“Hello John”
“Paulo! Paulo! How you dey na’’?
“I am doing great and you”?
“O boy, I just dey like I no dey jare. You know as e dey go na”
“I know John. But guess what?”
“Wetin be that”?
“Just Guess na”
“My guy, you suppose know say I no sabi guess na”
“Okay. I just get you a job opportunity”
“You mean am”! Feeling much excited, “ Na for which company abeg”?
“It’s one advertisement company around Ikeja. They are presently looking for an Account Officer”
“Abeg, how much be their salary my guy”?

The above is the telephone conversation between two bosom friend, John and Paul. From the conversion, one could easily pick that job opportunity is their main topic of discussion. And typical of an average job seeker, the primary information that John (the supposed job seeker) could asked about the job opportunity is the remuneration. Without mincing word, globally, remuneration has been identified to be one of the major determinants of job satisfaction. However, it is regrettable to say that this priority has often times been misplaced by job seekers. Particularly in Nigeria, many job seekers have severally shot themselves at the leg as a result of always looking for the big pay job. I have painstakingly highlighted below some other factors that job seekers should better consider instead of always considering ‘big’ pay:

1. Job Experience: It is hilarious to see fresh graduate in Nigeria always searching for the jobs with big pay when in actual fact they has little or no job experience required of the job. No one crave to build his/her CV with qualitative job experience anymore. Graduates should realize that no one climbs the ladder from the top. Getting the big pay job shouldn’t be a sprint race. They must learn to build their job experience by taking up the jobs with a less pay.

2. Job Security: I know of a professional colleague who got a lucrative job (N6.5m p.a remuneration package) some few years back and only to lose the job two months after. Reason? The company went into liquidation! This picture only paints that not all the big pay jobs guarantee job security. You must be very very very careful!

3. Probation Period: Truth be told, not all job’s total remuneration package are being disclosed at the time of interview. Some job appear not to be lucrative on the face value. Some company have the policy of revealing and giving total job package (remuneration and allowances) after probation period. The essence is to enable them have a feel or assessed their staffs on-the-job competency which may not be properly known at the point of interview. Don’t be tempted to asses every job on the face value

4. Performance: This is an addendum to the point 3 above. Performance is very important. Getting a job at times gives you the golden opportunity to show your employer what you’ve got! You need to prove to your employer why you are the best candidate for the job and you’ve got the probation period to achieve this! Proving your job competency perhaps during the probation period may fast track your job confirmation and salary re-negotiation (who knows? After all, your employer now has a ‘taste’ of you and may not be willing to let you slip off their pay roll). With all humility, I once worked with a company where my salary was reviewed upward twice within a year. You need to prove to your employer that ‘Obe to dun, owo l’opa (Soup wey sweet na money kill am). Don’t over flog this quality of you.

5. Job Satisfaction: There are some big pay jobs that may still not give you the complimentary job satisfaction. You must admit this. Sharing from my personal experience, I once voluntarily resigned from a big pay job due to job insatisfaction. You need to be happy on your job and this is one factor that no amount of money can buy!

6. Career Development: Remuneration is a relative term when you compare what is obtainable from company to company. What a clerk receives as salary in company ‘A’ may be what a manager is receiving in company ‘B’. Employees seek for career growth. Employees expect promotion on their job and when this is not forth coming as expected, job insatisfaction sets in. In so doing, employees may be tempted to take up a new job that although may result into a lower remuneration (considering their last one) but offers a higher career development. For more clarity, I know of a friend who resigned as an Account Officer of N2.5m remuneration just to take up another job as an Account Manager of N1.8m with another company. This may sound craze but my friend is very much happy on the job because he sees his career growing (up the organization ladder) faster in the new company.

7. Pension: Some big pay jobs may not be pensionable. This is why every job offer must be properly reviewed before acceptance. I am very sorry to say but this is where I have a strong reservation about some bank jobs in Nigeria. Most employers are always willing to pay you handsomely and only to wave you goodbye upon resignation or termination of your employment. Therefore, if you have not been saving and investing your salaries while in their employment, OYO for you upon your disengagement – little or no gratuity awaits you. Be wise!

I sincerely hope that someone will find this piece useful in his/her your career pursuit. Don’t waste your time on the street looking for the big pay job. You can start from somewhere and trust me, I see you becoming a hot cake for employers in the very near future.

Best wishes!

Very thoughtful and useful, thanks a job seeker 08189736778