Some days ago, I talked with a girl, a final-year student from the University of Dar es Salaam. She was curious to know how she could find a job after graduation. She asked me-

How did you cope with the situation after graduation? Did you immediately find your dream job? What’s your story? She wanted to know my journey.

This took me back to the last quarter of 2020 when I was done with my studies and waiting for graduation. I planned to look for an internship and, see if I was lucky to secure my first job.

Until graduation time, I didn’t have any. I was tired of being idle at home with no direction or help.

I said to her, don’t be a graduate who only sends CVs and resumes and waits to be interviewed, to get employed. Be a modern graduate by

Improving your skills.

Don’t limit yourself to permanent employment that aligns with your degree; be flexible to adopt various kinds of jobs that are available depending on your other skills. Henry Bukuru, the founder of Bukuru Tech, used his skills to design websites for different companies and NGOs. He wasn’t employed but used his skills to find a job for himself before and after graduation.

 Spending Time Wisely.

After sending applications, don’t spend the entire time waiting to be called for an interview. Instead of watching TV, and movies, and scrolling aimlessly on different social media platforms. Consider attending different graduate training courses where you can learn and get different ideas on how to navigate street life.

Learning Online Digital Marketing Skills.

Digital marketing jobs are the top 10 most demanded skills worldwide. Use that time to learn a skill from YouTube, Coursera, or Google Digital Skills and work as a freelancer as you wait to secure your dream job. David Mollel took a social media management course on Coursera after graduating in 2021. His first role has been working as a social media manager with different NGOs and companies.

 Become an affiliate marketer.

Since you don’t have the capital to start your own business, you may become an affiliate marketer. Where you will be helping businesses reach their targeted clients and get paid for a commission.

How will you get clients?

Leverage the power of social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, where you can connect to people directly, market a product, and find clients.

Build a personal brand.

As a result of building my brand on LinkedIn, I was offered the opportunity to work as a freelancer at Tanzlite Digital. You have a chance to build a brand for yourself by sharing your skills with the world and connecting with different professionals in and outside your career. I would recommend starting with LinkedIn and expanding to other platforms.

Lastly, I told her to open her mind, be ready to adapt to the different opportunities available, and not limit herself to employment. There are options for finding your first role, which may not necessarily be your professional role.