Meet A Woman Fighting Unemployement

In a tough economy, Whitney Jacobs is still determined to help young people find jobs

- Reabetswe Rabaji

HAILING all the way from Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, Whitney Jacobs decided to stop complaining about not having a job and do something about it. At 29 years old, she can proudly say she has transformed hundreds of lives through her recruitment company, EmployMeSA.

HER INSPIRATION

Inspiration can be found anywhere and for Whitney it came when she found herself jobless and trying to come up with ways to change her situation.

“I found myself unemployed and quickly realised the cost, time and frustration that is involved in seeking employment. Considering I was so frustrated by the process, I couldn’t envision coping with the frustration of people that have fewer resources than I had,” she says.

WHY SHE CHOSE RECRUITMENT

Out of all the businesses that Whitney could have started or gone into, she decided to make it her business to help the youth find employment.

“I believe an employment opportunity can change the circumstances of any household, which in turn can change communities and the social issues we have in society. We cannot underestimate the influence employment has in South Africa; we can change people’s lives through employment and that is the reason I chose recruitment,” she explains.

Luckily, Whitney already had the skills set to help her understand and manage the business of recruitment.

“My educational background in human resources development has given me the knowledge and experience required to deal with compliance issues and processes involved in recruitment and training,” she says. “It has also enabled me to understand what the employers need.”