How I built a global career without leaving Nigeria
Not all success stories are japa stories. Here’s what to do when the odds are stacked against you.
This is part two of how to build a successful life and career in Nigeria—where the odds are stacked against you.
Part 1: How to build a successful career in Nigeria
Finding the best path to financial freedom
The typical Nigerian career story in a broken system
How to decide whether to “chase tech”, go into business, or build a personal brand
Part 2 (you are here): How I built a global career without leaving Nigeria
How to land international remote roles
Standing out to recruiters and hiring managers
Building a personal brand on LinkedIn
“Stumbled on your LinkedIn yesterday, and I was just ‘wowing like siren’ (*inserts laugh emoji). I don’t even know whether to say ‘Congratulations’ or ‘Well done sir.’”
That was the exact message I got from Emmanuel Ayeni—a friend from my teenage church days—about this time last year. I laughed when I read it, but it was not the first time someone had reacted that way upon stumbling upon my LinkedIn profile. In fact, in the last couple of years, I have received similar notes from people—friends, former classmates, cousins, colleagues, even complete strangers—who came across my profile or saw something I posted online. Their reactions were always a mix of joy and curiosity. Joy, because it felt good to see someone they knew doing well. Curiosity, because they wanted to know one thing.. And usually, it’s one of the following:
“How can I get a job like yours?”
“Please help me. I also want to work remotely.”
“How did you start getting noticed by international companies?”
People wanted to know how to go from stuck to seen. From ignored to invited. From applying endlessly to being sought after.
And honestly? I could relate. I had been there.
At first, I would reply one by one. I shared tips, wrote long responses, sometimes even sent voice notes, walking them through what I had learned.
But after doing that with several people over time, I realized something.
It was time to put it all in one place—a single, accessible resource that anyone could use to position themselves for personal and professional success, whether they wanted a remote job, freelance gigs, or just to get noticed in a crowded market.
That resource eventually became The Complete Job Positioning Guide.
But before I talk about what is inside, let me tell you a little more about where it all began.
I have been where you are
Over the last 7+ years, I have worked with more than 20 companies across Africa, North America, and Europe—driving growth, go-to-market strategy, and customer acquisition for startups and SaaS brands.
I have built a pipeline that generated over $10M in qualified leads.
I have led teams, launched products, and grown user & subscriber bases.
But I have also been unemployed. I have felt stuck. I have watched opportunities pass me by simply because I was not visible.
That is why I started doing things differently. I studied what made certain people receive callbacks, recruiter messages, and job offers, while others continued to apply into a void.
I learned how to position myself, not just apply for jobs.
And now, I have created a guide that helps others do the same.
Having introduced the topic, let us now discuss why this guide exists and, perhaps more importantly, why it flips the script.
The elephant in the room – “Japa”
Let us be honest, things have not been easy lately in the country. With the steady devaluation of the naira, rising cost of living, youth unemployment, and a widening gap between effort and reward, many young professionals feel like the only way forward is out. The term “japa” (which literally means ‘run for your life’) has gone from a popular street slang to a strategy for survival.
And while I do not blame anyone for wanting better, we need to ask ourselves a deeper question: Are we truly going for greener pastures, or are we simply looking to escape?
You see, I know people who relocated and are thriving. But I also know those who left only to start from the very bottom, taking on menial jobs; work they never imagined they would do just to get by, e.g., flipping burgers, cleaning, clocking in for back-to-back shifts with barely enough left to save or live. I wrote a whole newsletter about this in 2022, and you can read about it here.
There are folks still based in Nigeria—myself included—who are earning in foreign currencies, working with companies across continents, and building globally relevant careers from their bedrooms in Dopemu, Surulere, Sango Ota, Kubwa, Akure or Warri.
I am not saying this to brag. I am saying this because it is possible, and positioning is the difference.
What part of this story resonates most with you?
We’ve all been lied to
For the longest time, the traditional advice has been to write a good CV, apply to as many jobs as possible, and hope someone replies.
But here is what I have learned:
“The people who get hired first are not always the most qualified—they are the best positioned”
Just last week, Jobscan published findings that only 2% of job applicants get interviews through traditional job boards.
Two per cent.
Two per cent!
That means 98 out of every 100 applications go unseen.
Additionally, 95% of recruiters use LinkedIn to evaluate candidates before reaching out. Yet most people treat LinkedIn like a digital CV rather than the powerful positioning tool it is meant to be.
What is positioning, and why does it matter?
Positioning is not about pretending to be who you are not. It's about confidently presenting yourself in a way that aligns with what employers and clients are looking for.
It is the difference between saying, “I need a job,” and showing, “I can help your company grow.” It is moving from passive application to proactive attraction. Positioning helped me go from being invisible to being invited. It helped me build a brand around my skills, not just a CV. It gave me leverage.
I’m sharing everything I know
I’ve written a free guide on how you can position yourself to land international remote roles and stand out to recruiters and hiring managers from wherever you are in Nigeria, with actionable templates and strategies as you pursue your global remote career.
I am not sharing theories. I am sharing tools I have tested. Strategies I have lived. And a framework I have used to:
Get headhunted by recruiters across three continents
Work remotely since 2020 without relocating
Build a strong personal brand that generates inbound job leads
Help friends and mentees land better roles, gigs, and freelance clients
Here is what you will find inside:
A LinkedIn optimization playbook to get noticed by recruiters
Plug-and-play resume & cover letter templates that open doors
Scripts to request strong recommendations
A list of curated remote job communities and newsletters
Insights on how to build visibility, credibility, and value—even if you are just starting out
If I could do it from Biochemistry and without insider connections, you can too.
And I hope the next “Omo, your LinkedIn get levels!” message is the one you receive.. and hopefully, from top-level recruiters.
By the way, Emmanuel—the same person who sent the message I began this story with—is now a content marketer and part of the Marketing In Action team. He is doing quite well for himself—another proof that this stuff works when you take action.
Be like Emmanuel.