...Expanding scope for job hunters

Prior to the springing up of online classified websites like Tonaton.com in Ghana, recruiters and job seekers relied heavily on newspapers, relatives and friends to land jobs of their choice.

With the major newspapers publishing job vacancies, it was easy to think that the only vacancies available were the ones advertised in the dailies, but that was just the tip of the iceberg.

The dynamics in the job market have changed dramatically since free online platforms became available for both the recruiter and the job seeker. Websites like Tonaton.com have become a more compelling alternative and an innovative step forward in the evolution of the Ghanaian job search and recruitment market. A comparative analysis of the contents of newspapers and online classified platforms shows that about 80% of available jobs in Ghana are posted online.

“Most people just go through newspapers and once they don’t see an advertisement with their job title, starts thinking that’s the end of the road in terms of looking for a job. Our website alone has over 5,000 vacancies that have been advertised,” says Kwabena Opoku-Boakye, Marketing Manager, Tonaton.com.com.

He advises job seekers not to rely solely on what they see in print since a lot more recruiters are now posting job vacancies on online platforms because they are cheaper, more convenient and very cost effective. “This is the best way to tap into the hidden job market,” he adds.

The table below shows some of the most sought after jobs that can be found online.

Source: Tonaton.com

The areas where recruiters are currently focusing on are overseas jobs; media, advertising and marketing; sales and retail as well as office administration jobs.

According to some recruitment agencies, there is a relatively high demand for technical personnel from Ghana by the oil-rich countries due to their high competence levels. Multinational companies and the proliferation of media houses on the other hand account for the high levels of demand for advertising, marketing and sales jobs on the market. Students with these backgrounds seem to be the biggest winners!

Most of these jobs can be found in Greater Accra where about 79.7% of these vacancies are posted. Kumasi follows with 9.6% whilst Sekondi Takoradi has about 6.3% listed online. This spread is actually in line with the economic activities in the country, which is concentrated within the Golden Triangle.

Commenting on the proliferation in online classified platforms as a source of recruiting talent for clients, Mr. James Kwofie, CEO of Plato Consult, one of the top job recruitment agencies in Accra had this to say, “I realize that more people are now seeking information from online platforms. This could be as a result of the growth in the use of internet-enabled devices like tablets and smartphones. I therefore have to take advantage of these platforms and reach out to as many young talents as possible since they are always online looking for jobs etc. Sites like Tonaton.com are free and easy to use so why would I not take advantage of such a platform to achieve my objective?” he concludes.