The challenge facing Youth – clueless about how to land a job

The incessant stream of CV from young people ranging from 18 to 28 for jobs ANY JOBS is a heart wrenching cry for independence by desperate youth who want a living wage. Fortunately for them, they live at home and have no great rush to get into the job market, so they are picky and want jobs that are not out there.

Little do they realize that the most important point in employment is the record of consistent work at one place however low the wages are and however tough the conditions. You cannot buy your way into a record of work. You have work it, earn it , and live it. Our young people just do not understand that. So when jobs are offered, they are refused, as that is not the type of job they were hoping to get!

On the one hand they are pleading with me for a job, any job, and on the other hand when I place them somewhere in an area where there is great potential, they say it is not up their street. It is this dilemma that I have to deal with, and I am frustrated because when I direct youth into areas where there is potential for the quick rewards they are looking for, they do not wish to pursue, as it involves a little effort! I had a person come into the office this week saying that they are looking for youth with a good personality to train as insurance salesman, who will be selling the pension product of a particular insurance company, and depending on the success of getting people to buy into the policies, could in 3 months be earning close of Rs50,000 a month. Even an A level is not necessary.

I contacted numerous on my database of youth looking for jobs, and even without going through their free, one day leadership seminar, to learn about the products and about themselves, they declined, saying it is not up their street. The latter thought is suspect as I know they do not really know what the job entails, and at least they should try and find out by attending the events laid on for prospective recruits. Word of mouth of hearsay is simply not sufficient for them to make up their minds that those jobs are not good. While I am willing to admit that it will attract a certain dedicated individual with congruent life goals, it is nevertheless important to attend the seminars to determine one’s aptitude for such jobs.

I appeal to young people not to have preconceived notions of what employment is and to simply take anything they can get their hands on and with the experience one gains in any employment the maturity that one gets will enable one to know exactly what one wants and then take the necessary steps to achieve those goals. Without the initial work experience to gain the practice of getting to work on time, and showing consistent timely attendance it is impossible to show one can hold on to a job and perform, despite the obstacles most jobs place on one.