My name is Mark Kijo, a recent graduate and employee at Absa Bank Tanzania, enrolled in the Absa: Leaders In The Making Program. I first found out about this program through Empower’s website. I remember my dad telling me one morning, to check out Empower’s website for any available opportunities. I searched the website, and even made an account! After that, I looked at the available opportunities and one of them was Absa: Leaders In The Making program. I then applied and waited for a response or further instructions. I remember feeling anxious because time felt like it was going slower and slower.

After about a week, I received an email that informed me that I was required to take a series of online assessments. After receiving that email, I started doing the necessary research so that I could understand how to succeed in an aptitude test. After the online assessment, I was required to record a short video of myself, and I was able to do that fairly easily. This was unlike any other recruitment processes that I have ever taken part in. I managed to send the video and then was later called by an Empower employee to arrange an online screening interview. The reason why the interview was conducted online was that I was in Dodoma at the time doing some work for the family business. The interview went very well for me! I remember my interviewer and he made me feel very comfortable and I was able to maintain a strong level of confidence every time I spoke.

One can only imagine the excitement that I felt when I received the email notifying me that I had been shortlisted for the Absa Leaders In The Making Assessment Centre. When I got the news, I prayed and told my family. They were all excited and praying for me. On the day of the assessment I remember feeling nervous, yet I felt very confident that I was going to go and do my best and come out on top. The day went well, and I was able to make it to the top 20 candidates. I was feeling very grateful at that point. Despite facing challenges like nervousness, overthinking, and selfish teammates, I managed to survive that round of the recruitment process. After that day I waited for about a week before receiving an email requiring me to submit my documents and continue with further steps in the recruitment process. From there, I found out that I was selected to be among the 10 newest members of the Absa: Leaders In The Making Program.

One thing I’ve learned throughout this entire process is that it is important to dare. I dared to apply for this opportunity, and I got it. I hope that this program will teach me what I need to be a great leader at Absa Bank Tanzania.