There has been so much unrest globally because of COVID-19. I can understand how difficult this is for individuals, me inclusive, and economies at large. What happens to all the plans you had laid out? The frustrations! Well I am here to remind you that a plan is dependent on several factors and is susceptible to change. You have no control over reality and your main obligation is to make sure that no matter the distractions, you take actions within your control to make the best out of the situation. It is unfortunate that jobs are being lost and some job onboardings are on hold. Building a strong mental resilience is needed now more than ever. Definitely, this will pass. While we face this crisis, companies are still hiring. Maslow well classifies employment as a safety need, and as COVID-19 is threatening our health safety, I hope this article feeds you with the right strategy to shield you from the risk of unemployment.
As a career navigation specialist, I have discovered these 6 hacks that will optimize your job-hunting process if followed carefully. It is a long one, so let’s get right into it and they are listed in no particular order.
Hack 1. Courting the favour of God – I am a man of faith, driven by the fact that there is a Supernatural Being (God) who I owe allegiance to. Showing commitments to Him comes with a reciprocated favour. Some of these favours may even include losing out on opportunities for better options. For anyone in search of a job, take God or your Object of worship seriously because some opportunities turn out to be miracles. This inspiration has been drawn from my personal experience, that of my clients and other individuals I have encountered. I remember I once had to tell a Muslim client to take her bond with Allah more seriously. She did and landed a job the following month. It really works. You also need to do everything humanly possible, of course ethically, to succeed in your job-hunting endeavour. One time a client asked me, what about atheists? I really do not know and I look forward to working with one, but atheists do have jobs. Hopefully, the next 5 points can still offer some mileage to anybody who disputes this point.
Hack 2. Networking – The role of networking is invaluable in a job hunt. As a jobseeker, your most important resource is information. Information comes in the form of job opportunities, benchmarked salary, progress on job application, among others. By networking effectively, you are able to build trust with multiple parties and influence them to share their resources and information with you. Before you network though, know the value you are bringing to the table. I attended the best second cycle institution in the world; Accra Academy, and I remember we had a rule called NCNC–No Contribution, No Chop. We will pool our resources including water, shito (chilli sauce), tin fish, gari etc. together to prepare lunch. It was up to you to know what you were bringing on board to make the meal a success, even if it meant contributing with your bowl, the biggest bowl in the dormitory. Without a big bowl, we wouldn’t enjoy the food at a go. In the end, we walked away with full stomachs; well not always since on some days, we will rush and waste the food. You will have to see networking as NCNC; you walk to the table with a value (your contribution) and walk away with a greater value (full stomach-which your contribution alone can’t give you). In the absence of a skill, one true way to network is by volunteering your time. Through this, you get to build skills and formidable relationships while people experience your work ethic. This also provides the platform for you to be recommended to people who need your ‘value’ even when you are not job hunting and ultimately get poached if you are interested. You could network effectively through physical events and/or on virtual platforms like LinkedIn.
Hack 3. A winning Curriculum Vitae (CV) – Every communication of your value to a prospective employer starts from your CV. It must communicate what you will prospectively contribute to the employer when hired. That means that it should talk about the measured impact that you have made in your previous/current job positions. Listing roles and responsibilities on your CV is counterproductive. It is never out of place to have a parent CV that documents all your impact in your professional, leadership and voluntary capacities. When it is time to apply for a job however, you need to sample your final CV from the parent one and it must be tailored to the job requirements and description. There could be job specific requirements for the number of pages of a CV, but 2-3 pages is generally acceptable. This means a CV for a Supply Chain Specialist role will differ from that for a Sales Executive role. The era of using a one-fits-all CV and practicing “SPRAY and PRAY”, as my recruiter friend Jonas will say, is long gone. After building your CV, put yourself in the shoes of the employer or recruiter and ask yourself this as you assess it; “Will [your name] add any value to my business if I hire him/her?”. It is important to have an ACTIVE LinkedIn profile because it becomes your digital CV and exposes you to networks and recruiters. Keyword here is ACTIVE!
Hack 4. A good cover letter – Whether the recruiter asks for a cover letter or not, do yourself a favour and stay ahead; add it. A good cover letter talks about your motivation to apply for the job and will include information like your qualifications, top skills, top achievements which you will extract from your CV and all this must be tailored to the job. This single page document also highlights what you admire about the company or the job title, in the case where you do not have access to the name of the company. It basically introduces you to the recruiter. Generally, if the application is submitted physically, you get to attach the cover letter to your tailored CV for submission. How about an email submission? Attach the CV first, just so it does not skip you, and then copy the typed cover letter and paste it as the body of your email. This is the preferred way to go if the recruiter does not request for a cover letter. If it is requested, then you must attach the cover letter as a document like you would do for the CV. This time, the body of the email will be a simple official note to notify them about your application and the attached documents. All email submissions must have an appropriate subject. For example, “Sales Executive Job Application – Abena Yalley”. You can be flexible about the subject but in doing so, let it reflect these details; the job title/position/id/reference number and your name. Sometimes, recruiters require a specific subject line so do well not to miss that.
Hack 5. Interview preparation – The networking, CV and cover letter gets you to the interview stage where you get to justify your inclusion, as footballers say. The interview is a form of screening exercise. There is also the part where you may have to take an aptitude test before the interview. Although it is not common for all jobs, it serves as a good screening tool in some fields. If you are to take an aptitude test, note that just like the interview, it demands a lot of dedication to learning and practice. Hopefully if you pass your aptitude test, you have a single shot to ace the interview. The interview may come in multiple stages and forms and this is dependent on the type of company. You could have a phone interview, video interview, group observational interview or an individual face-to-face interview which nowadays may come as a casual lunch invitation. You need to be adequately prepared for this. Antony Stagg’s YouTube channel as well as several others can be good resources. Google must also be your friend. I always advice my clients who find themselves in an active job hunt, to start interview preparations the moment they submit their application. Even if you do not get invited to that particular interview, you will attend another interview anyway. Rehearse in front of a mirror or in the presence of objective people who can assess and make very critical inputs. Use the S.T.A.R or C.A.R.L approach to attempt situational questions (You can try googling if those approaches are new to you). Your CV will serve you well at this stage if it has the right content; the impact/results.
Hack 6. Managing expectations – This happens to be my favourite part and I always have an extensive discussion on this topic with my clients. While you put in the efforts to go through all or any of the 5 prior Hacks, there is a possibility of not landing the job. There are natural biases. For example, I got into my first job after interning for 6 months while not being paid in cash, but skills. I saw more experienced people apply for the job, yet I got in with 2 other colleagues. The natural bias here is that apart from doing due diligence as an intern, the company had known me and experienced my work ethic for 6 whole months. Even if I had performed poorly at the interview due to anxiety, I could have still stood a chance. What I am trying to put across is that you may be experienced and have your best application but still face a rejection. That does not mean you are dumb. You may just not be handed the job/position because of recruitment biases. Try and understand the reasons, if you can, and move on anyway. You need a strong mental resilience while you go through your job-hunting journey because it may get very tough. Normalize the rejections by learning from it and shaping your expectations. The anthem “Hoping for the best but expecting the worst” works well in this case. I wish I were Jay Z fan.
In conclusion, one may ask, what is the weighting on the various hacks? Which should I prioritize? I would say put equal emphasis on all the 6 glass balls. Dropping one may cost you. As you go all out on your job hunt, I wish you well. Companies are still hiring, so stay vigilant.
The Pharmacist in me says you should continue to practise the safety measures during this COVID-19 crisis. This includes, but not limited to, washing your hands with soap under clean running water for at least 20 seconds, using alcohol-based hand sanitizers regularly, practicing social distancing and calling 112 if you experience worsening symptoms of raised body temperature, difficulty in breathing, running nose and muscle aches. There is no definite treatment method yet, so it will not be a good idea to gamble with your life. Stay safe and happy virtual hunting.
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My name is Joel Kojo Abaka Anaman. A Pharmacist by Profession, a Salesman by Occupation, a Career Coach by Passion and a Techpreneur by Vision. It is also my vision to reach 1 million students, new graduates and young people in active jobs with this initiative. Join me in this journey as we debunk some myths and activate some life hacks to propel us towards our career goals. Guess what?! This is not reserved for 9-5 workers; Entrepreneurs will also benefit massively from this.
