Medical and Pharmaceutical ResearchWhat type of job are you looking for? I am looking for a job that will enable me apply the knowledge and skills that I have acquired so far, preferably in the field of medical research. I also seek to work in the areas of general scientific research, pharmaceutical research and development, education and policy development. What nationality are you? I am a Kenyan citizen. What languages do you speak (and at what level)? I speak three languages: English, Swahili and Luhyia. I am fluent in both written and spoken English. As for Swahili, I am comfortable speaking and writing it as concerns day to day usage with the general public; though I am yet to master it at a complex level. I speak Luhyia which is my native tongue. What country or area are you looking to work in and why? I am looking to work in Tanzania and in Dar es Salaam in particular. The main reason I want to work in this area is that my wife and son reside there and i need to be closer to my family to ensure there needs are well met. The second reason is that I see Dar es Salaam as a newly emerging economic hub in the East African region and I want to play a positive role in its development. What countries have you worked in? I have worked in Kenya and the United Kingdom. I am stationed in Kenya at the moment where I am doing contract work. I was in the United Kingdom studying for my postgraduate degree and worked part time in the process. What countries do you have a visa to work in? At the moment I do not have visas to work in other countries apart from Kenya (where I am a citizen). My United Kingdom visa expired in January last year and so I am ineligible to work there at the moment. What field do you currently work in? At the moment I am a researcher in the fields of education and agriculture. What fields have you worked in before? I have also worked as a research assistant in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector,and a field researcher in the health sector (clinical research and drafting of health policies). What qualifications do you hold? My highest qualification is a Masters degree in Clinical Pharmacology from the University of Aberdeen. I also hold a Bachelors degree in Biomedical Science and Technology as well as being a certified researcher for the Research Triangle Institute in the United States of America. Which do you consider more valuable? Formal education or skills and why? In my view, formal education is more valuable as it enables one to seek a broader range of opportunities in the world market. It also enables one to easily seek the requisite set of skills to survive in the job market and the world at large. Skills alone can easily be gained by any individual depending on the environment and situations that they are exposed to. When combined with a formal education they yield a well rounded individual. Describe the benefits of working with others Working with others not only benefits you financially but you gain additional skill in terms of working knowledge (work experience), learning how to work in and within teams, people management skills and general social interaction. This interaction improves your general communication skills as well as having the added benefit of learning something new from others and teaching them something new. One is then amble to improve on their strengths and remedy their weaknesses. Describe the benefits of working alone Working alone has the added benefit of being able to critically analyze your problem solving skills by effectively carrying out tasks assigned to you as an individual. You get to assess what your limits are in terms of what you can and cannot do - giving you the chance to acquire skills that will enable you tackle tasks that you could not do initially. What was your worst working experience? There was this time I was a team leader during a project seeking to improve core reading and writing competencies of children in lower primary section of Kenyan primary schools.It was a Research Triangle Institute project. Three of my teams were unable to reach their assigned schools on a certain day due to flooding of the roads. In addition to that the school i was assigned had sent pupils that my team was supposed to interview to their homes (this despite earlier communication over the phone and in person with the head teacher and deputy head teacher). We were also time barred as two public holidays ate into the fixed time allocated for the project. After managing to assign alternate schools for the other teams in liaison with the field coordinator for our region, I was then able to trace the missing pupils and interview them and their teachers before moving to another school (the tasks assigned required us to work in one school for 2 days but this had to be revised to four schools in 2 days to ensure that data collection was on schedule). All in all it was a positive learning experience as I saw that what you agree to do with other people is not always what they will eventually do, and so you have to work your way round this problem as best as you can. What is the most important lesson you have learnt throughout your career? The most important thing i have learned is how to be a good listener and candidly (not forcefully) putting forward my point of view. Listening has helped me gain a large amount of knowledge while the latter has helped me get people to understand me more clearly and work with my point of view. What unique skills do you have? It has been said that I am a good listener and problem solver and a very good manager in terms of managing teams of individuals in projects. I also posses the ability to view problems from a variety of angles and come up with multiple workable solutions. What would you consider as your 'dream job'? My dream job would be one that not only gives me monetary satisfaction but also allow me to directly or indirectly assist people to better their social standing. It would allow me to come up with new ideas and implement them without infringing on set regulations at the workplace. What are the most interesting aspects of your field? The most interesting part of my field is meeting and interacting with a individuals from varied backgrounds. This has given me the ability to view situations from a variety of angles and act accordingly as is required at that moment. What are the least interesting aspects of your field? The least interesting aspect of my field is dealing with bureaucratic hurdles that tend to block approval to processes that will enable smooth work flow. However, being a patient thinker, I always manage to find my way round these hurdles. What do you aspire for in future? My aspirations are based on hard work ethic, patience and ability to problem solve fast which will enable me to not only advance in my career but also help others achieve their goals - building a nation in effect, for the better. How can potential employers contact you? Potential employers can readily reach me through my mobile phone number; +254 722 790729. Alternatively, for electronic correspondence they can email me at either of the following email addresses: kovet2002@yahoo.com and kovet2002@gmail.com. Finally, for written communication they can send documents to the address below: Lwoyelo Makotsi, c/o East African Development Consultants Limited, P.O. Box 48000 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya. | 
