Gloom! Doom! Dim forebodings! The end of the country as we know it. Gosh! You can’t pick up a newspaper or watch the news these days without “the evidence” jumping out at you, of our country’s “eminent demise.”
The other day I was at a party and all the guests could talk about was this gloom-doom stuff! Another day I was in the salon, and the gist was even “gloomier and doomier”! For a minute I was certain that one woman’s hair standing on end was as a result of the gist, and not some spray gel! (A business idea worth pursuing: “Canned Gloom” – guaranteed to straighten your hair! But let’s save that for another day!)
Anyway, the crux of the “hair-raising” matter that day was that there are “no jobs” in this country; people graduate from school and stay idle because they can’t find work. Well, I know that our unemployment statistics are rising, but I’m a firm believer in taking proactive steps to solving your own problems. We each have the power to change our situations; if you look hard enough, you’ll find a way. You don’t need to wait for some one else to come and save you, you can help yourself! But of course, if you don’t believe that, you’ll stay home waiting for a job, whining and complaining as your weeks turn to months, and years and….
I once drew up a list of tips for those seeking work, for an article I wrote, and I proceeded to share these with my fellow patrons at the salon that day.
In a nut-shell, this is what I said:
(1) Rather than stay home waiting for a job, approach a business owner and offer to work for free, for a stipulated period of time. No, I’m not crazy, and yes, I do mean it! Your skills are growing rusty at home, and you are getting older and less employable. Three things could result from this approach: (a) You could gain valuable job experience, something employers want but fresh graduates don’t usually have, (b) You could earn valuable recommendations from your bosses, colleagues and customers, (c) You could get employed by your boss! I have heard of a young man who got a job this way.
(2) What skills and qualifications do employers want that you don’t have? Do you have just the basic qualifications? A first degree is considered basic these days. How can you make yourself desirable to prospective employers? How can you stand out in the employment market? Those who get the jobs have something that you don’t have. For as long as you think it’s a godfather, you’re going to remain unemployed! This is because such self-limiting beliefs place responsibility on someone else to solve the problem. When you take responsibility, you can do something about it, be proactive. Do whatever it takes to stand out, strikingly. It could be as simple as improving your spoken English or self-presentation.
(3) Be willing to start small – at a lower salary or position than you expected, if necessary. As long as there are growth and exposure prospects it’s worth considering. Money isn’t everything when you’re first starting out. Many jobseekers are aiming too high, “in faith,” they say! But the fact that they’re still seeking makes me wonder if it isn’t a dose of humility, combined with reality that they truly need!
(4) Could self-employment be for you, or your group of friends? Consider what the fathers of Yahoo! and Google and Microsoft did. A little joint venture could become something big. Don’t underestimate yourself. And if money’s a problem, you could consider finding sponsors and give them a share in the business. That’s what Bill Gates did.
(5) Applying to newspaper adverts does work. In my employment days (I’m now freelance) I received several invitations to interviews from newspaper ads, with no godfather or mother clinching the deal! Ditch the self-limiting belief that it doesn’t work. It could be that you need polishing up in your CV-writing or interview skills. Take time out to learn the contemporary way to write CVs. I’ve received a lot of CVs in out-dated formats. And most applicants don’t know that one style doesn’t suit all situations; you need a different CV for practically every new application. You’ve got to slant them towards each fresh opening.
(6) A lot of people these days do not have job-seeking skills. It should be taught in school, but since it isn’t (in most) we have to find and learn them ourselves. You need to know how to network, and no, you don’t have to have connected parents or friends. You can connect yourself! Here’s that word “proactive” again! Connect yourself by joining the Job Club, or whatever you call the employment service in your church or community. Connect yourself by going to employment agencies. You’ll have to pay some money, but of course you don’t expect it to be free! In my working days I got two jobs that way, and I have since employed five staff through an agency. Connect yourself by joining all your alumni associations, and I mean all! I know people who got jobs through one of the “Old Boys or Girls.” People even get business contracts that way! Join yours and get networking!
In fact, my list could go on. And I’m talking from experience, not theory. It’s true that unemployment statistics are rising, but if I were unemployed, I’d decide not to be a part of those statistics! I’d get proactive and find myself a job through one of the ways I shared with those ladies. You see, your beliefs (about the economy, your ethnicity, your education, or lack of it, etc) could be standing in your way. There are jobs in this country, but “Gloom-Doom Thinking” will not let you see or hear of them. People pick up jobs here in Nigeria every day. If you can’t get one, there must be something they know that you don’t. Get proactive and find out what that is.
So, shed the gloom, or at least, turn it into a business opportunity! What was that I said earlier about Canned Gloom straightening the hair….?!
Copyright 2005 Oma Edoja
This article MAY NOT be reproduced, in part or in full.
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Oma Edoja is a writer, motivational speaker and infopreneur. She writes and speaks on a variety of topics but mainly motivation and self-help. She publishes a free, fortnightly, inspirational newsletter giving “Nigerian inspiration for the Nigerian situation.™” View samples of her newsletter at http://up-mobile.blogspot.com and get a bonus info pack when you subscribe, titled Four Steps to Success, plus free coaching with your top three goals.
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