JOBS: What to Avoid After Attending an Interview
Before, during, and after an interview, a job seeker must go through several processes. Most job applications will require you to be well prepared for whatever comes your way in order to be considered for your desired position in the company or organization.
Leah Mukangai 
In our previous article, we looked at how to prepare well for an interview. You should be able to prepare thoroughly to avoid missing the position ahead.
One of the most essential things you need to understand is that an interview does not only entail what you do during or before the interview sessions. What you do after attending an interview also creates an impact on your interviewers or your hiring manager.
There are several things that when you do after attending an interview that might make you lose the golden opportunity that you had secured. Here are several things that you should avoid after attending an interview.
1. Don't harass the hiring manager
Your hiring manager has the power to make you get the job or not get it and so you should be very careful when interacting with him/her. Learn to also show some respect no matter how bad the hiring manager might have treated you during the interview. At times, they might test you to see how you'll react to the situation they put you in. Learn to be calm.
After the interview, send your thank you message within 24-48 hours of the interview, and then don't contact the hiring manager again until the date they said they'd contact you. There's no reason to contact the hiring manager unless you have an urgent question or something major comes up.
Hiring managers are already swamped with messages, and they told you when you'd hear from them, so respect them by keeping that date.
2. Don't stop your job search process or quit.
One mistake that most hiring managers experience is this. At times, when an employee is looking for another job, he/she might decide to quit or rather 'ghost' the company or the organization that he/she has been working for.
This is one of the worst mistakes that you should ever do in a company. This is because when you attend an interview, you're not guaranteed that you'll secure the position that you have applied for. It is best also to use the right procedure as you leave your present company. Why? Because you might miss the job you're applying for and still come back to your current job as you continue searching for another one.
Continue working at your current job and job searching until you have that contract in hand.
3. Don't post anything about the interview on social media.
It's tempting to brag about a great interview or post about how excited you are for the opportunity, then tag the company or hiring manager on your social media platforms.
You don't know what the company's social media policy is, so by posting, you may be unknowingly violating their standards. Keep your thoughts private and safe, and brag to your friends and family offline.
4. Don't 'ghost' the hiring manager
If you've decided to accept another job offer or if you no longer want this job for any reason, notify the hiring manager via email. Thank them for their time and the opportunity, then explain that you've decided to pursue another opportunity.
They will be grateful and will remember your actions. Because the business world is smaller than you think, it's very likely that you'll cross paths again at some point, so don't risk burning bridges.
5. Analyze the interview
Analyze the interview once or twice, highlighting both the positive and negative aspects. Make a list of what you'd do differently in a future interview and give yourself some pointers on what you'd change. Leave it at that after you've completed those two tasks.
Going over it again will only add to the unnecessary stress.
Always learn to be very careful with how you interact with your hiring manager or recruiters after attending an interview. This will save you when you least expected it.
Here are job samples in Kenya that you can apply for.
JOB 1: Project Management Systems Specialist at Plan International
About Plan International
Plan International is a development and humanitarian organization that advances children's rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters, and partners.
The Opportunity
As part of the Project and Funds team, the Project Management Systems Specialist's key responsibilities are to understand, maintain, advise on and troubleshoot the Salesforce, Vera, project and program management system, and the integration with D365. This role will be pivotal in ensuring utilization, governance, and application are aligned to operating standards and procedures. You will work closely with both the IT Project and operational teams who support the project management systems from an IT perspective as well as leading engagement with third parties working to support the platform. You will act as a systems steward by ensuring project management systems interface effectively with related systems, as well as acting as a systems subject matter expert, maintaining an in-depth knowledge of available and emerging functionality. You will work to increase the adoption of the Project Management systems by all offices and stakeholders, and provide continuous training and updates. In addition, you will ensure that contractual obligations are met where reporting is required and provided to vendors. This role will also have an emphasis on determining how to innovate through automation, process improvement, and system enhancement whilst focusing on continuous improvement.
The Individual
- You will need to have demonstrable experience in supporting Project Management and/or Salesforce/Force.com systems in a large and matrix organization.
- Knowledge of Project Management operations, principles, practices, and processes will be required.
- Understand and lead discussions on Project Management workflow and lateral processes - where to probe for inefficiencies and clarity
- Strong experience in the use of reporting tools to develop standard and ad-hoc data reports
- You will need to be adaptable and able to prioritize your workload effectively.
- Experience in setting metrics and analytics and the ability to analyze data for operational and strategic decision-making.
- Strong analytical skills and robust problem-solving skills
ACCOUNTABILITIES
System Steward
- Primary Project Management steward of Project Management system for Plan International with an ability to understand all functionality available and provide training and communication.
- Ensure Project Management systems interfaces effectively with related systems, e.g. ERP, ChildData, M&E, and the data platforms (data warehouse, BI, and analytics).
- Acts as a subject matter expert for project management systems processes and maintains in-depth knowledge of available and emerging functionality of the project management system and Salesforce platform.
- Support CO teams in the use of the Project Management system from a project management functionality perspective.
- Attend project management meetings and recommend any enhancements to the project management system.
- Help define/ensure Plan International alignment with all agreed project management systems governance; including operating standards/processes/procedures.
- On-going delivery of training requirements to CO teams across Plan International in order to support the full utilization of the Project Management system including system changes/enhancements and onboarding of new Project Management staff.
- Review on a quarterly basis, with IT, support in line with Project Management system releases, and agree on which features should be enabled to support Project Management.
- Attending external meetings, workshops, and conferences to ensure the Plan is aware of trends and future roadmaps across the industry.
- Review issues reported providing functional support to resolve these and highlight any related training needs. NB: This role will also fully support the training requirements associated with the rollout of the Project Management system.
System Utilisation:
- Increase adoption of the Project Management systems by CO and GH staff, line managers, and employees and provide continuous updated training and communication materials.
- Monitor use of the system and provide regular updates.
- Understand how Project Management systems can be used most effectively to support Project Management processes.
Project Management Data and Reporting/MI:
- Drive-up the use of the Project Management system as the primary source of accurate data relating to Project Management.
- Partnering with Project Management leads, develop and maintain a consistent set of Project Management dashboards and reports for use by COs and business leaders.
- Manage new report requests – review requirements, assess against existing reporting and, if required, establish new reports.
- Ensure contractually obligates are met where reporting is required to be provided to Vendor(s)
Integrations
- Working with Data teams, such as Data Warehousing and BI teams to integrate data extraction and utilization within the broader reporting requirements.
- Working with ERP and M&E teams to integrate project data across the systems.
Ongoing Continuous Improvement:
- Review Project Management systems functionality regularly, and implement/upgrade functionality to support Plan International globally.
- Regularly review and update training needs and materials for the Project Management System.
- Regularly review and update Project Management system reporting requirements.
- Supports in the creation and deployment of customer surveys/other forms of feedback on processes and systems from the organization.
- Responsible for training employees across Plan International Inc. and National Offices on system usage & upgrades
- This role will also have an emphasis on determining how to innovate through automation, process improvement, and system enhancement whilst focusing on continuous improvement.
- Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
- Regional, Country & National Office functional teams supporting PM and M&E
- Project Management Superusers
- IT
- Leadership Teams
- Vendors & Suppliers
- Peer organizations
- No direct report
Closing Date: 10th July 2022
Method of Application
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Support the implementation of the FC Risk Management framework by advising on CDD policy; advising on and escalating higher risk relationships; and supporting testing of CDD compliance in the Group.
- Contribute to assessing risks arising from specific high-risk clients and managing those risks to protect the Group.
- Working with subsidiary CFCC and Operations teams to ensure that CDD procedures remain up-to-date and in compliance with relevant laws and regulations in the countries.
- Providing training to GPU and other teams in the Group that are responsible for CDD in the first line and establishing a feedback loop to support continuous improvement.
- Conducting PEP reviews and investigations.
- Contribute to the implementation of the Group
- Sanctions risk policy by leading on all complex CDD matters, such as unwrapping, to determine beneficial ownership and potential Sanctions nexus.
Qualifications
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree,
- CAMS or ICA will be an advantage
- No less than 4 years of CDD experience within a large bank, preferably Equity Bank.
- Good understanding of Equity Bank’s AML/CFT and Sanctions regulatory obligations.
- Strong team player, strong organization skills, and critical thinking skills to understand and analyze complex cases.
- Self-starter, detailed-oriented, and able to manage multiple high-priority deliverables.
- Exercise a high level of discretion and confidentiality due to the sensitive nature of the scope of work.
Method of Application
JOB OBJECTIVE
- The job holder will perform routine examination tasks including logistics, data entry, and preparation of records and reports.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Issuing of Transcripts and Result slips.
- Acquisition of stationery
- Retrieval of Examination Booklets from the archive
- Filing of examination records
- Follow-up on student requests from the various schools
- Handling office correspondences on the phone, Email, WhatsApp groups, etc.
- Respond to student inquiries on exam-related issues at the front office of the Examinations Unit
- Assist with maintaining an inventory record of exam stationery
- Perform other duties/projects as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
- The candidate must be a citizen of Kenya.
- Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized university;
- Experience with Microsoft Office Suite
- Experience with Google Workspace
- Ability to use web-based applications
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Excellent time management skills.
- Client orientation
Method of Application
Interested candidates who meet the above requirements should submit an application letter indicating current and desired salary, a detailed CV including three referees, academic and professional certificates, and a clear copy of your Kenya National ID and iTax certificate via email to hrjobs@kcau.ac.ke by 8th July 2022.
The subject of your email should read: INTERNSHIP –REGISTRAR, ACADEMIC AFFAIRS.
Head of Human Resources,
KCA University,
P.0. Box 56808-00200,
Nairobi, Kenya
