This employment thing

I would not say because I had job offers from 3 different multinationals for my NYSC then I have the panacea to this national issue,
However I think I can make suggestions on this employment thing.

This employment thing that has bettered lives
This employment thing that has ruined lives
This employment thing that has empowered some
This employment thing that has broken others

Why it is working cheaply for some and why is it still a big deal for many others is the mystery I seek to unravel based on my little exposure.

(1) I have come to realize that what you did in school when you were not reading your books is more important to your prospective employers than reading your books in itself.
Why am I saying that?
Flip through a well written curriculum vitae (CV) and you will realize that in the 2page document, you have less than 10 lines going to academic qualification while the other lines are filled with information such as your Job experience, leadership records, awards, profiles, interests/hobbies.

Academic qualification is common. Even your first class degree is not enough, there are many other applicants that have it.

(2) WHO ARE YOU????
YOUR EXPERIENCE IS WHAT COUNTS
While thousands of applicants can have the same qualifications, no two applicants have the same experience. Experience can only be similar, it can never be the same.
Your experience is what makes you unique
It is your uniqueness that gets you the job
So applicants are judged based on their individual experiences.

Academic experience is no experience, it is a qualification, it is the knuckle with which you will knock your employers door.
And as soon as you knock the door with the right knuckles (academic qualification) they open the door to see who's knocking, then you are asked to introduce yourself "who are you"

Who you are today is a summation of your experiences of yesterday
So when they say "who are you" they want to know your experience, they want to know what you've been doing with your life up until the time you knocked their door, they want to be sure you have what it takes to cope when you come in, they want to be sure you are equipped for the day-to-day activities that go on inside.

And when they fall in love with your "who are you" response, they let you in gladly.

(3) HOW DO YOU BUILD RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Relevant experience that will make you indispensable to your prospective employers is mostly not acquired unconsciously, you have to work towards it.

Tips:
-Have taste for reputable companies when it comes to internships. Once it's a big name, you have less explanation to do as regards the quality of your experience.
-Society membership which should lead to society leadership is the easiest way to build your leadership experience. It helps you to understand team dynamics; team business is people business and your employers really wanna know if you can handle people.
-Build your ideas. Don't just imagine things, attach an action plan to each one of your ideas, strive to push it into reality. Even if the action plan fails, in the process of making an attempt you would have learnt enough already.
-Read!!! Most of your interviewers are people that read, and when readers meet readers they connect.
-Improve your spoken English, learn other languages - it positions you for international appointments.
-Never forget your experiences

(4) WHO ARE YOU could often mean WHO DO YOU KNOW
Imagine a bus conductor that had a quarrel with a passenger and in the course of that, the passenger asked him "who are you?" and in response the conductor went "my uncle is a top officer in the army, if u mess up I'll get guys from the Ikeja barracks to deal with you"
He answered the "who are you" question without any indication to his person. This tells us that we are often judged by our association.
Like I have said over and over again, who you know can only open doors for you, it is who you are and what you know that will keep you inside.

(5) HOWEVER
If you are convinced that you have the necessary qualification and experience and you have knocked on the door of an organisation before and they turned you down, know that it's not the end of the world. Pick yourself up and try again until you pull through
Failure is an event, it is not who you are.
Companies atimes turn down applicants not just because these applicants don't have all of the required academic, social, professional requirement, there are times that they have 5 hot guys shortlisted and they just have to pick one. That's when they will go for the MD's in-law or the ED's son.
But you do not need all of that, you just need to know the king of kings, the MD of all MDs, the CEO that CEOs report to, the one who presides over presidents.
You need him
You need his hand

Go and get that dream job!

Sent from my iPod