Why your uncle who promised you a job after graduation now refuses to pick your calls

Every now and then, you hear of a Nigerian youth who is mad at their uncle/parent’s friend/elder brother’s friend because they promised to hook them up with job opportunities after graduation, and have now gone into hiding. Most young people do not know what to make of these broken promises, and have become bitter. Now I do not know you, and I do not know your uncle, but I know one very strong reason why your uncle is dodging your calls.

He doesn’t know what YOU want.

I know many undergrads (and I did this as well), who during the congratulatory graduation chats answered the question of “Now, what kind of job are you looking for?” with “Any kind of job will do.” This kind of answer confuses even the most well-meaning of people. Any job could be a blue-collar job like facility management, or an administrative position, or a personal assistant, or an executive. It could also be in any industry – and there are myriads of industries. It could be a full-time job, and it could be a part-time job as you may have plans to run a post-graduate degree or a significant enterprise alongside your work.

Your uncle will surely back away in fear that he might waste his goodwill in helping you secure an interview that you do not show up for because “This is not the industry I am interested in”. Or that you may report him to your parents out of offense that he set you up for a job interview for a role you believe is beneath your standards. And here is the biggest issue with “Any work will do”…it simply gives the brain no place to start. Your uncle is most likely not an undergraduate recruiter and thus has no clue what your expectations are for the job market. Trust me – three years in any workplace, and you will have lost touch with the career expectations (salary, progression opportunities, etc) of an average fresh undergraduate. So where does your poor uncle (who is probably 5-10 years in) want to start from?

Dear Nigerian graduate, your uncle is not a professional recruiter. Help him to help you by being clear about what you want. Have your pitch ready at all times, and let everyone around you (parents, dog, pastor, neighbors) know who you are and what you want. Even the most shady of uncles will remember your pitch when the hour arises, if it is crystal clear and it fits into a need.

Navigating the Nigerian job market: Part II

“Man, know thyself” – Socrates

The crucial first step in navigating the Nigerian job market (or any other job market in particular) is to know yourself.

The first question you need to answer, partly because you are going to get asked this a hundred times on your job search, and partly because its answer will determine where your job search is directed, is “Who are you?”

And really, Who are You? Stop to reflect on the question for a moment. This is not a request for your name or your area of study or expertise (even though these form part of any basic introductory pitch about yourself that you will give). The following questions help to expand on the “Who are you” query:

• what are you passionate about? what gets you out of bed in the morning?
• what makes you glad? what makes you sad? what makes you mad?
• what is the one core value you have? If in this moment in your life you were asked to drop everything, everyone, and hold on to just one thing, what will that be?

You might be wondering if this self-discovery journey is actually necessary. I thought you were trying to help me here, CareerChic? I need a job abeg, just drop the phone numbers of the Oil and Gas HR people you know (lol). But, not so fast. This step is really important.  And here’s my little analysis explaining why:

Globally, the average life span is 70.5 years. In Nigeria, it is 55 years.

The average age we start work is 25 years, and the retirement age is 65 years.

In short, each one of us will spend about 40 years in the workplace.

This amounts to 57% of our lives spent at work – and this is based on the global life span average.

Think about it.

You can get a job that pays the bills, but if you are going to spend close to two-thirds of your life involved in something, should it not be aligned to your life’s purpose? Shouldn’t it be something that makes you want to get out of bed, that gives you the satisfaction that you are delivering on the very thing you were brought on earth to do? Another reason why this question must urgently be answered before you commence the job search exercise, is because of the way we have been raised in these climes. In an environment where career paths are drummed into children’s ears before they reach the age they are able to critically think for themselves, surprise awakenings in the mid-thirties or forties on how far one’s current life is from their desired one are not uncommon. Believe me, you do not want to be that middle-aged person that wistfully muses “I would have been a sportsman, but my parents never allowed me”. This is a too common tragedy of our times, please do not allow this to happen to you.

The next part will explore ways we can get closer to answering the “Who are you” question, and after that we’ll jump into the job search proper. Stay tuned!