Guest Blogger

The Future of Cell Phones in Africa

This week due to popular demand, we are returning to our discussion on Cell Phones in Africa. Or more specifically, the future of them.

Okay, Africans do use cell phones for phone calls- we’ve established that. But they use them way less then Canadians. Why? Because calls cost a lot money. Remember, there are very are few unlimited phone and text packages here, and they are generally too expensive for the average Burkinabe. So they text alot!

But what I found fascinating here – and blame it on the fact that I left Canada about five and a half years ago and I am totally disconnected – is the other use for cell phones.

Many locals use the phone as payment system.

Banking in Burkina

The penetration of the banking system in Burkina Faso is marginal compared Canada . The average Burkinabe does not have a bank account as the average Burkinabe does not work in the formal economic sector. Instead of banks, the cell phone is used to transfer money.. Burkinabe send money to their loves one while in the country – or while working abroad by using their cell phone.

Airtel is the most common used telephone company for transferring money. Each small village I have been to, and I mean small, has an Airtel kiosk where the person who receives the money can go and get it. All they need is the verification code and their National Identity card if they have one… but in villages, like small towns, everyone knows everyone so there is not a big problem with stolen identity!

The impact of this service on the population is, you can imagine, tremendous. There is no longer a need to go to a Western Union, which are usually not found in the small villages and which requires identification documents that many people in these villages don’t have.

Another important benefit to paying with the cell phone is the ability to pay bills at distance, including school fees. In Côte d’Ivoire, and in Burkina, parents are now able to pay their kids’ school fees by phone. This means that the mother (normally…) does not have to walk to the school, wait in line for hours and then be subject to the administration for bribery… because of course, parents have to pay the administrator who register their children a little something to make sure that the kids gets registered to the school.

So there are many little ways in which the cell phones have changed the lives and culture of their users here.

Burkina Uprising

Like other places in the world, cell phones have also had geopolitical ramifications here as well.

On October 30 and 31^st, 2014 the Burkina uprising happened.

Cell phones were instrumental in keeping the population abreast of what was going on and for the opposition to communicate with its members to tell them where the march was going and what to do – or not. The cell phones allowed people to post to social media – and in spite of the government’s efforts to block internet, thanks for the use of cell phones, we all were apprised of what was going on.

In the end the internet, such as it is, was restored quickly!

Internet in Africa

When I talked to a friend of mine about writing a short piece on the internet in Burkina, she told me make sure to tell everyone that there is only one word to describe it… moan… And she works at the European Union offices… so I can only conclude that they are not, unlike the Canadian embassy here, connected to the satellite via a Canadian communication system.

I suppose I should find myself lucky we have internet at all, given how poor this country is and given how little technical infrastructure there exists… but ‘moan’ just the same!

According to OOKLA Net Index, Burkina consistently rates 196^th on the household download index.

This comes from data analyzed between November 13^th, 2014 and Feb 25^th, 2015, using 5728 unique IP addresses for a total of 12,699 total tests. It is fair to say that 196^th place squarely places the country at the very bottom… well, I hear that Eritrea still has a dial up internet (I am dead serious), so maybe we are not quite the last… but pretty well down there. These results made the front page of the local papers, no need to say.

There is ONE optic cable coming from Togo. There is a new one that will be coming from Côte d’Ivoire… but for the time being, it is still in the planning… So ADSL is only available in ‘large’ cities like Ouaga and Bobo Dioulasso and only since 2011. And internet at home is mostly offered by ONATEL, the state telephone company.

Internet keys are available from Airtel (who else) and I hear Telmob. They are rare to find and when available, they are snapped quickly by users… so, of course, they are always in short supply. When we moved December 2013, I tried to find one until such time as I would be connected at home with ONATEL… to no avail.

Internet connections are, of course, not dedicated.

A dedicated connection for 128 kpbs without satellite connection is only offered by one provider from what I can understand – and it is 157$. If you dedicated that with satellite connection that cost jumps to 223$.

Yes there is G3+… if you can get it. My cell phone does not, and many of my friends express frustration because it is often down.

Given that many Burkinabé live in the country side or in areas without electricity, it will be no surprise to you to hear that the penetration of internet in this country in rather limited. There are lots of internet café,s but few shops and restaurants that offer wi-fi. Although to be fair, it is becoming increasingly available. Internet literacy is also, evidently, very low. Very.

The use of email address are dismal! Employees in private enterprise will still use their own personal email address to deal with clients on line (which is not frequent).

For government officers, , let’s just say that unless you get a younger officer with a smart phone and a personal computer he takes at work (and yes, I have seen that a lot!), you usually get no internet communication.

When I worked a few years ago (and it has not changed since) the older government officials I dealt with often had a computer on their desk, but it was not connected. All it did was collect dust – and trust me, in this country, that expression takes a whole new dimension as dust is everywhere all the time. Burkina Faso is located in the Sahel desert.

These older officers all insisted that I contact them by phone. But as their phone and/or the line was and is pretty bad, making conversation at times is nearly impossible.

Regular texting became part of my doing business. But more often than not, I would simply go visit them at their office. Reports, by the way, are often typed on a typewriter somewhere.

Internet connection regularly goes off … and I mean a few times a day. I am reading the news and then, bang, I am offline and cannot get to the next article. These outages are usually short. They are frustrating but no big deal – unless you are downloading a program, then it means starting all over again.

But the internet connection regularly goes off for longer period of time. The reason? It’s usually because some poor soul, not knowing what their doing, is digging and hits that one cable, damages it, and then the whole town goes ‘MOAN’.

Sometimes these cuts are put back together with silver tape and you have a bit of a connection … but it is painfully slllloooooowwwww.

Some areas of town have an internet connection that work better than others. Zone du Bois (center) works better when it works – but Ouaga 2000 (at the limit of the city) has a more consistent internet because it is closer to the location when the cable ends.

Of course, downloading a movie or an episode of your favourite show will take anywhere from 3 hours (194kb) to days. I avoid HD files because it is almost impossible, and before you ask – Netflix is not available here.

For this ‘high speed’ service (I am supposedly getting 512K, up from the 216 when I arrived in 2011) I pay 50,000 CFA, or $105.00. So next time you complain about your internet service and/or cost, remember that it is way worse elsewhere in the world!

BUT… giving the low penetration of computers in private homes, I love to see the kids playing in the streets with the animals or with whatever they make toys of instead of being glued to their computer. I love to go to restaurant and see people talking to each other as opposed to texting and being glued to their cell phone, and yes, I do appreciate having the poor internet I have simply because I have internet and I can connect to my family and friends back in Canada, even if my Skype connection is nearly impossible.

Living abroad has taught me so many things – but the one that is the most important is to appreciate and enjoy every little thing we have. I know it sounds corny but, it is the truth.

Company Culture – does it affect your Career Change Decisions

What is Company Culture? Company Culture isn’t just the mission statement, but also the values, ethics and goals of the company and how they affect you and the way the Company conducts its business. Like people, Companies have their own unique personality and so do departments within each company. This personality will decide whether you love your job or not.

Company Culture is now a major factor to consider when planning on a career change. 20 years ago you went to work, did your job and you left. 9 to 5 wasn’t just a movie, it was the company culture. Clock in at 9 and out of there at 5. An hour for lunch which you ate at your desk or you went to a restaurant. Most professional companies didn’t have lunch rooms, if you were lucky there were vending machines for coffee. Sales departments used to do team building events and some departments might have had corporate baseball teams, but that was it.

I remember when Ontario Hydro went to the open concept office. Walls came down, everyone sat in pods. One big happy family. Oops – within a month, buffer panels came in for individual departments and groups. Walls went back up for key positions, ie HR, CFOs etc. It was a nice concept but unfeasible. Too noisy and distracting. Now we have the innovative Google office, new technologies and company culture has become an important part in career planning.

You will spend 1/3 of your life at work. Not only do you have to like what you do, but you have to like the company and the people you work with. Your company and your group within that company are like a baseball team. Would you stay on the team if you weren’t enjoying yourself? If you hated the Team Captain and didn’t like the way he was running the team, you would be out of there. Yes it is harder to leave a job but if you don’t like the culture eventually you will move on. Companies want you to fit in with their culture. Retraining and rehiring new people is time consuming, costly and disruptive to running a business. The Company will be assessing your culture fit. It is important for you to recognize what the company will expect from you. Experience, job satisfaction and salary are important parts when assessing a new career. But so is the atmosphere in the company.

Start assessing the company as soon as you walk in the door.

Are the people in the elevators, hallways, reception desks friendly? Look at everyone and everything as you walk through the office. Does the atmosphere seem positive? Or do the employees look bored and disgruntled.

Assess yourself honestly?

Are you the type of person who wants to show up, do your job and head home? Do you like to read your book at your desk at lunch? Or do you want to go into the lunch room and play ping pong? Do you like team building outings or do you consider these an infringement on your free time? If you have the attitude I’m paid for a 40 hour work week and that’s all you are getting from me then you need to make sure you find a company that only expects that from you.

Technology has changed the face of company culture.

Companies provide laptops and phones to their employees. Along with that comes an expectation that they can reach you whenever they want. Deadlines don’t fall within a 40 hour work week.

Team Building is becoming a fact of life in organizations

Find out what is expected of you.

Are there ping pong tournaments, Ax throwing parties (yes I said Ax throwing parties).

Dinner nights, weekends away.

Is the atmosphere very competitive as a team or is it based more on the individual.

1/3 of your day will be spent with your team members and your group. Enjoying the atmosphere and camaraderie where you work will make a big difference in your attitude about your job. During the interview be sure to ask about the company culture. At the interview with your actual team members assess their characters, are you on the same page, will you be able to get along. Your team is like your family with less space to escape from them. Do you like them? If you do then grab this position, there is nothing better than wanting to get up in the morning to go to a fulfilling job.

Job Hunting – Little things to help you overcome those tricky obstacles

Job Hunting can be mind boggling. Knowing what kind of job you are qualified for can be intimidating. Don’t let things overwhelm you. Think of the positives and form a plan to accomplish your goal. First thing I do when anything is overwhelming me is make a list.

What kind of jobs does your education qualify you for
What experience do you have and is it transferable from industry to industry, ie banking to government
Who do you know in the industry
- Call them and set up an information interview to find out what types of jobs you would be qualified for or that would interest you
Network – let everyone know you are looking. Do you volunteer, let the board know you are looking for a new job. Play sports or children play sports, teams are a great place to network. The gym, yoga studio – everyone knows someone who knows someone and most people are more than happy to lend a hand.
Use a Recruiter. Recruiters have job boards sometimes exclusive to them. Research your recruiter and find the one who deals with the companies on your list of places you would like to work. Also find the Recruiter who deals with your skills. Recruiters specialize – IT, Finance, Admin, etc so make sure you contact the right one. Be diligent don’t them forget about you, keep in touch with him/her.
Check the job boards. Don’t be afraid to recontact your Recruiter and let him/her know about job openings.
Check specific company websites. Again before applying online check with your Recruiter to see if he has a contact there.
Connect with people on LinkedIn who work for specific targeted companies that you are interested in
And then go back and do it all again

There is a job out there with your name on it.

Terminated or Fired – Now What?

Being fired is a tough experience and it narrows your options. Here are some suggestions on how to deal with this situation.

Prepare yourself to move on:

Take responsibility for what happened.
Deal with the pain, anger or shame. Talk to your friends for support. Consider getting professional help. There is not much in life that teaches us how to deal with bad situations so take corrective action. The alternative is a lot of unhappiness for a lot longer.
Don’t confuse a lay-off with firing. Layoffs happen all the time when organizations go through change. Don’t beat yourself up over something that wasn’t your fault.

Goal

Get a new job, even if it will be for a short term, as in a contract, and may not be your dream position. This job will re-establish your resume credibility.

Steps to find a new job

Contact people you worked with in the past who could take you back.
Contact friends and colleagues who know you as a good person and will support you –maybe hand your resume/recommend you to their boss.
Contact everyone who could be a good reference for you. Often there are people from the company from which you were let go who are aware the firing may not have been entirely your fault. People from the prior jobs would not be affected by what happened recently.

Options to Answer the Question Why You Left

Full disclosure – I was fired because…

If it was a personality conflict, explain that it had never happened before and that what you learned from the situation is that sometimes conflict can’t be resolved and that you should have taken action to move on earlier, yourself. Immediately offer a list of references whom you know will say positive things about you.

It was a mutual decision and explain you have a severance plan.

Immediately offer a list of references.

Say nothing about the termination.

This may back fire if an employment check reveals you were fired and you had not been candid about it.

Don’t ruminate/blame.

I can’t think of a way this approach will ever work. It is a sub-set of never criticizing a former boss, company or colleagues. It just makes people feel uncomfortable and you look like complainer/whiner and leave the impression you are immature and untrustworthy.

Nadine is one of the original members and owners of Planet4IT, and has watched the company become something great.
She is the Chief Financial officer here, and her hard work ensures everything is kept in tip top shape.
Another role she has is to help companies find the top talent out there.
Her track record speaks for itself.
Nadine can be reached through email, or by calling Planet4IT

Resume Formatting can be the Key to getting the Interview

Resumes can be the key to opening the door to your first interview or a direct path to the trash bin. Hiring Managers and Recruiters see 100’s of resumes for every job opening. There are 1,940,000 entries on google for “the 6 second scan of your resume”. Yes – 6 seconds. Barely more than a blink. If you pass the scan the resume gets moved to the “follow up file” for a more in-depth look at. At this point you might get an email or a phone call looking for more detailed job related exposure.

Planet4iT has been using the format in our slideshare presentation very successfully for the last 15 years. Give it a try and good luck with your job hunting.

Photography – A Trip down Memory Lane edit

Family Day weekend in Ontario, -20C with windchills closer to -40C, the ground is covered with ice and snow. Definitely not going outside other than for food. I started painting the trim in my hallway but you can only do that for so long without finding your hand stuck in the claw position. What’s happening in the family room – tv’s on – curling, hockey, the Fan590 – seriously. I’d rather paint. OK next favourite room my computer room (aka office Monday to Friday) – time for a little cleanup. What is under all that dust, it’s my scanner – I thought I had lost it. OK this is a perfect day to start scanning in all those pictures I have in a cabinet upstairs.

Not all of these pictures are mine, the ones from the early 1900’s I stole off grandparents and parents. There are even a couple that are on cardboard and there are a number of people I don’t know who they are and there’s no one alive to remind me. As I looked at the number of albums I have from the 1970’s to 2002 I almost decided to go back to painting. Nope this is happening today. Turn on some tunes and I open my first book. Memories come flooding back of loved ones, events and places. I am now fully enthralled with my project. It’s going to take longer than I thought (might take years :)).

It’s amazing too think that my grandparents generation did NOT own cameras. If they wanted a picture they went to a professional and had a portrait done (before that they had to hire an artist to paint it). As I started going through my pictures, memories of my first cameras came flooding back.

3 of these cameras were before memory cards. Yes they took film, either cartridges or spools. Was there anything more embarrassing than going to pick up your pictures at Blacks and being told that the spool had never been used and you had 12 blank pictures. Yes you could only take 12, 24 or 36 pictures at a time. You had to buy the film and pay for each print. There was no taking 5 pictures of your freshly painted toenails. The film was too expensive for anything other than special events and trips.

Memory cards were introduced in 1997, my first camera with a memory card was also my first Nikon – the memory card was 8MB, it didn’t take me long to realize I needed bigger cards, the 64mb cost me around $100 back then. My newest Nikon (and the love of my life) holds 2 32GB cards. They sell for $22 each at Staples. 32GB that is so much bigger than my first computer I would need a mathematician to figure it out.

From 1970 to 2002 my pictures were kept in albums or boxes. The excitement that passed through my house when the albums with the plastic covers came out and we could get rid of those little black corners that kept falling off. (Yes I started using them again when I went through my scrapbooking phrase :)). Imagine my chagrin when I started scanning these pictures and realized that they were stuck to the sticky page forever. I now had to scan whole sheets at a time – grrrr – it affected the quality of the scan – grrr. So much for a new invention.

The above pictures are just a sampling of how many pictures I have. The big question now is what to do with all these books and photographs. My siblings and I fought over our parents stash (it helped that it fit in a rubbermaid container). My kids are fighting over who HAS to take them. Imagine how excited they will be when I hand them a USB port with a sampling of all my pictures or by the time I finish scanning they may just be floating up in the cloud.

My largest stash of pictures are of my husband and children. I’m at that in-between stage now where they don’t like their picture taken, so I am constantly following my cats around with my camera or my phone clicking them doing things only cats do.

Travelling and blogging are now my favourite pastimes. The 2 go together almost as good as PB & J. The price of blowing pictures up has decreased so much and the quality of printer you can have in your own home makes your home your own little art gallery. Nothing makes me happier as I glance around my home seeing holiday pictures blown up on my walls. Memories are everywhere. Photography might be the biggest growing hobby, everywhere you go there are people taking pictures either with their cell phones (wow the quality is amazing) or with the digital cameras. It used to be only professional photographers had zoom lenses and tripods, etc. Not anymore, there are photographers everywhere. So as you walk around Toronto, if you aren’t taking pictures, keep smiling because someone has probably snapped a picture of you.

I’m constantly going on google typing “How do I” or “What is” and up pops the answer. Would love to hear from you about what your favourite photography tip is?

References – when Job Hunting have them ready to go

“References available upon request” – the most unnecessary sentence on a person’s resume. Every job hunter, interviewer, Hiring Manager knows that the chances of being offered a position without references are NIL. Even worse than that sentence is “Referees available upon request”. Yes it is amazing the number of resumes I have seen with that sentence on it. LOL please don’t bother applying if you are sending me your referees!!!

Applying for a Job:

Read the job description carefully, references are usually only requested when you are getting to the offer stage. Don’t send them in if they aren’t asked for. Don’t put them on the bottom of your resume. References are doing you a favour, don’t pass along their information until necessary. Yes there are exceptions. There are a number of online company resume submission sites (usually large companies like Banks, IBM, etc) who ask for everything up front: Resume, Cover Letter and References. Don’t bother submitting to these sites unless you have all the information requested.

Interview:

This is one of the times when you may be asked for your references. Employers don’t want to see letters from your references starting with “To whom it may concern”. They don’t want a list of your LinkedIn recommendations. They want a straight forward copy of your references. So be prepared. Take a copy of your references with you, in the following format:

Offer Stage:

Most employers will ask you for your references when they are getting to the offer stage. You may be given a verbal offer dependent on your references. When it’s a hot job market, employers know that you may be interviewing for more than one job. They want to let you know that they want you, but your references are the final stepping stone.

References:

3 minimum – including someone from your current employer. Nothing better than having a reference from your current boss, this might be difficult so a colleague or team member will work. Job appropriate references are nice to have, if you are interviewing for a job as a programmer in a financial institution and you have worked for a bank before then a colleague who can relate to the actual position is a bonus. If you are a new graduate then a reference from a professor/teacher is better than your parents.
Keep your references up to date. Make sure they are willing to do a positive reference for you. Send them a copy of the job description and your resume so they know what you are up to. Ask them what the best number and “time” to be reached at is. Employers use reference checking services now so calls can be made before 9, during lunch, after 5.
Try and get references that would answer the question “Would you hire them again” with an emphatic “YES”. References are very careful about how they answer questions and companies don’t want to get sued so they will tend not to say anything negative, but sometimes a non answer speaks volumes.
Use LinkedIn – keep in touch with the colleagues you would like to be your references. Ten (10) years ago you would call your reference and if they had left their job good luck finding them. LinkedIn makes it so easy to keep track of people and communicate with them. Keep the relationship fresh and up to date.

References are an integral part of the successful job hunting journey. Always try and leave your last job on a positive note and you won’t have to worry about your reference check. Keep them up to date and keep in touch with them.

Is This the Right Move?

Resignations – 7 Things Not to Do When Resigning

The goal of resigning is to protect your reference for the future. If you have done great work for the last few years, don’t screw it up with a bad resignation.

Waltz in to your bosses office and announce “I’m out of here”

Well, so much for the courteous approach.

Prepare a letter stating you are resigning with a last day noted. Give 2 weeks’ notice. Be sure to account for any outstanding vacation.

Present the letter in a face-to-face meeting (no slipping on his/her desk or sending an email). Yes, it’s uncomfortable, but part of being professional.

Do nothing, take long lunches, take extra sick days, come in late/leave early during your notice period.

The deal is to be professional. Create a list of everything that’s on your plate divided into what will be completed by the time you leave and what will not, with the status it will be in when you leave.

Present the list in the resignation meeting.

This list helps to make the meeting less tense.

It also helps your boss save face with her boss when she announces your departure. She shows she has it under control.

Tell them where you are going.

This is optional. It may just give your boss the opening to dump on the new company.

Why not say, “I shall call you when I get settled”.

Get upset if they walk you out.

It may be just an HR policy against the worst case scenario.

Assemble all your key possession in a single drawer before you meet your boss so you can exit quickly if necessary.

Resent negative reaction from your boss.

Your boss may react poorly to the news. That can include yelling or worse.

Your boss may deploy tools to slow you down.

These include:

Guilt – How could you do this after all I have done for you?

Intimidation – If you think I shall give you a good reference in the future, think again

Flattery – Your team can’t go on without you.

Bribery/Promises – Gee, I was just about to set up a meeting to give you a raise/new project/promotion

These are just ways of giving your boss time to prepare for your eventual departure which may be your choice or may not. Resigning is usually a sign of serious disaffection with the company and they usually can’t change that. If you resign as a ploy to get a raise for example, it’s seen as immature and erodes trust.

Make a loud announcement in the middle of the office, “I’m out of here you bunch of losers”

Give your boss time to announce your departure. Don’t be a focus of discontent. If other people want to leave, they need to take steps on their own.

Neglect to capture the cell numbers and home addresses for everyone you liked working with. They may make a move in the future themselves.

After you’re gone, send them holiday greetings and stay in touch. They are valuable nodes on your personal career network. . You may want to reach out to them, for a reference or even a job one day.

The Internet of Things – Yes you are using it everyday!

The Internet of Things in Lynnetalk means less wires. You probably don’t even realize how many things in your home right now are part of the “IoT” family. Do you have a wireless printer or one that is connected through your modem so that all your computers and tablets can access it. How about a smart TV. Yes – it is part of the IoT. Basically anything in your home that is connected through wi-fi to the internet is part of the IoT. My smart meter is one of my favourites – not only can I control it from my phone but so can the Hydro company. In the summer during a heat wave, they will turn my air conditioning down to help control possible black/brown outs. (I just thought I was having a hot flash every day at 5 pm).

Every day the IoT is adding new features and items faster than we can keep up. The main conduit for the IoT for the everyday person seems to be your phone or tablet. Some of them we don’t even realize are happening.

Hyper-Targeting – A catchy phrase that basically means everything you do on the internet is being tracked and analyzed.

Do you have a mobile phone or tablet? Your phone is basically being tracked every time you move. Yes – every time you move. A signal is being sent out as you walk through the mall, as you drive your car. What is this data being used for?

Retailers will use that data to transmit “Sale of the Day flyers” to your phone as you walk through the mall.
Restaurants will target customers in walking or driving in a 5 mile area letting them know about specials being served between 5 and 8 pm.
Advertisers will be able to track your likes and dislikes as your phone travels around the city/world. They will know where you shop, what you buy, your favourite coffee and then you will be targeted with advertising for your specific likes. I guess it is better than receiving paper flyers from every box store in your region :).

This is Big Data at its biggest. Just think every step you take is being recorded. Every coffee you order, every trip you take, every book you read. Tick Tick Tick, they are all being counted and a multitude of companies are analyzing this data and selling it to advertisers. Google and Facebook are the gods of Big Data.
Digital Payments

We’ve all seen that commercial by CIBC – take a picture of your cheque and deposit it automatically. Wish I had it today, last thing I want to do is head to the bank when it is -20 outside.

Apple Pay is coming to Canada, maybe as early as March 2015. Get rid of your wallets, now you only need your iPhone6 when you go shopping. Google Wallet is the android equivalent app. But don’t leave your credit card at home quite yet, even though more retailers are offering this service it is still quite limited.

Pixie

How often do you lose your car keys? Your purse? My eyeglasses at least twice a day. Well let me introduce Pixie – the Location of Things. All you have to do is attach “Pixie Points” to things, anything. Then your mobile phone (yes your mobile phone knows more about you then your mother) can find anything you have pixied. The other great thing about this app is you can categorize items together – i.e. do you travel a lot – then pixie your passport, your medications, your travel documents, chargers, etc. Before you leave check the app to make sure they are all in your bag. No more “Mom where is my knapsack” just PIXIE it.

What will the Future bring?

Are you excited about any new innovations? Do you have an iFit watch? I would love to hear from you about your favourite IoT or what you think the future will bring.

Good Luck job hunting

Lynne Carlson started her career off in administration, moved to Cobol Programming and for the last 14 years worked in all things recruitment. Absolutely loves social media and excited about all the new innovations appearing every day!