Technology

4 Job Portals that are increasing access to information about jobs across Africa

In today’s contemporary Africa, the trend has evolved from traditional methods of disseminating information about employment opportunities, such as visiting job centres, searching for vacancies in newspapers and physically handing CVs to potential employers, to embracing digital methods of job searching, in the form of job portals. With the advent of artificial intelligence, this has eliminated the challenge of the number of jobs that job seekers had access to, as the traditional methods publish very limited jobs and target specific sectors, to presenting job seekers with a wide array of job listings, all on one platform.

This change can be attributed to an increase in investment in the private sector and industries that can create economic prosperity and social wealth:  various stakeholders have resolved to find solutions as pertains to economic growth in the continent. Amongst such inventions is the creation of Job portals to educate and sensitize on the availability of academic and job opportunities for young, vibrant and upcoming leaders, thereby creating a sustainable workforce on the continent. These platforms have become motivators and driving forces in society today. In this article, we highlight outstanding Job Portal platforms that are making an impact within the continent. They are:

1. Jobberman

Jobberman is Nigeria’s and one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s leading recruitment and career portal, posting over 5000 vacancies a day across a wide range of sectors in Nigeria. Jobberman lists candidate job applications for employers and helps connect people looking for jobs with companies hiring. Applying for a job is free and simple- all an applicant has to do is upload their CV. In addition to operating in Nigeria, Jobberman also offers vacancies in Ghana.  They have platforms across social media mediums to reinforce their vision.

For more on Jobberman.com, see link www.jobberman.com

2. AfricaOnJobs

AfricaOnJobs (AOJ) is a leading, interactive and one of the fastest growing online job portals dedicated to the African region. With a purpose to solve the challenges in the market for job searchers and employer companies, AfricaOnJobs.com bridges the gap between them through advanced technology & innovation. AfricaOnJobs provides a level ground and connects between job seekers, their resumés and the African based companies.

      For more on the AfricaOnJobs platform, see link: africaonjobs.com

3. CA Global Africa Recruitment

CA Global Africa Recruitment focuses on vacancies in the mining, oil and gas, banking, finance, telecoms, IT, engineering, construction, power and energy sectors. With an easy to use and user-friendly platform, this job portal also offers vacancies within other African countries including,  Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo.

For more on this platform, see link: caglobalint.com

4. iCUBEFARM.com:

With headquarters in Equatorial Guinea, iCUBEFARM.com is a pan-African professional network and employment-oriented portal with a rapidly increasing user base of numerous skilled job seekers, entities and recruiters. This online job portal offers advertising of various employment opportunities, including events and training opportunities as well as tailored recruitment services to employers. The website is user friendly with a simple and rapid job application process, which consists of submitting a CV.

For more on this platform, see link: www.icubefarm.com

In all, with the plethora of recruitment websites that offer thousands of different job vacancies every day, job seekers in today’s Africa have access to finding that perfect job with ease.

Digital skills are employability skills

Digital skills can be defined as the ability to use digital devices, communication applications, and networks to access and manage information.

In recent years, a growing number of businesses and companies have ditched traditional procedures for digitized operations and processes. Artificial intelligence is already widely used in businesses to streamline their workflow.  Despite some academic curriculum expanding to take into account the growing demand for digital skills, students could on their own, through the combination of informal learning with formal learning, enhance their digital literacy. Here, we explore five essential Digital Skills that can make students instantly employable.

Content Creation & Marketing:

Content is key to creating brand awareness and establishing a brand. It comes in several forms, such as videos, social media updates, blog posts, etc. Therefore students need to understand and fully grasp the context of the business which they are marketing and create relevant and strategic content that will drive the message/objective home to the consumer.

Social Media Expertise:

With the rapidly increasing number of social media users, social media has become the primary source of communication and information flow between businesses and consumers and many businesses are employing the use of social media for digital marketing. Social media platforms vary for marketing purposes: different medium serves different purposes depending on the marketing objectives, target market, product, service, etc. Therefore students need to be well versed in understanding and utilizing social media in order to effectively drive customers to the business.

Search Engine Marketing:

According to statistics, over 6.5 billion SEM results are carried out each day, therefore; businesses understand that tapping into this discipline by optimizing their websites, etc. will drive traffic and ensure high conversion rates. It is therefore important for students to have a thorough understanding of SEM.

Data Analytics:

Data Analysis entails analysing computerized data and transforming this into information that can be used to maximise campaigns and improve the business. Data analytics allows students to make educated and data-driven decisions, which is what companies are looking for in order to optimize their return on investment.

Email Savvy:

Emails are a conventional but effective direct marketing method for the obtainment and retention of leads. Businesses understand the power of email to engage with their users, which is why understanding the art form of email marketing, from the first welcome email to email campaigns, is a valuable asset.

Statistics show that 8 in 10 formal jobs require substantial digital expertise. It is therefore important that academic curriculum takes into account the learning of these skills, and it is also in the interest of students to build and strengthen their digital literacy in order to improve their chances of getting hired.

Employee engagement can be defined as the extent to which employees are committed to their organization, feel passionate about the jobs and the effort that they put into their work. Not only are disengaged and dispassionate employees likely to leave their job, but their disengagement will make them less efficient, thereby affecting their performance and productivity, which will ultimately affect overall business performance.

Technology plays a crucial role in enhancing employee engagement. Here we have identified 3 benefits of embracing technology in the workplace:

• Eliminating time-consuming HR processes: Technology ensures continuous interaction between colleagues as well as between managers and their subordinates. Automating fundamental HR processes like employee surveys, performance reviews, reports, online payroll transmissions, etc. means that documents can be submitted retrieved and reviewed quickly and efficiently, thereby meaning that HR can focus on management-related tasks such as promoting and enforcing skill development measures.
• Promoting teamwork: Having a technology-based platform will encourage the rapid sharing of information and encourage creative thinking amongst collaborators. The use of technology such as an intranet or web-based applications will enable the creation of workgroups, whereby employees in different locations and in different departments can contribute effectively and work together to achieve the desired result.
• Increasing awareness of the company’s brand through social media engagement. Employees can promote their company by sharing updates and activities related to the company on social media channels, thereby reaching potential new clients and building the company’s social media presence.

Technology will continue to expand in the future. The challenge is to stay ahead of the curve by harnessing new emerging technologies for the benefit of the business, which will result in increased employee engagement as well as the encourage creativity, improve innovation and strengthen company performance.