After School, Then What? Overcoming Unemployment After Graduation

This is graduation season and I have been seeing many lovely young men and women flaunt their first class certificates on LinkedIn while wearing their graduation robes. I really wish they achieve their dreams because after school is when the real hustle starts. Unemployment has become worst over the years. The number is increasing yearly. The difficult part is that there are no new industries created to absorb the new grads. So, as a new grad, how are you going to set yourself apart to overcome unemployment after graduation and be relevant in this age when the 4th industrial revolution is gearing up? That’s what this article is about.

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I was 22 when I graduated from university and had no idea how and when to secure the job of my dreams. I thought with good grades I would easily get that job but didn’t know I was dreaming.

I was hit by the shocking reality of unemployment after my national service when I applied to many jobs and didn’t hear any response from the recruiters. Some recruiters will invite tens of thousands of graduates for a series of aptitude tests when they were only going to hire 5 people. These tests led to nowhere since the employers already knew they were mainly going to hire candidates who studied abroad or those referred by some highly placed person in the company.

Don’t get me wrong, some companies still hired people through the fair and transparent process even if you knew no one in the company. I had so much pity for the youth and graduates of my country when I saw thousands of them come for those tests with the hope of getting the job.

Fast forward to 10 years later after graduation, here are the many lessons I’ve learned:
Graduating with good grades is great but not a guarantee to achieving the success you desire (success is measured differently by different people). Graduating with bad grades does not mean the end of a successful life for you. In fact, it is an opportunity to focus your energy on doing things you love and creating a new path for yourself. Your grades shouldn’t define you. If you are willing to change career path, here are little known secrets for getting your dream tech job without a degree or with a bad degree that could help you move ahead.

So, what do you do if you are about to graduate or graduated but not yet employed? I’m writing this article to rub minds with you on how to get the job you want (I’ll leave some tips) and how to make sure you are not unemployed but at least engaged in a meaningful activity or business that will take care of your basic needs.

Alternative Ways To Look for Work

Looking for work is a full-time job in its own rights. How most of us know how to search for jobs is to apply on Jobs boards. Most of these applications go down the black hole. Note that I said “most” and not all because there are still genuine jobs on the job boards. Majority of the jobs are filled by referrals and headhunting (employee poaching). To get ahead of the pack you can try these methods below to add a little twist to your jobs search.

Use LinkedIn To Your Advantage

I have a relative who recently graduated and I searched for her profile on LinkedIn but didn’t find her name so I called her to send me the link to her LinkedIn profile but I was surprised when she asked me “what is that?”. She didn’t know what LinkedIn is as of last week I spoke with her. You slay on Instagram and Facebook but do not know what LinkedIn is and you are still looking for a job? How did this happen?

LinkedIn is now the largest online professional network. This platform can help you connect to your industry leaders, employers and also mentors who you can benefit from. You can find your school alumni members who can refer you to jobs or other helpful resources that can help you get a job and improve your skills.

While LinkedIn is a social media outlet, it is not a place you come to post how hard you partied last night nor your nude photos neither a place you tell the world how you hate a certain tribe, religion or a group of people. Some people would say that no one is a LinkedIn police but you are creating an image that employers would see. If your name is run through a search engine, would you be proud of what comes up next to your name? So, use this platform wisely and in a professional manner.

Once you’ve set up your profile, look for people with job titles that are relevant to your field. Connect with them and when sending your connection request, including a concise message about why you want to connect with them will help start off a conversation when they accept your connection. Refrain from telling them you want a job immediately you connect with them. How to get any job anywhere the unconventional way by Ita John is a great article that covers the LinkedIn approach excellently.

Create a Simple and Keyword Rich Resume

Writing my resume is not one of my favourite things to do. However, these tools have helped me immensely with nice professional templates for nice and professional looking resume and cover letter.

Create a one-page resume/cv with Resume.io or Resume-Now to get the type of resume exact employers are looking for. Both are easy to use and reduces the time spent on creating your resume from scratch.

When you see a job opening that interests you, use Jobscan to run your resume against the job description. This will show you the relevant keywords you need to add to your resume based on the job description which will help your application to successfully pass through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and get to a human that will read your resume.

Create a Digital Portfolio of Your Working Knowledge

Employers want to know what you can offer and not just your first class degree on paper. I’m not minimizing your hard work. You deserve every spotlight for working so hard over the years into getting your degree.
What projects have you done with the skills you’ve learned in school (no matter how small or basic)? Are there problems you solved or can solve? Create a digital portfolio. SHOWCASE THEM.
Note: If you don’t have computing skills, learn here.

Using Videos: You can showcase your work or projects or solutions in many forms. A video where you are performing a task in an efficient way or giving a tutorial is great. You can get someone to video you when performing the task while you explain what you are doing or get this tripod stand with a phone holder to video yourself. Share the video on your LinkedIn profile. You can also upload the tutorial video on your YouTube channel, share the YouTube Video link on your LinkedIn profile with a brief message explaining what the video is about. Something like this stand below will be perfect for making the video by yourself with your phone.

GitHub: If you are in the technology field, share the programs you created or your code on your GitHub profile. Also, add your GitHub account link to your resume and LinkedIn profile to make it more visible to recruiters and your network. No one will be able to know what you can do unless you show them. Toot your own horn.

Blog: Create a personal blog to share tutorials on how to do things in your field. Explain concepts related to your field. This will give you great credibility in your field of interest, bring you consulting or freelancing work and most of all can be a major reason why a recruiter would contact you.

I started this blog to encourage people not to give up and try alternative ways of learning new skills and making money online. I do not usually talk about my core technical competencies on my blog but I have received so many consulting or freelancing opportunities because of the exposure my blog has given me. I explained in full details, the benefits of blogging and how you can start your own blog here. After creating your blog with some good content (at least 5 articles) written in the blog, add your website link to your LinkedIn profile and headline.

Volunteer in Open Source Projects in Your Field of Interest

While volunteering may not give you a job, it will provide you with some work experiences you can add to your resume/cv or portfolio. Look for professional groups in your field and attend events. Volunteer in areas where you can contribute using your technical skills. Exchange LinkedIn connections with the people you worked with during your volunteer work. Keep in touch and also let them know you are available to work in case they see or have some job openings.

You can also take this further by going to companies you are interested in working. Ask them if you can volunteer to work there for free for an agreed number of days or months to keep your skills sharp or to learn new skills. It sounds weird but that’s how I got my first Canadian experience and two people in the company agreed to be my references whenever I go for a job interview. Many thought I was crazy to ask if I could work for free for 2 months. If the company is hiring, they may consider you if not they can provide you with a professional reference.

Where you have no or little work experience, this method will help you get some proven experience to add to your resume. While you are volunteering, keep your job search alive and don’t expect the company to hire you out of pity. Make sure there is a written agreement with them for you to work for a stipulated time (for example, for 2 or 3 months). It could be called an unpaid-internship.

Network and Knock on Doors

Many jobs get filled through referrals. Which means that who you know matters a lot. Connect with people and give them good reasons to believe that you have the right technical and soft skills for them to recommend you for a job. Don’t burn bridges. Even if you don’t know anyone, attend meetups in your city, become part of a social group, etc.

Knock on corporate doors, you never know who would open for you. Here’s how it works. Get a list of 20 companies in your city that specialize in your field of interest. For example, engineering companies in Accra / manufacturing companies in Lagos / software companies in Calgary. This depends on where you live. Get their address and pay them a visit with your resume. Practice a one-minute pitch summarizing what you can do which relates to the company services.

Few minutes before lunchtime is a good time to go to the company so you can meet at least one or two employees of the company when they are trying to leave for lunch. You may get some business card which can help you communicate with them further. I told one of my friends to use this method, she said it sounds desperate. This worked for me as a new immigrant in Canada. If you don’t want something bad enough, then you really don’t need it. This works most times. People will listen to you.

Keep Learning. Online Courses are your best friends

Sad to hear but the truth is that some courses studied in school are useless which will hinder your chances of getting a job in that field. You may also have graduated with a good and marketable degree. Do you also have other skills that will keep you ahead of the pack with this degree? Are you proficient in using your industry-specific software? With the advancement of artificial intelligence, are your skills ready to withstand the test of time? Keep learning new skills so you don’t become outdated in the future. Coursera and Udemy are great places to learn.

Join Coursera for free today. Here are sample courses you can take:

If you are interested in going to graduate school, start early to prepare yourself but be sure the course you are venturing into would be relevant for your professional growth.

Starting A Business (The Unconventional Way)

Companies are automating various processes in the workplace to reduce human involvement. Many machines are currently being built with full automation (which means only one guy will be in a manufacturing line controlling a machine that does the work of over 1000 people in record time). While not all jobs will be lost by the automation process, the future of employment is bleak. Many people and job types will be affected during this transition and that’s why you need to know these 3 urgent reasons why you should start a side business while you still have or are looking for a full-time job.

Sell Your Products and Services Online: Not everyone is designed for the corporate workspace. many would like to go the entrepreneurial route. Even if you have a job or are looking for a job, it is very important that you also start a business, no matter how small. You don’t need a physical brick and mortar store to sell your products or services. You can sell online. Here’s a detailed description of how to create your online store for selling your products.

Freelance With Your Skills

Use the internet to your advantage. There are many ways you can earn an income with your skills through the freelancing space. I have written extensively about how you can make money online as a freelancer here. Be flexible and become financially literate.

Mindset is Everything

Your mindset can elevate or pin you down. Aim higher, work on your dreams and be ready for changes at all times. That’s the way to stay get through your hurdles and crush your challenges. Wishing you all the best.

As a young grad, what is that burning question you would like to get an answer to? Tell us in the comment section below or on our social media pages.

If you are reading this and have been successful in your career, what are some of the advice you would want to give to these young people graduating from university in 2019? Tell us in the comment section or our social media pages.

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