by Angela Copeland | Mar 24, 2014 | Advice, Newsletter
Happy first week of Spring! It’s so nice to see the bright sunshine again, streaming through my windows. If you’re like many folks, you’ve already started on your home cleaning checklist. You’ve paid extra attention to your baseboards, and your ceiling fans, but what about yourself?
Spring is also the perfect time to get your career goals in order. You’ve made it past the hiring freezes over the winter, and jobs are popping up every day. Even if you’re not looking to quit your job tomorrow, now’s the time to work on yourself for three very important reasons:
- The best jobs are often found by chance. If a recruiter called you out of the blue tomorrow, would you be prepared?
- When you wait to polish up your personal brand (and your LinkedIn profile) all at one time when a job does come around, you raise suspicions at your current employer.
- You never know when you might be unexpectedly looking for a job. Even top performers are at risk when a corporation goes through a layoff.
The question is, what should you polish up? Below is my career spring cleaning checklist for you.
- Your resume – Dust off your resume. Ensure it’s up to date with your latest positions. Include numbers that show your success. For example, if you exceeded your sales goal by 20%, include it. If you managed a multimillion dollar budget, include it. Once you leave your current position, you often won’t have access to this information anymore. Get these facts while you can.
- Your LinkedIn profile – Make sure your LinkedIn profile contains your current position, and latest accomplishments. Include a photo, and your current contact information. Remove positions that are very outdated and no longer relevant.
- Your photo – When including a profile photo on LinkedIn or other social media sites, you need something recent and appropriate. It doesn’t have to be a professional head shot, but your face should be clearly visible. Your clothes should be professional, and you should be the only person in the photo. Do not use a photo that shows your entire body, and makes it impossible to see your face. Your connections won’t recognize you on LinkedIn. Stay away from party photos, group photos, and very outdated photos.
- Your cover letter – Cover letters often take many hours to produce. We shift over every word, and worry about every piece of punctuation. Although cover letters should be custom for each position, it’s good to have a template to work from. Update yours, so if a recruiter calls, you’ll have something to provide quickly.
- Your bio – I’ve noticed a few companies are requesting a copy of a candidate’s bio. They pass it around their office for easy reading, and to share highlights about you. If you don’t have one, at least consider making one. If you do, update it, so it’s current.
- Your contacts – If you were laid off tomorrow for some unforeseen reason, I’m certain there are a number of contacts at your current job you would want to stay in touch with. Start regularly connecting with these people on LinkedIn to ensure you never lose contact.
Keeping your career assets like your resume and LinkedIn profile up to date should be a part of your normal routine. But, if you’ve fallen behind over the holidays, Spring is a perfect time to polish them up. It will help to ensure you’re prepared with the next big opportunity comes along.
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Mar 21, 2014 | Advice, Media
My latest Memphis Daily News column is out, “Becoming Your Own CEO.” In it, I discuss taking ownership over your career path, rather than sitting back and waiting on others to do it for you.
I’ve heard the same story at least three times in the past two weeks. A high-performing worker went in for a performance review with the boss. The boss said something along the lines of, “You’ve done a great job. I appreciate you. I can’t offer you a promotion, or a raise, but please don’t leave. I need you here.”
If you’ve recently had a review that ended this way, you may feel lost. Even if you like your boss and your job, you’re looking for career advancement. And, at a minimum, you’d like your salary to keep up with an average inflation rate. You have bills to pay.
To read the entire article and learn what to do if you’re faced with this situation, visit the Memphis Daily News site here.
by Angela Copeland | Mar 18, 2014 | Advice, Media
I hope you had a very lucky St. Patrick’s Day yesterday. Mine certainly was!
A huge thank you goes out to Local 24, including Joy Lambert and Jenn Allmon! Joy interviewed me about how to increase your luck, and what it really means to be lucky when you’re searching for a job.
Thanks too to everyone who saw the piece and reached out with positive feedback. In case you missed it, you can watch the interview below.
Have a great Tuesday!
by Angela Copeland | Mar 17, 2014 | Advice, Media, Newsletter
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! You may be asking yourself how you can catch “the luck o’ the Irish” you’ve heard so much about from that cereal eating leprechaun. After all, it seems some people get everything handed to them. The best job, most money, and a life everyone admires. When will my luck change?
On this day last year, I was touring the Guinness factory in Dublin, Ireland learning to pour the perfect pint. But, my luck almost ran out and I nearly missed my opportunity to learn more about my Irish heritage.
Before visiting Ireland, I flew into London for a few days. A friend booked my flights, and I was happily cruising on auto pilot. Upon arriving at the airport in London to fly to Dublin, I learned that my friend had booked me a different flight than the one originally printed in my itinerary. The flight booked was at an earlier time, so I had already missed it. On top of that, it was with a different airline– AND out of a different airport in London, almost an hour away! Can you imagine being by yourself in a foreign country and finding out you were trying to board a flight at the wrong time, on the wrong airline, and at the wrong airport? And, the day before St. Patrick’s Day no less.
There were very few options. The airline offered to rebook me the day after the holiday. This wouldn’t work at all. How could I miss celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin? After some quick thinking, I opted to purchase a new ticket on another airline departing later that day. It was in a completely different terminal, but at the same airport. I had extra money put away for emergencies, and my cell phone allowed me to research a new plan. Luckily, I made it into Dublin that night and to my appointment at Guinness the next morning.
This close call made me realize I would have to take charge of my own trip in order for it to be successful. In this same way, I encourage you to take charge of your own career path to guarantee your success. I’m a strong believer that luck isn’t really lucky at all. As Roman philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” If I hadn’t been a little prepared for problems, I would have never made it to Ireland on time.
Learning to pour the perfect pint of Guinness in Dublin, Mar. 17 2013
Below are my top five tips on how you can prepare yourself for your next lucky opportunity:
- Take ownership – You are, after all, the CEO of your own career. If you don’t take ownership over your career path, who will? Your success is nobody’s responsibility, but your own. And, if you’re working at a dead end job where you’re not being appreciated, it’s time to find a new employer who will.
- Prepare – Don’t wait for the perfect job to roll around to put together a resume. Keep a copy of your resume and a sample cover letter current at all times. Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date and connected to all of your important contacts.
- Practice – Practice your elevator pitch. Practice interviewing. Practice searching for jobs. Practice networking. Practice dressing up as you would for an interview. In Malcom Gladwell’s book Outliers, he says, “Practice isn’t the thing you do when you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”
- Proactive Approach – Finding a job is a job. Don’t wait for your next opportunity to come to you. Seek it out. Don’t have the skills necessary? Look for opportunities to grow your own skills. Don’t wait for your current boss to send you to a training class. Find ways to grow your skills on your own through community classes, volunteer work, or helping another department at your current job.
- Pause Fear – Finding a job and growing your career can make anyone nervous. Just like learning to drive a car, or speaking in front of a group. But, if you can allow yourself to realize you’re not the only one who feels that way – and to keep pushing ahead despite your fear, you’ll find you make progress faster.
Use these tips, and you’ll create the results you desire. In fact, you very well may find yourself explaining just how you got so lucky. Best of luck, and happy St. Patrick’s Day!
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Mar 14, 2014 | Advice, Media
My latest Memphis Daily News column is out, “Defining Luck.” With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I found myself in a long discussion with a friend about what it means to be lucky.
Some people seem to have all the luck. From the outside, they appear to get every promotion, make more money, drive a nicer car and live in a nicer house. It’s like they are surrounded by a ray of sunshine all day. This seems especially true of celebrities, company heads and professional athletes. How do they get so lucky, and when will my luck change?
I would argue that luck isn’t really luck at all. As Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Those we perceive as lucky are often working very hard behind the scenes to perfect their craft. They spend hours becoming their very best in hopes of shining in one important moment – whether it’s in a board meeting, on a stage or in a sporting arena.
To read the entire article and learn how to improve your luck, visit the Memphis Daily News site here.
by Angela Copeland | Mar 13, 2014 | Advice, Media
Big thank you to Kenneth Kinney for having me on his radio show, “An Education That Works” on KWAM 990 on Tuesday morning.
I appeared along with a host of students and professors from Victory University. It was Kenneth’s last radio program for Victory, as they announced they are closing their school.
Students and professors shared their fond memories of the school. I spoke about steps to take when an unexpected layoff occurs, and how to seek out experience when you’re just starting your career. As you know, it’s hard to find a job when you’ve never had one before.
My heart goes out to all of those impacted by this change. I wish them the very best in their search for new schools, and new jobs.
Listen to the interview below.
