I am not a HR professional, but sitting in on interviews recently opened my eyes to truths about the Kenyan job market that nobody prepares you for. From experienced candidates struggling to negotiate, to graduates with shiny degrees being ignored, the gap between what we think matters and what actually matters is sobering. Here are 12 rarely spoken lessons I wish every job seeker in Kenya would internalize. 1. Years of Experience Don’t Equal Bargaining Power I watched candidates with over 10 years of work experience accept salaries barely higher than entry-level. In Kenya, longevity in a role does not guarantee leverage. Employers will pay only what the market allows, not what your CV claims. If your skills aren’t directly tied to revenue, cost-saving, or a rare technical expertise, years alone won’t buy you influence. 2. Not All Abroad Experience is Equal We assume that working abroad gives you prestige back home. But I saw returnees from the Middle East who had spent years th...
In Kenya , we were taught to believe that experience is gold. That if you worked long enough, if you collected enough years, your value would automatically rise. That the job market would respect you for the battles you have fought, the places you have served, the mistakes you have endured. But last week, I sat in interviews that shook that belief to its core. Men and women with 5, 8, even 10 years of experience walked in, clutching their resumes with pride, only to accept salaries that would barely pay their children’s school fees . People who had returned from abroad, with exposure and networks, nodding quietly as they were offered wages not too far from what a fresh graduate could expect. It wasn’t just one or two candidates. It was a pattern. Experience Is Not Currency Here We love to tell young people, “get experience first, then the money will come.” But what happens when the money doesn’t come? What happens when you realize that in the Kenyan market — especially in certain...