Bunmi is a “Talent Seeking Missile” at Eden who has done every single fun thing there is to do in Lagos. She also has a superpower – Finding a job whenever she needs it. Read more about how she plans to change the world of recruitment and her career journey.
What’s your name?
My name is Oluwabunmi Oluwoye.
What do you do?
I am a Talent Acquisition Specialist at Eden Life. This means I’m in charge of Recruitment, Employee/Employer Branding and everything that involves attracting and hiring top talent to work at Eden Life.
My work involves hiring the right people for the right opportunities and making sure that we empower them with all the resources they need to succeed. My day-to-day revolves around getting viable candidates in the job pool and making Eden Life a place people want to work.
How do you determine the right candidates for Eden Life?
At Eden, we have our mission and goals we want to attain, so we always make sure whoever we hire can help us achieve those goals. Every consideration from their profiles, previous experience, work achievements, and the kind of responsibilities they have had before gives you an idea about if they’re the kind of people you want to hire.
Sometimes, you can’t really tell from the jump, you have to take some risks. After the general screening from that first application stage, they get a work assessment and if they do well, they meet with the team and you get to hear them speak. You start to get an idea of the type of professional they are, their level of experience and if they’re a good fit for the roles.
Interesting. How did you get into Talent Acquisition and Recruitment?
I started three years ago with the number one job board and recruitment firm in Nigeria, Jobberman. I started as an intern and transitioned into a full-time position after a few months. I worked as a Human Resources Generalist, which means I was involved in every part of HR work, from payroll, compensation to employee engagement, all of that. After a while, I decided to specialize in Recruitment. Recruitment is a specialist role in the Human Resources field.
What did you do before getting into HR? Did you just graduate and you’re like, “Oh yeah, I’m going to be Talent Acquisition Specialist?”
(Laughs) No. Not really. When I graduated from the university, I got a job. I didn’t exactly have any goal, I just wanted a job. When I was in school, I always thought I’d end up as a diplomat.
Oh. What did you study?
I studied International Law and Diplomacy. I had an uncle that was a diplomat and I just thought that I would go in that direction. Like, “Oh, if I get a degree in International Law and Diplomacy, then I’ll be able to become a United Nations Ambassador.” That is what some people in my field, the people that I went to school with, currently do.
Mad. So what happened?
In my third year, my interest in being a diplomat started to dwindle. It felt too grand and fancy. Working with the UN is nice but there’s just a lot of serenre. I was like “I don’t think it’s for me anymore.” So after graduation, I was just applying to any and every job I could find.
Interesting. Did you find one quickly?
Yes. One thing about me is that I’ve never been unemployed when I don’t want to be. So my ability to remain employable is unmatched.
That sounds like a superpower.
I don’t know o but I think it is what has driven me to this point in my career. I graduated in June and got a job in July. I had a CV, I did everything to get a job immediately.
I thought you said you didn’t have any plans.
Haha. It wasn’t my doing. My boyfriend at the time created my CV and we applied to job openings together. Shout out to him, he had a plan for me.
Must be nice.
Yes. My first job was as a Sales Executive at a coworking space. I was charged with getting people to start using our space to work. After that, I became an Operations Assistant at a tech company. They were B2B and mostly serviced banks. I had to leave that job because it took a lot of my time. I was working extra hours every day. Sometimes, I wouldn’t be able to leave the office till like 9 PM. There was also no proper onboarding. I just joined and they pushed me into the deep end.
That must have been stressful.
Yes. Very. Luckily, I was able to leave and that’s how I got into another B2B tech company. That was where I got my first HR experience. I worked as an Admin. The head of HR was not in the country at the time, so I and the main Admin staff were basically in charge. That sort of broadened my knowledge and positioned HR as a valid career path in my mind.
After a while, they wanted me to move to the sales team and I wasn’t really interested in selling especially after my first experience. So I quit and applied for the Jobberman Internship. After the internship, I was confirmed as a full-time staff and that’s how I became an HR professional.
You seem very passionate about your job. What do you find most interesting about it?
My favourite thing about Talent Acquisition is that you’re basically given the opportunity to change lives. More times than none, you helping someone get a job can literally change the trajectory of their lives.
For example, someone sent me a message last week about how they’re so grateful to me for reaching out to them and referring them for a role and they ended up getting the role. I was just like “Yeah, as much as I referred you for the role, you did the work and you were actually qualified for it.”
That’s true.
Yes. Candidates need to understand that as much you need the job, recruiters also need you. Without you, we’re unable to close our roles and businesses are unable to function. I want talents to think better of themselves and cherish themselves and just know that they are also wanted as long as they have the right qualifications and experience to match, there are openings to fill.
That’s encouraging. Have you ever thought about what you would have done if you hadn’t found Talent Acquisition?
Honestly, I don’t know. I think the core of my identity is doing life-changing work and finding fulfilment in everything that I do. So, if I wasn’t doing recruitment or HR in general maybe I’d be doing business operations. Or, I’d have an Only Fans? Who knows?
But from your experience, you seem really good at Sales. Have you ever considered that?
Yes. I have actually done a bit of sales wherever I’ve worked.
Sales Superstar!
I’m good at it sometimes, but I don’t like it. It’s a very high-pressure job. The thing is, I like coming up with ideas and strategies, but when it comes to chasing people for money, I hate it. Like “You know you need this thing. Why do I have to beg you to pay for it.”
I feel you. What do you do outside work to relax?
Frankly, there are not a lot of activities to do in Lagos but I try to maximize every opportunity I get.
Not a lot of things to do in Lagos?
Yes. Every fun thing you can think of that happens in Lagos, I’ve probably tried it at least once. These days, I mostly go out to restaurants with my friends. I love food so everything that involves food, you’d most likely find me there, like picnics. I also do a bit of lounge hopping.
I’m jealous. How do you manage to balance all of this and work?
I’m very good at balancing work and my personal life. I know how to manage both so that one isn’t suffering. Once it’s 6 PM on Friday, I shut down my laptop and I’m not opening it till Monday. The best I can do is create a to-do list on Sunday night but anything that makes me open my laptop during the weekend must be extremely important.
I want to be able to find my job exciting. And the only way I can do that is when there’s a healthy balance between my personal life and my job.
So how did you come to work for Eden?
I had spent over two years in my previous role and I was just looking for something new and exciting. However, when I saw the ad, I was unsure about the company. I just applied to fulfill all righteousness. I didn’t think much about it.
When I got the assessment, I was surprised by the questions. I thought they were a lot and I just procrastinated till the last day. Then I got called by the team and met Nad.
So you know how people feel when they see our own recruitment questions
That is one of the things that I was looking to change if I joined and I think I’ve been able to do a very decent job. I believe in giving candidates realistic work samples, relatable to the kind of work that they’ll be doing.
What did you find most interesting about the company?
I was quite curious as to how the company was running. It felt like a merge of traditional and digital businesses. I also really admired the founders and believed that if they could leave the safety of their jobs and decide to start a company like this, then there must be something they’re seeing that others aren’t, so I decided to take a bet on them and I didn’t regret it.
Were you surprised by anything when you joined?
Yes. When I got to Eden, I was surprised by the structure they had. That was quite unusual for startups. The fact that they had this made my work easier and also more interesting. Another thing is that they’ve been able to create a very open system.
You’re allowed to think freely. If you suggest something, you’re provided with enough support to execute your ideas and see where it goes, you know, especially because we’re doing a lot of employee branding.
What do you love most about working for Eden Life?
One of the things I love most is the people. Everyone at Eden is very warm and accepting. We’ve been able to hack hiring the right people that believe in the vision. So that’s another reason why it’s very important to hire well.
Most entrepreneurs don’t take hiring as a serious part of running a business but the truth is, if you hire the wrong people, your business is bound to fail. I remember when I went for my Food Production (FPT) Onboarding when I had just joined the company. There was a complaint that the pepper in a meal was not as hot as it used to be. The whole of FPT was trying to find out what went wrong for the next 30 minutes. You know the most amazing part? It was an internal customer, a staff of Eden that complained. That’s to show you the level of commitment these guys have for excellence.
Eden teaches you accountability and ownership. Nobody is above being called out, even the CEO. Delivering excellent and quality work is a must, there’s no compromise on that. After a while, you tend to replicate these values in your personal life. That’s why it’s one of the best places to work in the country.
That’s very true. So, what do you see yourself doing in 5 years?
Technology has greatly impacted the world of work and new roles are coming up every day. Some roles are also going to fade away, but guess what, people operations is going to remain forever. Machines cannot be empathetic and solve people’s problems in the workplace.
In five years, I would have probably delved into another HR specialization and just increase the value I have to offer. One thing that I know I want to ensure that I’m able to do in my lifetime is to liberalise employment opportunities in a way that everyone can get a job they’re qualified for without nepotism
I want a Nigeria where nobody needs to lobby for jobs. If you are qualified and you apply, you can get a job. So, just basically liberalising employment opportunities and supporting businesses to hire the right people.
Big Dreams. Do you have any tips for people that want to break into HR?
Oh yeah. This isn’t just for HR but for any career you want to build that’s different from what you studied in school, you might need to consider applying for an internship. Don’t think too much about the amount they’re paying you in the first few months, you don’t have much to offer the company just yet. You’re basically being paid to learn. Hold onto that and try to soak up as much knowledge as you can.
While you’re doing this, try to build a strong network. Join HR groups and communities and intentionally seek out entry-level or even mid-level people in your field to strengthen your network. So if someone is hiring, you are the first in mind and they’re like “Oh I know somebody that works as an intern and would be a good fit for this opportunity”.
Another thing is to work on your resume before you apply for opportunities. You might have some transferable skills from your previous roles that you can use as an HR professional. A company might just be willing to take a chance on you. You can also transition to HR roles internally. You can ask the HR lead in your organization if there is a possibility of you becoming an assistant and shadowing the team. It can work two ways, you learn from them and apply for an internal position (If there is an opening, understand that not all organizations will create an opening for you just because you have an interest in the role, and understandably so). That way, you get to switch without actually leaving your job or company. You also get to work with people who will be patient and understanding because you already have a working relationship, or you learn and start looking for HR openings outside the organization if that is what you really want to do.
You can also read other Eden Life stories here.