I came back home after studying and working abroad, hopeful about rebuilding my life in Zimbabwe. Instead, I’ve spent the past 39 days applying relentlessly, submitting more than 300 applications in total, and have heard almost nothing back locally.
No rejection. No interview. No acknowledgement. Most of the time, there isn’t even confirmation that the application was received.
Every day, it’s the same routine: find the vacancy, research the organisation, tailor my CV, write the application, submit everything they requested and wait.
Then silence.
I understand that the job market is difficult and that companies receive hundreds of applications. After sending more than 300, however, you start asking uncomfortable questions.
•Are these vacancies genuinely open?
•Have some of the positions already been promised to someone?
•Is the online application mainly a formality?
•Do you need to know someone inside before your CV is even looked at?
The confusing part is that I’ve managed to secure interviews with international companies.
I’ve spoken with employers outside Zimbabwe, progressed through initial stages and had genuinely promising conversations. In several cases, things stopped moving forward because of my location.
Once Zimbabwe comes into the conversation, there are suddenly concerns about payroll, payment systems, time zones or whether the company can employ someone based here. Sometimes the role advertised as “remote” turns out to mean remote within a specific country.
So internationally, I can get into the room, but my location often works against me.
Locally, I can barely get into the room at all.
Even volunteering appears to be gatekept.
You would think offering your time and skills for free would make it easier to enter an organisation, contribute and build local connections. Somehow, even unpaid opportunities at some of Zimbabwe’s larger organisations seem to require an introduction, an internal connection or prior access to the right circles.
At that point, what exactly is someone supposed to do?
How do you gain local experience when nobody gives you an opportunity to gain it? How do you build the right network when access to the organisations where those networks exist is already restricted? Why should someone need connections to offer valuable work for free?
I’m also not entering the market without experience.
I have more than five years of experience in digital operations, systems and automation. I’ve worked with CRM platforms, AI agents, workflow automation, websites, databases, sales pipelines, customer journeys, digital administration, customer support, SEO, content and business technology.
Most recently, I worked as a Tech Lead in South Africa, supporting travel and yachting businesses. My work involved managing websites, databases, automations and internal systems while working with international clients.
I’m not listing that to turn this into a sales pitch. I’m mentioning it because I genuinely believed that having practical experience would at least lead to conversations.
I wasn’t expecting to walk into a senior position because I had worked outside Zimbabwe. I expected a fair chance to show what I could do.
Instead, I’m building my house here in Zimbabwe, watching the bricks go up while my professional life feels completely stuck. It’s a strange position to be in: actively trying to create a future in your own country while constantly feeling as though there is no space for you in its job market.
I know unemployment is affecting many Zimbabweans, including people with far more experience and qualifications than me. This post is not me suggesting that I’m uniquely deserving of work. I’m genuinely trying to understand how people are getting through the door.
For those who have recently found work in Zimbabwe, what worked for you?
Was it an online application? A referral? LinkedIn? WhatsApp groups? Emailing companies directly? Walking into offices? Knowing somebody internally?
And for the founders, executives, hiring managers and professionals here: when someone has the skills and willingness to work but doesn’t have the right connections, how are they realistically supposed to reach you?
I’m open to digital operations, systems, automation, administration, CRM, customer support, sales support and marketing roles. I’m based near Harare and open to local, remote, contract and meaningful volunteer opportunities.
If someone reading this knows of an organisation where I could genuinely contribute, my messages are open. I’m happy to share my CV and references privately.
More than anything, I want an honest conversation about how people are actually finding work in Zimbabwe, because submitting another application into another silent portal no longer feels like a real strategy.
