REVIEWER: Tina George
Careerectional Facility is a career development book written by Jennifer Oyelade, an experienced recruitment and talent acquisition expert to motivate young career professionals towards righting the wrongs of professional development.
The 75 paged book targets career professionals to know that there are no rules in the quest for career fulfilment as every career journey is unique to every individual.
In the 11 chapters book, Oyelade said that the book is meant to rewrite the wrongs of professional identification and determine the career path of an individual at their own terms and pace adding that in the book, the readers will realise the very thin line that exists between their mindset, perception, fears, hopes and dreams that fuels their career perceptions.
“It is okay to be different, don’t compromise your dreams to feel accepted. After all, a circle cannot fit into a square. A circle represents a rounded journey. You may even start and end in the same place. However, the line of a square changes direction as it achieves a milestone at each corner”, she quoted in the introduction.
The chapters in the book include; identifying your purpose, dating and defining your career, believe in your brand, it starts with you, career leveraging, monetize what you actualize, the horizontal shift, letters after your name don’t define you, let your name precede you, be a growth contributor and create a recession-resistant profile.
In this time and age where there is a lot of focus on certificates, the book is apt in pointing that there is need for professionals to look beyond their qualification and get extra skills, upgrade their brands and having a blueprint that can be modified.
Oyelade spoke about the journey to self-actualisation and defining of purpose adding that the purpose of an individual should reflect all the unique components that make you distinctive.
“If you do not define your purpose by regularly revisiting your blueprint and checking if the soil you’re building on is fertile, you will almost always come against frustrations in pursuit of career fulfilment.
“In a market where the talented professionals are many and the opportunities are few in comparison, you need to stand firm in your self-assurance. You need to strongly believe that within that talent pool you are a niche, a specialist that has something unique to offer any organisation”, the book read.
She encouraged the readers to look back at the success stories of many prominent professionals and learn from the moral of their stories which often shoes that they did not allow life’s setbacks to define them.
In the chapter that speaks about branding, Oyelade pointed that the individual is his or her brand stating that, ” You are your own PR manager, sales pitcher, business development manager, communications specialist, and brand ambassador.”
The Career Specialist also had a chapter for the unemployed urging them to expand their knowledge by using the resources at their disposal and networking by engaging with potential mentors who are skilled in the specific skill set they need.
She urged them to improve on their experience giving two types of experience which when applied can boost an individual’s capabilities.
Oyelade further advised the professionals to uphold their names by having a good reputation while giving tips on how an individual can protect their reputation in every circumstance.
“As a professional, your reputation will precede you and nine out of ten times you won’t be there to defend an opinion of your professionalism so regardless of who you are interacting with, ensure that they are experiencing a true reputation of your character”, she advised.
The book ends with career affirmations which will boost the professional in their career goals and dreams while urging them to diversify in other to stay relevant in the professional world.
As businesses penetrate new markets and there are massive restructuring in organizations, this book is apt at this period especially as the countries are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a recommended read for anyone who wants to improve on their career development.
