How My Immediate Job Application To CSS Saved Me From Being Jobless In 2021

“I would have been jobless at the start of 2021…” says Linet Achieng’.

Unlike many professionals who have lost jobs when they least saw it happening, Linet had a few months to internalize the fact that her next move would determine her career story come 2021.

Just before her time at the company was up, she saw this Finance Job we advertised on our site and other partner websites for our client, SICPA. She applied and got the job!

I caught up with her to know just what was going through her mind during this time and what she did that made her get a job.

Here’s her story:

Tell us about yourself. 

I am a highly motivated and results-driven manager with over 15 years’ experience in leading financial strategies to facilitate a company’s growth and operational plans.

I have skills in numerous financial and accounting fields, including Modelling profit and loss forecasts and projections, annual budget preparations and monitoring monthly, cash flow forecasting and management, product costing, and analysis in manufacturing.

I also possess excellent communication skills, tact and can communicate professionally with clients and colleagues on detailed financial issues.

How long had you been looking for a job? 

I had been looking for a job for about a year – since March 2020.

The company I was working for was bought by another company and as part of the transition process, by December of 2020, I would not be working under the new company. I knew that if I didn’t look for another job, I would be jobless starting this year.

What has your job search experience been like?

It hasn’t been good. I was putting in so many applications and not getting any feedback. In fact, from all the job applications I made, I only received two regrets. This was frustrating for me. Although I wasn’t too stressed because I still had this job, I was worried about the impact that the COVID pandemic would have on my job search especially with many people losing their jobs.

Where did you hear about Corporate Staffing and the job opportunity?

I had known about Corporate Staffing since 2016 when I first came for an interview even though I wasn’t successful that time. Honestly, Corporate Staffing is a household name.

For this job, I saw it online. I was looking through jobs and came across this one that Corporate Staffing had advertised. I applied the same day it was advertised.

How was the application and interview process?

Compared to other places where I had been to for an interview, I would say that Corporate Staffing took a professional approach throughout the whole process.

I applied for the job and received a formal email inviting me for an interview. During the interview, I felt like the people who interviewed me knew their stuff. They knew what they wanted and asked relevant questions.

Did you think you would get the job?

I gave my very best.

However, before the interview, I took my time to prepare. I went through the job description and even did role acting. Knowing the job role is very different from knowing what is expected of you, and how to express that you can do it during the interview. I had to make sure that I knew what I was talking about.

Although I gave my very best, I didn’t think I would get the job because I wasn’t the only candidate and I didn’t know what the other candidates possessed.

I was confident in my qualifications and experience and knew I did well in expressing that.

Congratulations on getting the job. For those looking for jobs, what would your advice to them be?

Don’t give up. COVID is real, but businesses are progressing. With or without the pandemic, opportunities are there. So keep on applying and when making your applications, tailor your CV to the specific job you are applying for.