Breaking Into the Job Market: What HR Really Looks For - With Macbeth Makarutse - Episode 4

Looking for your first job? Struggling with interviews, CVs, or understanding what HR really wants? This episode of The African Career Podcast gives you insider HR insights straight from Macbeth Makarutse, Regional Change & Deployment Manager at CARE for East, Central, and Southern Africa.

With over 15 years in recruitment, HR leadership, and organisational development across Africa, Macbeth shares what entry-level candidates must know to land jobs and grow their careers.

In this episode, you will learn:
• What HR managers in Africa and globally look for when hiring graduates
• How to write CVs and cover letters that get noticed in 2025
• The truth about interviews, assessments, and AI recruitment tools
• The biggest gaps between African universities and workplace demands
• Why young employees leave jobs quickly and what companies should do to retain them
• Future of work trends: AI hiring, hybrid work, freelancing, and Gen Z job-hopping

Whether you’re a student, graduate, or early-career professional, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you stand out in a competitive job market.

👉 Subscribe to The African Career Podcast for more expert insights on jobs, skills, and career growth across Africa and the diaspora.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Who is Macbeth Makarutse?
05:00 – Recruitment: What HR really looks for in graduates
15:00 – CVs, cover letters & AI screening: Do they still matter?
25:00 – Interview prep & assessment mistakes young candidates make
35:00 – Universities vs workplace: Are African graduates ready?
45:00 – Employee retention: Why young staff leave and how to keep them
55:00 – Future of entry-level jobs in Africa: AI, hybrid work, freelancing
59:00 – Closing advice: One career truth every African graduate must know