17/01/2026
I stumbled upon this post recently, and I must say it deeply resonated with me.
In many cases, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your CV. The uncomfortable truth is that a lot of hiring decisions are driven by connections, referrals, and familiarity, not necessarily merit. People often hire who they know or who someone they trust knows.
From an HR perspective, there’s something many job seekers are not told: when a vacancy is posted on a job board, a large percentage of the time that role has already been informally filled. The posting is sometimes just a formality.
You may begin to doubt yourself, thinking your CV isn’t strong enough. But notice what happens when you apply for roles that are less “rated” or undervalued you suddenly get interview calls, only to be offered ridiculously low pay. This is especially common in sales and marketing, where companies desperately want results but fail to budget adequately for the people expected to deliver them.
Sadly, I believe HR practice in Ghana has largely failed employees. Too often, HR functions as an extension of company interests alone, losing focus on employee welfare, fairness, and long-term sustainability. This isn’t based on one experience I’ve had conversations with people across different industries and organizations, and the stories are strikingly similar.
This is not a witch hunt, and I won’t mention company names. Rather, this is a wake-up call.
HR professionals need to go back to the drawing board and ask hard questions:
• Are we truly advocating for fairness?
• Are we balancing business goals with human welfare?
• Are we building systems that reward competence, not just connections?
When you compare this with HR practices abroad, the gap is obvious. There, employee welfare, transparency, and structure are taken far more seriously.
I strongly believe there should be a unified HR body or union in Nigeria one that genuinely addresses employee welfare, ethical hiring, and fair labor practices across board. Nigeria is gradually becoming a very difficult place to survive, and when people lose trust in systems meant to protect them, everyone eventually pays the price.
This conversation is uncomfortable, but it’s necesJohn Dramani Mahama
