onibooro:
I'll make an exception and comment on this thread.

I wholeheartedly disagree with the original poster and the moniker Raayah in their statements about Nigerian education being sub-par and foreign graduates being better than Nigerian.

I am leading an international team of engineers and specialists on a multi million dollar project with a multinational company and I was recruited from Nigeria. It has been a right royal mess with the resources, many European, many from the Middle East, some from some sub Saharan countries. In many instances, I rely on Nigerian resources, problem only being work permits for them which can be tedious.

The biggest problem I have on the project of course, is my resource planning and the CVs I receive from recruitment companies are in many cases as bad as you can imagine.

I only had my Unilag education and Nigerian experience on my CV, same with my Nigerian resources.

To the unemployed; keep reading, know a little about everything, improve your written and spoken English and add value to yourselves.

You are only as good as you choose to be.

ProfJournalism:
You are an Author, Thanks much more for this Intriguing, Informative and Educative Trend!!..
You Just Hit the Nail @ the Head!
I Love your WriteUp!
I wish Over 1Milllion Users on Nairaland will read this!
Thanks once again!!

i Will Love to get in Touch Please!
Nwafor210@gmail.com

Your Response will be highly Honoured.
thanks!

jazinogold:
nice writeup OP!
abeg I fit send u my CV n Cover letter for review?

Morounofolu:



Hello madam,

I just sent you my RESUME, kindly confirm.

Many thanks

faites:
Nice write-up. I won't mind if I'm included in your job pool. I did mass communication and personnel management. I am an avid writer and editor. I have worked in newspaper and magazine firms, but I now want to taste other waters. Maybe in the area of personnel management or administration. I speak a little french also. Email- ev2cindy@gmail.com

InvertedHammer:
/
Recruiting graduates from Nigeria must be one of the toughest jobs out there.

I have never seen a set that takes pride in ignorance. Some CVs will put tears in your eyes. Once in a while, you run into one that will erase your bias.

They think it doesn't matter until it does.

Kudos!

/

sirmmykay:
really appreciate dis write up of yours, pls will like to seek advice from you. my mail address is ajibolasamuel14@gmail.com. thanks as I wait for your
quick reply

skeema:
Can u please give out ur mail address for CV reviews?

oc2fish:
[color=#990000][/color]
My dear sister students and Government share the blame.

Government.
Imagine a student in biosciences whose lecturer has never use a PCR machine. This lecturer was taught by a lacturer who has not seen this machine. The same lecturer was taught by one who used the analog PCR machine in the 60's. Can you tell me how the student will be marketable in todays world.

Student.
Most students do not value knowledge. They see going to class as stress. They want the degree without the knowledge.

400billionman:
What this thread is all about is that if i can write or pay someone to write me a good resume or cover letter, and i dont know anything, the poster will recruit me.

Okay.

prettyboi1:
Nice article. I keep saying a lot of us Nigerian youths are very unenlightened....even the so-called 'educated' ones. All we brag about here is "I went to school", "I have a degree", "I am a first-class/second class-upper/second class lower student", "I studied engineering ", "I'm a doctor" etc....who the fvck cares? If you can offer me practical thinking and solutions, you don't interest me, screw your 'certificate'.

Curvinus:
Abeg shut up Mr. Recruiter. What are you recruiting sef and how much are you being paid to saddle us with this your rambling twittle tattle?

OfficialIYANU:


This is part of the issues she is raising. Nigerians would not just SMART UP. There's already an example of a CV she herself edited. Look and learn from it Bros. Haha!

@OP
I also face majority of these challenges whilst recruiting. With the level of educational, mental and moral decadence, I have come to realise ONLY GOD can rescue this country from the rocks we're headed! KAI

beyondwalls:
Hi Op,

Kindly advise on this case.
What are the factors that could be responsible for going through shortlisting, getting to the final stage of the recruitment process and in the end getting sorry mail. This has happened about 5 times in the past one year with top companies. The most annoying part is most of the times i find it hard to pick what i did or said wrong during the interview. It's just so depressing.

Kx:
Hello Recruiter.

You advised job seekers to always run a spell check.
You equally took pride in the quality of the cv reviewed and attached by you. Excellent.

Please edit this portion of the attached cv if you dont mind:

...My duties were to ensure the convenience and well being of guests and [size=18pt]staffs[/size]"...

Thank you.

yorex2011:
I'm usually saddened when Nigerian graduates and students are belittled, using qualifiers as "half-baked" and "unemployable".
Considering I'm a recent Graduate myself.
We are compared with our counterparts from other developed countries, forgetting that we are a developing country.
True, there are a number that fall short of expectation, but it is like that in other countries too.
I recently registered for a massive open online course (MOOC) organized by IFP school France, and i am impressed at their methodology, and i imagined, that's how it should be in their schools there too, learning is convenient and interesting, unlike here in Nigeria where we have to go through hurdles, such as economic hardships, poor amenities, difficult learning conditions and yet still graduate with good grades.

Nigerian graduates should not be belittled, if not for anything but for the fact that we triumphed in difficult conditions.
Everyday we see topics of Engineering students building stuff and here on Nairaland are still insulted, and their efforts rubbished. Do they think its easy building something out of nothing, it shows our innovative and never say die spirit.

We should try to help out, we wont get anywhere by criticizing everyday, we should try to offer solutions, seek out ways to improve the state of things. Rome wasn't built in a day.

I'm currently looking for a job, but i helped a fellow nairalander review his cv once, I'm not a professional CV writer, but i read a lot and I did it, as a way of contributing to some form of development. Same with a group i created for unemployed graduates where we share ideas, information, tips, ideas. Its not much but I'm contributing the little i can.

We sometimes forget the days of humble beginnings, someone that schooled in Nigeria, maybe holding a good position, calling graduates unemployable...

Nigerians are good people, hardworking, it goes beyond what you see, its a way of life, even if 90% of us can't write a cover letter or 85% of use can't write a CV, we will keep persevering, we will keep going till we overcome

Note that a future president, future CEO, future Nobel prize winner is currently among these so-called half baked.

God bless us all

raayah:

I think most expatriates are usually engineers/ construction workers / Technology. Truth is that our universities do not teach practical work at all. A lot of people cannot handle basic microsoft applications , there were not taught. Students studying computer science have never wrote an App/ Programmed a machine. This is what other countries are doing in their first years.
What about their labs? Its standard. They are taught to use equipments that Nigerians only read about. A business will not invest 100 million into a machine and give it to someone who has no experience to run it. Simply not done. We should step up a country.

Expatriates are way better than Nigerians in terms of experience, education and professionalism. If we fix our education sector, students will be rushing to study in Nigeria from all over the world. We will definitely reduce the amount of expattriates.

sihom:


When you do get back to your thread please help me understand the following things

1. What makes the expatriates stand out in a pool of candidates where there are Nigerians as well?

2. Why are expatriates more appealing to recruiters/employers more than Nigerians?

Questions 1 & 2 are kind of similar but please treat them separately and be brutally honest abeg.

3. Do these expatriates actually meet and exceed expectations where they end up? Do they out perform their co-workers from Naija or other African countries?

I ask these questions because I've met a good number of Nigerians who are well spoken with a good head on their shoulders and come across as well adjusted adults who can handle business at the work place.

I really don't buy this notion & idea that Nigerian graduates are unemployable. Granted a number of them may mess up during applications and at interviews but a majority of folks I've met have it together.

My honest observation.

raayah:
Thank you for this great thread.
Very informative and entertaining

I think universities in Nigeria should have career services that teach job search skills like resume and CV writing and interview skills. The career services should also contact recruiters for Jobs on behalf of their students. That's how it's done in most places.

Our Universities are laughable to be honest, I got to the third year of my engineering degree in Nigeria and I had not used a computer. Not even microsoft applications. Meanwhile, First years in other countries have started designing robots, learning AutoCAD, solidworks, excel,MATLAB etc.

You just cannot compare both abeg.

Olabestonic001:
My dear op, thanks for enlightening us on our errors in the job hunt. We are still evolving and I believe someone like you can be a catalyst to my career progression. I will like to have a personal chat with you.

N.B: I'm presently in a comfortable employment but who says I can't polish my "Trophy" as you"ve advised. Please kindly drop your email so that I can keep correspondence with you. Thanks so much.

brainzdh:
Thanks ma'am, you've spoken well. The unemployment situation in the country is quite terrible, that's why you'll find Crop Science graduates(and the likes) applying for jobs strictly stated for Engineering graduates.

At the end, it's so much work for the HR Recruiter to start sifting the thousands of CVs for a position slated for just 5persons.

Funny enough 3months into the job, one or two of the new recruits might tender resignation letters due to a better Job offer elsewhere or sudden frustration with the job....Lolz! At the end both recruiter & the unemployed share a level of pain.

obinoral1179:
please, can't find any link

amicable09:
Dear HR manager, sorry in as much as you are pained, we are also more pained. One of these days I will write an article and post my pains too. Truth is we don't know what you recruiters want! I've noticed your preferences vary as well as the CVs and Cover Letters.

We apply and get short listed, you bomb us with questions during the aptitude test that has no relationship whatsoever with the job role. Fortunately, we ace the test and are invited for an interview then you make the interview look like a war zone... very hostile looking panel throwing questions at you, other times you meet other HR Mgrs who simply act as though they are doing you a favor, haba! Me, I tire for all of these attitude sef. If there is a particular thing you are looking for just say it! if you want to pay a graduate 20k because we studied in Nigeria then say it as well, it is not when we say what we want then you will post us to a later date,, Next week! Not fair jare

sakalisis:
Hi OP

I am a freelance technology (Phone) researcher and entreprenuer, am a certified Java programmer coupled with my knowledge of phone and laptop repairs. I also graduated with a strong 2.1 in Physics Electronics from the best technology university in Nigeria.

My email is sakalisis@yahoo.com. I will be looking forward tp your reply.

Thanks.

jashar:
ok OP. So, how are you going to help people that would like a job on this forum?

skillip:
@Op, nice write up you have written. However, I have some observations to make. I think after the summary your work experience comes next, I don't have time to be looking at interest etc first, because I have too many Cv's to peruse and no time.
I will prefere this format, Summary, work experience and accomplishment just beneath each job/place you worked, skills follow etc.
Like I said it's just my opinion, I just look for what you have done first, achievments/accomplishment, matching skills etc.
Keep it up.

ambassadorgozie:
DEAR RECRUITER,

I am Mr Paul, studied International relations and graduated with 2.1 from a federal university, certified in French language and HSE, proficient in the use of MS office suite ,and i write articles..
Please help to fix me somewhere.

My email is ambassadorgozie@gmail.com .
I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards.
Paul




Help a jobless graduate..

Merci beaucoup!

kaykash007:
This is informative.....but I also think the Op should at least give hint on how to build a strong attractive CV to compete in the Nigeria Labour market.

Milliprime:
So how do you help to solve the problem.
.

Jazper:
I have sent my resume Ma,
pls check and confirm.