What is an A, anyway? Does it mean that a 16-year-old recognizes 96 percent of the allusions in “The Bluest Eye”? Or that she could tell you 95 percent of the reasons the Teapot Dome Scandal was so important? Or just that she made it to most classes? Does it come from a physics teacher in the Great Smoky Mountains who bludgeons students with weekly, memory-taxing tests or from a trigonometry teacher in Topeka who works in Taylor Swift references and allows infinite retests?

One answer is that A is now the most popular high school grade in America. Indeed, in 2016, 47 percent of high school students graduated with grades in the A range. This means that nearly half of seniors are averaging within a few numeric points of one another.

A belt has several holes, but usually only one or two of them show any wear in the leather. Can the same really be true for the grades we give our students, with their varied efforts and their constellations of cognitive skills? A grading drop-down menu ought not to be so simple a tool as one person’s belt.

And grades have only gone up since 2016, most notably since the pandemic, most prominently in higher-income school districts. Were this a true reflection of student achievement, it would be reason to celebrate, but the metrics have it differently. From 1998 to 2016, average high school G.P.A.s rose from 3.27 to 3.38, but average SAT scores fell from 1026 to 1002. ACT scores among the class of 2023 were the worst in over three decades. Is it any wonder, then, that 65 percent of Americans feel they are smarter than average?

I’ll confess that in my nearly 30 years as a high school English teacher, my conceptions of grading have either softened or evolved, depending on how you see it. While I may fret over the ambiguity on Page 5 of a student’s essay, I’m aware of the greater machine. Their whole semester will boil down to one letter, and that letter joins 30 or so others on a transcript they may send to a dozen colleges, some of which have thousands of applicants.

Besides, I like my students. I see them coming into the building at 7:30, carrying three backpacks for a routine that may well go on until 7:30 that night, roughly the time it takes someone to complete a full Ironman triathlon. They will use their free periods to prep for group projects, they’ll scarf down lunch before a French quiz, and hours later, toe the line of scrimmage against those massive defensive backs from the other side of the county. I don’t need to be excellent at as many utterly different things as they do. And my skills are not constantly judged like this, year after year, by a rotation of personalities. If kids come to my writing classes and share their heart and soul on the page, I want to offer them a handhold on this stony path.

Also, it’s just so much easier to give good grades!

But when so many adolescent egos rest upon this collective, timorous deflection, it doesn’t do an awful lot of good. Passing off the average as exceptional with bromides like “wonderful” and “impressive” soothes the soul, but if there’s nothing there to modify these adjectives, teachers do little service to their colleagues who receive these students the next year. It has that looming sense of climate denial, propped up by wishful thinking.

Grade inflation, after all, acts just like real inflation. In the early 1960s, when, according to GradeInflation.com, about 15 percent of grades given at four-year colleges were A’s, a dollar could buy you a movie ticket. Now, this will get you 15 seconds with a college essay coach and a firsthand lesson in Freud’s concept of the narcissism of minor differences: The more a community shares the same thing, the higher the sensitivity becomes about small disparities. So if everyone else applying to the College on the Hill has A’s in math, your A-minus suddenly gives you the wrong distinction.

In the shape-shifting landscape of college admissions, grades have never been more important. Now more than 80 percent of four-year colleges do not require standardized tests. Interviews, perhaps the truest show of the unadorned student, are also falling the way of the Bachman’s warbler. ChatGPT brings possibly serviceable responses to essay questions, if you can live with yourself for using it. And a recommendation letter coming from someone who teaches 150 students is going to look different from someone’s who teaches 50. This all augurs toward the new Pangea: grades. As a high school teacher, I don’t want to hold that much power, nor do I think I should.

It’s so easy to see grades as sheer commodities that we all but overlook their actual purpose — as far as I know — of providing feedback. In English class, this happens not just on days we wield our red pens but every time we encourage students to appreciate the complexity of an idea, every time we can coax an apprehensive hand into the discussion about the bloody field or the Tuscan garden. It happens in meetings outside class when students fumble into ideas for their own stories and on the words, words, words of comments my English-teaching kinfolk are thoughtfully spooling onto our students’ drafts. To forsake all this for one fixed letter is to waste the process for the stamp.

How might grade inflation’s roiling cloud now be pierced? Do we approach the colleges that purport to favor both mental health and kids who take 10 A.P. exams? Or high schools, which watch these grading trend lines with the dread of sea level rise? We keep treating high school and college as two separate entities, but ultimately, they service the same people, and there needs to be more conversation about what this mess of grades is doing to them.

For now, a modest proposal: Consider the essay that comes in with a promising central idea but lacks support from a few critical moments of the text. It makes a smart but abrupt transition and closes with an interesting connection, a trifle undercooked. With another assiduous go-round, it might become something amazing. But please don’t give this draft an A-minus, the grade that puts so much potential to an early, convenient death. Instead, think of the produce of this student’s deletions and insertions, the music as he riffles through those pages he’ll annotate better next time, the reflective potential of a revision. Grading offers a singular place to teach such lessons of resilience. Instead, consider the B-plus.

This means nothing if done alone. But if we’re really going to be teachers, it’s high time to tighten the belt.

 

New York Times

Legendary billionaire investor Warren Buffett is widely recognized as one of the greatest financial minds of this era. Over the course of several decades, he amassed a significant fortune through shrewd investment strategies and timeless wisdom.

During the 2015 Berkshire Hathaway Inc. annual meeting, Buffett shared his perspective on the curious dynamics of discussing the company's investments. He offered insights into why he refrains from "talking up" Berkshire's investments, shedding light on the intricacies of investment strategies that may not always align with Wall Street's expectations.

Buffett's remarks from the meeting were candid and reflected his no-nonsense approach to investing. He mentioned that it's not uncommon for people to inquire about the investments Berkshire Hathaway holds, with the assumption that the company would want to promote these holdings. However, Buffett was quick to dispel this notion. He made it clear that Berkshire Hathaway has no vested interest in encouraging others to buy the same investments it holds. Its perspective is quite the opposite.

Buffett explained that Berkshire, either through the company or its subsidiaries, is likely to continue buying stock. This means it stands to benefit from lower stock prices, making a rise in stock value less attractive. The rationale behind this is straightforward. If Berkshire Hathaway intends to acquire more of a particular investment in the coming years, it would be counterproductive for them to publicly promote the stock, causing its value to increase prematurely. By doing so, it would essentially be buying at a higher price in the future. This pragmatic approach underscores its long-term investment strategy.

Buffett acknowledged that this perspective diverges from the conventional wisdom of Wall Street. The common belief on Wall Street is that if you own a particular stock, it's in your best interest to see its value rise in the short term. People often refer to this as "talking your book."

 

Yahoo News

President Bola Tinubu has set up a constitutional review committee to carry out “comprehensive” police reforms.

Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi, announced the development while speaking to State House correspondents at the end of a meeting of the Nigeria police council chaired by Tinubu on Tuesday.

The council at the meeting confirmed Kayode Egbetokun as the substantive inspector-general of police (IGP).

According to Mohammed, members of the committee include Ibrahim Geidam, minister of police affairs; Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA); Solomon Arase, chairman of the police service commission (PSC); and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, governor of Kwara and chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

“The confirmation of the IGP prompted further discussion on the Nigeria Police Force and the president has formed a special committee to look at all the gaps in Nigeria’s 1999 constitution with a view to bring harmony and synergy, closing technology and manpower gaps to the Nigerian police force,” Mohammed said.

“The committee comprises the minister of police affairs, NSA, chairman of PSC, and the chairman of the NGF. They will work together with a view to make sure that the Nigeria Police is reformed.”

Also speaking, Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun, said the council observed that no meaningful reforms have taken place in the police since its creation in 1861.

He added that the committee would develop ideas that would lead to reforms that would characterize the new Nigeria police force.

“The newly confirmed IGP is adequately prepared, his CV is extremely rich, very experienced, intellectually and practically,” Abiodun said.

“He also addressed us as a council on the state of policing in Nigeria, among other things that he highlighted he spoke about the need for technology-driven policing.

“The need for community-based policing, the need to ensure that required budgetary provision is provided for community-based policing which has been proven to be very effective.

“The issue of funding also came up and this committee of four to five people will look at these issues that border on reforms.

“We observed that there have been no meaningful reforms since the establishment of the Nigeria police force.”

 

The Cable

OPEC oil output has risen for a third straight month in October, a Reuters survey found on Tuesday, led by increases in Nigeria and Angola and despite ongoing cuts by Saudi Arabia and other members of the wider OPEC+ alliance to support the market.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has pumped 27.90 million barrels per day (bpd), the survey found, up by 180,000 bpd from September. Production in August had risen for the first time since February.

The steady rise in OPEC output is largely being driven by a small number of producers managing to overcome internal or external factors that have curbed supply, such as U.S. sanctions or unrest. Despite the rise in output, oil prices are finding support from conflict in the Middle East.

Nigeria boosted exports in October without any major disruption to shipments, according to shipping data and sources in the survey, increasing output by 50,000 bpd. The country is targeting a further recovery by next year. Angola also boosted exports in October, the survey found.

Smaller increases came from Iraq and Iran. Tehran's output edged up to 3.17 million bpd, the survey found. This is the highest since 2018, the year Washington re-imposed sanctions on Iran, according to Reuters surveys and OPEC figures.

Analysts have said the higher Iranian exports appear to be the result of Iran's success in evading U.S. sanctions and Washington's discretion in enforcing them.

There was no immediate boost in Venezuela's production, sources in the survey said, following the U.S. move this month to broadly ease sanctionson the country's oil sector. OPEC+ sources expect the production recovery to be gradual.

Output from the 10 OPEC members that are subject to OPEC+ supply cut agreements rose by 150,000 bpd, the survey found. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf members maintained strong compliance with agreed cutbacks and extra voluntary reductions.

Saudi Arabia kept October and September output close to 9 million bpd, the survey found. The country in September extended a voluntary 1 million bpd output cut until the end of the year to provide extra support for the market.

OPEC's output is still undershooting the targeted amount by about 560,000 bpd, mainly because Nigeria and Angola lack the capacity to pump as much as their agreed level.

The Reuters survey aims to track supply to the market. It is based on shipping data provided by external sources, LSEG flows data, information from companies that track flows such as Petro-Logistics and Kpler, and information provided by sources at oil companies, OPEC and consultants.

 

Reuters

Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State and Nyesom Wike, his predecessor, yesterday met at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The duo, who reportedly fell out less than six months after succession, have been in the news since the reported move of the Rivers House of Assembly to impeach the governor.

Fubara had stormed the assembly while some lawmakers loyal to Wike were said to be planning his removal.

Addressing youths who trooped to Government House, Port Harcourt, over the development, Fubara vowed to resist any impeachment attempt against him that is not justified.

The governor also dared his political opponents to tell him his offence before he would be removed.

“I know how you people are feeling, just take it easy. Great Rivers State youths. Great! When we have the youth, we have power,” Fubara said.

“But the difference with our own power is we will not misuse it. We woke up this morning to a very troubling news. We have gone to the Assembly to see for ourselves what has happened.

“On my way there, I was shot at directly by the (sic) operation, or whatever they call it. But it doesn’t matter, somebody will die one day. Whether you die inside your house or on the road. So my journey today, whatever it is that wants to happen, let it happen.

“If Siminalayi Fubara is in peace, I am not a force neither will I be…What I’m saying is that any attempt that is not justified will be resisted. Great Rivers people! That offence that I have committed, come out and tell the people of Rivers State. That’s what I want. That offence Fubara committed warrants impeaching me.”

He pledged to always defend the Rivers residents and make available dividends of democracy to them.

“But my happiness this morning is that the people of Rivers State, represented by everybody here are with us. Let me remind you people that we will continue to defend you people. We will protect you people and enjoy the dividends of democracy. I don’t want to say much. At the appropriate time, I will address the press. Thank you. God bless you,” he added.

On the feud between the governor and his predecessor, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State said President Bola Tinubu has intervened in the political impasse in Rivers State to restore peace.

He stated this yesterday while briefing State House reporters after a meeting of National Police Council presided over by the President at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Mohammed, who said the president was talking to the parties involved in the imbroglio, added that it appeared there would be peace with his intervention.

The chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum (PDP-GF) also said the opposition governors had resolved to work with the president because he had shown good faith by not interfering with gubernatorial cases brought before the courts by PDP members.

The governor of Bauchi State, who briefed after the maiden police council meeting under the Tinubu administration, said the president engaged in discussions with the Rivers State governor and the FCT Minister, who is alleged to be behind the plot to impeach the governor to restore peace in the state.

He said, “We had a closed session. You will recall, members of the press, that there was a very serious national issue that was discussed that had security implication. That is the problem emerging in Rivers. Mr President, in his usual leadership position, intervened, and it would appear there will be peace in that respect.”

 

Daily Trust

Presiding Bishop of Rhema Christian Church and Towers, Taiwo Akinola, as part of the Church’s annual convention, addressed a press conference during which the respected cleric examined a host of issues of national importance. Here’s the full text of the conference:

1. Economy

a). Concerns about the  National Currency

Gentlemen of the Press, when you came here last year, the first national challenge we highlighted was the disheartening state of our currency. Now, to say that the value has further taken the worst form would certainly be an understatement.

Last year we lamented that the Dollar to Naira exchange rate was bad. About six years ago, a dollar exchanged for N160, but today, it is over N1000 to a dollar while pound exchange for over N1,500. This is quite saddening, especially because of its attendant effects on our national socio-economic engineering.

Definitely, Nigeria is presently facing its worst economic crisis in years. Some schools of thought believe that this is largely due to a significant devaluation of the Nigerian naira that began in June this year, coupled with some huge foreign debts that have been hanging on our national economic neck for some years now.

The Central Bank eased foreign exchange controls in mid-June, as part of the economic reforms overseen by President Bola Tinubu, prompting the official rate to plunge more than 40% over the past four months. This made the naira to suffer a massive devaluation.

Moreover, our main source of forex is challenged. Accruable revenue from crude oil is being challenged by oil theft, affecting our ability to meet our OPEC quota. This is shortening our ability to earn forex.

Some experts have also identified our propensity for import at the detriment of local production as another reason for our dwindling forex earnings. We import a lot of things in the country, including fuel and toothpicks, and this continually puts pressure on the forex. We need to top up our local production.

Meanwhile, some economists think that such a devaluation is badly needed to harmonise the naira's real value and help our attempt at improving exportation, but the social impact on the generality of the citizens is very hard to swallow.

It is equally opined that our “Bonny light” is not doing well enough in the international market and we have very little window to manoeuvre because the Naira and our productivity do not align. This is especially true as the crude oil market is on the downward trend, until a recent spike occasioned by the Israel-Hamas crisis.

At the backdrop of this dismal picture is the fact that the average Nigerian is bearing the brunt, being increasingly pauperised and thrown into unprecedented hardship. Thus, our nation presently faces high cost of living crisis as a result of high inflation, high cost of food items, transportation as well as high cost of goods and services.

As a nation-church, in Rhema, we decry the unending depreciation of the Naira, which presently is having adverse effect on our local manufacturers. We call on the government to take an urgent look at how to provide succour to Nigerians across social stratum.

For example, the 10billion dollar lifeline being proposed by the Federal government should be judiciously deployed for quick and sustainable relief outcomes.

While the Federal Government has expressed its good intentions in revamping the economy, we urge them to be more people oriented in its choice and timing of economic strategies.

For instance, the unification of the exchange rates as done by Tinubu should not have been a one step process. It should have been implemented over a period of time in phases to minimise the harsh socio—economic consequences on the people.

b. Fuel Pump Price Hike

The suffering of the people has been very profound since the removal of the subsidy in June. In our opinion, enough has not been done to mitigate the harsh impact of the fuel price hike on the poorest sections of the Nigerian population.

We had hoped that by now investment in public infrastructure, education, healthcare and jobs should have begun to materialize to materially improve the lives of millions.

Government should show some sensitivity in this regard by coming up with some solid sustainable relief measures to cushion the adverse effects on the citizens.

Also the plan to transfer N8,000 per month for over six months to 12 million households across the country, which seems to have been designed to relieve the burden of the new economic regime on the most disadvantaged was paused along the way, thus sending wrong signals to the people.

Certainly, this form of palliative is not out of place at all. After all, so many countries in the Western world are always looking for ways to support their citizens with some kind of relief, like gas support palliatives, social security and others.

Nothing should stop this government from equally devising ways of ameliorating the sufferings and hardships that millions of Nigerians are currently being forced to bear within a short period.

c. Economic Growth

From available statistics, Nigeria's Q3 2023 GDP rose by 2.5%, below the 3.5% growth in 2022, but better than the Q2 figure of 2.1%.  

This minimal  growth was driven mainly by the non-oil sectors, with the top-contributing sectors being agriculture (23%), trade (16.8%), and telecommunications (16.06%), which grew by 1.5%, 2.4% and 9.7%, respectively. It gladdens the heart to note that the non-oil sector performance was powered by the Agriculture and Trade sectors.

Though the figures are not really cosy, but it is a good starting point. More strategic policies should be put in place to reset the faulty economic structure, using technology in favour of these productive sectors. This could eventually have greater positive impacts on employment generation, wealth creation and poverty reduction.

In general, we believe that Government must make concerted and well thought-out efforts to improve its fiscal and trade policies to shore up the Naira and check its consistent downward slide.

Nigeria must also increase her foreign reserves through a proactive trade policy, reduce its appetite for foreign loans, and boosts local production to depend less on the importation of goods including refined petroleum products.

We as Nigerians too should curb our undue appetite for imported goods. Otherwise, the Naira will continue its dangerous downward slide.

d). Inflation  

Nigeria's annual inflation rate climbed to 25.8% in August 2023, from 24.08% in July and marking the highest rate since September 2005. This is indeed a sharp increase from 18.25% in 2022.

No doubt, this reflects the impacts of the removal of fuel subsidies, the devaluation of the official exchange rate and security issues in the core food-producing regions of the country.

These have made the costs of essential items such as food items, drugs, raw materials for industries, spare parts, automobiles to hit the roof. The purchasing powers of millions of Nigerians have been greatly lowered, and this was alluded to by the Organised Private Sector (OPS), which states that presently the manufacturing sector has over 200 billion unsold stocks.

The Government at this period must take the necessary steps to save the economy, and Nigerians in general, from the pangs of hunger. This may require some non-partisan interventions from patriotic egg-heads and technocrats, who abound in Nigeria and in the diaspora.

2. Insecurity

The security situation of the country is yet to significantly improve after several years of promises. Nigeria is still ranked among the top countries with the highest level of terrorism in the world.

The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2023 assessed terrorism impact in 163 countries and came up with the conclusion that Nigeria is still unsafe as a result of intractable cases of terrorism. Nigeria remains among the least peaceful countries as it ranks 144th in the Global Peace Index 2023 with a state of peace that is regarded as low.

As a Church, we strongly value safety of lives and properties, and are, therefore, constantly burdened and somewhat traumatised by the growing level of insecurity in the country.

We believe that the security of lives and property is a foremost constitutional responsibility of the Government. Where a Government fails in this regard, it has truly failed and this gives a great cause for concern.

It is recorded that in the past five months alone, more than three hundred people have been reportedly murdered by bandits  in different parts of the North Central states of Nigeria. Furthermore, some heartless bandits and militants are still terrorising innocent people in the northeastern part of the country.

Curiously, therefore, some privileged socio-religious elites, like one Sheik Gumi, are still making some recklessly unguarded and rather inflammatory statements that can constitute national security risks.

Meanwhile, we must appeal to the Armed Forces to continue to work harder and ensure that such culprits are brought to book without any ethno-religious considerations, in a bid to make Nigeria safer for everyone to live in and make Nigeria an attractive destination for investments.

At the state level, we equally call on the Governors, to take up the challenge to step up their activities in securing their States. All hands must be on deck to reverse the deteriorating security issues in the country so that the Governments can discharge their primary responsibilities of safeguarding the lives and properties of the citizens.

4. Youth Unemployment and Nigeria’s future

The future of Nigeria lies with the youths as they are one of society’s main agents of change and progress. But, sadly, the  ruling class in Nigeria rather toys with the future of our youths, through lack of employment opportunities and failure to explore the possibility of channeling their energy towards productive ventures by providing enabling environment for them to thrive in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), Agro-business, etc.

In recent times, out of disenchantment with the system, with sadness, the best of our youths are fleeing the country in droves, via the Japa syndrome,in search of greener pastures.  

Very urgently, concrete efforts must be exerted to tackle the twin challenge of unemployment and poverty in our beloved nation, Nigeria.

We are quite aware that the present central administration has set new precedence by appointing a few youths into the Federal cabinet. It is our hope that government at all levels will do the same, and that the youths also will show that they believe in the future of Nigeria through their words and deeds.

We are also appealing to the Governments at all levels to urgently restructure our economic system, develop sincere courage to fight corruption, and address the issue of unemployment in the better interests of employable youths and a more beautiful future for the country at large.

5. Roads and Other Infrastructural Facilities

The World Bank has described the level and quality of infrastructure in Nigeria as low despite the Federal Government's claim of borrowing to finance infrastructure. In its Nigeria public finance review report, it said that Nigeria's physical infrastructure gap would likely reach $3tn in the next 30 years.

The reality on ground is that there is simply no maintenance culture as many of our roads are in very bad shape. This has led to a colossal loss of man-hour in traveling, caused problems for the transportation of agricultural products and heightened the insecurity on our roads, just to mention a few.

The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) should accentuate actions aimed at continuously maintaining all the Federal roads across the country to make them more motor-able to reduce the man-hours being wasted on the highways and the perennial and avoidable loss of lives and properties.

Generally, we urge all the three tiers of Government to generate synergies and intensify efforts in the rehabilitation and construction of new roads. Moreover, partnership with well meaning private investors can also be explored to bring some relief to this present deplorable  state of our infrastructure.

We still challenge our political leaders across the board in the country must make it a habit to occasionally drive on the roads the people use every day, like Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway, so that they can see the messy ground-level reality and feel the pains of the people they govern. Certainly, we believe that genuine servant-leadership will not call for less.

6. Drug Abuse amongst Nigerians.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NAFDAC) has disclosed that over 14.3 million Nigerians are involved in drug abuse.

We like to bring to the attention of the Federal Government the need for urgent and concerted efforts to curb the rampart abuse of hard drugs amongst Nigerians. This has become the major support system for all forms of criminal and cult activities.  

Sadly, this menace has infiltrated even to our primary schools, with young boys and girls hooked on gum and other forms of narcotics. As we look up to God to break the demonic hold over the future of this great nation, we implore all people of influence to fight it with all passion.

At this stage, rehabilitation of addicts should also be a strong part of our drug control machinery. We look forward to future better than this for posterity.  

7. Patriotism

It brings grief to the heart that many Nigerians have become so deadened to the noble idea of patriotism. While this trend may be attributable to the severe economic hardship and other negative experiences that we are facing, it is still not acceptable.

Many Nigerians will not wince at sharing unpalatable news about the nation, and will always be glad to accept the worst about the nation. The national  situation may be bad but it is not a song to be sung so gleefully by us Nigerians.

Specifically, the unwarranted negative attention given to Nigeria in global circles is not helpful to our general reformist clamours, or even to our collective national outlook. Unfortunately, the reputation we build by ourselves for ourselves makes us stink wherever we go!

As a Church, even though we are significantly apolitical, yet we strongly urge all Nigerians to desist from careless talks about the country. We urge all citizens to realize that the current socio-political situation of the country is bad enough, and we certainly have no need for further distractions that could eventually plunge us deeper into abysmal darkness.

At this point, we bless God that the sickening aftermath of the 2023 presidential election whereby some national leaders went overboard in rubbishing themselves and, by extension, smearing dirt on Nigeria and other Nigerians, in the market-square has finally been laid to rest, especially now that our Supreme Court has given her ruling on it.

Usually, when top political elites continue to fight dirty, it is the poor masses and downtrodden in the society that usually bear the brunt. Hence, we use this medium to appeal to all Nigerians across the various political spectrum, to please end all the diverse battles and needless controversies on the matters of 2023 Presidential election and electioneering, and sheathe our political swords now as law abiding and patriotic citizens.

We also urge every Nigerian at this time to please allow our political and emotional wounds to heal, and let us free our minds from all forms of vendetta, ill feelings, tribal animosity and egregious negativism against each other. Let’s forgive and leave behind us the ugly irritations of the past few months, and decide to be good and patriotic Nigerians again.

Because Nigerians are highly endowed, deep-rooted in thinking, highly cerebral, remarkably religious, we may not and cannot all agree with the President and his government on all their choices and policies all the time.

Albeit, we must all congratulate him now, and encourage him to focus on his sworn duty to deliver decent living and opportunities for positive human development for all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, gender, region or religion.

Moreover, no matter how we feel about certain issues, it is quite settling for me personally to have realized long ago that the best among men don’t always have the rule, but only those whom the Everlasting Arms of destiny choose (Daniel 4:17).

Indeed, only the Most High God rules and overrules in the affairs of men. Unfortunately, stress, troubles and social upheavals continue until we know that (Daniel 4:25).

No doubt, the tasks involved in building a big and promising nation like Nigeria, with sustainable economic growth and enviable security architecture, with top-notch social infrastructure and amenities, in a united, highly motivated nationalistic outlook, clearly just and realistically egalitarian are very enormous, and will certainly require the cooperation of all true patriots.

We use this medium, therefore, to call on all registered political parties to please embrace the focus of building a united, secure, peaceful and prosperous nation, which we all Nigerians, at home and abroad, will be proud to call our home country.

I also challenge all our past and present leaders to genuinely work together, and in concert with the electorate for a better future.

Yes, I totally agree that we all must speak up regularly, agitate and keep the ruling party on the right track at all times. Howbeit, we must do these rightly, peacefully, maturely and decently, with a keen patriotic sense of a greater outlook for Nigeria and all Nigerians.

Let’s all deploy our peculiar resources and use our unique positions to build unity and promote trust, positioning issues that will build national harmony and peaceful coexistence, and eschewing evil and violence all over Nigeria.

Additionally, in our individual ways, let's always think of what we can do to make our nation better. Let's look inward knowing that out of the seed of adversity comes the strongest and enduring fruit of achievements.

I strongly affirm that the great Nigeria of our dream can still evolve in our lifetime. And, by the grace of God, in togetherness we shall win, and our collective future shall be even better and greater, in Jesus name. Amen.

We hereby charge all Nigerians to continue to pray for God’s mercy upon our great nation. There is nothing so woeful that grace cannot redeem. Let us have faith in God, and have confidence that He can still help our nation, Nigeria. It is not over yet because God still hears prayers.

Conclusion

In every situation, Jesus Christ is Lord! His Church is marching on, and the forces of hell shall not prevail against her, even as she continues to play her role as a pillar of truth and a haven of hope for all Nigerians.  

Dear gentlemen of the press, we thank you very sincerely for coming. And, on a final note, we humbly urge you to please represent our views as fairly and clearly as we present them, avoiding all forms of sensationalism and skewed reporting.

We also use this as an opportunity to invite you and your communities to the Rhema World Convention 2023. We pray that the El-Shaddai God will answer your prayers as you join us in Jesus Name. Amen.

God bless the Church of Jesus Christ, worldwide.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

God bless you, in Jesus Name.

** Taiwo Akinola, Presiding Bishop & Pastor-General, RCC&T, Int’l. 

Israeli airstrikes crush apartments in Gaza refugee camp, as ground troops battle Hamas militants

A barrage of Israeli airstrikes leveled apartment buildings in a refugee camp near Gaza City on Tuesday, with rescuers clawing through the destruction to pull men, women and children from the rubble. Israel said the strike, which targeted a senior Hamas military leader, destroyed a militant command center and an underground tunnel network.

The toll from the attack in the Jabaliya camp was not immediately known. The director of the nearby hospital where casualties were taken, Atef Al-Kahlot, said hundreds of people were wounded or killed, but he did not provide exact figures.

The Israeli military said dozens of militants were killed, including a key Hamas commander for northern Gaza.

Israel aggressively defended the attack, with military spokesman Jonathan Conricus saying the targeted commander had also been a key planner of the bloody Oct. 7 rampage that started the war, and that the apartment buildings collapsed only because the vast underground Hamas complex had been destroyed.

Neither side’s account could be independently confirmed.

The strike underlined the anticipated surge in casualties on both sides as Israeli troops battling Hamas militants advance deeper into the northern Gaza Strip toward dense, residential neighborhoods. Israel has vowed to crush Hamas’ ability to govern Gaza or threaten Israel following the Oct. 7 assault, which ignited the war. Hamas, an Islamic militant group, openly calls for the destruction of Israel.

Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in fighting in northern Gaza, the first military deaths it reported since the ground offensive into the tiny Mediterranean territory accelerated late last week.

Several hundred thousand Palestinians remain in northern Gaza in the path of the ground assault. They have crowded into homes or are packed by the thousands into hospitals that are already overwhelmed with patients and running low on supplies.

In the Jabaliya refugee camp — a densely built-up area of small streets on Gaza City’s outskirts — dozens of rescuers searched for survivors amid a series of obliterated buildings and others that had partially collapsed.

Young men carried the limp forms of two children from the upper floors of the crumbling frame of one damaged apartment building, while helping down another child and woman. It was unclear whether the children were alive or dead. Gray dust, apparently left by pulverized concrete, seemed to coat nearly everything.

The Israeli military said it carried out a wide-scale strike in Jabaliya on Hamas infrastructure “that had taken over civilian buildings.”

Daniel Hagari said an underground Hamas installation beneath a targeted building collapsed, toppling other nearby buildings. Conricus later said the main strike had hit between buildings.

“We don’t intend for the ground to collapse,” he told reporters. “But the issue is that Hamas built their tunnels there and that they’re running their operations from there.”

He said the commander killed in the strike, Ibrahim Biari, played an important role in the Oct. 7 attack and had been involved in anti-Israeli attacks going back decades.

Also on Tuesday, the Israeli military said ground troops took control of a Hamas military stronghold in west Jabaliya, killing 50 militants.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem denied the military’s claim, saying it was trying to justify “its heinous crime” against civilians.

Hagari repeated calls for civilians to evacuate northern Gaza to the south. The military says it targets Hamas fighters and infrastructure and that the militants endanger civilians by operating among them. The military has also repeatedly emphasized it will strike Hamas wherever it finds it.

Some 800,000 Palestinians have reportedly fled to the south, but many have not, in part because they say nowhere is safe as Israeli airstrikes in the south have continued to cause civilian deaths. The window to flee may be closing, as Israeli forces reached Gaza’s main north-south highway this week.

More than 8,500 Palestinians have been killed in the war, mostly women and minors, the Gaza Health Ministry said Tuesday, without providing a breakdown between civilians and fighters. The figure is without precedent in decades of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas’ initial attack, also an unprecedented figure. Palestinian militants also abducted around 240 people during their incursion and have continued firing rockets into Israel.

A day after Israel’s first successful rescue of a Hamas captive, the spokesman of the militant group’s armed wing said they plan to release some non-Israeli hostages in coming days. Hamas has previously released four hostages, and has said it would let the others go in return for thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, which has dismissed the offer.

More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians have fled their homes, with hundreds of thousands sheltering in packed U.N.-run schools-turned-shelters or at hospitals.

The war has also threatened to ignite fighting on other fronts. Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group have traded fire daily along the border, and Israel and the U.S. have struck targets in Syria linked to Iran, which supports Hamas, Hezbollah and other armed groups in the region.

Some 200,000 people have been evacuated from Israeli towns near Gaza and the northern border with Lebanon.

The military said it shot down what appeared to be a drone near the southernmost city of Eilat and intercepted a missile over the Red Sea on Tuesday, neither of which entered Israeli airspace.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen later claimed they fired ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, saying it was their third such operation and threatening more. Earlier this month, a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Red Sea intercepted missiles and drones launched toward Israel by the Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen.

In the occupied West Bank, where Israeli-Palestinian violence has also surged, the army demolished the family home of Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas official exiled over a decade ago. An official in the village of Aroura said the home had been vacant for 15 years.

Israeli forces reportedly have advanced north and east of Gaza City. South of the city, Israeli troops were also trying to cut off the territory’s main highway and the parallel road along the Mediterranean coast, according to Dawood Shehab, a spokesperson for Islamic Jihad, a smaller militant group allied with Hamas.

Zaki Abdel-Hay, a Palestinian living a few minutes’ walk from the road south of Gaza City, said people are afraid to use it. “People are very scared. The Israeli tanks are still close,” he said over the phone, adding that “constant artillery fire” could be heard near the road.

The Israeli military said it struck some 300 militant targets over the past day, including compounds inside tunnels, and that troops had engaged in several battles with militants armed with antitank missiles and machine guns.

Gaza’s humanitarian crisis continued to worsen.

The World Health Organization said two hospitals were damaged and an ambulance destroyed in Gaza over the last two days. It said all 13 hospitals operating in the north have received Israeli evacuation orders in recent days. Medics have refused such orders, saying it would be a death sentence for patients on life support.

Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, the largest in the territory, is on the verge of running out of fuel, the Health Ministry said.

There has been no central electricity in Gaza for weeks, and Israel has barred the entry of fuel needed to power generators for hospitals and homes, saying it wants to prevent it from falling into Hamas’ hands.

It has allowed a limited amount of food, water, medicine and other supplies to enter from Egypt, though far less than what is needed, relief groups say. A convoy of 59 aid trucks entered through the Rafah Crossing with Egypt on Tuesday — the largest yet — bringing the total that have entered since Oct. 22 to 216, according to Wael Abu Omar, Hamas’ spokesperson for the crossing.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, says 64 of its staff have been killed since the start of the war.

 

AP

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Don't expect instant success, Ukraine's Zelenskiy warns as he rallies his troops

Ukraine's attacks on the Russian Navy in the Black Sea have crippled Moscow's war efforts, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday, seeking to rally his troops even as the outside world expects instant successes.

Despite Kyiv's gruelling months-long offensive, the vast frontline in Ukraine's east and south has moved little in the past year, spurring criticism and impatience among some of Ukraine's Western allies.

"We live in a world that gets used to success too quickly. When the full-scale invasion began, many people around the world did not believe that Ukraine would survive," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "Glory to all those who do not retreat, who do not burn out, who believe in Ukraine just as they did on February 24, and who has been fighting unwaveringly."

The war, which Russia launched on Feb. 24, 2022, is now in its 20th month and has no end in sight. Russian forces have geared up for fresh attacks in different sections of the front and are suffering heavy losses.

Zelenskiy said his troops have succeeded in diminishing Moscow's military strength in the Black Sea, which he said with greater support from Kyiv's allies could lead to Ukraine's ultimate victory over Russia.

The Black Sea has become a crucial theatre in the war. Ukraine's increased air and sea drone attacks on Russian military targets there have damaged ship and naval repair yards in the port of Sevastopol, and struck other targets.

Moscow uses its fleet in the Black Sea to launch long-range strikes on Ukraine. But for President Vladimir Putin, the waters - which connect to the Mediterranean Sea - are also an important springboard for projecting power into the Middle East, Europe and the West.

"When we ensure even more security to the Black Sea, Russia will lose any ability to dominate in this area and expand its malign influence to other countries," Zelenskiy said.

The full extent of the damage that Ukraine has done in recent months to the Russian Black Sea Fleet remains unclear. The Russian defence ministry's laconic statements mostly claim success in destroying the weapons, with little evidence.

"Ukraine's success in the battle for the Black Sea will go down in history books, although it's not being discussed much today," Zelenskiy said.

STRUGGLE AT THE FRONTLINE

At the frontline, however, there has been a struggle.

Zelenskiy said a meeting with senior commanders had considered sectors engulfed by the fiercest fighting in the east and northeast, including the key areas of Avdiivka and Kupiansk, where Russia has been on the offensive in recent weeks.

Vitaliy Barabash, head of the military administration in Avdiivka, said the shattered eastern city was bracing for a new wave of the attacks it had been withstanding since mid-October.

"The enemy is bringing in forces and equipment. Our boys are preparing for a new wave," Barabash told national television.

Avdiivka, with its vast coking plant, was briefly captured in 2014 when Russian-backed separatists seized chunks of land in the east, but Ukrainian forces have since put up fortifications.

Ukraine's ground forces said on Tuesday that Russian forces were also focused on Kupiansk - a city in the northeast overrun by Russia in the early days of the invasion, but recaptured by Ukrainian forces last year.

Russia' Tuesday accounts of the fighting said Moscow's forces had conducted successful attacks near the town of Bakhmut - a largely destroyed town captured by Russian forces in May.

Reuters could not verify accounts of fighting from either side.

** Russia will succeed in Ukraine unless US support continues-Pentagon chief

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that Russia would be successful in Ukraine unless the United States kept up its support for Kyiv.

Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified to the Senate Appropriations Committee on President Joe Biden's request for $106 billion to fund ambitious plans for Ukraine, Israel and U.S. border security.

"I can guarantee that without our support (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will be successful," Austin said during the hearing.

"If we pull the rug out from under them now, Putin will only get stronger and he will be successful in doing what he wants to do."

Arguing that supporting U.S. partners is vital to national security, Biden requested $61.4 billion for Ukraine, about half of which would be spent in the United States to replenish weapons stocks drained by previous support.

Congress has already approved $113 billion for Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. The White House has said it has less than $5.5 billion in funds to continue transferring weapons from U.S. stockpiles to Ukrainian forces fighting Russia.

The path forward for Biden's latest funding plan looks uncertain. Democrats solidly back Biden's strategy of combining Ukraine aid with support for Israel, as do many Republicans in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

But Republicans who lead the House of Representatives object to combining the two issues, joined by some party members in the Senate.

Austin said the Biden administration wanted Ukraine to continue operations through the winter, but Kyiv could not do that if they were forced to pause because of a lack of U.S. support.

Kyiv military officials said on Monday that Russia has bulked up its forces around the devastated city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine and has switched its troops from defence to offence, but Ukraine has been preparing to repel the attacks.

 

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian UAV, naval drone production sites in past day

Russian forces destroyed Ukrainian army sites producing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and naval drones over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"Near the settlement of Malodolinskoye in the Odessa Region, the sites for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles and naval drones were destroyed," the ministry said in a statement.

Russian forces destroy two Leopard tanks, repel five Ukrainian attacks in Kupyansk area

Russian forces repulsed five Ukrainian army attacks and destroyed two Leopard tanks in the Kupyansk area over the past day, the ministry reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, units of the western battlegroup supported by aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrower fires repulsed in their active operations five attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 54th mechanized brigade near the settlement of Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in the Kupyansk area over the past 24 hours totaled as many as 60 personnel, four tanks, including two German-made Leopard tanks, three armored combat vehicles, two motor vehicles and two Gvozdika motorized artillery systems, the ministry specified.

 

Reuters/Tass

A recent report that the Federal government has approached the World Bank for a fresh loan of $400m for a conditional cash transfer for supposedly 15 million households is raising serious concerns among many Nigerians. The new $400m loan will bring to $1.2bn the amount that the Federal Government is borrowing from the World Bank for its cash transfer programme aimed at cushioning the harsh impact of removing fuel subsidies and floating the Naira, having earlier secured a loan of $800m for the same purpose. The government claims that the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, part of its National Social Investment Programme, will “transform the lives of millions of Nigerians living in extreme poverty, upgrade their standards of living and improve the economy”. The Government said it would commence the payment of N25,000 monthly to the said 15 million households for three months, from October to December 2023. It further claims that the scheme, now rechristened “the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer for 15 million households”, will get to 62 million Nigerians.

There are several issues raised by the scheme – from its design to the likelihood of its effective implementation down to its broader implications for the Nigerian economy. Some of the areas of concern include:

One, is the scheme, as currently designed, capable of achieving the objectives attributed to it? It should be recalled that the government claims that under the ‘Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer for 15 million households’, N25,000 would be transferred to the beneficiaries on a monthly basis for three months, which amounts to N75,000 for each of the beneficiaries. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Betta Edu was quoted by The Punch of 21 October 2023 as saying “the conditional cash transfer was a proven way to alleviate poverty, as it would give households the financial support to start micro and small enterprises, provide basic health care and food, keep their children in school and attend to the immediate needs of the households.”

A cynic might justifiably ask: Did the Buhari government not tell us the same thing, in even more elegant language? For instance then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was quoted inJanuary 2021, nearly three years ago, as declaring in the following words, with respect to the Buhari government’s version of the scheme: “Following the successful activation of the Economic Sustainability Plan’s (ESP) Cash Transfer scheme aimed at delivering financial support to at least 1 million urban-based households using technology, the Buhari administration’s vision of reducing extreme poverty by lifting at least 20 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next two years is now within reach.” Despite the scheme, figures from the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics showed that the number of people living in multidimensional poverty had ballooned to 133 million by 2022. In essence, even if there is any proven impact assessment of the previous programmes which suggests the need for its continuation, the fact that more Nigerians have fallen into the multidimensional poverty bracket despite the programme, would negate the conclusion of any of such reports – if they exist.

Two, it is important to underline that the scheme promises more than it can deliver. The scheme, a mere N25,000 per month over three months, does not  just promise to lift people out of poverty but also that it would give the beneficiaries “the financial support to start micro and small enterprises, provide basic health care and food, keep their children in school and attend to the immediate needs of the households.” Haba, Minister!

In addition to this unrealistic objective, the scheme does not even get to up to half of those which the government’s own figures describe as being in multidimensional poverty. For instance while the NBS’ figures as published in November 2022 said 63 per cent of Nigerians (or 133 million people) suffered from multidimensional poverty, the government claims that the 15 million household it is targeting covers 62 million Nigerians. This raises the question of what happens to the remaining 71 million Nigerians that were regarded as being in the multidimensional poverty bracket as at November 2022 – not to talk of the additional millions that must have slipped into that bracket since the removal of fuel subsidy and flotation of the Naira by the Tinubu government.

Three, there is equally a related question of what happens to the beneficiaries after the three months duration of the scheme have elapsed. Is the government suggesting that within three months it would have stabilized the economy enough that there would no longer be a need for this extra financial support or that the beneficiaries, from supposed savings from the cash transfers, would have been able to set up viable micro businesses that would sustain them? I feel that the conditional cash transfer scheme would actually increase rather than attenuate the misery of the recipients. For instance, let us assume that prior to the cash transfer the recipients were able to feed only once a day but that with the cash transfer, they would be able to eat twice a day or would start adding a piece of meat to their meals. My belief is that when the transfer is stopped and they have to revert to eating once a day or without meat, their sense of deprivation would actually increase and they would feel worse off than if they had not benefitted from any cash transfer at all. In essence, the conditional cash transfer is very unlikely to achieve its ascribed goal of alleviating poverty or even effectively cushioning the harsh effects of the current economic hardship exacerbated by the removal of fuel subsidy and flotation of the Naira.

Four, given the Nigerian factor and despite all the talks about improving the efficiency of delivery of the cashtransfer and the debate about the authenticity or otherwise of the social cash register, chances are that many politicians and government agencies will see the huge sum borrowed for the scheme as just another opportunity for primitive accumulation. For many politicians, their ability to get their minions and constituents as beneficiaries of the scheme will count as part of their achievements. This means that administrators of this fund are likely to be an important locus of the struggle for state capture by politicians and other people of influence in the country.

Five, following from the above, is a question of the economic logic of borrowing for consumption. It is trite that when we borrow for consumption rather than for productive ventures, we will struggle to find means of repayment. I feel it is right for the government to continue the conversation started under the Buhari government on how to reduce the number of people in the extreme poverty bracket. I feel however that a better option is to start developing a social security programme especially giventhe weakening of our extended family system that in the past performed that function. The government can decide to start this with a known demographic (say people caring for the aged or terminally sick individuals who have no relatives to care for them) and then gradually add more demographics as it learns from practices and mistakes. But this should not be funded from borrowed funds.

Borrowing $1.2 billion to fund the so-called cash transfer is, in my opinion, money just flushed down the drain. The money would have been better utilised if it is used to train, support and mentor about 100 young people from each of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital, with each getting about N2m to help them take off effectively. Even if only 56 per cent of beneficiaries succeed and go on to employ other staff, it would still be considered a success. It iscertainly easier to monitor 100 beneficiaries of a scheme than to search for 15 million (mythical?) households that the government claims will benefit from its cash transfer scheme.

Six, is that the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme seems to be an opportunity for the Tinubu government to uncritically continue with the brand of economics practised by the Buhari government which was hinged on binging on debt and ingratiating itself to the Bretton Woods institutions (the IMF and the World Bank). For instance, the World Bank is Nigeria’s biggest multilateral creditor, with the country owing about $14.51 billion as of 30 June. The Debt Management Office recently said the country’s total public debt was N87.38tn at the end of the second quarter of this year, representing an increase of 75.29 per cent or N37.53tn compared to N49.85tn recorded at the end of March 2023. A major issue with this huge accumulation of debt is its sustainability and the country’s ability to repay. In its 2022 Debt Sustainability Analysis Report, the Debt Management Office (DMO) warned that the Federal Government’s projected revenue of N10tn for 2023 could not support fresh borrowings. Despite this warning, the Tinubu government seems intent on continuing with the Buhari government’s debt binge.

My feeling therefore is that the logic used to justify the conditional cash transfer scheme is at best derived from motor park economics.

With all the layoffs going around, it should be easier than ever to scoop up the right talent, at least in theory. Yet after talking to several founders and high-level executives over the last few days, it's clear to me that finding and recruiting the best people is still one of the biggest challenges companies are facing this year. 

The hiring market is brutal right now. Here are three steps you need to follow to recruit the best talent before others do:

1. Find Something You Admire and Look for Talent

Given everything that's going on in the world, recruiters must redirect their hiring approach. Instead of searching for talents that fit a certain expectation, look for the result you need and trace back the talent behind it.

For example, let's assume you're looking for a social media marketer. Instead of skimming through job boards and Slack channels, create a list of recent social media campaigns that made you go, "I wish we had something like this for our socials".

Apart from personal experience, you can also look for case studies of remarkable social media campaigns and try to find the people behind them. Go on LinkedIn, research the company and try to find the social media marketer who made it happen. 

You can rinse and repeat the same process for a marketer. Research the best marketing campaigns that caught your eye and look for the people on LinkedIn.

Similarly, if your company needs a developer, ask team members about their favorite apps and the products they use every day. Make a list of relevant products and search for the developers behind these products.

2. Reach Out to Recruits With a Personalized Pitch

Finding the right talent is just step one. You also need a super personalized pitch to get their attention. 

The first thing I do is check if there's a mutual connection who can introduce me. Intros are great in general. They help you raise funds, meet co-founders, and get talent referrals from industry experts. I like to use LinkedIn to keep it informal and organic.

But if there's no mutual connection, I try to find the talent's contact info, which is super easy once you know where to look. 

I find that in most cases LinkedIn or Twitter profiles have contact info listed in the bio or at the top, but it's important to remember that many people remove their personal information from public domains. This is often to protect their identity and stay safe, so don't take it as a bad sign.

If you cannot find their contact information on their social media profile, you can try finding their portfolio or personal website. A lot of designers, developers, writers and marketers have side projects going on and keep an updated portfolio online, so you can reach out to them via website forms. 

If you cannot find their contact information on social media or their personal website, try checking out some other resources to help.

But here's what I suggest before you do that – research. When you're skimming through multiple social media profiles to find an email address, you're bound to come across some information you can use as an icebreaker.

It can be a professional achievement, a recent comment thread they were part of or even a hobby. Find jumping points that show you're not an automated bot and actually made efforts to get to know the talent behind the work. 

This is how you personalize your pitch and this is how you stand out in a sea of sameness. 

3. Screen and Filter During an Interview

Let's assume you've got the candidate's attention and all that's left now is the interview. Screening talent is a duel that can tilt in any direction. Employers look to filter candidates and candidates search for employer red flags, such as a long-winded hiring process and vain statements such as "we're a family."

What you should do is look for potential over aptitude. You're unlikely to find natural talents for each role, but skills can be learned over time. One of my favorite anecdotes is Sebastián Ramírez's misfortune of coming across a job that required four years of experience in FastAPI.

Ramírez couldn't apply because FastAPI was created only 1.5 years before that – and by Ramírez himself. If the employer had been more open to potential instead of rigid skills, they would have attracted great minds. 

To evaluate a candidate's potential, you need to create a list of tasks you want them to do. It could be tasks they've done before or tasks they might have to do in the new position. For example, if you're onboarding a writer, you can ask about their experience with these:

1. Reviewing email drips and pop-up optimizations
2. Creating lead magnets and content upgrades
3. Reviewing and updating social media posts
4. Updating older articles
5. Repurposing and distributing content
6. Writing guest posts

Next, you can set up specific tasks to gauge how they'd perform on a day-to-day basis. It could be creating a mock landing page, writing a welcome email sequence or editing a content piece bombarded with negative feedback. Remember to keep it as a test and not stretch it to a day's worth of work.

Maintain control of the conversation in the interview and jot down everything – you may think you'll remember everything, but trust me, you won't. Despite your best efforts, an interview can shift either way. Candidates will take away how you made them feel, so remember to ask follow-up questions and connect with them on a personal level.

Final Word

Gen Z and millennial employees are firm when prioritizing work-life balance and most recruiters fail to meet them halfway.

If you want the best talent for your business, trace back the results you want, look for potential and create a human connection. It's simple, but difficult to pull off. If you can do that, you have the edge over your competitors.

 

Inc