20 Things 20-year-olds Don't Get

People Matter more than Perks

It's so trendy to pick the company that offers the most flex time, unlimited meals, company massages, game rooms and team outings. Those should all matter, but not as much as the character of your founders and managers. Great leaders will mentor you and will be a loyal source of employment long after you've left.

Map Effort to your Professional Gain

You're going to be asked to do things you don't like to do.Keep your eye on the prize. Connect what you're doing today with where you want to be tomorrow.

Speak Up, Not Out

We're raising a generation of sh*t talkers. In your workplace, this is a cancer. If you have issues with management, culture or your role and responsibilities, speak up. If you can effectively communicate what needs to be improved, you have the ability to shape your surroundings and professional destiny.

Build your Technical Chops

Adding 'Proficient in Microsoft Office' at the bottom of your resume under skills, does not cut it anymore. Immediate preference is given to candidates who are good in: Photoshop, HTML/CSS, iOS, Wordpress, Adwords, MySQL, advanced Excel etc - regardless of their job position. If you plan to stay gainfully employed, you better complement that humanities degree with some applicable technical chops.

Both the Size and Quality of Your Network Matter

It's who you know more than what you know, that gets youahead in business. Knowing a small group of folks very well, or a huge smattering of contacts superficially, just won't cut it. Meet and stay connected to lots of folks, and invest your time developing as many of those relationships as possible.

To be continued next week. Stay with Naija Campus Watch...