After graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, with a major in
Accounting, I was excited to go out into the job market having no clue
how long or short it would take me to get my first job. I was fortunate
to get my 1st job within the 1st month of my graduation. After one year
of work, I felt I was not learning anymore and needed more challenge.
The quest for challenge seems to be the only constant and this therefore
leads to job searching again once in a while. I would like to share my
experience and lessons learned through my 1st job and subsequent job
changes, if only to tip a fresh graduate or encourage a job seeker.
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| Image credit: http://mashable.com |
Lesson 1: Let whoever is willing to listen know that you are looking for a job
As
I put in my application for jobs in various organizations, I thought I
would sharpen my computer skills as I awaited feedback. I embarked on a
computer course about a week after my graduation. One day as I was on my
way to the college where I was taking the course from, I met a lady who
happened to be a sister of an old friend. After the usual niceties, I
let her know that I had just graduated and was looking for a job in
accounting. She informed that she knew a company whose Accountant had
left and so they must be looking for a replacement.
After my class
that day, I went to the said company to enquire. The receptionist
informed me that indeed there was a vacancy and they were already
receiving applications. I went and wrote a cover letter and submitted it
together with my CV the following day. I was later called for an
interview and I was offered my 1st job! This was barely a month after my graduation.
Lesson 2: Every person is a possible lead for a job
You
will be amazed how many people out there know someone who is looking
for a candidate with your very qualification, or graduate trainee
opportunities. I remember telling our then family Doctor that I had
graduated and he advised me of a company that was looking for an
Accountant. I put in my CV but I didn’t get the job because the vacancy
had already been filled. The Administrator informed me that they will
put my CV in their database. Before you despise this lead, read on….
A
year later I met the administrator (whom I had handed my CV after the
Doctor’s lead) and she informed me that they were recruiting an
additional Accountant. She asked if I was still interested in working at
the firm. This happened to be about a time when I felt I needed a more
challenging position than I was getting at my 1st Job. So I put in an
application again, was invited to an interview and I got my 2nd job!
So, when submitting your application, be courteous to the
receptionists, the gate keeper or whoever you encounter on your way to
and fro delivering your application. They may be your informer. I forgot
– now applications are done online! Be courteous to
‘to-whom-it-may-concern’ that receives your email.
Lesson 4: If you see your dream job in the local dailies go ahead and apply
Yes,
you may be wondering what is unique about getting a job by responding
to a newspaper ad. Well, in my part of the world a number of people are
skeptical about the job vacancies posted in the local dailies for
various reasons that I would rather not indulge in this article. I am
glad to let you know that I got both my 3rd and 4th Jobs by responding to newspaper adverts and going through rigorous interview processes.
This
for me was the oddest! I got a call from a recruiting firm informing me
of a job offer that I was not even aware of but was in line with my
competencies. I was curious to know how they found me out to consider me
for the offer. She informed that she saw my profile on LinkedIn, though
she still never told me the criteria she used to seek me out for the
shortlist. The short of the story is that I got an offer via my profile
in LinkedIn. It wasn’t that easy though – I had to go through 3
interviews, a technical test an aptitude test to get my 5th Job. I
have got various offers and consultancy opportunities from LinkedIn and
other platforms that keep CV databases. So keep your profile as up to
date as you possibly can in whichever database you choose.
I
believe above all else that my faith in God influenced all these
events, individuals, platforms so that even the most unlikely source
became the source of a job for me. God opens inconceivable doors!
Lesson +1: Consider your transferable skills
I included this additional lesson after my article on the LinkedIn series #IfIWere22, Consider your transferable skills
You can read other readers comments on this link https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140508173316-70681999-oddest-job-sources-and-leads?trk=mp-reader-card
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