How to get a job or possibly increase you chance of getting a job in Nigeria

This article is based on the following premises
• Whether you want to agree or not there is no much job in Nigeria. The Federal Government estimates that about 39 million youths are unemployed. (recent statics put this figure at 40 million, 25% of the population, considering the insincere nature of the government chances are high that the figure is even higher. 40 million is the combined population of Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic. then imagine that everybody is in these three countries are unemployed, no one of them has a job. that is how scary the situation is)
• Despite the above, there are still limited job vacancies. (It is this limited job vacancies the writer hope can be grabbed using the tips given)
• There are about 100 person more qualified than you for almost any job vacancy so to get a job you have to outsmart the others


Every now and then you hear youths mostly on social media blaming the Federal Government for not providing job for them or atleast creating an enabling environment to create their own job. While one cannot totally fault the youth for blaming the government one cannot also exonerate the youth for not doing much to secure job for themselves.

The tips given in this write up does not in any way guaranty you of securing a job but will atleast increase you chance of getting one if followed.

1. Connect with your well to do relatives and contacts.
There is no gain saying that one of the surest way of getting a Job with the state (Ministries, Departments and Agencies) and in private firm in Nigeria is relatively through what in colloquial term is known as ‘Man know man’ that is securing a job through your connection. Whether this is right or wrong is a topic for another day. Do well to reach out to your contacts that you think might help you secure a job. There is no shame in calling your lecturer, your maternal uncle, that big man in your church, your friend’s dad, your pastor, well to do classmate, a well to do friend on facebook to ask if he or she can assist in securing a job for you or putting a word for you in their place of work.
If you don’t have any such contact take it upon yourself to look for it. Join social network of professionals like Linkedin to help build relationship with people of higher social caliber, write a letter to your councilor, your local government chairman, the law makers representing your zone etc. no matter how small the chances may be there is still a possibility that you can get a favourable outcome. God is likely going to use people you know to bless or favour you for job opening.

However, it is equally not advisable to solely depend on man for woe is him who putteth his trust on man. I was a victim of this I graduated with a good grade. I have a fair share of ‘connected people,’ as a matter of fact because of my so called connection I didn’t deem it fit to apply for any job opening all through my service year (expect for one time when I wanted to test the worthiness of my CV) thinking that with my grade of degree and the people I know securing a job after service won’t be much of a problem. That was a silly mistake because the work didn't come immediately as i thought it would. Although I finally got a job based on who you know I realized that not seriously searching for a job in the course of NYSC was very risky as your “connected fellow” maybe not be in the same position to help you when you finish your service or that even if that “connected fellow” sincerely wants to help you there might not be any available job because the sad truth is that there are no much jobs. i know atleast two highly placed Nigerians heading top government position that can't secure job for their children simply because the job is not there.

2. Apply to professional companies.
Yes you can argue that securing a good job in Nigeria is not much of designing a winning CV but in the context of Nigeria “man know man” yet you can’t take away the fact that most multinational companies recruit mostly on merit. So therefore you have to make research, ask question about companies that recruit on merit. One of such company is KPMG, Guinness Nigeria. Even if there exist favoritism it is not so high, meaning those candidates who do well in the test and interview organized by these multinational have about 70% likely to be employed. For this reason the writer is encouraging the unemployed youths to get themselves acquitted with nature and manner of test and interview conducted by these multinationals. (buy or download books on GMAT based questions)

3. Start with Anything. Anything is better than nothing.
One of the things that make people stay at home for a long time is that they are too selective on the job to do. You don’t have a job yet and you are being selective of the job to accept. Why don’t you start with the available one provided it can pay your basic bills and give you a practical work experience instead of being choosy when in reality you don’t have a choice. When the desirable is not available the available becomes desirable. Start with almost anything while you keep applying for a better one but the most important is thing is that you are doing something.
I was shocked beyond words when a graduate cousin of mine showed me his pay slip of 25,000 less certain deductions making his net income about 23,000 which am sure about 65% graduates will not accept but the experience he has gotten thus far from the job made him scream to high heaven ‘Now I know surveying more than my lecturers.’
Get real only very few companies will employ you as a fresh graduate (graduate trainee) and pay you above 110, 000 when you have no work experience. Most graduate place a high salary premium on themselves when they don’t even have any job experience except from maybe teaching during their NYSC yet they won’t accept any job less than 100k until reality hits them hard only for them to accept a 50, 000 job after 1 to 2 years of hopeless job hunting.
Most graduate have a false sense of entitlement. Oh because am a graduate I can’t work for less than 120k per month therefore I don’t mind being idle till I get that dream work, oh my brother works in with a multinational therefore he is suppose to give me job hence I am not going to apply to any other company, oh I graduated top of my class the federal government should give me a job, if they don’t I will just wait for manners to fall from heaven.

4. Make use of your smart phone.
The only thing some graduates know how to do with their smart phone is social networking. You can use your smart phone to actively job hunt, subscribe to websites that send job vacancies to your mail for free of charge like HotnigerianJob.com, jobrapido.com among others. Some of these website even gives you the opportunity to narrow you job search. Use your phone get to the career section of the website of that company you wish to work with and register your CV with them. Use your facebook and twitter account to follow accounts that trends about job vacancies. Don’t be embarrassed ones in a while upload status on your social network suggesting that you need a job. There have been cases on Nairaland.com where this method proved productive for members. Don’t go about uploading your facebook or twitter profile as ‘CEO, MD PWC Company’ when you are in dare need of employment instead you update your profile as ‘a young vibrant graduate looking for a company to work with’
While you are getting job alert and forwarding CV and cover letters you can equally use that smart phone of yours to make money. Am not talking about online business though am not ruling out the possibility of that option. Let me give you one hint. Use your phone to research on any topic you think is suitable for seminar or lecture presentation in a secondary school. After gathering enough information about the topic, package yourself well and approach not less than 15 secondary schools and discuss the need of organizing such a presentation to the students for a fee of about say 3,000 to 5,000. Imagine doing this for atleast 10 schools.

5. The God Factor
If you believe in God pray to your God for job favour. The race is not for the fastest neither is the battle for the strongest but to him that the lord showeth mercy. You cannot take away the God Factor in matters like employment. You may go for an interview and be picked even though you are not the most qualified.

If all these avenue fails, raise capital to start up a small scale business or in the event that you can’t raise capital research to get information on job that doesn’t capital to start.
Finally I leave you with the words of MLK. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
Good luck in your job hunting.

Woko Phred
This write up may not be duplicated without the consent of the writer

2b continued

This is a very read-worthy post,very comprehensive,sincere and relatable.I'll be going for service in september/october thereabout because i just graduated last month but even though it seems like "more than one whole year" between now and POP,I'll be sure to keep these points close to heart,if possible I'll start sending my CV out now because I really hate the thought of sitting idle athome without contributing some sort of substance to my family and the society at large...so in one summarised sentence-Thank you for the post.

Followings

Vry insightful post. Thanx 4 pushing me out of my comfort zone, U̶̲̥̅̊ jus made me realise that I could start somtin no matter how small nd be my own boss instead of waitin 4 a job that may neva come. God bless u

Insightful n comprehensive .
Front page.

osifred:
The tips given in this write up does not in any way guaranty you of securing a job but will atleast increase you chance of getting one if followed.

Ás much as I appreciate a thoughtful write-up of yours, I would like to point out a fatal mistake you committed, which if ignored would render the write-up useless.

Having list all the factors necessary, I was surprised to see the "God factor" as the LAST on the list.

Are you trying to say after Every human effort has been made in increasing your prospects in the job market, the last thing is to turn to God for guidance?

On the contrary, before you even venture into the labour market, the God-factor is the first point of call. That way, your prospects/chances of securing a job is guaranteed.

I aint a preacher, but I have come to know its the raw truth.
Matthew 6vs33 says it all.

This is a good piece...PM me,am willing to take up internship for awhile in ICT in any good firm.thank you

Nice one there. This is the type of thread that should hit front page and not those usual ones that promote tribal wars.

Wonderful write-up.
Admin...we are waiting for this to hit frontpage

iebanehita:

Ás much as I appreciate a thoughtful write-up of yours, I would like to point out a fatal mistake you committed, which if ignored would render the write-up useless.

Having list all the factors necessary, I was surprised to see the "God factor" as the LAST on the list.

Are you trying to say after Every human effort has been made in increasing your prospects in the job market, the last thing is to turn to God for guidance?

On the contrary, before you even venture into the labour market, the God-factor is the first point of call. That way, your prospects/chances of securing a job is guaranteed.

I aint a preacher, but I have come to know its the raw truth.
Matthew 6vs33 says it all.

the list of what to do is not in any particular order