5 ways to improve your work readiness and employability
Three million people lost their jobs in South Africa between February and April as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic1 and recent forecasting predicts that by December, 35%2 of South African’s will be unemployed and more than 70% of our youth will be unable to find jobs.
Entering this highly competitive job market is daunting. So, what can South African’s do - especially our youth – to make themselves more attractive to perspective employers?
For many graduates, this can be an exciting time ahead as you celebrate all your achievements and accomplishments. Since you spent most of your time and efforts into completing your degree, you now have to prepare for your future that lies ahead. This can often be an overwhelming yet scary time as a graduate because you are now entering into the job market.
Many people are facing challenging times ahead and the rate of unemployment is simply increasing. We have a few ways that could help you to get a job during this global lockdown.
Have you recently come across a job posting but not sure if the advertisement is real or not? Here are a few ways for you to identify if a job posting is legit.
Unfortunately there are a lot of scammers out there that are taking advantage of unsuspecting jobseekers. There are many reasons why people are posting fake jobs online and this is to get your personal details, to track which jobs you are applying for, or scammers that want to gather your details and sell it off to companies for marketing purposes.
Why is it so hard for people to find jobs these days? Three broad reasons come to mind:
1. Inappropriate skill sets
Youth unemployment is particularly high and this may partially be the result of a mismatch between the skills young adults possess and the skills employers require of their workers. Younger individuals already
have less experience and training and even people with college or university degrees may find that they do not possess the appropriate skills for the jobs employers are looking to fill.
So it's sales and it's hard work and if you can't handle the pressure, multi-tasking and being told no by consumers then becoming a sales agent is not for you.
If you have an awesome work ethic, a desire to make an unlimited amount of money and a skin thick enough to make cold calls then this just might be the position for you. The financial reward is great. You can make as much as you're willing to work for.
What do you would you like to become in the future?
It's time to look at careers that involve science or technology.
Film or video editor
They study scripts, determine the audio and visual effects of films, organize and review footage, trim and piece together film segments. If you were brilliant in math classes and enjoyed doing things like geometry or algebra, these would help if you want to be a film and video editor.
What are the top five job skills every company will be looking for in 2020 and beyond?
Emotional intelligence
This is something that organizations have been looking for in job applicants and it is becoming more and more important. Our ability to understand our own emotions, express them, understand someone else's emotions is something everyone should be focusing on.
Being an unemployed and not finding any jobs that match your requirements or what you are looking for is already difficult. Being an unemployed graduate is especially difficult during a time like this. The coronavirus pandemic makes finding a job so much more harder and eventually when you do find a suitable job to match your qualifications, there are probably thousands of other applicants so the pressure to stand out is on.
Add the pressure of your parents constantly nagging you to make your own money and things can start feeling slightly overwhelming.
