Job search fundamentals (III)

By Olu Oyeniran

Looking for a job is not fun.
Not at all. If can be lonely, frustrating and discouraging. And it can be tough on your ego. But then, it is something nearly everybody past the age of consent will have to go through; at least once in a life time. And like most things there is a right way of going about finding a good job …….. well not exactly – if what you are expecting is a foolproof mathematical formula!

The more accurate thing to say is that there is a way of looking for work that definitely increases your chances of finding a good job, and there is also a way that not only reduces these chances, but also makes your job search miserable and discouraging to the bargain. Find errors. Debug the system. Let’s continue doing this as we have been doing in the last two weeks.

Master job aptitude tests

A significant number of employers conduct job aptitude tests as part of their selection process. There are many reasons for this. It may be used as a more objective (and less prone to undue influence and interferences) means of reducing applicants to manageable proportion. You will understand why if you realise that there may be thousands of application received for just a few positions. It may be used to test the quality of applicants, especially in those days of falling education standard, with differing quality from institution to institution. The main reason, however, is to test the abilities of the applicants in the basic skills required to do the job effectively – comprehension, verbal and quantitative skills, quantitative ability, logical reasoning, speed and accuracy, specific job skills, etc. Broadly speaking, formal test falls into three categories – aptitude, attainment and personality tests.

Except you master these tests and perform well in them, your dream of getting a top flight job might suffer some set back at this stage.

Master the art of writing application letter

Dear Sir / Madam, I humbly apply for the post of ………………. as you advertised in the Guardian of July seventeen, two thousand and four.

Enclosed is my CV for your perusal.

Yours faithfully,

Above is an application letter from a job candidate. It is not worth the paper on which it was written in respect of aiding the job search.

The application letter (also referred to as Cover Letter ) is supposed to customise your Resume/CV for a particular job. That is, it should stress the most relevant positive aspects of your CV in respect of the job at hand. It should state how your experience and qualification meet the requirements of the job.

Prepare well for job interview

For any interview, thorough preparation is the cornerstone for making positive impressions at job interviews. There are some things you can do a day or so before the interview, but most preparations start weeks before the day of the interview. Many people make the mistake of waiting until the last minute to prepare, hoping to coast to success. It does not work that way most of the time. As usual, it is only hard work that pays. Let me point out that you need to have job/career target for you to do this effectively.

For a start, you need to be unformed about your potential employer; you need to have the global picture of the main issues in industry, key players, levels of remuneration, technology, success factors, etc. You also need to be informed about the company itself: turnover, products and markets, ownership structure, organisation structure, financial strength, culture and politics etc. If possible, also get information about the person you will be reporting to actually. Having information about the employer sends a message at the interview that you are serious about working for this company and boosts your confidence.

Part of the planning is for you to anticipate interview questions, and then formulate your answers to clime. Like it was mentioned in one of our past presentations the key questions are (a) why do you want to work for this company (b) what can you do for us? (c) What kind of a person are you? (d) What distinguishes you from the other 14 with similar qualifications? (e) Can we afford you? Formulate your strategies to shine.

And the small davids that can lead to the fall of goliaths: do you know the venue of the interview not to get lost, and get to the place late? Are you properly dressed? Do you have manners? So, you have all the things – written materials, credentials, resume, recommendation/reference, photocopies, etc that you may need? Do you know what is required of you at this particular interview?

Learn to conduct and present yourself

"Qualification is important" said one respondent in a survey, "but it is the whole person that I am interested in. How much does that person come across? How enthusiastic is this person. How positive is this individual? That is so important".

Findings indicated that within the first few minutes of any personal meeting with somebody who has the power to hire you or screen you out, the decision has pretty much been made. First impressions affect the hiring decision, and this is why the way you look is so important to your job strategy.

And now to your personality traits. For example, are you stable? Don’t answer yes or no. Employer has their way of discovering people with extreme behaviour of any type: inability to stay focused on an issue, disorganisation beyond the normal range. Other traits assessed include personal drive for success and achievement, honesty and integrity, people and interpersonal skills, dependability, loyalty, sense of responsibility etc.

You see, looking for a job is a serious matter. It is complex and you must master the complexity for you to succeed. Thankfully, it can be done, if you are ready to give it all it takes.

Let us pause on this topic this week. We will continue next Monday, God willing. Cheers.

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