What You Should Look Out For When Applying For A Job In Nigeria

What You Should Look Out For When Applying For A Job In Nigeria – The increasing rate of unemployment in Nigeria coupled with the current poor state of the country’s economy has motivated many desperate job seekers to ignore some essential red flags in the job vacancies they are applying for.

In this article, we will take a look at what you should look out for when applying for a job in Nigeria before you apply for that job vacancy you just came across.

What You Should Look Out For When Applying For A Job In Nigeria

1. Is the job vacancy fake or real?

The number one thing you should look out for before applying for any job is the credibility of that job vacancy. Numerous numbers of people have been duped, raped, kidnapped, and ultimately killed as a result of unknowingly applying for a fake job vacancy. This is why you need to be on the lookout for the credibility of any job vacancy before applying. Some of the tips that can assist you spot a fake job vacancy are:

• When the job offer is too good to be true
• When you are contacted for a job offer you never applied for
• When you cannot get any information about the company from anyone or online

2. The job description

A job description consists of the main duties and responsibilities expected from an applicant for a particular position or role. Before applying for a job vacancy, you must ensure you have properly read the job description and fully understand what the job is expected of you. This is pertinent to assist you as an applicant determine if the job goes in line with your skills, background, and experience. You may need to think twice before moving on with an application for a position if the job description is vague and not specific.

3. Job location

With the current security situation in the country, people have to be very careful with their movement. Before applying for a job vacancy, it is important to carry out some research about the environment of the company to convince you that it is a safe place for you to be. You don’t want to apply for a job in a location where you will be working in perpetual fear. Some of the tips that you should take note in regard to the location are:

• The security level of the environment
• Ask if there is any recent attack in the environment
• Is the environment peaceful at night?

4. Salary structure 

It is no longer news that many Nigerian workers are underpaid in their various job positions. The salary that has been collected by some Nigerians is not enough to cover their personal needs. This is why you should learn about the salary structure of the company you are about to apply to. It will save you the stress of applying and going through many interviews and other employment processes only to end up not giving in to the job due to a poor salary.

5. Background of the company

Another essential thing to monitor is the background of the company you are applying for. Applying for a job without doing some basic checks can put you in unnecessary trouble. You need to do some research about the company to ascertain whether or not it is the best place to work. Some working environments can be likened to hell, to avoid putting yourself into this, you must make findings about the company. Some of the things to consider in your background check are:

• Ownership of the company
• Career growth of the company
• Staff treatment and welfare

6. Transportation convenience

You need to consider how convenient it is for you to move from your house to work, the time you will be spending on the road every day, and the money you will be spending on transportation.

You should consider if your salary will still be worth it after you remove the money you spend every day commuting from your salary.

7. The reputation of the company

The essence of reputation in life can never be ignored. The reputation of the company you work for will directly influence you as a staff. If you work in a company recognized to be of negative reputation and public perception, it is likely going to come back and hurt you. This is because nobody wants to unite themselves with a company with a terrible reputation. Therefore, you must know what the public thinks about the company before you apply for a job in such a company.

Attributes Employers Look for in Job Applicants

1. Good Communication

The ability to pass the information on effectively to superiors, colleagues and other staff is important, no matter what industry you work in. Workers in the digital age must know how to properly convey and receive messages in person as well as via phone, email, and social media. Good communication skills will assist get hired, landing promotions, as well as be a success throughout your career.

2. Leadership Ability

Most job positions applied for in different firms are not permanent. It’s either you will be promoted in the future to a higher level where you be responsible for people, or your job role gets enriched.
Most organizations even have “leadership” as part of the core values they uphold. In that regard, your CV is required to show leadership positions you have held, your cover letter should show leadership with your words, and your interviews should confirm to the interviewers that you have the skill to lead others.

3. Interpersonal Skill

Interpersonal skills, also called people skills, are related to the way individuals pass information and interact with people in the workplace. When employers are recruiting, interpersonal skills are one of the top criteria used to evaluate candidates. No employer wants to hire a candidate who will put a deadlock on a team. So when they are recruiting, they make sure they take note of the candidate’s ability to interact with other candidates, the panel of interviewers or the single interviewer.

4. Ability to Work in a Team

All the companies you have applied for or intend to apply to are made up of various sub-units, also called teams. Some firms deliberately chose candidates for offers because of this attribute. This is because the attitude of one group member can either make or mar a full team’s effort.

When looking for a job, take time to look around your teamwork abilities in your CV and cover letter. State how you have been able to work in previous teams successfully in the past. Most interviewers can also focus on this, and ask you for real-life illustrations of when you previously worked in a team.

5. Ability to Independently Take Initiative

Companies want people who will be able to take self-initiative, work with little or no supervision without mistakes and be able to act or make decisions on behalf of their boss. Candidates who fail to display this skill during any of the application stages are considered by some employers as unemployable.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, one should always be very watchful before applying for any job vacancy, and you should always remember that not everything that glitters is gold. We believe that this article came to you at the right time. If you know anybody that may be interested in reading this article, kindly share it out. Thank you for reading!

Frequently Asked Question(s)

Reference(s)

• tribuneonlineng.com – Seven Things To Look Out For Before Applying For A Job Vacancy
• myjobmag.com – 8 Attributes Employers Look Out For In Job Applicants

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