Jobseeker’s diary

So two girls have quit, within days of each other! One is getting married while the other got another job, a better one I suppose. Much as I am happy for them – for they were both good friends, I kind of feel jealous, not so much about the former, for I doubt I would give up my job (yes even this one which is far from satisfying and certainly not my dream job) to go cook and clean for some guy and perhaps have two or three kids, for isn’t that what marriage, especially here in Africa is all about? But rather, I envy the girl who moved on to a better job. It has to be better because I doubt any one in their right mind would leave a “bad” job for another bad or worse job! So now, this friend of mine doesn’t have to take orders any more – not just from the Chinese but “difficult” customers as well. She also doesn’t have to eat bland potatoes every other day and wear these ridiculous uniforms any more. Things can only get better for her. I’ve been trying to find another job myself but like I said before, it’s hard to get a day off to mount a proper job search. A couple of times, I’ve had to feign sickness to get some time off. Even then, I know my salary will be cut at the end of the month for those days I was away. My search efforts are yet to yield any positive results. I check the papers and organization websites regularly, hoping to get a breakthrough but I always come up against two main challenges. One of the job requirements is almost always “Must be a Rwandan National.” Why or why? I ask all the time. I thought we were one big happy family. Where is the East African spirit, dear employers? Maybe I didn’t pay attention but I don’t remember seeing a lot of this back in Uganda. To each his own, I guess, but I still think job opportunities should be open to the best candidate, regardless of where one comes from. Imagine what would happen if say the US, China, Britain or any of those other big economies closed all job opportunities to non citizens! So please open up. The other barrier is experience. Now most employers ask for this and usually, two or more years of experience are preferred. I always wonder why people demand experienced workers and how they expect fresh graduates to have experience. You’ve got to start somewhere before you can get any experience. If no one wants to hire an inexperienced person, how are we ever going to get the coveted experience? You just may be missing out on a smart, hardworking and creative person simply because she doesn’t have five years experience in the same job. By the way, if at any point my two friends who quit from the restaurant decided to seek employment in a related field where the typical two or more years’ experience was desired, they wouldn’t get the job since they’ve only worked at the restaurant for a paltry six months. Where was I again? Oh yes, looking for a job. The thing about job hunting is that it leaves you drained. Every time you see or hear about an opening, you get your hopes high, thinking you stand a real chance this time, only to be informed you’re not what the company is looking for. And with every rejection, you wonder why you even tried. But like the cliché goes, it’s better to try and fail than not trying at all. So I will keep trying. To be continued… nsophie77@yahoo.com