Job Seeker? DO THE FOLLOWING CORRECTLY, YOU GET A JOB

Image by office.com

It is possible to get job position without favor from a referee or waiting for job adverts on mass media. This post will direct you to a new and better way of getting job vacancy. I call it THE DIRECT WAY.

It is common for many graduates to expect to find jobs through adverts on newspapers or websites of recruitment agents. Some graduates believe that they need ‘referees’ or other kinds of nepotism to be able to win job opportunities. Instead of staying there at home waiting for job adverts or nepotism, I recommend: you GO DIRECT.

To go direct means you personally ‘face’ your potential employer and express yourself that you qualify and you are able to bring value to the organization.

You can ‘face’ the potential employers through the following ways:-

1. Physical visit to the employer’s premise/office 

Prepare yourself and the documents that can ‘sell’ you well, and go at the right time of the working day to the organization that you know your competence is needed.

Ask for a chance to meet with appropriate person who can listen to you. Ask for appointment if possible so that you can talk face to face with the person in charge or if it is difficult to get the appointment then leave your ‘selling documents’ to the right person who can deliver them to the appropriate person in charge.

You should know that many organizations don’t advertise job vacancies for different reasons. The reasons why many organizations don’t advertise open vacancies can be lack of funds to advertise, or lack of skills to prepare job adverts, or they might be thinking the jobs are ‘just small’ to bother themselves to advertise them. Other reasons could be that the organizations might see that internal announcements through notes board or simple outdoor job adverts they advertise at public places are enough.

So, don’t sit there waiting for job adverts on mass media, there are millions of open job vacancies which are not yet announced.

I got four (4) job positions through my personal physical visit to organizations which seemed desperately looking the person of competence, so I know going Direct really works. In one situation, I just saw an advert on TV about a college, I saw that they were offering courses that I could teach, so I organized myself and faced the principal of the college. I then got the job. The college needed someone like me.

2.Applying directly using official career site of the potential employer:  

Some organizations have their own official sites that let job seekers get opportunity to know what job positions are open plus application procedure that job applicants must follow.

The application procedures normally require job seekers to sign up for the job search service, and fill in necessary information plus attachments of CV, scanned copies of relevant academic certificates and other documents such as driving license, passport etc.

3.When potential employer doesn’t have a career site:  

If you can’t pay a physical visit to an organization but you can access its official contact information then use that contact information to send your application.

However you should remember that  it is best to start with physical visit method explained above, if you really can’t visit the organization then use the career site, if there is no career site then go for the official contact information and give the employer your application.

When you organize your application pay attention to the following:

• Study the organization:  A winning strategy in Going Direct is to show the potential employer that he or she needs you. This is possible when you understand well the organization’s activities, mission, vision, products and management structure.    You should be able to see your position in that organization and how you can really deliver some value to the organization. Confidently explain to the employer that you are competent and make him or her realize you are unique.

• Prepare your CV or Resume properly:  Your CV is a document that should show how unique you are and how competent you are for the job you are applying for. Make the CV in such a way that ‘it talks for you’; Make sure you put references if needed and such references should be the people who can really ‘talk for you’ in relation to the job you are applying.  Remember to put in the CV- what you are able to do, not what you were told to do, this means that when you are writing your working experience write in terms of accomplishments or achievements you have made in a particular area of job title.

• Prepare a compelling application letter: Your application letter should be written professionally with summary of whom you are and why you qualify for the job position or why you should be accepted to work for a particular organization that you are applying to. Remember to match your academic qualifications, work experience and other skills with the requirements of the job that you are applying for (This therefore means you must be able to get an understanding of job description of a post you are applying for).

• Your exposure matters:  Don’t forget to show that you have relevant exposure in relation to what you are applying for or in relation to the organization you are applying to. For example if you are applying to a Non-Profit organization, even if you don’t have relevant job experience for a particular job but the fact that you were an active member of religious group or social club at school level or college level can be used to explain your exposure to Non-profit  activities. Compare what you accomplished in the previous organizations with what the potential employer‘s organization is doing.

• How you sell yourself: Pay attention to your ‘sales tools’; CV, Resume, Online presence- LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Groups, application/cover letter and copies of relevant certificates.  For example don’t submit ‘expired’ certificates.The expired certificates are those certificates that show outdated knowledge- for example submitting application in 2012 with computer skills certificates for MS Windows Me.

• Your online presence: You should watch carefully your online presence because in this modern use of social media, employers may also check your activities online to learn better about you.It is also a wise decision to properly use social media such as Facebook and twitter because you can use them to open your exposure to job opportunities. For instance, some companies advertise directly on Linkedin therefore you can use LinkedIn profile to apply for jobs that are advertised directly on LinkedIn.

• Your outlook matters:Remember to dress formally and professionally when you pay a visit to a potential employer. The same applies to online presence. Remember to put your professional profiles such as LinkedIn profile with the professional looking photo.