8 Things You Must Do Before Concluding Your NYSC, Job hunting could be an uphill task for most fresh graduates considering the fact that it is a game of the survival of the fittest. Below are a list of 8 things you must get done while serving your nation to be better positioned for the job hunt especially in the private sector.
Job hunting could be an uphill task for most fresh graduates considering the fact that it is a game of the survival of the fittest. Below are a list of 8 things you must get done while serving your nation to be better positioned for the job hunt especially in the private sector.
[1.] Decide On The Kind Of Job You Want
The first thing you must do is to take a decision on the kind of job you want. You can even stream line it down to the list of companies you would want to work for, that way you know what you are preparing for and how to go about it. It amuses me when job hunters come to my office and I ask them what kind of job do you want and they go like “oga, any job”. Any job is no job dude, take a decision today because it will determine a whole lot of things in your preparation.
[2.] Research
Carry out a research on the company (ies) you would like to work with. It baffles me how people submit their CVs to companies they know little or nothing about. A little research will do you some good. Get to know a thing or two about their history, the people, their organizational culture, their vision and their mission statement.
[3]. Professional Certification
Acquire at least one professional certification. This is why you should decide first on the choice of career/job you want as it will help you decide on which professional course to go for. Don’t be a party to the band wagon mentality that is prevalent among corps members. Everybody is going for project management, therefore must you too go for project management? Everybody in your lodge is enrolling for NIM, so you too must enroll for NIM. That is not true. Get to find out the professional certification that best suits your dream job. All you may just need is a course on safety or data base management. Trust me!
[4]. Skill Acquisition
Please learn a new skill. Get your hands on something, so when they ask you, what can you do? You can provide a definite answer, instead of just telling them what you studied. What you studied and what you can do are two distinct things altogether. This is very important especially for my friends with a background in social sciences. A good skill acquired could also be handy pending when the dream job comes.
[5]. Change Your Wardrobe
Dude please dress like your dream job. Starting building a professional wardrobe from that small alawee. It’s not the time to spend your money on another dirty jean, combat pants, or what have you. Get yourself a cutting edge professional suit (don’t bank on your convocation suit to do the job). It
doesn’t cost much. For guys, invest on good ties, cufflinks, shoe, shirts, and a good brief case or
bag ( stop carrying your CV in that big brown envelope, some directors can sight you from their office and tell the security or secretary “don’t let that guy in, he is looking for a job)
[6]. Work On Your Web Image
Image is everything. Shun those clichés’ or fat lies on our CV, if I go through your Facebook timeline
or twitter handle , I will tell the kind of person you are ( I just shared a little secret of what some employers now do, work on it and thank me later). If your Facebook time line and profile is not decent, work on it or get a new one before you start job hunting. Follow the company you would like to work for on twitter, like their page on Facebook. Build a professional online presence .Get a good e-mail ID (Do away with the xyz4love@yahoo.com craze and the likes of it.). A good professional ID comprises of your name and your surname e.g. adewalejohnson@yahoo.com.
[7]. Improve Your Network
The job you are looking for dey some people hand, Hello! Start building your contact list, invest in strategic relationships while you are still serving. Join associations, clubs, and forums.
Ladies you can join Women in Management and Business (WimBiz), the biggest association for women
professionals in West Africa. You can enroll for their mentee program as a young female graduate. Trust me, you don’t need to know the caliber of women you meet in such an association. One good contact is worth more than a hundred CV submitted at Random. Build new, better, and strategic relationships.
[8].Get A Mentor
Identify someone who has distinguished him or herself in the career you desire to pursue. A good mentor can carry you along, just make sure the person is accessible. Don’t go telling me that Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is your mentor, when you two don’t communicate. She can be your role model, but obviously not your mentor. Identify someone that can create time for you and probably entrust you with responsibilities, even if you don’t get paid.
This post by B. Uz, shared by George Essien actually in my opinion encourages graduates to plan ahead before their qualification. Planning ahead and knowing what to do at any given time is what will bring about success in your field of endavour. If you don’t want to be stranded in life, then you need not wait till the last minute in order to actualize what should have be done long time ago.
In reaction to this post, Austen Nlemchukwu responded, “Sir, most of these things you listed here, in my own thinking should be considered and settled earlier in their academic life, let's say, in primary or secondary level. Or at least before choosing their courses of study. However, so many factors could be responsible for graduating a people who find it difficult to land a job, either existing one or the one they can create.”
According to Austen, “The point I am making is that they should start earlier enough. I always say that the school is a place where people learn how to solve problems, whereas the workplace is where people solve problems. So, the average graduate should be that person, who in the process of going through the schools must have identified his talents, passion (interest), and skills, (which could be learnt, of course), choose subjects that are related to his natural abilities, and marry all these with a particular course/courses, all designed to solve specific problems. This might be a long sense to break down, but it can go a long way in reducing the rate of unemployment anywhere.” May God help our graduates.
Source: B. Uz.
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The first thing you must do is to take a decision on the kind of job you want. You can even stream line it down to the list of companies you would want to work for, that way you know what you are preparing for and how to go about it. It amuses me when job hunters come to my office and I ask them what kind of job do you want and they go like “oga, any job”. Any job is no job dude, take a decision today because it will determine a whole lot of things in your preparation.
[2.] Research
Carry out a research on the company (ies) you would like to work with. It baffles me how people submit their CVs to companies they know little or nothing about. A little research will do you some good. Get to know a thing or two about their history, the people, their organizational culture, their vision and their mission statement.
[3]. Professional Certification
Acquire at least one professional certification. This is why you should decide first on the choice of career/job you want as it will help you decide on which professional course to go for. Don’t be a party to the band wagon mentality that is prevalent among corps members. Everybody is going for project management, therefore must you too go for project management? Everybody in your lodge is enrolling for NIM, so you too must enroll for NIM. That is not true. Get to find out the professional certification that best suits your dream job. All you may just need is a course on safety or data base management. Trust me!
 |
Please learn a new skill. Get your hands on something, so when they ask you, what can you do? You can provide a definite answer, instead of just telling them what you studied. What you studied and what you can do are two distinct things altogether. This is very important especially for my friends with a background in social sciences. A good skill acquired could also be handy pending when the dream job comes.
[5]. Change Your Wardrobe
Dude please dress like your dream job. Starting building a professional wardrobe from that small alawee. It’s not the time to spend your money on another dirty jean, combat pants, or what have you. Get yourself a cutting edge professional suit (don’t bank on your convocation suit to do the job). It
doesn’t cost much. For guys, invest on good ties, cufflinks, shoe, shirts, and a good brief case or
bag ( stop carrying your CV in that big brown envelope, some directors can sight you from their office and tell the security or secretary “don’t let that guy in, he is looking for a job)
[6]. Work On Your Web Image
Image is everything. Shun those clichés’ or fat lies on our CV, if I go through your Facebook timeline
or twitter handle , I will tell the kind of person you are ( I just shared a little secret of what some employers now do, work on it and thank me later). If your Facebook time line and profile is not decent, work on it or get a new one before you start job hunting. Follow the company you would like to work for on twitter, like their page on Facebook. Build a professional online presence .Get a good e-mail ID (Do away with the xyz4love@yahoo.com craze and the likes of it.). A good professional ID comprises of your name and your surname e.g. adewalejohnson@yahoo.com.
[7]. Improve Your Network
The job you are looking for dey some people hand, Hello! Start building your contact list, invest in strategic relationships while you are still serving. Join associations, clubs, and forums.
Ladies you can join Women in Management and Business (WimBiz), the biggest association for women
professionals in West Africa. You can enroll for their mentee program as a young female graduate. Trust me, you don’t need to know the caliber of women you meet in such an association. One good contact is worth more than a hundred CV submitted at Random. Build new, better, and strategic relationships.
[8].Get A Mentor
Identify someone who has distinguished him or herself in the career you desire to pursue. A good mentor can carry you along, just make sure the person is accessible. Don’t go telling me that Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is your mentor, when you two don’t communicate. She can be your role model, but obviously not your mentor. Identify someone that can create time for you and probably entrust you with responsibilities, even if you don’t get paid.
This post by B. Uz, shared by George Essien actually in my opinion encourages graduates to plan ahead before their qualification. Planning ahead and knowing what to do at any given time is what will bring about success in your field of endavour. If you don’t want to be stranded in life, then you need not wait till the last minute in order to actualize what should have be done long time ago.
 |
According to Austen, “The point I am making is that they should start earlier enough. I always say that the school is a place where people learn how to solve problems, whereas the workplace is where people solve problems. So, the average graduate should be that person, who in the process of going through the schools must have identified his talents, passion (interest), and skills, (which could be learnt, of course), choose subjects that are related to his natural abilities, and marry all these with a particular course/courses, all designed to solve specific problems. This might be a long sense to break down, but it can go a long way in reducing the rate of unemployment anywhere.” May God help our graduates.
Source: B. Uz.
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