HIRING IN AFRICA
How Are We Hiring In Africa ?
By Pauline Warui
Looking for a senior job in Africa requires the art of a gymnast , sorcerer or a wizard all tied in one . Let ’ s give this job seeker the name Jude for obvious reasons . Jude is well educated and he understands the terrain of various industries having held a few senior jobs in diverse industries . He has done very well in building his CV and he has amassed certificates both in weight and height . Jude thinks he knows the world very well and he can transform whatever he touches , after all his career history speaks volumes . His revamped CV is market ready and he sees no reason why he can ’ t easily triumph .
So , with new found exuberance and promises from a few godfathers he has met in the past ; a stellar 15 years ’ experience to boot , Jude decides that it ’ s now time to expand his horizons to ensure he has maximum impact at a national or Pan African level . He fine tunes his already air brushed CV once more and posts it in the public service portal upon finding a suitable job .
To his amazement , days roll by and he does not even get a regret for the said roles . He wonders what could have gone wrong and suspects a transmission failure of the HR systems as he was the perfect fit for the role . He later learns that the daughter of a certain prominent politician got the role . Yes , and he only knows the results from the social media .
Jude is now getting an all too familiar ‘ we regret ’ response and he decides to consult a few elders who sit him down and advise him that he needs to know how it all works . He is going on about it the wrong way . He needs to understand the hiring model in the African set up .
Portals are for registration not hiring . They help validate the process but in most instances the hiring process is done out of the office . He must learn how to talk to “ wazees ’’ otherwise he can clean his CV again and get back to a teaching job at the university . After all , that ’ s where his straight and narrow world of many certificates thrive and retire within reasonable means .
No man of valor changes the world . He learns he has to join the world of achievers who now sit at the table of wealth generation and sharing . This is the team that is solely referred to as deep state . They are unknown and unseen until the meek goat that dares to prosper brings out these lions from their den .
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Until we change the table where hiring is done to the boardroom and adopt the right performance indicators for our private and public organizations , Africa will always lag behind in development and the mental pulse of the experienced and educated who can make a change will forever be below average .
They sleep in late , play a game of golf as a team and discuss matters of national importance like hiring late in the night over sumptuous ribs and plain soup .
These are sacred men who are met in dingy or very isolated corners . They decide how you will be placed by virtue of your lineage and loyalty .
This not with-standing , Jude ’ s capability of oiling their insatiable appetite for a few notes and local brew is a challenge he has to face . In his life he knows that to prosper one has to face it till you make it and it ’ s about time for him .
Unknown to him is that these sacred men and women have a harvesting season . They know when hiring is done and they sharpen their knives during the season .
They will ask for various goats to savor and frothy stuff to oil the hiring team . Wazees must be ‘ seen ’ which is a beautiful acronym for bribery .
Jude has already spent too much to go back and the hiring gates are closing fast on him . His cousin from another district is also doing the same with the deep state from elsewhere and the train of hiring in Africa is in full gear .
Jude incessantly meets these pseudo negotiators for a couple of times and they assure him that all things are going on well . He is from the right clan and eats well with the hiring lords . He will definitely get a slot in the table of men .
On the material day , he finds out that his name is not on the list of the chosen ones . He has not been considered as there were too many people from his area including the sons and daughters of the sacred team !
60 MAL51 / 22 ISSUE