Burning Question Answered

This from Nana:

Hi I have been looking for a job for almost 10 months with no luck. I have lost myself i don’t know what to do anymore. For the past years i have been doing temp assignments and i can not find a permanent job. I have a grade 11, Call centre diploma and a NQF4 Post Matric in business management. Can u help me out i dnt want to spend another year at home.

Hard to answer this one Nana. There could be a number of things at work here. Like:

• Your English may not be that great – so English Call Centre jobs may be out
• Your CV may not be up to scratch
• Your basic business skills may be poor – typing, computer skills and communication

Now the encouraging thing here is that none of these things takes terribly much to improve. All you’ll need is focussed effort – and maybe someone to loan you some time behind their computer.

Try the following:

Improve your English: join a library, read as many books in English as you can. Take books out on English usage. Listen to the radio – English stations. Read English aloud to yourself. When you watch TV – copy the way people speak English. Look up the word “enunciate” in the dictionary. Practice saying words slowly and clearly. Make a fool of yourself improving your English. People will laugh – but when you land a great job because of it, they’ll be quiet.

Improve your computer skills: really what you need is time in front of a computer. Start with what you learned about computers in college. Go over what you learned. Do the exercises. Again, take a book out of the library on computer literacy. Practice especially on software like Excel and Word or event the fantastic free OpenOffice alternatives. Do the tutorials. If you have some cash go to your local computer guy and offer to buy an old computer. Doesn’t have to have much at all. Just very, very basic. All you need it for is to practice. Not for games, etc. I’m sure if you go in with a few hundred Rand you can pick something up.

Improve your typing skills: make it a mission to get to at least 40 words per minute. Be determined. Be totally comfortable on the keyboard. And we’re talking “touch typing” here – none of this one finger stuff, tap … tap … tap.

Now regarding getting work. You just have to figure out what value you can provide. What can you do for an employer that will help them in some way? Even if there is only one single thing … that’s ok. Then you start visiting every business in your area, once a week. Make a nuisance of yourself. Get to know the names of local business men and women. Meet them anyway you can. Offer to help them with what you have. Offer to work part time or casually.

For example:

If you can type really well: then go there every day – “any typing, any filing – I work per hour”

You WILL get lucky. Persistence is like magic. Dress professionally for work every day. Go out there. be bold. And it’ll happen soon.

Maybe you have in your mind a nice comfortable ‘big company’ job. Ok. But if that’s what you’re aiming for know this: you have lots of competition. And that competition is likely just as good if not better than you. But if you take a more ‘guerrilla’ style approach – you have almost no competition. Just a little discomfort in the beginning. But then again, it’s pretty uncomfortable sitting along, unemployed at home.

Hope this helps a little!