The Life of a Job Seeker: Episode 9

Episode 9: Missed Opportunity

I am deeply sorry guys, Joewie pleaded. I pledge to make it up to you from my salary in the promising job offer I received.

Shut it! Femi interrupted. Nadia is just 3 weeks away from her Expected Date of Delivery; how do we tell her we have lost all the money and the business? How do we pay the hospital bill? How do we get money to run paternity test? How……Femi’s unending list of how was overridden by Kobi’s list of why.

Oh no! Heaven must be mad at us. Otherwise, why would heaven let our village people use Joewie against us? Why have ill lucks been haunting us since our youth service? Why is favour ignoring us? Why is life choking us? Why………

Regardless of the guys clamouring, the truth remained that they were back to the vicious square 1.

Fast forward to Joewie’s Job Appointment.

Joewie couldn’t believe his eyes when he got to the company. It was a magnificent 6 storey building. The aesthetic nature of the building was not only soothing to the eyes but also to the soul. He never imagined the company to be that great.

Welcome to B Construct; the security greeted him with a big smile. How may we help you, he asked? Joewie answered; My name is Jonathan Dan. I am here to see Professor Garba. The security responded, that’s the CEO of the Company. I am afraid you can’t see him unless he had scheduled an appointment with you. Yes, I do have an appointment with him, Joewie replied.

Following all protocols, his appointment was confirmed and he was directed to the 6th floor to meet with the CEO. As he made his way through the building, he passed by a number of employees who were smartly dressed with happy looks. He was perplexed as to how such a great private company could exist in an environment like that. He said to himself; finally, my God has done it for me in Sokoto.

Meeting with the CEO

Professor Garba was a bright man with American ascent. He spent almost all of his life growing up in the United States. He returned to Nigeria only a few years back to build his company in his hometown. Since then, he has been shuttling regularly between Nigeria and abroad. After they exchanged pleasantries, he said to Joewie; having heard a lot of nice words about you from my brother, I plan to travel with you to America for some project by next month if you are willing. Usually, our recruitment process at B construct requires applicants to submit applications online and go through series of assessment before an oral interview. But luckily for you, you do not have to go through all of that.

He called on his secretary to escort Joewie for a meeting with the HR. Just go and prove yourself to the guys in the next room, he said. I have an important meeting to attend somewhere. Joewie thought to himself, what does he mean by I should go and prove myself to the guys in the next room. I hope this is not some form of examination or interview. As he walked towards the HR’s office, his heart pounded like a jackhammer.

Meeting with the HR

As he entered the HR’s office, he was welcomed by a panel of 2 interviewers. Please make yourself comfortable, the interview is going to be very brief, said Mrs Titi, one of the interviewers. As he moved towards the seat reserved for him, his heart raced twice faster. Initially, he thought there was not going to be any form of interview due to his connection. He thought all he needed to do was introduce himself, discuss his job role, salary, and then collect his appointment letter.

His peril began when he was asked to present his CV and other credentials. Unfortunately, he didn’t have them handy. All he had was a soft copy of his CV. He apologized for not having them handy with the excuse that he didn’t know there was going to be an interview on that day. Even though they were disappointed, the interviewers went easy on him since he was a special candidate. They helped him print out his CV from the company’s computer.

Following that, he was asked to explain briefly what he knows about the organization and why he wanted to work there. At that point, he went completely blank because he had not done any study about the company. When the HR saw that he was struggling to give a response, they asked him another question; give us 3 reasons why we should hire you. This question required him to state relevant skills, qualities and achievements that qualifies him for the position and how he would use them to bring about positive change on his job. However, without giving much thought to the question, Joewie rambled at great length about how long he had been searching for a job, and how getting the job would go a long way to solve his financial problems. 

Before being told verbally, the countenance of the interviewers after he gave his lame response clearly made him understand that he had flunked.  Right there, he got the negative feedback he deserved from the HR;

 “Even though you were recommended by the Boss himself, I regret to inform you that you are not eligible for this role”. Upon hearing the feedback, his face became gloomy. He felt so embarrassed, and miserable.

Lesson 4: Your connection alone might not be sufficient.

Although, the importance of building and utilizing networks in job search was clearly defined in the previous episode, being recommended by a network for a position is not a guarantee that you will land the job. You would still need to prove to the hiring manager that you are the right person for the opportunity.

For every job interview, your goal should always be to impress a potential employer by relaying with conviction the specific skills, qualities and experience that qualifies you for a position and that will be beneficial to the organization.

Always remember that success comes when preparation meet opportunity. Therefore, you should Practice often and be prepared to impress a potential employer. Do not make the mistake of waiting to be invited for an interview before getting prepared so as not to be knocked down by a sudden opportunity that knocks on your door.

While on an interview, listen well, and ensure you understand the question before proceeding to respond.

Moving On

Having failed at his interview, Joewie went home wearily to pack his bag and leave for Niger State. He was too ashamed to relay to his friends how his experience went, so he lied to them that the job had been awarded to another, and then he started packing his bag to leave.

As he was packing, Femi said to him; so, in summary, your travel to our place in Sokoto was just to wreck us. As they were discussing, Kobi noticed Nadia was uncomfortable. Are you fine he asked her? She responded “I really don’t know but I feel pain just beneath my belle. As they discussed more, the pain aggravated that she couldn’t bear but scream. Could this be that Nadia is in Labour?

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