Guest Article from TheCVMan

I am pleased to welcome to this blog an article from Alfred Ajani (@fr3dsantana). He came to notoriety a few months ago after adopting a creative approach for seeking graduate employment which landed him a job with Asoria  Take it away Fred.....

After unsuccessfully applying for over 300 jobs I decided to take matters into my own hands and get myself the role I wanted, which is what Asoria offered. I am now Marketing, PR and Project manager for four recruitment brands; Green, Energy, Digital and Property.

“What pushed me to go to Waterloo station?” many asked, “I was desperate” many say. I tell them I was ready to work and take my ideas to market. My main idea is self-promotion, what are you doing to stand out?  With traditional methods of applying I would be waiting for a response for at least two weeks, sometimes even no response or and automated message stating unfortunately I do not have enough experience.

Similar to my situation the directors at the Asoria Group shared an identical struggle to land the dream job after three tough years at university, which is noticeable in their internal recruitment process, of hiring young hungry graduates ready to take the first step. Way back when getting a degree and a role in your desired industry went hand in hand, I could ramble on but we know those days are over, as it was way before the time my company directors graduated. Hopefully those days will make a swift return, with the help of a middle man. So I will tell you why I took on a marketing role at a recruitment agency.

I have the freedom to give advice to many who seek it, I will be giving guest lectures at Universities on topics such as social media and how to go viral, perseverance and how to get your foot on the career ladder without sending your CV (A video CV might do the trick though). It’s not your top 10 interviews tips but advice that will really make you stand out, I will call it ‘Guerrilla Interviewing’. I have had my fair share of interviews and know how daunting of a process it can be. It is also tempting to throw down a million CV’s from the tallest building and hope someone catches it and gives you a call after endless rejections. But I had good people around me giving positive advice and I knew the right role will come along for me soon enough where I can have a real impact on an industry. Change won’t come over night, but it is something I am working towards. Many may not see it now but when I look back, I’ll know.

It took me all day to find some inspiration, so I took a tour around the seventh floor and thought back to the times where my imagination was at is most creative point. It was at school when it was drilled into us that only going to University would land us a career, and we were constantly quizzed on what we want to be when we grow up. “Alive!!!” was the response most of my friends made. Should they have been putting so much pressure on us to be the next Tony Blair or Angelina Jolie? But if you do go down the marketing route like me do not limit yourself to social media marketing activities as they are easily ignored by others. The Asoria Group will be engaging in unexpected and noteworthy campaigns and our ideas will spread. ‘Safe is risky.’ I am very equipped and willing to do what it takes to see The Asoria Group move forward in the right direction, starting out at a new company is not a problem; you can grow with them.

Remember it’s a new day, employers are on Social Media too and use it as a point of reference, use it wisely.

See more about Fred's story, via Aimee Bateman CareerCakeTV