Hi everyone, i am not a writer nor a motivational speaker, but i want to highlight reasons why i think most of us job seekers havent nailed any job, let alone the dream job. contributions are also welcome as no one is an island of knowledge. I will take my time posting here as i hope to update when time permits or when i have something new to add(we learn everyday).

According to taiwolusol searching for job in Nigeria alone is a job, keeping the job is a job and getting another one is a job. . Funny but true.

Note; the linguist should permit my typo errors and the derailers should have mercy.

1. Lack of information on job openings; this is the foundation of the failure, if you are not informed about your immediate environment, then you are lost. a lot of us don't know about the jobs that are posted internally in top/medium organisation, this happens underground and you will never hear of it, some staffs inside the same organization will be surprised to see new staffs resuming and wont be aware. some jobs will be posted weeks later, you'll see the posting on internet and all after they've actually picked their candidate. i applied for a job sometimes ago, after i have gone for the first and second stage interviews, then i saw the job newly posted again on various job site, i was surprised. Ever wondered why you never get called back after applying sometimes, it could simply be because the job application date has elapsed and the posting is just formality. Some information we dont have again is the recruiting firm who handles recruitment for the particular organisation, you see staffs in banks and other organisation, majority of them are outsourced, after you drop your cvs in the same company, they throw it inside the dustbin as another organisation is handling their recruitment, mtn, glo, etisalat, oil and gas, servicing companies and a lot of them have organisation who recruits for them, this and many more are information which most us dont have or are not aware of and we keep shouting blindly and complaining of no jobs after staying donkey hours on internet, submitting hard copies and doing all sort with no result.

Now, the simple solution to this is networking. Simply meeting people in all line of profession and asking about opportunities, any little chance is gold.

While surfing the net, I found this very important page. Go through the link and read more about how to search for job. http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0711/9-different-ways-to-find-a-new-job.aspx

2. Our CV or Resume: A lot is also attached to this also and we have had different post concerning this also. Some of us have cvs that lack bearing or dimension, no skill, no area of interest, no personal statement, nothing to attract a recruiter about it.

Do you know what an applicant tracking system is? Wikipedia defines it as “a software application that enables the electronic handling of recruitment needs.” As a jobseeker, you refer to it as the electronic blackhole that eats up resumes. Specifically, it’s the system you interact with when you apply for a job on a company careers website. One of the more popular applicant tracking systems is produced by a company called “Taleo", the new system of companies allow them to use key words to search and compile the useful cvs in their database, some of us do not have our resume tailored to the job we are applying for, therefore, when the HR searches, your resume dont get to show up.
Also try as much as possible to apply instantly when you see a job opening, some HRs will pick the first 20, or 50, or as much as they can sort and invite them, when you apply late sometimes, you automatically loose the chance as we have at least a hundred candidate applying for a position.
Not to forget mentioning of gaps on the čv, blank months of doing nothing, no professional course, either free or paid. No work experience that shows commitment to your career. Internships and all other things. Simply because you don't have job, you don't do anything to upgrade your career. Employers tend to be weary of such people.

Your CV / resume is one of the most important documents you will ever write.
Before writing your CV, research your chosen organization and find out what they expect to see in a CV.
It should be designed exclusively to get you a job.
Leave aside your own personal opinions of how a CV should be written and laid out, stick to what will be familiar for the reader.
Tailor your CV specifically to your chosen organization.
If it doesn’t attract attention within 2–3 seconds, it will not be read in full.
Write from the hirer’s / employer’s point of view.
Be honest, concise, accurate and factual.
Identity you know to do best and include it in your čv.
CV: two pages max. Resume: one page max.

Another link for further reading. http://m.wikihow.com/Avoid-Common-Mistakes-in-Writing-a-CV
http://www.approachpeople.com/candidates/newsletter/articles/common-mistakes-writing-cv/

comments are welcomed as I hope we can make this interactive and all of us can learn.
Ever gone for and interview and didnt make it? you can also share the reason why think you didnt nail the job here.
Thanks

3. Aptitude tests failure: Now, if you are lucky to get an invitation for interview or test, thanks to your stars, there is still a lot to do before getting the job. Thats why some of us never make it beyond the first invitation(aptitude test or let's get to meet you) whichever comes first, the employer wants to see if you are capable and can defend whatever you have on your čv.
Some recruiters will first make a phone call through to you, just to confirm if you really are the one who owns the details on your čv, after then, you will get invited.
Most times, when you are applying as a fresh graduate without experience, employers will want to check your aptitude. Truth be told, most of us can't be taken serious by our čv, cos cvs are download online and anyone can make a good story for himself, this is the reason why an employer wants to test your ability to think fast, make decisions and perform well. Nobody wants to hire a liability, someone who wouldn't justify the pay at the end of the month and who will even jeopardize your services.
Many of us fail at this stage, some of us can't handle simple mathemtics talk less of the complex ones, we canr handle pattern making, abstract reasoning, quantitative reasoning, good use of english(spoken or written), technical questions even in our feild, current affairs. The moment you are found wanting here, forget a call back, nobody will hire a dummy. I know fully well that some recruiters are scams or sham(don't wanna mention names of some agencies who even if you pass they won't call u back). But if you have written an aptitude test and you didn't perform, you won't make the next stage. Now, some of them deal with cut offs, some 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%. As more tasking as the job may require. Sometimes you think you have perfomed well, but the cut offs are also there.

Solution to this is, practice. Read and read, practice aptitude questions, prepare moćk exams for yourself, study gmats, put yourself in difficult and tasking situations and make sure you scale through. Set benchmark and goals for yourself, before you know it, you'll pass this stage.

Another link that relates to this http://www./blog/how-to-conquer-aptitude-tests/
http://www.careergym.com/blog_comment/6_reasons_why_candidates_fail_psychometric_tests

Good post bro, it would have been better if you put them all in one page. That will make it a Front Page material in my opinion.

obinna2nv:
Good post bro, it would have been better if you put them all in one page. That will make it a Front Page material in my opinion.

Well, I'll see what I can do about that, I intended making it a personal diary using the lessons I learnt everyday at the same time offering insights. Thanks man.

Please ride on, i have been waiting to learn more from you. God bless you..

4. Poor performance in Interview : after you've scaled through at the aptitude test, you'll get invited for oral interview, some organization will call you for oral interview without doing aptitude test, all is the same.
Now, when you appear at interviews, there are lot of things that could disqualify you, the way you walk, converse, smile, dress, any of these could make the recruiter drop u. Recruiters are looking for employees with great personality. Most times, your interviewers will include people from HR and your intending department, so, you'll be tested in both human behavior and practical application of skills.
We fall short of interviews with some of these mistakes;
Appearance: Ever seen jobseekers appearing at interviews like rock stars or hustlers? They'll never get called back. You are going on business meeting and you look like a driver or gateman. Not everyone has money for an Italian suit, but there is always a key to dressing, always dress smart. Go in neatly ironed shirts, trousers and nice shoe, get a good haircut or hairdo, don't appear shabby or like a beggar. Put a smile on your face(not smiling like a mad man o)
Composure: If you go to interviews with strong scary face, or scared face, just forget it. when you appear at the interview venue, even from the gate, put on good behavior, do not be rude to anyone, even the cleaner, do not talk to much, don't be too timid or nerdy either. Greet anyone you come across nicely.
Confidence: I have seen people who appear in interviews and are almost urinating in their pants because of anxiety, shaking like trees beside a river and going numb when u ask them questions, I usually attribute this to low self esteem. Always see interviewers as your parents, accord them with respect but don't freak out. Calm down and listen carefully before you talk/answer any question. Lighten up your face and don't look cocky.
Good defense: When interviewers ask some candidates questions, they want you to speak about yourself. See your life like a project you are defending(I.e your čv). All the years of growing up you have been writing a project( your čv), why won't you be able to defend your own project in front of them. Whatever you do, never get caught. Some candidates will go lost, trying to get words to say, some will give answers not correlating to the question, some will answer the questions but won't be convincing. All these counts.

When interviewers call you for oral interviews, it's simply because you have written something on your čv that interests them, now, they want to meet you, to know if all you have written is true about yourself. Always go prepared for anything relating to your čv, know almost everything on your čv offhand and don't look at your čv while answering any question, that's a wrong signal.
Display confidence and don't take anything personal, accept criticism and answer questions in a well constructed manner. Look at your interviewers in the face and try not to look down.

Everything else I could say has been written on this site, please, painstakingly take time to read through http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/intervw.htm
Also http://m.wikihow.com/Perform-Well-in-Interviews
http://www.careernook.com/2013/09/job-interview-help-how-to-make-a-job-interview-go-really-well/

God bless you real good.

taiwolusol:

God bless you real good.

I appreciate you dropping by. Means this is making sense, please do share some personal observations also, I believe you have some things to say.

NIce one God bless you!

5. Thought that you lack related Experience : Now, sometimes when we want to apply for jobs that has stated you must have experience, we run away from applying cos we feel we do not have such experience.
A brother or sister in the church is a treasurer, but when you are asked to apply for accounting role, you run away.
I was opportune to stay with a pastor sometimes ago, during that time, I manage his schedules,traveling, secretarial duties, among others. Although not directly as an employee, I learnt on the job, and this helped me apply for a personal assistant job later when I graduated. A job Which I got.
You own a business centre and you can't apply for the position of a business manager.
Your aren't own a rental company and you handle some details, don't you knw you pass for a logistic officer.
You sell at your mum's shop, don't you know you pass for a sales person, these and many more.
Relate whatever you've once done in your life to a job opening you've seen, include them in your čv as voluntary positions, these openings are not for gods, they are for humans like you, all you need is to understand what the job is and defend your ability to do it. Just try and apply first and if the chance comes for interview, defend it.
Anything you've ever done in life is an experience, either painting of your room in the university, managing people, running errands, anything at all is a skill. Detect where they are applicable to and there you have your success.
Also, do not despise any job, as much as you don't have anything doing, anything at all(that won't tamper with your self esteem) is worth doing. It will prepare you for the future ahead.

Very good write up, I have learnt a few things to implement in my hunt for career fulfillment. Kudos.