by Sasha Knott
South Africa is facing an unemployment crisis, but there is much you can do to secure a job. South Africa is grappling with a significant challenge to economic growth: the shortage of critical skills, even basic ones such as crafting effective CVs. With a high unemployment rate and growing demand for specialised expertise, collaboration among students, educational institutions, and public-private partnerships is essential to bridging this skills gap.
While AI is firmly established and indispensable, it must not overshadow the essential human skills and touch required across professions, whether in beauty services or plumbing. You're always going to need that human element.
People mistakenly wait for opportunities to materialise on their own, instead of proactively seizing initiatives to create opportunities for themselves. This could be through volunteering, entrepreneurship, or taking online courses. We often forget the unemployment side starts with the person themselves.
Understandably, the job search process often breeds frustration, self-doubt, and desperation, leading applicants to apply for countless positions they may not be qualified for, hoping that someone will take a chance on them.
I advise that while one should aim high, it's prudent to meet at least three to five job requirements before applying. I also challenge the belief that a degree guarantees a job, reminding us that if a role is meant for you, it will find its way, regardless of formal credentials.
"Don't always think that the degree is going to get you in the door."
Sasha Knott, the CEO of Job Crystal in South Africa, started her career in IT and moved quickly in her career finding her passion for entrepreneurship and combining this with technology that works for the customer and often disrupts industries. Sasha’s current plan is to make job seekers lives easier while helping SME’s find talent fast and effortlessly! With Job Crystal’s new system called Crystal which combines RecTech, AI, machine learning and UX functionality that makes it easy to find the needle in the haystack for SME’s looking for talent. The vision is to make a dent in unemployment.
About Job Crystal
Job Crystal is a leading innovator in the field of recruitment AI, dedicated to creating cutting-edge technologies that help make a dent in unemployment. With a strong focus on ethics, transparency, and human collaboration, we strive to develop AI systems that empower individuals and organisations while upholding the highest standards of responsibility.
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