by Angela Copeland | Oct 12, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media
As strange as I know it sounds, I think of looking for a job a little bit like dating. Unless you are a reality TV show contestant, you’ve probably never gone on a first date hoping the other person would marry you. You’re there to get to know them, and to decide whether or not to have a second date.
The same holds true with interviewing for a job. Just because a company looks attractive on the outside doesn’t automatically mean it’s a place you want to spend your time. You could end up with eight hours a day of stress, followed by unpleasant evenings trying to recover.
So, what are the red flags you should be on the lookout for? One of the biggest signs you should run the other way is an incomplete interview process. Perhaps the employer wasn’t terribly interested to interview you. Rather than ask you questions about your experience, they were trying to convince you they were a great place to work. This could be a sign that they’re having a hard time finding candidates. Alternatively, perhaps the hiring manager was not the one to interview you or to make the final hiring decision. Their boss loved you and made the decision for them. This may set you up for an uncomfortable relationship with your direct boss in the future.
Another red flag can be how many times the role you’re interviewing for has turned over in recent years. If more than two people have held a role in a four year period, you should wonder what’s going on.
A number of other red flags can show up at the very end of the interview process – after you’ve received an offer and are negotiating. Take note of the following: The employer refuses to provide the offer to you in writing. The employer forces you to make a decision in less than twenty-four hours. The employer requires you to start working in less than two weeks. You are interviewing for a senior role and the employer is not open to any negotiation around increased salary or vacation.
The most important red flag of all is when you get a bad feeling about a company. You aren’t sure why, but something isn’t adding up. Maybe the employees seem unhappy, the boss seems squirrely, or something else just seems off. Even if you can’t pinpoint the exact cause of your discomfort, don’t ignore it. There’s a reason you are unsure.
While you’re sorting through red flags, it can be helpful to learn what others are saying about the company. If you don’t have a personal contact you can turn to, check out sites like Glassdoor.com. Employees rate companies on the website much like diners rate restaurants on popular review websites.
Whatever you do, don’t be fooled. These red flags won’t go away just because you love the company. They often become worse. Know when to walk away from a company just like you would from a bad date.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Oct 11, 2016 | Advice, Podcast, Technology Jobs
Episode 116 is live! This week, we talk with Laurence Bradford in New York, NY.
Laurence is the Founder of Learn to Code With Me. She’s also a contributor to Forbes. Her specialties include technical content creation, online education, and front-end web development.
On today’s episode, Laurence shares her secrets for learning to code, switching to a technology field, and how to avoid the high price tag of going back to college to get a second degree.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about Laurence, check out her website at learntocodewith.me.
Thanks to everyone for listening! And, thank you to those who sent me questions. 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 10, 2016 | Advice, Newsletter
Very often, people ask me how I’ve been able to do it. Lately, they’ve asked how I was able to start my business – and stay in business. Before that, I was asked how I was able to be successful in my own career – or go to a faraway college and graduate school.
Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” I really like this quote. It reminds me a lot of my own journey. Those who know me well know that throughout my life, I have rarely encountered things that came easy.
School, for example, was never an easy task. Because I knew this, I always planned accordingly. I studied more than those around me. I worked hard. And, often, I prepared for the unknown. In the off chance that something went wrong along the way, I was prepared to handle it. I had a backup plan. Sometimes, I even had a backup, backup plan.
Succeeding at work is very much the same. Even though you love your job, and may want to retire there, unforeseen things could happen. The company could go out of business, your boss could be replaced, or something else. If the worst were to happen to you, what would you do?
First and foremost, set aside an emergency fund, and start investing in your retirement early. When you have an emergency fund, you have options. You have a safety net. An emergency fund can allow you to get over a bump in the road without a major impact to your everyday life. It ensures you can pay your rent and put food on the table.
But, beyond the financial piece, there’s something equally important. When you surround yourself with only those from your current job, what happens if your workplace goes out of business? Who will you reach out to? Networking with people at different companies and in different industries helps to diversify your risk. It’s a bit like diversifying your financial investments. If one industry goes under, another may grow. In the same way that having money gives you choices, so does having an extended network.
And, when you are out there searching for a job – don’t fall into the trap of only interviewing with one company. Very often, we are so interested in one particular job that we can’t be bothered to apply anywhere else. We’re certain this is the job we want and we’re going to spend every spare moment trying to turn this job into a reality. But, what happens when the job is put on hold? Or what happens when someone else is hired? Or even worse – what happens when they give you a lowball offer? If you are unhappy with your current job, these scenarios can take away all your power. They may put you in a situation to take a job you don’t really want, for less money than you’re worth.
I hate to be too negative, but I often think about the question, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” Then, I plan for what I’d do in the worst case scenario. Rarely does it get that bad, but because I’ve already planned for it, things turn out much better than they would have otherwise.
As the title of my newsletter this week says, plan for the worst, but work toward the best!
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
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Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Oct 5, 2016 | Career Corner Column, Media, Resume Writing
One of the hardest parts of looking for a job isn’t the looking part. It’s what happens during preparation. In particular, writing a great resume can be an incredibly stressful feat.
Imagine this. You’re asked to put an entire summary of your life down on paper. But, it must fit on one or two pages, or it won’t be read. It must be 100% accurate, or you could be fired by your future employer. It must tell the story of every career victory, or no one will take you seriously. It must not make you look too old, or too young, or you could be perceived as incompetent. Oh, and it should be up to date – always. You never know when someone might ask for it.
For these reasons, it’s often easier to help someone else with their resume than to begin to revise your own. But, when you do begin, there are a few important things to keep in mind.
First, remember that there’s no one way to write a resume. Every person has their own opinion of how resumes should look, so it’s unlikely everyone will love yours. Find a layout you like, and solicit friends for feedback. If each person is giving you the same feedback, listen. If nine out of ten people love your resume and number ten doesn’t, listen to the first nine.
Think of your resume like a Google search results page. When you’re searching for something on Google, you only read down just far enough to get what you need. Hiring managers are the same way. They’ll scan down your resume and will stop at some point when they feel like they know enough about you. Be sure the most important things are listed first.
Work to minimize distractions. If you’re concerned about your age, remove your college graduation year. Consider dropping off your early jobs that no longer apply. Use an up to date e-mail address by staying away from AOL and Comcast emails. If you’re applying at an organization that is not affiliated with a particular religion or political group, consider reducing indirect references about faith or political party.
Don’t be shy. Give yourself credit for everything you’ve achieved. And, use numbers to quantify your results. For example, a military veteran may have something on their resume about how they managed a team. But, if you ask them how big the team was, you’ll learn they were managing 300 people. To the veteran, this seems completely normal. To an outsider, not only is this not normal, but it’s incredibly impressive. Quantifying your results helps someone in another industry or job function to understand what you really did.
And, most of all, avoid grammatical errors. This is a tough one, as there is so much of your life packed onto those few pages. It seems like a tiny mistake shouldn’t matter very much. But, you’d be surprised at just how often a hiring manager will toss a resume in the garbage over an incorrect verb tense, or a random word in the wrong place. Even when writing isn’t part of your job, you’re judged on it. Run your resume through spell check, read it out loud to yourself, and ask a grammar buff friend to take a look.
As painful as putting together a resume is, the good news is that it’s part of the preparation process. It’s done ahead of time. And, you can get help along the way. There’s no reason your resume should do anything other than add to the case that you’re the perfect candidate for the job.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Oct 4, 2016 | Advice, Consulting, Podcast
Episode 115 is live! This week, we talk with Pete Mockaitis in Chicago, IL.
Pete is an award-winning trainer who has served clients in over 50 countries. His work has enhanced Fortune 100 corporations, high-growth startups, and major nonprofits. He’s conducted coaching sessions for over 700 thinkers from every Ivy League university and world-class organizations including Apple, Goldman Sachs, Google, and the United Nations. He is also the host of the How to Be Awesome at Your Job Podcast — and CEO of Optimality.
On today’s episode, Pete shares his secrets to getting hired at — and succeeding at a top consulting firm.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about Pete and his podcast, check out his website at www.awesomeatyourjob.com. You can also find him on Twitter at @PeteAwe, and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/petefans.
Thanks to everyone for listening! And, thank you to those who sent me questions. 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!
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