Are you completing college this year? If yes then congratulations in advance from the Zim Business Ideas and Network. In this post we look at possible entrepreneurship opportunities which you can pursue.
Job Prospects
Beef up your resume with voluntary work experience working for organisations in your community..small businesses, preschools, churches etc. When you finish college, your greatest disadvantage is that you do not have work experience. So beef this up with a lot of voluntary work which you can do on a part-time basis. You can even talk to your pastor and come up with a small income generating project that gives you and other youngsters practical work experience.
Spruce up your curriculum vitae,writing old fashioned curriculum vitaes where you have four pages of your academic transcript is medieval! Talk to your guardian and approach Human Resources Practitioners in your area and get skills on writing winning cvs and interview techniques. Cv writing is forever changing and the best way for fresh graduates is to get professional help. Less than 1% of college graduates do this, so gain a competitive advantage by working with professionals.
A recruiting manager usually has less than 5 seconds to make a decision whether to shortlist your cv or not. The cv above 2/10 and the one below 4/10. Know how to get 6/10 and you are on your way to improving your chances of landing an interview.
Know all the sources of job postings and join. In Zimbabwe The Kubatana.net online newsletter has a number of intern jobs coming out on a weekly basis.
Entrepreneurship Route
It is best to keep in your field of study for the first few years after college. We recommend this because you need to beef up your cv with relevant experience. If you studied Marketing then doing Digital Marketing …helping SMEs, Churches or NGOs with Digital Marketing work means you can put work done on your cv. With the Digital Marketing field expanding, you may not even need to look for work again!
If you study accounting and you get no job, then consider registration of companies (very easy), developing business plans, setting up online stores, developing websites, helping the SME sector with bookkeeping or accounting services. You beef up your cv and also earn extra income.Set up your own registered accounting services company and slowly develop it. Imagine applying for a job with your peers and during the interview.
If you studied Human Resources Management, set up your own HR Consultancy firm. Business is not going to come easily but if you master digital marketing then only the sky is the limit. Think of small companies in need of HR services?
If you studied law but got no job, think of areas that are expanding…business! We have few legal minds entering the corporate law field.Enrol for ACCA, consider CISA, Fraud Examination courses. If you can learn app development then you will get ahead of everyone especially with online legal services being the next big thing. Closely look at areas you did not study enough at college…look at the needs of society and fill the gap. Digital Marketing is not part of the law degree and a good number of legal firms would be needing these services in the not too distant future.
Extra Skills for Graduates
1. Website development: You can learn on your own by researching on Youtube. I developed Zimbabwe’s best followed small business website in 6 hours! No prior knowledge of website development and noone to direct me how it is done. Look at the number of companies or NGOs with no websites or those with no up to date information on their websites. If you cannot learn on your own then enrol for a formal course. Certification is a big plus on your resume!
2. Graphic Design: It is closely related to Digital Marketing, learn how to do graphic designs and charge a minimum of $20 for small company logos
3. Online Store Setups: E-commerce is the next big thing in town, help clients to set up and earn between $300-$500 per client. Also set up online shops for many products and services
4. Dial a Service: Did you read our article on ‘convenience and competitive advantage?’ Dial a Service is gaining momentum especially in the leafy suburbs. Dial a beer, dial a meal…we comprehensively covered this area in our book on opportunities for Zimbabweans.
Last but not least, Learn Arts and Crafts with the regional market in mind. Huge potential in regional cities such as Durban and Cape Town for art and crafts. You can also try Tapestry which our organisation launched regionally with huge success. Tapestry or shaggy rug making is providing extra incomes for those making carpets or teaching others. You can also make money through the selling of carpet making material such as tapestry mats or knitting yarn. Great demand in South Africa where many of our trainees have made a lot especially in Cape Town, Limpopo, KZN and Gauteng.
So build up experience in your relevant field and do other side hustles such as vending, baking cakes, bead making, mabhero, car selling. Do not lose money on Online Forex Trading, Bitcoins or other ponzi schemes.
Taken and edited from the book ‘Business Opportunities for South Africans’.
