Talent is overrated

“Most people learn how to do their jobs in the first year, and then they never get any better. They just coast in their jobs. But the only direction you can coast is downhill.
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The average person does only an average job, and as a result, he earns an average income and worries about money all his life. He does not realize that there is often only a thin veil that separates the average person from the excellent person. The fact is that if you are not getting better, you are getting worse. No one stays in the same place for long.”
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The only thing that separates the average person from the exceptional person, is continuous learning. Listening to podcasts, reading, doing courses.
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Part Four: Your future employer is going to cyber-stalk you.

Before you are employed- possibly before you are even interviewed- your future employer is going to stalk you on the internet.  I know this, because it’s the first thing that I would do, and most of my clients do as well 😊!  And its perfectly fair and ethical to “invade your privacy” and make judgements on what is on your social media accounts… because you made it public!

You have the power to decide what people see and do not see on your social media profiles, by changing your privacy settings and thinking before you post.  By looking at little details such as your display name, account name, email address, statuses, and profile pictures.  Your WhatsApp Profile picture may be my first visual impression of you.

Take a moment to scroll through your account and look at your posts through the eyes of a future employer.

And while we are on the topic of digital accounts- do you have a LinkedIn Profile?  If not, it is time to get one.  Think of LinkedIn as the professional Facebook for the business world.  Next week I will post a few hints and tips of putting together a professional LinkedIn profile.

Part Three: Tertiary Education sells you on Dreams

It’s sad, but true.  Tertiary education is a business like any other.  They must sell you on studying qualifications through them, with the promise of amazing careers, dream jobs and huge salaries.  The truth is, that a lot of the Student Advisors are students themselves and have no idea what the business world has to offer.

You study for years, excel in your exams, enter the employment market, only to find that the jobs and salaries are not what you expected.  Business on the other hand is less interested in your qualifications, and more interested in who you are and the value you can add to their business.  And without practical experience behind the theory that you learnt, they will have to invest more in you initially, than the value you will add.

The reality is, that when entering the job market, you need to see what the market is paying, and the value of the experience that you will gain.

The good news is, that while you may not necessarily be the next Marketing Intern for Unilever, or Account Manager for an Advertising Agency, with hard work and a little time, you will achieve those great things.  And there will come a day when you and another applicant apply for a job or promotion, and you will get it, because of the qualifications you studied.

(A final note- I am not for a second saying that studying is unnecessary or irrelevant.  As a recruiter, if a CV passes my desk of a graduate, I immediately assume that they are intelligent and have work ethic, simply because they completed a qualification.  That alone will open doors for you!)

Part Two: Who wants this job- you or your mom?

Every recruiter’s pet peeve- when a girlfriend, boyfriend, best friend, wife; or in this case- parent, phones on behalf of their child to find out about jobs.

When you are starting your career, there is not a lot on your CV to “sell” you.  Most of the time when we book in a school leaver or graduate with no experience for an interview, it is because they impressed us with their communication.

If you are not the one communicating with us, how will we get to know you? How will you form connections/ network? How are we supposed to know that you are confident enough to speak to people on the phone or construct a professional email?

(A side note to the parent: I know you care.  I know that it’s easier for you to just get it done.  I know you are at work to access to your employers’ phones and internet.  I am a parent too. But you undermine your children when you phone for them.  Respect them enough to let them do this themselves.)

What they didn’t tell you about looking for a job in school- Part one: Looking for a Job starts with Job Portals

Gone are the days of looking for a job in the local newspapers.  Today you look for employment opportunities digitally.  And the number one place is on Job Portals. A job portal, also known as a career portal or employment website, is a modern name for an online job board that helps applicants find jobs and aids employers in their quest to locate ideal candidates.

Internationally Indeed and Monster are popular, but in South Africa, you want to get your CV on Careers24, Career Junction and PNet, among others.  You can also search for jobs on Gumtree, Job Mail and various social media groups, especially on Facebook.

Its important that you include as much detail as possible when uploading your CV onto these websites.  Prospective employers will search this data base of CV’s using “key words” and if those words are not on your CV, you CV will not show up on the search.  ALL experience is important, when you have limited experience.  Include the subjects that you studied, and all the computer packages that you have worked on.

It can be tedious uploading all the information on the forms as well as your CV, but be as detailed as possible.  I promise- you will be grateful for the initial effort later!