The contents below were created for Kibo School as a part of a recruitment exercise. The article was syndicated from an existing fireside chat while the email newsletter was newly written. The primary target audience for these contents is beginners in the tech industry.
How to join Africa’s largest API coverage startup in enabling the FinTech industry to achieve the impossible
“Build the impossible” is the slogan of Okra, a Nigerian-based financial data API startup with the largest financial API coverage across financial institutions in Africa. The team at Okra, like other FinTech startups such as Paystack, is making it easy for people and businesses in Africa to build financial products by providing them with easy access to comprehensive financial data and secure payments.
Okra is linked to all Nigerian banks, allowing customers to use their internet or mobile banking credentials to connect their bank accounts directly to financial apps, according to Mongo DB.
We’d love for you to join the team of these young Africans who harness the power of technology to make people’s lives easier. That’s why we had a fireside chat with Fara Ashiru Jituboh, the “half computer, half human” CEO/CTO of Okra.
These young Africans not only make a lot of money doing what they love but they are also admired for their positive contributions to Africa, as in the case of Paystack Co-Founders (Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi), who were awarded national awards by Nigeria’s President.
Fara didn’t hesitate to give us all the exclusive information on what it takes to work and succeed at fast-growing technology companies like Okra. We’ve summarized the key details of our fireside chat with her in this article.
These include but aren’t limited to the important technical and soft skills you need to work for a fast-growing tech startup like Okra, what she thinks would’ve made her journey to the top way easier, her advice for beginning tech enthusiasts, and the never before revealed recruitment process of Okra.
This exclusive interview process, in our opinion, is the ultimate blueprint for understanding how not just Okra but other tech startups hire their amazing teams.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WORK FOR A FAST-GROWING TECH STARTUP?
Many beginning tech enthusiasts aspire to work for a tech start-up. This is primarily due to your knowledge of the accomplishments of young tech enthusiasts in Africa and around the world. You’ve heard stories about how these veterans have solved major challenges with technology in various industries such as education, finance, healthcare, and so on, and you want to be a part of the team using technology to solve life’s most complex problems. But what exactly does it mean to work for a tech startup?
Working for a tech startup, according to Fara, means being able to own the responsibilities that come with your role while also being able to collaborate with members of your team and other cross-functional teams of your start-up.
It entails using your company’s goal, mission, and vision to solve the seemingly impossible in your industry while learning along the way. Although this may appear difficult, it isn’t because you have the support of your teammates who share your vision and will support you professionally.
WHAT SKILLS DO YOU NEED TO WORK FOR A LEADING TECH STARTUP?
The best tech startups look for some important skills when recruiting people to join their teams. Fara gave us some insider information on what these skills are.
Unlike many beginning tech enthusiasts believe, it isn’t enough for you to be a master of many programming languages to be hired, you need some other things which we’ll discuss in detail in this section.
1. Soft Skills: Fara, like other tech startup leaders, believes that having technical skills isn’t enough to be successful in tech. You will need some crucial soft skills, which will ultimately determine your performance.
According to Fara, the ability to think through a problem is the first important soft skill you need. When faced with a challenge, you must be willing to push the boundaries, try out different things, and learn new things to overcome the challenge.
“What is the biggest mistake you’ve made and what have you learned from that?” is the question interviewers ask to assess your problem-solving ability, which is critical for you and your company. Fara refers to the candidates who possess this skill as the “tinkerers.”
Communication skills are another important soft skill to have if you want to work and succeed at a tech startup. You must be able to translate complex ideas into simple words with ease. This is especially important given that many tech startups, such as Kibo and Okra, operate remotely. Your ability to communicate effectively will determine how you interact with your team members and the target audience of your company.
Transparency is another important skill, according to Fara. You must be able to see and manage the relationship that exists between you, your team members, and your company. When you are transparent, challenges are solved faster, cooperation is at its peak in your organization, trust is higher, and performance is at its peak.
To succeed in the tech industry in general, you must be willing to continue learning. The technology industry is constantly evolving, with new tools for solving pressing problems being introduced every day. If you want to work and succeed in the tech industry, especially in startups, you must always be willing to put on your learning hat.
2. Technical Skills: Most tech startups will have a minimum requirement for any position they hire for. If they want to hire a junior developer, for example, they’ll expect their candidates to have some technical skills that will help them get through their day-to-day tasks.
This may include knowledge of programming languages such as Node.js, React, and others. To be considered for a role, you must be proficient in the programming language required by your desired startup.
This means you must be fluent in their programming language stack, even if many startups will allow you to learn while working. Kibo School can help you easily get the tech skills desired by leading tech startups. You can get started with our free python classes.
If you want to take your career to the next level, enroll in our BSc in Computer Science program which helps you become a master of your craft and also connects you with peers and industry professionals who’ll help you succeed in your tech career.
HOW TO AVOID THE COMMON PITFALLS OF TECH ENTHUSIASTS
There are some common pitfalls that many tech enthusiast experience on their journey to the top. According to Fara, you can avoid these pitfalls by doing the following:
- Make a personal goal for yourself. Fara has always had a goal to work with Fortune 500 companies, which is one of the reasons she persevered until she achieved her goal.
- Take your time learning and comprehending the fundamentals of your desired tech skills. This will prepare you to face challenges in whatever form they may take. In terms of programming, this can imply fully understanding object-oriented programming.
- Go beyond the traditional classroom to understand and learn real-world tech problem-solving methods. Fara believed that her Computer Science degree helped her understand the theories behind her technical skills, but it didn’t help her much with the skills needed to build successful real-world solutions. She believes that if she hadn’t been a go-getter who always found ways to get things going outside of her traditional classroom, it would have been more difficult for her to transfer what she learned in her Computer Science program into real-world solutions.
- Fara believes that if she had reached out to people more knowledgeable than her, people she considered her mentors, she would have more easily found solutions to many tech-related challenges she faced earlier in her career.
Kibo School’s programs are designed with your success in mind, so you can easily avoid these common tech career pitfalls. We assist you in learning easily while building real-world projects under the mentorship of leading tech veterans who work with the world’s top tech companies.
THE EXCLUSIVE RECRUITMENT PROCESS OF OKRA
Understanding the hiring processes of leading technology startups can help you prepare for your dream job. Fara provided us with exclusive information about Okra’s hiring process, which is as follows:
- Screening for basic requirements and cultural fit: In addition to determining whether you’ll be able to handle the responsibilities of the position you’re applying for, many startups want to know if you and their company are a good fit. They want to know what your values are and whether they match those of the company. They also want to know if you understand the company’s mission and vision and if you’re willing to help them make them a reality.
- Team interview: After the screening stage, you get to meet the teams at the startup you’re applying to, including your direct team members and other cross-functional teams.
- Take-home exercise: Completing a take-home exercise related to the role you’re applying for is the next step in the hiring process. This is typically a task related to a previous challenge faced by your startup, which is then transformed into questions. This will give you a sense of the type of work you’ll be doing, as well as help the organization understand your thought process when it comes to completing tasks assigned to you.
- Meeting with key members of the organization: The last stage of the hiring process is meeting with the founders and other key members of the startup.
If you’ve completed all stages of the hiring process, congratulations! You are welcome to join the team of young people who use technology to make people’s lives easier in Africa and around the world.
Final Thoughts
Working for a leading tech startup is many beginning tech enthusiasts’ dream job. This is an attainable goal, as evidenced by the summary of our fireside chat with Fara Ashiru Jituboh, CEO/CTO of Okra, Africa’s leading financial data network.
Simply following some of the outlines in the guide will get you on your way to becoming part of the next generation of young Africans who harness the power of technology to change the continent and the world.
If you’re ready to get started right away, check out and enroll in our leading technology programs designed to help you join the league of collaborative innovators who use technology to solve real-world pressing problems.
First Edition of Tech Ahead Newsletter Design
EMAIL SUBJECT
Dayo, You’re invited to change the world with tech.
EMAIL BODY
Welcome to the first issue of Tech Ahead, our monthly newsletter, Dayo. The primary goal of this newsletter is to provide you with actionable insights for building a world-class tech career. In addition, we would like to offer you the opportunity to learn with us at Kibo, where we help you easily learn the world’s top tech skills while building real-world projects under the mentorship of the world’s top tech experts.
Come along with us if you’re ready to join the ranks of innovative collaborators who use technology to solve the world’s most pressing problems.
These are what you should expect from Tech Ahead:
- Industry News and Insights: First-hand information about what’s going on in our rapidly changing tech industry. At every stage of your career, we want you to be as up-to-date as possible with events in our industry as they unfold.
- Jobs: We’ll verify and bring you the best tech jobs available in the world. We’re bringing your dream jobs right to you, so you and your friends don’t have to worry about finding them.
- Kibo updates: This section will keep you up to date on current and upcoming learning opportunities at Kibo. The majority of Kibo’s learning opportunities use a cohort system to foster a learning community of like minds. As a result, they have distinct registration periods. To avoid missing out, make sure you pay close attention to these registration periods.
Industry News & Insights
Top Tech Skills to learn in 2022?
We know this is a top-of-mind question many of our beginning tech enthusiasts have. That’s why we’ve brought you this HRForecast guide on the best tech skills to learn in 2022.
Faster and more reliable income data for FinTech Apps? We’ll take it!
Okra’s income API product has recently been updated to provide you with faster and more reliable data. More information about their Income 2.0 update and how it can help you build the impossible can be found here.
What’s the future of AI copyright?
This in-depth guide by The Verge looks into the intricate situation of AI copyright and what the future could be for it.
Jobs
Technical Support Engineer – Okra
Okra is looking for a fully remote technical support engineer to join their Nigerian team. Collaborating with product managers and designers, you’ll help the customers by supporting the architectural foundation for new products and explosive growth.
Tech Lead / Founding Engineer – Kibo
Join our growing team at Kibo as a Tech Lead/Founding Engineer. This is a fully remote role but you should be available to work in the US and Africa/Europe-friendly hours. You get to build your great team of rockstar engineers who’ll support you in building our core product.
Kibo Updates
Registration slots are filling up!
We’re currently accepting limited applications to our FREE but widely renowned python beginner course, Future Proof with Python. This 5 weeks comprehensive Python course will take you from a complete beginner to understanding how tech titans in Instagram, Netflix, and Spotify use Python to provide the best service to their customers, and how you can work towards the same.
Register for FREE now to avoid missing out, as the application portal will close in two weeks. We can’t wait to see you in class.
Get your Application ready!
Dayo, what do you think about a well-structured Computer Science degree program designed by the world’s education and technology experts with your success in the real world in mind?
This degree program will teach you the world’s most in-demand tech skills while you work on real-world projects with tech experts from Google, Amazon, Pexels, and others. That is exactly what our Bachelor of Science in Computer Science is. This degree program’s application period begins in a month, and we know you can’t wait to join us. We’d love to have you as well.
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Thank You for reading.
Kibo