The Real Reason You Don’t Have A Job

Source: Nairaland

Stumbled upon this and I thought I should share

You’re now in your twenties/thirties, and it seems you’re miles away from ‘there’, at least the part where companies come begging to have you.

You suddenly realize you chose the wrong course of study so you have limited chances of getting a job, that you have not the kind of ‘connections’ to land that big job and in fact, that there are no jobs.

This is actually one of the reasons you don’t have a job: YOU DON’T KNOW the real reasons you don’t have a job.

You get what you deserve. No more, maybe less.

Except you’re looking to work in a particular industry and as such selective in your job search, the real reason you don’t have a job is because you don’t deserve one…you can quote me.

First things first, what can you do? If the tables were turned, what would ‘you’ pay yourself for?

Getting a job requires that you have something to offer in exchange for money. Value for value. Not value for nothing.

Now let’s distinguish what you think you can do from what you actually can do.

You have a first degree in Mathematics, so we all believe you can teach secondary school mathematics but that’s not where it ends. You do think you can teach but truth is, in the real world, I mean in the employer’s world, you can’t!

It’s just like spending six years studying Medicine and graduating without a certificate – Validation. Whatever knowledge we claim to have is implausible without proof.

So, what do I mean by validation?

Yes, you guessed right. I was going to talk about ‘experience – the university graduate’s nightmare. A good number of us know what experience is not but only a handful know what it is.

Humans are generally of two kinds; those who spent most of their growing up years garnering experience- involuntarily maybe, and those who grew with little or no orientation of self-sustenance.

The vast majority of people being born since the late 20th century belong to the later, which is not bad if your parents/guardians have enough resources to groom you to such levels where you may not need to find a job, if you know what I mean.

From personal observation, and on a very general note, those that grew up having to earn a living for themselves from very tender ages have the least tendency to become job seekers.

Most times, they tend toward owning businesses and when they choose to pursue career paths and get paid jobs, they never lack opportunities or, are better at creating opportunities for themselves, if that puts it better.

From whichever perspective we choose to see it, our upbringing regardless, truth is, We all can better position ourselves for that dream job, if we make use of the right approach.
At this point, it becomes very important to dis-abuse our minds of some wrong notions we hold.

First of all,

Work Experience Is Most Importantly What You Make It To Be

Except in cases where the employer is only willing to consider candidates with experience in specific companies/organisations for job openings, you’ll be amazed how many prospective applicants CAN apply but DO NOT apply. This is particularly true for job placements requiring less than 4 years experience.

As far as experience goes, it isn’t simply about what you can do. Going further, the question becomes: What Can You Make Of What You Have Done?
Some people have served in varying capacities in fields of industry but don’t know how to present what they know in the light of the required relevance, for the particular job opening.

Many times, this is simply due to ignorance- the prospective employee not knowing what his/her experience translates to.
One may need the help of a career professional to get this right.

It Does Not Have To Be ‘Post’ Any Academic Qualification.

Except otherwise stated by employer pre-qualification experience is as valid as post-qualification experience.
These days, much less than half the job openings requiring experience, make post-qualification experience a requirement. Majority will consider undergraduate experience if properly presented, yet, many job seekers don’t take advantage of this.

It Is Not Necessarily Gotten From Paid Employment. Why Not Volunteer?

This is one of the most effective ways of gaining meaningful experience but sadly, still very alien to job seekers in this part of the world.
Truth is, hardly will a company refuse a volunteer.

For fresh graduates in this clime, volunteering is a very effective way to break into your chosen field and gain experience in the process.

I dare to say that cash spent on self-sustenance during this kind of volunteer work is more justified than that spent on heaping certifications, without experience. After all, certifications are meant primarily to ratify knowledge you claim to already have.

Lastly, for young graduates with little or no work history, there’s a good chance you’ll get hired through your efforts at gathering experience: for example, by volunteering. This is because what ultimately matters is being able to lend proof to what you claim to know and proof (of knowledge), is what experience gives.

To be relevant in the market place, you need to discover and learn skills germane to your prospective field of industry. Again, beyond conceptual depth, you need to develop skills- skills relevant to your field.

Show me an unemployed graduate, I’ll show you someone who does not have, has not developed or is simply ignoring his/her skills!
I can’t say this enough: employers will normally prefer a first degree holder with the right skills to a master’s degree holder with no skills.

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