Born2conquer:
Speaking for myself, i doubt if we are employable.

I studied an animal health related course and i can boldly tell you that i know nothing about animals apart from the names of livestocks and maybe their gestation period.

How to treat them? No!

We had few practicals when i was in school but practical was just anothrr theory class done in the lab or on the field.

Though i am not practicing what i studied byt the truth is that, i feel i wasted my time going to school! I merely earned the certificate.


NB: If i read, i can understand what i learnt but i can't apply the knowledge on the field

mollie12:
Everybody knows unemployment is a big issue in this country. So many are searching for jobs long after completion of tertiary education and youth service, with few offers in sight.

We come over here to complain about the lack of job opportunities. But my experience over the past 4 months in this arena has been very interesting.

On average, hiring managers forward 3-4 job vacancies/offers to me each week, asking me for candidates I can refer to them for one job opportunity or the other.

I just moved cities and changed jobs within Nigeria, and my experience on my previous job and the new one is the same: the HR department has a LOT of open roles. They are looking for job candidates but cannot find any.

One of the HR staff keeps coming to our side of the office almost every day that they are looking for candidates to fill this role, do we know anyone to refer?

Only yesterday I was speaking with a manager on a job I'd left 2 years ago. He was complaining that he had roles to fill but didn't have candidates. I had a similar conversation with yet another ex-supervisor of mine - looking for staff for a new team he was putting together.

And it makes one wonder: so many jobs, so few qualified candidates? Or what exactly is going on?

Like I said, the last 4 months have given me a clue to what is going on.

Over the last 4 months, I have had to seek staff for short-term roles. And my experience has been lamentable. Horror stories. I could write a book on them.

The number of candidates that talk a good game but cannot deliver scrap, that promise Mount Everest but deliver an anthill - is appalling.

Initially, I kept an open mind and was willing to take people on their word, and trust that they would be reliable enough to deliver. I wanted to open up opportunities for young people to earn income commensurate to their skills. I actually had a dream to through my short-term role opportunities, nurture a pipeline of promising talent that I can whole-heartedly refer to my previous colleagues and managers who come to me seeking job candidates because they have done great work I can vouch for (I don't just refer anyone because these people come to me because they know I do quality work and value quality work and will only refer quality talent to them - I have a reputation to protect).

But after quite a few false starts and hundreds of thousands of naira down the drain, I have to ask myself: are our graduates really employable?

From my experience, and those of others, here are a few ways our graduates shoot themselves in the foot and deny themselves a chance of a rewarding job opportunity or offer:

1. Lack a can-do attitude. I remember once contacting a job candidate who had applied to fill a role to do a preliminary interview. I could tell from his CV that he had almost no experience, but the job to be done was not that technical so I felt this is something someone that learns fast can do. On calling him and explaining the work to be done in detail, imagine what the fellow told me? He sighed and started grumbling and hissing "I don't think I can do this kind of work o". And this was basic research and data gathering oo, work every university graduate would have done in their final year. I just jejely left him.

I wonder why a graduate looking for work would act that way. This is a job you sent your CV for, no one forced you to send it in. The least you could do is do research on what the role entails, and convey confidence when your interviewer calls by explaining that even though you have limited experience, you can learn quickly. I guess he wasn't really looking. But these are those people will look at, and say the Nigerian system has failed job seekers.

2. Lack a growth mindset (allergic to learning and constructive feedback). I have noticed this trend with youths, particularly in the 21-28 age range. They do not know how to handle feedback on their work output well. If you tell them their work needs improvement, they act like you have slapped them in the face. And when I see this sort of reaction I just want to shake them and tell them: you are too young to be thinking your work will be perfect from scratch! That's the value of time and experience - it improves the quality of work. You work cannot be 100% at the first attempt or even the second attempt, but with refinement, feedback, work and skills get better. But these ones will go around to report you to others that you are wicked or other falsehoods, meanwhile, you are only looking out for their own progress. (Let me iterate here that I do constructive feedback - I don't shout or insult or put down people's personalities in the name of feedback because I know this is not helpful: it only destroys self-esteem. So I am referring to normal, even-toned, dispassioned feedback. And this is the feedback they take offense with. SMH)

3. Religious fanaticism. You hear of candidates that tell interviewers that they cannot come to work on Fridays. Or that they have to leave early on Wednesdays for choir practice. Meanwhile, the first interviewer is a Muslim, and the second interviewer is a Christian, a church deacon. Imagine what the interviewers think of such candidates. When these candidates get the job rejection, they will be consoling themselves that they are facing persecution for their faith, not knowing that what they are facing is the consequence of stupidity.

That's all I will say on this one. In all things, apply wisdom.

4. Entitlement mentality. I think this is an issue I will blame the motivational speakers on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for. They have sold this stupendous idea to young people that they can get a job that will earn them millions with almost zero experience. They convince them to toss aside "low-paying" jobs and demand to be paid "their worth". They lie to them that only paid internships should be pursued.

Let me clarify something here. I absolutely hate the idea of jobs that pay graduates what can barely take them home. But the unfortunate reality is that in a capitalist market, money follows value. People will pay you a high salary because they believe you will deliver a high value to their company. Not because you hold a certificate paper, because everyone holds that, and you know what they say about supply and demand. If you don't have in-demand, hot skills that are scarce, be ready to take up that peanut-paying job and that unpaid internship to learn what you need to learn to be in demand. It is called stooping to conquer.

But many job candidates don't understand the market they are in yet. So they struggle in this area.

5. Poor work ethic. This is one I can write a book on. It appears many graduates don't understand that employers employ them to ADD value. So they engage in behaviors that erode or destroy value for their employer. And wonder why no one wants to hire them.
What is value to an employer? Time and Trust.

How is the value of Time and Trust eroded?
i. By missing deadlines. This is when someone is asked to complete a task by 3 pm on Wednesday, but instead, completes it and send it by 5 pm on Friday. And does not apologize or communicate ahead of time that there will be a delay so their employer can manage the impact. Time is money - this is unacceptable behavior
ii. By being unreliable. This is connected to the above in a way. When a supervisor gives work to you, they want to be able to go elsewhere and come back assured that you will do the exact work. But sometimes, there is no communication, and after the time elapses, the work is not done. When your employer has to engage in prayer and fasting for you to deliver your work on time and in good quality, know you won't last long. You are creating too much stress.


6. Refusal to self-develop. In the world we are living in, the biggest disservice you can do to yourself is to end your personal learning and development with a BSc or BA. Even if you cannot afford a Master's program, there are so many free online courses that allow one to take up relevant digital skills (mind you, digital skills go beyond software programming, so there are skills for you if you absolutely hate the idea of coding).

And even asides from digital skills, there are so many other things to learn to become workplace-ready (employable). You need to learn business writing, proper verbal and written communication skills, telephone and email etiquette, emotional intelligence, team and collaboration skills. And all of these are available - for FREE! - on this internet. Same internet all of us are using. So it is always disappointing when I encounter a job seeker who has been searching for years but in all this time of searching, did not set apart time to ensure they have the workplace skills to succeed.


After all my plenty story, I'm still hoping we do have employable Nigerian graduates out there. Those that know better than to fall into the above-listed traps. What do you think? Share in the comments

N2B2:
An interesting write-up, @mollie2.

It presents a few hard-hitting questions.

Unfortunately, it also reads like a tirade typical of the average low-paying Nigerian employer with a god complex.

The rant starts from your title: "Are Nigerian graduates employable?"
sir! i like you.
Fresh graduates have little to no experience and will typically seek entry-level jobs to gain experience.



Are these hiring managers looking to fill vacant entry level positions? Because there's no shortage of young graduates out there searching for their first jobs.

Let's look at some of your points.



Yes, a can-do attitude is a mindset valued in the workplace.

However, you mention nothing about can-do attitudes here.

Instead, because you had one bad experience, you jeer at the unemployed who lament Nigeria's failed employment systems.



That's what the job requirements section of your job posting is for. No research needed.



What interviewers think of such candidates is irrelevant.

How is wanting to go to church on weekdays religious fanaticism?

You seem incensed that applicants want to maintain lives outside their workplace.

The title of this point should have been: "A lack of workplace fanaticism."



A lie cleverly intended to mask the ridiculousness of the next statement you make.

See next quote:



I said it - a typical low-paying employer, seeking "rockstar" talents to pay peanuts to.

For those reading, never let anyone convince you that you aren't worth reasonable pay, even if you have little to no experience.

Employers don't only pay for your skill; they pay for your time and effort, too.



It is called slave labor, indicative of the terrible workplace you run.

Conclusion:

This rant-like write-up is just a demand for employee subservience.

Unpaid internships, peanut-paying yet high-demanding jobs... all unreasonable demands of fresh graduates.

And unreasonable demands breed hostile workplaces.

Try again.

This time, try to put yourself in the shoes of the unemployed when you write.

Loewe:
What kind of defamatory thread is this? Foreigners will read this and draw up silly, fallacious conclusions about our educational system and youth's mental capacity and tomorrow, y'all will claim Nigerians aren't being accepted in certain places.

Most of us are highly unpatriotic... This is a nonsensical thread!

Ezemeiyogu:
When next you have jobs(especially in area(s) of research), do kindly let me know. Being an accomplished researcher is one of my target goals in this life. Thank you.

Samson0599:

You points are valid but mostly applicable in few good private firms ..... Generally speaking it's good to be hardworking and put in your best but look at it this way,how many career jobs are available in Nigeria? These are jobs that you can easily grow and develop in because the job security is there. Look at the banking system for instance, most staff are casual and not career bankers who may be sacked at any given time. There is no right frame of mind and stability to follow all OP's valid points. Nigeria has lost it, only God can savage the country

Loewe:


You claim to have interviewed several "unemployable graduates" yet you cannot construct a sentence in English without grammatical blunders.

I dare say, those you have interviewed are better than you...

boladale123:


English master, just take a moment and check what you wrote!!!
Anyways,you should try and check yourself if you are part of the lots . Gracias!!!

GermanRemitaunt:


Being a foreigner I can assure you my reaction is very different, more like “hey, same issues with some newcomers who struggle with the transition from university to employment, HR in Nigeria isn’t that different from HR in Germany”.

In a job environment, certificates are irrelevant. They only facilitate access to roles with a potential for career development (over years/decades of acquiring experience and improving skills). Next step has to be delivery, high quality on time. Otherwise the story ends, at the latest at the end of the probation period, 6 months in most contracts for graduates in Germany.

How long are probation periods for graduates in Nigeria? What proportion of fixed-term contracts do you have?

omoharry:
Our education system is terrible but Nigerians are creative and resilient.
My sister struggled to have 2.1 in Geology but got a distinction in her master degree in the UK .
So many Nigerians are doing well outside this country . They put in thier best in a system that works and they are doing excellently well out here in various field of work.
Some un-serious Nigerians may have these attributes that you mentioned. But that is not the reflection of the rest of hard working and intelligent Nigerians that don't have the opportunity to be selected for such interviews.
Poor op got a bit of bashing .. Nigerian are not smiling .

ASPIREX:


I understand your viewpoint which is perhaps drawn from personal experience and programming resulting from the experiences of others be it true or unfounded.

However, I wish to bring to your attention the fact that every business is set up primarily to maximise profit. If you have this perpetually in focus then I assure you that you will bend over backwards to fill all square holes with square pegs. Where this is ignored then you can be sure that the business will totter and eventually collapse from ineptitude.

Peak performance by different functionaries that constitute a system is the final determinant for successful exploits and this can only be achieved by experienced faculty with the right attitude....nothing else.

And by the way please don't lose hope completely in Nigeria, we are undergoing a phase all countries have experienced even though ours seems prolonged since we already have templates we can download from...but by and large we will get there.

2023 is a great year. Perhaps our final chance to get it right once and for all.

Poleski:


I didn't brush all Nigerian graduates into this bad category. That was why I said most. I know a guy who got second class in Nigeria but achieved first class in the Netherlands.

So, of course, there are brilliant Nigerians who happen to find themselves in a useless country like Nigeria, where the education system is moribund.

This country doesn't have an enabling environment for intelligent students.

CamusMidas:
You have a point, but I don't think employability is the issue here; it is clearly lack of employment in the country.

Was there ever a scenario in this country where the space advertised was 10 and 100 people applied; at the end of the day the employer says he disappointed with the people that apply and encourage fresh applicant to apply?

N2B2:
An interesting write-up, @mollie2.

It presents a few hard-hitting questions.

Unfortunately, it also reads like a tirade typical of the average low-paying Nigerian employer with a god complex.

The rant starts from your title: "Are Nigerian graduates employable?"
God bless you for the response
Fresh graduates have little to no experience and will typically seek entry-level jobs to gain experience.



Are these hiring managers looking to fill vacant entry level positions? Because there's no shortage of young graduates out there searching for their first jobs.

Let's look at some of your points.



Yes, a can-do attitude is a mindset valued in the workplace.

However, you mention nothing about can-do attitudes here.

Instead, because you had one bad experience, you jeer at the unemployed who lament Nigeria's failed employment systems.



That's what the job requirements section of your job posting is for. No research needed.



What interviewers think of such candidates is irrelevant.

How is wanting to go to church on weekdays religious fanaticism?

You seem incensed that applicants want to maintain lives outside their workplace.

The title of this point should have been: "A lack of workplace fanaticism."



A lie cleverly intended to mask the ridiculousness of the next statement you make.

See next quote:



I said it - a typical low-paying employer, seeking "rockstar" talents to pay peanuts to.

For those reading, never let anyone convince you that you aren't worth reasonable pay, even if you have little to no experience.

Employers don't only pay for your skill; they pay for your time and effort, too.



It is called slave labor, indicative of the terrible workplace you run.

Conclusion:

This rant-like write-up is just a demand for employee subservience.

Unpaid internships, peanut-paying yet high-demanding jobs... all unreasonable demands of fresh graduates.

And unreasonable demands breed hostile workplaces.

Try again.

This time, try to put yourself in the shoes of the unemployed when you write.

mollie12:
Everybody knows unemployment is a big issue in this country. So many are searching for jobs long after completion of tertiary education and youth service, with few offers in sight.

We come over here to complain about the lack of job opportunities. But my experience over the past 4 months in this arena has been very interesting.

On average, hiring managers forward 3-4 job vacancies/offers to me each week, asking me for candidates I can refer to them for one job opportunity or the other.

I just moved cities and changed jobs within Nigeria, and my experience on my previous job and the new one is the same: the HR department has a LOT of open roles. They are looking for job candidates but cannot find any.

One of the HR staff keeps coming to our side of the office almost every day that they are looking for candidates to fill this role, do we know anyone to refer?

Only yesterday I was speaking with a manager on a job I'd left 2 years ago. He was complaining that he had roles to fill but didn't have candidates. I had a similar conversation with yet another ex-supervisor of mine - looking for staff for a new team he was putting together.

And it makes one wonder: so many jobs, so few qualified candidates? Or what exactly is going on?

Like I said, the last 4 months have given me a clue to what is going on.

Over the last 4 months, I have had to seek staff for short-term roles. And my experience has been lamentable. Horror stories. I could write a book on them.

The number of candidates that talk a good game but cannot deliver scrap, that promise Mount Everest but deliver an anthill - is appalling.

Initially, I kept an open mind and was willing to take people on their word, and trust that they would be reliable enough to deliver. I wanted to open up opportunities for young people to earn income commensurate to their skills. I actually had a dream to through my short-term role opportunities, nurture a pipeline of promising talent that I can whole-heartedly refer to my previous colleagues and managers who come to me seeking job candidates because they have done great work I can vouch for (I don't just refer anyone because these people come to me because they know I do quality work and value quality work and will only refer quality talent to them - I have a reputation to protect).

But after quite a few false starts and hundreds of thousands of naira down the drain, I have to ask myself: are our graduates really employable?

From my experience, and those of others, here are a few ways our graduates shoot themselves in the foot and deny themselves a chance of a rewarding job opportunity or offer:

1. Lack a can-do attitude. I remember once contacting a job candidate who had applied to fill a role to do a preliminary interview. I could tell from his CV that he had almost no experience, but the job to be done was not that technical so I felt this is something someone that learns fast can do. On calling him and explaining the work to be done in detail, imagine what the fellow told me? He sighed and started grumbling and hissing "I don't think I can do this kind of work o". And this was basic research and data gathering oo, work every university graduate would have done in their final year. I just jejely left him.

I wonder why a graduate looking for work would act that way. This is a job you sent your CV for, no one forced you to send it in. The least you could do is do research on what the role entails, and convey confidence when your interviewer calls by explaining that even though you have limited experience, you can learn quickly. I guess he wasn't really looking. But these are those people will look at, and say the Nigerian system has failed job seekers.

2. Lack a growth mindset (allergic to learning and constructive feedback). I have noticed this trend with youths, particularly in the 21-28 age range. They do not know how to handle feedback on their work output well. If you tell them their work needs improvement, they act like you have slapped them in the face. And when I see this sort of reaction I just want to shake them and tell them: you are too young to be thinking your work will be perfect from scratch! That's the value of time and experience - it improves the quality of work. You work cannot be 100% at the first attempt or even the second attempt, but with refinement, feedback, work and skills get better. But these ones will go around to report you to others that you are wicked or other falsehoods, meanwhile, you are only looking out for their own progress. (Let me iterate here that I do constructive feedback - I don't shout or insult or put down people's personalities in the name of feedback because I know this is not helpful: it only destroys self-esteem. So I am referring to normal, even-toned, dispassioned feedback. And this is the feedback they take offense with. SMH)

3. Religious fanaticism. You hear of candidates that tell interviewers that they cannot come to work on Fridays. Or that they have to leave early on Wednesdays for choir practice. Meanwhile, the first interviewer is a Muslim, and the second interviewer is a Christian, a church deacon. Imagine what the interviewers think of such candidates. When these candidates get the job rejection, they will be consoling themselves that they are facing persecution for their faith, not knowing that what they are facing is the consequence of stupidity.

That's all I will say on this one. In all things, apply wisdom.

4. Entitlement mentality. I think this is an issue I will blame the motivational speakers on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for. They have sold this stupendous idea to young people that they can get a job that will earn them millions with almost zero experience. They convince them to toss aside "low-paying" jobs and demand to be paid "their worth". They lie to them that only paid internships should be pursued.

Let me clarify something here. I absolutely hate the idea of jobs that pay graduates what can barely take them home. But the unfortunate reality is that in a capitalist market, money follows value. People will pay you a high salary because they believe you will deliver a high value to their company. Not because you hold a certificate paper, because everyone holds that, and you know what they say about supply and demand. If you don't have in-demand, hot skills that are scarce, be ready to take up that peanut-paying job and that unpaid internship to learn what you need to learn to be in demand. It is called stooping to conquer.

But many job candidates don't understand the market they are in yet. So they struggle in this area.

5. Poor work ethic. This is one I can write a book on. It appears many graduates don't understand that employers employ them to ADD value. So they engage in behaviors that erode or destroy value for their employer. And wonder why no one wants to hire them.
What is value to an employer? Time and Trust.

How is the value of Time and Trust eroded?
i. By missing deadlines. This is when someone is asked to complete a task by 3 pm on Wednesday, but instead, completes it and send it by 5 pm on Friday. And does not apologize or communicate ahead of time that there will be a delay so their employer can manage the impact. Time is money - this is unacceptable behavior
ii. By being unreliable. This is connected to the above in a way. When a supervisor gives work to you, they want to be able to go elsewhere and come back assured that you will do the exact work. But sometimes, there is no communication, and after the time elapses, the work is not done. When your employer has to engage in prayer and fasting for you to deliver your work on time and in good quality, know you won't last long. You are creating too much stress.


6. Refusal to self-develop. In the world we are living in, the biggest disservice you can do to yourself is to end your personal learning and development with a BSc or BA. Even if you cannot afford a Master's program, there are so many free online courses that allow one to take up relevant digital skills (mind you, digital skills go beyond software programming, so there are skills for you if you absolutely hate the idea of coding).

And even asides from digital skills, there are so many other things to learn to become workplace-ready (employable). You need to learn business writing, proper verbal and written communication skills, telephone and email etiquette, emotional intelligence, team and collaboration skills. And all of these are available - for FREE! - on this internet. Same internet all of us are using. So it is always disappointing when I encounter a job seeker who has been searching for years but in all this time of searching, did not set apart time to ensure they have the workplace skills to succeed.


After all my plenty story, I'm still hoping we do have employable Nigerian graduates out there. Those that know better than to fall into the above-listed traps. What do you think? Share in the comments

N2B2:
An interesting write-up, @mollie2.

It presents a few hard-hitting questions.

Unfortunately, it also reads like a tirade typical of the average low-paying Nigerian employer with a god complex.

The rant starts from your title: "Are Nigerian graduates employable?"

Fresh graduates have little to no experience and will typically seek entry-level jobs to gain experience.



Are these hiring managers looking to fill vacant entry level positions? Because there's no shortage of young graduates out there searching for their first jobs.

Let's look at some of your points.



Yes, a can-do attitude is a mindset valued in the workplace.

However, you mention nothing about can-do attitudes here.

Instead, because you had one bad experience, you jeer at the unemployed who lament Nigeria's failed employment systems.



That's what the job requirements section of your job posting is for. No research needed.



What interviewers think of such candidates is irrelevant.

How is wanting to go to church on weekdays religious fanaticism?

You seem incensed that applicants want to maintain lives outside their workplace.

The title of this point should have been: "A lack of workplace fanaticism."



A lie cleverly intended to mask the ridiculousness of the next statement you make.

See next quote:



I said it - a typical low-paying employer, seeking "rockstar" talents to pay peanuts to.

For those reading, never let anyone convince you that you aren't worth reasonable pay, even if you have little to no experience.

Employers don't only pay for your skill; they pay for your time and effort, too.



It is called slave labor, indicative of the terrible workplace you run.

Conclusion:

This rant-like write-up is just a demand for employee subservience.

Unpaid internships, peanut-paying yet high-demanding jobs... all unreasonable demands of fresh graduates.

And unreasonable demands breed hostile workplaces.

Try again.

This time, try to put yourself in the shoes of the unemployed when you write.

Tobimathew:
nice write up though, but the facts is that Nigerians are not fully emoloyable,cos most intelligent graduates are not employed or employed where there skills are slightly /not needed,



Anyone with old local facebook account? Inbox me for cash asap

2yrs- 3yrs - #5000
3yrs-5yrs- #9000
5yrs upward -#15000
DM me if you want to deal
Note :im not a hacker, this is pure business

Stanbest7728:
Some Employers in Nigeria are heartless and ridiculous. After my NYSC in 2021 I worked in a hotel Where we makes about 5M in a month only to be paid 15k at the end of every Month, Just 12 of us including the two security guys..

2021 I moved to Abuja When someone called me to come and work for him as an Online publisher, I worked like 24hrs On Laptop, only to get the same 15K at the end on month.



Abeg still Looking for Job anyways
Whatsapp 07053296982