My Story: How To Get A Job In Communications

By Edith Mecha

After Mercy completed her  graduate degree in Communication Studies from  Daystar University  in December 2014, she never imagined it could be difficult securing a job. It took her longer than she thought! Of course, she knew that her previous work experience had been in Marketing, so that could have been one of the reasons she was not getting a communications job as quickly as she had wanted.

However, Mercy believed she had what it took for that career: good communication skills, previous experience writing advertising and marketing write-ups for many clients, an eye for detail and proofreading and editing pieces for publication. She was under a lot of pressure from friends and family to take up any job, so as to pay her bills. Most of her friends could not understand why she was still jobless with such good qualifications. Some were sympathetic at first and would send  job links, adverts and leads to follow, but all was in vain! As we delved into March 2015, most of her friends slowly gave up on her and even lost touch.

Then she realized, with time, that this was a learning period in her life. The loss of friends, self-imposed social stigma and a sense of shame because of  lack of a job, helped her understand more about herself, the values she held, interests, skills, personality, and career and personal goals. It was a defining moment in her life that gave birth to a new her; she became more focused, goal oriented, patient, passionate about her dream career, ready to take challenging assignments, optimistic and with a positive attitude about life.

And this transformation was not in vain because she was able to get short term communication jobs, and later landed a permanent communication job;  earning her a lot of valuable experience thus setting her up for a dream career.

Habits that you can emulate from Mercy’s experience

1. Self –awareness and acknowledgement.

I had been applying for jobs in communications, public relations and marketing and getting no feedback about my application. Each day I would send like four applications and no interview was forthcoming. I felt stressed and one day I decided to seek advice from my former lecturer and a career coach, who were my friends. They advised me to list down my skills, values, preferences, talents, career goals and organizations I wanted to work for. This was an eye opener for me, I carried out the exercise which helped me view my job search as a great learning and transformation period in life. Further, this process helped me to be smart and even consider applying for voluntary positions inorder to gain experience in the communication field.

When you change to a new career, it may be difficult to get middle level or managerial jobs in that career, you will have to start from entry level which would be an internship, volunteer, temporary hire and assistant level. One should be willing to take up such positions in order to learn and keep on advancing as time goes by.

2. Search jobs with a purpose.

I made a list of organizations I was interested in working with; organizations that espoused objectives, goals, career values and interests I was passionate about. This narrowed my focus and search on positions that easily suited my persona. It is important to take your time in identifying what you would love to do, to avoid regrets over a haste decision you made. It wouldn’t make sense if you applied for a job you are not interested in and got it, then you hated it and kept complaining about it.Consider this other case in point, when you target your search to what suits you best, spend time developing skills in that area thus making you a better candidate for any emerging positions in your area of interest. That would be smart isn’t it?

I did not just want a job to earn a paycheck and so pay the bills. Rather, I was looking for days filled with delight, passion and love for what I do, my dream career!

3. Develop a day plan.

Searching for a job is just a job in itself! It is important to have a to do list for each day, while incorporating job search as one of the things to be done. Be involved in other productive activities in order to avoid thinking about your current state all the time.You don’t want to be caught off guard by a call from a recruiter at 10.00 am for an interview and you are still sleeping, so you don’t even know what to say when you are asked a question about the company and position you had applied for. Opportunities come when we are not even thinking about them, you have to be prepared for the surprises that might come up during the day.

4. Have a job search plan

This is very important for you. Organize your job search based on your career goals and plans. Attend network events, daily check the newspapers, establish relationships with recruitment firms and send them your curriculum vitae, follow on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook the organizations you are interested to work with, check their websites for any job openings and improve your interview skills.

5. Treat yourself well and have patience

It’s normal to sometimes feel low that you don’t have a job: that you are not able to save money or do investments, you can’t go for an adventure, and do the things you would love to do. But don’t beat yourself down to it, this is just a passing phase. Spend time with people who support you, work out, listen to music, cut off toxic friends in your life, join a youth and community organization, and participate in activities you enjoy. Allowing your mind to relax and meditate rejuvenates you, and you can continue searching for a job with a new and fresh outlook.

Any worthy goal takes time, and sometimes the time it takes may be so long than we would like. Just know that it will come to pass and that its part of a process. Take action, don’t just sit and wait for a job to be handed to you.A maize farmer prepares the ground before the onset of the rains, then he plants maize and when the rains come the crop flourishes and he later harvests it. The same applies to you, do all the ground work, be it networking, attending career fairs, volunteer, and learn new skills. The effort you put in will be worth it, because the end result will be a career you can be proud of!

You have one life to live, so it might as well be a life you love! Doing what you love!

 Get New Jobs Daily. Be The First To Know. Click Here