Online Marketing hope to graduates

Despite the limited job openings in the country, there are opportunities that have not been tapped in the online marketing space, IFE ADEDAPO writes

The National Bureau of Statistics reported that in the fourth quarter of 2014, a total of 369,485 jobs were created across all sectors of the Nigerian economy out of which 138,026 were recorded in the formal sector, 4,387 in the public sector and 227,072 in the informal sector.

The rate of unemployment in the country stood at 23.9 per cent in 2011, while urban unemployment was estimated at 29.5 per cent as of 2013.

Thousands of students leave the university and polytechnics every year but remain in the labour market for a long time.

The swollen labour market, made up of majorly unemployed youths, has been highlighted by experts as one of the causes of violence and insurgency in the country.

Among the new formal jobs created in the fourth quarter, the Information and Communications Technology sector accounted for 363 employments.

This data and reports by human resource experts and professionals in the Information and Communication Technology field indicate that there is high demand for young graduates in some IT areas.

According to them, these employment opportunities which may be full-time or part-time currently have few people with expertise to fill such positions.

Speaking with our correspondent, the Human Resource Consultant, Career Solutions Africa, Mr. Chinedu Ahuchaogu, says the Internet provides a lot of opportunities for people who possess the right skills to earn a living.

According to him, searching for a job and applying for positions can be tasking but other lucrative businesses can be ventured into while looking for jobs.

He explained that there were websites where people were paid to render simple services like data entry, proposal writing, creative writing, web design, graphics design, among others.

On his part, the Chief Imaginative Officer, Mr. Daniel Malik, said that the reason why the rate of unemployment persisted was that Nigerians were not ready to explore other professional lines outside their areas of expertise.

He explained that because he trained people on digital and social media marketing, he got daily requests from companies in the banking sector, schools and small businesses to fill IT-related positions, adding that the remuneration was equivalent to what bankers were paid.

Malik said, “I get regular mails from people to help them find social media managers to manage their companies’ accounts. They send us these mails because they know we train people to do that. The problem we have is that Nigerians are not willing to learn. The job opportunities in social media are massive.

“For example, so many banks are seeking people to manage their social media pages. Even the small business owners are also seeking people to manage their accounts including schools.”

Malik said he became a professional through personal learning and development. According to him, all the skills that have enabled him to build company brands and conduct marketing are acquired through online training.

He said, “Every skill I have learnt today was acquired online. I learnt 3D animation video last year and I use it to sell stories to the online audience. We have passed the level of using corel for designing fliers or adobe Photoshop. Things have passed that level because online is about visuals, images, pictures and people are employing many people with expertise in this area.”

To prepare Nigerians for the kind of jobs that are available in the labour market, he called on the National Universities Commission to incorporate digital marketing into the curriculum of students in the tertiary institutions, adding that every professional required the used of social media platforms as seen among on-air personalities in radio and television stations.

Malik said, “I believe digital marketing should be incorporated into the curriculum of students in secondary schools and tertiary institutions. If we don’t do that soon enough, it will affect us.”

“When I was at a radio station recently, the managing director asked every one hosting a programme if they had tweeted their show that morning. It has reached a level that people don’t have a choice but to acquire expertise in these areas. Our government needs to consider this.”

Highlighting the job opportunities that are in high demand, he says digital marketers, social media managers and marketers and people who specialise in using Facebook as a marketing tool are needed by employers.

Malik explained that digital marketers were people whose responsibilities involved email marketing, social media marketing, SMS marketing and advertising.

The CIO explained that the role of social media managers was not limited to the use of Facebook to promote businesses, but also included a proper understanding of how Twitter, Google plus, LinkedIn, Pinprest and other social media platforms could be used.

A lecturer in the Department of Computer Science, University of Lagos, Dr. Victor Olumuyiwa, said the lack of competence in the IT field posed barrier to most graduates.

He noted that when students were properly trained in their schools and when they were engaged in personal development, they would be properly positioned for the unlimited opportunities in the country.

Olumuyiwa said, “A former student came to my office this morning that they were looking for people in the company where she works. There are jobs but the problem is competence.

He said, “For IT, we are interested in people who can make it in apps space. In computer science or other related disciplines, there are professional courses that make people to be creative. They are courses that require developing skills. If you have the skills, you can quickly get employed immediately after graduation.”