Persist until you succeed with that job search

Graduates have been given all sorts of lectures and they have given their thoughts in various speeches during graduation parties.

But one stood out for me. At a recent graduation party, Arnold Musinguzi narrated his relentless search for employment after he graduated with a Bachelors in Business Statistics.

Severally, he said, his request to work with some companies, had been turned down and he could not count how many times he had applied for jobs.

“I cannot tell you that I didn’t get frustrated. I went through all those emotions. I was scared of the uncertainty,” Musinguzi said. However, he kept moving and his confidence finally delivered him.

“After writing countless applications, I finally landed a job and I am a true living example of never give up,” he said.

Obviously, many job seekers have been at this stage. Some give up, while others persist but one of the two counts the blessings at the end of the day.

Patience Birungi, a Library and Information Science graduate has been searching for a job for the last six months.

But things, she says, have not been easy, emphasising: “It is not a matter of sending out two or three applications and getting the job the following week.”

Birungi has sent more than 15 applications to respond to job advertorials but she is yet to succeed.

However, she is hopeful that things will finally workout because she draws inspirations from her sister “who hunted a job for years and finally got one”.

“This gives me the courage and determination every time I want to give up,” says Birungi.

Sulaiman Kakungulu holds a degree in Social Work and Social Administration and just like Birungi, he has applied for jobs but he is yet to get any.

Keeping hope alive

“I am still hopeful, and I am always looking out for job advertisements in newspapers and through friends,” he says.

Nicholas Nyonyintono, is a career coach and he believes that young people should draw inspiration from being turned down to prove the otherwise naysayers wrong.

“Turning down your application should not make question your abilities. Be confident of what you know and your potential. Learn to pick yourself and turn around your fortunes,” he says.

CAREER CLINIC RESUMES NEXT WEEK