Anon: You see after this term eehh, I’m done teaching in that school

Me: But you just got that teaching job

Anon: my dear…, I don’t like doing one work for long oo, the next one has to pay better than the former shaa

Me: hmmm, job turnover is never a wealth building plan

Anon: That’s your business oo, I’m busy building my CV for my big job hit in the future

That was a real life conversation I had with a Nigerian employee who definitely thinks that she can jump about jobs in search of a better life with a better payment structure. While I commend her optimism, it was necessary to caution the effect of the job indulgence and remind her of the chances she has in hitting her dream Job with the sort of CV she claims to be building, atleast not with the human resource management structure some organization don’t have. So I thought you too can benefit from this advice.

So talking about Job turn-over, it’s the deliberate act of consistently changing jobs sometimes for personal reasons or on relief notice. Our focus is on the former, we may have to discuss job turn-over with reoccurring relief notices some other time. Back on board, Job turn-over for personal reasons are surrounded by a number of factors. From the discussion, as hinted above, the lady blamed her reasons on;

• Low salary structure and repeated threat to charge her

• Distance and stress to work place

• Transportation takes too much money

• Little or no savings

• Search for a higher paying Job, each job turn-over period

• Inability to remain in certain Job for long

• CV building

Her reasons were understandable at first but the later part doesn’t hold too much water. I can help with some analysis.
Despite the persevering lack of job opportunities in Nigeria, some persons are lucky enough to even get a paying job and extra to reject especially when the pay is insulting. In another picture, some youths find it interesting seeking for another job while in one and will not take a second thought dumping the old for the new one, the reason could be among the above listed.

Fact 1
However, if your intention is to build CV then you are wrong. Great CV is one that is stuffed with practical and relevant skills and experience, however changing job every six to one year does not count; a prospect employer will rather attribute it to lack of incompetence and lack of work ethics than any good reason.

Fact 2
While the number of job experiences you have is great for a classy CV, it is largely defined by

• Why you quit those previous jobs

• The kind of job experiences you’ve had

• How you left those jobs (Sacked or not), transfer, relocation cases etc.

• Your skill set and its relevance

My sincere opinion
I understand job opportunities in Nigeria, I mean readily available ones, have very humiliating salary structure for graduates especially. But some people had rather go for it than go for a skill training session on empty stomach. If, however, you are lucky to find one good paying Job, kindly stick to it, get better at it and if you ever wish to move on with another career choice, do so in good condition not setting boundaries.

Secondly, understand that consistent job turnover does not make you any rich neither does high paying Jobs. But I think getting knowledgeable about financial literacy will help a great deal.