by Angela Copeland | Dec 29, 2015 | Advice, Podcast
Episode 83 of the Copeland Coaching Podcast is now live! This week, we talk to Jeff Goins in Nashville, TN. Jeff is a writer, speaker, and business consultant.
He’s written four books, including “The Art of Work.” Jeff’s books have made it to multiple bestseller lists including Forbes, The Washington Post, and USA Today. He’s also a contributor to multiple publications including Entrepreneur and Business Insider.
On today’s episode, Jeff shares misconceptions on happiness, why fear can be good, and how failure can help you to find your path.
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 Jeff and his book, visit his website here.
by Angela Copeland | Dec 28, 2015 | Advice, Newsletter
I hope you had a wonderful (and restful) holiday weekend! After a few days off, things will begin to get back into a routine soon. But, before they do, this is the perfect time to put together a 2016 New Year’s game plan.
What resolutions will you make this year? In 2015, Nielsen reported the top ten New Year’s resolutions were:
- Stay fit and healthy
- Lose weight
- Enjoy life to the fullest
- Spend less, save more
- Spend more time with family and friends
- Get organized
- Will not make any resolutions
- Learn something new
- Travel more
- Read more
One thing that can influence many of these resolutions is career success. When you’re happier at your job, you tend to enjoy life more. When things are going well at work, it’s also easier to save — and often, to travel and spend time with loved ones.
But, when work is out of balance, everything can really be out of whack. In fact, a psychologist recently revealed to me that the majority of her patients often report the source of their unhappiness and stress to be work related.
If you can relate, it might be time to re-evaluate your 2016 plan. What are the things you don’t like about your current situation? What do you like? And, what would you like to change?
Begin to reflect on how various factors like money, vacation, and stress play into your priorities. What you may find is that your priorities shift over time. What was important ten years ago may no longer be important today.
Based on what’s important to you, begin to develop a list of steps you can take to pursue a different career. And, whatever you do, the list should not begin with “apply online.” Sadly, one of the biggest misconceptions about finding the perfect job is that applying online is an effective way to find a job. Don’t get me wrong, lightening does strike once in a while. But, it’s not something to count on.
Your plan should include:
- Look for opportunities to join networking organizations
- Perfect your elevator pitch
- Identify other types of jobs of interest
- Research companies you want to target
- Introduce yourself to people you don’t know — who have interesting careers or work at companies of interest
And, most of all, put the fear of failure out of your mind. So often, when we’ve gotten a new job, it’s been because a hiring manager contacted us. It’s less frequent that we are proactively in charge of our careers. And, therefore, the rejection we may face when venturing out can be tough at first. Just know that it’s very normal to get a number of nos before you get a yes. This happens to even the best candidates.
But, if you can be resilient and continue to push yourself, you will find that your resolutions will result in a very different (and happier) 2016.
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 | Dec 25, 2015 | Advice, Media
My latest Memphis Daily News column is out, All I Want for Christmas Is a New Job.
I hope this holiday season has been a great one. If you’re like many people, a new job may be on your Christmas list. Whether you’re looking for a better work environment, more money, or something else, December brings up thoughts of something new.
It would be great if a new career would come in a package wrapped up with a beautiful bow under the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, when it comes to landing a job, Santa is probably not going to come through.
Typically, a new job is a gift you must give yourself. Don’t get me wrong, recruiters and family friends can make things happen from time to time. But, it’s just not a guarantee. Don’t rely on this method alone, or you may find yourself in a job you don’t really care for – or without a job at all.
What you can count on is your own hard work. As they say, getting a job is a job.
To find out how you can ramp up your job search after the holidays, read the rest of my Memphis Daily News column here.
by Angela Copeland | Dec 18, 2015 | Advice, Media
My latest Memphis Daily News column is out, “Office Gift Giving.”
It’s that time of year again. The time of year that you’re required to attend an awkward holiday party with your coworkers during the day. I’ve gotten the sense that most people mainly are looking forward to receiving any sort of holiday bonus, and leaving work early for the day.
If you find yourself in this situation, there’s a reasonable chance you’re going to be asked to give a Secret Santa gift. If you’ve never played it, you are randomly assigned a person to get a gift for. Many offices end up transforming the game into Dirty Santa. This involves putting all the wrapped gifts on one table. Then, participants take turns opening and then stealing gifts from one another.
Typically, everyone is given a budget between five dollars and twenty five dollars per gift. Finding the right thing can be tricky for even the most seasoned gift giver.
To find out my office party gifting do’s and don’ts, read the rest of my Memphis Daily News column here.
by Angela Copeland | Dec 15, 2015 | Advice, Podcast
Episode 82 of the Copeland Coaching Podcast is now live! This week, we talk to Linda Kaplan Thaler, Chairman of Publicis New York in New York, NY.
Linda is responsible for some of America’s most famous advertising campaigns in the industry, including the Aflac duck, and the daring “Yes, Yes, Yes” campaign for Herbal Essences. Much of her work has become part of America’s pop-culture landscape and she has composed renowned jingles such as, “I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid,” and “Kodak Moments.”
Linda’s client roster at Publicis includes: P&G, Citi, L’Oreal, Pfizer, and Wendy’s. Linda’s talents have earned her the prestigious Matrix Award, the Muse Award, Advertising Woman of the Year Award, and she was named one of Advertising Age’s “Most Influential Women in Advertising.” Most recently, Linda was inducted into the 2015 Advertising Hall of Fame.
Along with Robin Koval, she co-authored the national bestselling book “Grit to Great: How Perseverance Passion and Pluck Take You From Ordinary to Extraordinary.”
On today’s episode, Linda shares what it is that makes the most successful people great, why boredom is important, and the truth about happiness.
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 Linda and her book, visit her website here.
by Angela Copeland | Dec 14, 2015 | Advice, Newsletter
Yesterday, I was listening to a podcast with a famous host who was reflecting back on life. I don’t remember all of the details, but there was one particular thing that stuck out.
The host talked about working hard on her stellar career for years, chasing dreams and taking risks. She had done it because it was what she was supposed to do. It paid well and she lived a comfortable life. But, underneath it all, she wasn’t actually happy. She convinced herself that what she was doing was right and ignored any signs to the contrary.
Eventually, she woke up from the fog and began to take things in a new direction. What she really wanted in life and her original dream no longer aligned.
As those types of transitions typically are, it was difficult for her. She had to stop and think about what she really wanted, and that was scary. She worried about what other people thought of her. For a long time, she wished she could have her life back the way it was. Back before she thought about what it was she wanted.
In the long run though, she was happy she made a choice to update her path and ultimately to find the place she was meant to be.
Her story made an impression on me. Many of the people I work with have similar experiences.
So often, someone will ask me, “What industry do you specialize in?” They’re trying to get a better understanding of my coaching practice. They want to know if I only work with sales people or IT folks or in a particular sector, such as healthcare.
Interestingly, the answer really is that I typically work with people who want to find something different. And, they don’t always know what different looks like – at least not yet. They had a moment like the podcast host where they realized they weren’t happy — and they got determined to fix it.
Finding a new direction in life can be one of the scariest things we do from a career perspective. We often lose our old identity as “manager” or “director” or whatever our fancy title was. The status we have earned over the years hangs in the balance.
Often, we even have to take a pretty significant pay cut. Starting can involve starting at the bottom. And, of course colleagues, relatives, and friends are quick to make judgements — and to tell you about them.
The other thing that’s tough is that figuring out what exactly it is you want (after so many years of ignoring yourself). It takes time. Many people expect a quick fix. You know, they want to have things to be figured out in a month or two. In reality, it’s not unusual for this sort of transition to take a year or two.
I can only imagine that this is a similar feeling to getting a divorce. A number of my married friends romanticize about what it would be like to be single right now. But, when you talk to those who are single, you realize that it’s not as fun as it looks.
In the end, the most important thing is the practice of listening to yourself. The sooner you pay attention to what it is you really want, the sooner you’ll figure things out. Continuing to push these thoughts out of your mind only makes a transition harder later.
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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