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Advice for school leavers

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:10

Thousands of matriculants will by now have received their results. For those who have not received a university exemption, or do not plan to study at a university or a technikon, the process of deciding where to look for a job will begin.

Nritika Singh, Managing Director of Isilumko Staffing, a national staffing and recruitment company, which offers temporary, flexible and permanent staff, has some sound advice for school leavers.

Singh says, “There are a number of important points to remember when applying for a job, especially for the first time.

Going through a reputable recruitment company is one of the best options, as these businesses focus entirely on finding suitable positions for the right candidates.

They also have a good relationship with client companies, who are looking for staff and they have a solid database of candidates, who can be matched to those positions.

Some recruitment companies may request you to email or fax your details to them, so that candidates can be screened before interviewing them.

“The job seekers’ first priority is to ensure that he or she has a competently compiled CV with all the relevant details, such as educational qualifications, any work experience, personality strengths, aspirations and personal contact information. Today the CV needs to be highly focused and customized to the position applied for. Bring a copy of any certificates, identification documents, letter of recommendation or other back up material to the interview, as it will assist the recruitment process. Above all, always be honest with all the details.”

Singh continues, “If you have had an aptitude test done at school or privately, bring it to the interview. A useful tool that Isilumko Staffing has adopted and refined is the LMNOP attitude rainbow, which determines an individual’s attitude. This has been further refined to match the South African labour environment. Our client companies have found that assessing attitude at an early stage of recruitment can assist in the candidates’ chances of fitting into the position in the long term."

“Doing research on a company before being interviewed by them, can be a real advantage to the candidate. Apart from being impressed by the effort that the candidate has made, it also shows that there is a genuine interest in knowing about the business ethos, the hierarchy, the nature of the industry they are in, competitors etc. The candidate should also be properly prepared for the interview. This includes being familiar with the role and responsibilities of the vacancy and be in a position to justify their suitability for the position. Candidates also need to familiarize themselves with certain standard interview questions which address the following key issues: Is the candidate able to do the job? Is s/he willing to put in the effort? Is s/he manageable? This is often the spark that sets candidates apart and leads to an appointment. We have a number of examples of these types of questions on our website for candidates to read through and prepare for.”

Singh says that there are a number of ways of researching a company. Today the most popular and accessible is the internet.

Go into the company website and find out as much as possible. By doing research on the company where you would like to work, you can ensure that your qualities and attributes meet the vacancy’s criteria.

Isilumko Staffing’s Legal and HR Director, Steve Katz concludes, “Internships also have major benefits such as getting a feel for the corporate world, bridging the theoretical/practical divide, and working within a structured company environment with a mentoring mentality. Internships can also be a means of securing permanent employment with a particular company of choice that might otherwise have been out of reach. It's an initial opportunity to impress the company with one's ability, work ethic and to befriend decision makers.”

For more information go to www.isilumko.com/staffing or email: alex.mullord@isilumko.co.za

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