This is a guest post by Opeyemi Olanrewaju.

You really think Mr. Adams the psychology lecturer is the worst thing that has ever happened to you? Hunnay, you have got it all wrong. Wait until you get into the labour market where you have to constantly prove yourself and face competition every day. Getting into the labour market is tough, so is being in it. The competition is real and definitely not for the faint hearted. Not to worry friend, I’m here to help you through this process and make your journey as stress free as possible. In these series, I’ll be tackling everything from getting your CV together, to applying for jobs, to answering interview questions, to working with colleagues etc. 

Now that you know you want a 9-5, here’s something to help you secure that dream job.

I’m probably not the first person that would tell you this, but you need to get that resume together hunnay. Not a flimsy one, but a professionally designed one. If you’re good with word doc and a little bit of graphics then it’s something you can put together yourself; All you need is a template, and the good thing is that this is the 21stcentury and the internet has all that. If not, you are can reach out to a professional and get them to take that burden off you. Send them a template of all your achievements and they will help put it together into a very good resume. Now that we have the resume in the bag, you’re also going to need a cover letter; more on that in a second.

A cover letter is a letter of introduction that accompanies your resume. It is an employer’s first introduction to you, so you have to put your best foot forward. It’s usually a summary of who you’re professionally; your achievements and what makes you a fit for the job. 

Now that you have gotten your CV and cover letter together, you need to start applying for some jobs, and the best way to go about this, is by visiting  job sites available in your country. Here in Nigeria, I would suggest platforms like Jobberman, Jobgurus, E- recruit, Jobs in Nigeria, Jobzilla etc. Create a Profile on these platforms, attach your resume and have  a copy of your cover letter on your profile. This makes it easier to apply for jobs. Since your profile is already on these platforms, all you need to do when there is a vacancy is just to apply, and your profile would be sent to the employer, making it easy at your end. Some vacancies might require you send in an email, and what you should do in this case is to send in your cover letter as the body of your email while attaching your resume to the email; this would help sell you to any employer just by reading your emails.

The employers are now interested in what you have to offer and they are flooding your email with interview invites, how do you know whether to honour the invite or not? What you do after reading through any interview invite is to Google the company’s name and check for their legitimacy. The ones with websites; go through it, search up the company’s values and goals if it matches yours, search for their location on Google maps and make sure they are who they say they are. Once all these are done and you’re convinced that you’re really interested in said organization, then it is time for confirmation of availability. All you have to do is to reply their invitation email telling them you feel honoured to be considered by them, and that you will be able to make it on said date. 

Getting ready for the interview is not a big deal.

*Over 60% of young individuals in Nigeria between age 15 – 23 are unsure of their future and how to advance into the World of Work.

To this end, Gradrange seeks to bridge the gap between the classroom and the rapidly changing labour market by educating young individuals about the culture, opportunities, challenges, and future for employment in various fields.*