It is no longer news that there is a high rate of unemployment in Nigeria. According to Statista.com, an estimated 33 percent of the labour force are unemployed as at 2022 which is a little bit above the 32.5 percent unemployment rate recorded in 2021.
The increasing rate of unemployment coupled with the current poor state of the country’s economy has forced many desperate job seekers to neglect some important red flags in the job vacancies they are applying for.
In this article, we will take a look at seven necessary things you should look at as a job seeker before you apply for that job vacancy you just came across.
1. Is the job vacancy real or fake?
The number one thing you should watch out for before applying for any job vacancy is the credibility of that job vacancy. Countless numbers of people have been duped, kidnapped, raped, and ultimately killed as a result of unknowingly applying for a fake job vacancy. This is why you need to be on the lookout for the genuineness of any job vacancy before applying.
Some of the tips listed below can help you to spot a fake job vacancy
- When the offer is too good to be true
- When you are contacted for a job you never applied for
- When you can’t get any information about the company from anyone or online
- When you are asked to give personal information like your BVN, ATM pin, social media account log-in details e.t.c.
2. The job description
A job description entails the main duties and responsibilities expected from an applicant for a particular role or position. Before you apply for a job vacancy, you must ensure you’ve properly read the job description and fully understand what the job is expected of you. This is important to help you as an applicant determine whether or not the job goes in line with your skills, background, and experience. You may need to think twice before proceeding with an application for a position if the job description is vague and not specific.
3. Job location
Gone are the days when one could freely move anywhere and everywhere in Nigeria without any fear. With the current security situation in the country, one has to be very careful with his or her movement. Before you apply for a job vacancy, you should be able to carry out some research about the environment of the company to assure you that it is a safe place for you to be. You don’t want to apply for a job in an area where you will be working in perpetual fear.
Some of the things that you should take note about in regards to the location are:
- How secure is the environment
- Are there any recent attacks
- How peaceful is the area at night
4. Salary structure
It is not news that many Nigerian workers are underpaid in their various jobs. The salary that has been received by some Nigerians is mostly not enough to cater for their personal needs, let alone that of their families. This is why you should equip yourself with some information about the salary structure of the company you are about to apply to. Doing this will save you the stress of applying and going through rigorous interviews and other employment processes only to end up not doing the job due to a poor salary.
You can easily get information about how much a company pays before you apply by simply doing some research about the salary range for the job you are considering. Another method to get information about the salary structure is by familiarizing yourself with people working in the company who can furnish you with the necessary information in regards to that.
5. Background of the company
Another important thing to watch out for is the background of the company you are applying for. Applying for a job without doing some background checks can land you in unnecessary trouble. You need to do some research about the company in order to ascertain whether or not it is an ideal place to work. Some working environments can simply be likened to hell, to avoid putting yourself into this, it is necessary you make findings about the company.
Some of the things to include in your background checks are:
- Staff welfare and treatment
- Company crisis management
- Ownership
- Career growth
6. Transportation convenience
With the poor condition of some roads and constant traffic, considering the transportation to and fro to the company you are about to apply for should not be neglected. You should consider how convenient it is for you to move from your house to work, the time you will be spending on the road every day, the money you will be spending on fuel, and the amount of money you will be spending on transportation if you don’t have your own car.
You have to consider if your salary will still be worth it after you deduct the money you spend every day commuting yourself from your salary.
7. The reputation of the company
The importance of reputation in life can never be overemphasized. The reputation of the company you work for directly influences you as a staff. If you work in a company known to be of negative reputation and public perception, it is mostly going to come back and hurt you. This is because nobody wants to attach themselves to a company with a terrible reputation. Hence, you must understand what the public thinks about the company before you apply for a job in such a company.
In all, one should always be very careful and watchful before applying for any job vacancy, and you should always have it at the back of your mind that not everything that glitters is gold.
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