Applying for jobs is a daunting process so Patricia Gieskes seized this opportunity and has introduced a successful women-run recruitment agency in the DRC, giving job seekers a competitive edge in the marketplace.
Most people looking for jobs send out their CVs and apply in person. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, job recruitment agencies were unheard of until recently, and Job Factory is one of the enterprises giving the employment industry a boost. Entrepreneur and Job Factory CEO Patricia Gieskes explains that with a little bit of women power, finding that dream job is possible.
“I don’t consider myself an entrepreneur, really. I’ve always been a better employee, but there was a need in the market and I took it,” says Patricia.
She started from scratch and had to hire a secretary, an accountant and fill the rest of the minimum positions needed to run a business herself. Job Factory has since expanded to its present-day position, where it has three branches operating in the country and filling employment gaps in the business environment. She has also made it her mission to empower women in the DRC, who she favours to fill positions at Job Factory offices.
“I have a preference for ladies, because I think they’re hard workers. I think we only have two men working on a permanent basis,” Patricia explains.
Job Factory receives hundreds of CVs weekly, and it’s up to Patricia and her team to scrutinise each and every one and make sure that they find the best-suited candidates for the positions in the marketplace. And it’s been a long road that the team has had to travel to get to where they are now.
“I’ve made mistakes, like hiring people because I felt sorry for them and because, of course, the environment is not easy, but I’ve learnt,” says Patricia.
Today, she also has a lecture room at the Job Factory offices where she is able to conduct classes and provide some form of education to potential applicants, giving them a better chance at finding work.
“Sometimes we would love to place people in particular jobs but their level of education is really so low. They’ve got the will but not the education – that’s why we started with the training centre, to try to train people as much as we can.”
Every little bit of education helps, especially when it comes to this industry. The nice thing is that since Patricia knows what jobs are out there, she can assist with the perfect education to fill those gaps.