databoy247:
Recently, i decided to conduct an interview and select some candidates who might be working with my organization. Currently we are trying to expand our operations and see how we can get new leads and probably close more deals. And from my survey, there are hundreds and possibly thousands of unemployed graduates here in Nairaland so i decided to concentrate on recruiting from here.

Now because of the nature of the job and also with a view in cutting cost around physical recruitment exercise, I decided to conduct the whole process online.

567 applications where received. I had to employ the services an outside consultant to help with the process which i also fully participated. Below are my shocking experiences with job seekers in this forum. I pray they read this and improve on themselves.

1. CV and cover letter.
I remember explicitly asking for their CV and cover letter to be forwarded to a particular email address. A huge percentage of the applicants just sent an empty email with their CV as an attachment. Not even an application letter. In case you dont know, a very quick assessment can be done on you by just reading your application or cover letter. You don't just attach your CV and forward to an email address without a cover letter. It means you are not serious and you may NEVER get called for an interview.

2. Many do not even know what they are applying for.
For an example you are asked to apply for an administrative position. The subject of your email should not be "My CV". This is so annoying and disgusting. Those that manage to write a cover letter do not even make reference to the job position they are applying for.

3. Lack of communication skills.
Now it is not enough to have a degree, you must learn to communicate. I sent out a pre-interview questionnaire to selected candidates and i just couldn't believe what i saw. So many job seekers do not know how to communicate and speak simple and clear English language. If you want to stand a better chance in job haunting, learn how to communicate.

4. Words abbreviations
This is a very big problem. Social medial is good but i think it's now becoming a major problem. With the use of BBM, whatsapp, Facebook chat, etc, Nigerians are now addicted to abbreviating words. You see things like 'u', 'k', 'comin', etc. And in case you dont know it, this can cause a very big problem for you. A lot of candidates get disqualified because of this. Learn to write properly when communicating with someone. Stop being in a hurry to pass along your message.

5. Checking of emails.
As a job seeker, you should always check your emails. Recruiters dont just send text messages, they also send emails. I did not screen alot of people because they did not check their emails to see if any information has been passed to them. You must always be on the look out. Dont submit your applications and go relaxing.

These are some of the experiences i had recruiting here. Out of 567 applications, i could not pick up to 20 candidates as a result of all these. Sometimes, i begin to wonder if the problem is lack of jobs or laxity on the part of the applicants because i am so shocked and surprised that our graduates are this way.

http://thenigerian.com.ng/index.php/2015/09/17/my-experiences-recruiting-nigerian-job-seekers-5-things-i-discovered/

Cc: lalasticlala

as u are dressed so u ar addressed u com to nairaland 2 luk 4 cheap labor then u will get cheap application

Ermm... databoy...

What post was the post that was being recruited for?

Is the application process still on going?

Hmmm... .

gboss4sure:
You are lucky you didn't get an SMS from a job seeker applying for the post.

laziness is what is killing Nigerian graduates.

SECONDED!!!!! who do you blame it on? its the system... take it or leave it. a system that rewards laziness and malpractices, someone turns overnight millionaire, no one wants to know the source of wealth, what you hear is the guy don blow!!!!

Stop insulting us, we have done all of that and we are ask these days to make the cover letter brief and checking of mails and skils are there we have the ability and skills ,is just that whay you need was not what you see .

databoy247:
Recently, i decided to conduct an interview and select some candidates who might be working with my organization. Currently we are trying to expand our operations and see how we can get new leads and probably close more deals. And from my survey, there are hundreds and possibly thousands of unemployed graduates here in Nairaland so i decided to concentrate on recruiting from here.

Now because of the nature of the job and also with a view in cutting cost around physical recruitment exercise, I decided to conduct the whole process online.

567 applications where received. I had to employ the services an outside consultant to help with the process which i also fully participated. Below are my shocking experiences with job seekers in this forum. I pray they read this and improve on themselves.

1. CV and cover letter.
I remember explicitly asking for their CV and cover letter to be forwarded to a particular email address. A huge percentage of the applicants just sent an empty email with their CV as an attachment. Not even an application letter. In case you dont know, a very quick assessment can be done on you by just reading your application or cover letter. You don't just attach your CV and forward to an email address without a cover letter. It means you are not serious and you may NEVER get called for an interview.

2. Many do not even know what they are applying for.
For an example you are asked to apply for an administrative position. The subject of your email should not be "My CV". This is so annoying and disgusting. Those that manage to write a cover letter do not even make reference to the job position they are applying for.

3. Lack of communication skills.
Now it is not enough to have a degree, you must learn to communicate. I sent out a pre-interview questionnaire to selected candidates and i just couldn't believe what i saw. So many job seekers do not know how to communicate and speak simple and clear English language. If you want to stand a better chance in job haunting, learn how to communicate.

4. Words abbreviations
This is a very big problem. Social medial is good but i think it's now becoming a major problem. With the use of BBM, whatsapp, Facebook chat, etc, Nigerians are now addicted to abbreviating words. You see things like 'u', 'k', 'comin', etc. And in case you dont know it, this can cause a very big problem for you. A lot of candidates get disqualified because of this. Learn to write properly when communicating with someone. Stop being in a hurry to pass along your message.

5. Checking of emails.
As a job seeker, you should always check your emails. Recruiters dont just send text messages, they also send emails. I did not screen alot of people because they did not check their emails to see if any information has been passed to them. You must always be on the look out. Dont submit your applications and go relaxing.

These are some of the experiences i had recruiting here. Out of 567 applications, i could not pick up to 20 candidates as a result of all these. Sometimes, i begin to wonder if the problem is lack of jobs or laxity on the part of the applicants because i am so shocked and surprised that our graduates are this way.

http://thenigerian.com.ng/index.php/2015/09/17/my-experiences-recruiting-nigerian-job-seekers-5-things-i-discovered/

Cc: lalasticlala

And they keep shouting unemployement. Many graduates in Nigeria are unemployable

Experienced similiar situation too not just nairaland but from other job portals where we advertised available vacancies for individuals and private coys. Chief among them are wrong CV construction, no cover letter, alot of spelling and sentence errors here and there you begin to wonder if they are serious or experimenting on something, Some even went as far as telling alot of lies on their CVs and when you meet them in person you would be shocked to see alot of contrasts and especially the oldies among them who lie alot about their age.

Our institution of higher learning shouldn't be blame on account of the above enumerated blunders. Permit me to ask; has anyone been taught how to write a covering letter or draft a CV in school? What one was taught in school is basically oulined as one's course outline, and needless to say u dont see ''covering letter or CV'' there. Secondly, Hiring managers in Nigeria are so inconsistent in what they want to the extent that there is no particular format for CV and covering letter. Each seminar on employment one attends, such person is taught yet another format of drafting CV..... The issue of mistakes in CV is as a result of too many yet different CV and covering letter samples. Nevertheless, I still cannot exonerate the crop of graduates we have in nigeria. Pls hiring managers, help our poor job hunters.

Am not surprised. The only language they seem to understand is how to use abusive and derogatory words.

Most are uneducable, untrainable and the attending consequences is that they are unemployable.

Functional Illiteracy !!!

Spending The Whole Day On Nairaland Instead Of Developing Themselves To Be Job Ready.

Much Expected.

menix:


OGA it's Job hunting..

See big rock wey dey your eye and u busy removing the dust in okon's eye..

Clap for yourself, what a fantastic contribution , you've just made.

By the way , it is "you" not "u"

Okay we agree there's a problem, what can you do to solve this problem?

Gherrokid:
Shocking .....
One begins to wonder if the unemployment problem in Nigeria is due to lack of jobs or lack of employable graduates

There are jobs in Nigeria, unemployment is a symptom of lazy graduates and employees who want to make millions overnight without working.

Niceiroko:
Stop insulting us, we have done all of that and we are ask these days to make the cover letter brief and checking of mails and skils are there we have the ability and skills ,is just that whay you need was not what you see .

Pls kindly judge yourself with what you just put down, arrant nonsense, he is correcting you, yet you are still making a fool of yourself with your poor spelling and sentence skill, doing agidi. I pity u.. Truly you are a nice iroko

damton:
Seriously. How educational system needs a total overhaul.

jst as ur grammar need a total overhaul. Using 'how' instead of 'our'

Pls kindly judge yourself with what you just put down, arrant nonsense, he is correcting you, yet you are still making a fool of yourself with your poor spelling and sentence skill, doing agidi. I pity u.. Truly you are a nice iroko

jieta:
jst as ur grammar need a total overhaul. Using 'how' instead of 'our'

You are dumb to think dat I did that deliberately.

viqueta:
Nice one OP, am sometimes guilty of Sending an empty mail with just my cv attached but I think I will have to desist from such practice

pls enlighting me on cover letter pls

damton:
You are dumb to think dat I did that deliberately.

get out, i don't want to exchange words with u

jieta:
get out, i don't want to exchange words with u

like I care to pay you attention

Nice one op, thanks for the info

@ OP.....you can't be pointing to the speck in the eyes of others while you have a log in yours, you'll do well to come own up and correct some of the blunders you made in your post, you are as well guilty of what you accused those applicants for. This is the double standard some hiring people display and it's hard for me to keep quiet when i see these things. Some act like the life of applicants is in their hands. I very well agree there's a problem with the way we communicate in our times but i think when you live in a glass house, you should be mindful of what can happen if you throw stones.

omerta07:
I just received one application the other day from an economics graduate and the title was "Application for unemployment" what's the whole rush for?? Call it a mistake but such mistakes MAY cost you a lifetime!

Now that got me lmao

jieta:
jst as ur grammar need a total overhaul. Using 'how' instead of 'our'

oga, let me also correct you. its 'just' not 'jst', 'your' and not 'ur', 'needs' not 'need'.

Thanks in anticipation of the insults to come.

databoy247:
Recently, i decided to conduct an interview and select some candidates who might be working with my organization. Currently we are trying to expand our operations and see how we can get new leads and probably close more deals. And from my survey, there are hundreds and possibly thousands of unemployed graduates here in Nairaland so i decided to concentrate on recruiting from here.

Now because of the nature of the job and also with a view in cutting cost around physical recruitment exercise, I decided to conduct the whole process online.

567 applications where received. I had to employ the services an outside consultant to help with the process which i also fully participated. Below are my shocking experiences with job seekers in this forum. I pray they read this and improve on themselves.

1. CV and cover letter.
I remember explicitly asking for their CV and cover letter to be forwarded to a particular email address. A huge percentage of the applicants just sent an empty email with their CV as an attachment. Not even an application letter. In case you dont know, a very quick assessment can be done on you by just reading your application or cover letter. You don't just attach your CV and forward to an email address without a cover letter. It means you are not serious and you may NEVER get called for an interview.

2. Many do not even know what they are applying for.
For an example you are asked to apply for an administrative position. The subject of your email should not be "My CV". This is so annoying and disgusting. Those that manage to write a cover letter do not even make reference [/b]to the job position they are applying for.

[b]3. Lack of communication skills.
Now it is not enough to have a degree, you must learn to communicate. I sent out a pre-interview questionnaire to selected candidates and i just couldn't believe what i saw. So many job seekers do not know how to communicate and speak simple and clear English language. If you want to stand a better chance in job haunting, learn how to communicate.

4. Words abbreviations
This is a very big problem. Social medial is good but i think it's now becoming a major problem. With the use of BBM, whatsapp, Facebook chat, etc, Nigerians are now addicted to abbreviating words. You see things like 'u', 'k', 'comin', etc. And in case you dont know it, this can cause a very big problem for you. A lot of candidates get disqualified because of this. Learn to write properly when communicating with someone. Stop being in a hurry to pass along your message.

5. Checking of emails.
As a job seeker, you should always check your emails. Recruiters dont just send text messages, they also send emails. I did not screen alot of people because they did not check their emails to see if any information has been passed to them. You must always be on the look out. Dont submit your applications and go relaxing.

These are some of the experiences i had recruiting here. Out of 567 applications, i could not pick up to 20 candidates as a result of[b] all these[/b]. Sometimes, i begin to wonder if the problem is lack of jobs or laxity on the part of the applicants because i am so shocked and surprised that our graduates are this way.

http://thenigerian.com.ng/index.php/2015/09/17/my-experiences-recruiting-nigerian-job-seekers-5-things-i-discovered/

Cc: lalasticlala

Oga, nice post but I would like to point out to you that just because you have gotten a job, it doesn't mean you should stop learning how to communicate well. Your article is filled with some minor errors which I have ignored but I have bolded some not so minor ones, such as begining a sentence with "and", which could get you fired if you work where i do.

Just saying.

Thanks Op for taking time to give out this information...i pray that our concerned youths will take the lessons taught here seriously and help themselves.

Added to the points you have highlighted, another issue I think is lack of dilligence, and the sudden believe that hardwork is a waste of time because like some will swear by "in Naija na man-no-man".

My father always told me "there is always room at the top", and i think everybody should understand that and work hard to be the best at whatever they do.

Despite the economic challenges, opportunities are springing up here and there and it takes those who are 'good' to take them, especially at this time when standards are being lowered.

Alot of us who cry about lack of jobs, which is real of course, are really employable? Every job is for someone to provide solutions to employers' challenges and help grow his business. Are you a solution, how do you cmmunicate your qualities to prospective employers, do you still abbreviate when writing official correspondence? Thanks again op, you try abeg.

kaeforum:


There are jobs in Nigeria, unemployment is a symptom of lazy graduates and employees who want to make millions overnight without working.

I always tell people Nigeria has jobs but we lack the capacity to fill them, its actually so bad that when they ask for referrals, you get scared lest the person go there and becomes an embarrassment.

There are few exceptions.

You wont believe I advertised a vacancy and some people here wrote "This is the CV you requested for".

Can you imagine, and theyre looking for jobs

kendraloops:


oga, let me also correct you. its 'just' not 'jst', 'your' and not 'ur', 'needs' not 'need'.

Thanks in anticipation of the insults to come.

thanks

jieta:
pls enlighting me on cover letter pls

*Enlighten*

databoy247:
Recently, i decided to conduct an interview and select some candidates who might be working with my organization. Currently we are trying to expand our operations and see how we can get new leads and probably close more deals. And from my survey, there are hundreds and possibly thousands of unemployed graduates here in Nairaland so i decided to concentrate on recruiting from here.

Now because of the nature of the job and also with a view in cutting cost around physical recruitment exercise, I decided to conduct the whole process online.

567 applications where received. I had to employ the services an outside consultant to help with the process which i also fully participated. Below are my shocking experiences with job seekers in this forum. I pray they read this and improve on themselves.

1. CV and cover letter.
I remember explicitly asking for their CV and cover letter to be forwarded to a particular email address. A huge percentage of the applicants just sent an empty email with their CV as an attachment. Not even an application letter. In case you dont know, a very quick assessment can be done on you by just reading your application or cover letter. You don't just attach your CV and forward to an email address without a cover letter. It means you are not serious and you may NEVER get called for an interview.

2. Many do not even know what they are applying for.
For an example you are asked to apply for an administrative position. The subject of your email should not be "My CV". This is so annoying and disgusting. Those that manage to write a cover letter do not even make reference to the job position they are applying for.

3. Lack of communication skills.
Now it is not enough to have a degree, you must learn to communicate. I sent out a pre-interview questionnaire to selected candidates and i just couldn't believe what i saw. So many job seekers do not know how to communicate and speak simple and clear English language. If you want to stand a better chance in job haunting, learn how to communicate.

4. Words abbreviations
This is a very big problem. Social medial is good but i think it's now becoming a major problem. With the use of BBM, whatsapp, Facebook chat, etc, Nigerians are now addicted to abbreviating words. You see things like 'u', 'k', 'comin', etc. And in case you dont know it, this can cause a very big problem for you. A lot of candidates get disqualified because of this. Learn to write properly when communicating with someone. Stop being in a hurry to pass along your message.

5. Checking of emails.
As a job seeker, you should always check your emails. Recruiters dont just send text messages, they also send emails. I did not screen alot of people because they did not check their emails to see if any information has been passed to them. You must always be on the look out. Dont submit your applications and go relaxing.

These are some of the experiences i had recruiting here. Out of 567 applications, i could not pick up to 20 candidates as a result of all these. Sometimes, i begin to wonder if the problem is lack of jobs or laxity on the part of the applicants because i am so shocked and surprised that our graduates are this way.

http://thenigerian.com.ng/index.php/2015/09/17/my-experiences-recruiting-nigerian-job-seekers-5-things-i-discovered/

Cc: lalasticlala

I'm not taking side but how will you expect a graduate without prior experience in the field he's applying for to put up a good convincing cover letter without lying?

As a matter of fact, I got my first job without writing any application letter, all I was made to do was a simple Microsoft Excel configuration and the next thing I heard was "start immediately".

On the issue on not being able to speak a simple correct English, it's bad but sometimes, inability to express oneself is sometimes termed as not being able to speak English. Most times, I prefer to express myself in my mother tongue especially when I visit public state offices, my reason is simple, i've lived and worked in the North, Zamfara State, you hardly see co-worker who are predominately hausas communicating in English language and even when they do, it's always very poor so also in the SS and SE, so why do we have this inferiority complex in your mother-tongue in the SW? I guess the OP is a Yoruba man. Except if the position applying for is a post of Class Teacher/Tutor.

Abbreviation on a formal letter is extremely bad.

And lastly, it's quite frustrating racking brain to give in the best ever write up in cover letter never to be called up for interview. In short in this era of identity theft, I will advise peeps out their never to send their soft copies of their credentials to prospective company, i've seen and heard issues.

The fact is, someone who will employ or link you up for a potential job will never care about your resume, you will often hear lines like "can you do this simple task", "Will you be able to handle this application", "have you done this before?

The biggest deals were signed on a gulf course with leisure sport wears not in tower office with tuxedo suit!

Boss, can you give me your email probably I can drop my CV and kindly hint me on the positions available and what the company is into.