Get Your Dream Job Now – Do These!

Yusuf Sodiq Oluwatomi

You’re a serious job seeker, hardworking and very positive. A friend calls you one day and says, “Hey buddy, XYZ Company is calling for CVs o. Wouldn’t you want to give it a try?”

“Oh great!”, you replied, “Let’s see how it goes.” And then you set to work. Get on to your email, on your phone or your PC. You draft an irresistible cover letter, edit and attach your CV to fit the job specification. And then…

Gbam!

Message sent!

After that, what next?

Fold your arms? Start flexing about? Merely expecting…hoping…wishing?

No!

To do that would show that you didn’t even want the job in the first place. It would mean that you probably like to have fun applying to different jobs. Or you were testing the strength of your CV, to know whether it’s ripe for and worthy of a job invite.

But really, you should do more than that. You should follow up on your application. Unless you think and feel you’re not ready for the labour market. Every serious and determined job seeker should do a follow-up on any of his or her application.

Here’s a few ways to go about that:

Keep record of your application

Simple, right? Sure. Get your jotter or your phone and write down the name of the company and the date you applied. This helps you identify job frauds that flood your emails or phone inbox. You don’t get to worry anymore about jobs that you applied to and those you didn’t but get invited for. As such, you’re clear as to which job interview to attend and which to ignore. No need to waste that money you’ve kept for another purpose for unnecessary transport fare for a non-existent, time-wasting interview.

After this you don’t stop. You also…

Research the company

When you apply to a job, you shouldn’t wait till you’re called for an interview before you know about the company. Try to read all you can about them. What do they do? What are their core values? Google it. Go online. Very resourceful online forum Nairaland are full of good lads willing to help with valuable info on any recruiting organization.

Maybe you’re asking: “Why do I need to research the company when I only just applied to the job, no interview invite yet na?”

Okay good. Here’s why.

Ever thought of a day you’d be so busy you’d have little time to prepare for a scheduled job interview? Yes, if you’re a job seeker, you probably have experienced this. You’re engaged in something equally important when your message beeped: “Congrats! You’re hereby invited for an interview at….” At that point, you’re armed only with the little you’d taken in about the company the time you applied. And questions about what the company does, their portfolios and when it’s established is almost always inevitable in any standard job interview.

The reason is, you aren’t even qualified to be tested for a job in an organization about which you have no idea. It’d mean that you probably wouldn’t be genuinely interested in the progress of the company when you’re employed.

So researching the company on time prepares you for the interview before it actually comes. So when it’s time, you’d have no excuse regarding the limited time for preparation. Many job seekers suddenly realise they aren’t ready for the interview probably because they expect a gap, say, a week interval, from the day they get the invite.

However, when you apply this strategy, you’d worry less about the time span to the interview date.

Now let’s move to the next.

Get the company’s contact

Yes, this too has always proven helpful. When the message entered your inbox, it contained a number you could call for enquiries. Call that number and ask questions, be it about the company itself or the scheduled interview. Or you could go to the contact us menu on their website and fetch their email. Write them. I know a friend who got two interview invitations at the same date. Because he had to choose one, he decided to call the number on the message of the other one. After explaining to them the reason he couldn’t attend the interview, he was called for a rescheduled test (not oral interview this time) but another position for which he’s most suitable. He got the job.

You might want to try it too. If you doubt the authenticity of the job invite, worry not. Just call the number accompanying the text message or get their email from their website and contact them. And if you fail to attend the interview for genuine reasons (not excuses), don’t hesitate to call or mail them. Who knows, it might work for you too.

Finally, you’re not far off from getting your dream job. You’re fine with the necessary steps and precautions you’ve taken. Just that, you need to do a little more: Follow up on your job application. When you do this, you won’t only save yourself the time and money usually spent on fake interview invites, but would also be creating for yourself an opportunity to be considered for an unadvertised opening.

Yusuf  is a freelance writer and blogger out to make a difference. He is the founder of ComsoyHub, a resource of opportunities for graduates. Connect with Sodiq on Twitter and Facebook.

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