It’s that time of the year and conversations around the National Service Scheme in Ghana is peaking.
Graduates who just finished have the headache of trying their best to secure new employment or get retained in their place of service, a task made enormously challenging as the world battles a pandemic.
For the fresh out of school, the talk is around interesting stories they have heard around national service. Every advice will do now as they make their next big step in life out of school.
The National Service experience archive is filled with a host of interesting stories. There are the ones who are posted far away from home that the one year stay makes them lose their identity or have a different perspective to life. Others have to juggle bill payments and all its struggles for the first time away from their parent’s house. Rent becomes another conversation especially for those in the capital. People also get their desired placements (protocol, where you at?), walk in on the first day like a boss and eventually become the boss. Life’s good.National Service Scheme
However, there is a category many fall into irrespective of their technical know-how and that is the ‘Waakye Gang’ or ‘Food Gang’.
Most workplaces in Ghana are set up to operate without the added hands of National Service personnel. So when there are extra hands, there must be a deliberate attempt to find work for such newbies. In many organisations, it’s mostly getting food for regular workers in the company. Granted, there are a few people who will let you get food because they went through the same ‘process’. But mostly, it’s about vibes and technically asking for a helping hand.
No matter what the agenda is, here is how to make the best out of NSS as the Waakye buyer.
The National Service Scheme has no formula for getting employed. There are cases where hard work gets you retained. At other times, submission gets you recommended. And there are situations which happen by chance. Knowing this will make you understand the quest to making the best out of just buying food for your colleagues.
Build trust
As a new member of a company, the trust of your colleagues is very important whether you are a permanent hire or just passing through.
Making the effort to be reliable through the little tasks given you. It speaks volume about your ability and attention to detail even though comments from your ‘senders’ may make you feel otherwise.
Being accurate with Mansah’s ‘Koose’, Kofi’s ‘hard Wele’ while remembering that Ama likes her plantain with red oil Kontomire stew is not an easy task. It shows how you pay attention to the things that matter most and how it could reflect in other aspects of your professional life.
Earn the trust of your colleagues with you aim for excellence. Besides, most people will not trust just anybody with their food.
Create lasting relationships
If you have to get food for your colleagues every day, you’ll encounter these colleagues every day. Take time to ask them how they are doing, what’s going on in their lives among others. Bond with them. Get comfortable around them. After all, you are getting their food. Why can’t you have a conversation? Be strategic about it and don’t go biting more than you can chew. Let your approach be confident but not impulsive.
Change the narrative from food
If you allow yourself, your stay will just be a routine of buying food. Switch the conversation. Go buy the food when you are called upon but when you come back, ask about their professional life and what they do at the company. Ask specific questions around their task for the day and its impact on the company overall. Talk to them about other departments and improve your knowledge on what the company does. Ask them if any free courses could improve your skillset for the company. Make your ‘senders’ be your orientation partners and learn as much as you can about the business.
Ask to help
By now you should already have that relationship with your colleagues. You have probably moved from just he ‘Waakye buyer’ to the National Service personnel who rolls with permanent staff. Of course, they will still send you. Don’t get over yourself. However, use that opportunity to ask specific business-related questions. Research around what they do so you can ask more questions. If you have nothing on your plate, as them to give you the least of tasks and build your way up. The goal is to leverage your relationship with them and tap their brain and skill. If they say you can’t do it, plead with them to teach you the basics. Do this at a reasonable pace until you are given the chance.
Be ready to make opportunities count
Preparation meets opportunity so always prepare to take a chance when given one. Make the best of the little tasks that may be given you. Seek help if you need to and make sure you do the best that you can. If you impress with the least tasks, you are likely to be upgraded to the next level of learning.
No excuses
Avoid excuses at all cost. If you have no idea about something, politely request to be taught instead of pulling out. Make yourself a reliable and available helpmate and learn when you should. Lazy could creep in because you may not have official tasks. Kick it out!
Realise, recover and repeat
Know when you have made a mistake and apologise for it if a task goes wrong. Be ready to accept correction but never give up. Recover from your mistake and repeat the process that will get you more work.
Use the free wifi to improve on yourself
It’s easier to look forward to getting to work to download the next hit series. Try as much to avoid this.
If all the points listed earlier do not help, don’t give up. Learn something new on the internet by taking free courses. Give yourself timelines and meet them. At the end of the day, your Waakye buying story will have a personal improvement angle to it and the entire National Service won’t be wasted.
The overall goal is not for you to impress your colleagues or boss. It is your deliberate strategy to learn something no matter where it lands you in the company. It is your personal goal to improve on yourself and be better in knowledge and skill by the time you are done with National Service. Getting noticed is a by-product that may happen or may not. However, knowledge acquisition is a constant in this game.
But as stated earlier, there is no rule to this game. So you could actually ignore everyone and do your own thing. Download with the free wifi and catch up on all the series. You don’t need any special knowledge to be a nose mask selling entrepreneur. 3b3fa!
