Do I need to know someone to get a job in a company ?

Dear Moses,
What do you consider when employing people? It’s seems it’s about connection and who do I know in the company. If you don’t know anyone in a company at a personal level, you might not get a job or promotion. Does merit matter anymore?
Chris

Dear Chris,
Organisations when recruiting, most of the time would be looking to hire particular skillsets or leadership skills that may be lacking to drive the organisation to the desired levels. This may be to fight off competition, drive sales, market share or reduce costly inefficiencies and other internal bottlenecks.
Getting a job these days is very similar to getting customers to buy your product, this time your labour or the skills you possess. The internet and the various media platforms have made the world of work more complex and social media platforms have taken connectivity and networking to levels never imagined before.

Chris, you have to review the kind of networks you create and the social media platforms you fraternize, including what you post. Gone are the days when you would just send or email your unsolicited CV to companies and sit back expecting prospective employers to call you!

The way you package yourself as a brand determines your marketability and employability. I’m sure you have seen many people being headhunted and actively pursued by prospective employers to join their organisations simply because of the skillsets they possess.

Such people don’t have to apply or send around their CVs, their major concern being to make a choice which employer to join and which one to turn down. If you determine to do what it takes to join that club of people, you will cease to worry about that promotion or where the next job will come from.

Moses Ssesanga,
Head of Human Resource,
NMG Uganda
[email protected]