For the purpose of this article, I will define a job seeker as anyone who is unemployed and looking for work. This group of people can be found on almost every street of underdeveloped countries, where jobs are hard to come by and the time spent in search of a job is usually protracted.
Having spent a number of years in learning and training, the job seeker is now certified and willing to make ends meet by applying themselves in gainful employ.
However, Beyond the first few months of the searching for a job in an unstructured labour market, certain untoward realities come to bear;
- The expectation of a job becomes so stretched, the psyche and hope of the job seeker starts to wane. This situation is compounded by the lack of predictable outcomes and timelines with which to pace oneself or benchmark job search progress.
Up until this moment, the job seeker probably predicted timelines in most phases of life; they anticipated matriculation and convocation dates. The certainty with which they could gauge an advancement is now non-existent and as such the job seeker may feel overwhelmed. Generally speaking, job seekers should not be discouraged as delay is not denial.
- The job seeker also experiences complications in previously simple social ties and relationships. Let’s call this the socio-cultural implications of joblessness.
If the job seeker is a graduate, he or she will very likely be above twenty-two years. Someone this old, craves independence on several fronts, especially financial independence.
They want to take certain steps without having to seek permission from a third party or have to explain in details the rationale for their financial dealings.
The matter is further complicated by the fact that, their parents or guardians may either be nearing retirement or are losing earning power by virtue of waning strengths and are by now stretched by having to continue to fend for a grown child or relative. Unemployment therefore foists continued dependency on job seekers. Very likely, the job seeker still resides with their parents, sibling or friend. They cannot afford a place of their own yet. They also may not be able to fund some of their dreams.
- The sense of direction of a Job seeker is dampened, as their capacity to make certain decisions or take certain steps dwindles. This is so because a job seeker has plenty variableness or uncertainty to deal with. As such they cannot readily take root, and sprout. They cannot with a degree of certainty, say what company they will work for, which state they will reside, what shifts they may be placed on, or communicate their work schedule or commute. This in-between-state of their life also affects their ability to make certain informed decisions or take certain major steps. For instance, if the job seeker is of marriageable age, and they find the right person with whom they want to spend the rest of their life, they may have to hold off committing to their heartthrob or have to endlessly push forward the wedding because they lack the necessary means to finance a wedding ceremony or run a home.
Such bumps may not just be limited courtships, it could affect several other personal decisions, goals and visions.
- Job seekers may also have to cope with a transient social network. Somehow, close knits with peers get worn out, especially if the routines or activities that previously fostered their bonding changes as a result of gainful employment. People generally move on in life. The job seeker, therefore appears predisposed to unpremeditated changes in social ties.
- Job seekers experience heightened peer pressure, because they see their class mates, friends or acquaintances within their age bracket have landed enviable jobs and seem to be moving on. It could be harder to bear, when younger siblings, schoolmates and or acquaintance also make a headway in the labour market and move on with life.
This may be particularly unbearable in a social media dispensation such as ours, where many people flaunt their trophies and achievements on as many social media platforms as possible. So the job seeker gets inundated with constant updates of peers, even as they are unable in the interim to showcase their find.
The job seeker, depending on their temperament may experience a wide range of emotions, such as embarrassment, disappointment, anger, offence, helplessness, envy, sadness, exhaustion, fear, anxiety, doubt, desperation and in extreme cases depression.
These stated, Job seekers can make the best of the situation by proactively channeling their energy towards the set goal of obtaining employment, and maintaining a positive disposition and frame of mind in the process of the job search. This will be achieved by looking at the up sides of the situation. For instance, the job seeker has plenty of time on their hands, and time is the most reliable resource in the pursuit of a turnaround.
In order to maximize the situation, job seekers should begin by redefining their expectations and demystify the job they are looking for. Because a job is not an end in itself but a means to an end. Which explains why countless employees are unfulfilled and dissatisfied with their jobs. This also tells why on a daily basis, someone in an organization is tendering their resignation letter to go pursue the yearnings of their heart. It also explains why some workers routinely change jobs as if they are changing their hairstyles.
With this in mind, the job seeker may wish to consider other alternatives. Perhaps entrepreneurship, which may be a better option than most of the jobs presently on parade these days. Especially, the one-man businesses that are perennial payday defaulters and some state Ministries, parastatals and agencies who go months on end without fulfilling their obligations to their numerous civil servants.