You might have heard it before, but I want to repeat it again. To get a good job in Nigeria is harder than winning an Olympic gold medal in swimming against Michael Pheals as an amateur.
According to recent statistics, 80% of young graduates in Nigeria earn below 100,000 Naira, and that isn’t a good one – considering recent economic situations. While we debate about those who earn below 100k per month, we still have a unique set of people who don’t even have any source of monthly income.
What are those factors that might be against them – which they don’t have an idea about?
There are about 178.6 million people in Nigeria, and to get a good job isn’t something that just happens. To get a good job, you must know some certain factors you should use for your own good.
What are the top factors you should consider to get a good job in Nigeria?
1. Quality of your connection
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I sincerely thought this wasn’t real till it happened to me. I gate-crashed a firm to submit my CV and I was stopped at the gate. All efforts begging proved abortive. A few days later, calls were made and I was back at the same company sitting with the Head of Human Resource with my CV in his office.
I wrote the same exam and interview like others, but I was the only person who got a letter of employment. Why? What happened? I just had the right connection.
The person who fixed me up was whom I saw at a wedding ceremony. A simple conversation of “what I had to offer was enough to gain me recommendation”
It isn’t okay to beg for a job; you must show them what you have to offer, and you see how they will recommend you to the right place. It is all about networking and meeting the right people. But you have to learn how to network like a professional.
IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE ABOVE FACTOR, THEN PLEASE CONSIDER THESE BELOW
2. Location
Location plays a huge factor when searching for a job. Most states in Nigeria have very low openings, which limits the job vacancies posted from such states. It is imperative you migrate from such states to states with high job opportunities. Few states like Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, Port Hacourt, Oyo, Anambra, Delta, and Kaduna state all have potentials when it comes to job vacancies.
3. Skills to Offer
It is saddening that most graduates don’t really know what they have to offer. They don’t have any area of specialty or any skill to offer. This possibly limits their chances to apply for jobs outside their background course at college.
4. Quality of your Resume/Cover letter
Since we all know that technology has taken over the way of recruitment these days, candidate’s CVs are shortlisted with the help of software. Several factors determine which CV is picked. That is why I hammer on the following things on every CV.
- Structure
- Keywords
- Format
- Accomplishments instead of descriptions
Having a good CV backed with a cover letter is one of the surest ways to gain recruiters attention. If you have a good CV, you may not need any connection to get your dream job. If you can’t write a power CV, it is imperative you meet a professional to help.
5. Social Recruiting
These days, it is not uncommon for employers to contact an applicant and invite him or her for an interview, after going through his or her profile on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook. This process is called Social Recruiting. Social recruiting is finding qualified job candidates by searching through social media sources for people with the right skills, accomplishments, education, and personality required for an available opening.
As an applicant, you should have a strong presence on social media, particularly LiinkedIn. Not only that, your profile must highlight your skills and experience in such a way that a potential employer will not be discouraged from reaching out to you. A course-mate of mine at the University of Benin got a high paying job through this process, hence, I can confidently inform you that Social Recruiting is real and is happening here in Nigeria. So, be prepared!
6. Interview Skills
Excelling in an interview is an art you need to master. It is not just a question and answers series, it’s more psychological than you’ve ever imagined. When you answer interview questions, there are certain things that interviewers look, and they include;
- Dressing
- Confidence
- Work experience
- Communication Ability
- Remuneration scale
Scoring positive in all these takes you a step closer to securing the job role – all things remaining equal. There are several articles that have shown in details how to ace an interview easily, but you have to know that practice makes perfect in interview cases.
There are no laid down rules when it comes to securing a job, but in Nigeria, these are the major factors that influence getting a job. I will be sharing more of these articles in recent days, so do well to keep in touch.
See you at the top. I wish you success.
