The Nigeria Civil Service remains one of the most reliable sources of Job security in Nigeria. As long as you have a reasonable level of qualification, you can be rest assured that you can live a moderate life working in any of the Nigerian government establishments.
But getting a job in the civil service could be pretty hard considering the fact that there are tons of job seekers and only limited vacancies exist. An average employee in the civil service spends about 35 years in service before retiring which makes it more difficult to have many vacancies in the sector.
But no matter how hard it may be, some people are still getting employed in the civil service on a daily basis. If you have the right information and know the right people, it would only take some painstaking effort to get a job in the civil service. Let us consider some steps you can take in order to get employed in Nigeria’s Civil Service.
1. Have the right qualification
At all levels of employment within the civil service, there are different qualifications that one must possess if he is to be considered good enough for such position. So for whatever position you are seeking, go and find out what the requirements for that position are and ensure you have them and then you can apply for the job provided the position is open and if not, still submit your CV, who knows it may become open tomorrow.
2. Know the employment agencies government uses
Although these agencies work more with private companies, they sometimes work with some government establishments too. Find out which agencies are into recruitment for government institutions and submit your CV to them.
3. Use internal reference
Yes, when there are openings within the Civil Service system, it is the people who are presently employed there that will be first to know of the opening, especially the senior staff members. They could help you push you CV to appropriate quarters, which may facilitate your chances of securing employment.
4. Through adverts
Most government establishments follow due process and thereby make vacancies public through newspaper, TV and radio adverts. Therefore, it will do you a lot of good to always check all these media to find out if there is any announcement of a Civil Service job opening.
5. Unsolicited application
Sometimes, you need to be proactive and anticipate trends. There may not be an opening in the government office where you intend to work, but you anticipate that one day there may be such opportunity; hence you take the initiative to go and submit your CV to the civil service commission office until such opening comes up. This has worked for several people. There have been people who got calls after two years of submitting their CV in an organization.
6. Visit the website of government establishments regularly
Although not all government operations have gone online, at least one can say that substantial effort has been made to make sure that some aspects of government operations are put online. So also is the notice of job openings in government offices. It will do you well to regularly visit these sites to find out about job openings.
7. Make use of your connections
This in a way looks like ‘internal reference’ but it is different. The difference is the degree to which you know the person who is on the inside. If he is your brother or uncle or some other relation, he is more likely to render assistance than if he is just an acquaintance. So seek out relations, or friends of relations who can help you push your chances.
-Nigerian bulletin
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