Looking for a job is an emotionally and financially taxing process, coupled with this is the added aspect of having to deal with rejection left, right and centre.
With the country’s high unemployment rate, some job seekers throw in the towel because of this seemingly impossible task of finding employment.
Nthabiseng Thinane, 23, faced the same plight that befalls millions of young people in South Africa, but she did not give up. Instead, she pushed on and eventually found a job after four years of unemployment.
In 2022 she became a receptionist for an industrial machinery manufacturing company based in Pretoria.
When Thinane matriculated, she wanted to study media at AFDA; however, because of a lack of financial resources, she was unable to do so.
She landed her first job as a receptionist when she was forced to stay at home while her friends went off to study.
After six months she left the position and got an opportunity to study a short course in media for a year. However, in 2018 she found herself unemployed.
“I had a very tough time. I was home 24/7. I had nothing to do. I was just staring at the walls and had no motivation.”
She lived with her family who supported her financially, but she started to feel despondent. The struggles of having no income caused her to fall into a deep depression and she turned to alcohol.
“I used alcohol to deal with the stress, but over the years I realised that it was not helping, and that I should try to develop a positive attitude and go after what I want instead,” she explained.
She applied for and received the R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant in 2020, but it did little to solve her problems. Last year, Thinane fell pregnant and had a daughter whom she had to fend for as well.
She kept applying for posts, but nothing turned up. Thinane took to LinkedIn to search for jobs and came across the business she now works for, but the company had not been seeking a receptionist.
However, the organisation’s HR representative later contacted her, asking that she drop by for an interview. Thinane went, but she was not hired because she did not have the experience required.
However, in a twist of fate, the business called her back soon afterwards, offering her the position.
“In some companies what’s important is attitude, a willingness to learn, and self-motivation.”
Thinane advises those who are not coping with being unemployed to hang in there, and continue to look for jobs.
“There is always light at the end of the tunnel, that’s what I used to tell myself. I also used to pray at night, hoping for better days.”
She says no matter how dark your days may seem, they will not last forever.
Thinane believes that it is all about patience, because sometimes things do not work out in the time frame you may have planned or envisioned.
“When I applied for jobs and did not get them, I used to ask myself what I did wrong. I used to get very emotional when I got rejected because of how long I had been at home.”
Thinane encourages job seekers to apply for jobs even though they may not necessarily be qualified. “You never know when luck might strike and it could be your turn in the sun.”
The young mother now has someone who looks after her daughter while she is at work. “Having this job means a lot as I will now also be able to further my studies.”
IOL Business