Focus on the issue of local and regional reputation. You're not going to be linked to many jobs when your reputation is at this level. But you should at least be able to ascend to these levels realistically, through the same level of performance that helps other managers achieve this in real life.
But, for further insight, look at the other LLM's in the game. Many of them have local reputations. They start the game with it. How did they get there? They're not linked with any jobs in real life. They haven't won any promotions or cups. But yet they have a local reputation.
Further up the scale a bit, you have the managers with regional reputations. They started the game with it. Again, how did they get there? Are these managers linked with jobs in real life? Have they won promotions or cups? The answer is no. But if a human manager achieves a better level of success than they have, then it's absurd to suggest that they remain obscure.
I should mention that I have seen countless job offers for managers with local reputations in my saved game. They have been absolute crap, and I've outperformed them all, but I don't get the offers because my reputation is stuck at obscure. So, if job offers are the barometer for success, then why are these managers getting regional and national level jobs when they have only a local reputation? Yet another problem with the game then.
But I really don't care about job offers. The greater importance of reputation is that it affects the ability to sign staff and players, and to intereact with the board and fans. That is what is critical to me. And it's completely unrealistic that I can't earn any benefits of my success, because the game does not properly render the advancement to local or regional reputation. My own club has a local reputation, but somehow I'm stuck with obscurity, even though I've taken that club far beyond expectations.