By ORAKWE CHIGOZIE

Job search has remained a challanging task for both the young and old in Nigeria. While the country is battling with increasing rate of unemployment, Nepotism and favouritism; from the man in the streets to Boss in the office, you have to know someone to get things done. Yet, recruiters are not making it any easy for Nigerians.

Recruiters have chosen to see life as white or black. Aside the overwhelming number of ‘years experiences’ expected from Job applicants, the novel, exclusive and marginalizing way of screening out job seekers even before they applied is by age restriction.

Before now, we were barely comfortable with the benchmark of 30 years maximum age limit placed by some recruiters for entry level and graduate trainee positions. Until it was subtly reduced to 27 years. But recently, when I came across some graduate trainee recruitment program restricting the applicant’s eligibility age to a maximum of 24 and 25 years, I realized this is far from getting better.

So, for a 26 or 27 year old fresh graduate, this could be one of the many doors that may be slammed before his face? It is totally unacceptable.

Though recruiters may be right by their standards, but, to me, setting age limit to 25 years for a fresh graduate/entry level job is inconsequential and un-empathetic.

It only means that the applicant must have to pass O’Level before 18years, gain admission immediately, graduate by or before 23 regardless of how slow public universities can be and finish NYSC before 24years. Really? Is that how life works? That’s a rather  pixellated view of life. Even nature itself is more considerate. They say ‘delay is not denial’ but for some employers in Nigeria that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Not everyone is an early starter. It is in fact making life miserable for young people who had other choices but insisted on attaining tertiary education, on finishing, with high hopes of living their dreams but unfortunately, had the gate to their career shut right before them.

Not because of incompetence, physical/mental inability or poor academic performance but, disappointingly, age. It is depressing. Some of these applicants had worked and saved up money before entering the university and still had to work and support themselves through school, they may think of their struggle for education a waste when these limiting walls of age is set before them.

 If tertiary institutions can admit a 16 year old alongside a 27 year old on merit, why wouldn’t employers? Why can’t recruitment to an extent be inclusive? I call on the Nigerian government to help regulate recruitment exercises.

Recruiters should reconsider their stand, take chance on applicants rather misjudge them by their age and nullify extreme age barrier placed on job recruitment processes.

Vanguard News