Aged 41, Angela Hui joined Yarra Bank 10 years ago as an HR specialist. Her colleague Paula West, 36, with two years less service has just been promoted again (her second promotion in the last four years). Angela is perplexed. She has worked as hard, if not harder, than Paula and the quality of her work is better; but the career opportunities never seem to come her way. Paula, however, appears to have been sprinkled by magic dust.
Angela is quiet, doesn't believe in blowing her own trumpet, and feels that the quality of her work should speak for itself. Grant Costa, Angela's boss, has never criticised her work and seems content to let Angela remain in her present position. Senior managers, like the president Tram Dang (Grant's boss), and Eric Bauer, the vice-president of finance and accounting, don't know her, what she does or the quality of her work. In contrast, everyone knows Paula. She is always active in company events, communicating with everyone, offering support, telling others what she is doing and what she has achieved. When Tram asked Grant to nominate an employee for a promotion, no one questioned why it was Angela's name and not Paula's on the form.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1 What career mistakes did Angela make?
2 As a career counsellor, what advice would you give to Angela?