So I've been trying to land a new job for over a year now with no luck. I have read so many articles and tips from how to make a great CV and cover letter to interview tips. I have yet to land a single interview even. I literally go through hundreds of job posts per day and still... no luck!
The way the economy is set up right now makes it important to have a good or at least reliable source of income. Personally, I am job hunting so that I can afford a better lifestyle and be able to actually enjoy life. My current job is not reliable when it comes to the payments section. Right now I am majorly stressed and faced with a lot of uncertainty as to if and when I will be able to pay my bills because they just keep piling up. The last thing I want is to be blacklisted.
I never understood just how difficult it could be to find employment until I had to do it myself. I have been lucky thus far in that I have gotten my past jobs through people I knew when I wanted them and never had to actively look until now and boy is it a hassle. It's been a; "I have a job for you, you can start on Monday" sort of thing. Not many people are this lucky.
I spend my days faxing, searching and emailing whenever I have free time. The paper isn't much help as it seems to be mostly filled with ads for anything but employment. You'd think someone who's studying human resources management would be able to find a job in no time... nope! It stresses me out because I keep thinking about how I can't really afford much. I live with my mom so I don't pay rent; my only expenses are all of my personal things, cellphone, school fees and petrol. Had I not been living at home still I'd struggle to cover even those. Did I mention how costly job hunting is? I fax for free because I use the company's fax line but can you imagine how much time and money people have to spend going to the internet cafe. Let's not even talk about the travelling costs involved for some when they do land interviews and end up spending their last sent in the hopes that this time they'll get the job.
My main problems with finding employment are that I either don't have the qualification required since I am still studying or I don't have enough relevant experience. I have a cousin that seems to have no problem in the job hunting department: How does she do it??? That woman has changed jobs twice since I started my current job. Jobs on offer these days cater for degree holders and experienced professionals mostly and since I am neither of those, it is really tough for me. Even degree holders are struggling to find employment when these colleges and universities have graduate placement programs in place. I guess it depends on the college/university one attends.
The other day I personally drove around looking for these employment agencies around here only to find that they had closed down or they only assisted with jobs for cashiers, office cleaners etc. Not what I had in mind at all! So back to faxing I went. I did research on CV tips and how to write great cover letters, reviewed my CV and made some changes so hopefully, my job hunting will pay off soon.
I have heard people say that the best way to find a job is through people you know. Unfortunately, sometimes people say they want to help you with no intention of actually helping you. Sometimes you get people who will be very eager to take your CV and try to help you find a job but that CV copy never actually leaves them and is never actually passed on. I really don't understand why people do that. Why volunteer to do something when you know damn well you won't do it. Your own "friends" could be guilty of doing this.
The youth in South Africa is under skilled and underpaid and a lot still needs to be done to rectify this. It needs to be fixed right from secondary school level. High schools need to work more on skills development and teaching kids useful skills that will help them obtain and create employment even without a tertiary qualification. Jobs require people to have driver's licenses too and many people can't even afford to go and write the learner's license test. Schools can step in this department as well by providing opportunities for pupils to go and write their learner's license test as part of the school curriculum, I suppose the Department of Education would need to step in here. This would give matriculants a greater chance of being able to obtain a job should they not go straight to tertiary after matric. A lot more emphasis needs to be placed on giving kids job shadowing opportunities and vacation work even from high school level.
Our government can't be entirely responsible for creating employment and education opportunities for the youth, private companies must do their bit as well. Many kids in South Africa go to schools that do not even have proper facilities and they go to school hungry which impacts on their ability to learn. As a society, we need to take active steps in youth development and not rely solely on the government to provide everything.
They say the best way to go these days is to start your own thing, be your own boss but unfortunately I don't have any talents that I can make money off of right now. It so true when they say it takes money to make money. All of this faxing and driving around is not cheap. If anyone has ANY suggestions, please feel free to give them to me. I'm all ears.
In the meantime here are a few suggestions of websites to register, upload your CV and complete an online profile to increase your chances of finding a job:
In the meantime here are a few suggestions of websites to register, upload your CV and complete an online profile to increase your chances of finding a job:
- PNet (www.pnet.co.za)
- Careerjunction (www.careerjunction.co.za)
- Careers24 (www.careers24.co.za)
- LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)
- Jobplacements (www.jobplacements.com)
One thing I can tell you is that many people I have spoken to are sleeping on the power of social networks such as LinkedIn. Joining can expose you to so many worldwide employment opportunities; especially if you're an experienced professional. There are also learning opportunities available for you to gain some expert or industry skills. I would advise you to sign up, you have nothing to lose and so much to gain. You never know where your next business opportunity could come from and being in touch with like-minded individuals in your field or area of expertise can get you so far in life.
There are plenty more out there. These are just the ones I have used and registered on. Happy job hunting!
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