by Angela Copeland | Nov 7, 2016 | Job Posting, Newsletter
I’m certain I’m going to get negative feedback for saying this, but I just have to. Every day (and I really mean every day) I spend at least an hour trying to convince job seekers to do something that seems completely crazy — apply for a job.
Why does it seem crazy? It seems crazy to apply for certain jobs because the job seeker’s work history doesn’t match up 100% with the employer’s job description. The job seeker is convinced that they won’t be considered and it will be a big waste of time (and possibly embarrassing).
So, why would I encourage someone to apply for something that they are clearly not qualified for? I encourage them to apply because they CAN DO THE JOB!
Our educational history and experience are both important. But, do you know what’s more important than which degree you have? That you can do the work. Seriously.
Employers create job descriptions in the most random ways. When I was a hiring manager, I studied job descriptions for other similar positions (to the one I was hiring for). I did my best to compile all the good parts of the other job descriptions I studied. I wanted to be sure the job description was perfect, and that I didn’t leave anything out. I was going to ace that assignment. I’m 100% certain that in the process, I came up with a wish list of qualifications that was a mile long. Did it mean that I wouldn’t consider anyone who couldn’t stand up to all my wishes? No. It was just that – a wish list. It would have been unreasonable for me to expect a candidate to have all those qualifications and I knew it.
Here’s another real life example to demonstrate this point. I recently heard from an employer who is looking to fill a super interesting role. We’re talking fun work, impressive title, great company. The job description is very comprehensive and is what I described above – a wish list. And, the employer knows it. They told me that they put out a long list of skills hoping to attract as many candidates as possible.
(Notice: They are trying to attract as many people as possible — not eliminate as many people as possible.)
I forwarded that great job to a few qualified people. I got an immediate response from multiple job seekers along these lines. “This looks awesome, but I’m not fully qualified to do it. Too bad I can’t apply!”
Do you see what’s happening here? We are assuming the company won’t want to hire us, so we eliminate ourselves from the list of qualified candidates. Then, the company never even hears from us. They don’t know we exist. We have taken ourselves out of the race (not the company).
Let’s think of this in another way. I often say that looking for a job is a lot like dating. At this day in age, let’s be honest — we’ve all tried online dating at one time or another. On sites like Match.com, singles are able to specify their preferences for things in a partner including age, height, hobbies, and musical taste.
But, if a dater comes across someone that seems interesting, they don’t just ignore the profile when they’re not a 100% match in requirements. They send the other person a message. They let the other person know they exist and that there was something about their profile that seemed interesting. Then, the other single (the one being contacted) can decide what they think. Their choice will depend on things like how important those qualities are to them (something you can’t know from a profile).
Job descriptions are the same way. A company may toss in some random requirement that they don’t really care about. If you don’t apply, you’ll never have the chance to be considered. If I could stand up on a table to shout this out, I would.
By not applying, you are not allowing the company to make their own decision about their interest level. You are making the decision for them. You are effectively telling them that you’re not qualified to do a job you know you can do.
Applying for a job often takes just a few minutes. It’s not a huge waste of time. If you think you can do the job, take the time and submit yourself. If you are called for a job interview, it means that the company sees something in your background that’s promising. And, they are flexible on their requirements (something you can’t know from a job description).
If there was only one piece of job search advice I could give, it would be this: APPLY MORE! Put your hat in the ring. The more you apply for jobs you know you can do (whether or not you meet all the “requirements”), the more choices you will have in the end.
You are your own advocate — you are your own salesperson. Do your part and SELL YOURSELF!
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.
Also, be sure to subscribe to my Copeland Coaching Podcast on
Apple Podcasts or
Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If you’ve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in
Apple Podcasts or
Stitcher.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Nov 2, 2016 | Job Posting
I’ve recently been sharing fewer jobs than in the past, but this particular position is really worth mentioning. It’s at an agency named Oden located in Memphis, TN. If you’re in the Memphis area (or would like to be in the Memphis area!), and you’re a marketing and technology person, you should check this out. I’ve been incredibly impressed with Oden, and this is a great opportunity for someone.
Below is the entire job description. If you are interested, email Oden your resume and cover letter at resumes@oden.com.
Creative/Marketing Technologist
The Creative Technologist empowers enterprises to take advantage of advancements in technology that streamline processes, improve communications with internal and external stakeholders, and steer companies forward while driving revenue.
You will lead, inspire, and grow staff surrounding technology, sharing your knowledge across departments and helping position Oden as a leader in digital experiences. On a daily basis, you will be tasked with working as a technical lead with teams that include developers, strategists, creative leads, IA/UX designers, web and video producers, production artists, database engineers, and outside technical resources to ensure exceptional customer experiences.
The Creative Technologist’s role is bridging ideas and technology.
Key Responsibilities
Lead solution evaluations with appropriate stakeholders in defining business, functional, and technical requirements to ensure tools and systems effectively enable operations.
Participate in client meetings where technology/development is discussed.
Assess requirements and explore feasibility and scope for projects.
Work closely with strategists, creative leads, and the broader project team to guide the execution of digital projects from an IA/UX and development perspective.
Provide system and application architecture guidance on project and client levels.
Provide ongoing management of live systems in collaboration with clients and internal and external partners.
Present to both internal and external audiences to help educate, inspire, and provide thought leadership on current and emerging digital technologies.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in business, computer science, management information systems, engineering, or equivalent work experience. MBA or graduate school experience a plus.
5+ years’ ad agency or digital agency experience.
3+ years’ management experience.
Minimum 3 years’ experience developing applications using structured and/or object-oriented programming languages.
Minimum 3 years’ experience developing web-based applications.
Minimum 3 years’ experience implementing and customizing content management systems.
Demonstrated experience in designing and developing relational databases.
Experience and Skills
Experience delivering digital and marketing solutions in a B2B environment.
A deep understanding of modern web and mobile development along with an appreciation for compelling user experience and visual design.
Understanding of the strengths and limitations of current and emerging platforms.
Skill in business process workflow design, documentation, and technical implementation.
Problem solving, with sound judgment in complex situations.
Ability to provide strategic guidance and counsel to stakeholders in the assessment and development of existing and/or proposed processes and systems.
Self-motivation and proactivity; ability to work effectively with limited oversight and direction; attention to detail; organization skills; ability to manage resources, constituencies, projects of varying size, and multiple and competing priorities and deadlines.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills demonstrated through ease in presenting work and actively gathering feedback, both internally and with clients.
An enthusiasm for keeping up to date on emerging digital concepts and trends with the ability to translate that knowledge into actionable recommendations.
Expertise in various content management systems, digital platforms, online solutions, and middle-ware applications with a desire to maintain technical expertise and hands-on experience with cutting edge technologies.
by Angela Copeland | Nov 2, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media
In the 1989 film Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner’s character builds a baseball field after hearing a voice say, “If you build it, he will come.” As job seekers, it seems we often try to take a similar approach.
Let me explain. When looking for a job, we focus a tremendous amount of energy building the perfect resume, making a fantastic LinkedIn profile, and writing a compelling cover letter. We pour hours of work into these items. Then, the clock starts. Months pass by and we become increasingly frustrated. We begin to wonder, “Why haven’t I found a job by now?”
The problem is, a rumor has been going around. The rumor is this: if you’re interested in a job, the only thing you need to do is apply online. If you’re the right person for the job, the company will call you. It makes sense that we’d believe this rumor. It’s the official line companies have been telling us every day for years.
This approach seems perfectly reasonable – and, it allows is to avoid our biggest job seeking fears. For example, contacting a hiring manager directly can be a scary thing. We might be rejected. We might bother them, and they won’t want to hire us. So, we stick with the safe online route.
Then, when we receive the automated rejection e-mail, we try to make up a list of reasons as to why we weren’t the best candidate. We assume something must be wrong with us and our resume. It might be our experience, our education, or even our age. It’s an awful process that can damage even the best self-esteem.
Unfortunately, many of the online systems companies use (called applicant tracking systems) aren’t as perfect as we might hope. If we only submit an application online, there’s a good chance another human may never see our resume, no matter how qualified we are.
And, even if a real live person does see our online application, will the company really want to hire us? Hiring can be a risky undertaking after all. A hiring mistake can cost the company both time and money.
To avoid mistakes, hiring managers typically start with their own network first. They think, “Do I know anyone who might be a good fit for this job?” Then, they think, “Do I know anyone who knows anyone who might be a good fit for this job?” Rarely does the manager begin a search wondering who they might find on the internet.
Rather than be a passive stranger, we should take a bolder approach. We should introduce ourselves. Find the hiring manager. Find the head of the department. Find the HR person. Send an email. Send a LinkedIn connection request. At worst, the company may ignore us. But, otherwise, they may not have ever seen our resume in the first place. This is the kind of risk that’s worth taking.
As Babe Ruth once said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Nov 1, 2016 | Advice, Career Coaching, Podcast
This week, I’m bringing you another bonus episode!
I was recently a guest on the Memphis Success Podcast with Darnell Reid. We talked some about my background, and the inspiration for Copeland Coaching. I want to share our conversation with you.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about the Memphis Success podcast, or Darnell Reid, visit www.memphissuccess.com.
Thanks to everyone for listening! I hope you’ve enjoyed this bonus episode.
If you have a question you’d like answered on a future Copeland Coaching Podcast, you can send your questions to Angela@CopelandCoaching.com. You can also send me questions via Twitter. I’m @CopelandCoach. And, on Facebook, I am Copeland Coaching. Don’t forget to help me out. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave me a review!
by Angela Copeland | Oct 31, 2016 | Advice, Newsletter
Happy Halloween!! 🎃🎃🎃 In celebration of this fun holiday, I wanted to share a piece I wrote for Monster.com about a nightmare interview I had.
A number of years ago, I was interviewing for a job in Pittsburgh. The
company flew me to Pittsburgh to interview in person.
I flew in relatively late at night and was taken by taxi to my hotel, with
the interview scheduled first thing the next morning.
As I unpacked my
suitcase, I realized I had forgotten the pants to my suit at home.
Uh oh.
My mind was racing as I went through the options of what to do:
Could I
wear the pants I’d flown to Pittsburgh in? No, they were sweatpants—and
I was interviewing at a large corporation.
Could I call a cab to take me to
a mall to shop for a new suit? No, it was around 10 p.m. and everything was
closed.
Could I go into a nearby 24-hour store and look for pants? No, the
only store nearby was a drugstore and they didn’t carry pants.
Could I have
a pair of pants shipped to me from home? No, all the shippers were closed
for the day.
This brainstorming went on for about an hour. I tried to calmly think of a
creative solution to this big problem.
Eventually, I found the answer
online.
It turned out, packages could be dropped off directly at the
airport until around midnight for FedEx, and could be delivered as early as
6 a.m. the next morning. The only catch was getting them to the airport.
So, then began the task of figuring out how to get pants from my apartment to
FedEx in a short period of time. The building manager was the only one with a key to my apartment, but I didn’t have her phone number. So I called a female neighbor who was friends
with another male neighbor who had a dog that the building manager walked every day—I knew he
would have the building manager’s personal contact information, and I knew my female neighbor had the dog owner’s phone number.
After a few calls, I got the building manager’s phone
number. Then, I called the building manager and asked her to give my backup
key to a friend who was willing to drive the pants to the airport.
Fortunately, the building manager was willing to do this and the friend got my key.
Then,
the friend entered my apartment and called me in order to locate the
correct pair of pants that matched the suit. After locating the pants, the
friend drove them to FedEx, which was at the airport, and set them to be delivered at the earliest
possible time.
Then, I alerted the hotel to contact me the moment the pants
arrived at 6 a.m.—which they did. The interview went smoothly and nobody noticed anything unusual.
The funny thing was that
one of the questions they asked was, “Tell us about a time you encountered
a problem and were able to find a creative way to solve it.”
It was the
perfect opportunity to share my story. The interviewers were both surprised
and very impressed. What started as a potential nightmare turned out to be
a big win.
I honestly don’t remember if I got that job, but I do remember that the interview went really well.
The lesson here: When it comes to job interviews, don’t expect everything to go perfectly. In fact, there’s often one thing that will go wrong. If you can plan on that one thing, it’s much easier to roll with the punches and have an overall positive experience.
Interviewing is not about answering every question exactly right, either. The hiring manager is much more likely to remember how they felt about you than how you answered each specific question. It’s much like the experience of going to a live comedy show. You don’t remember each joke that was performed, but you remember whether you laughed and had a good time.
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.
Also, be sure to subscribe to my Copeland Coaching Podcast on
Apple Podcasts or
Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If you’ve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in
Apple Podcasts or
Stitcher.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
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