Today, I will be speaking to hiring managers and employers. It will be concise, let us begin.

Do you know some of your best hires may not be those with the top skills? Have you ever wondered how those top skills you look to hire are made?

Short answer: someone gave them a shot.

The best roles – haven’t they all been? – I have had till date are because of being given a chance to show what I am made of.

I remember my first role after I left the university. I was to be a Technical Evangelist at Microsoft. Fresh out of school, no practical industry experience, zero corporate skills, but I was given the chance anyways to be the best version of myself. I had barely spent 1 month back home in Ibadan when I got that call telling me that I had been recommended for an internship role. My first boss and first manager – Shina and Kendra took a chance on me – and Evaristus (who is now in the US and I am the UK).

As an intern, I was given the opportunity to succeed and learn fast. Imagine being barely 3 months in role and you have had the chance to tell executives of enterprises about Azure, spoken at conferences. These times were fundamental to the speed boost I got in the industry. I played with Azure, improved my development skill and was still able to deliver value.

Also, at the university, my professor – Prof. B.K. Alese took a chance at mentoring many of us who I know now are doing wonderful things. CEOs, International Consultants, Government executives, Ph.D. holders amongst others. It was back in the university after seeing the impact of good mentoring that I decided that teaching technology was going to be the major thing I focus on.

At the time of this writing, I am about 5 years in the professional space, but I have been able to gain more years of experience in such a brief time because someone – I mean lots of people – placed a bet on me.

I only mentioned three here because they were there at the start and are still there. There are lots of people who have given me the pilot seat and told me to fly and run the show as I deem fit.

I will not be here without them, and some will not be here if I was not there. It is all a cascaded effect.

I understand many firms do automated filtering of CVs before deciding who to schedule for interviews. While this is good as it helps save time, sometimes your best hires may not be among those – they may be those who just need a chance to shine.

And lastly, if you have been given a shot, give to others. Do not let the sun go down on you. If they have the right attitude, I believe you should give them that chance.

Give them a shot, be the luck.