A lot of people wait till they graduate and complete NYSC before they start looking for jobs. These days, it has become more difficult for fresh graduates to get jobs in Nigeria, for those who get a job immediately are considered very luck indeed.
- Here are ways you can boost your chances of securing a job before graduation.
- If you are interested in a company, try to get in touch with its current interns, they would have advice on what the company is looking for, the best person to get in touch with so you are not cold calling or sending emails to the wrong persons.
- Reach out to your friends who have worked as IT students or interns at the company you have in mind and see if they are willing to forward your resume to an actual person before you apply.
- Ask for information from your employed friends on how they got their jobs. They might be able to introduce you to somebody who was helpful to them.
- Send your resume to a career coach for a review
- Reach out to your previous bosses where you did your internship/IT with a catch-up mail. Talk about your career goals and ask if they know any opportunity in their organization or they know anybody they can talk to on your behalf.
- Find an opportunity to work with people at the company you want to work for by creating an opportunity for yourself. Bring somebody for a workshop, session or panel event. It is a perfect way to let people see you operate in a professional setting- a great way to start relationship with potential contacts.
- You don’t have to be a professional to attend networking events. Search for events, attend and make connections.
- Host a mini networking event for yourself and your friends. Having a networking mindset makes people really think about their connections and might find some friends are able to help in ways you never would have expected.
- Find opportunity to make introductions for people especially when the connection doesn’t cost you anything but could be very valuable to them. It’s a great way to stay in touch with people. The contacts you help out are likely to pay you back later.
- Do a part-time or virtual internship especially with a company that might be able to turn the temporary offer into a full time. It’s a time to prove how valuable you are.
- Have your final year project coming up, see if you can find a way to spin it around and learn new skills in the process. You can start a blog instead of writing a paper, create a faux media for a company, create a website or short video related to the title of the project.
- Look at the LinkedIn profile of people a step ahead of you or look at job listings you are interested in. Are there any skills they have or are looking for that you lack and start to gain those skills. If you don’t know what skills to add, tech skills are in high demand.
- Ask your friends to forward you opportunities they see or start a WhatsApp group where friends can share opportunities they come across.
- Get your LinkedIn profile setup if you don’t already have one and make sure it is completely filled. First impression they say matters a lot, so consider taking a professional headshot taken that you can use on your LinkedIn
- Check your Facebook privacy settings to make sure you restrict un-necessary photos tagging by friends from going public. Switch your browser to incognito mode and google your name. Are the search results what you want recruiters to see, if not find a way to clean it up.