As part of its corporate social responsibility, a recruitment and HR Consultancy firm, GHP Services, has held a one-day event dubbed ‘Jobs Conference’ to highlight ‘the role of the jobseeker in employment at Alliance Francaise in Accra.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of GHP, Maame Safoah Bamfo, available data, and their experience show job seekers are not adequately prepared for the competitive job market.
“We often hear of people who have submitted job applications to several organizations but are never invited for interviews let alone securing jobs of their choices,” she said.
“The big question is why? We also realize that time spent sitting at home in despair can be used constructively to start a business, go back to school, or learn a new skill. The situation makes it very difficult for jobseekers to be suitably employed,” she stressed.
Ghana’s unemployment rate hit 13.4 percent in 2021, up from 6 percent in 2010, according to official data.
Participants were addressed by seasoned professionals with diverse backgrounds.
In an address, a keynote speaker, Nana Dr. Mike Agyekum Addo (Kama), CEO of Mikaddo Holdings, said the entrepreneurial revolution currently taking place in the world can be comparable to the industrial revolution.
According to him, there is currently much more emphasis on the thinking capacities of people and how people can adapt to the e-commerce environment.
He narrated a situation where a security guard at one of his companies rose through the ranks to become its Chief Executive Officer.
A Ph.D. holder at age 72, Dr. Addo inspired the audience to take entrepreneurship much more seriously when he recounted how each of his nine children was required to sell on the streets as part of their practical training into adulthood.
Addressing participants on CVs and preparations for interviews, a Senior Vice President, New Business Development (Olam and Sanyo), Ms. Maidie Arkutu, stressed the importance of adequate preparation for job seeking saying, “it’s a job to look for a job.”
Ms. Arkutu advised jobseekers to write results-oriented CVs that focus on the results of their responsibilities, adding that the first two pages of a CV should give key insights into one’s career.
She highlighted the fact that employers are more focused on assessing the competencies of potential employees, and suggested the adoption of what she called the STAR evaluation in answering questions on competency.
Another keynote speaker, the Executive Head, Home Loans at First National Bank, Kojo Addo Kufuor, addressed the audience about how to start a new business, noting that “people’s need is your business opportunity.”
He stressed that the internet is a good resource for any startup because it offers good information and knowledge on different business spheres.
He added that academic qualifications are necessary but not a sufficient condition for employment.
The event climaxed with a panel session involving Akua Ampah, Founder and Lead Career Coach, Virtual Career Office, Kobi Hemaa Osisiadan-Bekoe, Head of Corporate Communications, Ghana Post, and Ms. Alberta Quarcoo, CEO, Etiquette Plus.
GHP Services is a Recruitment Agency and HR Consultancy Firm that specializes in domestic, corporate, hospitality, and health care staff recruitment. It also does training, events, and other HR Consultancy work.