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Many people, especially the youth, use social media platforms to communicate with family and friends. For the jobless, it is a space to spend time and interact at leisure.

However, for 27-year-old Hassan Habiyambere, social media has become a marketplace, offering him a boundless opportunity to start a car selling company.

Frequently, I'll have candidates tell me that they're going to send me their cover letter and resume and that I should use that as a starting point. I tell them not to bother because I won't use it anyway. Usually they look angry at my comment, and I need to clarify. I ask them what does their cover letter say. Usually something along lines of 'Well, it describes my resume'.

Ntezimana Jean Paul wiga mu ishuri rikuru ry’ubumenyingiro rya Musanze Polytechnic yihangiye umurimo wo gukora inzoga n’umutobe mu bijumba, akabigurisha.

Usibye inzoga n’imitobe akora muri ibyo bijumba, anakoramo amandazi n’ibisuguti.

Ntezimana avuga ko amezi atanu amaze akora uwo mushinga, yahawe icyemezo cyo kuwushyira mu bikorwa kuburyo ngo hari inzoga, imitobe, ibisuguti n’amandazi yatangiye gushyira ku isoko abantu batandukanye bakabyishimira.

Getting a job is not a walk in the park. In fact, some people graduate with top grades but take years to find employment. 

But this fear has not held back those with jobs from venturing out into the murky waters of self employment.

That is the story of 25-year-old Laurène Rwema Umutoni, and 22-year-old Natalie Mukahigiro. The two realised that after years of being just another employee, it was time to be self-employed.

Everyday I sit in a television studio and pepper people with questions about a variety of topics related to business. It's about the most unnatural way to talk to a person but somehow, it works onscreen.

Last week, University of Rwanda held its 4th graduation ceremony which saw a total of 8,366 students conferred with degrees in different programmes. However, despite having a degree, it’s not a guarantee that every graduate will land a job. For this reason, experts advise that graduates should learn how to make themselves more useful and employable. Again, they as well say, for those who are lucky enough to land a job right away, they should use that opportunity to grow professionally and get experience.

“Consider the reality of today’s job market. We have a massive skills gap. Even with record unemployment, millions of skilled jobs are unfilled because no one is trained or willing to do them. Meanwhile unemployment among college graduates is at an all-time high, and the majority of those graduates with jobs are not even working in their field of study. Plus, they owe a trillion dollars in student loans. A trillion! And still, we push a four-year college degree as the best way for the most people to find a successful career?” -Mike Rowe

You're about to have a job interview. Perhaps it's not your dream job, but it's still an opportunity you're excited about. Determined to win this competition, you prepare relentlessly. Or so you think.

There has been boundless sensitisation and effort to strengthen gender equality across the country. One would think that aspects such as stereotypes, misconceptions, and tradition, or anything else that has held women back over the years, are now on a low, however, this is not the case. And this can be seen in areas, for example, like the workforce, where very many women are still unemployed.

Social media helps your job search in many ways, from profiling your expertise to finding out about new opportunities, but if you’re not careful it can also hinder your chance of securing your ideal job.