Laird:
Many Years Ago
Okonjo Iweala said a lot of Graduates are unemployable



I disagreed with her

Having been on both sides of the table

She wasn't wrong


The smartest migrate or are snapped up by Multinationals and high paying and high earning companies in critical roles of which Nigeria already had a high poverty and poor purchasing power problem so most companies are not.in that league

Some dont have soft skills or interview skills or job
Schools to are not optimised to produce high ranking students


The companies And organisations that earn billions and pay high like Mobil, Shell, Seplat ,NNPC , CBN, NPA cannot employ every single Nigerian graduate

The rest companies are left to pick from the candidates

Some times some candidates are a diamond 💎 found in the rough


Sometimes some companies are a diamond found in the rough as in good management and good staff treatment.

That explains everything

The purpose of a company is to create goods and products and services that customers would pay for and keep coming back to repurchase

All employees are to work to achieve that aim and paid from the revenue pool as the company would also pay other bills like machinery, Internet, advertising, stationery, electricity etc

Ofadaman:


A lot of things goes into finding the right candidate and it's just certificate or experience, most applicants don't even know it's a lot of work to organize a successful interview. It takes money and time, and months. Why would a company steal your idea lol, from an applicant? , You guys are really living in your own world and need to come out and say hello to reality

integridad:
Dear Applicants,

Do you know that there is a new trend with companies especially these small scale "One man businesses"

Companies schedule interviews with people they have no intention hiring, They take advantage of frustrated job seekers, ask them questions usually around business development to steal their ideas.

Job seekers who went through pain or spent a lot, some even borrowed to arrive at the interview venue.

This is very wrong, NLC should look into this exploitation

Most Nigerian jobs posted on LinkedIn are fake, companies do this to create publicity and a faux appearance of growth,

Applicants beware!!

If you ever attend an interview like this, please visit this post and tag the company.

dmaze:
Happened to me.

Don't listen to people here trying to tell you otherwise or that it doesn't happen. The OP is very right.

You see, LinkedIn, you need to be very careful. I got an invite to build a Financial Model from a company that looked very legit.

I spent all my energy, through the weekend building this financial model, then proceeded to submit.

Till date, nothing they refused to acknowledge my mail,even when I sent reminders. They also called me with a number, when I called the number it was switched off.

You need to do your due diligence on LinkedIn and be very careful with companies posting certain kind of jobs. DON'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE.

Microwhy:

You later agreed with her, having been on both sides but your subsequent submission lack total correlation with one another..
Only God understand what you intend to say..

IbnIbrahim:


An interesting experience I had during the covid period was that many so-called graduates can't even find their way around using Zoom platform for a virtual interview, it was so frustrating that I had to resort to doing phone interview.

Lannister360:


Point of correction, I didn't manage, I graduated well. Every so called experienced person you find today was once inexperienced and also passed through the same university with irrelevant theories, they only got to where they are today because someone gave them a chance, if these people where asked to present a 50 years experience back then how will they have gotten to where they are today?

There are no opportunities out there for fresh graduates, every HR is looking for experience, even on entry levels they will still be asking for 50 years experience.

uuzba:

There's a day I entered a ride to work.
The driver picked up other passengers and we were all there stuck in traffic jam.
One lady was complaining about her sales work.
One guy beside me told her to stop complaining. He was a northerner guy.
After UNI, he saw that nothing was happening in the north. He just closed eyes and came down to Lagos.
No where to sleep. He went and slept in one kind roadside beer parlour/car park place.
Night and morning he will wash the cars of those beer parlour men that came to park there, whether they pay or not.
That's how one of them noticed him and asked him to follow him.
Oga gave him driver work. From there to head of logistics.
Guy managed himself, rented house, later bought land, married wife.
-
I don't know what else to say.
I will not tell you what to do. Just take your actions wisely.

Ofadaman:


You've spoken well, there are good and bad employers and there are good and bad applicants and employee. But I'd tell you what I've learned is that no man is a tree planted to remain at one spot ,and I've also learned to measure people's worth by their value/risk and responsibility. The man who brings the most value, bears the most responsibility and risk ,should get the most reward.

If you find yourself anywhere that your shot changed you should move ,it's simple as that

integridad:
Dear Applicants,

Do you know that there is a new trend with companies especially these small scale "One man businesses"

Companies schedule interviews with people they have no intention hiring, They take advantage of frustrated job seekers, ask them questions usually around business development to steal their ideas.

Job seekers who went through pain or spent a lot, some even borrowed to arrive at the interview venue.

This is very wrong, NLC should look into this exploitation

Most Nigerian jobs posted on LinkedIn are fake, companies do this to create publicity and a faux appearance of growth,

Applicants beware!!

If you ever attend an interview like this, please visit this post and tag the company.

ONNYX:


You see what I mean!

You are bitter with the system. But trust me, the system is perfect. It's what we feed it that we get out of it.

You have to chose properly who your fight will be directed at. No HR person owes you a job.

They have their own issues and the biggest problem any HR has is finding the fright fit for a role. I will have you know that in some organisations the career progression of a HR personnel is directly dependent on his/her ability to fill roles with the right personnel. You then think he would jeopardize his career so that you get a job?

Go get your experience some how. If the position requires "50" years experience then there is a reason for it.

Companies are set up for profit. They are no charities. They reserve the right to select the very best candidates for a role. They do not owe you or indeed anyone else a training or experience gathering opportunity. They need to make profits and are thus bound to hire only those who can provide the relevant experience that will enable them attain their corporate objectives.

And by the way, you will not be given a chance if you don't grab it. Nigeria is a great cash cow and fertile beyond your wildest dreams. If you can't see that much then it's nobody's fault.

Finally Sir, "graduating well* in the Nigerian context means getting a good grade. In the real world it means so much more.

I hope you benefit from this typing effort. I am only trying to point you in the right direction and not seeking an elongated argument.

Cheers!

integridad:
Dear Applicants,

Do you know that there is a new trend with companies especially these small scale "One man businesses"

Companies schedule interviews with people they have no intention hiring, They take advantage of frustrated job seekers, ask them questions usually around business development to steal their ideas.

Job seekers who went through pain or spent a lot, some even borrowed to arrive at the interview venue.

This is very wrong, NLC should look into this exploitation

Most Nigerian jobs posted on LinkedIn are fake, companies do this to create publicity and a faux appearance of growth,

Applicants beware!!

If you ever attend an interview like this, please visit this post and tag the company.

integridad:


- 'to steal their ideas'
means I'm writing about job applicants who are intelligent.
Later one wld discover that the ideas or solutions that was shared by an applicant is being used or implemented by the company. That is intellectual theft and being done to job seekers makes it more debasing.

Ofadaman:


The truth is bitter but whatever makes you sleep well at night, I'd tell you one thing for free, I've never heard of a company that goes through months of recruitment to steal ideas from applicants. You guys are living inside your own head, if the ideas are so great why don't they just sell it, patent or give limited info. You'all should wake the f* up

Ofadaman:



Stop this hearsay and tell me one idea or one job seeker you know whose idea was use by the business?.

integridad:



This is very wrong, NLC should look into this exploitation

thegrinch:


If you're sure it happened to you, then post the name of the company. If E sure for you, post am.

Plus you are not an applicant. you are a vendor. You didnt do due diligence. Na you f.up... assuming it happened.

integridad:
Dear Applicants,

Do you know that there is a new trend with companies especially these small scale "One man businesses"

Companies schedule interviews with people they have no intention hiring, They take advantage of frustrated job seekers, ask them questions usually around business development to steal their ideas.

Job seekers who went through pain or spent a lot, some even borrowed to arrive at the interview venue.

This is very wrong, NLC should look into this exploitation

Most Nigerian jobs posted on LinkedIn are fake, companies do this to create publicity and a faux appearance of growth,

Applicants beware!!

If you ever attend an interview like this, please visit this post and tag the company.

Ofadaman:


One of the angry applicants spotted, I ask again tell me which business stole idea from a job applicant and used it?.. all this he say, she say ,beer parlous talks from senior applicants of Nigeria (SAN)

Ofadaman:
Most jobseekers aren't good enough for the job, no employer is frustrating them, this way of thinking is what makes applicant find ways to justify their incompetence ,instead of looking for ways to upskill and do better at interviews they find ways to throw the blame at the employers, just to feel good about themselves. Most of them will respond positively to this post as a way to confirm their bias and feel good about themselves.

Ofadaman:

Stop this hearsay and tell me one idea or one job seeker you know whose idea was use by the business?.

Lannister360:


You said " Go get your experience some how ", I think that is exactly what I'll do, since they expect job seekers to magically manufacturer experience, then I'll manufacturer one for them. Rubbish.

fxexperts:
Please do not always generalized, maybe if you have not experinced it before dont give fallcy of hasty generalization, there have to be some guidline of some sort for some of these companies conducting interviews. i agree with you that most Nigerians graduates are unemployable but that cannot be generalized. I have been a victim of what OP posted above it happened in 2019 when i applied for one job online the company was in Ikoyi lagos and at that time i was working in Delta state. I was working for the Nigerian National Petroleum Development company as a contract staff at that time and when this company contacted me for a job they asked for my expected salary. i gave a figure and they asked why i wanted to leave the NPDC and i told them i am a contract staff, so the said the role is for a full-time staff and then i told them my expected salary surpassing over N20million per Anum they agreed i decided to take the bath for an interview with them. Few days before the interview the sent me a proposal to do a bidding for a contract they were chasing from my company NPDC that was the first red flag. Their recruitment officer called me back some days why i didnt submit the first interview test, and i told him i could smell a rat and he tried to convince me that i can create a dummy company name to do the bidding that they were just trying to test my skills around bidding and that was going to be my main job when i resume with them and i told him their are other ways you can find this out and not by asking me to do a real time bidding for you.

So they invited me for the interview without me doing the bidding stage, i took excuse from work for 2 days took flight to lagos one to get and i found at that this dirty company is a one man company without any foundation base trying to break into the oil and gas sector and all the guys working there including the one who was calling me all this while were just little kids fresh out of school with no experince.

I kept my cool had a interview session with them and their foolish MD, only for him to start asking questions around the proposal scope and anytime i give any figure around the scope he will ask his errand boys to write it down, when he ask for cost around some of the equipment if i mention the range he will ask them to write it down. then it dawns on me that this man wants me to do a bidding for them for free.

I can't believe that after the interview the MD still ask me to do and submit the first stage which is the bidding stage before i leave that was when i shouted at the useless boys working for him, that something is wrong with their head.

Also, when i first heard the company is in Ikoyi i was impressed but when i went to their office i observed that they shared the same office space with a hundred more companies, which means they just rented an office to scam innocent job seekers.

Couldn't get anything from them not even a thank you for coming money.

I couldn't believe I wasted my money and time just to do some free jobs for one useless man. Here is the fucking address of the company and the useless guy that called for the job.

TIMILEYIN ALABI,
DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR

IPMC Limited
18b, Olu Holloway Road
Ikoyi
Lagos State.

Oyerinde16:


It's the job of a company to employ and train, most Nigerian graduates are trained to be flexible and ready to adapt...

Lazy companies want already made... They want a millionaire to come and turn thier dead company around, yet they want to pay stipends...

I have dealt with so many company in this category... I tell you I can do this and that,.I tell them I have connection to this and that, I also tell them I can bring this deal and that deal... Some interviewee had to call thier Gmd, they wondered why someone like me will be looking for job... But I told them I wanted to start with a new company due to my exit from my former oils servicing company...

They quickly organized a special interview where I negotiated a fat salary, the employed me in, I requested for 3 months to familiarize and start bringing in deals... They agreed, I requested I will only come to work 3rise a week, they agreed, all they were after was the big deals I promised them...

I collected 6 months fat salary, flew first class, and exited the company...

ONNYX:


You are taking this the wrong way. Everything boils down to your attitude. I assure you that if you were in the shoes of the employer you would do exactly the same.

Employers seek solution providers. They are not training schools. At some point in their evolution if it becomes expedient they can set up a training facility that will provide them with the right pool of human capital. I assure you that this effort only results from a failure in the educational system.

Shell at some point had to set up a Graduate Training Facility just because what the universities were churning out was sub-par. For those who participated in such programmes they can testify to this.

If you are honest with yourself you will relate with the following; During the NYSC camp experience you will recall meeting some graduates and then wondering if and how they went through a tertiary education.

Bros, employers are struggling seriously to get the right candidates and they have to resort to varied options to attract the very best. One of these is to get people already prepared to hit the ground running as a result of having gained experience in a similar role.

If you really want a job then an interview session is a platform for you to sell your abilities and not to come and profess how fast a learner you are. That should already be a given for a good graduate.

During the week I was trying to recruit a junior Accountant. The three most qualified candidates were brought to my office all of them with shining First degrees. Non of them could use MS Excel beyond the rudiments. They had not taught themselves how to use any of the more popular accounting softwares. All three claimed they were 'fast learners'. So I will employ Accounting graduates and teach them how to use of intermediate Excel. It's alright. I settled for the fifth candidate who incidentally has no degree but an ATS. He is however very well versed in MS Excel, Save, QuickBooks and Zoho Books. To crown it all he has 3 years cognate experience working in a similar role within this same industry. Two days on board and nobody has a doubt that this was the best decision.

What would you do in my shoes.

Psalmistproject:


Oga what are you even saying?! You must be one of those inconsiderate employers. You'll invite one for interview, waste their time indiscriminately under the guise of evaluating their patience level, no clear professional standardized test, then after you display shamelessness by quoting ridiculous compensation plan for the work.

Nigerians have what it takes, they're determined. The problem lies with employers lacking professional hr skills trying to be one.

fawaz050:


Someone close to me was once hoodwinked with this format. She was asked to prepare a Confidential Information Memo 📝, which is a hard thing normally. They sent her an impossible offer after pressuring them for feedback.

They offered her a small sum for a job role listed from A-Y, weekends inclusive. We know they just sent it to put her off. So we declined the offer.

But she did the Memo so well that they were even saying they are considering testing her with another work. I thought she was the only one o. Until I saw this thread tonight.

Ofadaman:


Ask yourself, if I'm an employer why would I waste valuable time interviewing people, don't I have better things to do that to call people just to embarrass them, you need to wake up and take responsibility . You don't know how hard it is to organize interviews

Alexbio:



You sound defensive and complacent, your expression shows you have little understanding about this subject matter. I have seen instances where companies eg. Sales and Marketing, investment, fintech, micro finance and the likes especially these infant ones invite experienced job seekers (most especially the ones seeking to change their current jobs) not because of primary intention to employ them but to access their practical experience acquired over the years as information and guides via interview questions of which they could have paid consultancy fee for else where infact sometimes some of them will ask their invitees to submit soft copies of business development strategies of all kinds as it may be required via email or video presentations. That's why in most cases in this regards they usually keep records of all the interviews for a reference purposes thereafter. For your information this is part of business development strategies most upcoming firms engage in their business obligations in case you don't know. Be properly guided, pls.

Psalmistproject:


So why did you say MOST job seekers are not employable since you can't evaluate them? You people should be considerate. My problem is your choice of word MOST. In each of the fields requiring employment in this country, study has shown an overwhelming turn out of qualified applicants the challenge is limited slots and the compensation package.