Job hunting is a difficult phase many of us have gone through, and some of us are still there. Getting a job in this part of the world is no doubt stressful and can be humiliating.
After graduating from the university with so much hope, getting a good job could take months and sometimes years. Some people have to settle for less just to make ends meet.
Skabash spoke with some Nigerians who have had humiliating experiences in their job search and got them to share them. One thing is clear from their response: getting your dream job in Nigeria is not a child’s play.
After asking these graduates their job hunting experiences, here is what they said:
Kemi, 32 – BSc Estate Management
An application for a graduate was put out, and after applying for the role of an estate surveyor, I was scheduled for an interview, which went well.
Afterwards, I was told that the available role was that of an intern, not even a graduate intern but an internship like that of IT (Industrial Training), and the stipend offered was not even enough to cover my transportation to the workplace.
I wondered why they had put out an application when they knew the salary offer was for interns. They wanted the skill of a graduate but couldn’t pay.
Another humiliating experience was when I applied to be a real estate marketer. I got the job and was scheduled for orientation but was told that as a lady I have to use what I have to get clients and get money out of them. I realised they had selected the beautiful ones out of us. In other interviews, I was told that they would get back to me, but they never got back.
Joshua, 28 – BSc Business Administration
A humiliating experience I remember was just after I graduated from school, before going for my NYSC (National Youth Service Corps). I was looking to explore internships, so I applied to a popular company, which was a big online real estate platform at the time.
I was scheduled for an assessment, and when I arrived, I saw many other candidates who had also applied. We were given sheets of paper to answer some questions, though I can’t quite recall the details. I do know that I didn’t do well on whatever was asked, but that wasn’t the most memorable part.
While we were all busy trying to answer the questions, a young, well-dressed woman walked in confidently and announced that she was there for the assessment. The reaction was instant: all the men in the room, mostly employees of the company, started smiling at her, and she smiled back. I immediately lost focus, feeling like she had already secured the job just by her presence.
Looking back, I realised that was a silly assumption. Instead of staying focused and giving it my best shot, I allowed myself to feel defeated by the situation. I convinced myself that because of how she carried herself—and the fact that the office was predominantly male—they needed the diversity and that she would naturally get the job over the rest of us. In the end, I let my own insecurities get in the way of performing my best.
Segun, 39 – B.Sc Mass Communication
I went for a job interview as a social media manager at a company located in Alogomeji, Lagos. I was asked a series of questions and told to prove what I’ve said about my experience as a social media manager, which I did. The interviewers threatened me during the interview, saying that if I don’t deliver after some months, they will sack me.
I thought to myself that they’ve not hired me, and they are already making this threat. It was embarrassing to me. They reached out to me after a few days, telling me that I had been accepted and that I should come to their office so we could agree on a date to resume.
When I got there, I was threatened once again that I would be sacked if I didn’t deliver. While working there, the threats kept coming, and I was not the only one but some other colleagues. I had to resign in less than a month.
Khadijah, 29 – MSc Biological Science
I applied for a banking job and was asked to use a cap or a neck-level hijab before I could take the interview, which didn’t go well with me. I refused their request and gave up on the interview.
Jerry, 28 – BSc Portuguese/English
Late last year, I took an internship role at a startup company. The company was focused on education technology; they were building their website and their brand online presence from scratch. So as a digital marketer with a few years of experience in the field, I wanted to be a part of a start-up brand’s success story, so I took up an internship/volunteer role as a social media manager with them.
They had promised internship certificates and recommendations, as well as to cover data subscription costs. I committed my time and resources to the role. It was a fully remote role. They sent N1,000 data cost after a month of internship; I thought it was for a week, only to realize it was for a month.
I didn’t receive any more data subscription costs from them after staying for about three months. They dropped 90% of the team, myself included, with the excuse that they haven’t figured out things yet and wanted to strategise.
They said they would get back to us. Months later, they sent an insincere apology email. Still no response to get us back to work. I felt used and scammed, but we moved.
Olamide, 29 – BSc Public Administration
As a Bachelor of Science graduate, I embarked on my job search in 2024. I stay on the mainland in Lagos, where there are fewer opportunities. My initial excitement was quickly tempered by reality.
My first interview was for a customer service role at Ajah, with a promised monthly salary of N150,000. However, after the interview, I was informed that the payment would be commission-based. This unexpected twist left me disappointed, as I had anticipated a stress-free entry-level position.
Unfortunately, this pattern repeated itself. Subsequent job offers mirrored the first, with commission-based payment structures.
Eventually, I accepted a teaching position that promised N150,000 monthly. Regrettably, the actual payment was lower than expected.
While currently employed, I continue to seek better opportunities and explore additional streams of income.
Phoebe, 25 – Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (BMLS)
I applied for a social media management role and added my medical degree to my CV. The recruiter gave me a condescending comment asking how social media and laboratory relate. I raised my eyebrow, wondering if he hasn’t seen people study law and doing comedy, and nobody asked how the two relate.
My portfolio was there, but the recruiter didn’t bother to check the pages I’ve handled. I feel people still don’t believe that you don’t have to go to the university to learn some skills and be extremely good at them, and if at all you have a degree education, it doesn’t necessarily have to relate.
You can develop a new interest, pick a skill, and be extremely good at it. The comment I got from the recruiter was uncalled for. He could have at least reviewed the portfolio he had with him before linking my degree to my skillset.
What jobseekers can do to become more attractive to recruiters
The unemployment rate in Nigeria is high, with a lot of people graduating from school every year with only a few high-paying job openings available.
We reached out to individuals who have recruited for their companies before to share what jobseekers can do to stand a better chance of getting hired.
The Chief Operating Officer of Nutriklin, Mrs. Miracle Okafor, said prospective job seekers should look out for their Curriculum Vitae (CV) when applying for a job.
She stated that:
- Jobseekers should make sure their CV stands out, as it is the first thing that speaks for them before the employers even get to see them.
- Marital status, religion, and pictures should be taken out of the CV; they are irrelevant to it.
- Jobseekers should arrange their experiences in chronological order.
- A CV should include a professional summary and skills both hard and soft.
- CV should be tailored to the job being applied for.
Okafor emphasised that a CV of an engineer cannot be used to apply for the role of a medical doctor. According to her, whatever job is being applied for, the CV should be tailored to it.
Speaking on preparation for the interview, she said there are some specific questions recruiters ask. Okafor said most jobseekers tend to miss it out.
Giving a practical example, she stated that when recruiters ask jobseekers to tell them about themselves, they talk about being single, their local government, getting heartbroken, and the likes, which isn’t what is being looked out for.
She said jobseekers should instead talk about where they graduated from and mention their strengths, e.g., graduating with a first-class degree or a second-class upper. She added it should be tailored to the job they are seeking.
Okafor said if the job description mentions being hardworking. When asked to talk about themselves, job seekers could include how hard-working they are and other things that benefit the job role they are applying for.
She went on to speak on how some interviewees tell recruiters that they don’t have weaknesses.
She stated that they should mention weaknesses that reflect their strengths, like that they “work so hard that they tend to burn out” and “get too time-conscious that they freak out when they are running out of time.”
According to Okafor, those are the kind of things that employers want to hear.
Career Advisor, Aerospace and Aviation, Aanuoluwapo Ojewunmi, on on her part said:
- Jobseekers should have a good and attractive online presence in terms of their LinkedIn profile. She said this is how a lot of applicants cut themselves off. According to her, the reason some recruiters don’t move on with some applicants is because they are not impressed by what they see on their LinkedIn.
- Entry levels should look for demo projects they can do so when they are asked of work samples they would have something to show and not give excuse of not working anywhere before. Demo projects show you are willing to go the extra mile to do things for your growth and development.
- Jobseekers should join relevant associations. This will give them an extra advantage and access to recruiters in the association.
- They should take online courses, as it will increase their knowledge.
- Jobseekers should go the extra mile of trying to reach out to someone in the organization they applied to about their application. This shows they are really interested in the company.
Takeaway
Getting a job in Nigeria comes with its challenges and some humiliating offers, like Kemi, who was asked to employ sexual means to get a client, and Segun, who was threatened with sack if he failed to deliver.
So many jobseekers were told by recruiters that they would get back to them, but in most cases it’s always an endless wait. If there is something we have learnt from Okafor and Ojewunmi, it is to have a CV that stands out and a good online presence, respectively.
By taking online courses, having demo projects, a good CV, strengths and skills that suit the job you are applying for, and answering employers questions appropriately, you will become a favourite for roles you apply to.
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