Umm Muhammed Umar

Quraisha Moola, an expert in recruitment, and certified with an African Professional Staffing body, helps candidates secure fulfilling careers, and also assists clients with career development as well as assistant training and developing recruiters.

There have been a number of threads on Twitter in which people have tweeted that they have sent out their CVS, but none of them have even reached the interview process. This has sparked conversations on social media and other circles as to how to land an interview when job hunting, and also about the role of recruitment agencies.

Moola says that a recruitment agency is an organization that matches, employers to employees, when an organization has vacancies and they require quick methods of filling these positions. She said that agencies have methods that assist companies to save time and money, and are therefore the middleman between a candidate, and the employer. Moola said, “the role is basically to provide the best suitable candidate from the specific job description that that companies give the agencies. As much as an agency can put your CV forward, it’s still up to the line manager of the company to select you.” She added, “There’s a lot of misconception around, you know, (that) an agency can organize a job, but that’s not the case. It plays a role between the agency as well as how you represent yourself properly on paper, as well as in the initial interview with the agency.”

Regarding job seekers reaching the interview process, after having sent their CV’s to a number of companies, Moola shared some tips as to what would make a CV stand out:

• Highlight your name and surname.
• Contact details need to be on your CV. She said, “it’s always easy to say, “Oh, I applied but no one called me!” but, your contact details are either incorrect or you have failed to provide them.
• It’s your time to brag. If, for instance, you saved your company money, or you implemented a new system, or your contribution was vital for the success of their projects, list it!
• If you’re going to add a skill, such as ‘I pay attention to detail’, make sure there’s no spelling errors, make sure your spacing is correct, highlight important parts.
• Add in all the responsibilities that you have shouldered in your place of employment. Make your CV stand out.

Moola advises that anyone who has just recently graduated or has been retrenched and is searching for work, know their career goals. She advises that they plan ahead, and ensure that they have a proper CV and cover letter. She further added, “Know your CV; it’s quite common that people that get called in for an interview don’t even know what they put on your CV.” She said, “Research the company that you’re applying to, know the culture of the company by either researching the line manager, or the people in the company.” She advises that job seekers apply with confidence. Do not just email your CV with a text reading, ‘please find CV attached.’ Moola said, “you need to mention the role you’re applying for, and why you want that specific position.” She added, “don’t be afraid to follow up. Not every day, but at least twice a month. If you want to be remembered, be proactive. Moola highlighted that one should make one’s current salary known, as well as what one is expecting to earn. It is important that the prospective employer knows whether the company can afford you, or not. Her final advice was to keep upskilling. She said this will show  that you still want to keep learning. Free courses are available online.