Career Guidance Series
As we conclude the month of February where we ran a successful campaign on the Temba Black History Series, we enter the month of March with the theme of Career Guidance Series to assist our graduates and job seekers to be prepared for the job place. Follow the discussions online and participate, ask questions on our social media platforms and be involved.
The urgent need to solve youth unemployment is in the spotlight. Both the State of the Nation address and the Budget speech cited job creation and unemployment as top priorities. While it’s encouraging that this crisis is being taken seriously by policy makers, youth may be tempted to sit back and wait for government to create jobs for them.
Big mistake! Make yourself as employable as you can, and you will rise to the top when opportunities arise.
Here are 6 tips to keep in mind if you are in the job market and help you ace that job!
1. Volunteer your time.
It’s a catch 22 – you need work experience to get a job, but you can’t get a job without work experience. Enter volunteering! Volunteer your services at a local community centre, NGO or project. It will add skills to your CV, increase your employability and let potential employers know that you are serious about being productive and personal growth.
2. Grab opportunities.
In the current economy, you want to grab any work opening that comes your way. Even if it’s part time, badly paid and not your ideal industry.
Today it’s all about work experience, and any job opens doors, create networks that gives you a chance to move forward. Any job makes you one step closer to your dream job and sets you apart from the crowd.
3. Stay active.
A negative mental state will impact your ability to find a job. No matter how tempting, don’t lie at home in your pyjamas all day watching DSTV. Get up, get dressed, and move. Find an exercise form you enjoy.
If you arrive at an interview despondent and negative, it will reflect in your body language and an employer won’t be inclined to hire you. Employers want positive, energetic staff who will add to the morale.
4. Upskill yourself.
We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to keep developing professionally. It doesn’t only have to be an accredited qualification – there are dozens of free courses at local NGOs as well as hundreds of free courses online.
Again, it shows employees that you are driven and motivated and take charge of your own development.
5. Go digital.
Digital recruiting is where it’s at. Make sure you register your CV on every available career portal, including Lulaway. Set up automatic alerts where you can be notified of new openings as they come up.
It does get repetitive, and you may wonder if anything will come of it but keep at it. Make sure to create a free email account and check it regularly (gmail is super easy to use and free)
6. Write a killer CV.
Your CV is the first thing an employer sees. Make it short, to the point and with correct grammar. Get a friend or family member to check the grammar and spelling to make sure it’s perfect. Good language skills are important for many jobs, and the fact that you took time and effort to present your CV well speaks volumes.
7. Brush up on your English.
English is the language of most workplaces, and the better you can speak and understand the English language, the better your chances are of finding work. Many jobs require good communication ability, so give yourself the edge. Make an effort to read English magazines, websites, newspapers and watch TV shows.
Be confident and speak as often as possible to as many people as you possibly can! Do not be shy to make mistakes! The more you practice the more confident you will become in your pronunciation and vocabulary.
