Mila Joshua Yona
Many youths today graduate with high hopes that as soon as they get into the employment world, the light will shine upon them.
They engage in connections and apply for jobs in various companies and organizations. Sadly few are successful when it comes to employability.
The majority end up doing petty jobs in the streets while others take the dark lane and become criminals for survival.
The sad reality is that some companies or organizations advertise a job when they already have someone they are planning to give the job to.
In-tern the applicants are given false hopes because, by the time they apply, the companies or organizations claim they already got someone they want.
They waste their precious time to meet datelines and apply for the jobs only to realize it was ring-fenced for an internal person.
But this sometimes happens because employers are trying to look out for exceptional talents and skill sets that candidates possess to contribute to their organization or company.
Such people don’t have to apply or send their CVs.
The difficult part is the decision on which employee to select and which other to turn down.
Other times it happens due to nepotism and selfish tendencies where the employer decides to choose people based on their tribes or have close relationships with.
So it becomes very frustrating to discover at the end that you were duped into becoming an escort for a candidate already chosen by a prospective employer.
By the fact that you were invited for the interview, simply means that you satisfied more than the basic requirements to attract a prospective employer to decide to spend their valuable time interviewing you.
How do you go about it?
Situations like this often cause dilemmas and depression so the best you can do is narrow down your options.
Try to find out why you didn’t get the job and use it to better yourself next time. Know that failure is not a bad thing after all provided you are willing to take it as a lesson. The moment you realize this, half of your challenge is solved.
Work on the way you package yourself as a brand. It will determine your marketability and employability. There are employers who instantly create new positions and budgets to finance positions they never had before in their establishments just to accommodate a candidate they discovered at the interviews and they don’t want to lose them.
Just be willing to do what it takes and in time you will discover that you’re a gem, a prospective employer will want to pay a top dollar for.
Invest in yourself and make yourself resourceful as much as possible.
How to select what jobs to apply for
Only apply for jobs for which you meet their basic requirements. That way, it will allow you to stand out and increase your chances of being shortlisted.
Constantly update your Resume and Cover letters to be at arm’s length for any job that will come your way.
Update your references and get recommendations where possible.
Adequately prepare for interviews
Finally, it’s very unprofessional to advertise a job that is already ring-fenced for an internal person and spoils the integrity of the company because it basically contradicts the professional ethics and whatever that entity stands for. Let us know how ring-fenced jobs are affecting you?
I have faced such a thing at Spain Embassy in Sudan, when I recently graduated from Engineering College. I wasted a valuable time and great effort indeed to get the job.
Its sad indeed..