Employer, Wake Up and Stop Losing Money...

Employer, Wake Up and Stop Losing Money…

   Over several years ago, Nigerians had access to quality education fromreputable institutions locally. But with the advent of emerging challenges andpolitical misfeasance, our quality education gradually eroded and institutionslost their credibility in delivering excellent relevant content to students. In2019, a revolution is apparent especially in the hiring space – where globalmultinationals and blue chip companies now review hiring practice and prettymuch ‘lower barrier to entry’ for potential employees.

  Certain positions have always required particular levels of educationi.e. credentials and qualification. In recent times, companies like Google,Facebook, Amazon, etc. began realizing the need to get more inclusive in hiringpeople, as they were fast losing valuable talent due to the qualificationbarrier they had unconsciously elevated in their recruitment behavior. As therest of the world adapts to the evolving work of work, Nigeria and Africa mustnot be left behind. As we are quick to do (copy and paste foreign practiceswithout contextualizing), it’s important that we emulate also these companiesand systems in hiring more inclusively.

   In Nigeria (our main context), many stories of competent yet deniedtalents are told every day; sometimes even by those who greatly influencerecruitment decisions and policies, both in organizations and government. Youngand bright minds constantly recount their bitter experiences with talentrecruiters or organizations’ HR departments. Extreme policies are made andenforced at the expense of the same organizations who make them. Imagine abright young man who demonstrates all the competencies required to do a jobexceptionally well denied the opportunity to be employed – simply because hedoesn’t have a particular qualification that supposedly accompanies that role.

    It’s extremely frustrating for the young man who has been denied butmost unfortunate for the company who vehemently rejects an unknown opportunityto increase their profitability through the immense value this young man couldactually have added to their operations. HR practitioners, business leaders andpolicy makers need to rise up more than ever and challenge this long standingnotions and ideas they have consistently (and some times blindly) preserved. Ifa young talented man is turned away because he lacks a credential or the certificate he can defend – through execution and implementation of hisdeliverables – then shouldn’t we start rethinking this credentials obsession.

   We imagine the monumental proportion of talent and value constantlylost to outdated and fairly unreasonable recruitment practices demonstratedevery day across Nigeria. On the employee side, the alternatives many seek isemigration to countries where their competencies are valued and accepted.Perhaps we have induced a lot of what we now know as ‘brain drain’ by turningcompetent candidates away, further deepening the unemployment rate of our dearnation.           Employers, it’s time to wake up and start making money by responsibleand reasonable hiring.