How Career Resilience Mediates the Nexus Between Career Competency and Career Success Among Faculties of Higher Learning Institutions: A Quantitative Analysis

This quantitative research scrutinizes how career competency (CC), career resilience (CR), and career success (CS) interrelate among higher learning faculty in academia, specifically within government-owned universities in Kano State, Nigeria. The study focuses on resilience’s mediation between competency and success, employing robust quantitative methods to analyze the data collected from faculties across various disciplines through questionnaires. The phase dedicated to gathering data extended over a duration of 4 months, spanning from March to June 2023, meticulously encompassing a comprehensive range of information within this timeframe, and the study hypotheses were tested via partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) through a bootstrapping approach. The findings of the study indicate that CC has a significant effect on CS, and the finding further revealed that CR mediates the nexus between CC and CS. The study’s theoretical implication is that our study expands career management discourse, revealing competencies’ role in shaping resilience and success among faculty. It refines existing theories, emphasizing resilience as a mediator in professional growth, enriching social cognitive career theory. Furthermore, this study underscores practical implications by advocating for university support in developing faculties’ resilience, suggesting strategies like leveraging organizational assets, and fostering a supportive work environment. Tailored training programs, mentorship initiatives, and recalibrating evaluation metrics can cultivate resilient, competent, and satisfied faculties, enhancing academic excellence.