Allow me to share a little story that left me scratching my head for days. A few months ago, a young lab scientist reached out to me, searching for new opportunities. Happy to help, I sent her a direct link to an amazing Laboratory Supervisor job at a top diagnostics company in Lagos.

“Here’s something exciting I think you’ll love,” I messaged her.

“What role are they advertising?” she quickly responded.

“Laboratory Supervisor,” I said patiently.

Then came the kicker: “Can I use this link to apply?”

(Deep breath.) “That’s why I sent it to you.”

But wait, it gets worse. The questions kept pouring in:

“How much is the pay?”

“Do they need just a first degree?”

“Do they prefer a woman?”

After a few rounds of this back-and-forth, I gently advised, “Just click the link and you’ll find all the details.”

48 hours passed. Silence. Then: “Wait, where exactly is the company located?”

At this point, frustration had set in. “Did you actually open the link?”

Eventually, the application deadline slipped by unnoticed. And then came the frantic message: Nancy please “I’m trying to submit, but it’s not going through!” Help oh.

Of course, the website boldly declared, “Applications Closed.” She wasn’t seeing it because, let’s be honest, she wasn’t looking.

In Nigeria, we joke about village people causing our troubles, but sometimes it’s simply a lack of curiosity that holds us back.

Curiosity: Your Secret Career Weapon

Now, contrast that with professionals I’ve met who use curiosity as their secret weapon:

• My Chem path colleague who asked, “What if we changed this step?” and discovered a quicker way to process samples that led to faster TAT of results.
• My histopathologist friend who randomly explored an international conference website, leading to a groundbreaking telemedicine partnership.
• A senior colleague who kept exploring with Abstract submissions and currently flies all over the world attending Global Health conferences all expense paid, all because he was curious enough to search and unlock a way to gain good exposure.

In Nigeria’s bustling healthcare industry, the best opportunities rarely come wrapped in ribbons. Instead, they hide in plain sight, waiting for someone curious enough to notice and brave enough to explore.

How to Grow Your Curiosity Muscle

Here’s how you can build curiosity into your career toolkit:

1. Embrace “I wonder…” moments. Every time something new pops up, don’t dismiss it, ask yourself, “I wonder how this works?” or “What if we tried this differently?”

2. Follow rabbit holes (with strategy). Dedicate regular “curiosity breaks” to explore topics slightly outside your expertise. Subscribe to intriguing newsletters, join diverse professional groups, sign up for almost every free webinar that has to do with your industry and browse unfamiliar journals.

3. Act on your curiosity. Discover something interesting? Document it. Share your insights. Test your theories. Innovate.

For example, a fellow colleague of mine a few years back once wondered why so many samples were being rejected in the Lab.

Rather than just shrugging, we investigated, documented our findings, and ended up creating a new quality-check process that cut rejection rates by 40%.

We found the problem was at the pre-analytical end, a mix up in sample collection tubes. A little bit of curiosity can solve big problems.

Why Curiosity Pays Off (Literally!)

Being curious doesn’t just feel good, it also pays well. Companies benefit hugely from curious employees:

• They spend less on training because curious professionals learn proactively.
• They get innovations from within, reducing reliance on expensive external consultants.
• Professionals with high curiosity progress faster and typically earn higher salaries.

Research from Harvard Business Review confirms this: organizations that encourage curiosity see fewer errors and more creative solutions to business challenges.

Staying Relevant: Curiosity Keeps You Ahead

In our fast-changing world, healthcare knowledge expires quickly. Remember how PCR testing became critical during COVID-19? Those curious professionals who had explored molecular diagnostics early were suddenly the most valuable people in their teams.

Curiosity isn’t just a nice trait, it’s your lifeline against becoming outdated.

Unlike our friend who missed her big chance simply because she wouldn’t click a link, today, I invite you to commit to curiosity.

Click that link, attend that workshop, attend free and paid webinars, read that article, subscribe to as many Newsletters as you can, within and outside your specialty.

Curiosity is the superpower that’ll transform your career, amplify your impact, and possibly even reshape Nigerian healthcare.

Remember, opportunities don’t always shout, they often whisper quietly from behind hyperlinks, waiting for the curious ones to lean in and discover their secrets.

Adopt a learning mindset. Stay Curious.

Speaking of links to click, click this one: https://bit.ly/benchtobusinessfellows and join our community, BenchToBusinessFellows, and connect with like-minded colleagues who are transforming curiosity into real career growth and opportunities.

As Usual,

Nancy