Over the past four months, since I left my former job, I had no other plan, but to upskill and hunt for a new job like every other jobless person will do.
I did! I started taking new courses, getting certifications, and reaching out to one of my mentors Omotayo Sobayo with a lot of questions including how to create a CV like a marketing personnel (lol, who does that?).
Oh well, there is nothing wrong with the above, but when I started receiving rejection letters, I knew there was something I was probably missing out on.
What could it be?
That curiosity, made me jump on the Remote Readiness Bootcamp (RRB) by Temi Oyewole on the 4th of October,2022 when I went on Instagram and the advert was the first thing that popped up on my timeline (PS: I took a second thought to decide whether to take the course or not, cause I didn’t wanna go broke for just another random course, but I did anyways).
The Bootcamp held about a week later, and I am grateful I did participate in it.
Why? Cause it was the real eye-opener I needed to start a new career. Right from the first module to the last, I just kept on asking myself, “why on earth, are these things not taught in schools? I mean, I went to one of the prestigious schools in Nigeria and yet nobody told me this?”
That said, I want to share just a “little” of my discovery during the course. Here are a few things you will need to know about your (next) job search strategy;
- Know your personality trait: I guess some of you are saying, “what’s that?” I remember forcing my bestie to take a personality test after doing mine, cause to him it was pointless and I know there are a lot of people who think so. Taking a personality test saves you the stress of just applying to any job, cause you know your strength, weakness and even the career path that you will thrive well. You don’t wanna get a job where you aren’t feeling productive (well, I know I don’t). So, why not head off to www.16personalitytraits.com and save yourself that stress.
- Have a mission statement: Having a mission statement is like having a map/tour guide, direct you when you are going somewhere you don’t know for the first time. Your personality statement guides you on the career path to take, and your mission statement guides you on the company you should aim at. It contains your WHY, WHAT, WHERE, HOW and WHO of your purpose in life. E.g I want to improve the value (WHY)of brands (WHO) in Africa (WHERE) using my marketing skills (WHAT)to promote these brands worldwide (HOW). Now, that I know what I want, then I definitely would work with brands that align with my statement.
- Document your journey: “Every glory has a story,” (oops, don’t know who said that, but you can’t deny that it is true). Well, as my coach said, “Don’t fake it, till you make it. Show it till you build it!” You need to have proof of what you claim you can accomplish or have accomplished, but what if you are like me with not much experience? Then document your growth! (PS; You can tell that is what I am doing right now with this blog).
- Network with people: I heard someone say, “You won’t have to be ready when it’s time if you are always ready.” Well, permit me to say, “You won’t need to find people who can help you get the job if you already have them”. (Smart right?) Networking helps you cut down more than half of the job you will have done when job searching, cause you have contacts in every hook and corner. The truth is most job applications you see on job boards have circulated internally before they get out. So, if an employee has somebody to fill the space, the company would rather go for that person rather than you applying for the job.
- Pitch Yourself: Looking back on the past jobs I worked at, I never applied. All I did, was meet with the CEOs of these brands at different events I was opportune to be in and tell them about my skills and what I can offer to their brands. Well, they considered me and allowed me to work for them. That said, what if you are not lucky like me to be at an event with these CEO? Here is how to do so effectively by Starla Sampaco.
That’s all the tips I have for you today
Thank you all for reading my first blog, I feel so excited doing this after a long while contemplating. I created this post for my Linkedin, but Linkedin would not let me post more than 3000 characters and that lead me to my first blog. What a challenge!
PS: Don’t forget to share my post and comment. Someone else needs this aside from you.
Great
A motivating discussion is worth comment. I believe that you ought to write more on this topic, it may not be a taboo matter but generally people do not talk about such issues. To the next! All the best!!
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon every day. Its always exciting to read articles from other writers and practice a little something from other sites.
Greetings! Very useful advice within this article! Its the little changes that make the most significant changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!