JELILI Episode 4 — The Job Hunt Hustle
He stared at the email like it carried both blessing and burden.
“Invitation to Interview – Tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.”
His chest swelled with victory. An overseas company wanted him. This was not a dream and not even a vision. This was not Aunty Bose telling him “Something good is coming” for the seventh year in a row. Then he scrolled down and saw the address. He checked again, prayed small and zoomed in on the map.
Three buses and a train. A stretch of road that looked like it required fasting and endurance. The journey felt like a pilgrimage and his soul trembled.
Still, he could not reject destiny. An interview is an interview. Besides, unemployment abroad felt like a personal insult. He prepared with the seriousness of a man writing WAEC for the third time.
He ironed his shirt until it smelled like stress and polished his shoes twice because the first polish did not carry enough anointing.
He selected his bright red tie, the one that said, “I am here to win, whether you like it or not.”
By morning, he set out like a man on a mission. The first bus behaved but the second didn’t. He took the wrong route twice, saw houses so expensive they made him reconsider his life goals and found himself returning to the same bus stop he started from. He almost cried, but dignity held him by the collar.
At the train station, he ran like an Olympic athlete whose village reputation was on the line. When he finally reached the interview building at 9:27, he wanted to roll on the floor in gratitude.
Inside, HR welcomed him with the smile of someone who had seen many hopeful men before him. The panel looked harmless, but questions began flying like stones.
“Tell us about yourself.”
“I am a dedicated professional with transferable… focus.”
“What system have you worked with?”
He inhaled. “Microsoft Word.”
They waited.
He added, “Very expertly.”
“What is your greatest strength?”
“I adapt quickly. Very quickly. In fact, I am still adapting right now.”
He narrated the story of carrying his cousin’s wedding cake up two flights of stairs to demonstrate pressure management. Someone typed something aggressively. He prayed it was positive.
Finally, they asked, “Are you available to start on Monday?”
His chest opened. “Yes. Absolutely.”
Then came the bomb.
“We only need your proof of ID, proof of address, right-to-work documentation and a quick bank verification call.”
His smile froze. Proof. Another proof. Abroad was truly a land of evidence.
He handed them Tunde’s electricity bill with confidence he did not feel. The HR woman raised an eyebrow but still nodded politely.
He walked out of the building with mixed emotions, part hope, part worry and part exhaustion.
He left the building feeling both hopeful and hungry. The Tesco snacks he had abandoned earlier called to him.
He returned and walked straight to the plantain chips section with renewed purpose.
That was when he saw her again. Same aisle. Same smile. This time, she noticed him. She adjusted her hair, just slightly, just enough.
To be continued next Friday → Episode 5: The Love Interest
