The holiday season is a fantastic time to reconnect with friends and loved ones. But, the importance of thanking those around you at work should not be overlooked at Thanksgiving or through the rest of the year.
When you’re searching for a new job, success is rarely achieved based on your merit alone. As we all know, applying online rarely gets you anywhere – no matter how smart you may be. Interviews are typically lined up through networking connections.
Episode 79 of the Copeland Coaching Podcast is now live! This week, we talk with Janet Andrews in Los Angeles, CA.
Janet is an Executive Coach, CEO of her company “A Career Above” and former Outplacement Trainer with twenty years of experience helping thousands of individuals in multiple industries accelerate their job search and achieve professional career goals.
Janet shares her secrets to networking, how to effectively use LinkedIn, and how to negotiate for a higher salary.
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 Janet and her company, A Career Above, you can find her on LinkedIn here.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving week with your loved ones!
As I sat down to write today’s newsletter, I struggled a bit. On the week of Thanksgiving, the obvious topic is about being thankful.
So much of what we accomplish in our careers and in our life is tied to the generosity of others. And, taking the time to thank those people gives us a good feeling inside – and it ensures they want to be helpful to us again in the future. It strengthens our bonds.
This is a fact.
But, the flip side of this coin is feeling underappreciated.
In the past few weeks, I’ve randomly spoken with a number of people who are in a negative situation at their workplace.
It almost feels like a bad relationship. The kind where you wish your friend would break up with their partner, but they just keep going back, no matter how bad things get. It seems they’re always thinking that things will change and get better “if only…”
One of the most important things about at work is feeling appreciated. It can make even an awful workload seem okay. In fact, feeling underappreciated is the number one reason people leave.
We sometimes feel underappreciated because our boss never says thank you. Other times, it’s because we aren’t paid fairly and feel a financial strain at home. Or, we don’t have enough vacation days to visit our family often as we’d like.
To drive the point home, many people would be willing to take less money in salary if they felt more appreciated at work. It sounds crazy on the surface, but how much would you give up to feel a little more appreciated, happy, and purposeful every day? If you could have your dream job, I bet you would. Happiness is worth something to you.
In fact, employees who complain about money are more often than not actually feeling undervalued in some other way.
Don’t get me wrong. We should all be thankful for having a job. We should be thankful for the good things other people are doing for us.
But, sometimes you don’t feel truly thankful. If you genuinely feel taken advantage of, it’s time to listen to yourself.
Things may change. Anything it possible. But, the reality is, the likelihood of change in your current environment is small.
A great way to change how you’re feeling at work is to change where you work. But, when you do find a new job, be careful not to recreate the negative situation you have now.
And, this brings me to my next point. When you’re chasing after your big job offer, don’t make a decision just based on the money. Or the awesome vacation. Or even the distance from your home.
Those things are all important. But, what’s even more important is fit.
Fit’s a hard thing to measure. And, even harder to figure out in the few measly hours you spend interviewing with a company.
The first thing to keep in mind is that interviewing, much like dating, is a two way street. When is the last time you went on a first date and just wished that this stranger might be willing to marry you? I hope never! In the same way, it is as important that you like a company (and especially the hiring manager) as that they like you.
When you go on interviews, listen to yourself. Think about how you feel about the people you meet. Think about how the company treated you. Did they follow through on what they said they’d do? Did the offer look the way you were expecting it to?
Once you find the environment that’s right for you, you’ll no longer spend your days wishing for the “if only.” You’ll start to be truly thankful for those around you. You’ll want to give back and say thanks – on more than just Thanksgiving.
I hope you have a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving holiday! Take a little time to take care of you.
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.
One of the biggest misconceptions about the holidays is that your career can take a back seat until January. Don’t get me wrong. Family festivities and reconnecting with close friends is important. But putting your career on the back burner for two months is a big mistake.
Often, if a job seeker hasn’t looked for a job in some time, they tend to underestimate how long it will take to find a new job. The same holds true if they are at a more senior level or make more money now than they were the last time they looked.
The higher you go in your career, the fewer positions are available and the longer the process takes.
It’s more important to get your job application in quickly than to perfect it. Watch my video to learn why, and what you should do.
I’d love to hear from you – Have you ever lost a job to someone less qualified just because they were faster than you? E-mail me at Angela(at)CopelandCoaching(dot)com.
Episode 78 of the Copeland Coaching Podcast is now live! This week, we talk with Joel Goh in Boston, MA.
Joel is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the Technology and Operations Management Unit at Harvard University.
He recently partnered with Stanford University on a study regarding the impact of work stress on your health. Joel and his team released their findings in a paper titled “Workplace Practices and Health Outcomes: Focusing Health Policy on the Workplace.”
On today’s podcast, Joel shares his findings on the common work stressors and negative health outcomes associated with them.
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!
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