Rethink It With Ben: Jobs are scarce: 5 tips to help you keep your employment

The unemployment rate in Nigeria is at it’s highest ever. The current economic situation has led to the death a lot of companies, while others have engaged in massive downsizing in a bid to survive.First Bank, Ecobank, Zenith Bank, Jumia,Konga etc., have all sacked thousands of workers in recent months.

Yet, hundreds of thousands graduate yearly from the numerous higher institutions in Nigeria, most of which offer courses that are no longer relevant or make use a syllabus that should have been burned in the 80s.

People are so desperate for jobs, over nine hundred thousand people, recently applied to be recruited into the Nigeria Police Force. This is not a good time to be searching for a job, and if you have a good one, it’s not a good time to lose it.

It’s true you can get fired through no fault of yours like in the case of downsizing, or your boss just hates your guts, but here are some tips to help you avoid getting sacked.

1. Be Punctual

Endeavor to get to the office on time daily. If you live far away or in traffic prone areas, leave your house early. It’s better to get to the office ‘too early’ and get some work done, than to arrive late consistently and be tagged unserious.

2. Obey Instructions

Do not make a habit of arguing with your supervisors every time you’re given a directive you do not understand or like.

You are hired to pursue the vision off your employer not to force your own vision on them. So obey those they’ve put in charge of achieving that vision.

There’s nothing wrong in having an opinion especially when you truly believe the task in question might turn out to be harmful. But if you argue always you’ll eventually get tuned out, be tagged unmanageable and a bad influence to your colleagues.

3. Be professional

People will always have different opinions, so be open to criticism, no matter who it comes from. Rather than get angry learn to ask why, you’ll learn a lot. Besides a great part of your assessment hinges on how well you get along with your colleagues in performing a task.

4. Improve Yourself

Do short courses online or offline related to the job you do. This will increase your effectiveness and overall worth to your firm.

5. Share Your Ideas

Nothing shows your commitment to the growth of the company than you sharing tips or resources that can help it achieve its vision. It might not be implemented but you’ll be appreciated for it.

For those currently unemployed, work on developing yourself. Enroll for a short professional course in the field you’re interested in. For instance, if you studied Computer science in school, do a short programming or networking course and include it in your CV.

Employers nowadays no longer value a BSc especially one from Nigeria. They need qualified people that can handle the task at hand.

This post was syndicated from pulse.ng - Nigeria's entertainment & lifestyle platform online.