“When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer”, Psalm 94:19
On Friday 14th December 2018, a Mother entered my office with the Son in tow at 7:00am in search of an Internship opportunity for the son currently in Senior Six vacation. Our elaborate Internship training also serves as on-boarding or induction program for new hires which every new staff must undergo. Some staff refer to the program as the three months of mind tuning. Of course, there are a few staff that never went through the program and miss the experience.
New hires after 2016, must have passed Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) or O level and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) or A level with distinctions as a minimum requirement to work at Summit Consulting Ltd. Over the years, it has become clear that such people are naturally determined and take their jobs seriously notwithstanding some few rare exceptions. The performance of our staff and their work culture has turned our company into a hunting ground for top companies and recruiters looking for great talent which is always in high demand.
And that is how we find ourselves (and feel good about it) receiving so many applications for Internship opportunities. Due to so many applications that we usually receive, we decided to sort of ‘automate’ the selection process. This innovation has helped us save time which we would have otherwise wasted in face to face interviews, especially on candidates that are not up to the standards. Below is the email we send to a first-time applicant.
Dear [XX]
Thanks for your interest to work at Summit Consulting Ltd.
Please visit our company websites www.summitcl.com and www.forensicsinstitute.org. check of the two which one you would like a placement. Study the sites carefully to understand what we do. And then write clear targets / scorecard, workplan and budget of what you understand any role you desire and what you would accomplish in that role in your first 3 – 6 months of joining. Be very specific as much as possible. And do not write on more than 2 pages altogether. In your budget, include the salary you would like to be paid for the results (with clear measurable targets) you think you can deliver.
Should you proceed beyond this phase, please note that you will be required to provide the following documents in order:
- Copies of your UCE and UACE certificates, degree and certificates
- Two PP photos & a copy of your National ID or passport
- Motivation letter / application for the position and title you prefer
- Your 5-Year Career Plan and relevance of the new role in it.
- A practical Handson Interview for Two Days
- 800 words write up of your Life’s achievements and failures to date; lessons learnt and application to your new role and career success – be specific as much as a possible
- A panel Interview
- Reference letters from two professional referees
- Reference letter from one-character referee – someone who knows you well on ethics and integrity
- Reference letter from the LCI chairman of your village of birth and another from your current place of stay
- Character Reference from your Religious Leader
Thereafter, you will be immediately offered a paid internship opportunity or denied.
Wish you all the best.
[XX]
That is how anyone can start a journey at Summit Consulting Ltd. Our Internship opportunity guarantees success to all those who complete – whether we keep them or recommend them to our current clients and or recruitment agencies. And that is how we have been able to contribute to transforming our communities in our own small way.
For transparency, I prefer we interview the child in the presence of the parent or Guardian so that they can see the gaps, if any. “So, what did you do at A level and what are your top five career choices?” I asked. After some hesitation, the boy explained PCM, and his career choices Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Statistics, Quality Surveying and Computer Science in that order. For you who know about Summit Consulting Ltd, we are market leaders in forensics, cyber security and business transformation advisory. We are a priority number three, in the eyes of the child. We asked him to go research about all these fields, write a five-year career path for each; identify someone they know in Uganda or the region who has excelled in each and they would look up to and then to do the list again. To return after doing that.
This holiday season, pay a visit to our career advisors and you never know how that visit would be the most turning point in your child’s life for the best. Wish you the best of the holiday season.
Bernabas M. Mugisa, Mr. Strategy, helps plant the seed of transformation. Visit mustaphabm3.sg-host.com to start your journey of transformation.
