Job Search among Transition-Age Youth in Ekiti State, Nigeria

There are lots of complaints from graduates about the several applications submitted to public organisations and companies with no favourable outcomes despite their engagement in job search. In order to improve smooth school to-work transitions, successful adjustment and ensure proper career counselling, it is important to understand the ensuing issues in job search process, the value of particular job-finding strategies and the degree of adjusting to life without a job. The study adopted a descriptive survey. The population for this study comprises unemployed youths in Ekiti State. Multi stage sampling was adopted to draw a sample of two hundred and fifty (250) respondents who served as sample for the survey. Life Adjustment during Job Search Scale (LAJSS) was used for data collection. Data collected were analysed using frequency and percentage count. The result revealed that the methods of job search mostly adopted by Nigerian unemployed youth are directly through the employer and through the internet; the commonest methods used by employed graduates in getting jobs are through a friend, relative and directly through employer. In addition, it was found that the most effective and reliable methods Nigerian unemployed youth used in securing jobs are directly through a friend, relative and directly from an employer.It was equally revealed that inability to operate the internet to search for job vacancies, under qualification, postal hitches, over qualification and the employers perceived short of skills of job seekers constitute major challenges in searching for job; and majority of the unemployed youth still intend to seek for job despite the scarcity. Based on the findings the study concludes that contacting an employer directly, searching the internet, referral, contacting friends and relatives remain effective media of searching and securing job. It is therefore recommended that youths should focus on build their relationship and social skills as the ties of friends, relatives, and referrals can only be strengthened by their ability to initiate, grow and sustain a productive interaction with their social environment.