Trynottocomeacrossasdesperate when
you’researchingfora job,Joburg-based
lifecoachThatoChomasays.“People can
smellitandit’sanopportunityrepellent,”
sheadds.“Desperationcanalso make you
susceptibletoscamsandcompromise your
abilitytomakegooddecisions.”DORegisteryourdetailsonwebsites that
recruitpeoplefortemporaryorflexible
jobs,suchasNomadNow,LinkdPro or Re-
cruitMyMom.You’llbeabletosignupas
a freelancerandbidtoworkonprojects.
Createa LinkedInprofilehighlighting
yourskills,andbesuretosayyou are avail-
ableforwork.Employersandrecruiters
searchwithkeywords,soinclude your
skillsinyourprofiletomaximiseyour
chancesofbeingfound.
Bewaryofoverseasjoboffers. There are
strictvisarequirementsforforeigners to
workinmostcountries.Also,always re-
memberifa jobsoundstoogood to be
true,itprobablyis.DON’TPayanyonetohelpyoufindwork, re-
cruitmentexpertTheoSmitsays. Recruit-
mentagenciesarepaidbythebusinesses
thathirethem,notbyjobseekers.
Payanyoneforthe‘promise’of training
andthena jobplacement.It’slikelytobea
scam.
HandoveryourIDorotherpersonal doc-
uments.Arecruitmentagencyor employer
mayasktoseeyourcredentials and make
copies,buttheymaynotholdonto your
documents.JOBHUNTINGDO’S
AND DON’T’S
YET THERE ARE GLIMMERS OF HOPE
Statistics don’t always give a clear pic-
ture. The rise in joblessness is mainly be-
cause 600 000 people entered the job
market in the first quarter, rather than
jobs being lost, Jammine says.
“Young people are entering the job
market at a rapid pace and the formal
economy is unable to accommodate
them.
“There has actually be
of 25 000 jobs, year-on-
the second quarter,” he a
“This is because there w
job increases in the info
mal sector because the
number of available for-
mal jobs fell.”
South Africa’s biggest
hope for the future lies i
dealing with corruptio
and stamping out st
capture.
“Then we could star
savings and resources a
ey that has been siphoned off into the
hands of the few politicians.”
Resolving tensions between unions
and businesses would help too, he adds.
“Trade unions in this country are ex-
tremely powerful and disrupt the work
environment at every opportunity. This
makes it difficult for business in the for-
mal sector to want to take on people on
a permanent basis. They would rather
buy machines to do the job.”
MAKING IT WORK
Oscar Magudulela (36) was in tears when
he heard about the 29% unemployment
rate. He knows what it’s like to be jobless:
in 2012 he was retrenched from the man-
ganese company where he was produc-
tion coordinator and was in a state – he
had a wife and a young son to feed.
“There was a lot of stress and panic,” he
says. “I started applying for jobs but got
n o w h e r e .”
So Oscar decided to take matters into
his own hands. He ran an informal mov-
ing business at weekends, ferrying furni-
ture and belongings. When his pension
paid out he decided to invest half of it in
his business and try to make a go of it.
“I realised that for me to be able to
make a living, I needed to formalise this
business,” he says.
There was plenty of red tape and bu-
reaucracy to get through in order to reg-
ister his business, L&M Removals. And
there were tough financial times too – at
one stage Oscar’s personal vehicle was
repossessed but he didn’t give up.
He applied for aid from the National
Empowerment Fund, which provides
support for emerging businesses and re-
ceived an injection of R2,5 million.
His company now employs 18 people
and his business has grown in size and
reputation, moving goods for ambassa-
dors,governmentofficials and private
“ en I was retrenched it
shock and the thought
g unemployed still
s me,” he says.
is advice to jobseekers
o use what you have
d develop what you
ow. Dream big but
rt small, he says – and
n’t give up at the first
dle.ATTERS INTO YOUR
S
opleneedtogetpro-
active, says Pavlo Phitidis, CEO of Aurik
Business Incubator, a company that
works with entrepreneurs and helps
build their businesses.
Assess your skills and passions, he
says. He cites an example of a woman
who lost her job and then embarked on
a cake-making business by following free
tutorials on YouTube and photographing
recipes from cookbooks and newspapers
with her cellphone. “She started selling
cakes at flea markets and today has a
thriving business.”
He says unemployment forces people
into the informal job market “out of
sheer necessity”.
“People who can weld make burglar
bars for their neighbours. People who
know cars pimp other people’s vehicles.
People who have been making chilli
sauce all their adult lives start bottling
their sauce and selling it.
“You need to start with something you
have an affinity for. But it takes inventive-
ness, imagination and effort.”
“If I was a young person I’d be building
my LinkedIn profile and volunteering
somewhere like the SPCA. Then I’d ask
them to write me references for trust-
worthiness and work ethic.
“Sitting on your hands, shrugging your
shouldersandfeelingallmiserable– I
don’tbuythat.Theworldisonlyyour
oysterif youcreateit.”
ADDITIONAL SOURCES: NEWS24, DAILYMAVERICK, TIMESLIVE,
FIN24, GROUNDUP, BUSINESSINSIDER, MONEYWEB‘Ramaphosa
isplayingthe
“long-game”,butthis
economydoesn’t
havea longtime’NEWS
http://www.drum.co.za 15 AUGUST 2019 | (^11)