While I do agree with all OP has said, I really do feel apart from how smart and proactive you are or should be, an element of luck/God's grace really does come to play in jobhunting.

I'm one of the few ones who has never failed an aptitude test, though haven't written so many. I wrote KPMG during my service year, completed the whole recruitment process, only to be called for another interview with the Head Partner while awaiting medicals. He felt I was only good and not exceptional given some deficits in some semesters while perusing my transcript, which were due to health issues. I wrote Pz before service and made it to the final stage. Some others too like that before & during service. Now in the McKinsey race & seriously considering gradschool.

Honestly, trying to be a responsible human hasn't been easy at all, but one just have to keep bettering oneself, staving off diffidence & believing all will be well in due time. Streets no dey smile.

That's the word... But den a step no matter how small draws closer to destination... tho there are some steps dat are in wrong direction o

MarvellousGod:
Yeah, you must get something doing. But the salary may not be enough for your upkeep

I agree with the op... Ppl still get good jobs without connection. I'm a testimony myself.

let's give all the glory to God.

God's grace is factor dat can't be ignored buh den let's play our path and God will follow through
... no matter what.. Kip the morale up... We somewhat have similar shoes...

stolid:
While I do agree with all OP has said, I really do feel apart from how smart and proactive you are or should be, an element of luck/God's grace really does come to play in jobhunting.

I'm one of the few ones who has never failed an aptitude test, though haven't written so many. I wrote KPMG during my service year, completed the whole recruitment process, only to be called for another interview with the Head Partner while awaiting medicals. He felt I was only good and not exceptional given some deficits in some semesters while perusing my transcript, which were due to health issues. I wrote Pz before service and made it to the final stage. Some others too like that before & during service. Now in the McKinsey race & seriously considering gradschool.

Honestly, trying to be a responsible human hasn't been easy at all, but one just have to keep bettering oneself, staving off diffidence & believing all will be well in due time. Streets no dey smile.

lalasticlala:


Similar post was on FP yesterday

For equity and fairness

https://www.nairaland.com/2659599/response-boko-haram-jonathan-truth

Compared to most of the Nairalanders here, I'll be probably be considered a old man at 49! But if the above write up is not an advertising gimmick, then it is a pointer to the resourcefulness of the gentleman writer. I find it very distasteful that I get hundred of CVs from young men and women who believes so much in "You must know someone to get a job in Nigeria syndrome" Way back in the mid 80s, I also arrived Lagos fresh faced and hungry for a job. While my friends were given their C.Vs to their Uncles to find them jobs, (Yes! it happened even then) I thronged the breadth and length of Apapa where jobs in my specialization was, I did not get one immediately, but I made an impact for my dogged "never give up attitude" that later ensured that without any Godfather, I was chosen amongst 23 other applicants who in my opinion, were better qualified!
I left my last job 2 years ago to start a business, it did not work out but again, I did not seat around calling on friends in high places (and believe me, I have them!) to help me, but again dust off my c.v. and keep applying while I went back to school to get better certificated. While doing that, I secured another job with one of the top 3 oil majors again, not through any Godfather, but based on my knowledge, hardwork and experience! So, for those who are in the habit of giving uncles their c.vs, keep waiting and getting disillusioned. For the ones ready to take what belongs to them, the sky is your limit! Good luck all!

Tolution1:

Mannylex

Hi,

I will finish school very soon, and I think the best advice is to prepare early enough for what is ahead. So, I humbly beg you and anyone who is reading this, to please help me with your GMAT and other TEST materials for job hunting.

my email is: tolution@outlook.com

As you do so may your GOD enlarge your coast bountifully

Aite bro. Would send some to you and link to some.

aameyah:


Banking, abii?

Yes.

johnny1980:


See jamb question wey this one dey ask.

What happened to thinking out of the box?

Where would you get the details of the players in your field if not through deep Google searches and so on.

Siddon there they ask question.

Cant you grow up and answer my question.. #SMH 4 UU

#pple don't get jobs without connections..how did you get the managers phone numbers to send them sms?
It's only email addresses that are available most times if not all the time..

Na only you go cast yourself by yourself!

Wish you the best in your new job with this bad mouth of yours#be careful what you say n be careful how you talk to pple...

please what is your course of study?

ajasa4link:

Immediately I resumed, I was happy I went, because up till date I haven't gotten offer from the other company till now, probably they are still doing some in house things.
But the main point of this whole epistle is u don't need to know anybody to get a job, if u know ur God, u are intellectually rugged, and network with friends and arm yourself with as much information as possible then you will be out of the job search market before u know it.

ajasa4link:
As we all know the unemployment crisis is very much real and giving many a graduate headaches everyday applying for jobs online, sending CVs and not getting replies etc. However people are still getting out of the job hunting market everyday(just like I did last month), so I will like to share my story with those still in the market and they can learn one or two things from it.

Right from the moment I graduated from school I've always be an optimist that I won't be staying at home months after service hunting for jobs, even when the reality of the labour market has not dawned him. I've been on nairaland since 2009 as a registered user and not visited the jobs section until the middle of my service year earlier this year, and I started coming in to read interview tips, aptitude test tips and other educative tips. Then the reality of the labour market hit me when I started reading about people lamenting about not getting jobs two years after nysc even after graduating with 2.1,but being an optimist I reassured myself am definitely not going to stay that long before getting something worthwhile doing. Immediately I sat down and planned how that was going to be a reality.

Fast forward to July 2, POP came I collected my discharge certificate and as part of my plans to get a job as soon as possible I left my PPA in kebbi state that night(yes I served in kebbi where I stayed 10 long months without travelling once as part of saving for the great journey ahead after service) and got to Lagos the next day in the evening. The weekend was used for resting and updating my cv and applying for the few jobs I can apply for online.

The next week the journey started in earnest and I entered the streets with a friend of mine who also just passed out. We first got a list of the companies in our field of study, their addresses, we zoned them and made as much copies of our CVs as we can. So if we go to V. I today, we make sure we drop CVs in in as much companies we can locate in that area especially the head offices where their HR is dominated. We faced different challenges like gate men not even allowing us to get to reception, while some receptionist collected the CVS grudgingly as if they will never get it to the HR.
However,it all started paying off when we started getting invites for tests and interviews some of which we passed and others we never got feedback. Any day we go to write a test or attend an interview, we make sure we drop CVs with other companies in that area immediately after the test thereby saving money we could have used to come and drop the cv another day. While writing this tests, I was connecting with people collecting numbers so that they can share vacancies they hear of with me via whatsapp. Note I got some offers too, but mostly marketing and I have determined never to take a marketing job, in fact my was after 3 months of job search and no job I will go for teaching job since I did that during my nysc days and I even got a recommendation letter from my employer which was even a unity school. So I declined the commission based marketing jobs.

Fast forward again, a friend one day asked me for an advice concerning two different offers he got from two different companies Willing to employ him and just like a typical nairalander I asked HOW DID U APPLY?..
Then he gave me the game changer, he went to the regulators website i. e the regulator of all registered companies in our field, copied the names of the MD's and each MD's phone number and sent them text msg telling them he is a graduate of..... University, studied....with....grade and willing to learn and work under him.
Immediately I saw the intelligence in this idea because he has beaten all protocols, all obstacles on his way and has gotten into the heart of the MD. So after giving him the needed advice, I borrowed his wisdom and also followed his path, both enough credit and started rolling out the texts. The next week I was invited for a chat /interview with the MD of one of the firms,where I did well and promised to get back to me. The next two weeks I went for another chat/ interview with one of the MD's which later turned to a 3man panel where I was seriously drilled and asked every possible question concerning my field which I was grateful for because I dusted it all and left their jaws dropping. The MD told me he doesn't attend to CVS sent to his email, but the text msg got him. He was like, I need to see this guy who has te balls to try to access him directly. Then the MD asked me if I sent to other companies the same msg I sent to him and I admitted I did,but it was only to the top players in the industry because it was a did a stratified sampling in selecting them. Then we discussed pay and he said I was asking for too much for someone who has only theoretical knowledge and no practical experience. He even said if I wanted to marry with the money to which I politely explained my t-fare is much and I want to save towards my professional exams which is highly expensive. He now asked me the delicate question if I should not be contacted any further if they are going to pay lower than the minimum I gave. Then I told him provided the job gives me a prospect of a career growth and an opportunity to learn under one of the major players in the market, I can always improvise and live with the little difference that will be in the pay. I was told I will be contacted on their decision. I went back to my job search both online and offline and I've even done medicals in another company but not yet given offer, then I got a call two weeks after the interview with the MD to come pick up my offer letter and resume tomorrow. I was somehow discouraged since I know the pay will be lower to the one I already did te medicals, but I just braced up myself and said I should go for their offer first since I haven't gotten the other offer yet.
Lo and behold, the offer was much more than what we even discussed during the interview and my hand was even shaking to sign the offer letter.
Immediately I resumed, I was happy I went, because up till date I haven't gotten offer from the other company till now, probably they are still doing some in house things.
But the main point of this whole epistle is u don't need to know anybody to get a job, if u know ur God, u are intellectually rugged, and network with friends and arm yourself with as much information as possible then you will be out of the job search market before u know it.

Give me help on a sample cover and resume plsss. thanks as you do.

Mannylex:
I agree with you OP. Funny thing is I passed out same day with you July 2nd 2015.... During the course of my service year, I always had same reasoning that you needed connections to get jobs, good jobs in Nigeria, but i was wrong. A week after completion of NYSC, I had test invites left and right. I was successful in all and in less than 3 weeks I attended several interviews, did medicals then later attended training school. I had several offers staring me in the face and here I am, without any connection resumed work within a space of 1 month after nysc. Truth is connections help, but you can get jobs without it if you plan early. I started applying for jobs and practicing gmat and shl immediately I began NYSC. Its good to have some sort of fear though, it spurs you to go the extra mile.



By the way some of the jobs I applied for and test/interview hints came via Nairaland. I appreciate this site.

am inspired by your story, after the much preached thoery of no jobs.and search seems endless.

Brother your story is really inspiring and motivating. Please how did you get the Regulators website of all registered companies in your field? You can either email me on donkingsley17@yahoo.com I'll be waiting. Thank you

[quote author=mandonnels post=38886745]
i find it difficult to connect on LinkedIn.
Guess i nid to upgrade to premium to do dat by subscribing.
please help me on how to connect on LinkedIn pls[/quote
You dont need to upgrade.

Some people you cant contact untill then but many u can still. Just contact as friends when it asks how do you know these people

look for people that yoy know that are in thielr networks and seek referrals. there arr limitless opportunities. u can also follow their companies. it will make it easier

mheey:



Cant you grow up and answer my question.. #SMH 4 UU

#pple don't get jobs without connections..how did you get the managers phone numbers to send them sms?
It's only email addresses that are available most times if not all the time..

Na only you go cast yourself by yourself!

Wish you the best in your new job with this bad mouth of yours#be careful what you say n be careful how you talk to pple...

That is not the op now....We are two different people