No job is for sale

A local newspaper, Vaal Ster, reported last week “Job seekers defrauded by SDM employee.” The administrative official working at a municipality’s corporate services was nabbed by the police for fleecing job-seekers of their money.

According to the story, the suspect masqueraded as an HR Manager. She solicited R1 000 deposit from each applicant to place them “on top of the list.” The understanding between her and the non-suspecting applicants was that they will have to pay her another R5 000 after they were employed.

Sometime in May this year a story broke out. A well known teachers union was alleged to be involved in a scandal of selling school principal jobs. According to the story, “school principals were placed in posts in return for R30 000 bribe upwards per post.”

Other sources from within the union and department of education revealed that entry level jobs were being sold upwards of R6 500 by principals to make back the money they paid for their own posts. Deputy Principal and HOD posts were being sold for R15 000 and R10 000 respectively’ revealed the source.

Other scams which were revealed included lateral appointments within and between provinces for upwards of R10 000. As for the teachers who were opting for early retirement, they could get their teaching job back within a year of leaving by paying upwards of R30 000.

What the two scenarios are revealing is that as the practice of taking advantage of job-seekers escalates, more people will believe that a job is for sale; and that this is normal.

A recruitment Agency invited me to interview in Randburg about 10 years ago. I had gone there with my colleague who was also a graduate. Instead of us being interviewed, we were made to cough up R100 each in return for having our CVs re-written into a particularly uniform format. Everybody who went there to find a job came away with a CV that looked like everybody else’s, and a pocket which is minus R100. They promised us jobs, which we are still waiting for.

No job is for sale. If you are made to pay in order to get the job, then you are no longer applying for a job; you are buying one. What is worse is that the job you will be doing is not yours. It belongs to the one who orchestrates transactions. It is like having two bosses - the one you are reporting to, and the one who you are paying.

You do not have to look any further than the alleged scam happening in our education system. Suddenly a teacher who got promoted is being looked at with suspicion. Did he/ she get this on merit or… you know? When a teaching relative or neighbor is telling you about their transfer, you begin to flinch and “pray to God.”

If the allegations of scam are true, therefore a teacher who – out of nowhere - bought a huge car, or the one who settled their bond, or the one who bought very nice furniture or the one who did grand house renovations is being looked at with suspicion. And you know that, should they feel the need to return to teaching, they are at the mercy of those running the scam.

I often receive messages from young people who are being asked to pay some money in order to secure employment. I often advise them to go for one of the two options: 1. Report this to the police. 2. Run as fast as you can away from that swindler!

http://www.salabournews.co.za/index.php/component/content/article/70-labour-news/17289-sadtu-selling-of-school-principal-jobs-widespread-scam-includes-other-posts-transfers-and-early-retirement-manipulation.html

http://www.citypress.co.za/news/more-jobs-for-sale-sadtu-racket/

This interviewee is honest

‘What’s your greatest weakness?’

“Honesty.”

‘I don’t think that honesty is a weakness.’

“I don’t give a s##t what you think.”

Meaning is everything

Interviewer: You say you have the experience; I don’t see any in your CV.

Interviewee: I can clarify that… I have the job search experience.

Young people, bring your Art. Somebody needs it.

Often we say to those whom we look up to, 'I want to start a business, but I don't know what type of business; I don't even know how to start.' We also say this a lot to our friends and colleagues.

I often ask myself: Why do we want to own a business? Usually, our answers range from...  'to make money'; 'being my own boss'; 'to create employment' to 'being in control of my own life.'

The question of "Why?" and "How?" are serious questions indeed. Perhaps there is the right reason why we should start up and run businesses.  Therefore I am inviting great people like Roche Mamabolo, Lebo Pule, Ntsoaki Phali, Patrick Zimba Mawire, Tebogo Hlapi, Muzi Zwane and Siphiwe Moyo to share their thoughts.

As for me, I think that until we have identified the problem about which we want to offer ourselves in order to solve it, then the idea of being in business, or being an entrepreneur, will remain an elusive dream.

Entrepreneurs are authentic people. They are not always brave. Sometimes they were so scared of the problem they decided to do something to solve it. They have surrendered to the life of serving, of giving something of themselves which others won’t give, or are too afraid, or are lazy, to offer. They are providing something which is 'new', 'real' and 'important.'

So, what do you want to help mankind with? Yes. That. That is the Art we are calling you to bring to the table. Bring your Art; because somebody needs it.

Crying all the way to the job interview

Crying all the way to the job interview

It has been 5 years since the crying happened. I am thinking of this as I walk into the meeting place. I look around. I cannot spot my date.

Charles, whom I cannot tell if he is smiling or simply grinning at me, is following my cue. I reject his table-for-one offer by politely telling him that I am meeting somebody who is already seated. We both look this way and that way. He is feeling awkward about this. His job is to serve food for patrons, not to perform Tracker services for them.

So I pull out my phone. I dial and pull it to the ear. Oh, there she is. I abandon the call, and Charles. She stands up. We hug. We are happy to see each other. We sit. Charles carefully interrupts. He wants me to order a drink. Kemong insists that I take wine or cider. Charles is nodding. A debate ensues.
‘I am driving 99 kilos after this,’ I protest.
‘Ah, just one glass, my brother, hau,’ she insists.
 When I look at her glass, it is not of Grapetiser (her favourite, as far as I know) but something which looks like Redd’s. Right there, peer pressure gets the better of me.
‘I will take Savannah, provided it is just one glass,’ I say, pointing to the heavens with my index finger to emphasise this declaration.
Suddenly, that TV ad of Kagiso Lediga, wearing dark shades inside a pub, and gigantic wrist watch, lustily wooing a clearly unimpressed lady, across the room, and demonstrating to a white dude next to him what buffoonery looks like, is running through my head. I quietly pray for safe passage, despite Savannah in my bloodstream.

Kemong has just accepted a job offer. She is relocating to another city. But why has she invited me here to celebrate with her? I ask myself. It is a long story.

It was in April 2009. My sister and I had just pulled over at a salon when I received the phone call. The caller was crying. I was startled.

‘What is wrong?’ I had asked.
‘My car won’t start!
‘What? Where are you?
‘I am at my place… I’m about to leave but it won’t start!’ she says hysterically. ‘Fusi… I don’t think I’ll make it to the interview… I have messed up!’

‘Calm down,’ I said. It was exactly 55 minutes before the interview at 10h am.

‘Look Kemong, I am in Qwaqwa right now; is there somebody nearby who can help you?’
‘I can phone my boyfriend to come from work... he understands this car… but I’m late, Fusi!’ the crying is not stopping.
‘How about you call the cab to Sandton?’ I offered a suggestion.
‘No Fusi, I don’t have much money on me!’
I understood where she was coming from. The other night I had taken a cab from Midrand to Craighallpark. I paid an arm and a leg and remained traumatized for a long time.
‘Okay, okay… this is what you must do. Ask Vuyo (boyfriend) to rush. Then, phone Pansy (HR Officer); tell her that your car is delaying you; request a 30 minute delay for your interview while you work on a solution to get there.’
‘Okay,’ she says.

‘I will phone you later.’ I assure her before ending the call.
[6-8 minutes pass]

‘Kemong, what’s the latest?’
‘Vuyo is on his way; Pansy and the Manager agreed to start the interview at 10h30.’
Excellent! Now, focus on yourself, lady. You are going to that interview and you are going to get that HR Consultant job, do you hear me?
She laughs nervously and says ‘Okay.’

Vuyo solved the engine problem and escorted Kemong to the interview. She got the job. She worked for a company for over 2 years. Today she has invited me to supper to celebrate because she has found other greener pastures. So we are sitting at Carlswald, in Midrand. We are recounting that old drama. And we are in stitches.

Charles appears. He is flashing his trademark “smile.” We compose ourselves and we watch him as he places scrumptious-looking things on our table.
‘So what can you say you learned from that experience?’ I ask Kemong.

She’s holding her glass in both hands. She looks up and says, ‘… that whenever you encounter a problem on your way to the interview, have the presence of mind to inform the company immediately.’

‘What else?’ I ask, not thinking for a minute that I am questioning a seasoned HR professional. She is studying my face for a clue.

‘That I must know how to fix that troublesome Citi Golf of mine,’ she chuckles.
We burst out laughing, knowing that she OLXd that damned thing. Today she gets around in a shimmering BMW, which is waiting snobbishly for her in the parking lot.
‘Well, what if you did not have airtime at that moment?’ I ask her.
‘Hei wena… airtime is king, I guess,’ she exclaims, and contemplates for a while. She is stabbing food with her fork.
‘And what if you did not have the phone number of Pansy… mind you I was not in the office that day?’
‘I would have been in big trouble, Fusi,’ she says.

The first casualty from my plate is a mound of spinach. It launches “heavenly” sensations inside my mouth. I can feel my nostrils come to life as I let the taste to take effect.
‘Well, you have been through a lot,’ I say as I tumble down from dizzying heights of spinach-in-my-mouth, and violate the table manners in the process.
‘You have actually cried all the way to the interview.’
Her fork, which had taken a sizeable stab at the green leaves and heading to her mouth, plunges back to the plate as she bursts out laughing.

We enjoyed the food, and the drinks, and the memories. Kemong is now HR Manager at a new company, in a different city, 5 years on.

Snatch it, or let somebody know about it

There are several civil and building projects in the pipeline. They require the services of qualified and experienced professionals who are:

Civil Engineers
Structural/ Geo-technical Engineers
Project Managers

The Requirements include:
B Degree/ B Tech in Civil Engineering/ Engineering Geology or equivalent
3-10 post-qualification experience

Anybody who qualifies, and is interested in discussing the opportunity, may email the CV to:
fusi.motaung@gmail.com