by Angela Copeland | May 3, 2016 | Advice, Podcast
Today is an exciting day! Episode 100 of the Copeland Coaching Podcast is now live! What an awesome milestone!
This week, we talk with Matthew Kosinski in Jersey City, NJ. Matthew is the Online Editor for employment website Recruiter.com. Recruiter.com connects the next generation of job seekers with exciting, meaningful opportunities. At Recruiter.com, Matthew writes on employment topics ranging from employee perks to workplace happiness to salary. Matthew holds a Master of Fine Arts from The New School, and a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University.
On today’s episode, Matthew shares his tips on salary negotiation, how job searching and dating are similar, and new employee perks you should check out. Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it for free on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. To learn more about Recruiter, visit Matthew’s website Recruiter.com here.
I’d also like to give a big THANK YOU to my awesome Sound Engineer Daniel Lynn — who has put together all 100 episodes — and Music + Arts Studio for graciously allowing me to use their space to record the podcast every week!
I don’t typically ask for anything in return for the podcast. We’ve kept it advertising free, and focused on improving your job search. If you’re enjoying the show, please do me one favor. It will just take a minute, and will really help me out. Please go onto Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and leave a review. Reviews help the podcast to be found by listeners. It takes a tiny amount of time, but makes a huge difference. Thank you for your help, and for listening to the Copeland Coaching Podcast!
by Angela Copeland | Apr 29, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column
In today’s workplace, email is an inevitable fact of life. Gone are the days of predictable phone calls or regular in person chats to check in. The bulk of communication is expected through email. Often, one message may contain ten more or recipients, who reply-all with the smallest of details. It can leave your inbox jam packed, with many unread and unanswered messages.
At some point, this backlog of emails can become embarrassing. The good news is, there’s hope! In 2015, the Reply All podcast declared April 30th to be “Email Debt Forgiveness Day.” Email Debt Forgiveness Day is a time when you can respond to all the emails you’ve been too nervous to respond to, regardless of how much time has passed. An email that qualifies includes one that creates anxiety at both the thought of responding, and the thought of the length of time that’s passed since you received it.
You can now put that worry of your mind, and respond without the fear of a negative reaction. Simply explain the situation in your answer. And, you may want to include a link to an online article about this special day, just in case your recipient hasn’t heard about it.
If your inbox has grown to the point of no return however, Email Debt Forgiveness Day may not be enough to fix your problem. In this case, you might want to consider “email bankruptcy.” You can declare email bankruptcy by deleting all emails older than a certain date. Once the emails are deleted, you send a message to everyone who has emailed you. Explain the situation, and that you’re officially declaring email bankruptcy. Ask that if they still need a response to their message, they should resend their original email.
Both of these tactics can help you start over with a clean slate. Once you do, there are a few guidelines to follow to keep your inbox manageable going forward. First, cut back on email altogether by not hitting the “reply-all” button. This is such an enticing thing to do. It keeps everyone on the email string informed and gives you credit for your contribution. But, in reality, reply-all is very rarely helpful and usually creates many more messages than what are needed.
Come up with a set time of day that will be devoted to email, and develop a policy to respond to all emails within twenty four hours. This sounds hard, right? Very often, you don’t know the answer to every email within one day. If that happens, simply respond to the sender to say that you’ve received their message and are working to find an answer.
Last, use the features and tools within your email program to help keep things in order. Flags, categories, tabs, and automated out of office replies can all help keep you organized and ahead of the email game. To be competitive in today’s workforce, you must not only be great at your job, but good at managing your online communication.
Angela Copeland is CEO and career coach at Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Apr 25, 2016 | Advice, Newsletter
For most people, job searching is the worst. You’d rather be doing just about anything else other than receiving endless rejections — including going to the doctor, dentist, or doing your taxes! At least those things have a finite ending point.
Job search frustrations are fairly universal. Most people are dealing with the same frustrations. Below are common frustrations and how to conquer them!
- The Application Black Hole
- The E-mail Rejection Letter
- The Company Ghosting Routine
- The Non-existent Job Posting
- The Must Have Required Skills
The application black hole happens when you apply online and never get an interview. I’ve met job seekers who have applied to 200 or more jobs online, and never landed a single interview. Even in the cases where they were a perfect fit, or even overqualified, they never heard anything back. It feels extra frustrating because almost always, the human resources department at a company will instruct you to apply online. “Apply online. If you’re qualified, we’ll contact you,” they say. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Online job applications go into a black hole otherwise known as the “applicant tracking system.” If you want a real chance of being considered, look for what you can do offline. Contact a friend who works at the company. Locate, and reach out to, the hiring manager. Go to a networking event where you can meet people from the company. Don’t expect the online system to work, even if you’re the most qualified candidate.
The e-mail rejection letter can be just awful. I mean, you spent all this time applying to an opportunity online — customizing your cover letter and your resume. You know you were the right candidate. And, all you got was this automated form letter rejecting you. So often, we take it personally. And, it is personal. We’re trying to find a job. To overcome this issue, try to remember that the applicant tracking system is setup to automatically reject most applicants. You’re not alone. And, there’s a good chance no human ever saw your resume. Look at these rejections as another reason to try searching offline.
Even worse than the automated e-mail rejection letter is the company ghosting routine. Why companies can’t get on the ball with this one, I’m not sure. In what other context is it acceptable to ask someone to put in hours upon hours of work, to buy a new suit, to sneak out of their job for multiple interviews — and then you just don’t respond to them? This is one of the top negative experiences job seekers face. And, employers are really missing out on an opportunity here. Even though the candidate may not be the right person today, they could work out in a few years. If the company would take a little more care, they could cultivate an entire collection of talent before they even need it. But, I’ll get off that soapbox. As a job seeker, just remember that you don’t want to work for any company or hiring manager who’d treat you this way. Focus on the next opportunity and don’t look back.
As you go through job applications and interviews, you sometimes start to notice. Some of the positions listed are non-existent job postings. It’s not that the jobs never existed, but they don’t exist right now. You’re putting in all this work applying for jobs that may already be filled. This often happens because the company already knows who they’re planning to hire. For example, the company may have hired a self-employed consultant for a short time and then bring them on full-time after they prove their value. Most companies will still post the job on their website for a short time before solidifying the full-time hire. The problem here is, as a job seeker, you can’t tell which jobs are really open and which are not. The solution to this problem is this. Start building relationships with companies you like — even when they do not have a job available. Then, you will increase the chances that you’ll hear about jobs BEFORE they are posted online (when they are really available).
Last, but not least — Very often, we find an awesome job posting. We love it. We know we’d be awesome. Then, we scroll down to the must have required skills section. There’s something “required” that we don’t have. It could be a specific degree, a specific number of years of work experience, or some random skill. It’s disappointing. We know we won’t get picked, so we just don’t apply. Because, the company doesn’t want to hear from us, right? Wrong! Job descriptions are written in such a random way. They may be copied and pasted from old descriptions. They may be a best case scenario wish list. The good news is, the answer to this issue is easy. If you think you can do the job, apply for it! If you don’t apply, the company won’t know you exist. You’d be surprised at just how often a company hires an underdog candidate they like over a very qualified candidate they’re not terribly fond of.
Most importantly, know that these job frustrations are universal. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned professional, all searchers are facing these issues. They aren’t personal, but they are frustrating. Stick with your search and you will find a great opportunity. It just takes a little 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
by Angela Copeland | Apr 22, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media
A friend called me recently with a question I was not expecting. He said, “Why is it that all the resumes I get from recent college graduates are packed with their leadership experience? I don’t care about that. I want to know what they can really do for my company, work wise. What are their skills?”
To give a little context, my friend is a hiring manager who employees engineers. He would never hire someone right out of college to manage other employees at his company. He’s looking for entry level workers. He’s searching for engineers. After a new hire proves themselves, they might be promoted to management in a few years, but not right away.
What he’s seeing isn’t just showing up on one resume or another. It’s a consistent theme coming from all recent graduates. And, apparently other hiring managers are seeing the same trend.
For example, if the job applicant took a manufacturing course, they might state that they were the team captain of their work group rather than what they manufactured. The hiring manager wants to know what tangible engineering skills they gained, rather than who they led.
It seems there may be a disconnect in the expectations of some recent graduates. Some young professionals believe they will be in management roles immediately upon graduation. Although some people begin managing sooner than others, it rarely happens right away. It’s not clear if this disconnect is happening at the college level or somewhere else.
Don’t get me wrong. Leadership skills are important. Young professionals should continue to step up and volunteer when opportunities come available. It helps to build work skills, and is a nice addition to their resume. But, when it comes to finding a job, a young professional shouldn’t assume they’ll be a manager right away.
On the resume, highlight your leadership experience, but also showcase your nitty gritty skills. As an entry level worker, what do you have to offer? List specific computer programs you know, or other industry specific skills you’ve learned. If you talk about a project you worked on, talk about what you accomplished and what you learned.
If you’re still in school, try to get an internship or two. Even if it’s unpaid, a real corporate or nonprofit internship can make all the difference when it comes to looking for a full-time job. Don’t assume that a job at as a restaurant server will make sense to your post-graduate corporate employer. Pursue opportunities that will enhance your future career. Even if those opportunities are low paying or volunteer now, they will lead to a more impressive resume – and possibly a better job later.
Unfortunately, a college degree alone doesn’t guarantee a full-time job. At many places, it can be little more than a minimum requirement. It’s what you do with the degree, before and after graduation, that matters. Be willing to roll up your sleeves to get real world experience and hiring managers will respect you that much more.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com.
by Angela Copeland | Apr 19, 2016 | Advice, Podcast
Episode 99 of the Copeland Coaching Podcast is now live!
This week, we talk with Gayle Laakmann McDowell in Palo Alto, CA. Gayle is the Founder and CEO of CareerCup.com and Author of multiple interview books, including Cracking the Coding Interview, Cracking the PM Interview, and Cracking the Tech Career. Her background is in software development with undergrad and graduate degrees in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and a MBA from the Wharton School. She previously worked as a software engineer at Google, Microsoft, and Apple.
On today’s episode, Gayle shares her advice on how to crack the coding interview. She also shares tips on how to move from one functional area to another, and how to avoid common mistakes.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it for free on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. If you enjoy the program, subscribe today to the Copeland Coaching Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher to ensure you don’t miss an episode!
To learn more about Gayle and Career Cup, visit her website here.
by Angela Copeland | Apr 18, 2016 | Advice, Newsletter
Often, when we’re unhappy at work, we’d rather be doing ANYTHING else. It could pay less money, and it might not even use our brain. But, if we could just get away from our current workplace, we’d jump on the opportunity.
Unfortunately, running away from the burning building is rarely the answer. The next office often has many of the same problems. Only now, we’ve got to figure out how to make ends meet with less money.
It’s often better to turn the question on it’s head all together and start to think of what you’d like to do, if you could do anything at all.
I often think back to my time in graduate school. After expecting to finish my full-time program in twenty-months, I finished in fifteen. As graduation crept up, I participated in many job interviews and offers began to roll in.
One of the job offers was almost too good to resist. It was for a big brand name company that you have definitely heard of. The company is very impressive and getting an offer was no small feat. Their interview process included onsite interviews with many different people, an IQ test (that was a lot like taking the SAT), and even a psychological evaluation.
The offer was the most money I’d ever been given up to that point. It was roughly twice what I had made just fifteen months before, when I entered school. It included a big signing bonus, full relocation for me and my boyfriend, great vacation — the works. The company was so excited about me that they even mailed a bouquet of flowers to my house.
The problem was this. Before graduate school, I was an IT Project Manager. It was an awesome job. I learned a lot, and then went to get my MBA in order to grow my skills and try my hand at something new. The job offer at this big impressive company was also to be an IT Project Manager. But, like I said, it was for twice the money.
It would have been easy to say yes. The company would have sent movers to box everything up. They would have written me a big check, and off I would have gone to a new city.
Unfortunately, it just didn’t sit well with me. I had saved money for years in order to go to school. I wanted to grow my career, not just my pocketbook. I didn’t want to do the same job as before, even if it was for more money.
So, what did I do? I turned the job down. In fact, I turned every job down.
I decided that if I could complete school five months earlier than planned, I could take a few months to decide what I’d do — if I didn’t have to do anything.
A few of the skills I had were: building websites and doing research and analysis. I also had a fairly natural sense for marketing. Before I knew it, I was working for myself. And, I became a digital marketer. I sold shoes for a website called Zappos.com. I would research the shoes, build websites to sell them, and then promote them online. Zappos paid me a commission on every pair of their shoes I sold.
The process was hard. I kept that high dollar offer letter at home, and sometimes I wondered if I’d made the right choice.
But, in the end, it was absolutely the right choice. I created an entirely new career path for myself. I combined skills I already had, with what I gained in business school, and then grew my expertise through actually doing the new job. And, working for myself led to a corporate career in digital marketing.
The thing that really surprised me at the time was how many of the skills I needed to do the job I already had. They were random things I’d learned in college, or had done as a hobby. But, I was using them in a different way.
If you’re thinking of jumping into a new career, there’s a good chance you may also have skills that can be re-purposed into another field. You just have to be willing to take a risk and ask yourself, “What would I be doing if I didn’t have to work?”
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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