There is a popular notion held by many that when a person does not graduate with a first-class and/or have the right connections, it is almost impossible getting the right job with good pay.
With the rate of unemployment in Nigeria standing at a record high of 23 per cent as of third quarter of 2018, while underemployment is put at 20.1 per cent, according to NBS data, the above notion seems almost undeniable.
However, despite this popular belief held by many that the economy is hard and companies are laying off staffs, and are also not ready to take in new ones, there are still those changing different jobs and commanding jumbo pay within the six zeros rage.
These set of persons barely spend two years in a firm before eyeing to take up more challenging role that will fetch them higher pay. Meanwhile, there are some others who out of fear, stay many years in a firm where they earn lean salaries.
Sincerely, it is no magic, and one can negotiate higher pay from employers even without having connections or even graduating with the much sought after the first class or second class grades.
In this article, we will explore five basic things an individual should possess to be on the better end in terms of employment opportunities and/or commanding the right pay from an employer.
Develop soft skills: Having a B.SC or an M.SC is never a yardstick for one to be the preferred candidate to get a job in a prospective company. Although having such qualification is necessary but it’s not a sufficient criterion.
An employer would always prefer a candidate who has the right practical skills for a particular job, to another who the company would have to spend more resources and time training before they can be fit for such a job role.
Being able to work better on Excel, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint presentation, data analytics and several other skills, can give a job seeker an edge to getting that dream job.
Sites like Microsoft Excel help centre; edX, Khan Academy; Udemy, Coursera, Codecademy; MIT OpenCourseWare; excel exposure; excel central, excel easy; iTunesU free courses; Stanford online; open culture online courses, and many others, can help one develop the right kind of skills that one needs in a workplace. Many of these sites are free to users while some others would have to be paid for.
Read news and follow trends: it is never enough for one to say he is a graduate and have all the degrees, but do not know current trends that are happening both globally and domestically be it in politics, business, tech, secular gist, manufacturing, stock market and all.
Reading news helps in keeping one informed on things happening around which cane give one the boldness to contribute positively whenever a topic is raised. Employers are always on the lookout for people who have the charisma and boldness to forecast and solve problems.
It is not as if a person should spend all his time reading and scouting for news all in the name of trying to get employed but having an idea of some of the big news happening in various industries and the economy would help a lot in improving how a person relates to economic issues.
Credible news agencies such as BusinessDay, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Punch, Thisday, Nairametrics, Channels and many others can help a lot.
Be in the right circle: having the right people around as friends go a long way in affecting a person’s zeal to learn and achieve more in life.
Being around these set of persons would expose one to information’s that can change one’s life. This would also propel and challenge one not to have contentment with one’s present status quo.
Have a quality Resume: Since the first stage in most employment processes is shortlisting candidates through their CVs, it is therefore important that information’s written in the Resume must to sell the candidate aspiring to work in a firm.
Employers want to see results and what a candidate has to offer, and the first line of contact is the CV. If the employer doesn’t see the candidate’s CV as impressive, the candidate would not be called upon for the next phase of the recruitment process.
A good CV must spell out achievements of the candidate in previous roles he/she handled before, and must also carry key characters of the job descriptions being applied for. For fresh graduates, it should not be more than two pages.
Sites like Resumonk, VisualCV, CVmaker, Resume builder, Zety Resume Builder, are some of the various sites that could help in reviewing a person’s resume for free.
Scout for jobs: Gone are the days when job seekers take their CVs to a company for employment, these days, and applications are channelled online, thanks to the advent of technology.
With these, a candidate might miss out his/her dream jobs if he/she is not on the look-out for jobs online.
Platforms such as LinkedIn, Jobberman, MyjobMag, Careerealism, Jibberjobber, JobBait and many others are good sites to scout for jobs.
Have a mentor: As a job seeker, you must have a mentor who is well-grounded in the particular industry in which you desire to work in.
The person doesn’t have to be a close friend or relatives. He or she could just be a person you admire and want to emulate probably in terms of knowledge.
Mentors are not difficult to find and one is allowed to have as many mentors as possible.
Job seekers must leverage the power of social media to get as many mentors they want. Through a platform like twitter, a candidate can get information from people that have in-depth knowledge of a particular industry they hope to work in.
Also, by following the various people, industry stakeholders and companies in which these mentor’s of them follow, they can have access to meeting other knowledgeable people who can add value to their lives and make them better prepared to clinch that dream job
