ON the Twitter Space, a group of passionate Zambians share real issues that make your job applications thrown away without you getting regret letter. In summary "stop pissing off employers!!"
Don't accuse an old man in the village for blocking your breakthrough when you are messing up things yourself. It is about how you position yourself. No job falls on your laps by mistake. Felix Mwenge & team try hard to help us sharpen our CVs & get those dream jobs internationally and locally.
I have summarized issues for you. Who knows, you may earn yourself a dream job by following whatever you think is valuable from many tips they shared on the Twitter Space last night. They shared great insights.
1) Competitiveness: Put in mind that you're competing with the BEST! "How do I stand out? Ensure your CV is water tight. Your CV & cover letters matter most. But remeber,there will be more rejects than you can count, it's not the devil, but it is what it is. Don't relent. Although there's no single template for a good CV, here are the 5 points to pay attention to:
a) Presentation: be structured, clear & concise. Don't add your picture, name of village/chief, cover page for the CV, career objectives, etc. In short, "No waffling".
b) Less is more: You don't need more than 2 pages (even if you have 15-20 years of experience). Make an impression above the fold i.e. put the most selling points on top of the CV/cover letter. What do you bring to the job, what skills do you? This should be made priority.
c) Biodata last: Date of birth, religion, tribe, marital status, etc are all worthless. You are wasting time to market yourself. Biodata shouldn't be the first thing on the CV. Employers throw applications once they don't see important skills you are bringing to the job.
d) Understand the job description: Understand what the employer is looking for & tailor your CV to the job description. Have as many CVs are possible. Don't submit a general CV you send everywhere. Spend your time on your CV. Refine it to speak to what the employer needs.
e) Examples of CVs that set you apart: On your CV, put your results & responsibilities. Here are 2 candidates with same expertise, work experience & skills for a front office job.
Candidate A "I am responsible for the operations of the receptions and front office." Candidate B "I manage the efficient running of the front office to enhance positively the organisation brand."
Candidate A “I handle petty cash for buying stationary and fuel for company cars and other supplies.” Both are selling their skills/experience mind you. Candidate B “I control the office budget ensuring that all supplies are sufficiently stocked while expenditure remains within the allocated budget.”
Candidate A “I am responsible for filing company correspondence and key documents”. Can you see how one is setting self apart? Candidate B “I manage company data storage and retrieval systems for effective decision making”
Candidate A “I manage the supervisors diary for meetings and appointments". Candidate B “ I oversee the principal’s timely engagements with internal and external stakeholders.” On initiative, candidate B adds to the CV/current job. “I put in place systems and interrogative data management protocols to ensure that all correspondence with stakeholders is addressed within 24 hours, a first for my company.”
Candidate A is silent. Knock out punch number 1
Candidate B goes on to say“I reduced turnover for processing quotations from 72 hours to less 24 hours thereby increasing the volume of sales per week by more than 45%.” Nangu (even if) you don't want to shortlist Candidate B, you will do it. The candidate has spoken via CV.
POINT: Use ACTIVE language to sell yourself. Instead of saying… “I was responsible” say “I managed, I controlled)!! The use of language matters. How to say it matters. You can be saying the same thing, but the other candidate beats you at your game by using the right language.
2) Ejection will happen: You can be rejected 50 times, but let your fire continue burning. Fall & rise again until you get where you want to be. Don't let temporary defeat throw you off balance. Rejection of your job application prepares you to sharpen your job applicant.
3)Aim to be shortlisted - Leave out worthless things e.g. objective like "to be a reliable stuff". This is throwing the job under the bridge. Don't include your religion, your marital status, etc. Put out important issues & leave out valueless stuff.
What a CV is NOT:
a) an opportunity to tell the employer everything about yourself. The employer wants your suitability for the job. Ensure your CV answers the question in the ad. If the CV wants someone who is practical, talk about your practical competencies.
b) Don't flatter the employer- eg I want to be employed in your wonderful organization. No one wants to hear that, show your suitability, share your skills. Flattery words can end up pissing off the employer. Avoid those tired phrases. Go for what matters most -your suitability
4) Overdressing- This can be a turn off to the employer. Be moderate. Don't dress like they are going for a fashion show or a music audit. Combine your colours appropriately. Don't wear screaming colours & eye hurting stuff e.g. make up, colour combination, etc.
5) Brief about the organization: read about the employer. The question about the organisation will often come. Don't over talk about the organisation more than the owners of the company thinking you are proving a point when you are shooting yourself in the head.
6) Politeness: Some of you are so rude when called for either a jon interview or offer. You even claim you don't pick calls from unknown numbers. Why then applying for jobs? Be polite when called over a job. Don't be too lazy and rude, sound lazy and less focused.
7) Picking calls: The company will call you 5 times, you don't pick for reasons best known by you. You don't want a job. Busy complaining "who is this now?" How will you get employed when you don't pick calls? Be serious, learn to pick calls.
8) Answer questions professionally and not arrogantly: Arrogance is about putting your ego than suitability out there. You can be confident, but professional in the manner you answer questions. Don't belittle that seeming annoying panellist. S/he could the decision maker.
9) When you don't know, say it- Waffling negates your suitability. If you don't know, put it out that you don't know. No one knows everything, you won't be the first one to acknoledge it that you don't know. It earns you respect than going on waffling.
10) Build your career on social media: Put what you claim your expertise is on social media. Don't always argue with people, fighting others. Employers check you out on social media. Some of you ONLY post chilling moments, no time to engage into intellectual issues. You can engage in intellectual issues in line with your expertise, you can share your beliefs about certain issues eg about climate change. You can't claim to be an expert in enviromental issues & have a social media profile littered with bola bet ONLY.
11) Anticipate why a question is being asked- Every question asked is for a purpose. No interviewer asks a question for the ride of it. They are assessing something. Be sharp when asked a question & respond appropriately. It pays to think fast & speak with the righ tone
12) Culture & ethos: international jobs mainly about personal goals i.e. being in for the ethos of the company but ONLY money. Once the employer realizes that you are not connected to the ethos of the company, you will lose the job opportunity. Be balanced.
13) Work experience - Apprenticeships, volunteering & part time jobs build your line of work & gain you valuable experience to refer to when applying for the job. Your good grades in school matters less, the employers want outputs (suitability, experience & skills). The world of work is not about grades you got in university. It is about output. How suitable are you to the company output? You can be an A+ student academically, but if you can't show anything for it at when it comes to KPIs, you get thrown out.
For international jobs & any other job (maybe except Government jobs), they're results oriented, skills matters, experience is golden & your linkages open doors. Your brand and people you affiliate with differentiate you from others.
All the BEST!!
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