As they say, kutafuta kazi ni kazi, (looking for a job is a job itself) and with corruption, the rising numbers of unemployed people and the layoffs due to Covid 19, things have never been harder. 

I remember our teachers telling us that coming from a reputable institution, employers would look for us. But man, did they lie.

No one looked for me. No one.

I had to look for them and most of them didn’t want me. I thought I smelled like sh!t and that’s why they didn’t want to hire me, and then YAZA decided they could handle the smell, and here I am. 

I am not the best person to give these tips, but hey, you could learn a thing or two. 

My mother always taught me to do things from the heart. To give my all. And I think that’s why I get hurt in relationships, but that’s a story for another day. Whatever you do, give it your best shot. Invest your time, energy and creativity. Accept to be corrected, to learn and to grow. It doesn’t matter if you have an awful boss.

A few months ago, I was an editorial Intern, and it’s because of the good work I did that someone recommended me to YAZA. If I had done a shitty job, they would have told me to go do something to myself that is not physically possible. Doing good work is not only satisfying to you, but to other people.  You never know who is watching. 

It might be a slow process but quitting won’t speed it up. Life will get you on your knees. The job search will get you on your knees. 

You will be rejected. Employers will say no to you and to the ideas you pitch. Some of them won’t give you a chance to prove yourself, some won't believe in your talent or your potential, but that’s life. You will lose some, then lose some more, and keep losing, but that doesn’t mean things will never be okay. They will. 

But just because things will work out, doesn’t mean you stop trying. You keep pushing. You keep sending the applications. You keep networking, looking for opportunities, creating opportunities, learning new skills and upgrading yourself... Whatever you have to do, just to keep doing.

There are days I posted content on my blog and nothing made sense. I was like, why I am writing? Am I a writer? A good one perhaps? Who the freaking hell even reads these blogs? I’d get discouraged a lot, and there are so many times I thought of quitting. But if I had, YAZA wouldn’t have found me. They wouldn’t have loved me and my content. I wouldn’t be here writing. Whatever it is you think you are good at, keep doing it, even when it doesn’t make sense. Practice gets you better. 

They say the early bird catches the worm. The worm might be a job, a boyfriend, you never know. Being early for meetings, interviews, sends a certain message to the employer. They can tell how dedicated and committed you are. How hungry you are. Being early might be one of those things that get you employed, you never know. 

Hol’ up, be humble. (Insert Kendrick Lamar’s voice.)  

Don’t expect to start big. Start small, and work with what you have. We all must start from somewhere. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. Don’t demand an unreasonable salary, this might scare your potential employer away. Start from the bottom and work your way up. You can never get your seat at the table unless you earn it. Getting out of your comfort zone will reward you a lot.

Also, some employers will want to take advantage of your desperation. You must know which lines to cross and which ones not to go over.

If your fire burns out or if you lose yourself or your focus on the way, things will take a different direction. Despite things being hard, don’t let the blurriness and the uncertainty of the future push you further away from your dreams. 

Sometimes, I thought I was too bold and outspoken, I thought some people would be scared by what I said. But this boldness and not giving a damn about what I say is what got me hired at YAZA. Don’t let your fire be put out. Life has a way of working things out.

Read: Why we're taking care of ourselves first from now on