Make job-hunting a lifestyle

A number of universities and tertiary institutions have in the last few weeks or are due to release thousands of students into the job market. And the daunting task of finding jobs must be on now not considering the lack of employment opportunities worsened by a volatile economy and slowed growth.
More than 80 per cent on Ugandan youth are unemployed which makes job-hunting a tricky affair.
However, that cannot stop you from searching for one and while at it be aware of overwhelming challenges and how you must adjust to overcome them.

Write a résumé
According to management consultant Rogers Barigayomwe, it is only imperative that you write a résumé immediately after graduation.
Graduates, he says, should tell others about their potential through a résumé because not everyone will have the time to listen to you but might get time to read a résumé.

Improve your knowledge and skills
Before you go for an interview, do research about the company from which you are seeking employment to understand their mission and goals. This, according to Barigayomwe, will help you to answer questions as well as showing interviewers that you appreciate the company.
According to Douglas Opio, a labour policy and research officer at Federation of Uganda Employers, job seekers should look at what assets they possess that give them leverage over others.

Be flexible
The job market has become difficult and you should, according to Opio, be open to any opportunity provided it is lawful.
“Start as an intern or volunteer. You might be shocked how it all turns out,” he says.
Fronting payment, he says, must not be a priority because at this stage “all you need is to build skills to differentiate yourself from the rest.

Try to build useful networks
Networking is one of the surest ways to get noticed and this can be testified by Perez Wamburu, a retired civil engineer, who got his first job through networking.
“Fresh graduates can effectively use employee referrals to find employment. Use social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn,” he says.
However, he adds, it is also important to belong to an association or rotary club because it is through such avenues that you get close to people and, according to Wamburu, such clubs provides the best avenue for constructive networking.
Networking, according to Wamburu, also sets you apart from other applicants in an economy where employers are swamped with job applications.
“Therefore, the best way to have your résumé considered is by networking actively in order to find people who can possibly recommend you for a job opportunity,” he says.

Show commitment
In the book: Secrets of the young & successful: how to get everything you want without waiting a lifetime, Jennifer Kushell writes that when you finally find a job, you must show commitment.
Incidentally, one of the biggest challenges in the last few years has been increasing complaints by employers pointing to the lack of commitment, especially young people.
“Pursue opportunities that you are genuinely interested in,” part of the book notes.

Make job-hunting a lifestyle
Creating a strategic job hunting plan, according to Nuh Mukiibi, an internal business partner and recruitment consultant at NFT Consults, should become a lifestyle until you land that dream job.
“Use as many job searching tools as possible. Read newspapers for adverts, search on the internet and subscribe to search engines,” he says.

Start a business or upgrade
While waiting for that opportunity, Mukiibi advises, graduates should start up something to keep them running.
“Create your own job,” he says, adding that one may not necessarily find a job immediately but a job could find him or her by doing something that enhances their skills.

Job-hunting processes
Make job-searching a routine. Searching for a job must be a routine that one should be ready to conduct as long as they have not yet landed that dream job. However, it is not limited to only those who don’t have jobs. Even those in employment must make it a routine in order to land thier dream jobs.

giving up
Dangerous. It is dangerous for anyone to get to a level where they decide to give up on searching for a job.

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