1. YOU ARE NOT A JOB SEEKER, YOU ARE A SOLUTION PROVIDER
Start changing your mindset now. You are not a job seeker, you didn't graduate to start looking for jobs. You graduated to start providing solutions.
If you fail to get this, you may search for a job for many years, and even when you get one, you may not have that fulfillment.
Here is why it is important to change that mindset;
a. You would start to see yourself as an expert in your field which gives you the confidence you need to approach potential employers.
b. By seeing yourself as someone who provides solutions, you position yourself for employers to see you and hire you. It is a far more effective strategy than sending CVs to people that won't even forward it anywhere.
A little more about this later.
2. GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE
I can't say this enough. Get out of that bed.
Don't fool yourself by saying you are searching for jobs online or that you are waiting for one person to give you a job. Go out in your industry and volunteer in whatever capacity you can.
Volunteering links you up with the right network you need that would actually recommend you for jobs. It also lets you get the much-needed experience employers love.
If you cannot volunteer, still leave your house. Go squat with a friend or an aunt or something. Just leave your parent's house. Comfort has a way of making you complacent.
As a new graduate hoping to make your mark in the new world, run away from anything that gives you too much comfort.
3. DON'T DEPEND ON YOUR CV OR RESUME
Let's face it, 99% of the time, your CV is trash.
What do you have there that would make employers want to hire you? Is it the 1-year secondary school teaching experience you had during your NYSC?
Or is it the IT placement you did that you were just watching the TV or sent to buy food?
It doesn't even matter if you finished with a first-class, your CV is still trash cos you would be competing with several other people. People who have uncles in high places, etc. Forget that CV or don't entirely depend on it.
Here is what you can do.
4. SEND PROPOSALS INSTEAD
Remember when I said you should see yourself as a solutions provider? This is another reason why.
Send proposals on how you can help your potential employer solve a problem.
If you cannot draft a proposal, maybe because you don't have much information on the business, send them a case study.
For instance, you want to work with an education consulting company, you can send them a case study on how to get more clients using a UTE formula to generate sales.
First and foremost, there is nothing like a UTE formula. It is something I just formed.
But if you have done your research well, you would find several methods to get clients, give it a unique and catchy name and it would draw their interests.
You can also send Job-specific proposals. i.e sending proposals that relate specifically to the role you are applying for and that the company needs.
So why others are sending CVs worth the value of tissue papers, you would be sending proposals companies would love.
There is a whole lot of strategy to this. Maybe I would write more about this in another post.
This brings me to-
5. FORGET ABOUT THE OIL COMPANIES AND BANKS AND ALL THOSE BIG COMPANIES
First, I want you to know you can grow your value large enough to get hired by these big companies.
What I am trying to say is, don't wait on them. Don't say, if it is not that big company then I won't work anywhere else.
You would just be shooting yourself in the foot.
There are companies that are not so big and would still pay you more than some of these big companies.
Now in the cooperate world, you have two things you can trade with.
a. Your Value
b. Your Network
As a fresh graduate, most times you have neither other than a degree certificate and an uncle that promised to send your CV somewhere.
That is the more reason why you shouldn't rely solely on getting those big jobs. If you do, good for you, go testify in church.
But as you wait for that big break, there are companies out there that are leverage for you to get that big break.
6. OPEN A LINKEDIN PROFILE
As a fresh graduate, opening a Linkedin profile should be on the top of your to-do list.
But don't just open a Linkedin profile and start applying for jobs like everyone. Create and start conversations, see those case studies you created? Post them there.
keep doing this and the right employer would locate you. Again, here is where seeing yourself as a solution provider comes in handy.
Again, there is a whole lot of strategy to this. Won't be able to cover that in this post.
7. GET A DIGITAL SKILL
I use God and beg you, whatever you do in this life go learn a digital skill. Anyone, just learn something.
Companies are all going digital and having a digital skill would be an added advantage.
Also to be fair, with digital skills and strategic positioning, you can make more than you would be earning in a 9 to 5 job.
For instance, in case you haven't guessed already, I create SEO content for small business owners and also build personal brand websites for coaches and experts. I won't say how much I earn monthly but you get the gist.
There are several digital skills you can learn today;
a. Social media management
b. Email marketing management
c. Content creation (Video, written, graphic)
d. Copywriting
e. UI/UX
f. Affiliate Marketing
g. Ads management(Facebook. google)
h. etc.
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