7 TIPS THAT WILL GET YOU YOUR DREAM JOB

You are probably wondering why you have not been invited by any of the companies you applied to. Your wonderful grades in school now seem to be a waste of time and effort but before you give up, here are a list of things you can do to step up your game.

The first thing an employer accesses about you is your Curriculum Vitae or Resume. It is the first impression that would last long in his mind. It can either make or mar your chances of getting an opportunity to showcase those wonderful skills you have. If you are willing to permanently change your own employment story for the better, take a look at the following things and correct the mistakes. 

• EMAIL ADDRESSES

When I was in my final year I guess, Dr Okeola a senior lecturer in the Civil Engineering department made everyone of my classmates (myself included) open an email address with our first and last name. He cared less if you already had something you used frequently. We had to obey him because he usually sent us assignments and other related information via our email addresses.

I personally felt uneasy and I must have grumbled. Now I know understand what he was trying to teach us. Fortunately for me, I had an email address coined from my names although I hardly used it. I immediately revived it and started using it. It was something like seyiariyo91@yahoo.com. I rarely use it anymore though!

So, the point is to show professionalism it is best you use your first and last names to open your official email address. Right now, my email address is something like oluseyiariyo@gmail.com. Someone once said gmail accounts are better these days than yahoo (I don't know how true that is).

Email addresses like slayqueen2018@gmail.com is a complete NO NO! If you do that in the past, it is time to change.

• WORK EXPERIENCE

A lot of us simply write things like

2014 - 2018         JonnyBrown International Company

It is much better if you include the month and year. It is helpful to also include the roles you played while in that organisation.

A much better way to rewrite that will be 

January 2014 - June 2018 :    JonnyBrown International Company

Role:    Accountant

Responsibilities     Keeping records of purchases and preparing financial statements

• SKILLS 

Under skills, you should include Skill Name, Skill Level and when last you used it instead of writing things like Singing, Cooking. The skills should relate with the position you are applying for. You will find helpful tips online.

Here is an example

Skill Name: Complex Problem Solving 

Skill Level : Basic or Intermediate or Professional 

Last Used : Currently in Use 

• EDUCATION

Make sure you include only the start year of the academic program.

E.g. Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) English and Literature -Second Class Upper Division-

Niger State University, Minna (2016)

• HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

Try to tailor your interests toward the job you are applying for so that you would not appear irresponsible. Sleeping, Walking etc should be avoided. You should rather write hobbies like . 

People Development

Travelling 

Personal Development

Volunteering

• REFEREE

 *AVAILABLE ON REQUEST* Is the standard format. 

Please don't bother adding your village chief's name.

• SOCIAL MEDIA

A lot of us are terrible with our social media handles. We post carelessly, like and share stuff that aren't credible. It may surprise you to know that employers may check on your timelines especially if you are going in for a sensitive position. My advice would be if you are gonna be ashamed of it before your boss then don't click on it. 

Remember the world is a global village!

I hope you find these tips helpful. 

You may add more in the comments section for other readers to learn from.