Who says media jobs are not available for young journalism graduates, Adediwura Aderibigbe, former Online staff of The Nation shares his experience on how to prepare for a media career and maximise the opportunities
My father owns no company but I always believed I would for no reason join the army of unemployed graduates — you could call that faith but it is backed with nothing short of self-determination, confidence and development — the belief is also embedded in hard work.
I graduated in 2011 and did the National Youth Service in 2012. I had job offers before and during my service year. I got a job two weeks after I finished my service, got better offers few months later.
It is so true and disheartening that jobs are scarce in this part of the world with the crowd of graduates roaming the streets; having gone through the rigor of series of entrance examinations, the severity of studying hard to pass exams and scaling through the hurdles of the mandated one-year service to fatherland.
Few that are employed are either underemployed or being exploited. Some have however argued that many graduates are not employable. The reasons for this school of thought are not farfetched considering the fact that quality of education in my country has nosedived to a sorry state — without trying to sound pessimistic, it seems to be getting worse by the day.
Consequently, children of the rich have access somewhat quality education which cannot be afforded by the poor; this thereby makes them fit for few posts that are vacant.
Being aware of the enumerated facts above and knowing that I did not belong to the rich category, there was the need for me to be ahead of thousands of job applicants for very few available slots. I was determined to make sure I could put what many may not have on the table — I developed myself and ensured that the years I spent at home in search of admission into a tertiary institution were not a waste.
I enrolled myself in a skill acquisition centre; even became an apprentice pending the time I would be eligible to make it into a higher institution. Some of my friends mocked me. They would say I stooped so low to be an apprentice. It was and still somewhat a lowly thing for a big boy to be an apprentice under artisans who are mostly illiterates. Of course as a teenager, I felt inferior for the moment but I knew what I wanted and I kept at it.
I was able to study the trend that being computer literate was crucial. I did not stop at the level others would. I learnt more and went beyond the ordinary though I never learnt anything from any computer school. It was through self-education.
By the time I gained admission into the polytechnic, I had already known something about many things and many things about something. I got a soft landing because I was more or less a ready-made undergraduate. I once worked in a company before I made my O’level results where I was practically earning more than what some university graduates were earning at that time. It is hard to believe. Skills really matter.
In my first year, while receiving first lecture of a journalism course at Lagos State Polytechnic, the lecturer, Alh. Mudathir Ganiyu said that “a journalist should know something about everything and everything about something.” It stuck in my head and I felt I was on the right track having acquired so many skills before I eventually gained admission.
I had been having offers before graduating from the higher institution. I took my time though and did a part time job that would last me for the period before I would be called up to serve my fatherland as a youth corps member. It was a PR job. The money was nothing. In fact, I wasn’t promised anything but I knew what I needed — the experience. I knew the competition was fierce. I never wanted to be a fresh graduate who has got little or no experience, I needed to have an edge over others.
In 2007, during my four months internship at a PR firm, I fell in love with PR. I knew I had gotten a career roadmap. I wanted to be a PR person. I was posted to the media department where most of the activities of a typical PR agency take place. I made sure I learnt closely how things were done. The backbone of the media department was a lady. She was very hardworking. If she wasn’t around for a day, the agency would be in turmoil. Her tasks were so enormous that other staff members shied away from knowing how she carried them out. Then, it was time for the hardworking lady to get married. It then became compulsory that the company asked the lady to train two staff members who would relieve her when she was on honeymoon. I worked directly with her and I had closely studied how she carried out most of her tasks though she never allowed me to try it out. I was out of the options available to the company because I was just an intern not a staff member.
The iron lady did train two staff members before she left for wedding preparations and proceeded to honeymoon but the two staff members could not wholly master the tasks such that they would have to call her via the telephone to get tutored.
However on a fateful day, they were not so lucky. She could not be reached on phone and clients needed urgent services. The media department became more important for the moment.
Top ranked executives tried to salvage the situation but all to no avail. Then it was time for me to shine, to prove my worth. Oh how I longed for that day! I told them I knew how to carry out the tasks. They shrugged off my so-called idea afterall I was just a first-year undergraduate.
One of the bosses, after the trained staffers could not successfully deliver, asked that I should be given a chance to try. A female boss interrupted that I would mess up the whole thing. It was quite challenging for me. I dared not mess things up but I knew I could do it.
I was eventually given a chance to try my luck. Shivering with arrays of what ifs — it felt as though my head suddenly became too heavy for my neck to carry. I could not imagine two management staff and other staff members standing around me, hoping I would get things done. One faintly thought I could do it, the other was ready to be exonerated. Guess what? One was disappointed at the end of it all. Eureka! I did it. It was sent to clients and they replied it was perfect.
Had I not been computer savvy and be persistently willing to tap knowledge from the lady despite the fact that she hardly had time to tutor me, I would not have been able to save the day. I was proud of myself that day.
In order for me to be a better PR person, I then proceeded to do a year internship at a media house. Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation Newspaper was my next stop. It was there I learnt the real rudiments of journalism.
During my internship in 2009, the idea of setting up a social media page for the newspaper came up. It was from the ever creative and amiable editor, Mr Lekan Otufodunrin who was editor of Sunday publication of the newspaper. He told me about it and I created the page.
Four years later, I was fully employed after I have worked in two different establishments immediately after my National Youth Service programme. I was employed to reposition the social media platforms of the media outfit in 2013. It was a huge success as the page rose to become one of the fastest growing and most active Facebook page. It grew by over 1200% (One Thousand Two Hundred) in less than a year and became the first and only Nigerian print media to have its page verified by Facebook as at October 2014 and the company never spent a dime to advertise the page. Twitter also grew by over 130% within the period I was in charge.
While I was working there, I got offers from competitors in the industry. I got two offers from newspaper companies and one from a PR firm excluding many interviews I never attended despite special considerations by employers. I stayed not because the remuneration of my current employers was mouth-watering but I had a mission that I had not completed. Once it was completed, I moved and took the next better offer that came my way.
To drive home the essence of this write up, I would therefore summarize some of the key factors that have contributed positively to my success in securing job offers as follows:
Networking works the work
As an undergraduate, virtually all tertiary institutions avail their students the opportunity to go for an Industrial Training during their school year, primarily to get firsthand experience of how things work in their chosen fields of study. You could do more than that. It is an opportunity to network with the people you would meet especially those you would work with during your training. You need to keep a good relationship with the people in your industry. Those are the people that can recommend for a job. I have got a couple of offers through recommendations.
Certificate great but Skilltificate greater
As a graduate, especially those who have chosen journalism as their career, you really do not need only your certificate, your skilltificate will sell you. You could be a distinction student, if you can’t write stories fit for publication, you are good for nothing. I did not get the best of results but some of my mates who graduated with better results are either still jobless or nowhere close to my worth in the labour market.
Self-confidence is way to go
I have over time built my confidence to that stage that I can never be perturbed when facing a panel of job interviewers or any personality whatsoever. I usually put it in my subconscious mind that I know what those who want to ask me questions do not know. I have conquered them by having that belief though in its real sense, I don’t have to know all the things they would ask me.
I got my best paid job in 2013 when I became first National Online Editor of a U.S. based news blog even though more experienced journalists applied for the same job. I had seen the advertisement on jobberman.com. I applied and received a mail scheduling a phone interview few days later.
Initially, I never took it seriously until I received the call though I was not really prepared for an interview of such magnitude. The American at the other end was armed with questions to ask, thankfully I was able to convince him with the manner at which I responded to his questions. He said he did not have to look at my years of experience according to my CV but he was convinced that I could do the job with the level of my confidence and intelligence throughout the phone interview that lasted for about two hours.
Develop yourself; develop yourself!
Yes, it was reiterated because of its importance. You are first of all responsible for whatever you do to yourself before you can blame someone else. There is no other option than to make sure that you have something to offer apart from what you were taught in school. Most of the things that give me an edge are the things I have gone out of my way to learn regardless of my field of study. I never grew up one day to become a social media guru as I was being referred to by my former Managing Director and friends but it was as a result of years of under studying and training.
You are not God but be creative
There are certain things that are done in certain ways but some of them can be modified. One of the things I have tampered with is the laid down format of writing Curriculum Vitae. I have tweaked some of the no go areas and I must confess, it has worked for me in no small way. My CV is attractive and whoever comes across it, always wants to meet me.
Be Computer & Internet Savvy
No matter how brilliant you are, if you are not computer literate you are as good as nothing. You need to brush up your computer skills if you are already literate. I have come to realise that no computer application you learn how to operate can be a waste. It would simply give you an edge. When I was being interviewed via the phone from the U.S, I was up to speed with the interviewer. I wasted no time because the proofs that I knew what I was talking about were there. He would ask me to refer him to a site or blog, I would waste no time while he would immediately check it and confirm my claims. The interview was smooth because we were both connected to the Internet. It is most likely that others he interviewed could not meet up with the speed at which he was operating. He made an assertion that after the board of directors sat to decide whom to give the job, that he was able to convince them based on my performance and track records online. You can use the internet data you waste on non-resourceful sites on things that could add value to you. Your internet activities could be dug up by potential employers. If, for example, your posts on facebook are not in tandem with what you claim, you are likely not going to be considered for the job.
I am hoping that this piece would trigger some actions in you if you have not been doing certain things mentioned. No matter how hard the country is, no matter the rate of unemployment in the country people are being employed every day. You can connect to the club of those who usually get the job if you would make yourself invaluable.