Reap Management Series: While in employment, these are five signs that your career is failing.

A career can run its course in two ways: either in the employment of some institution or in the

institution you have created. In other words, you can have a career working for someone (even if it

government) or working for yourself. A job is not necessarily a career. A career is an occupational

identity, a second name, a recognition badge. Its reward is beyond the monthly check. It’s a stretch of

a lifetime; its success being a celebrity status, fat bottom-line and I-have-seen-it-all sense of

accomplishment.

A Reap and Arcenciel Survey shows that up to 85% of Nigerians who are employed by organisations

(where they are not shareholders) actually have jobs and not careers. That problem explains why

Secondary Unemployment (being unemployed after a period of employment) is high. Once people lose

their jobs, finding another job becomes difficult because what they had were jobs that were never

designed as careers in the first place.

A career is a journey; it has a time element. A car trip from Lagos to Ibadan should last an average of

one to two hours on a good day. No car in a good condition, in the absence of the traffic gridlock the

corridor is known for, will do Lagos-Ibadan in seven hours. So it is with an employment career. For it

to be successful, certain metrics must hold if the career has a purpose. So, what are the elements of a

career that is lagging?

1. You are an Officer or Junior Manager at 40

Career stars shine early. Check out the career histories of your MD and EDs. They were never

officers and junior level managers in their early forties. Things move fast these days. You are not

likely to make MD or ED in a bank if you are still a Deputy Manager at 42. By then, you will probably

have 13 years to exit the system. It’s a sprint and not a marathon. Once you are not moving fast

enough, it’s time to rethink except you are contented with finishing as an also-run.

2. You can’t remember the last time someone called you to ask you if you are interested in a

vacant job

If nobody is asking you out, you are certainly not attractive enough. Employers and employment

agencies seek high performers. And indeed, many high performers turn many employment

opportunities down. If nobody calls occasionally to appeal to you to consider joining them, your career

star is fading or not shining enough.

3. You can’t remember the last time you were shortlisted despite the several CVs you sent

out

If you are making attempts to switch and you are not getting a reply, your career is not heading in the

right direction. Your CVs have been ending in shredders or waste baskets. Top stars don’t make a

career of sending CVs. It is not a job specification. If all you have been doing in your office is send

CVs, you are making an impression that is getting no one excited.

4. You complain in your office about not being promoted and nobody listens

If you complain of job stagnation to your superiors and they don’t seem to care, your career is walking

in the valley of death. You are certainly not adding as much value as you think. If you leave, it’s

probably going to be good riddance to bad rubbish.

5. Nobody refers you to anyone to be consulted on your skills

Star performers are also consultants in their areas. People call them to seek advice or help and those

who call are usually willing to pay for it. A succeeding career comes with a professorial status, an

omniscient personality that stretches beyond the immediate network of the custodian. Friends of

friends, professional colleagues, associates, neighbours, church/mosque members refer to them for

guidance and advice. If these referrals are far between, it’s a red flag, a sign of an illusionary or

failing career.