Job hunting is not an easy task. Now try job hunting while the world is battling the deadly pandemic 2020 introduced the world to. This has caused many companies to have their economy dangling by a thread. Many jobs in Nigeria and around the world have been lost but looking on the brighter side, many more jobs are up for grab, you just need the perfect techniques, approaches and methods.

After meeting with a couple of graduates from all kinds of universities, we have observed they go into the job market with the wrong mentality and remain in the job market waiting for a miracle. A wise man Richie Norton said once

Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us

People who have been searching for jobs for a while have formulated lots of job myths that have gained so much ground that even undergraduates have bought them and have lost hope before leaving school. Your mindset is probably also affected by now.

Now, Four proactive measures to intensify your job search
1. Identify your career-related companies and go after them
You must have heard job testimonies where the job seeker jotted 50 companies and went after contacts in those companies one after the other. It is unlikely that you get a red light from all of them and if you do, a couple of them would have told you what value you still need to add to yourself to overthrow the competition. You need to have a destination and seek after it. Remember what Lucious Annaeus Seneca said

If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable

You must make the decision now to put down 50 companies you know you are fit to work in depending on the skills and abilities you possess – use your discretion to rank the companies to high, medium and low. If you do not have any skills related to the destination you have in mind, you may come back to this step after step 2.

Now that you have this list it is time to get to work. If you send your resume to the companies, 95% will ignore, some already have programmed ‘autobot’ messages to keep you happy. What we will send is a pain letter targetting real individuals in those companies. It may seem painstaking but those are necessary these days to find good jobs in Nigeria. Liz Ryan did a full article on how to write a pain letter, step by step.

Forbes: How to write a Pain Letter (Step by Step)

2. Learn a New skill or Upgrade your skills
Only knowing today as much as you knew yesterday is not the right way to get what you want.Every job has skills and in the least you must have good interpersonal skills. I am talking about hard skills here, you want to already be working in the bank in 5 years time and we both know all you have is your degree – in order words same as 95% competition. Why don’t you take a step forward and learn some Computer software associated with your field? Recall Collin Powell said “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure”

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future

– Steve Jobs

These days you can even connect the dot using someone else’s life. Identify someone in your field, preferably a mentor, look at what they have acquired and start moving in the right direction.

3. Build your Online Portfolio
It is rather unfortunate that many graduates do not know the market has changed and degree alone does not get you a job. A Proof is the high number of masters students and graduates claiming there are no jobs in Nigeria and B.Sc holders keep landing interviews and jobs. An online portfolio is a collection of electronic evidence assembled and managed by a user, usually on the Web. It is an evidence of your work, certificates may get you an interview but these days the strength of your portfolio in that line of business will pave way for you. In order words, work on projects, someone will ask to see them sooner than later.

4. Networking: Maximize LinkedIn
Job hunting is a phase where you need to really put the word out there that you need help in a way that doesn’t seem desperate. People have been getting jobs through LinkedIn connections and will continue to, I still wonder why many Nigerian graduates don’t have a functional LinkedIn account but with two accounts each for every social media platform out there. Even if you are an entrepreneur, you can still meet potential clients on this professional platform. You need to get an account now, update it with your experiences, projects and accomplishments. Now start Networking and getting noticed positively. Remember those pain letters? Start dishing them out to your contacts. Do not sound desperate, it’s a turn off to click on a candidate’s profile and see ‘Looking for job’ or ‘Unemployed’ and we see these all the time. It makes you seem desperate for a job and you want it to be awarded you out of pity. You should read Forbes article on Maximize Your LinkedIn Profile For Job Search — Tips From Recruiters And LinkedIn Company Insiders.

We look forward to hearing your job testimonies.

OriginalCEO:
Job hunting is not an easy task. Now try job hunting while the world is battling the deadly pandemic 2020 introduced the world to. This has caused many companies to have their economy dangling by a thread. Many jobs in Nigeria and around the world have been lost but looking on the brighter side, many more jobs are up for grab, you just need the perfect techniques, approaches and methods.

After meeting with a couple of graduates from all kinds of universities, we have observed they go into the job market with the wrong mentality and remain in the job market waiting for a miracle. A wise man Richie Norton said once

Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us

People who have been searching for jobs for a while have formulated lots of job myths that have gained so much ground that even undergraduates have bought them and have lost hope before leaving school. Your mindset is probably also affected by now.

Now, Four proactive measures to intensify your job search
1. Identify your career-related companies and go after them
You must have heard job testimonies where the job seeker jotted 50 companies and went after contacts in those companies one after the other. It is unlikely that you get a red light from all of them and if you do, a couple of them would have told you what value you still need to add to yourself to overthrow the competition. You need to have a destination and seek after it. Remember what Lucious Annaeus Seneca said

If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable

You must make the decision now to put down 50 companies you know you are fit to work in depending on the skills and abilities you possess – use your discretion to rank the companies to high, medium and low. If you do not have any skills related to the destination you have in mind, you may come back to this step after step 2.

Now that you have this list it is time to get to work. If you send your resume to the companies, 95% will ignore, some already have programmed ‘autobot’ messages to keep you happy. What we will send is a pain letter targetting real individuals in those companies. It may seem painstaking but those are necessary these days to find good jobs in Nigeria. Liz Ryan did a full article on how to write a pain letter, step by step.

Forbes: How to write a Pain Letter (Step by Step)

2. Learn a New skill or Upgrade your skills
Only knowing today as much as you knew yesterday is not the right way to get what you want.Every job has skills and in the least you must have good interpersonal skills. I am talking about hard skills here, you want to already be working in the bank in 5 years time and we both know all you have is your degree – in order words same as 95% competition. Why don’t you take a step forward and learn some Computer software associated with your field? Recall Collin Powell said “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure”

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future

– Steve Jobs

These days you can even connect the dot using someone else’s life. Identify someone in your field, preferably a mentor, look at what they have acquired and start moving in the right direction.

3. Build your Online Portfolio
It is rather unfortunate that many graduates do not know the market has changed and degree alone does not get you a job. A Proof is the high number of masters students and graduates claiming there are no jobs in Nigeria and B.Sc holders keep landing interviews and jobs. An online portfolio is a collection of electronic evidence assembled and managed by a user, usually on the Web. It is an evidence of your work, certificates may get you an interview but these days the strength of your portfolio in that line of business will pave way for you. In order words, work on projects, someone will ask to see them sooner than later.

4. Networking: Maximize LinkedIn
Job hunting is a phase where you need to really put the word out there that you need help in a way that doesn’t seem desperate. People have been getting jobs through LinkedIn connections and will continue to, I still wonder why many Nigerian graduates don’t have a functional LinkedIn account but with two accounts each for every social media platform out there. Even if you are an entrepreneur, you can still meet potential clients on this professional platform. You need to get an account now, update it with your experiences, projects and accomplishments. Now start Networking and getting noticed positively. Remember those pain letters? Start dishing them out to your contacts. Do not sound desperate, it’s a turn off to click on a candidate’s profile and see ‘Looking for job’ or ‘Unemployed’ and we see these all the time. It makes you seem desperate for a job and you want it to be awarded you out of pity. You should read Forbes article on Maximize Your LinkedIn Profile For Job Search — Tips From Recruiters And LinkedIn Company Insiders.

We look forward to hearing your job testimonies.

Source: https://hiparley.com/jobs-in-nigeria-4-proactive-measures-to-intensify-your-job-search/