Memory Nguwi

Job hunting is not an easy task. A study in 2016 showed that some local graduates were taking, on average, seven years to get a job, and some never got a job at all after even 10 years.

Some have given up, and it is understandable. Job hunting is not an easy task, even for the more experienced employees. However, there are some tips I have noted to work very well when implemented correctly. I will share these with the hope that they will help someone land their dream job.

1.Networking – job opportunities come in various ways. If you network with the right people, they will share job or career opportunities. Networking is not corruption, as some tend to think. Anyone who looks at networking as a corrupt process does not understand what it means. Networking is a process of establishing beneficial relationships.

In this case, people in your network will know that you are looking for job opportunities. Therefore if they find a job opportunity, they will share that job opportunity with you. The more job opportunities you get, the higher your chances of getting your dream job.

2.Social media presence – If you are not on social media, you are probably not serious about your job search. Most jobs now are being advertised via social media. Use social media to expose yourself to more job opportunities. Create a very good profile, especially on LinkedIn. You can benefit from being on all social media platforms as jobs are posted on almost all platforms.

3.Registers on jobs portal – there are several jobs portals available. Are you registered on those portals? If you are not, you need to register your CV there quickly. Jobs portals post jobs daily.

Some jobs portals send you job notifications every day. Do not get discouraged when you do not get the jobs you want. Remember, your chances of getting a job increases as you get more exposure to available jobs.

4.Mailing List – Get on job mailing lists. Make sure you are on mailing lists that distribute jobs in your target career areas. This is one easy way to get notified about available jobs.

5.While digitalisation has permeated the job advertising market, many jobs are still being advertised through print media. Get in the habit of reading newspapers, especially the job adverts section.

6.Digital footprint – some people are never shortlisted or called for interviews because of a very toxic digital footprint. When they are on social media, they engage in behaviours considered by most organisations to be high risk. They share their extreme views on gender diversity, terrorism, sexual violence, political violence etc. When you are on social media, behave responsibly. Employers now check your social media footprint before shortlisting candidates, before calling them for interviews and before giving a job offer. If your name is associated with corruption, violence, sexual crimes, and terrorism, you will never get a job.

7.When you leave an employer, make sure you leave amicably. No matter how hurt you are by the behaviour of your employer, never fight them. That record will haunt you for the rest of your career. When reference checks are done, you are likely to get a negative reference. That will be a curse on you for the rest of your career.

8.Career history – if your CV shows that you have worked for brands known for unethical conduct, your chance of getting a job is small. As you navigate the job market, be choosey. It would help if you aspired to work for credible employer brands. I know some employers who will through away your CV if you have worked for certain employer brands. I have had an opportunity to interact with individuals whose technical CVs look good but are let down by their employers that form part of their career history on the CV.

9.If you can avoid being out of employment for too long. Career gaps are hard to explain away, even for highly sought after skills. There is a general belief that career gaps indicate deficiencies on the part of the candidate.

10.Criminal record – Most employers will never hire any employee with a criminal record. Even those employees fired by other employers find it hard to be engaged, and if you can maintain a clean criminal and disciplinary history.

11.To be called for a job interview, you need to ensure your CV has been appropriately prepared. As you may be aware advertised jobs, vary in scope. Your CV needs to speak to the scope of the job. Your chances of being called for an interview are higher when your CV directly addresses the issues in the job advert. The best way to apply for jobs is customising every CV you submit to an advertised position. A generic CV will work if you submit your CV to a jobs portal or Employment Agency with no particular job advertised.

12.Be careful who you put as a referee on your CV. The best way is to indicate on your CV that references are available on request. This gives you a chance to select referees based on who can give you the best reference for each job opportunity that comes your way. I have seen people with more than 10 years of experience and still list their high school headmaster as a referee.

13.Do not bad mouth your current or previous employers when in a job interview. My experience shows that people who bad mouth their employers rarely get hired. No matter how desperate you are or tempted you are, never bad mouth your previous employers.

14.Please take time to prepare for a job interview in advance, especially where you are given enough advance notice.

Too many interview candidates come into a job interview unprepared. They are jittery, and the answers are unconvincing. Remember, in a job interview, you will be assessed on the strength of your responses to the interview questions. You will not be hired if you can not showcase what you can offer in the job interview.

15.When answering questions in a job interview, be factual and support every answer you give with your experience handling similar situations. Candidates who use this style of responding have a very high chance of being hired.

16.While it makes sense to follow up after a job interview, if you bug the Human Resources Manager for a decision on the role, you could be viewed as desperate, and it may work against you.

I firmly believe that if you use some of these tips above, you increase significantly your chance of being hired. It will help if you remember that you compete with thousands of more job applicants. If you fail to get a job but you possess the requisite qualifications and experience, you have no one else to blame except yourself.

Memory Nguwi is an Occupational Psychologist, Data Scientist, Speaker, & Managing Consultant- Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, a management and human resources consulting firm. https://www.thehumancapitalhub.com email: [email protected]  or visit our website at www.ipcconsultants.com