Employee Concourse organiser Olusola Adetiba has identified the gap between leaving school and getting a job as one of the major challenges facing job seekers.
Adetiba made the statement while speaking to DailyInsightNG during the Employee Concourse event in Abuja, where he explained the idea behind the programme and the employment challenges it seeks to address.
According to him, Employee Concourse was conceived in 2004 before it eventually began in 2017 as an initiative aimed at helping people who are struggling to find employment or manage challenges in their existing jobs.
He explained that one of the ideas behind the programme is to bring job seekers and employers closer together while creating opportunities for participants to learn from human resources professionals across different sectors.
“Employee Concourse is a place where we help people who are struggling to get jobs basically,” Adetiba said.
He added that the event provides an opportunity for HR professionals to discuss what it takes to secure employment in different sectors.
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Gap between school and employment
Adetiba identified the transition from school to employment as a major challenge for some job seekers.
He said while some people secure employment shortly after leaving school, others spend years searching for opportunities.
Using his own experience, Adetiba said he spent about four years before getting a job.
He said the experience made him understand the difficulty some people face during the period between completing their education and entering the workforce.
According to him, the event seeks to explore ways of reducing that gap and creating more opportunities for people trying to enter the labour market.
‘Many people don’t know how to present themselves’Another challenge identified by Adetiba is the ability of job seekers to present their skills and experience effectively.
He said some candidates may have the knowledge and skills required for a position but struggle to communicate their abilities to prospective employers.
“Many people don’t know how to present themselves,” he said.
Adetiba explained that candidates need to understand how to communicate what they have done, the skills they developed and the responsibilities they have handled.
He referred to an example discussed during the event involving a woman who had spent several years away from formal employment raising children.
According to him, the period could also be presented in terms of the responsibilities and skills she developed, including managing household finances and coordinating family responsibilities.
He said the experience demonstrated why people should look beyond conventional job titles when identifying skills and experience.
Importance of networkingAdetiba also highlighted the importance of face-to-face interaction and networking.
He said bringing professionals and job seekers into the same physical environment gives participants an opportunity to meet HR professionals, business owners and people who have progressed in their careers.
He explained that a job seeker can use such an opportunity to introduce themselves, explain the type of work they are looking for and seek advice or possible connections.
Adetiba said he has a network of more than 500 HR managers in Abuja and explained that bringing people together can help create connections around employment opportunities.
‘Prepare, stand out and get hired’Asked what he wanted participants to remember from Employee Concourse, Adetiba pointed to the three words associated with the event:Prepare. Stand out. Get hired.
He explained that preparation means getting ready for opportunities, while standing out involves finding something that makes a candidate unique.
He challenged job seekers to think about what differentiates them from other candidates competing for opportunities.
“Find something unique and then trust me, God will finish it by getting you hired, definitely,” he said.