Job hunting period can prove to be a dispiriting one in anybody’s life. The travails are unimaginable for Nigerians looking for job in Nigeria; notwithstanding the fact that you graduated with a ‘first class upper’ or not. Of course, unemployment is a norm everywhere, but ours in Nigeria is pathetically an eyesore.

Nigerian companies, government organisations and multinational Companies are filled to capacity. One requires ‘connections’ to get a placement with government organisations. If you intend to follow due process, well, the last immigration exercise is a lesson for us all.

Multinational companies rarely hire, and when they do, the application process is extremely tedious. Vacancies in Nigerian companies are mainly marketing jobs a.k.a corporate mad man job- where one is forced to wear a suit and hawk the company services from Ojota to MileII, until your skin starts producing coal. Some smart companies use the term ‘Chief Marketing Officers’ to deceive desperate job seekers.
Chief of Streets!

In general, organisations are not willing to hire fresh hands and those old enough for retirement have vowed only death can separate them from their company.

So here are some things to note about job hunting in Nigeria:

Fake Vacancies on the Internet
A large percent of vacancies recruitment sites are doctored to drive traffic. No legal company would request an employable graduate to pay money to sit for an aptitude test. I once came across a vacancy which specified applicants with a car have an added advantage. One won’t be surprised if an applicant emerges from the test hall to discover parts of his vehicle or the entire vehicle gone.

The only vacancies from these job sites that seems to hit my mailbox are,
70 Marketers needed at paper printing house in Ikotun!
Housegirl needed at Ajangbadi!
Yoruba Teacher needed at a school in Sango Ode!
Farm attendant needed in Lagos!

Unrealistic Job Requirements
Conditions for employment are unrealistic for entry level applicants. A large percentage of employers are not willing to take in (even the shadow of) a fresh graduate without work experience. This particular issue is frustrating. Some vacancies I have seen require a minimum of 10 years post NYSC experience, applicants must be a Masters degree holder and must not be more than 27. How is that possible when,

- JAMB frustrated some of us year after year till we were given a free JAMB ID card and a permanent JAMB Reg No.
– Some of us attended our University graduation ceremony with a walking stick and our grandchildren, no thanks to ASUU strikes.
– It takes almost a year or more for some universities to release graduates into the precious hands of NYSC. Now your suffering continues?

Poor Pay
Recently, a friend hooked me up with a lady who needed a vibrant person for immediate employment. In the words of the HR officer, “it is a corporate position”.
I arrived the interview venue wearing my Christmas clothes with a Ghana-must-go bag of my certificates (except my death certificate) only to realise it was a small and stuffy bookshop without a standing fan. I went ahead with the interview process just to culminate the experience. The interview questions were difficult like she was hiring me for a sensitive position in Aso Rock. As God would have it, I scaled through impressively.

She concluded I was going to work as an assistant, marketer and customer care representative from Mondays to Saturdays, 8am-6pm with a salary of N10,000 monthly.
Daris God oh!

Submission of CVs
Someone suggested one of the fastest way to get a job in Nigeria is to move from company to company and distribute a copy of your CV as souvenir. I thought the idea was invaluable until I recently went to buy suya from a vendor situated to one accounting firm. On getting home, I noticed the aboki wrapped my suya with a resume addressed to the company. How he got hold of it, I know not.

Finally, a lot of parents out there sold their only wrapper and pair of shoes to train their kids through school with expectations that someday, their sons or daughters will take them out of their abject impoverished state. Whenever I think of the unemployment rate in this country, I feel like storming all the schools I have ever attended to collect my school fees change.

A culmunation of all that money should have been used to open a shop for me when I turned 3 years old. Maybe a tiny fraction of it would have been used to hire a tutor to teach me how to count money.
Some people might say ‘Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country’. Bear in mind there little or no nexus between formal education and the productive sector of our economy. Others might preach entrepreneurship to graduates. Don’t also forget capital is a huge factor which is not at the disposal of many. While the search continues, we will still hold onto the adage “one day Nigeria go better.”
http://www.naijasinglegirl.net

Lol. I feel you. E go beta.

Your write up reeks of pessimism and defeatist approach.
I want to counter in srong terms the idea that 'you must be connected to get a job'. Scores still get jobs in multinationals without being connected to even the gate man. Because most of these firms don't compromise with competence and credidbility.

What people should know is that whole stuff is now damn competitive hence pundits counsel that students graduate with good grades as this gives them an egde in the competitive market.

Truth be told some things you said are true..but some graduates are still getting jobs in naija. It might take six months or even a year
but you need to be patient. On a daily basis i see job adverts so i believe that every graduate who is optimistic and does he/her best will
eventually get a job.
Being pessimistic and hopeless just makes it worse....

Upon all these tribulations, NTA will come out and tell us we are Africa's Largest boosting economy, seriously, how is that even possible with electricity failure. One can't even be self employed without the availability of constant electricity. And still yet, some Nigerian Youths still want to vote in 1 same man that was the vice president for 2years, president for 6years and still re running for yet another 4years to prove his competence?? Technically if he wins, he'll be in Aso Rock for 12 straight years with no proper and positive thing to particularly point at or show for it. Wake Nigerians, we don't need to sit, sleep and pray. Prayer is not what this country needs. The more we even pray, the more misery and problems this country encounters. We have to think and help ourselves before God helps us.

pple still dy get jobs na, its survival of the fittest, go to spain greece or uk, job self no dey, we shud learn to create jobs, a secondary skul mate of mine is into clothingand fashion and he is making it, also one of the dullest guys in my skul den, did not go to uni, went for vocations courses he is now a construction guru wit cappa and d'alberto plc.

nice write up

Saecula:
Your write up reeks of pessimism and defeatist approach.
I want to counter in srong terms the idea that 'you must be connected to get a job'. Scores still get jobs in multinationals without being connected to even the gate man. Because most of these firms don't compromise with competence and credidbility.

What people should know is that whole stuff is now damn competitive hence pundits counsel that students graduate with good grades as this gives them an egde in the competitive market.

thank you joo .... people just blab about connection like its what will give you a job. yea , the market is competitive , you need good grades and good effort to get a good job. more research and networking. I have seen some jobs online that was never posted on job sites. Although referrals could help but you have got to be competent yourself.

panachuku: pple still dy get jobs na, its survival of the fittest, go to spain greece or uk, job self no dey, we shud learn to create jobs, a secondary skul mate of mine is into clothingand fashion and he is making it, also one of the dullest guys in my skul den, did not go to uni, went for vocations courses he is now a construction guru wit cappa and d'alberto plc.

yes , we overate degree certificates too much in this country without checking if we got the capability. majority of expats wey full naija are technicians .... no degree but they acquired skills very early giving them a good years of experience.

Really true but...
I didn't know a fly in my current office.
This month is my two years there.
Out of everyone of us (Say 40) I can mention like three people who knew the HR before coming in.
The rest na merit.
My MD hates people coming in that didn't deserve it.

NB:
Deserving a job or meriting it does not necessarily mean you must do an aptitude test.
Let me help some people out here like I always do.
Whether you are going for a test or an interview, conduct matters. Trust me. Sometimes you should just try to act smart even if you are not.
Acting smart implies you looking smart, not laughing unnecessarily, not gossiping etc.
You also need to be yourself not in the extreme way but modestly.

This is because sometimes, the smartest is not what they are looking for but someone who fits into their profile.

The following can never be a miss at interviews:

1) A can do attitude.
2) A smile/ humor that is witty.
3) Confidence. Even if you are not, feign it.
4) Respectful and humility.

Lastly, always tell your interviewers after each interview that he or she can count on you to do a good and great job. It works like magic.
Life is an art and you need to master the art.
I'm just learning too.

majekdom2: yes , we overate degree certificates too much in this country without checking if we got the capability. majority of expats wey full naija are technicians .... no degree but they acquired skills very early giving them a good years of experience.

What technical skills do you have bro?
Let's learn from you.

NairaMode: Really true.
I didn't know a fly in my current office.
This month is my two years there.
Out of everyone of us (Say 40) I can mention like three people who knew the HR before coming in.
The rest na merit.
My MD hates people coming in that didn't deserve it.

NB:
Deserving a job or meriting it does not necessarily mean you must do an aptitude test.
Let me help some people out here like I always do.
Whether you are going for a test or an interview conduct matters. Trust me. Sometimes you should just try to act smart even if you are not.
Acting smart implies you looking smart, not laughing unnecessarily, not gossiping etc.
You also need to be yourself not in the extreme way but modestly.

This is because sometimes, the smartest is not what they are looking for but someone who fits into their profile.

The following can never be a miss at interviews:

1) A can do attitude.
2) A smile/ humor that is witty.
3) Confidence. Even if you are not, feign it.
4) Respectful and humility.

Lastly, always tell your interviewers after each interview that he or she can count on you to do a good and great job. It works like magic.
Life is an art and you need to master the art.
I'm just learning too.

please i need to talk to you. Maybe i canlearn one or two things from you.

Naija is really hard ooo

Liability: please i need to talk to you. Maybe i canlearn one or two things from you.

Naija is really hard ooo

Sis.
I will be glad to help.
I'm sure I will pick one or two things from you too.
Check the website in my signature and get my contact details there.

Naija is hard.... People are just covering their challenges... You know trying to stay strong.
Life now as against the time of our parents requires more agility and anger to succeed.
God help us all.

Kola90: NTA will come out and tell us we are Africa's Largest boosting economy, seriously, how is that even possible with electricity failure. One can't even be self employed without the availability of constant electricity. And still yet, some Nigerian Youths still want to vote in 1 same man that was the vice president for 2years, president for 6years and still re running for yet another 4years to prove his competence?? Technically if he wins, he'll be in Aso Rock for 12 straight years.

'Guy, abeg bone tori, no bring polits 4 dis mata' GEJ, Is NOT the cause of unemployment or inadequate power supply in this country. If you are detail oriented, you will know that there is improvement in the power sector and other sectors of the economy.
GEJ has better plans for this country BUT his counterparts are just frustrating his plans, UNLESS if you have personal issues with him. For PDP to endorse GEJ for another tenure, means he's tested & trusted by the his party. Bye for now!

#GEJ2015Jor

chyna4luv:

'Guy, abeg bone tori, no bring polits 4 dis mata' GEJ, Is NOT the cause of unemployment or inadequate power supply in this country. If you are detail oriented, you will know that there is improvement in the power sector and other sectors of the economy.
GEJ has better plans for this country BUT his counterparts are just frustrating his plans, UNLESS if you have personal issues with him. For PDP to endorse GEJ for another tenure, means he's tested & trusted by the his party. Bye for now!

#GEJ2015Jor

Ok. Have a nice day.

Let me add to this. Those who are connected have the chance of getting jobs faster. Some companies do recruit on merit. But what are d chances of a graduate who gets to compete wiv several others to get a job, when d number of d unemployed are growing in astronomical proportions. When only 1 out of 20 are gettin jobs (let's assume). So the more d numbers keeps growing d more patiently u have to wait ur own turn which may take months even years. This is not always d case. Bottom line Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb, if this monster called UNEMPLOYMENT is not tackled. The consequences are indeed severe

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