months of your
employment you may take 1 day’s sick leave for every
26 days worked. After that, the BCEA allows you up to
6 weeks of fully paid sick leave every 3 years. However
you have to give your employer a medical certificate to
prove you were sick. If you are absent for more than 2
consecutive days (or less than 2 consecutive days,
twice in an 8 week period) you have to give your
employer a medical certificate (or your salary may be
deducted). More information on sick leave in this
Department of Labour Basic Guide. If you are sick for
longer than 14 days, you may qualify to claim
Unemployment Insurance Fund Illness Benefits.
"How do I know if my work counts as overtime?"
You can work overtime if you choose to.
Overtime pay is 150% your normal hourly wage
and is any time worked beyond the normal 45
hours per week. You should not work more than
ten hours overtime per week, unless a
collective agreement has increased this. More
information on overtime here.
FAQs
"Is there a law about lunchtime at work?"
You should be allowed a 60 minute meal-break
after five hours of work unless there is a written
agreement in your workplace to reduce that to
30 minutes and / after six hours of work.
"My employer wants me to work on a Sunday?!
And Heritage Day!"
You can be asked to work on a Sunday, but your
employer must pay you double your normal
daily wage. Alternatively they can give you paid
time off. More info on this here. You only have
to work on a public holiday if you agree to, and
then your pay must be double your normal daily
wage. Public holidays are paid holidays and
should not be deducted from your salary. More
information on working on public holidays here.
"My employer wants me to finish after 6 pm or
start at 6 am?!"
See the question on maximum working hours
earlier, because that is relevant. Also relevant is
that if you finish after 6 pm or start before 6 am
then your employer must give you a night work
allowance, or give you reduced working hours
(less than 45 per week), and have transport
available for you.
"Whoa! My boss took money off my salary
because I was absent!"
If your absence was covered by any of the paid
leave circumstances covered in this infographic,
then no money should be deducted from your
salary. Speak to your HR department to clarify
and then speak to your union representative or a
Department of Labour officer to resolve this.
See the Department of Labour Basic Guide to
Deductions for more information.




















58
Understand family responsibility leave
The BCEA gives you 3 days every 12 months to use as paid
family responsibility leave, but it does not roll­over to the following
year. These are the situations that qualify for family responsibility
leave: when your child is born, if your child is sick, if any of the
following relatives dies: your spouse or life partner, parent or
adoptive parent, grandparent, child or adopted child, grandchild,
or sibling. See the Department of Labour Basic Guide to Family
Responsibility Leave for more information.
Understand maternity leave
Some organisations have additional benefits for maternity leave,
plus childcare facilities for working parents, but the Basic
Conditions of Employment Act provides at least 4 months
maternity leave for mothers, starting one month prior to your due
date. You may not be asked to do any work that is unsafe for
you or your child while you are pregnant. See the Department of
Labour Basic Guide to Maternity for more information. You may
also qualify for Unemployment Insurance Fund Maternity Benefits
or Adoption Benefits.
TO DO
LISTS
Understand annual leave
The BCEA gives you 21 consecutive days of paid annual leave
every 12 months. Your employer can’t convert these to working
days by paying you extra, as with public holidays and overtime.
What if you haven’t worked for 12 months yet? Then your annual
leave is calculated at 1 day for every 17 days worked, or one hour
for every 17 hours worked. Public holidays don’t count as part of
your annual leave (e.g. Christmas, New Year etc). See the
Department of Labour Basic Guide to Annual Leave for more
information.
























59
Review the infographic on your Personal Brand (page 20). Is being late or missing
work a part of your personal brand? Being punctual can be as simple as waking
up earlier (and going to sleep earlier) or as difficult as finding a lift club that can
get you to work on time if the public transport near you is not reliable. Are you an
Early Bird or a Night Owl? Night Owls may need some special gymnastics to get
into the habit of arriving for work on time. Some people set their clocks 15 minutes
fast to help them always be on time. Other people pack their lunch, layout their
work clothes, and shave, the night before, to give them extra time in the morning.
If you have children to look after or other family responsibilities, it may be more
difficult. You may need to get a partner or relative to help. Remember the first
week and the first month are the most important times to make a good impression
at work. Six months is considered an even more significant milestone to reach.
Make adjustments to your life to make sure
you attend work on time
Being 5 ­ 10 minutes late for an appointment is not generally cause
for getting upset, but this is not the case at work where you are
expected to be there a few minutes early or exactly on time, and
the same with leaving for the day. Rather than take a chance and
hope you won’t get noticed sneaking in late, communicate your
delay to your workplace. In some organisations it may be
appropriate to send a text message to your boss, in other
workplaces an email to your team leader or coworker will be
sufficient. Find out by asking a coworker you trust, and clarify with
a supervisor if you are not sure.
If you are going to be late, inform your
supervisor as early as possible
TO DO
LISTS
SEE
ALSO
Your First Day
Performance
Entitlement &
Expectations
Links
The Department of Labour Basic Guide to Health & Safety Duties of Workers
7 Steps to Getting to Work on Time (WikiHow)
More detailed information and examples on the law covering absenteeism


























60
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about the importance of
attendance and leave?
How would you rate your overall knowledge for attendance and
leave requirements in your job (Good ­ Fair ­ Poor)? Motivate your
rating in relation to legislation and policies regarding attendance
and leave.
What do you still need to improve in your understanding of
attendance and leave policies in your work place?
61
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
62
Performance
Just like a sports teams, your organisation exists to achieve specific objectives,
and can succeed or fail at that. Its ability to achieve its objectives depends on a
lot of things, just like a sports game, but the performance of its team members
is one area the organisation can encourage and develop, so this is why
performance is such a big deal, and good organisations have sophisticated ways
of measuring and rewarding high performance.
WHY?
"Ask not what your company
can do for you, ask what you
can do for your company."
FAQs
Based on famous quote
from US President
JF Kennedy
"I am the best employee in my unit but my boss
never notices or recognises me. What can I do?"
First of all your boss may be noticing, but just
not have recognised it yet. Bosses sometimes
delegate that work to managers or supervisors,
so they may expect that others are giving you
feedback and reinforcement. If this is not the
case (and if you really are performing well), then
your organisation may be under pressure or not
functioning well. Some great employees are not
recognised by their companies yet they still go
on to be successful in other organisations, and
use their experience to continually improve
themselves. Ultimately you are performing well
for yourself, whether you get recognised or not.
Even without recognition, hard work and great
performance are a reward in themselves
because you gain experience and skills that
don’t come to those who fall asleep at work.
Keep a file of positive comments and successes
at work that you feel show your high
performance. This can include when customers
commend you or when you complete a task
ahead of schedule. Use the file to motivate your
performance to your manager if you are ever
questioned about it, and reflect the best
experiences on your CV and send it out to
prospective employers who will value your
work. But remember that employees who hold a
first job for 12 months or longer have a much
greater chance of being employed the rest of
their lives, so don’t be in a rush to leave your
employer before then.
The all important question: when do I get
promoted? In good organisations your
performance will be noticed, recognised
and rewarded, so this article focuses on
what performance is required at work and
how it is recognised. Some key points we
will cover: (1) hard work does not always
lead to desired outcomes, (2) desired
outcomes are not always recognised, (3)
recognised outcomes cannot always be
rewarded fairly in all organisations, (4)
becoming a high performance
professional is more abou personal
mastery and self-motivation than factors
outside of yourself that you have little
control over.
IN A NUTSHELL
63
Taking credit for others’ hard work
This is a shortcut to success that can be
dangerous. Except in dysfunctional (not
healthy) organisations, your own success is
linked closely to that of your coworkers, and
taking credit for someone else’s success
can alienate you from your team and make
it harder to get the support you need from
them later. Alienated coworkers can also
sabotage your efforts. Whenever you are
given recognition at work, think about who
helped you, and make sure you
acknowledge them to your boss, and
publicly. This will help your coworkers trust
you and make it more likely that they will
support you when you really need it. Some
organisations include team­work as part of
your rating in a performance appraisal.
Watch out for...
!
Understand your job profile and your key
performance areas
TO DO
LISTS
Taking others' credit
Most medium and large employers have job profiles for
all the posts in their organisation. Each job profile
describes the purpose of the job and a set of tasks it
involves, or areas that are key for successfully
performing it (also known as Key Performance Areas ­
KPAs ­ or Key Performance Indicators ­ KPIs).
Sometimes these are spelled out in your employment
contract (see the infographic “Your First Day”). If not,
ask your boss or HR department for your job profile and
key performance areas. They may not have any
specifically defined. In that case check in with your
boss periodically (how often will depend on your work
and the organisation), give a report back on your
progress with your work, and check if there is any new
work you need to take on.
Inputs vs Outputs
Performance is not so much about what you
put in, but the results that come out of it.
Most employers will not reward hard work in
itself, because hard work does not always
translate into results. This can be a tough
lesson to learn. Americans talk about
“working smart” and they mean getting the
best results with the least amount of work. If
your focus is taken up with how much you
are putting in, be careful to keep an eye on
what actual results you are getting from
your work, because that is what your
employer will normally reward. Here is a
great infographic on what it means to work
smarter.
Watch out for...
!
Inputs vs Outputs
Understand how your performance is being
measured
Some employers measure performance formally, and
others not. If your performance is formally measured,
find out how this is done. Most organisations only do
performance appraisals (evaluations) once a year. Your
HR department, team leader, supervisor or manager will
know what is involved. A poor performance appraisal will
usually result in support being given to you, through
training or other resources, to help you improve. This
makes it an ideal time to help your employer identify
areas where you need more training, or better support in
order to do a better job. A continually poor performance
appraisal, which does not change through training or
support, can lead to a warning from your employer and
eventually dismissal. A good performance appraisal can
lead to a salary increase or a promotion.

64
Understand how your boss thinks and
communicates, and how you think and
communicate
There are many different personality types and communication
styles. Each one has strengths and weaknesses. Understanding
your boss will help you tune your work performance to their style,
and make it more likely they will recognise you. Understanding
how different or similar your own personality and communication
styles are to your boss will help you “pitch” and “tune” your
workplace performance so that it is more visible to them.
TO DO
LISTS
Ask for feedback on your performance
Rather than wait until your next
performance appraisal, ask for feedback
often. Your manager may not always be
available to do that, but your supervisor or
team leader may. And if they aren’t, then
an experienced coworker can be a source
of feedback. Some feedback may be
negative and it’s seldom easy to swallow
this or take it objectively. If you are getting
feedback about your performance that
does not seem accurate, rather than
rejecting it angrily, ask for more detail on
the incident behind the evaluation, so that
you can understand what triggered it. It
may be a misunderstanding. If it still
makes no sense get the opinion of a
coworker or team leader you trust.
Appraisals are not always accurate.
Manage your expectations
You may be performing well but at the
same time there may be limited
opportunities for growth or promotion in
your organisation. Some organisations
will not consider promotion until you
have worked there for a specific amount
of time. Other organisations may have
only one supervisor post open, but three
people who deserve to be promoted to
supervisor. The sooner you understand
how performance is rewarded in your
organisation, the sooner you can adopt
realistic expectations about it. If you feel
performance is being unfairly rewarded
in your organisation communicate to
express your view and find out if there is
any information you are missing. A non­
threatening way of doing this is to say,
“{Sir / Maam} please can you explain to
me the thinking behind the promotion
that happened yesterday. I am trying to
understand what management is looking
for so that I can up my performance.”
Review the infographic “Entitlement and
Expectations” (page 68) to make sure
you are not demanding too much too
soon.
Links
Find out your communication style through this quizz. Is it the same as your boss’ style or different?
How will you compensate for that when you communicate with her / him?
Is your HR department speaking jargon to you? Check out this glossary of HR terminology.
See the employer’s perspective when it comes to giving negative feedback.
An article by a psychologist on how to give and receive negative criticism (not workplace focused but
still relevant)
Are performance appraisals accurate? Rater errors can result in misleading appraisals.
Don’t take life too seriously ­ check out some funny performance reviews (videos)





















65
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about performance in the work
place?
How would you rate your overall performance at your work place
(Good ­ Fair ­ Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to your
understanding of your a) Job Profile b) key performance areas c)
performance measurement?
Which performance areas do you still need to strengthen?
66
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
67
Entitlement & Expectations
Employers complain that
some graduates have
unrealistic expectations of
their first job and are not
willing to put hard work in
before expecting rewards.
They call this “entitlement”
and believe that such
graduates are not good team
players and fail to learn and
absorb the many new skills
and experiences the workplace
has to offer. Employers value
new entrants who are able to
wait to be rewarded until they
have settled in, learned from
those more experienced than
them, and contributed to the
benefit of their team and
organisation.
WHY?
“The dream is free,
the hustle is sold separately”
FAQs
"What if I am patient and my boss never
recognises me?"
Some organisations and some managers will
not have your interests in mind, and will be
content to use your time and energy for their
business without acknowledging or rewarding
you. Learning to choose an employer who is
responsible and ethical takes time, and many
people go through at least one or two bad jobs
before they can see the warning signs from afar.
Some research has shown as little as 35% of
managers are effective bosses. In situations like
this don’t act immediately or emotionally. Take
your time and get a second opinion of your
situation, preferably from someone who does
not work in the same company. It may be that
you should resign and find a better place to
work, but you should put your interests first and
wait until you have another job opening
confirmed before resigning. Here are some tips
for how to deal with a bad boss, and if you feel
like reading a book about bad bosses and how
to deal with them, you can download “A
Survival Guide for Working with Bad Bosses”
here.
Unknown
"I learned all this stuff at college and my manager is not interested
in trusting me with anything! What should I do?"
Experienced employees can be suspicious of new knowledge that
young employees bring to the workplace. After all they have
worked in that environment for years and now you arrive and want
to change everything. Be patient with your new ideas. Choose your
time carefully to introduce them, and make sure you have
researched the context (the actual situation) and have adapted your
theories to the local setting. New graduates are in fact valued for
their new approaches and knowledge but timing and the way you
suggest the changes are important. Don’t get discouraged if an
experienced coworker or manager cuts down your great ideas
mercilessly. They are watching how you react and respond, and if
you can pick yourself up, be willing to acknowledge weaknesses in
your proposals, and then rework your ideas, they will respect you
for your persistence. Here and here are some suggestions on how
to pitch new ideas to your boss.
Graduating from college can be an
exciting time in your life. You’ve spent 12
years in school and another two or three at
college, and now finally you will be
seeking employment, earning your own
money, contributing to society and have
some freedom. This enthusiasm and
optimism is a powerful source of strength
that will help you get through some of the
obstacles up ahead. It’s also fuel for
ambition, which is an important attribute
many employers are looking for. However
some graduates get ahead of themselves
and are so ambitious that they expect to
go from “zero to hero” overnight. They get
their first job, are disappointed that it
doesn’t meet their expectations, and
resign. They repeat the pattern over and
over and don’t build up deep networks
and work experience. Employers notice
that their CV includes several short work
stints and may interpret this as a lack of
commitment and responsibility.
IN A NUTSHELL




68
Entitlement syndrome
Entitlement is expecting things you have not
yet earned. But after 12 years at school and
two or more at college you have earned the
right to a good job, right? Wrong! You have
earned the opportunity to prove yourself in a
workplace, but until you can show your
coworkers and managers how you have
benefited your organisation, your are not
entitled to their respect. Remember grade 7?
You were at the top of the primary school
food-chain. All the pupils in the school
thought you were the best and they couldn’t
wait to enter grade 7. Then came high school.
Suddenly you were at the bottom of the food
chain. You came last in all priorities. Getting
your first job is a bit like the transition from
primary to high school. You are entering a
new environment with rules to learn, and new
people you have to prove yourself to. But
unlike school, moving ahead is not based on
an annual promotion to the next grade. It’s
based on things you can effect like your
willingness to learn, your loyalty to your
team, hard work and creative solutions.
Watch out for...
!
Become conscious of your
expectations
Sometimes we have unconscious expectations that are driving us,
and they push us to do things that are not in our best interests.
Make a list of your work expectations. Break it into (a) short term
expectations (for the next three months), (b) medium term
expectations (for the next six months) and (c) long term expectations
(for the next 12 months or longer). Reflect on how realistic these
expectations are. Or perhaps they are not ambitious enough?
Discuss your expectations with people you
trust and revise them if necessary
TO DO
LISTS
Entitlement syndrome
First discuss your expectations with someone outside of your workplace to help you get an objective second opinion of
whether you are being realistic or not. They can also help you identify steps you will need to take to realise the
expectations. Then discuss it with someone inside your workplace as they can give you a more accurate (but
sometimes more biased) opinion of your expectations. If possible, discuss some of your expectations with your boss.
Some organisations have a monthly or bi-monthly interview with your boss as part of the regular schedule of meetings.
This could be an opportunity to discuss your expectations with your boss, and get feedback as to what they think you
can realistically achieve. You may want to be careful at first, until you know your boss better, and test out expectations
with them that they are not likely to have a problem with. Then in time you can discuss some of your more daring
expectations with them.
Links
Check out this SlideShare deck which surveyed LinkedIn influencers and asked them what their first job was. What
does this tell you about humble beginnings?
We don’t often think of humility as a leadership quality, but this article argues that it is one of the most important
leadership qualities.
Watch this 3 minute video on Servant Leadership - a different approach to leading people that has found significant
support in organisational development.
Ken Blanchard is an American author and management specialist. In this video (6 min) he talks about the
importance of self-leadership as the basis of building all other kinds of leadership.
Review the section “Attitude” (page 10) for the discussion of generational differences and then read this article on
how HR professionals (managers in an organisation who a responsible for people issues) view “Millennials”. Do
you think this this is a stereotype of the younger generation or does it have some validity? How would you make sure
you dodge the stereotype of a “Millennial”, or “Generation Y”?
Employees with no expectations from their employer are likely to be seen as “lacking drive and ambition”. So the fact that
you have expectations may be seen as a positive fact by your manager. See the section “Communication” later in this
booklet for tips about ways to introduce sensitive topics with your manager.










69
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about entitlement and expectations
in the work place?
How would you rate your expectations (Idealistic ­ Reasonable ­
Unrealistic ­ Entitled)? Motivate your rating in relation in relation to
how real and reasonable your expectations are.
What do you still need to improve in relation to your expectations
based on the feedback you received from your friends and fellow
students?
70
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
71
English for the
Workplace
Many unnecessary problems
result every day when people
don’t communicate accurately and
misunderstandings result. Once a
miscommunication has taken place,
it takes more work to undo the
false perception and rebuild trust.
In the workplace the potential for
miscommunication is even higher,
as people from diverse
communities and social groups mix
inside the business and in the
marketplace.
WHY?
“The expert in
anything
was once a
beginner”
Helen Hayes
What is "Grammar"?
Grammar is the rules for combining words
together to make sentence structures.
Communication is one of the
top skills employers look for
in potential employees, and
English is the business
language of South Africa and
the world (for now).
Improving and then
mastering English will
empower you to work more
effectively and gain more
recognition in the workplace.
But English is a huge
language, with over 500,000
words in its vocabulary, and
it’s full of exceptions and
multiple rules for similar
situations. It takes between
5 and 7 years to speak
English fluently, depending
on how completely you
surround yourself with the
language. Fortunately
“business English” is a
subset of the full language
and improving your business
English can already give you
an advantage in the
workplace.
IN A NUTSHELL
What is "Vocabulary"?
Vocabulary is a list of available words in a
language. While English has more than
500,000 words in its total vocabulary, you
only need 850 words to cover the most
essential aspects of communication in it.
Synonyms are words with a similar meaning
(e.g. “hard” and “difficult”) whereas
antonyms are words with the opposite
meaning (e.g. “easy” and “difficult”).
What is "Pronunciation"?
Pronunciation describes how similar or
different to a native speaker your speech
sounds, usually because of the influence of
your home language on your second
language.


72
TO DO
LISTS
Improve your English
The internet has changed the world of learning. There are
many free online learning programmes that you can register
for and complete to improve your English skills. Some sites
charge a fee if you want an assessment and statement of
results after completing the learning, but that is optional.
Some of the sites with English learning programmes are
listed below, and you can search for more of them here:
FAQs
"I am really shy and I find it difficult to practise
my English, what can I do?"
Limiting your opportunities for using English
will slow down the speed that you can
improve. Perhaps you had an embarrassing
experience in the past and now it makes you
reluctant to exercise your English in public.
“There is no such thing as a stupid answer” is
relevant to all attempts at learning, because
no-one steps immediately into perfect
performance until they have made mistakes
learning. In fact the only way to find out what
your mistakes are is by speaking. You can try
working on your writing and reading skills
first, and then focus more on your speaking
skills. Reading skills are the most passive,
followed by writing, then listening, then
speaking. You can build the more passive skills
first and this will support your speaking skills
indirectly.
What is "Punctuation"?
Punctuation is the use of speech symbols
(such as brackets, commas and
“parentheses”) to add meaning to a
sentence by breaking or pausing the flow of
language in specific ways. For example
notice the difference in meaning in these
two sentences, which only have a single
punctuation mark separating them: “Let’s
eat Granny,” and “Let’s eat, Granny.”
ALISON.com
Coursera
edX
ESOL Courses
Memrise
Udemy
University of Reading (has an academic focus)
If you are interested in learning about other subjects, see
this list or this one. While online learning can help you
enormously, the highest quality learning is face-to-face
learning with an instructor. Other than paying for English
tuition, which can be expensive, research your area for
NGOs, churches or government agencies which are offering
free or subsidised learning programmes. Also check if your
company offers any courses in English which will be free to
its employees.
Improve your English reading skills
Take the Macmillan Readers Level test to see what your current reading level is. Now set a target to improve your
reading level within two months. Then take the test again and see if you have improved. Try some of the free English
reading courses available online (listed earlier) to improve your skills. Some tips:
Read for the general meaning of the text first, then come back and read more carefully for the detail, looking up words you
are not sure of in a dictionary.
If you don’t have a dictionary handy, try to guess the meaning of a word from the words around it (its context)
There are many words in English which have a similar spelling but different meanings. Check out this list of 125 of the
most common ones.
Take this synonyms and antonyms test to increase your vocabulary
Read English articles or books regularly. This will improve your reading skills and increase your vocabulary. Practice
reading out loud to improve your speaking skills as well. Finding an English author that you like could very well improve
the quality of your English faster than anything else you do. Here are 20 websites which have thousands of free books to
read, and some sites let you join online book clubs and rate or comment on books as well as recommend them to
friends. Join a book club on Twitter or Facebook and find books that match your interests.






























73
Common errors for speakers of African
languages - pronouns
Your home language affects how you will
speak English. Most African languages in
South Africa have no gender marking
pronouns such as he, she, his, hers etc.
This sometimes results in second language
English speakers using the wrong gender in
the pronoun, such as “The girl is here. He is
not listening to me,” (instead of “she is not
listening to me). Pronouns are also often
used twice when they only need to be used
once, e.g.: “The women, she is here,”
instead of “The women is here.”
Watch out for...
!
Improve your written English
English writing skills are even more important these days because of
the huge amount of digital communication that travels via text mediums
such as emails, web pages, chats and posts. Written English can be
divided into structure (how you put ideas together), style (the “flavour” of
your writing), and content (the topic of your writing). Here are some
suggestions to write better business English from Grammarcheck.Net:
Common Errors
TO DO
LISTS
Common errors for speakers of African
languages - pronunciation
English has about 20 vowel sounds
whereas local African languages have as
few as 5 in some cases (such as Zulu). It
takes practise to hear and pronounce all the
extra differences in vowel sounds, but it
improves your spoken English once you do
it. Examples of this difficulty are common
in words like “bird” (wrongly pronounced
“bed”), “apple” (wrongly pronounced
“epple”). English also has consonants that
don’t exist in African languages, such as
the “th” sound in the word “three” (wrongly
pronounced “dree”), or “that” (wrongly
pronounced “dat”).
Watch out for...
!
Common Errors
Avoid jargon and complicated words (don’t try to impress just yet).
Get straight to the point (after a greeting there is no need to chit chat
in business English).
Avoid exclamation marks, WRITING IN CAPITALS (it’s like shouting).
Write your first draft quickly, then do a second draft where you pay
more attention to English errors.
If you have time, use an English dictionary and Thesaurus to choose
the best words, and also expand your knowledge of the language.
Use the built-in grammar and spell checkers in software like
Microsoft Office or use free online ones here and here.
Use Google Translate to check vocabulary (the automatic
translations are seldom accurate enough to use in a business
context)
Get another person to check your English if it is an important
document
Check your current spelling and punctuation level here. Review more
help and checklists on written English at the University of Kent
Employability website.
Improve your English listening skills
Understanding spoken English is a lot harder than understanding written
English because spoken English shortcuts many rules of written English,
and speakers leave out details that they expect you to get from the context
of the conversation. Also the pressure of “realtime” communication adds
more difficulty to the task of comprehension.
A great way to improve your English listening skills is to watch English TV
programmes which have subtitles in your home language. Most YouTube
videos have the option of turning on automatic subtitles which enable you to
read the English being spoken on the video. To make this technique even
more effective, select a 5 minute slot to review, look up any words or
phrases you do not understand in a dictionary, jot these down, then replay
the slot and review your notes when necessary. More help on this technique
here. This is a YouTube playlist dedicated to improving English listening
skills. Used with a microphone, you can record your own pronunciation and
then play it back to hear how close your pronunciation is to the target.
Watching shows is just one part of a successful listening skills strategy.
More approaches are provided here and here.




























74
Improve your spoken English
Spoken English is a critical part of teamwork, telephone skills, resolving
conflict, making proposals, gathering information, persuading and
negotiating, and presenting your personal brand. There are many
approaches to improving your spoken English, as these search results
show. Kent University has a good web page that groups many of these
insights together plus provides resources and self-evaluation tests.
Some of the best tips are listed below:
TO DO
LISTS
Organise English-only events with groups of friends. During the
outing enforce a rule of speaking English only with each other. Uses
phrases like, “How do you say angizwa khale in English?” Someone
have a dictionary handy.
Make friends with an English home language speaker and spend at
least two hours a week with them, speaking in English. Ask them to
speak more slowly than they normally do. Ask them to correct your
biggest mistakes. Offer to teach them your home language in return
:)
Don’t speak too fast. It might impress your listener if you can rattle off
in English, but you are more likely to make mistakes and it’s seldom
necessary unless you have a wild dog chasing you!
Learn key phrases in English that you can use when you get stuck,
for example, “I am not sure how you say this in English…” or “I am
struggling to find the best way to describe this in English so let me
put it this way….”
See this video for guidance on how to improve your spoken English (22
minutes). Also review the infographic “Communication” for guidance on
how to use your English skills for specific communication purposes.
SEE
ALSO
Career
Communication
Conflict
Planning &
Prioritising
Teamwork
Technology
Links
Jargonism.com has a business English dictionary and a quizz to determine how good your business English
is. It also has Google Translate built into it, which allows translation into Zulu, Sesotho and Afrikaans
A free online guide to writing briefing notes (memos) with step-by-step guides and examples
Did you know that Google Translate is a free tool that supports translation into SeSotho, IsiZulu and
Afrikaans. It can also translate entire web pages and can be used offline (on your phone).
Wiktionary is a free English language dictionary which includes pronunciation of words (an audio snippet)
and different meanings for each word, with examples. It has a Sesotho and IsiZulu counterpart.
Thesaurus.com has lists of words of similar meanings and words of opposite meanings.
The Crown Academy of English has hundreds of hours of free video courses to help you improve your
English
Vocabulary.com has a an adaptive learning game combined with a dictionary that makes it fun to increase
your English vocabulary. You can also enter a list of words you are trying to learn, and the website will create
a game to help you learn them.
LearnEnglish.De has many resources to assist you in improving your listening skills.































75
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about language use that you can
apply to your life now?
What lessons have you learned about proper language use in the
work place?
How would you rate your overall knowledge of the professional
language requirements in your work place (Good ­ Fair ­ Poor)?
Motivate your rating in relation to written, spoken, reading and
listening skills.
What do you still need to improve regarding the skills referred to
above?
76
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
77
Career
When you parents were growing up it was common for employees to have two - four jobs in their
life-time. Technology has changed the world so much that only a few of the large companies that were
around in the 1960’s are still going. Entirely new economic sectors, new products and services have
emerged since then, creating new job opportunities, and also eliminating old ones. Employers now want
flexible workforces that can increase and decrease quickly as demand in the economy changes. They
employ the smallest number of people possible so that they can hire additional specialist skills to respond
to new opportunities as they arise. All of this means that individuals need to take more personal
responsibility for their career development, and not rely on an employer to babysit them.
WHY?
“Things don’t turn up in this world
until somebody turns them up”
FAQs
James A. Garfield
"I want to study and improve myself so that I can
advance my career, but I just don’t have the
time."
It takes enormous commitment and discipline to
further your studies while holding down a
full-time job and looking after a family. You only
have a few hours left to yourself every day and
you are exhausted after a tiring day at work.
Fortunately there are part-time and eLearning
options you can consider. Part-time learning
normally takes twice as long to finish, but you can
work on your studies during evenings or
weekends. eLearning enables you to complete a
course electronically (usually over the internet),
whenever you have spare time. Some employers
also recognise short courses as valuable, just
check before you sign up for them that they will
assist your career development, as some short
courses are a dead-end. Your employer will
sometimes cover the financial cost of your
training or education, if the courses are related to
your job and help you perform more effectively.
An alternative, if you really don’t have time to
study at all, is to network with people in the same
field as you in order to find out what
developments you should be aware of, and to
share your experiences. See “Networking” later
on in this infographic. Another alternative is
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Once you
have significant experience in a specific field you
may qualify for an RPL assessment that could
result in you getting certification for your
expertise. RPL assessments still cost money but
they may save you a lot of time repeating studies
for knowledge and skills that you have already
gained informally in the workplace. For more
information on RPL see CareerPlanet.
Well done on landing your first job!
Seemed like a lot of work? 12 years of
education plus job searching, interviews,
more interviews, induction, orientation,
and now you have joined the ranks of the
employed. The good news is that you are
employed. The bad news is that this is just
the beginning of your career and you
probably have at least 8 job changes,
searches and interviews ahead of you
before you retire. Taking responsibility for
your career will mean staying up to date
with changes in your occupation, learning
new skill sets, earning new qualifications,
helping to coach new employees, getting
good performance appraisals, navigating
crises at work (and home), getting
promoted, getting fired (or retrenched),
looking for new job openings, and starting
the whole cycle over again. In the middle
of getting married, raising a family, paying
home-loans and supporting your
community you will also have to nurture
your career. Neglecting your career or your
personal life can both cause problems.
This infographic will make you aware of
some of the opportunities and challenges
you need to be aware of as you build your
career prospects through your life.
IN A NUTSHELL


78
Complacency
Complacency means you get so
comfortable that you don’t remain aware of
important changes around you.
Complacency creeps in when you feel that
your job is safe and you don’t need to “up
your game”. Modern day employees are
more like sportsmen and sportswomen who
continually improve their skills and exercise
to keep fit. Never knowing when a new
competitor will emerge on the sportsfield to
challenge their position, they work tirelessly
to keep their edge. If you don’t enjoy your
work this kind of continuous improvement
can be a real drag. This is why you should
try hard to find work in an occupation that
you enjoy and find very meaningful.
Watch out for...
!
Understand career-pathing
TO DO
LISTS
Complacency
A career­path is a route from one occupation to a more
advanced one (e.g. Sales Agent to Sales Supervisor), or
to an occupation on the same level, in another job
family (e.g. Electronics Technician to
Telecommunications Technician). Understanding the
various career­pathways available to you can expand
the opportunities for your career development. Some
people experience career progression that is very
unexpected. For example a Casting Agent is someone
who chooses which actor to cast (place) in a specific
acting role for a film or TV show. A Literary Agent is
someone who chooses which books to publish for
specific audiences of readers. Although these
occupations seem very different, they both use the
skills of screening, assessment, selection, and
appointment. So you may not think you have options
when it comes to your career pathway but the skills
sets you have may be important in a very different
occupation. Another common form of career progression
is based on working with similar materials. What
materials do you work with in your occupation?
Someone who works a lot with words (e.g. an author)
may find it easier to career path into a language
teaching occupation because of their experience with
writing and language. They would have to develop their
pedagogy skills though. For more ideas to help you
understand the career pathways in your occupation visit
http://ncap.careerhelp.org.za/ and browse their
database of occupations. Some entries on this website
have information on the type of career pathways
common leading to and from them.
Become a Lifelong Learner
Lifelong learning is based on the
realisation that there are many different
forms of learning, beyond what we
experience in school and college, and
continual learning is required to remain
relevant and up to date with your work
environment. Given that the average worker
will have 8 or more jobs in their life­time,
lifelong learner is a necessity in order to
keep up with new technologies and new
job requirements. Lifelong learning is also
becoming easier with advances in
technology bringing engaging content to
mobile devices and laptops, and
innovations such as MOOCS bringing
down the cost of high quality learning. The
South African National Qualifications
Framework has also embraced lifelong
learning as one of its key principles,
encouraging education and training
providers to adapt their programmes to
meet the needs and environments of adult
learners. Increasingly workers are able to
access learning programmes that are
modular, self­paced, flexible and articulate
into further learning opportunities (rather
than ending in dead­ends).
















79
Find yourself a mentor
A mentor is an experienced person who is willing to support your
career development and personal growth. They can be drawn
from within your organisation, your occupation or industry sector.
Mentoring is a very powerful form of development. Some
companies hire mentors to develop young people that they
believe have the potential to succeed in their organisations. But
mentors are not always paid professionals. You may have a
friend of your family who has lots of experience and has recently
retired. They may be willing to mentor you. Older people who
have succeeded in their careers sometimes have a desire to give
back to their field by mentoring new talent. You might feel the
same way one day! A mentor is very helpful, especially when you
have a crisis at work and do not know or trust anyone of your
coworkers enough to be able to turn to them for advice. Unlike a
college lecturer or academic, a mentor has experience in the
environment you are now working in, and has learned through
success and failure. If you are considering asking someone to
mentor you, you should know what will be required of them,
especially if they have not mentored someone before. What will
be required of you as the mentee or protégé? Read here to
prepare yourself for your responsibilities in the mentoring
relationship.
TO DO
LISTS
Network and party!
No not that kind of party. We are talking about work parties and events
that enable you to socialise with people in the same organisation,
industry sector or occupation as you. Networking is the informal but
very powerful business and social tool that allows you to grow your
network of associates and colleagues. Your network can be a source
of new customers or sales for you in your current job, better job offers
to work at better organisations, warnings of risks or developments in
your field, and peers or role­models that can help you improve your
career potential. Pro­tip: take business cards to networking events and
give them out to selected people. Keep their business cards and make
a note on the back to remind you of the context of your meeting and
anything significant you want to remember about them. Store all these
business cards and “tap” your network when you need a new job offer,
are trying to get more customers for your current job, or need any other
kind of help. Of course if you have a LinkedIn account you can do this
and more online (see “Building a CV”, page 27). If you are naturally an
introvert (shy person), these suggestions will help you socialise more
successfully at events.
“If opportunity
doesn’t knock,
build a door.”
(Milton Berle,
American comedian
and actor)
“I realised that you
have to be in
charge of your own
success because
no-one is going to
do it for you.”
(Unknown)












80
TO DO
LISTS
SEE
ALSO
Building a CV
Communication
Conflict
English
Entitlement and
Expectations
Planning &
Prioritising
Teamwork
Technology
Join a community of practice
A community of practice is a social group of people who perform
a similar occupation or profession. Such groupings include
professional bodies, industry associations, chambers of
commerce, trade unions, and business forums. Communities of
practice can help you understand your field better, introduce you
to mentors, role­models or colleagues and associates. They can
keep you up to date with legal changes in your occupation, and
offering you professional development and training opportunities.
Communities of practice provide input to government and
business relating to their particular fields of expertise. You can
view the SAQA recognised professional bodies here. A list of
registered trade unions is available here. Industry associations
are listed here. Business chambers can be found here.
“The two
most important days
in your life
are the day you are born,
and the day
you find out why.’
(Mark Twain,
American author)
“Anyone who stops
learning is old,
whether at twenty
or eighty. Anyone
who keeps learning
stays young. The
greatest thing in life
is to keep your
mind young.”
(Henry Ford, Founder of the Ford Motor
Company)
Links
Public education institutions can be searched for here.
Other education and training institutions can be found here.
Some suggestions on how to get promoted, and transferable skills in case you are looking to change
employers.
Not sure what the difference is between coaching, mentoring and teaching? See here.
Some suggestions on networking for career or business purposes.
Check out Beena Kavalam’s YouTube Channel for career guidance help for women.
As you move from your first job to your second, and more, keep in mind the difference between a job, a
career and a lifestyle. This video by Ralph Smart (psychologist, author and counsellor) on “5 Reasons You
Should Never Get a Job”, explains the difference and what to look for in your next work opportunity.
























81
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about the importance of career
development?
How would you rate your overall career development plan (Good –
Fair­ Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to your a) life­ long
learning b) career pathing c) mentoring and d) networking
What do you still need to do to improve your career development
plan?
82
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
83
Communication
The workplace requires communication skills that
are not commonly required at home or in colleges,
so many new employees come to the workplace
lacking in workplace communication skills. This
makes it harder for them to excel in other areas of
their work, increases the chances of
misunderstandings and miscommunication, and
makes it more difficult for them to resolve conflict,
work in teams, and communicate with customers.
WHY?
“The single biggest problem in
communication, is the illusion
that it has taken place”
FAQs
George Bernard
Shaw
"I get nervous, self-conscious and afraid when I
have to communicate at work,
what can I do about it?"
Dodging workplace communication can make
your life a nightmare, and result in people
thinking you are silent because you have
nothing to offer. The fact that you are aware that
you have this habit is the first step to changing
it, so well done on being self-aware. Your next
step is to shift the way you see yourself. Low
self-esteem, sometimes caused by bad past
experiences is one of the reasons you could be
struggling to speak up at work. Here is a good
article to address that issue. Alternatively maybe
you are just very strict on yourself, a
perfectionist who demands that you be perfect.
Either way, change starts with a conscious
choice to see yourself differently (and more
accurately) than you do now. The next step is to
start changing your behaviour gradually. Classify
communication opportunities at work as easy,
moderate and hard. Push yourself to
communicate during the “easy” opportunities
first. Make a note in a journal or scoreboard at
your desk for each time you successfully
engage an easy communication opportunity.
Don’t count the ones you miss. “Engaging”
does not mean you have to give a speech, it can
simply be supporting what a speaker has said, or
adding to their communication. Leave
disagreements and conflicts till your confidence
is higher. Once you have got some momentum,
graduate to the “moderate” communication
opportunities, and then eventually to the “hard”
ones. More suggestions on confidence building
here.
Mastering English for the workplace
(page 72) is one step towards more
effective communication. The next step
is to understand communication
approaches and patterns that are used
in the workplace. We mentioned earlier
that communication is one of the top
skills employers look for in potential
employees. This is because
communication supports almost
everything you do at work. Building your
communication skills requires more
than just English competence. It also
requires personal mastery (in areas like
confidence, patience and empathy) and
social awareness (in areas like culture,
diversity, motivation and team-work).
IN A NUTSHELL











84
Assuming you know what is inside
someone else’s head
Prejudices, stereotypes,
misunderstandings and verbal abuse are
often based on thinking you know
someone’s intentions when you might be
only half right, or completely wrong. While
you think it may give you an advantage to
second guess people, or make you feel
like you are in control, there are disastrous
consequences when you are wrong, and
you end up alienating people at work by
simply think you know more than you do.
Even if someone is makes a snide
comment, is it professional workplace
behaviour to play the game with them and
retaliate? Your boss may be pleased with
you side­stepping the comment and getting
on with the job at hand.
Watch out for...
!
Understand the most important aspects of
communication in the workplace
TO DO
LISTS
Assuming
Communication is a huge field of study but specific
kinds of communication are really important in the
workplace. We go into more detail for some of these
areas in this infographic, and we suggest links at the
end of this section where you can explore this field
more widely. Areas of communication that are important
in the workplace include: assertiveness, body language,
cross­cultural communication, customer service,
diversity, motivation, negotiation, persuasion,
presentations, research, sales, and telephone skills.
Assertiveness
Assertiveness is the ability to assert (make a
statement) your perspective or judgement of a situation,
including respectfully, but firmly disagreeing with others.
Assertive behaviour at work is essential for efficient
communication and the quick resolution of problems,
but many people are unfamiliar with workplace
assertiveness, preferring to remain silent when they
should speak, or speaking aggressively when they
should simply state their opinion. Assertiveness is not
aggressiveness. There are specific communication
techniques to express yourself firmly without being
overbearing (putting others down). More help on
assertiveness here. Steps to improve your assertiveness
can include the following:
Value yourself and know your rights in the workplace
Identify your needs and wants in the workplace
Realise that people are responsible for the way their
interpret other’s actions
Express negativity in a constructive way
Accept positive and negative feedback in a balanced
way
Learn to say “no” when it is appropriate
Learn to change your decision and to apologise in an
objective way
“Communication
is the real work
of leadership”
(Nitin Nohria)













85
TO DO
LISTS
Get savvy with cross-cultural communication
Each culture has its own way of showing respect, humour, challenge, support and disagreement. This is part of
the rich variety and heritage of humanity, and cultural diversity is something that should be encouraged. In the
workplace however, there are conventions (rules) around communication that help avoid misunderstandings, and
make communication more efficient. Learning these conventions does not mean changing your culture, it just
means respecting the culture of the workplace, and knowing when it’s appropriate to communicate using
workplace conventions.

Cross­cultural differences in communication are well known across the world. Asian cultures for example are
typically more team oriented than Germanic cultures. Middle­eastern cultures are less participative than Anglo
cultures, and East European cultures are more autonomous than Latin American cultures. For example, how do
different cultures say “no” to their boss when saying “yes” may result in more important work not being done?
German: “No, I cannot anymore, I might have to postpone some
other important work”
Chinese: “This may be not so easy to do.” Chinese culture never
openly says “no” as this is considered very disrespectful in certain
contexts.
Italian: “I am not sure if it is possible.”
British: “This might be a good idea,” with the emphasis on the word
“might”.
In some traditional African cultures it is respectful when greeting a senior person to avoid eye­contact, not talk
until you are spoken to, immediately seat yourself in a lower position, and not question the decisions of the
senior person. In most South African workplace cultures, the communication conventions when greeting a senior
worker are the opposite: eye contact is made immediately and maintained throughout the conversation, you are
expected to be communicative, to remain standing until offered a seat, and to disagree respectfully when
appropriate. How can you become more effective at cross­cultural communication?
When interpreting other’s communication styles, leave space for the possibility that cross­cultural differences
may explain some of the things you find unusual or offensive in the other person. For example you may feel
your boss has been cold and hostile towards you, whereas they may feel they are being professional and
polite.
Likewise understand that others may misinterpret your communication if they are unfamiliar with your culture.
For example you may communicate in a way that you believe is friendly, but others may interpret your
behaviour as too demonstrative or disrespectful.
Grow your understanding of the workplace communication culture in your organisation so that you understand
what is and isn’t appropriate in that context. For example ask your coworkers questions like this, “Sandy, that
person seemed very unfriendly to me in their body language. Is that normal here, or was the person actually
trying to be unfriendly?”
Be tolerant of cultural differences, realising that good intentions are often expressed in very different ways by
different cultures




86
TO DO
LISTS
Body language
Sometimes our mouth says one thing and our body language
says another. We are not often aware of what our body language
is saying, and in a workplace context, our non­verbal language is
just as important as our verbal language. Key ingredients of body
language include:
“The biggest
communication problem
is we do not listen
to understand,
we listen to reply”
(Unknown)
“10% of conflict is
due to difference of
opinion and 90% of
conflict is due to
delivery and tone
of voice”
(Unknown)
Posture (the shape of your body when sitting or standing)
Eye contact
Hand and body movements
Distance between people and touch
Research what a “defensive posture” looks like and how a
person’s body language can tell you if they are lying. Become
aware of your body language during interviews, presentations and
when listening to your boss.
Customer service communication
Customer service skills are essential in most businesses, but
especially if you are “front office” or “forward facing” (dealing
directly with customers). Without customers a business would
not exist. This gave rise to the expression “The customer is
King”, and “The customer is always right,” reflecting the
importance of customer service in organisations. Poor
communication with customers can lose your organisation
business (or affect service delivery) which is why customer
service communication is often high on the list of skills for new
employees. Good customer service communication can be as
simple as putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, and feeling
what they are feeling, then aiming to give them what you know
you would like if you were in their situation. Dealing with unhappy
customers is another valuable customer service skill and it
requires good communication performance on your side. Asking
the customer “what happened?” can give you the information you
need to assist them effectively as well as make the customer
feel a little better as they get their negative experience “off their
chest”. Read up on some additional tips to deal with unhappy
customers here and the even more difficult angry customers.
Then ask around if anyone knows someone who is really good at
customer service, and spend an hour or two observing them in
the workplace if possible. What makes them so good at this
skill, and how can you learn from them?












87
TO DO
LISTS
Common mistakes in communication
Being aware of the common pitfalls out there can save your
communications. Here are some common ones to avoid:
Assuming your listener can hear you. Especially when delivering a presentation, or speaking to a group of
people in a noisy place, check that the listeners at the back can actually hear what you are saying, for example
“Can you hear me at the back there?”
Assuming your listener automatically understands you. Check they have got the message, by asking for
example “Does that make sense to?”
Assuming bad intentions. If you think a speaker or listener has bad intentions, your communication (whether
listening or speaking) will tend to reinforce your opinion, and may actually turn a neutral person to one who does
have bad intentions. Instead, try to keep an open mind when communicating, and be aware that your own
interpretations are not always 100% accurate.
Lecturing or blah blah blah blah. Get straight to the point, especially with business communication. While
bantering and chit chat may be appropriate in social situations, in the workplace people have jobs to do and
don’t appreciate "waffle".
Try not to use email to communicate emotional content or bad news, rather use face to face communication.
Electronic communication seldom carries the empathy that is needed for such emotional communications.
Links
This article is targeted at managers to make them more aware of cross­cultural communication
issues in the workplace, and this article gives a bigger framework to understand how workplace
cultures differ globally.
MindTools.com has hundreds of useful articles on getting ready for the workplace, including several
on communication in the workplace. A similar site is SkillsYouNeed.com.
Empathy is an essential workplace capability, especially when working with customers, and
managing teams of employees. We discussed EQ earlier in this publication (page 12). Here is a
view of empathy in business communication.















88
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about the importance of
communication that you can apply in your daily life immediately?
What lessons have you learned about the importance of
communication in the work place?
How would you rate your overall communication skills (Good – Fair­
Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to your a) assertiveness b)
body language c) cross­cultural communication d) diversity and e)
customer service communication
Which aspects of your communication skills do you still
need to improve?
89
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
90
Conflict
Conflict at work is inevitable.
Most workplaces are high
pressure environments where
delays or errors can result in
financial loss or health and
safety risks. Local, national and
global competition contributes
to high levels of stress and
raises the likelihood of conflict.
Conflict is also not necessarily
a bad thing. It can force
communication to take place
and reveal blockages and
dangers that are hiding under
the surface. It can also relieve
stress when people express
their feeling and emotions
openly. There are however
healthy and unhealthy ways to
cope with conflict in the
workplace. This infographic
looks at both.
While sporadic conflict can be constructive if channeled correctly, it can also
rip apart a workplace and make it toxic. Working in conflict ridden
environments is not supportive of business. Being able to resolve workplace
conflict successfully is in your best interests. You never know when your
coworkers will appear later in life as your new boss, or fellow manager in
another organisation or sector. Some work enemies even end up being
influential managers in your customer’s organisations or your supply chain. So
it’s never a good thing to part ways with a fellow employee on bad terms.
Dorothy Thompson
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but
the presence of creative alternatives
for responding to conflict”
IN A NUTSHELL
FAQs
"I am worried that if I get involved in conflict I may lose my
job, but I have to stand up to people here. What can I do?"
If you are new at your job it might take a while before
people trust you enough to respect problems that you are
pointing out. That is why the first 6 months of your
employment are so critical. If possible, wait until your
supervisor and coworkers have got to know you and trust
you before getting involved in conflict. In a healthy
workplace you will be able to speak confidentially to a
trusted coworker, supervisor or manager about the
conflict, and get advice as to how you should respond. If
this is not possible in your workplace then are probably
more problems there than you think. Fear of losing your
job is understandable, but you should also know that your
boss cannot simply get cross with you and fire you.
Employers must follow a clear and fair process before they
can dismiss an employee. In a situation like this there are
several approaches, and no-one can really tell you which
one is best: (1) approach a trusted coworker or team leader
for advice (2) confront the person who is troubling you and
express how you perceive their behaviour (3) approach
your team leader, supervisor or manager to make an
official complaint (3) try to resolve the conflict privately,
outside of work (4) request a transfer to a different
department or building (5) wait and hope the problem will
disappear. More suggestions in the “Links” section
of this infographic.
WHY?


91
Understand the type of conflict
TO DO
LISTS
There are three types of conflict in a workplace:
"Someone is messing with me at work. Do I
confront them privately or publicly?"
The advantage of privately confronting
someone is that they will not be publicly
humiliated, and they may be less defensive and
more open to hearing you out. The advantage of
publicly confronting someone is that you have
witnesses if the dispute turns out nasty, and
other people can hold the person to account,
not just you. If your conflict is with a coworker
(not a superior), then it’s usually advisable to talk
to them before or after work so that the conflict
does not spill over to the workplace. If that fails,
and the conflict is affecting your work, then the
next step would be to request your team leader
or supervisor (not your manager) to help you
resolve the problem. If that fails you would have
to escalate (take higher) the conflict to your
manager.
FAQs
Being nice
Being nice is usually very socially
acceptable. In a workplace being nice can
often be counter­productive (work against
you) and is sometimes called “denial”
because it pretends there is no cause for
conflict. Because workplaces are complex
environments requiring everyone’s best
performance, conflicts are often a sign of
trouble under the surface, and it’s therefore
very important not to bury disagreements at
the first sign of trouble. Rather try to work
out if there is a genuine problem behind the
disagreement so that you can solve the root
problem before it breaks out at a worse time,
with more repressed (buried) energy. See
the heading “Assertiveness” in the
infographic “Communication”, page 84, for
more help.
Watch out for...
!
Being nice
individual conflict, between people
instrumental conflict (over what the organisation is
doing or how it is doing it), and
implementation conflict (over the resources needed
to achieve the organisation’s objectives)
Understand the causes of conflict in a
workplace
Miscommunication and misunderstandings are a
significant cause of workplace conflict (see
“Communication”, page 84, for tips to avoid this).
Workplace stress is another significant cause of
conflict. Review some of the suggestions in the
infographic “Attitude”, page 10, to help you destress.
Competition is another common cause of conflict, as
employees fight one another for recognition,
promotion or other types of reward.
Disagreements about organisational objectives or
ways of working is another source of conflict.
Patient to doctor: “I
don’t do much
traditional exercise, but
I make sure to get my
heart rate up by
freaking out at the
office on a regular
basis”
(Source)
92
Understand strategies for resolving conflict
in the workplace
Before looking at strategies, it’s important to state that you
should try to deal with conflict early. It can become more difficult
and more dangerous to resolve conflict later. Its also helpful to
focus on the business goals and objectives. Everyone at work in
an organisation is there to further the objectives of the
organisation. This “higher” objective can encourage people to let
go of their personal differences in pursuit of the bigger purpose.
Sports teams often build unity in this way by reminding
individuals of their commitment to the team and the game.
Personal conflicts seen in this light are petty. You can even show
people how their conflict is negatively impacting the organisation
that they both rely on for employment, to move people away from
selfish tendencies. These are the common strategies used for
resolving workplace conflict:
TO DO
LISTS
Passive aggressive conflict
Just because conflict is under the surface
does not mean it’s not lethal. Passive
aggressive behaviour is indirect. Sulking,
resentment and withdrawal can be passive
aggressive behaviours. Here are 10 ways to
spot this kind of aggression which can often
sabotage a workplace silently and much
more lethaly than open conflict.
Watch out for...
!
Passive aggressive conflict
Seek a win­win resolution to the conflict. “Win­win” means all
parties in the conflict get what they want. This is the hardest
outcome to achieve, but the one with the highest rewards. You
need to understand both sides of the conflict well to know what
would benefit each side, which is not always the same as what
they say they want or need. You may also need to convince the
parties that what they say they want is not actually in their best
interests after all.
Seek a compromise resolution. This is not as good as a win­win
solution, but not as bad as a win­lose situation either. Each party
agrees to change their demands so that agreement can be met.
The danger is that conflict may arise again in the future if the
compromise was not heartfelt or was not deep enough to the root
causes.
Seek a win­lose resolution where one party’s demands are
considered more valid than the other party, and the conflict is
resolved in their favour. This is a weak solution because it leaves
one party feeling like they have lost and not been validated, but
sometimes it is the only solution to conflict, especially where
one employee is simply bullying another, or where it’s more
important to preserve the relationship than solve the problem.
Accept a lose­lose solution where both parties agree to drop the
conflict, and neither gains what they want. This is also known as
denial or avoidance. In some situations it isn’t possible to resolve
the causes and this solution can at least create a temporary
pause in hostilities until a better solution can be found.
“The best general is
the one who never
fights”
(Sun Tzu)
“Resentment is like
taking poison and
waiting for the other
person to die”
(Malachy McCourt)





93
TO DO
LISTS
SEE
ALSO
Attitude
Career
Communication
English
Planning &
Prioritising
Teamwork
Technology
Understand the link between conflict,
stress and illness
A work environment riddled with conflict is called a
“toxic work environment” for good reason. Understanding
the link between conflict, stress and illness may help
everyone involved try harder to find a real solution. When
your body is stressed it goes through major physical
changes which are designed to protect you when you
are in danger, the so­called “fight or flight” mechanism.
The problem isn’t the fight­or­flight mechanism, the
problem is staying in it frequently due to constant
stress. The more frequently you are stressed, the more
the body’s fight or flight changes become toxic for your
long­term health. Review the diet and nutrition
suggestions here to protect your body from stress
responses, but ultimately, remove as much stress from
your life as possible.
“Creativity comes from
a conflict of ideas”
(Donatella Versace,
fashion designer)
Links
This is not a good way to resolve conflict (video)
What this short summary of conflict avoidance strategies (video)
What is an unfair dismissal? Here is the Department of Labour guide on this topic.
Some examples of conflict resolution in workplaces
Things can get out of hand if conflict is not resolved early on (video)
Become a pro at dealing with stress, stress in the workplace, and understand how stress can affect your
health
Negotiation skills support conflict resolution. Read up on them here.
Relaxation techniques to help with stress and conflict. Exercise can also help you de­stress, and has
additional health benefits
A humourous look at male­female relationship conflict. Discuss with a friend of opposite gender how this
infographic can help resolve conflict at work.



































94
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about conflict that you can apply to
areas of conflict in your life?
What lessons have you learned about conflict in the work place?
How would you rate your overall knowledge of conflict management
(Good ­ Fair ­ Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to a) types of
conflict that you understand, b) strategies for conflict resolution and
c) the link between conflict, stress and illness.
What do you still need to improve in your conflict management
skills?
95
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
96
Planning & Prioritising
Planning and prioritising skills have
been identified by employers as an
essential capability that young
people must bring to the workplace.
With the rapid advances in
technology in the twenty first
century, workers have opportunities
and requirements to multi-task more
than ever before, and can be more
productive than ever before, but not
without learning to plan their days
and prioritise their tasks.
WHY?
“In the modern workplace,
distraction is destruction”
FAQs
Mike Stuart
"Help! I know what tasks I need to do but I
always end up wasting time with less important
stuff"
You may be a procrastinator (someone who
delays unpleasant tasks in favour of something
unimportant). There are many techniques you
can use to break this habit. Find one that works
for you. Each person’s psychology is different,
so you may need to try a few of these
techniques before you find one that works for
you.
Deadlines, targets, interruptions, stress
and distractions. All the ingredients you
need for a large explosion. Fortunately
with good planning and prioritising skills
you can navigate these things without
losing track of what needs to be done
each day, and you can make sure you
don’t forget important things that can’t be
tackled just yet. Your ability to plan and
prioritise is essential for your success in
the workplace no matter what industry
sector or occupation you work in.
IN A NUTSHELL
Overplaning
If you try to plan and control your day too
much you can end up wasting time and
frustrating yourself. Every day there will be
unplanned and unplannable incidents that
you have to squeeze into your schedule
without time to think much about it. Too
much planning can stress you out, make
you grumpy with coworkers and customers,
and make you skip tasks that are actually
important.
Watch out for...
!
Overplaning
(Proverb)


97
Understand time management
TO DO
LISTS
Time management is an important part of planning and
prioritising your day. The key ingredients are:
Set clear goals ­ if you are not sure of it, it’s not a
goal ­ go back and check with the person who gave
you the work to do in the first place.
Break your goals into separate pieces or steps ­
each step leads you to the next, and is a necessary
part of getting the goal done
Review your progress, adding, deleting or re­ordering
goals depending on your progress and how much
time is available to complete the goals
Don’t let time “run away from you.” Use a watch, or your
phone or PC to periodically check the time so that you
can catch yourself spending too much time on a single
piece of a goal. If you find yourself stuck on one piece of
a goal, let go and take on another task. Your mind burns
energy when concentrating intensely and it gets
exhausted. A change of task can give your creativity a
boost and stop you from getting bogged down (see
“Creativity & Innovation”, page 15). When interruptions
come, defer them (leave them till later) unless they are
urgent. You will work more effectively on a task without
interruptions. Be friendly, polite and yet firm with people
who try to distract. This includes your boss! For example,
telling your boss, “{Maam / Sir} I would really like to help
you with that task now but you have said this work is
really important, so I will help you as soon as I have
completed this task. Is that ok?” Your boss can then
decide whether to distract you or not, but will respect
your commitment to getting your job done effectively.
Interruptions will happen whether you like it or not, so
building in extra space before and after tasks to allow for
unavoidable interruptions.
“Things which
matter most
must never be at
the mercy of
things which
matter least”
(Johann Wolfgang
von Goethe)
98
Use to-do lists to shepherd your tasks
A small pocket note­book, or task manager like Google Keep, is
an absolutely essential tool for work. Give each day its own
page, and write the date clearly at the top. Use it to quickly jot
down notes to yourself so that you don’t forget details and tasks
that your boss quickly mentions to you while you are busy with
something else. This way you won’t get stressed trying to
remember what your boss told you earlier in the day. Use it to jot
down phone numbers, figures, addresses, names and other
important information that you will need for later. When you have
a space during the day check your note­book and cross off the
things you have done so that you can easily see what still needs
to be done. The act of reviewing your to­do list may remind you
that one task requires an additional task to be done first (e.g.
you need to buy a new light­bulb before you can replace the
broken one). Use symbols (like an exclamation mark!) to
highlight urgent or high priority tasks, or designate priority with
the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4… etc to show the order or priority of
different tasks. Don’t throw the note­pad away when you are
done. In a month’s time you may be looking for a phone number
you wrote down in it, or trying to remember what you were doing
on a specific day.
TO DO
LISTS
Understand prioritisation
“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things
which matter least” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). The 80:20
rule of time management is that 20% of your tasks cover 80% of
what is really important for you to accomplish. This rule helps
you sift out the tasks which will take as much time as a high
priority task, but are not nearly as important. Get the 20% most
important tasks done first in the day, as early as possible. Don’t
forget about the remaining 80% less important tasks, but use
less valuable time, such as late afternoon, to focus on them and
get as many as you can done in a short space of time. You will
find it much easier to tackle lots of less important tasks (the
80%) when the few important tasks (the 20%) are sorted. Also if
there is an unexpected disruption to your day (load­shedding at
the office, or the boss asks you to help with something), your
important tasks will have been taken care of earlier in the day,
leaving you more confident to tackle the emergency. Prioritisation
is about knowing the difference between efficiency and
effectiveness.









99
Low hanging fruit refers to “quick wins”, tasks that should be relatively quick and easy to accomplish, and
result in some kind of gain or benefit. For example if you work in a call centre, you may have five phone calls to
do that you know are complication­free and will enable you to register a big amount of progress for the day. One
strategy of prioritisation and task management is to identify and harvest low hanging fruit as soon as possible.
You will feel better about your workload, and have made an early impact on your day. Low hanging fruit can be
in either the 80 or 20 percent of the 80:20 rule, but the small amount of effort involved in completing these
tasks, along with the benefit of doing so, makes them important.
Low hanging fruit
Another strategy to prioritising is the time management matrix.
Think of all your tasks as fitting into one of four quadrants (squares)
of a graph. The left axis of the graph shows increasing urgency of
the task. The right axis of the graph shows increasing importance.
The top right quadrant are tasks that are urgent and important
(sometimes called “fire­fighting”). The bottom right quadrant are
tasks that are not urgent but are important. The top left quadrant
are tasks that are urgent but not important (office drama sits here).
The bottom left quadrant are tasks that are not important and not
urgent. Some of these tasks however can lead to problems later if
they are not addressed sometime. Most people spend too much
time in the top left quadrant (urgent but not important), and not
enough time in the bottom right quadrant (not urgent, but
important). Once you have allocated your tasks to one of the four
quadrants this is one approach to tackle them:
The time management matrix
TO DO
LISTS
Deal with firefighting emergencies first (top
right quadrant)
Don’t let all your time get stolen by
firefighting
Be sure to spend time with important but
not urgent tasks (bottom right quadrant)
When you need a break, or at the end of
the day, work on the remaining tasks,
keeping in mind tasks that have the
potential to be important in the future
Urgent
& important
Not urgent
but important
Urgent
but not
important
Not urgent
& not important
Increasing importance
Increasing urgency100
SEE
ALSO
Career
Communication
Conflict
English
Teamwork
Technology
Have contingency plans in case important tasks can’t get done on
time. For example you have an important customer whose printer
needs repairing. You dispatch a technician to the job, but you know
there is a small chance that one technician won’t be enough. Your
contingency plan is to keep a second technician in the same
suburb so she can reinforce the first technician if necessary. In
most cases you don’t need to develop a full contingency plan, but
can just have thought through some options, and made the
necessary decisions so that contingencies are available.
There’s always Plan B
(King Julien in “Madagascar”)
TO DO
LISTS
“A stitch in time saves nine” (Proverb). This proverb highlights the
importance of actions you can take now which will save you from a
lot of work down the line. For example your boss tells you to set up
a contact details database so that you can quickly lookup the
phone number or email of a customer without searching through
papers or lists. You put the job off because it sits in the 80 part of
the 80:20 rule (see “Understand Prioritisation” earlier). However you
end up missing an important call to a customer because you can’t
find their contact details. You didn’t do the stitch in time and now
you have a lot of work to do to build up the relationship with the
customer again.
Be proactive
Links
Suggestions on taking notes in meetings. Tips on using a short­term memory note­book.
We discussed keeping a daily journal in the infographic “Attitude” (page 10). Turns out you can use a
note­book for journaling many different things
The top 6 free task management apps
If you are a procrastinator (someone who puts off important tasks for no good reason), then this
decision flowchart may or may not help you.
A time management questionnaire that rates you on a scale of 1 to 15 in eight different areas, and
then helps you improve your lowest scores
How do you know if you are in the 80 or the 20?





















101
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about planning and prioritising that
you can apply to your life immediately?
What lessons have you learned about planning and prioritising that
you think will be tough for you personally to apply in the workplace?
How would you rate your overall planning and prioritisation skills
(Good – fair­ Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to your a) time
management b) prioritisation and c) pro­activeness.
102
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
103
Teamwork
In recent years, teams have emerged as the basic building blocks of effective organisations. Teams reduce
inefficient hierarchies, speed decision making, and discover improvements to customer problems more
quickly. In the 1960’s, a typical business unit would focus on one part of a business process (say assembly)
have a manager, a supervisor and a team leader, plus ten regular employees. Nowadays it’s common for a
business unit to have five employees and a team leader, and to cover several parts of a business process
(say assembly, manufacturing, purchasing and sales). Through technological advances and process
improvements, this team does the work of five teams from a typical 1960’s factory.
WHY?
“None of us is as smart
as all of us”
FAQs
Ken Blanchard
Teams are more effective at solving their
own problems and more robust because
of the different skills sets and personalities
they contain. However teamwork requires
more advanced interpersonal skills and a
willingness to drop some of your personal
boundaries to advance the team’s
progress. Arguments, jealousy, rivalry, and
bullying are just some of the challenges a
team can face, and unless these are
resolved quickly, everyone in the team can
suffer. Teamwork requires a paradox
(seemingly conflicting ideas): the
individual’s well-being is as important as
the team’s well-being. Teams that neglect
individuals fall apart, but individuals within
a team who neglect the team end up
falling behind. Perhaps this is a modern
rediscovery of the saying, “All for one and
one for all?”
IN A NUTSHELL
"There are some people in our team who are wrecking it by
their behaviour.
What can I do about it?"
Naming the negative behaviour can help to make everyone
aware of it. The kinds of destructive behaviour that teams
often get into include conflict, withdrawal, monopolising and
scape-goating. Conflict is an issue we have looked at already
(page 91). Withdrawal is a common behaviour where a
person just refuses to participate in the team. A good team
will be a safe environment for introverted (shy) people to
open up more, and will not force people to participate. Some
personality types contribute less than others, but their
contributions are very powerful when they happen. A good
team respects the individuality of each contribution.
Monopolising is a destructive behaviour where one or two
team members are so active that other team members
can’t make a contribution, or are forced to contribute in
limited ways only. Scapegoating is where the group blames
an individual member for its failure to achieve something,
instead of recognising that the failure is the group’s
responsibility. You can read up more about these behaviours
and how to respond to them here.





104
TO DO
LISTS
Rate yourself on interpersonal skills
You will need a high level of interpersonal skills to crack
teamwork. Rate yourself here to check where you
currently stand.
Understand different roles in a team
The most effective teams are diverse. Rather than
everyone trying to be the same, the team respects
individual differences and encourages the strengths of
each person to be expressed through distinct roles in
the team. Effective teams are also flexible enough to
allow people to change roles to meet their personal
needs. Some teams are small so one person may fill
more than one of the roles below. As you look at these
roles, try to identify which roles you currently play in
your work team, and compare that with roles you have
played on other teams or groups during your life (e.g.
sports team, church group, political organisation etc).
Team roles typically include the following, often called
by different names, and with some roles split into two in
some systems of thinking:
Leader ­ their leadership style will affect the character and success of the group and should be
flexible enough to change over time (in emergencies it may be appropriate for them to dictate tasks
whereas in normal circumstances it may be appropriate for them to seek guidance and direction
from within the group).
Shaper ­ a shaper helps the team enter new areas and cross obstacles, but their impatience and
risk­taking can also create problems for the group. They are great at starting new work, but usually
struggle to finish it.
Implementer ­ an implementer likes to make progress and get the job done. They are practical but
can struggle to see the big picture or embrace new approaches . Implementers often finish the
work that Shapers start.
Supporter ­ a supporter is sensitive to the team’s needs and provides members with
encouragement and help. They are good listeners but may not enjoy the limelight or leadership
roles.
Investigator ­ an investigator is comfortable gathering information and resources outside the group
and is sociable and good at negotiation. They may be overly optimistic about their potential for
success.
Scientist ­ an intellectual or problem solving role which can work away from the group for periods
and develops creative ideas and solutions which bypass conventional limitations and are therefore
either very useful, or impractical.
Judges ­ are good critical thinkers able to evaluate plans objectively and point out strengths and
weaknesses of an approach or contribution. They can sometimes be too analytical, unemotional
and critical.





105
TO DO
LISTS
SEE
ALSO
Attitude
Career
Communication
Conflict
English
Planning &
Prioritising
Technology
Are you a good leader?
There are many different kinds of leaders, and not all of them
are the superhero type you see in Hollywood movies. If you
enjoy working with teams and are successful in motivating
and organising people, you may be a good leader. Take this
survey to get an idea if you already have leadership
capabilities, what kind of leadership style you prefer, and
what areas you can improve on to become a better leader.
Once you prove yourself at teamwork you may want to
consider becoming a team leader or supervisor. Leadership
has nothing to do with bossing people around, and is made
up of a whole bunch of interrelated (connected) skills such
as: big picture thinking, organising, decision making, problem
solving, communicating, motivating and empathy. Get an idea
of what this involves here.
“Individually
we are
a drop.
Together
we are
an ocean.”
(Ryunosuke Satoro)
“Teamwork is the
secret that makes
common people
achieve uncommon
results”
(Ifeanyi Onuoha)
Links
Read up on how workplaces have changed in the last fifty years, leading to the importance of teams in
workplaces
Meetings are an important part of teamwork but can often be frustrating and unproductive. Check here for
some suggestions on how you can make them more effective.
We are all on the same team, and we have work to do… (video)
Here are some resources to help improve teamwork in your organisation
Didn’t find your team role in this infographic? Try this set of alternative team roles.





















106
Respect diversity in your team and
understand the strengths and weaknesses
of each person
As you may have noticed, the list of team roles given previously
is very diverse. To the extent that a team is aware of these
differences and respects each role’s strength, while being aware
also of each role’s weakness, this diversity is a powerful source
of strength. However if the team members try to make everyone
the same, or see some roles as less important, they can run into
trouble.
The Myers­Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI) is a personality theory
that allows teams to identify which personality types they match,
and then work together by playing to their strengths and
accommodating their weaknesses. The 16 MBTI personality
types link to the team roles described above, but also provide a
lot more detail on the communication styles, conflict strategies
and thinking patterns that characterise each personality type.
You may have heard people described as “introverts” or
“extroverts”. Introverts tend to be more comfortable on their own
than extroverts, who can spend long periods of time in groups
without feeling drained. The introvert ­ extrovert dimension is just
one of four dimensions of personality in the MBTI theory, showing
you how complex the many different aspects of personality can
be, and how different team members can be from each other. If
you are interested in finding out more about your personality
type, visit http://www.16personalities.com/ to do a free
evaluation. Some more background on the MBTI can be found
here and suggestions on how to apply this in your team here.
TO DO
LISTS
Good guys, bad guys and ethics
Integrity and accountability have risen in public awareness
recently, as scandals and corruption have been exposed across
many sectors of society, business and government around the
world. As an individual and a team you may be faced with some
tough decisions to make where you are not sure what the right
thing to do is. Whistleblowers serve society by exposing
corruption in their organisation, but sometimes pay a high price.
These pages offer you some help in establishing an ethical
framework for your choices at work and at home. Leaders have
a special responsibility with regard to ethical choices. Here is
some reflection on how to be an ethical leader.
“The buck stops
everywhere”
(The Simpsons)
"We had a great team at work but now it’s a
disaster. What is happening?"
Teams have a natural life-cycle they grow
through, just like a living part or animal.
Teams first come together and establish
common ground (Bonding), then individuals
within the group challenging each other and
the group to establish authority and
prominence (Storming), then the group
tends to stabilise and agree collectively on
who does what (Norming), followed by a
phase of productivity in terms of achieving
the team’s objectives (Performing), and
finally the team adjourns (ends) at some
point, or get’s absorbed into a bigger team.
Not all teams go through all the stages in
the cycle. Which part of the life-cycle do you
think your team is in now? How does this
affect how you will act in the team going
forward? For more information on these
cycles this see here.
FAQs












107
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about Team Work that you can
apply immediately in your life?
What lessons have you learned about Team Work in the workplace
that you were not familiar with before?
How would you rate yourself as a team player ( Good – fair­ Poor)?
Motivate your rating in relation to your a) understanding different
roles in a team b) diversity
What do you still need to improve in order to be a good team
player?
108
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
109
Technology
Technology has become so
pervasive in the workplace that
you are now at a serious
disadvantage if you are
technologically illiterate. And while
the younger generation has an
advantage in growing up with
technology, they still have to keep
pace with rapid improvements in
telecommunications and
electronics. Employers try to adopt
the latest technologies in the
workplace in order to save costs
and improve the quality of their
products and services. Being able
to benefit from the time-saving and
efficiency benefits of this
technology should impress your
employer and help you get your job
done better.
WHY?
“Life was much easier when
Apple and Blackberry were
just fruits.”
Unknown
You may not have grown up in home with
all the latest gadgets, but as a college
graduate you are young enough to pick
up many digital literacies much faster
than older people in the workforce. This
means way more now than just computer
literacy. Workplace technology has
increased beyond software, laptops and
PCs to include tablets, smartphones,,
photocopy machines, coffee machines,
time control systems, automation
systems, remote control devices (think
projectors and aircons), and many more.
IN A NUTSHELL
Gadget mania
The definition of technological literacy
includes the fact that you are not scared
by technology nor infatuated by it. Next
time you see your boyfriend or girlfriend
drooling at Dion Wired, or possessed by
the latest smartphone tech, don’t get
envious. Technological infatuation can
result in an unhealthy over reliance on
technology to the extent that you use it in
the wrong situations (emailing someone to
break emotional news) or for the wrong
purposes (virtual dating instead of the real
thing). The purpose of technological
literacy is for you to use technology, not
for technology to use you. Gadget mania
also leads to office etiquette violations that
can make you appear unprofessional and
rude. Not putting your private phone on
“silent” while at work, taking a call in the
middle of a conversation with a person,
and typing a message while someone is
speaking to you, are common examples of
poor technology etiquette. Your supervisor,
manager and boss are more likely to get
upset with the way you use technology
than your peers. This is not just because
they are responsible for discipline in the
workplace, but being older than you they
have developed a different set of norms
and values around technology, which are
less tech-friendly than yours. More tips
about using your technology sensitively
here and here.
Watch out for...
!
Gadget mania






110
Master typing
TO DO
LISTS
Typing has been identified as a fundamental modern
business skill, due to its importance in many electronic
interfaces. Test your typing speed at Typing Test. You
should have a word per minute speed of not less than
40. The same website has typing training games and
tips to help you increase your speed if you need to.
Master “Help”
Most commercial software and technology is sold with
user guides or help functionality. Surprisingly few people
actually use this functionality to solve problems they
have, or improve their efficiency with the program or
device. In Microsoft Office for example, the website
https://support.office.com/ provides articles, videos and
downloads to help you use the Office suite of programs.
Online forums are also an excellent source of work or
personal help. Once you register on a forum you can
post questions, reply to questions and get notified by
email whenever anyone responds to your post. My
Broadband is a popular South African forum and you
can see here how wide the range of topics is. Yahoo
Answers is another kind of website where you can post
questions and receive answers from people. Good
answers receive the best ratings and so you can usually
see which answers are more trustworthy than others.
DID YOU KNOW?
Master Google Search
Google is probably the best tool for getting general help on anything. You can obviously
use Google to type in a specific question such as “How to troubleshoot a Samsung
Galaxy Tablet 4” but you can also use it to test a suspected solution, for example “shaking
a samsung galaxy s4 fixes it” results in no articles confirming that suspicion, whereas
“cinnamon repels ants” gets results that confirm your hypothesis. Did you know you can
add the words “site:za” to the end of your search query to get results only from South
African websites? This is more effective than just adding the word “South Africa” to your
query, because the results will include websites from anywhere in the world with the word
“South Africa” in their title. Google Search can also be used as a calculator (type 9+10
and see what happens) and a dictionary (type definition Google). Type this query into
Google and see what happens: “What teams have won the Africa Cup of nations ..2010”.
More help on using Google search help here and here.
“My friend told me
there was life
outside the internet
and that I should
check it out. I asked
him to send me a
link.”
(Unknown)





















111
TO DO
LISTS
Master the tech you need for your work
Each job will have its own environment and its own technology. During induction,
or the first day of work, find out what technology forms part of your job and what
resources your employer offers you to learn how to use them. Also find out who
the technology experts at your work are, so you know who to contact if you
can’t fix something. When asking a technician to assist you with technology,
don’t just let them fix it for you and leave, ask them to show you what they did
to fix the problem, and ideally you should do the fixing while they tell you what
to do, so that you learn for yourself. Although this is harder at first and takes
more time, you will teach yourself technology in the act of solving your
problems, and become more tech-friendly. Technicians may need to be asked to
“go slowly” or repeat themselves, when explaining what to do, as they may not
relate to your lack of technological understanding if they have no experience in
training people. Before you call a technician, try to fix the problem yourself, as
most common technological problems stem from simple things like the device
not being plugged in, or can be solved by simply restarting the program or the
operating system. See Tech Terms for help with tech jargon.
Subscribe to good tech resources to stay updated
Certain websites specialise in technology developments and can keep you up to
date with relevant developments. These include My Broadband, ITWeb, Ars
Technica and The Verge. If you are struggling to keep up with information
overload, try using an RSS reader, such as Feedly, which lists headlines on all
your favourite websites so that you can only explore the topics that interest you.
RSS Readers can save you hours of time and yet enable you to stay abreast of
news and information across a variety of fields.
Backing up
With more and more information becoming digitised, and with more important information being uploaded, it’s
important to understand how to make and restore backups of your data. You should back up your data frequently.
How frequently depends on how much data you would be happy to lose. If you are working on a big project, it’s
advisable to backup your files whenever you reach a small milestone. Where do you backup your data to? Ideally
the backup location should be in a different physical location to the primary location (e.g. your laptop). It’s no use
back ing up to a memory stick, then storing your laptop and memory stick in the same room and both get stolen.
Online backups are probably the most convenient, although your data is not necessarily private or secure (see
Digital Privacy and Security later). Google Drive offers 15 GB of free online storage space. Dropbox offers 2 GB
free storage. Learn how to backup contacts and messages from your phone to another device. How to do this will
vary depending on your phone. Consult the help documentation that came with the phone or try this Google
Search “How to Backup a [insert phone make and model]”.
“Getting
information off the
internet is like
taking a drink from
a fire hydrant”
(Mitchell Kapor)
Help!




















112
TO DO
LISTS
Other tech related skills you should develop
Digital Privacy and Digital Security are two areas of technological literacy that are worth finding out more about
and adopting practices to keep your personal life private, and to prevent hackers from stealing information or
money from you. Some Digital Privacy and Security tips are given below, along with references for more help:
“It has become
appalling obvious
that our technology
has exceeded our
humanity”
(Albert Einstein)
https://
Find out if your employer has IT or security policies that you
need to be aware of.
Read here to understand the difference between HTTP
websites (not secure) and HTTPS websites (more secure).
Be careful of doing online banking over public Wifi Hotspots,
as these access points have numerous security weaknesses
that can be exploited by a hacker.
Two-factor authentication is used by many websites to add
another layer of security to your communication, and you
should use this wherever possible.
Choose a secure password
Never send passwords or credit card details in an email or
text message as these can be easily hacked.
Don’t share your password with anyone else, including your IT
administrators. They have their own passwords they can use
to access your account securely without compromising your
password. Don’t give your passwords out over the phone to
people you assume you can trust.
Don’t open attachments on messages from people you are
unfamiliar with as these can infect your device
Use antivirus software on your devices and make sure they
are working properly and have up to date virus definitions
Keep the software on your device patched and updated to
prevent it being vulnerable to exploits
If you intend to blow the whistle on corruption, take
precautions to ensure your actions are anonymous by using
the Tor Browser.
Links
You thought there was only one or two kinds of illiteracy? There are 20 distinct forms of illiteracy according to
Listverse. How many apply to you?
LifeHack has a set of articles helping you become more tech-friendly.
Tech Terms has a browseable glossary of technology words and phrases as well as quizzes and answers to
common technical questions
Suggestions on netiquette for IM at work.
Microsoft Office Support
Microsoft Office Word 2010 help and tricks website.
































113
My journal
... also use this page to write your own
observations and notes.
Before you move on
use these reflection exercises
WAIT!
to deepen your understanding
Record your reflections on the following
in your journal:
What lessons have you learned about the importance of
technology?
How would you rate your overall technological skills (Good – Fair­
Poor)? Motivate your rating in relation to your a) world wide web
skills, b) Backing up data, and c) your E­mail skills
What do you still need to improve to master your technological
skills?
114
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
115
Email
WHY?
"I assume everything I'm saying in an
email or saying on the telephone is
being looked at"
FAQs
"Can I “undo” an email after I have sent it?"
Only some email programs allow you to do this.
Microsoft Outlook for example can do this when the
person you sent the email to also uses Microsoft
Outlook, or a similar email program. Think carefully
before you hit the SEND button. Save the email to
your Drafts folder if you need more time before
sending.
Michael Moore
Email is the most
commonly used
communication channel
for business purposes.
About 2,400,000 emails
are sent every second
around the world. Email
offers a fast and reliable
way to communicate
with other business
people. Be careful what
you say because
business emails can be
used as evidence in a
court of law and your
employer is required to
store emails for 3 years
or longer.
IN A NUTSHELL


116
Email security
Email security is important. Here are some
guidelines to keep yourself and your
company safe online.
Opening malicious attachments on emails
can result in your device getting a virus, or
even worse, you can lose personal
information such as passwords and bank
details.
Never provide personal information such as
passwords over email. Someone asking you
to do so might be a Phishing Attack.
Be careful of clicking on links in emails from
people you do not know. You can end up on
websites that will steal information from you.
Avoid using public WiFi for confidential
business or personal work, as these hotspots
can be easily hacked.
See the “Links” section below for more
suggestions on Email Security.
Email privacy is also important. While your
employer may not read your personal
emails, they may read your work related
emails, and the law says you do not have
an expectation of privacy with regard to
your work emails. If you use your work email
account for personal emails, you may be
breaking your employer’s email or
computer usage policy. If you are not sure,
check with your IT department on what the
policy says.
Watch out for...
!
If you have never used email before
Register for a free email account
Practice some of the exercises in the Links section of this
article
If you have used email before
TO DO
LISTS
Email Security
Visit the Links section on this page to check your knowledge
and find out some new cool facts and tools that you may not
know about yet.
English
Communication
Personal brand
Technology
SEE
ALSO
Links
The Wikipedia entry on “Email” - https://en.wikipedia.org
/wiki/Email
The BBC Guide to using computers and the internet
Also see more resources on technology from the BBC at their
WebWise address: http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/guides
/learning-resources
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117
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
118
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
119
OUR STORIES
The following stories have been gathered from real
TVET college graduates who have shared with us
their struggles in finding their place in the national
workplace.
We have taken the best examples from several stories
and merged them into the following three graduate
journeys, to draw out of them things that you can learn
and apply to your own journey to employment.
Wherever you see a reference like this, “see Planning &
Prioritising”, you are being directed to an infographic in
the Toolkit section of this publication on page 9. The
Toolkit section contains infographics on 21 topics to
help you become more work ready.
OFENTSE LETLOLOANE
My name is Ofentse Letloloane. I was born in the remote
area of Malamulele in Limpopo. My parents were
rural entrepreneurs but I chose to study Information
Technology.
The importance of planning & prioritisation
I don’t find my job really challenging because that’s
what I love. Planning and prioritisation definitely did
help me to start the day properly, to diarise my work
and to start my day with a positive attitude (see “Attitude”)
Whatever I am doing if I see a need to note something,
I make a note (see “Planning & Prioritising”). Every morning
when I go to work I start my day by planning my
work. For instance if I am going to install a scanner in
Thembisa, and after that I have a new user in Alexandria,
I know how to schedule my time (Time Management), so
that by a certain time I will be in Thembisa and then
two hours later I will be in Alexandria. Whereas before
I didn’t plan like this. If I spent more time than I should
have I didn’t worry about it. Now I make sure that the
customer doesn’t have a reason to complain. So if a
customer calls, I say:
“Sir, I am still in Thembisa, I should be with you in an hour. But I
will update you closer to the time.”
Updating customers (see “Communication”) is something
I wasn’t doing before, and now I am doing it. It has
helped a lot in my life.
Co-operating with people
I also know how to co-operate with people now. The
first time I stepped in to work, some people were very
rude. Even if you are asking a very simple thing, like:
“Sorry where is the photocopy machine?”
They would just say:
“The sign is there! Why should you ask?! Do you understand?”
And when we worked on team projects each person
was very different to the next one, which also caused
conflict. So work readiness preparation has been very
useful to me because I now know how to talk to people
assertively (see “Assertiveness”), I know how to sort out
conflict at work (see “Conflict”), and I can understand
and work with team members who have different
personalities to me (see “Teamwork”).
Support from his family
My family never gave me negative mind. Even if I didn’t
have enough money for college they were making sure I
had money to attend classes and to buy books.
On the importance of technology
As we are living today, we are living in a high technology
world on a daily basis (see “Technology”). What I do at
work is mostly involving technology. I saw the way
people struggled, and the way I was struggling to
understand tech. If you are struggling with a tech
problem there is a lot of research you can do on the
internet to find solutions. You can even do a Google
Search on your phone while at the customer’s premises,
and get information that you need to fix their printer,
or you can download the latest updates for the device,
from your phone.
“
I realised that you
have to be in charge
of your own success
because no-one is
going to do it
for you
Ofentse Letloloane ”
WORK READINESS GUIDE BOOK
120
Picture credit: EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative
BUYISILE MTHEMBU
My name is Buyisile Mthembu. My parents were tough
on me, but not as tough as employers who refused to
give me a chance to prove myself. Fortunately I am a
fighter, and I do not give up. After seeking employment
for months I finally got the break I needed and I am now
call centre agent supervisor already.
Upbringing
I grew up in Umlazi with my grandmother. When I was
10 years old my mother decided to come and fetch me
to live in Joburg.
I was scared when I arrived in Joburg. I take time to
adjust to change. Moving from home and coming here
I did not understand at all. And I was young then but I
said “ok” because this is what my mother wants there is
nothing I can do. My father works on the mines. At least
I was living with my parents.
“ Fortunately I am
a fighter, and I
do not give up
Buyisile Mthembu ”
On the importance of experience
After I completed my NC(V) it was difficult because
everywhere you go, every company you enter, they
will ask for experience. I remember I was called for
an interview in a clothing company. I was excited,
thinking:
“Oh, this is my big chance now to change my life.”
Then when I got there they asked me about experience
and I didn’t have any experience - remember? I was
just from college. They asked me about project
management troubleshooting. They asked me:
“Do you have any experience in this field?”’ and I said, “No I
don’t”.
The only time I remembered creating a project plan
was at college, and I didn’t have any experience in
troubleshooting. But I reminded them that all their
customers are young people, like me, and I understand
how young people think (see “Where to Search”). They
liked my attitude and invited me back for a second
interview. I didn’t get the job but I knew I got close to
it.
Steps through the desert - volunteering
After that I was just sitting at home unemployed.
And then I decided to volunteer at Rietvallei Clinic for
Youth Services (see “Choosing Jobs to Search For”). I was
multitasking there and was nominated as a Project
Manager. We did antenatal care, dealing with youth,
encouraging youth, family planning, and safe-sex
counselling. For almost a year I was volunteering.
Steps through the desert - job scams
I was careful to watch out for job scams, there were
plenty of those. They wanted a registration fee of R100
and there is just an email address and a bank account.
And they promise you will earn R50,000 a month. Can
you imagine? Any way I created a job search plan and
I stuck to it (see “Choosing Jobs to Search For”). I kept my
CV up to date and submitted it at every opportunity
(see “Building Your CV”). I also visited the National Career
Advice Portal - http://ncap.careerhelp.org.za/ - to research
other occupations.
Steps through the desert - Independent Electoral
Commission
Then it was the 2014 National Elections. I submitted my
CV before the deadline and they called me to come
and write a test. I got a position as a supervisor at the
IEC. For all the years before there was no work. I never

IKUSASA LAMI FIRST EDITION
121
OUR STORIES
Picture credit: EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative
give up. I am a fighter. One thing I told myself: when
I give up, who is going to fight for me? So keeping
a positive attitude was important to my success (see
“Attitude”).
How having a son changed her focus
Now its even worse because I have a son. I have to
provide for my son. In the past it was better because I
was alone, whatever I did at the shop was all about me:
I want those shoes, I want that dress. Now I have a son
to look after, to give him a better future that I never
had, better opportunities that I never had. After the
Elections my contract at the IEC ended.
Finally she landed a Project Management job
Still I continued to submit my CV at every opportunity.
That’s when I heard about an employer who was
looking for project mangers. I went for an interview
and then I got appointed as a junior Project Officer.
It was a big break for me, I don’t want to lie, it was a
big break. Even now, if my job ends, at least I have
something: experience. After how long? I graduated
in 2014 and I got this position in 2015, but right now I
am enjoying this. This is nice. This is a great experience.
This is the big break that I knew, “one day I will have this.”
Even now when my job ends I am not that stressed
because now that I have experience, I can go to a
company and say:
“You know what, I can do this and that for you. I can develop a
project plan, I can plan for contingencies and risks so that your
project will succeed. I am confident.”
Her father was tough on her, and it helped her
That’s why I think I am here, because of my father. The
way he pushes me. He says “stand up and do it yourself...”
My father was a hard worker. He won’t feed you
anything if you are lazy. He will tell you:
“My child, go out there and work. If you don’t want a future
then just stay at home and stop wasting my time and my
money”.
I came and said to him that I am going to do a National
Certificate (Vocational) in Management. Then he said:
“You see now, you are talking.”
He would tell me:
“I will give you money to go and fax and email and do
everything, even buy laptops and modems so that you can
apply, but I will never buy a car for you, I will never buy a house
for you. Go out there and stand up and fight.”
My mother was the same. They believe that everything
you get in life you have to work for and stand up and
believe in yourself... Now here I am (see “Entitlement &
Expectations”).
How does she see her future?
I want to advance my career in Project Management
and I want to become a senior Project Manager in a big
company. I am a self-starter, I don’t wait for somebody
to say “wake up, go to work.”
“ My father was a hard
worker. He won’t feed
you anything if you are
lazy. My mother was
the same. They believe
that everything you get
in life you have to work
for and stand up and
believe in yourself...
Now here I am.
Buyisile Mthembu
���
WORK READINESS GUIDE BOOK
122
Picture credit: EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative
THABANI NGCOBO
I managed to complete grade 12 despite being one
of seven children with no parental support. My older
brother and sister pay for my siblings’ schooling.
Through my first job I have been able to study further
and I am hoping to be able to help support the whole
family once I get promoted.
Background
I was 18 when I came to eThekwini. If you are from a
rural place and you come here you see things are very
different from home. It was hard for me to adjust.
Actually when I was doing matric my first career choice
was advertising. My second choice was IT but because
of money I didn’t manage to do IT. I did the electrical
engineering course at the TVET college because it was
not that expensive, but actually I like IT.
Reflection on the importance of work readiness
I have been working here at my first job for three
weeks now. We are busy updating the calls from the
incident centre then we call the technician to update
them. The work readiness programme at my TVET
college helped me a lot because now I know how
to communicate with people, how to respect others
(see “Teamwork”), how to dress when you are going to
work because you can’t just dress casually at work (see
“Personal Brand”).
My first interview
I got this job because I was careful in the research for
my job interview (see “Job Interview Research”). Previous
interviews I could feel I wasn’t connecting with the
interviewers, but this time around was different. I knew
the company had opened up a branch in Durban
recently, that it came from Joburg. I knew they had
a product they were trying to grow here in KZN, and
there was already an existing local product they had
to compete with. The interviewer was impressed that I
understood why the company was here and what they
were trying to achieve. My friends had also tried job
interview research but they just memorised general
information about the company, and its not the same
thing. You have to know stuff about the company that
is important to the company, and then you have to know
how you can help the company get what they want.
Almost lost my job
Just after I got the job I had to move house because I
was staying with an uncle and he lost his job. My older
sister gave me a place to stay but it was 40 km away
from work and the transport was very expensive. It was
not possible to get to work on time but I understood
how employers feel about attendance (see “Attendance &
Leave”), so I was able to talk to my boss and explain my
situation. He saw my willingness to work after hours,
but that was dangerous because of crime. Instead
he gave me an arrangement to make up my lost
time during the week on a Saturday morning. When
I got my first pay check I could move closer and that
problem was solved. I think the clear communication
with my boss (see “Communication”), and understanding
my responsibility to work 45 hours per week, was the
key to solving that problem.
Vision for future
I would like to see myself completing my studies.
“ When I got my first
pay check I could
move closer and that
problem was solved
Thabani Ngcobo
”

IKUSASA LAMI FIRST EDITION
123
OUR STORIES
Picture credit: EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative
JESSIE HENDRICKS
Jessie was brought up in a family of four by a single
mother who was paralysed in an motor accident when
Jessie was in grade 2. She wants to pursue a career that
combines Human Resources and Hospitality, and is still
studying for her HR certificate part-time while working.
Background
I am staying with my mom at the moment. My mom is
a pensioner. My dad separated from my mom. I don’t
know where he is now.
My mom raised all of us on her own. That’s why she
had to go to pension at last, to get her time to rest.
She is really proud of me. She still thinks I am young
and treats my like a baby some times but I love her so
much.
Her job interview went well thanks to some help
from a relative
My auntie worked in a recruitment agency, and she
understood the problems young people run into in
their first job interviews. She prepared me well for my
interview (see “Preparing for the Interview”). I am lucky
to have her as an auntie. I didn’t pretend to know
everything in my interview, like some of my friends
tried to bluff their way through. I was honest about
what I did and didn’t know when the interviewer
asked me questions. But I was also very clear on why
I wanted the job opening, and why I was the best
person for the job. What surprised them most was the
questions I asked them at the end of the interview.
They could see I had thought a lot about the job and
that impressed my interviewers.
The work readiness programme helped her
communicate professionally
At the TVET college they gave us a work readiness
programme in final year. The programme was good. It
was a new thing to me. It made me more prepared to
know what I want from life and how I should present
myself as a professional. At school they just teach you
the basics, but at this programme we learnt how to
dress properly, how to talk professional, how to act,
and how to do your job. It was very useful because
before the programme I would just act like “that”
without being professional; start shouting if I want
something and if something was wrong I would shout
at the others. But the programme showed me the right
way. I get cross with people now but in a professional
way. For example I say,
“I think its wrong, but what do you think? How about we do it
this way?”
Whereas before I would say:
“Forget it! Take it back! Finish ‘en klaar.”
See “Conflict” and “Communication”.
English was a make or break skill for my promotion
Although my English wasn’t bad, my employer’s clients
were all English speaking, and she made it clear to me
that I would have to improve my English if I wanted
to get promoted further. I book marked a free online
English dictionary and thesaurus so that as I worked
I could increase my vocabulary (see “English for the
“ My aunt worked
in a recruitment
agency, and she
understood the
problems young
people run into
in their first job
interviews
Jessie Hendricks ”
WORK READINESS GUIDE BOOK
124
Picture credit: EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative
Workplace”). I also enrolled for a free English course on
Coursera but what helped me the most was starting to
read English books and newspapers.
Her dream is to see her mother walk again
I am interested in Hospitality and HR. I am still studying
HR part-time. My mom is paralysed. If I had enough
funds to make it possible that we can get some surgery
for her I will do it. Its from an accident in 1997. She got
a car accident and her spinal cord was smashed. She
is using a wheelchair. She is doing good but I feel that
I owe her something, she has been there for me. The
spine can be fixed but only if you get the experts. She
rolled on a mountain, twelve times. No but she is alive
and strong. You will be strong if you have four children.
I was still in grade two at the time of the accident. She
brought me up even though she was paralysed. She
would give me a spanking when I am wrong, she won’t
say “I am paralysed I won’t give you a hiding.” If she had to
go to the school meetings she would be there. She is
my role model.
Sometimes I feel like I lost that memory of seeing her
walking with her feet. I am used to seeing her using
that wheel chair. I want my dream to come true to see
her walking again.
ROD STEVENS
Rod’s mother had a disability and was not able to work,
but his family was ok because his father had a good job
as an electrician. When his father had a motor accident
and became paralysed, things changed suddenly. Now
the family has had to rely on relatives for support and
Rod is the oldest child. Rod speaks emphatically about
the difference between theoretical education and
experiential learning and has embraced digital work
despite it being a mystery to the older generation in
his community. One day he hopes to return home and
make people in his town aware of the ways in which
information technology can expand your horizons.
Background
I am from a small town called Theunissen in the middle
of the Free State. The closest city is Welkom. I have
three siblings, two girls, and a younger brother. I was
raised by both my parents. My father was paralysed in
“
I get cross with
people now but in a
professional way
Jessie Hendricks ”
“ Even though I wasn’t
cleverer than any
of the people in my
group, I made such a
good first impression
that it helped me a lot
after that.
Rod Stevens ”
a head-on collision in 1999. My mom is not working. My
two uncles have jobs and they are helping us financially
every month.
Meeting his manager on his first day
I was very lucky on my first day at work. We were a
group of 10 new employees and I was the only one
who was properly prepared (see “Your First Day”). Two of
my friends arrived late for their first day because they
had transport problems. Another two left early because
no-one was watching them. Others sat around doing
nothing for a while but I was pro-active and asked the
team leader for work to do. I had also kept a note-book
during the orientation session so I knew where to find
people in other parts of the company, and what their
names were. My team leader was so impressed with
me that he introduced me personally to my manager
on day one. Even though I wasn’t cleverer than any
of the people in my group, I made such a good first
impression that it helped me a lot after that.

IKUSASA LAMI FIRST EDITION
125
OUR STORIES
Picture credit: EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative
The importance of having a mentor in the
workplace
At college we had no mentors, just lecturers and
staff. At college I learnt everything myself. Here at my
workplace I have a mentor. He told me everything I
need to know about the company and how it works.
It helps because here the IT challenges are complex,
not like the ones in the books at college. It helps your
career to have a mentor (see “Career”).
In the books at college you just read about IT, the PC,
the motherboard, the processor, but here you know
how to assemble PC’s and pimp them according to our
customer’s different needs. So its a completely different
experience from college. When I got my first job I didn’t
know how to network projectors, printers, routers and
other devices. Not a clue. So here at work I have learned
so much from my colleagues.
His town does not understand IT as a field of study
nor as a career
Every month I go to my family home in Theunissen. I
want to encourage the kids there to do IT. I enjoy going
to schools to help them with their IT problems, and
encouraging kids that there is more to life than what
they see in Theunissen. They must explore, go visit
other cities, and bring back what they find to our home
town so that we can reduce unemployment.
IT was a good career choice for me. It’s not the best
choice for everyone, but for me it was the right
choice. My school friends wanted to be cops, teachers
or entreprenurs. They don’t understand why I am
doing IT. They wanted me to be a teacher. They don’t
understand how much the world has changed.
“What are you doing there? Why don’t you apply for a teaching
course and teach?”
But I made the right choice. Even if I do another job in
future, IT will help me do that job better.
“ Creativity is
intelligence
having fun
Albert Einstein ”
WORK READINESS GUIDE BOOK
126
Picture credit: EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative
HEAD OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS
Physical address
Sol Plaatje House
123 Francis Baard Street
PRETORIA
Postal address
Private Bag X174
PRETORIA
0001
Website
www.dhet.gov.za
Telephone
012 312 5911
Email
callcentre@dhet.gov.za
HEAD OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS
Physical address
Laboria House
215 Francis Baard Street
PRETORIA
Postal address
Private Bag X117
PRETORIA
0001
Website
www.labour.gov.za
Telephone
012 309 4000
Fax number
012 320 2059
PROVINCIAL OFFICES CONTACT
DETAILS
Eastern Cape
(043) 701 3000
Free State
(051) 505 6200
Gauteng (North)
(011) 853 0300
KwaZulu-Natal
(031) 336 1511
Limpopo
(015) 299 5000
Mpumalanga
(013) 753 2844/5/6
North West
(018) 297 5100
Northern Cape
(053) 838 1500
Western Cape
(021) 468 5500
LABOUR CENTRES: EASTERN CAPE
Aliwal North
(051) 633 2633
Butterworth
(047) 491 0656/0490
Cradock
(048) 881 3010
East London
(043) 702 7500
Fort Beaufort
(046) 645 4686
Graaf-Reinet
(049) 892 2142
Grahamstown
(046) 622 2104
King William’s Town
(043) 643 4756/7
Lusikisiki
(039) 253 1996/7
Maclear
(045) 932 1424/6
Mdantsane
(043) 761 3151
Mount Ayliff
(039) 254 0303
Mthatha
(047) 501 5620/5617
Port Elizabeth
(041) 506 5000/1
Queenstown
(045) 807 5400
Uitenhage
(041) 992 4627
LABOUR CENTRES: FREE STATE
Bethlehem
(058) 303 5293
Bloemfontein
(051) 411 6400
Botshabelo
(051) 534 3789
Ficksburg
(051) 933 2299
Harrismith
(058) 623 2977
Kroonstad
(056) 215 1812
Petrusburg
(053) 574 0932
Phutaditjhaba
(058) 713 0373
Sasolburg
(016) 970 3200
Welkom
(057) 391 0200
Zastron
(051) 673 1471
LABOUR CENTRES: GAUTENG
Alberton
(011) 861 6130
Atteridgeville
(012) 373 4434/5/8
Benoni
(011) 747 9601
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(011) 898 3340
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(011) 744 9000
Bronkhorstspruit
(013) 932 0197
Carletonville
(018) 788 3281
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(012) 700 0290/ 0255
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(011) 345 6300
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(011) 223 1000
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(011) 975 9301
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(011) 955 4420
Mamelodi
(012) 812 9502
Nigel
(011) 814 7095
Pretoria
(012) 309 5000
Randfontein
(011) 693 3618/9/3650
Randburg
(011) 781 8144
Roodepoort
(011) 766 2000
Sandton
(011) 444 7631
Soshanguve
(012) 730 0500
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(011) 983 8700
Springs
(011) 365 3700/03
Temba
(012) 727 1364/1367
Vanderbijlpark
(016) 981 0280
Vereeniging
(016) 430 0000
LABOUR CENTRES: KWAZULU-NATAL
Durban
(031) 336 1511
Dundee
(034) 212 3147
Estcourt
(036) 342 9361/9369
Kokstad
(039) 727 2140
Ladysmith
(036) 638 1900/1/2/3
Newcastle
(034) 312 6038
Pietermaritzburg
(033) 341 5300
Pinetown
(031) 701 7740
Port Shepstone
(039) 682 2406
Prospecton
(031) 913 9700
Richmond
(033) 212 2768
Richard’s Bay
(035) 780 8700
Stanger
(032) 551 4291
Ulundi
(035) 879 8800/02/42
Verulam
(032) 541 5600/03
Vryheid
(034) 980 8992
LABOUR CENTRES: LIMPOPO
Giyani
(015) 812 9041
Groblersdal
(013) 262 3150/2983
Lebowakgomo
(015) 633 9360
Jan Furse
(013) 265 7210/7125
Lephalale
(014) 763 2162
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(015) 516 0207
Modimolle
(014) 717 1046
Mokopani
(015) 491 5973
Phalaborwa
(015) 781 5114
Polokwane
(015) 299 5000
Seshego
(015) 223 7020
Dept Higher Ed & Training
Dept Labour
HEAD OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS
Physical address
Sol Plaatje House
222 Struben Street
PRETORIA
Postal address
Private Bag X895
PRETORIA
0001
Website
www.education.gov.za
Telephone
012 357 3000
Fax number
012 323 6260/0601
Dept Basic Education
CONTACT DETAILS

IKUSASA LAMI FIRST EDITION
127
CONTACT DETAILS
Thohoyandou
(015) 960 1300
Tzaneen
(015) 306 2600
LABOUR CENTRES: MPUMALANGA
Baberton
(013) 712 3066
Bethal
(017) 647 2383
Carolina
(017) 843 1077
Eerstehoek
(017) 883 2414
Emalahleni
(Witbank)
(013) 653 3800/656
1422-28
Ermelo
(017) 819 7632
Kwamhlanga
(013) 947 3173
Malelane
(013)-7901528 / 1682
Mashishing
(Lydenburg)
(013) 235 2368/9
Mbombela
(Nelspruit)
(013) 753 2844/5/6 / 755
2640
Middelburg
(013) 283 3600
Piet Retief
(017) 826 1883
Sabie
(013) 764 2105
Secunda
(017) 631 2585/2652
Standerton
(017) 712 1351
LABOUR CENTRES: NORTHERN CAPE
Calvinia
(027) 341 1280
De Aar
(053) 631 0455
Kimberley
(053) 838 1500
Kuruman
(053) 712 3870
Postmasburg
(053) 313 0641
Springbok
(027) 718 1058
Upington
(054) 331 1098
LABOUR CENTRES: NORTH WEST
Brits
(012) 252 3068
Christiana
(053) 441 2120
Klerksdorp
(018) 464 8700
Lichtenburg
(018) 632 4323
Mafikeng
(018) 381 1010
Mogwase
(014) 555 5693
Potchefstroom
(018) 297 5100
Rustenburg
(014) 592 8214
Taung
(053) 994 1679
Vryburg
(053) 927 5221
TEL: 0800 52 52 52
FAX: 086 606 6563
WWW.NYDA.GOV.ZA
The whole aim of the National Youth Development
Agency (NYDA) is to advance the economic
development of young people, especially young
people from low income households. Young
persons with disabilities enjoy a special emphasis.
The NYDA does this through guiding and
supporting initiatives that have the same objective
as the NYDA.
FULL SERVICE YOUTH ADVISORY
CENTRE POINTS
Bloemfontein
(051) 411 9450 *
Cape Town
(021) 415 2040
Durban
(031) 327 9900 *
East London
(043) 704 4600
eMalahleni
(013) 653 9400 *
Johannesburg
(011) 834 7660 *
Kimberley
(053) 807 1020
Nelspruit
(013) 756 0100 *
Polokwane
(015) 294 0800 *
Port Elizabeth
(041) 503 9100 *
Rustenburg
(014) 591 9600
Secunda
(017) 631 9500 *
Tshwane
(012) 322 1375 *
Maponya Mall
Thusong Centre
(Klipspruit)
(011) 938 4101 *
YOUTH ADVISORY CENTRE (YAC)
POINTS: EASTERN CAPE
Baviaans
(044) 923 2106
Buffalo City
(Duncan Village)
(043) 742 2322
Buffalo City (King
William’s Town)
(043) 705 1071
Buffalo City
(Mdantsane)
(043) 761 1669
Buffalo City
(East London)
(043) 722 5453
Eastcape Midlands
(Uitenhage)
(041) 995 2000
Gariep
(Burgersdorp)
(051) 653 1777
Gompo
(043) 742 2322
Ikhala
(Queenstown)
(045) 838 2593
Inxuba (Cradock)
(048) 881 1515
King Sabata
Dalindyebo
(Mthatha)
(047) 501 4007
Lovedale (King
William’s Town)
(043) 642 1331
Makana
(Grahamstown)
(046) 603 6117/8
Nkonkobe (Alice)
(040) 653 1214
Qaukeni (Flagstaff)
(039) 252 0131
Uitenhage
(041) 994 1138
YOUTH ADVISORY CENTRE (YAC)
POINTS: FREE STATE
Dihlabeng
(Bethlehem)
(058) 303 5732
Goldfields
(Welkom)
(057) 391 0500
Letsemeng
(Jacobsdal)
(053) 591 0038
Magareng
(Warrenton)
(053) 497 3111
Maluti A Phofung
(Witsieshoek)
(058) 718 3777
Motheo
(Bloemfontein)
(051) 411 2080
Nkentoane (Reitz)
(058) 863 2811
Setsoto (Ficksburg)
(051) 933 9333
Vuselela
(Pudimore)
(053) 995 1376
NYDA
LABOUR CENTRES: WESTERN CAPE
Beaufort West
(023) 414 3427
Bellville
(021) 941 7000
Cape Town
(021) 468 5500
George
(044) 801 1200
Knysna
(044) 302 6800
Mitchell’s Plain
(021) 391 0591
Mossel Bay
(044) 691 1140
Oudtshoorn
(044) 203 6100/279 2386
Paarl
(021) 872 2020
Somerset West
(021) 852 6535
Vredenburg
(022) 703 8100
Worcester
(023) 346 5200
CONTACT DETAILS
WORK READINESS GUIDE BOOK
128
Hibiscus Coast
(Port Shepstone)
(039) 688 2278
Imbabazane
(Estcourt)
(036) 353 1493
KwaDukuza
(032) 437 5000
Mandeni
(Sundumbili)
(032) 456 8200
Mpofana
(Mooi River)
(033) 263 1221
Nquthu
(034) 271 0076
Umgungundlovu
(033) 341 2216
Umfolozi (Eshowe)
(035) 474 1775 / 2304
Umnambithi
(Ladysmith)
(036) 635 3403
Umngeni (Howick)
(033) 239 9200
YOUTH ADVISORY CENTRE (YAC)
POINTS: LIMPOPO
Bakenberg
(015) 423 0538
Bela-Bela
(014) 736 8000
Capricorn
(Seshego)
(015) 223 0041
Fetakgomo (Apel)
(015) 622 8051
Lephalale
(Shongoane)
(072) 495 6930
Lephalale (Phalala)
(073) 462 6690
Makhuduthamaga
(Jane Furse)
(013) 265 7037
Marble Hall
(013) 261 1152
Modimolle
(014) 717 5211
Mookgophong
(014) 743 1111
Mopani
(Phalaborwa)
(015) 781 5604
Mutale
(015) 967 9004
Thabazimbi
(014) 784 0348
Thulamela
(Malamulele)
(072) 311 8872
Tubatse
(Burgersfort)
(013) 231 7815
Vhembe (Sibasa)
(015) 986 3490
YOUTH ADVISORY CENTRE (YAC)
POINTS: MPUMALANGA
Bushbuckridge
(013) 708 6018
Ehlanzeni
(Hazyview)
(013) 798 3531
Gert Sibande
(Evander)
(017) 632 2388
Nkangala
(Siyabuswa)
(013) 973 1966
Steve Tshwete
(Mhluzi)
(013) 249 7000
Thaba Chweu
(Sabie)
(013) 764 5088
YOUTH ADVISORY CENTRE (YAC)
POINTS: NORTHERN CAPE
Kgalagadi
(Kuruman)
(053) 712 0860
Namakhoi
(Springbok)
(027) 744 1654
Kareeberg (De Aar)
(053) 631 0891
YOUTH ADVISORY CENTRE (YAC)
POINTS: NORTH WEST
Orbit (Rustenburg)
(014) 592 7014
Potchefstroom
(018) 299 5130
Ratlou (Setlakgole)
(018) 330 7000
Taletso
(Mmabatho)
(018) 384 6213
Tlhabane
(Rustenburg)
(014) 590 3300
Tswaing
(Delareyville)
(053) 948 0900
Leretlhabetse
(Moretele)
(079) 255 2742
YOUTH ADVISORY CENTRE (YAC)
POINTS: WESTERN CAPE
Bitou (Plettenberg
Bay)
(044) 533 6881
Boland (Worcester)
(023) 348 6920
Breede River
(Robertson)
(023) 626 8200
Crawford
(021) 696 5133
Eden
(044) 752 1024
False Bay
(Khayelitsha)
(021) 361 1976
Other organisations
Many supporting organisations are referenced
through hyperlinks in The Work Readiness Toolkit
section. Please find their contact details on their
websites.
Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator
Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator helps
young South Africans find employment for the
first time. It is funded by the Jobs Fund and by
private sector employers. Harambee provides
a free work readiness programme for youth
from disadvantaged backgrounds who pass an
entrance assessment that checks their suitability
for specific kinds of work. Youth who do not pass
the assessment still qualify for free job orientation
assistance.
Johannesburg - (011) 593 0500
Cape Town - (021) 812 2300
Durban - (031) 831 8200
Port Elizabeth - (041) 813 9200
http://harambee.co.za
South African Board for People Practices
(SABPP)
This is a SAQA registered professional body
representing Human Resource practitioners
in South Africa. Human Resource practitioners
are responsible for recuiting new entrants to
their employer’s workforce. The SABPP can
assist employers to on-board college graduates,
including providing guidance on appropriate
recruitment and selection practices, and work
readiness programmes.
Johannesburg - (011) 045 5400
http://www.sabpp.co.za/
Thusong Service Centres
There are over 171 of these centres (formerly
known as Multi-Purpose Community Centres —
MPCCs ) which serve as one-stop government
services and information centres. Contact details
for each of the centres is available from their
website.
http://www.thusong.gov.za
Vulindlel’ eJozi
Vulindlel’ eJozi is a youth skills empowerment
initiative by the City of Johannesburg in
partnership with Harambee Youth Employment
Accelerator. It is designed to break down barriers
to opportunities by creating pathways for young
people to access skills training programs and entry
level employment.
http://vulindlelejozi.co.za/
Hartebeeskraal
(021) 573 7400
Knysna
(044) 302 6564/8
Overberg (Caledon)
(028) 214 1557
Overstrand
(Hermanus
Industria)
(028) 313 0129
YOUTH ADVISORY CENTRE (YAC)
POINTS: GAUTENG
Boipatong
(016) 988 9487
Bophelong
(Sebokeng)
(016) 986 3711
Katlehong
(011) 860 5743
Randfontein
(011) 411 0247
Ratanda
(016) 340 4456
Sebokeng
(016) 950 9496
South West
Gauteng College
(Tshiawelo)
(011) 982 1002
Vanderbijlpark
(016) 950 9343
YOUTH ADVISORY CENTRE (YAC)
POINTS: KWAZULU-NATAL
Coastal KZN
(KwaMakhutha)
(031) 905 7000
Coastal KZN
(uMlazi)
(031) 907 2666
Elangeni
(Harmasdale)
(031) 771 0148
CONTACT DETAILS

IKUSASA LAMI FIRST EDITION
129
CONTACT DETAILS
My journal
... this page is also for you to write your own
observations and notes.
General Notes
IKUSASA LAMI
First Edition
Department of Higher Education & Training
Private Bag X174
Pretoria
0001
SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: +27 (12) 312 5911
Twitter:
@DHET4
Email: callcentre@dhet.gov.za
Web: www.DHET.gov.za
MY FUTURE
IKAMVA LAM
LIKUSASA LAMI
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