Co-Creator

I am good at being organised about scheduling things digitally and physically, planning ahead by up to three months or so in all my calendars for where I want to be depending on possibilities that I have coming my way. The aspects this relates to are usually business, recreation and personal (going by colour-coded categorisation here...)My money mostly goes towards travel. Always disheartening to see how much Southern Service get from me in return for their recurring disservice. 

As someone with no major bills to pay apart from an expertly haggled phone contract whose behaviour possesses all the characteristics of frugality I don't really buy things that much. Other patterns in spending habits are thus hard to detect, beyond occasionally treating myself to something like an online course *yes, I know, where's the fun in life etc. The person who influenced these decisions is undoubtedly madre >> I learnt the value of money from a young age, so developed a fixation on saving to the point where she now gets asked by me "How much did that cost?" more than the other way around. 

That being said, hardly ever budget outside of my head; it would be good to start using tools like Curve, Mondo or Mint for adapting to future responsibilities e.g. university. Then there would be no shock over expenditure when looking at the statement lamenting a balance decrease for instance despite expected income levels. Instead I could feel 100% on top of my personal financial situation, anticipating exactly what it will be each month. 

Who: I came up with 100 networks that I am part of -half offline, the rest on… Really useful thing to do mapping out those connections!

What: Time(+zonal) limitations have necessitated some adjustments >> A} Try being a digital nomad over the next few months whilst abroad and establish possibilities that will fit in conveniently alongside university. B} Ask others to help me in my search for flexible remote working gigs, renewed focus on entrepreneurial pursuits and reach out strategically.

I emailed people working in sectors which are of interest - still waiting to hear back. Job description requirements vary but recurring ones are:

□ Educated to Bachelors degree level □ Fluency in English or French □ Knowledge of [insert software]

Really big on doing skills gap analyses: one of my main ones is sales/fundraising. To improve this beyond the experience I have solely within team contexts, individually I need to engage in direct selling (technology), lead generation (business) and crowdfunding campaigns (non-profit). I will then be able to showcases at interview me taking the initiative to learn how to succeed in these activities.

Mothership CV you say? Hmmm…. that sounds FAMILIAR! Before applying for this programme, I of course did my research🤓 Upon discovering Eugenie’s blog post with her ingenious suggestion I said to myself well these guys certainly know what they doing when it comes to career development so let’s jump on board >> Getting reviews provides a beneficial perspective to consider, whilst cover letters are for me about focusing in depth on linking the job description to what I bring +

I previously used a similarish idea where I had an extra doc grouping my different experiences into tables for corresponding fields, repeating one when useful to show transferable skills. Also particularly helpful in terms of identifying competency gaps, then imagining which future roles might improve them. Will upload mine (Formal & Creative) on nyashaduri.com

'Spring Clean' I have removed my Facebook profile listing for education "Ghetto University". As much as I love Kanye's MBDTF album, not everyone will be in on the joke. Although my privacy settings have always been high, some employers may use programmes that allow them to bypass security. No matter how relaxed the company culture, a red flagless candidate = best.

Also now occasionally enabling public posts e.g. petitions. Have always found Twitter (@NyashaDuri) and LinkedIn to be great in terms of their professional applications. Did a personal brand overhaul some time ago with both and currently working on my own website.

Effective Communication: 8

Details Loving: 8

Relationship Building: 8

Initiative Taking: 9

Organised Planning: 7

Team-Spirited: 9

Problem Solving: 7

Critical Thinking: 7

Creative Innovation: 9

TOP FIVE -> effective communication/relationship building/team spirit; critical thinking/problem solving/creative innovation and…

Missing… Adaptability? Resilience? Productivity?

The Star Track programme has had a positive effect on my confidence in enabling me to envision the career I want. This task made me realise that I have a confident sense of belief in my abilities, despite not always crediting them enough.

* * *

I asked my older sister in Australia to help me out with this, reason being that I had just gotten recommendations/references from my two most recent professional contacts at Channel 4 and UNICEF respectively for different purposes. Requesting more favours this soon did not feel right. With hindsight, I might have considered going back further down my CV to be given ratings by someone less biased (!) My response to her email was “really?”

Effective communication: 10 - Nyasha possesses excellent communication skills both in a verbal and written context. She is well spoken and articulates herself well when conversing with others and she has experience engaging with people from various backgrounds.

Details loving: 10 - She is particular about her tasks, the type to cross every ’t’ and dot every ‘i’ but in a good way that aligns with being productive.

Relationship building: 10 - Nyasha is a strong believer in networking. She is always taking advantage of networking opportunities around her and has met some very influential people in Britain through her networks.

Initiative taking: 10 - One of Nyasha’s strengths is that she is comfortable working both autonomously and collaboratively in a team environment. She thrives on getting things done and is a focused self-starter who gets on with the job.

Organised planning: 10 - She works well under pressure of having several conflicting deadlines. One way in which she manages her time well is by making use of time management and calendar apps e.g. MeisterTask.

Team-spirited: 10 - As mentioned previously, Nyasha thrives in a collaborative team environment, as evidenced by group projects she has successfully worked on in the past such as The Challenge Youth Board.

Problem solving: 10 - My sister likes to think outside the box and I love coming to her for ideas when I’m trying to think of solutions for different issues in my small business.

Critical thinking: 10 - Nyasha is a young lady who is very wise beyond her years due to an ability to think rationally through issues and formulate actionable plans for a way forward.

Collaboration: Working with each other together in order to achieve a common aim most likely giving support directly or indirectly e.g. a{n} unicorn’s dream team

Co-operation: Helping one another other meet a shared purpose although both parties likely have a different interpretations e.g. a criminal investigation

Recap #1 Thought it might be fun to GIF it up hehe, though my original plan to do audio notes was more… nuanced

Shilpa has been really great at providing much needed clarity at this time of unknown unknowns - whilst also going above and beyond to support me in my quest for a fulfilling occupation. I feel that I can reach big ambitions with a fluid plan which evolves as I change.