Teresia and I got connected in the most modern way possible, on LinkedIn. Our first interaction was on LinkedIn back in 2019.
At the time she was in her final year in university with a few weeks/months left until her end of year graduation. Typical of that time of year, companies kick-start their graduate recruitment for the year such that by the time the final job offers are presented the final year students that took part in the recruitment have finished university with their transcripts at hand and in the process of graduating.
Teresia reached out to me on LinkedIn when I had just left PwC Kenya and asked me about the application process for the graduate program at PwC Kenya and what my experience was going through it and most notable for her what she should expect during the process. I thought it was very admirable for someone that young and so early on while still in university to reach out on LinkedIn and inquire about a graduate program that they were applying for. At the time, university students generally were not as active on LinkedIn and only came on board the platform after they started at their first job.
I detailed to her the interview process and gave her some tips that I thought would be good to have as she prepared and went through the graduate program recruitment process. A few weeks later she reached out to me with good news that she had made it through the interview rounds and was scheduled for her final interview at partner level not just at PwC Kenya but other firms as well.
As you would have guessed for someone this proactive and determined she successfully made it through the final partner interviews and got job offers from several firms she was interviewing at. True to herself, she came back again to me wanting to get my thoughts about which offer she should go with. I shared my thoughts and experiences with her including that of my friends at the different firms hoping to give her enough information to allow her to make the best decision for herself. Ultimately, she went with PwC Kenya and went on to stay at the firm for 2 years and later joined Deloitte Kenya.
Between the time Teresia reached out to me on LinkedIn and the time she got her job offer, I had already left Kenya for London, so I never actually got to meet her in person, only communicating virtually all this time. We stayed in touch and whenever I was back in Kenya tried to meet but Covid and personal schedules never really aligned.
Early 2022 she reached out again and mentioned she was applying for a role at PwC UK London office to pursue technology and data analytics, which is something she wanted to venture into from the start of her career. Just as before, we talked through the process and in a few months, she was in London. I finally got to meet her when she moved and couldn’t be happier for her. I continue to celebrate with her and cheer her on. She’s young, determined, focused, and she’s definitely the future.
Teresia is such an inspiration to so many people, me included, she’s very determined, willed and above all knows exactly what she wants out of her career and goes for it full force with no apologies given. It’s not everyone that gets to that point so it’s great when I see it in her. If there’s one person that I think does networking so well, it would have to be Teresia and I’m always learning a thing or two from her including how she’s been able to get some incredible people to be her mentors.
I sat down with her and talked about her journey coming to London (UK) and also asked her for some tips on how to network and finding mentors.
1. Why and how did you make the decision to move to the UK
For me it was generally out of curiosity. I was at a place where I felt I needed to take on a big challenge, explore a new world and get out of my comfort zone. The UK was personal preference, and an opportunity came up at the right time that I was looking.
2. What are some of the networking tips that have worked for you in your career
When it comes to networking I do it both online and offline. I try to be intentional with networking not just messaging everyone and anyone.
Online networking
I do my homework to understand the person I want to network with, I find out their interests, their background in academics and work experiences all of which can be found on their LinkedIn profile and online.
I also determine what I want to get out of the networking relationship. From my experience being authentic and genuine allows you to form an actual connection where it’s not just an ask from the person. As an entry point, talking about what the other person is interested in allows you to get to know them better.
Offline networking:
For offline and in-person networking, my approach is similar to online networking with a mindset of being approachable and social especially at work or networking events.
I make sure to follow up on the conversation, I don’t let the interaction that I had at an event or function die off. I also try to find common ground with the person, connect with them on LinkedIn and message them. I maintain the connection even after the initial conversation and try being visible by posting about the event and people I’m grateful to have met.
I also support the initiative of the people I’m looking at getting to know whether on LinkedIn or attending their events/programs that they run and where possible volunteering to help out in any way. This helps in building goodwill with the person.
As a tip, remember to put yourself in spaces with the people you want to network with. This is one of the easiest ways to interact with them and know a little bit about who they are and even determine if they would be a good fit for you as well.
3. What has been your main motivating factor that keeps you going during challenging times in your career journey
Something very personal to me and that is my late mum. She passed away several years ago when I was in university and every time, I remember her and our interactions, she always believed in me and told me I was enough. She’s my main motivating factor, I want to make her proud. She would always encourage me to go for what I wanted no matter how long it would take me and not lose sight of what I want despite challenges coming my way.
4. How have mentors shaped your career and outlook at life if at all any
I consider a mentor as someone who has been there and done that and therefore mentors to me are an example of “it is possible” be it personal life or career wise. For example, you (Nancy Masila) coming to the UK really spoke to me and made me see that it’s possible and can be done having seen someone I know and relate with do it.
Mentors show you that it’s possible to get to that place that you want or aspire to get to. Given my personality, I’m the kind of person that gets inspiration from people when I see them doing things that I want to do someday.
Mentors have helped me believe in myself and the possibility of things happening. Mentors have made my aspiration become more of a goal than a dream.
5. What makes for a good mentorship relationship
This might sound cliché, but mentorship should be a two-way relationship. I should be in a position to be helpful to my mentor in one way or the other and within your capacity. This could be from supporting their projects through attendance or sharing on LinkedIn, availing your networks to them where possible. Of course, depending on the connection, you have with them.
The other thing is authenticity, you don’t want to feel that someone is messaging you on LinkedIn to use you or ask a batch of questions which is just one sided. The mentee shouldn’t be there to just get help from the mentor and leave.
Also, remember to put in the work to maintain the relationship. A mentorship is like any other relationship, good communication even if just checking in on the other person is key to keep the mentorship going.
6. What are the top things you’ve learnt from your mentors
Confidence to fail and start over – my mentors have given me confidence to know I can fail and take risks having in mind that they are there to guide me and start all over. I’m now able to take risks confidently. Starting out my career there were times I felt some decisions were too critical with huge lifelong repercussions when in reality it wasn’t.
Paying it forward – as a result of being mentored I’m also able to mentor other people and helping other people in similar situations to me. When someone reaches out to me, I remember I also once reached out to someone for help or assistance.
7. How should young professionals be networking in this time and age
In the workplace when just starting out, working hard is not enough, you need to go the extra mile. Learn to communicate and delivering your message across that is effective. Don’t be afraid to speak up, ask questions and seek help where you need it.
For university graduates looking for work, attend events that relevant to your interests be it career wise or even hobbies and put yourself out there. Learn from people, see what’s out there beyond what you already know.
As a general rule of thumb, have a strong LinkedIn profile, post on LinkedIn on things you are passionate about, write articles on things you know, teach people something that they can learn. Put your work out there. Network with everyone, your peers, future mentees. Volunteer to help out in events or programs that may be of interest. And build connections while at it.
8. When making career moves/changes what did you find worked great for you in landing the different roles that you did
As I look at how I transitioned from one role to the other, the goal was to always move closer to what I was passionate about in my career. I started out in IT Audit then moved to Data Support within IT Audit and now currently in Data Analytics which was the desired destination. Every step I took was towards what I always wanted to do. The end goal motivated the roles that I took up and ensured I was in the right direction.
I was also actively looking for roles that I’m interested in. For the roles in Deloitte Kenya and PwC UK, I found the job postings on LinkedIn and applied for them. In each instance I believe time, preparation and chance made me find the roles while in the search for my next life adventure.
9. Five months in London now (as at Nov 2022), how has that been
It’s been quite the adventure. I’m enjoying experiencing the different cultures in London and meeting people from different walks of life. It’s only in London where you can find so much diversity, almost every country in the world in represented here. Also, it’s been interesting experiencing the different weather seasons as well.
Meeting colleagues from different countries, with very diverse backgrounds. Looking forward to what London has to offer, here for the adventure and loving it so far.
10. For a young professional just starting out in their career what advice would you give them
Don’t worry too much about what the future holds.
Don’t overthink your career journey, take one step at a time.
Be open to change, be curious, flexible, and open minded. Find the courage to seek out different things by discovering yourself and your passions.
Be willing to speak up and advocate for yourself in terms of what you want to do in the workplace. It benefits you and also inspires others who might be in the same situation.
Be persistent in what you are passionate about and go for it.
11. What are some of the things that you thought were so important to you when you started out in your career that you realised are no longer as important now
How much you know doesn’t matter if you can’t create value out of it and demonstrate or communicate it in a manner that can be understood.
12. You’ve had an incredible career so far, what would you say have been the life lessons that you’ve learnt along the way
Academic grades are good and get you through the door but after that you need to work on your non-technical skills or what they call soft skills such as communication, presentation, people & project management which will take you to the next level of your career.
