IS CONVENIENCE MAKING US COMPLACENT?

Many years ago when it was time for my IT, I came to Lagos from Ibadan, teamed up with 5 other friends, printed about 50 copies of my CV and application letters and then walked the whole of Ogba and other areas I can’t remember now.

We went from offices to offices dropping copies of our CVs and even when they turned us back, we just laughed about it and moved on. We didn’t stop till we shared all our copies. I got a few interviews but no offers but it was fine. I finally went back to Ibadan for the IT.

Fast forward to today. Hardly does anyone walk around with CVs, all you have to do is just send an email. While I have seen some people on LinkedIn say they applied 600, 1000 or more times, it’s not common practice.

You would assume that people should be able to do hundreds if not thousands of applications easily comparing where we were coming from, but the reverse is the case. If you are a job seeker, answer for yourself, how many times have you applied for opportunities in the last 3 months? Are you really sure you are searching?

Technology is a two-edged sword. As it makes things easier, it also makes people lazier. With GenAI (ChatGPT and the like), in another 5 years most of use won’t be able to even write a letter by ourselves anymore, same way we cant do simple calculations without using calculators.

It’s evolution, it’s not Gen Z, it’s the evolution of man. We are all changing but those who don’t have any prior evidence will be completely changed, hence the Gen Z thing.

This calls for caution and a lot of retrospective thinking. As we get excited about advancements in technology, we also need to make adequate plans for the consequences of those innovation.