Kenyan youth not to expect instant success in job hunt

USAID international youth day

Kenya is documented to have a majority of its people under the youth bracket who are quick to swing to everything induced by the media. The youth have been oriented to have a mindset of instant pay through M-Pesa, instant communication through short message texting (sms) and social media texting not to mention the prevalence of ‘win a million and get rich instantly’ monthly draws.

An insight from a renowned BBC journalist from Kenya - Joseph Warungu about Kenya’s FM stations echoed a culture that is quickly getting out of hand. 


The BBC veteran journalist from Kenya observed a difference in the fast paced approach in broadcasting and news presentations in a majority of radio stations in the country. When news is read and actualities (interviews from persons involved with the news subject) are cued in by the news presenter, the ‘storyteller’ is heard to be fast paced and ends up in most cases not revealing the message or story to the target audience.

 Mr. Warungu compared this approach to the BBC where the news is read and packaged to have the natural flow of the 'storyteller' where listeners get the message and are informed. Both parties – the broadcaster and the audience benefit. He attributed this approach by the BBC to be one among other reasons for its success.

Where am I going with this? It is with no doubt that this fast paced culture that some of Kenya’s radio stations have embraced has been influenced by present day culture and the youthful audience –the culture of instant success, instant gratification, instant everything which the media and advertisers have greatly encouraged.

 It is a sad reality that this swing culture of instant everything has resulted in many young people not settling on one job even though it is a job that is suited to their passion and orientation. The most apparent reason being the job does not give instant pay back in terms of big salary. It would be foolish as a generation to put our heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich if we ignore this phrase not to teach us that money is the result of success; success is not the result of money. That success is out of providing genuine value to people along with hard, hard work!

What you want is a priority

As a young person looking for a job, priority of what you want is vital to being successful in getting it. ‘Tarmacing’ which our parents and the older generation referred to as the process of job seeking has now shifted to the convenience of subscribing to job advertisement websites that suit your profession or area of study. Sending your Resume and Application letter is now just a click away. But if you don’t know where you best fit in a career or how your skills and knowledge can apply to a certain profession you cannot possibly plan your route to that profession especially in the event of job seeking. Spend time thinking of what you want in your life, what your ambitions are and what you truly desire.

Your CV is your best selling point

Having planned your route to this journey of success – the journey here being a successful career get your CV in order. A CV is like a sales brochure of a business entity. It should have all the necessary sections such as Work Experience, Education, Qualifications and a profile that best describes you. Your Resume or CV being your selling point to a potential employer make sure it has no grammatical errors or typos. Do not be shy to ask for help from genuine professionals as there are many fraudsters.

Get the golden experience

In the event of not getting that big day invitation for an interview right away, try and get some experience. Our economy is not creating jobs in tandem with the human resource being channeled out of our training institutions. But that should not translate to a stalemate affair in your quest for success.

Try out other jobs you have never thought of doing, relocate, retrain or perform tasks you may not necessarily like until you get the skills needed. Potential employers prefer candidates who have consistently been working even in different, unrelated roles to candidates who have inconsistent or no work experience. This in the long run builds your CV and makes you employable.

Avoid colloquial speech

The youth of this generation have been affected by the culture of using colloquial language fused in both formal and everyday speech. The words which are born as a result of this instantaneous culture - words such as ‘yeah ’instead of ‘yes’ or ‘dunno’ instead of ‘don’t know’ are unfortunately frequently used by the youth in formal settings, painting a bad picture of them as not being serious. Such poorly phrased words should especially not be used in formal settings such as interviews or when networking with ‘potential’ employers. If you cannot avoid such phrases practice formal speech with a friend or relative who you can practice with by staging an interview session.

A voluntary approach

In the absence of job opportunities in Kenya today, many young people get discouraged of constant rejections after spending a vast amount of time sending applications. In light of such situations it is encouraged to embrace the approach of short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain.

This means trying out an alternative approach like volunteering in a company or institutions offering these opportunities for volunteers willing to gain experience in their chosen career path. Many organizations especially charities and non-government organizations give these kind of opportunities with an understanding that experience is like gold-it is invaluable.

After getting that job

The culture of instant success also finds its way in the work place. It’s almost automatic that a person with this culture or mindset expects an increase in the pay package or a promotion right away. The reality is in the modern working environment, it is usually the people who look to improve themselves and input more than what is expected who get promoted and their pockets lined with a better pay package. The key to surviving the job and progressing in career is simply genuine hard work, being eager to learn and being the best that you can.

We learn from history of the stories of successful failures. The likes of the late ‘Njenga Karume’s who started by selling charcoal by the roadside back in his village, later on establishing small business enterprises on Kirinyaga road in Nairobi alongside and competing with the Asian community known for their proficiency in entrepreneurship. His success in business propelled him to a career path as a politician .His lack of opportunity to a higher education didn’t deter him from the success we celebrate him for even after his death.

As a young person do not become disheartened-persistence is key. What should be learnt from the stories of successful failures is success is permanent but failure is only temporary.