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Why you need job experience before your first job
For many fresh graduates in Nigeria, finding a job is like embarking on a journey without a destination. After days, months and years of submitting CV all over places in Nigeria, the inevitable becomes evident. Disappointment befalls many. This is the reality in the Nigerian labour market because most jobs require at least one year's working experience before you apply.
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In Nigeria today, most jobs require experience. Fresh university graduates may not have such experience. Therefore how do they intend to gain experience as a requirement for job application without GodFatherism?. The Nigerian Industrial Attachment (IT) programmes in universities are not as effective as they were. This has left so many with no industrial training experiences after graduation. This has become a problem for fresh university graduates. The idea of job search in Nigeria with a university certificate is great, but securing a job without experience is a miracle.
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Therefore, as a recommended criteria for job application, you need experience. You can get these experience
By volunteering
As a fresh graduate, the best way to gain experience is by becoming a volunteer. Decide to volunteer in any organization that have such services available. Volunteering is the best way to gain practical experience in any career you decide to pursue.
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Finding an organization to volunteer is easy in Nigeria especially in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria. Though securing a position as a volunteer is not that easy. With places affected by Boko Haram having Non-Government Organization of various kinds, you are sure to find a good volunteer job.
Volunteering is a good way of gaining work experience. Such volunteering job helps in character building, job environment familiarization and great interpersonal skills. This help to build the goal-oriented worker in you. Thus, cultivating the volunteer into becoming responsible and patriotic.
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Are you interested in volunteering outside your country and not so sure you are qualified? Are you lacking specific qualifications to apply for volunteering services? I find this article volunteer abroad skills qualifications both instructive and motivational
By volunteering, it helps you in networking your skills and also showcasing your areas of strength. Volunteer for The United Nations Volunteers program in Nigeria
Volunteering is always a good way to secure a job, most organization with volunteering jobs give preference to their volunteers whenever an opening is available in the organization.
Finding internship opportunities to gain experience
Internship is a good way to gain valuable work experience before your first job. Internship, unlike volunteering, helps you in defining your career path. During the internship, it provides you with great insight into the workings schedule of companies, organizations or firms.
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Finding an internship in Nigeria is a great hustle, although internship and volunteering may look similar, they are different. Some internship has high standard requirements. Like having Master’s or PhD in an engineering discipline before you can apply.
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If you are a Nigerian and an undergraduate, you can apply for Chevron internship. This will help you gain the required experience before landing your first job in Nigeria. Although securing jobs in Nigeria has always been problematic, it does not hurt to become an intern and gain experience. The harsh realities of securing a job in Nigeria can be devastating. Myjobmag gives you a cutting-edge advantage
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for hunting jobs in Nigeria.
Although there are paid and unpaid internship, an internship is a great way of gaining experience and building a wonderful list of working job experience before securing a job.
Get freelancing jobs and start getting experience
The reason for getting job experience is for your employer to know if you can do the job. Therefore, starting with freelancing is a great way to gain experience. Freelancing is strict, competitive and with many laid down rules from the client. Simply put, pay = work.
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During freelancing, some employees are not interested in your CV, nor your level of experiencing, they test you on their own. Asses the level of your experience before enlisting you with any job, or they can only offer you a job by recommendation from a friend or anyone known.
Freelancing is a great way to showcase your talents. Also, it is an avenue to gain more experience because you will encounter new and more challenging jobs. This also exposes a fresh graduate too many things not taught within the four walls of the classroom. That is field learning.
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The interesting thing about freelancing is the more jobs you take, the more experience you get. Upworks is a freelancing site where jobs are enlisted in categories.
To most of freelancing job sites like freelancer, jobs are classified into categories such as website IT & software design, Mobile phones and computing, graphic design, Media & Architecture, writing &content developers etc..
Your effectiveness in gaining experience as a freelance is finding a category and sticking with it. Freelancing jobs in the long run always turn out to be a full-time job. How I left my day job and became a full-time freelancer in 9 months is a fascinating article with great insight on how you can become a great freelancer
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You don’t need a traditional job to gain experience, you can find any of the above listed and get good experience and start building a reputation for yourself.
