Job Seekers Advised To Tailor CVs For Specific Jobs

Financial experts in the country have advised jobs seekers to cultivate the attitude of tailoring their Curriculum Vita (CV) to suit a specific job interview. They made this observation during a Job Career Fair organised by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), at the National Theater in Accra. The Job Career Fair was aimed at giving career guidance to the youth, and also provide the platform for interaction with employers for possible job opportunities in diverse sectors of the economy. To this end, the current unemployment rate stands at 11 percent in the country as at 2008, which shows a major prevalence effect among the educated youth in the country. Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle, the past President of the ACCA, Alhassan Haruna, observed that educational institutions should endeavour to particularly educate their graduates on interview skills, which would add more value to enhance their chances of getting jobs. According to him, about 70 percent of the educated youth who have access to tertiary education, do not have the requisite skills, training, or what to say during an interview session. Mr. Haruna, who is also the Deputy Manager of Metropolitan Television, hinted that interviews were platforms for the individual to sell or market him or herself towards chances of getting the job, saying, �To that effect, every job interview demands a tailored CV in meeting those specific criteria.� �Just recently Metro TV had interviews of 200 candidates of job seekers. And out that number, only two were chosen. This tells you the level at which job seekers are not well informed about interview skills,� he added. On the part of the Country Manager of the ACCA, Mrs. Gifty Ofori, she said that employers were keen for specific sets of skills from job seekers to perform a particular job. She further explained that beyond these job-specific technical skills, some other soft skills were universally sought by employers. �I have noticed that most job seekers wish they could unlock the secret formula to winning the hearts and minds of employers. What they keep asking themselves is, �What unique combination of skills and values will make employers salivate with excitement�?� she added. According to the Country Manager of the ACCA, a nation with high rate of unemployment amongst the youth, affects the overall growth of the nation, be it economic, social and political. �We in ACCA, have taken upon ourselves to make presentations free of charges today on interview skills, because no matter how qualified you are, there is no way that you can get a job if you do not pass your interview,� she added. Mrs. Ofori made a clarion call on the youth, not to rest on their oars, but continue to improve themselves, so as to be marketable in this 21st Century.