“If you want to earn a certain amount of money, develop yourself into the person who is worth being paid that amount of money.”
What does it mean to be employable?
‘Employability’ is a set of achievements—skills, understandings, and personal attributes—that make a person more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community, and the economy.
Employability is not the same as gaining a job. Rather it implies something about the person’s capacity to function in a job and move between positions, thus remaining employable throughout their life.
It comprises of a person:
1. To have a thorough understanding of a job
2. To have the necessary skills to do the job
3. To believe in oneself that you can do the job
4. To know when and how to use particular strategies for learning or problem-solving.
Fast facts:
1. About 201 million people around the world are currently unemployed.
2. South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates globally, with 51% of its youth unemployed.
3. The Catch-22 of employment is that you ‘’cannot get work experience without work experience’’.
4. more than 50% of youth in South Africa never finish their primary education. They leave school by gr 10 or 16 years of age.
5. Kids who don’t read proficiently by 4th grade are four times likelier to drop out of school.
6. The reasons for the high drop-out rate are lack of parental involvement, lack of money, difficulty keeping up with schoolwork, language barriers, gangsterism, drugs and teen pregnancies.
7. Young people who do not complete their primary education are the most vulnerable, and their employment chances are significantly reduced.
8. Having a Grade 12 certificate does not significantly increase youth employment prospects. What does make a difference is a Grade 12 certificate + skills training or higher qualification.
9. ‘’Born frees’’ (children born in post-apartheid South Africa) suffer from a culture of entitlement and often refuse to take responsibility for their lives and education.
10. There are currently 800,000 unemployed graduates in South Africa.
11. It takes 1-3 years for a young person to become discouraged and stop looking for a job.
All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today.
South African schooling comprises 12 years of basic education.
Options of employment after completing primary education (Matric) are:
Basic education – Higher education institution – Good chance of employment
Basic education – Apprenticeship – Good chance of employment
Basic education – FET College – Maybe find employment.
Basic education – Learnership – Maybe find employment.
To be employable as an adult, you must also learn certain soft skills while still in school. Employers will favour applicants with well-rounded employability skills in times of high unemployment.
Note: If you want to be employed one day, choose your career wisely.
Note that critical skill jobs always have the most jobs on offer. Therefore, don’t pick the easiest route for your career. You get out what you put in. To see how many jobs are available in your chosen career path in different areas – type in the name of the career you want to pursue in our job search engine – for example, ”Registered nurse” or ”librarian”. Pick an area. See how many job opportunities pop up in that career field. If it is one or two – be weary. If it is 200-300, you will have a better chance of finding employment.
Examples: Teacher (364 jobs) Registered nurse (355 jobs)
Librarian (2 jobs) Lawyer (17 jobs)
7 Must have ‘’soft skills’’ to be an employable person:
1. Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are the skills we use to interact with other people. Good interpersonal skills allow you to participate effectively as a team member, satisfy customers’ and clients’ expectations, negotiate, make decisions, manage your time efficiently, take responsibility, and work effectively with other employees. Well-honed interpersonal skills allow us to empathise and build rapport with colleagues and clients, leading to a better working environment which can be less stressful.
2. Communication skills
• Employers look for people who communicate well both verbally and in writing.
• The ability to communicate verbally and in writing with various people, maintain good eye contact, write clearly and succinctly, demonstrate a varied vocabulary, and tailor your language to your audience are essential skills employers seek out. Good verbal and written communication means you can communicate your messages without misunderstanding.
• Similarly, active listening skills involve hearing and gaining and understanding information. Listening is essential for fewer mistakes and a greater understanding of employer and client needs. Remember, you have two ears and one mouth.
14 Proven Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills
3. Critical thinking skills
• The ability to solve problems and make decisions can be a massive asset to your employer, and these are desirable skills to develop.
• Decision-making and problem-solving require gathering reliable information, evaluating the data for various solutions, and selecting the most appropriate option based on the criteria and situation.
• Creative thinkers are innovative and inventive and are more likely to devise new ways to add value to the work environment, making systems and procedures more efficient.
4. Presentation skills
• Presenting information clearly and effectively is a critical skill in the workplace and presentation skills are required in almost every modern employment area.
• Presenting information does not just include making formal presentations – information could be presented in notes, reports, research findings, business plans, scenario planning, risk assessments and strategic documents.
5. Leadership skills
• Leadership is the ability to influence others toward achieving a goal.
• Leaders either have or are perceived to have strong self-confidence. Leaders are team players, allowing them to work in a group to achieve their employer’s best results. Leaders show social skills by respecting others’ thoughts, opinions, and ideas – they gain the respect of others and aim for credibility.
6. Numeracy skills
• Numeracy involves understanding numerical data, statistics, and graphs and is also part of decision-making and reasoning.
• Numeracy skills are critical, irrespective of whether you consider a job to be “working with numbers”. Having competence and being confident in working with numbers is a skill that can be used to your advantage in a wide range of employment settings: for example, knowing how profitable a company is, understanding value for money when purchasing and ordering supplies, following a budget or just calculating your holiday time. Understanding and analysing data in different formats is essential in many organisations.
7. IT skills
• Most people need some IT skills to find work today. Acquiring basic IT skills and being familiar with computer use may open up many employment opportunities and increase your workplace’s marketability.
• It is likely that a current job will require you to be familiar with at least some computer applications. Computer literacy means understanding what computers can and cannot do. Even if you know that you will not be using a computer in your job, it is well worth learning some of the basics of information technology, for example, how to send and receive emails, use the internet effectively, and use a word processor and spreadsheet software.
10 THINGS TO MAKE YOURSELF MORE EMPLOYABLE:
1. Improve your knowledge
The wisest people are those who never stop learning and are never too arrogant to believe they know everything. If you’re in the market for a job but are still on the shelf, it’s time to go back to school; whether it’s a short course, an apprenticeship or part-time education, it all counts towards making you more excellent and more employable. All new skills tend to have the ability to open doors in your chosen career path.
2. Get more experience
You could have tens of years of experience in your field or be new to the game, but either way, more knowledge will always be better than less. So think outside the box; seek junior positions and internships if you’re new to the job market. In a job market like South Africa, with an unemployment rate of 29%, you can even consider offering your services free of charge (volunteer) to get experience or learn a new skill. If you’re a veteran, gain experience outside your comfort zone. It shows that you’re proactive and willing to go above and beyond.
3. Attitude
This may sound simple, but attitude is everything. Positive things happen to positive people. Whether speaking with potential employers on the phone, in person, or just emailing, your positive attitude will shine through. Like a diamond, a bright attitude will set you apart from other candidates, ensuring your potential employers remember you. You may not be the most experienced candidate for the role, but if you go to the interview with a ‘can do’ attitude and a willingness to learn, it may win you the job.
8 Ways to Improve Your Attitude
4. Learn a new skill
It doesn’t matter which skill you choose. It could be learning to drive, cook, sew, speak publically, write, or swim. It shows you can learn new things, invest your time, and have interests outside of your working life. New skills look excellent on your CV, and these are something you can continuously build up. They also provide a perfect talking point in interviews and work in your favour if you have something in common with the interviewer. What you will learn from developing new skills can be applied in your work life; transferable skills are all the rage!
5. Get IT smart
It’s getting harder and harder to escape the online world, so why not embrace it? If you’re a technophobe, it’s time to get with it. There are plenty of courses to improve your IT skills, and IT skills are now essential if you want to be completely awesome and get that job. If you have basic IT skills but feel you could be a little savvier, why not ask a younger family member to sit down and talk you through the latest in computers? Trust me, kids today can type before talking to help you brush up.
10 Digital skills that can make students instantly employable
6. Get Social
By getting social, I don’t mean heading down to your local pub and chatting with your friends. I mean, it is time to get social online. LinkedIn and Twitter are great for job prospecting, networking, and building peer relationships. But remember to be careful. Sites like Facebook and Instagram are a little more personal, and you don’t want your potential employers to see something you want to keep private. These sites have privacy settings; make sure you use them.
7. Be productive
If you are out of work for a while, use your time wisely. You have a long list (above) of activities to be carried out, so make sure you do these things while you can. Work experience, classes, new skills, and attitude work make you a better person. So, use your unemployment wisely. It will pay off in the end.
8. Have a to die for CV
Take a fresh look at your CV. Is it a one-pager or a six-pager? Do you have an infographic? Take this time out to go through your CV thoroughly. Update your resume to include all your recent experience, knowledge and skills.
9. Practice your interview techniques
All your hard work has paid off, and you’ve got the interview; you don’t want to crumble under pressure, so ensure you’re prepared. Making a list of the possible interview questions you may be asked and practising your answers will ensure you’re not left tripping over your tongue in the interview. It can be hard to think up solutions during a job interview. Practice will allow you to woo them with your rational thoughts, answers, and calmness under pressure.
10 Interviewing rules
10. Dress first class
We’ve all heard the old saying, ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression, ‘ which couldn’t be more accurate for interview situations. It could be the only time you ever see these people (if you don’t get the job), so make sure you’re dressed to impress!
Advice for the unemployed:
”No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up and never give up.” Regina Brett
Struggling to find a job?
Here is help in finding a job:
We created this job search engine to assist people in seeking job opportunities. The system continually scans all South African job websites to allow you to find new opportunities.
“Nothing will work unless you try.”