Amina Oyagbola speaks at launch of recruitment portal

C&I Leasing, a three-tier Nigerian public limited maritime company, has launched GetaJobng, an online recruitment portal, to create a matchmaker infrastructure for human capital in Nigeria.

The launch was held on Wednesday at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel situated in Victoria Island, Lagos state.

The portal is poised to synergize with firms across the country and oversee the digitalization/overhaul of recruitment processes by offering direct employers and agencies a range of services including job advertising, CV search, temporary staff hiring, branding, display advertising, and other services.

It also affords the needed service to registered members looking to get employed by way of keeping job seekers abreast of vacancies on behalf of employers, managing job applications, creating job-seeking profiles, and storing CVs online within the reach of potential recruitment agencies.

GetaJobng, which encompasses a learning management portal, also offers a full-course search from a range of learning providers as well as career advice, classroom-based and free courses, among other information designed to aid job seekers in advancing the frontiers of their professional lives.

Among those present at the launch are Maureen Ogbonna, group head, human resources and strategy, C&I Leasing Plc; Amina Oyagbola, managing consultant at AKMS Consulting Ltd; Alex Mbakogu, executive director at C&I Leasing Plc; Andrew Otike-Odibi, managing director and chief executive officer, C&I Leasing Plc; and Henry Okolo, chairman, board of directors, C&I Leasing Plc.

How does the recruitment portal work?

“Get a job brings recruiters and those who are looking to fill positions and match them with candidates. We consider ourselves match-makers.  We’re also focused on getting the right candidates,” said Temitope Niyi, a GetaJobNG consultant.

“We have graduates just coming out of school. We have passive candidates who are situated in offices, not actively looking for jobs. We’re focused on making sure we have a platform to ensure that we attract these people, with even strategies to ensure we can engage with passive candidates.

“What we want to do is to ensure recruiters have their job spread across to different platforms. When you post jobs on the site, it goes directly to Google. That way, candidates can see them when they run random searches. The applications that come thereafter goes directly into your email or your GetAJob dashboard as an employer.”

GetAJob portal, he further explained, can also screen CVs and narrow down shortlisted candidates by scheduling knowledge-based, skill-based, or psychometric assessments depending on the preferences of the employer and the job’s requirements. All of these are done online.

“When vacancies are advertised, job seekers get daily alerts. The portal matches key competencies on CVs to existing vacancies for a higher chance of getting shortlisted. They get constant updates on career tips with insightful advice tailored for unique needs. They can also access career development schemes and initiatives,” he added.

The Differentiator, security, and relevance of GetaJobng

Oyagbiola, who spoke on the solutions brought onboard by the portal, said that GetaJobng would change the narrative with internship programmes in the country and connect employers with interns who look to acquire experience in certain professional capacities.

“Not many organizations in Nigeria run internship programmes and it’s a low for us because internships enable employers to assess candidates on the job and infuse the culture of the organization into people — especially if the intent is to retain. You have extra pair of hands to do some work you don’t have to pay much for,” she said.

“The truth is that many organizations focusing on graduate recruitment programs are also looking at internships from that lense. That’s where GetaJobng comes in. An intern is looking for a placement; your organization is looking to fill a gap. And these two can’t find each other. We need this kind of platform to bridge that gap.”

Andrew Otike-Odibi, managing director of C&I Leasing, while responding to questions on possible cybersecurity issues and information leakage that may bedevil the recruitment portal, is convinced that all data on the brand’s server is protected and can only be accessed by authorized persons.

“What prompted the portal is the unemployment rate. We have this on one side and companies struggling to find the right people on another. How do we bridge this gap? We use tech to streamline the recruitment process and identify employable talents for companies that need them. In the end, it’s a win-win for both parties,” he said.

“Pre-existing portals ask you to submit your CV and you wait for opportunities. They collate the database. What we do is match you. We have all the information on our servers. They are protected, you can’t access them if you’re unauthorized. We also research companies to ascertain credibility. We understand that security in the IT world is a continuous thing. Where we are right now, we guarantee the security of the portal and the information on it.”