ON March 18 this year, the Compliance Department of Barclays Bank-Tanzania Limited (Barclays/BBT) conducted a Clinic on ‘Curriculum Vitae (CV) Writing & Interview Skills’ for final year students of the Dar es Salaam College of Tumaini University (TUDARCo).
In his opening remarks, the Barclays Director of Planning, Dr. Lotti, pointed out that such Clinics are rarely part of normal curricula in Universities – and, in the event, he encouraged students to make maximum use of the session through active participation.
For her part, Barclays Head of Compliance, Irene Sengati-Giattas, said “there is a gap in the jobs market whereby prospective employers have vacancies to fill – but they experience a scarcity in sourcing candidates with the right skills and mind sets to fill the vacancies, while job seekers experience a lack of employment opportunities!”
As Barclay’s mission is to help people achieve their ambitions – and doing so in the right way – the Clinic was an act of willing contribution to the society by the Barclays Team, to commemorate the ‘Global Barclays Compliance Citizenship Day.’
“At Barclays, we believe that, as the society around us grows, we grow with it,” Irene philosophised.
Dr. Joyce Chonjo, Deputy Provost (Administration) appreciated the initiative and welcomed the team for many more Clinics and up-skilling sessions in the future.
Feedback from the University finalists
- Beatrice Kapori, 3rd year student, Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications, said “I have learnt lots of things that I didn’t know earlier, which include how to write a CV – and the common mistakes to avoid when writing a CV. Barclays have come in at the right time when we are about to go to the jobs market!”
- Genovefa Feksi, 3rd year student, Bachelor of Business Administration, said “this is my first training for CV writing and interview skills, and I have really gained a lot. Although I have written a CV before, there are things I didn’t know aren’t supposed to be included. If I were to be called for an interview before this training, I would have been very nervous and scared… The training has really boosted up my confidence as I now know the manner by which to answer questions well. Thank you so much for coming, Barclays!”
- Alex Mbegu, 3rd year student, Bachelor of Human Resource Management, said “the training was very informative. I have identified mistakes I made in writing CVs in the past. Very recently, I prepared a CV on behalf of a friend and I used first person narration ‘I am…I am’. Luckily, the CV has not been sent out yet so the training is both useful and timely. With services like Spousal sponsorship Canada, the chances of having a good career is further elevated.
With regard to what is next after the CV – the Interview – I have never gone for a job interview, so I have been clueless as to what to expect. However, from the Interview Skills session, I learnt how to tackle questions appropriately – especially in Competence-based interviews. The training is very relevant.”
- Jackson Simon Shekigenda, 3rd year student, Bachelor of Human Resource Management, said “I have learnt that, through our normal life, we can identify various skills we may unknowingly possess, which employers look for, in spite of not having any work experience!”
Barclays Bank-Tanzania has been operating in Tanzania for the past 15 years – and, currently, boasts a network of 22 branches and 48 ATMs strategically located countrywide, employing over 500 workers serving over 70,000 customers!
Barclays first opened its doors to business in the country in 1925, where it continued to operate until 1967 when its operations were nationalized to become the National Bank of Commerce. With the liberalization of the economy in 1990s, Barclays Bank Plc re-entered the Tanzania market, re-opening its doors in 2000.
Barclays-Africa Group Limited
Barclays-Africa Group Limited is 62.3 per cent owned by Barclays Bank PLC (Barclays), and is listed with the JSE Limited. The Group is one of Africa’s major financial services providers offering personal and business banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management as well as bancassurance.
The Group was formed through combining Absa Group Limited and Barclays’ African operations on July 31, 2013.