Knowing that there are so many
people out of jobs or underemployed in Nigeria now, I was more than happy when
we had a vacancy for a field executive to be filled. I wrote a comprehensive
description of our company, what we do, what the role entailed and even went as
far as including the remuneration package for the successful candidates. This I
posted on a few prominent job vacancy websites. The aim was to make sure the
candidates applying had a feel of what the job required and also to serve as a
guide for applying.
Interestingly, in the first week,
I got just one application. This was amazing to me. I thought with the way unemployment
rate was at an all-time high in the country, I would have received tons of
applications. This warranted that I increase the scope by placing the same job
advert in all the prominent job vacancy sites I knew and even some not so
prominent ones.
This turned up more applications
but the candidates that applied were not employable! I was in shock. Truth be
told, I have heard the word unemployable before but I just wondered if it was
truly possible to have graduates who were unemployable.
These were some of the anomalies
I observed:
- Writing skills: the candidates applying for the job had no writing skills. Mostly, their use of grammar was incorrect and there were spelling errors here and there. I wondered if they had a clue as to the use of spelling checks. Some candidates even went as far as forwarding me the application they had earlier sent to a different company.
- Communication skills: This was profuse in the applications I received. The candidates could not communicate a clear line of thought on what exactly they had to offer the company. Most of them were more interested in what the company could do for them and the remuneration they would get.
- Understanding the role: 80% of candidates who applied had no understanding of what the vacant position required. The education and experience of the ideal candidate was clearly stated in the job ad, but it seemed like no one was paying attention as candidates from all fields and all works of life without any relevant experience applied for the job.
- Etiquette: One of the candidates I eventually invited for an interview came into the office wearing sun shades. Yes, maybe it was sunny outside but after a minute or two, this should have been taken off but oh no, she wore it through the session. I will suggest that except you are applying to join a rock band or to act, please leave the shades for the sun. Also, be confident enough to greet and offer a firm hand shake.
- Dressing: It’s true the advert contained the functions of the role and one of the functions was acting as a liaison between the company and the client. This ordinarily should inform the applicants that they need to dress well to represent the company. Alas! Some of the candidates came to the interview in jeans and shirts, some of the ladies in fashionable flip-flops. Some had no clue what the interview was about as they had applied to a lot of places. For clarity, to be on the safe side, the acceptable dressing for an interview is a navy blue, black or grey suit with an official coloured shirt or blouse (official colours like white, blue, pink, and grey). Even if the job requires you dress casually, at least you’ve made a first impression and you can only make that impression once.
- Knowledge: Make sure to read up on the company, their past and present. What industry are they and what will be the demands of your role? This will help you gauge the value you’ll be adding to the coming as per your experience and skills and also help you calculate the remuneration you deserve!
Oh well, I’m
still in search of the right candidate to fill this opening. Anybody?
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