Desperate Young Graduate Says, “I am Willing To Work For FREE ,” HR Responds to Him

By Florence Mukunya,

David Wanjala is a graduate with a Diploma in Mass Communication. He has been looking for work since he graduated in December 2012 and is yet to land any. In an email he expressed his anguish and the need to get employment even if it’s for an unpaid position he even capitalized on the word free to make sure that it captures the attention of the intended recipient.

“Tell Kenyan employers if they fear to pay me, I will work for them for FREE. I graduated on Dec 2O12 with Dip in Mass Communication and I am yet to secure a job. Guys, can’t you hire me without pay and I am ready to offer myself?”

David is not alone in this dilemma; so many Kenyan youths have often found themselves in this position as it is evident from the HR personnel’s I spoke to.

“We get so many requests of young people asking if we have jobs that they can even do for free. Normally I get like eight such request in one month,” says Kevin Kerosi a HR Personnel at Rose Avenue Consultancy.

On whether he would he would hire such a person he says,  “I would comfortably hire such a person because sometimes we look for the passion the person has for the job but then again I would provide something little to help the person move around,” Kerosi says.

He adds that, “You see young people are looking for such jobs to gain experience and also to bridge the gap in their CVs and that’s quiet ok because in the end they might get recognized and secure a job in the same companies they offered their services for free.”

Benson Ng’ang’a HR at Footplus Bata also shares the same sentiments when it comes to job seekers seeking work without pay.

“I would definitely hire such a person but I would look at the competence of the person and see whether they are fit for any vacant position that I would be having,” quips Benson.

He adds that desperation sometimes leads job seekers from requesting such offers which is not all wrong and sometimes it even has it benefits.

“Some of these people just want to implement the skills they learnt from school but you find that they are not able to get a paying position. I would say if someone got such a position they should apply and strive to getting noticed as this might turn into a permanent paying position for them,”

And whose fault is it that job seekers have resulted to offering their skills and services free to employers?

“Actually I would blame both the job seekers and the employers. You find that some job seekers have such high expectations when looking for jobs and they result to being choosy. A degree graduate will feel that they want a starting pay of Ksh 60,000 just because they are from some prestigious school, the thing is, one has to start somewhere so this leads to them staying out for long before they get a job and then result to this,” retorts Benson.

“On the other hand some employers employ purely on favoritism, you see if you don’t know anyone in such industry you might end up suffering for too long and in the end start looking for unpaid jobs,” adds Benson.

Benson though advices that job seekers should not fear applying for jobs, it does not matter whether you know someone, secondly do not be selective when job searching because someone has to start somewhere in terms of pay and position and finally allow flexibility because at the end of the day experience is what matters.

If you are out there feeling like David Wanjala there is hope for you because someone out there is willing to hire you.

What are your thoughts on the sentiments shared by the HR Professionals on this topic?

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