You Do Not Need Connections To Get A Job

I heard someone saying that when it comes to the job market in Kenya it’s not what you know it’s who you know. Basically, this means that it doesn’t matter if you graduate first of your class if you do not know anyone in any organisation you won’t get a job.

I disagree with this statement. Yes, there are people who get jobs because of who they know, but not all jobs are like that. Even without connections, I believe you can still get a job.

The unemployment rate in Kenya has risen and according to a recent survey conducted by Corporate Staffing Services, it is not going to get any better this year.

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So what do you do? Do you just give up and find alternative ways to make money? Some would say that the future is in self-employment.

When I finished school I really didn’t want to stay home and do nothing. I wanted to get a job and start earning money so that I could buy myself new things and move into my own house.

This I came to realize was the wrong mentality in some aspects. I did stay home for a few months and during those months I applied for any communication job I came across. Sadly, I never got a call for an interview.

Until one day when I got a WhatsApp message telling me that I was being considered for a content editor position that would be paying 30K. The catch was that I had to pay 1000 shillings for training.

My mistake as a job seeker was applying for jobs without bothering to find out which jobs can be scams and which ones are real.

I, therefore spent a lot of time and money applying for jobs that are scams and position that I was not qualified for, instead of focusing on positions that I was qualified for and tailoring my applications to fit them.

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I also used to send the same Cover Letter and CV to apply for every job. This was also part of the reason why I never got a job.

How I finally got a job

As I was still looking for a job I decided to do some volunteer work. Not only was this was a way for me to gain experience but it was also a character building experience.

I learnt that money isn’t everything and as such was willing to apply for low-paying jobs and internships. This was how I got my start.

I managed to get an internship that only offered transport but it was because of the experience I gained during that time that I was able to land a paying job.

The job I applied for required one to have at least one year experience which I had gained from my internship and the attachment while I was still in school.

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Most people refuse to take on unpaid positions because they believe that they deserve to be paid more. I have come to learn that you need to be willing to start from the bottom and rise.

Most of the big industry players did it. Like Centum CEO, James Mworia who started out as an intern or Njoki Chege who worked at Nation for 2 years without pay.

The moral of the story is you do not have to know anyone to get a job you just need to be smart in your job search. Get your CV and Cover Letter done professionally, seek career advice if you feel you need it and you can even get interview coaching.

Do you have a story you would like to share? Leave a comment below.

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