by Angela Copeland | Aug 4, 2014 | Advice, Newsletter
I spend hours each week working with job seekers on their career goals and aspirations. Often, what makes someone stand out from other candidates isn’t what you’d think.
It’s not their education or technical expertise. It’s rarely how many certifications they have. Successful job seekers work to become their best at a few key traits, including confidence, persistence, creativity, and positivity.
These traits don’t take tons of money to develop, but they do take time and effort. By honing thees traits, you will put yourself in front of the competition.
- Confidence – Successful job seekers believe in themselves and their abilities. They are comfortable communicating why they are the best candidate for the job. And, even if they don’t have all of the qualifications preferred, they can easily explain how they will grow their skills. Bottom line, they are comfortable being their own sales person. They realize that their talents are the service they’re selling — and they realize they’re the best salesman for the job.
- Persistence – Most people who consistently land good job after good job are very persistent. Just because they don’t get every interview or job offer, they keep moving. They also stay in touch with companies who have turned them down, in hopes of building a relationship for future opportunities. They know the right job could be around the very next corner, or the last corner. They don’t take things personally and they work to create lasting relationships.
- Creativity – The best job seekers are also creative in their search. They may apply online for the jobs they’re interested, but they don’t stop there. They look for ways to connect to employers outside of the typical internet process. They understand that hundreds of people apply for every job online, and they want to find a way to stand out — and to connect offline. Look for these people at networking meetings, and researching employers on LinkedIn.
- Positivity – Great job seekers experience disappointment, just like everyone else. They encounter lots of nos before they get a yes. And sometimes, they get offers they have to turn down. But, they keep moving forward and stay positive. They know that the right attitude will help to land them right right job.
As you can see, finding a job often has more to do with resilience than with job requirements.
Making up 100 reasons why you aren’t getting hired doesn’t help you. But, thinking of the 100 reasons you should get hired will. Stay focused on the positives and stay in the game.
Apply for jobs you know you can do, even if you don’t meet every requirement. Be ready to explain how you get overcome any knowledge gaps.
In addition, you shouldn’t expect your next job to happen immediately. It’s a process that takes time. It’s very rare for someone to find a job the day they decide they’d like one. Sometimes, it appears that this is happening because you don’t hear about someone’s new job until they announce it. In all likelihood though, they were working on getting hired for a long time.
Some might compare job searching to farming. You have to plan seeds, water them, and then be patient. Eventually, with the right nutrients, your plants will grow. Looking for a job is the same way. It takes hard work and persistence, but eventually you will find the job for you.
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search.
Also, please check out (and subscribe to) my Copeland Coaching Podcast on Apple Podcasts 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. Thanks.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Jul 28, 2014 | Advice, Newsletter, References
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. As you prepare for your next big opportunity, one of the most important things is to secure reliable, insightful references.
References become an issue at the beginning and the end of the application process. At the beginning, you must furnish them along with your application. At the end, your references are checked just before you receive the job offer. Sometimes, you receive the offer first, which is contingent upon positive reference checks.
I’ve received a number of questions lately about how to approach someone, and the best way to get references. Below are my do’s and don’ts when it comes to getting the best references possible.
DO: Ask your references in advance. They need to have the opportunity to prepare.
DO: Communicate about interviews in a private place. You need to keep it a secret that you’re looking.
DO: Ask your previous boss, previous co-workers, and previous employees. These are considered relevant references.
DO: Give your references a heads up on what the job is and send your latest resume. This is especially true if you haven’t worked together in some time, or if you’re changing your career.
DO: If you’re making a major career change, try to speak to your references over the phone in advance. This will give you an opportunity to explain why you think this change is appropriate for you.
DO: Keep the contact information for your references in your phone. You never know when you may need to provide them to a future employer.
DO: Select references who can speak to your strengths. You want someone who will advocate for you.
DO: Stay in touch with your references. If you’re listing someone you worked with ten years ago, be sure you’ve spoken from time to time.
DO: Ensure you have correct contact information for your references. You don’t want to provide outdated information.
DO: Find out what your references will say about you. You want to ensure your references will give you a glowing review.
DO: Select relevant references. If you have a reference who is in the same industry, select them over someone who doesn’t know about the new job you want.
DO: Identify negative references and remove them from your reference list. If you find that not all of your references are putting you in the best light, try to identify where the problem may be to minimize damage.
DON’T: Fail to tell your references that calls may be coming. They should not be surprised when they receive calls.
DON’T: Use your current manager as a reference. This is never a good idea.
DON’T: Use current coworkers or employees as references. This puts them in a bad position and doesn’t poise you for success.
DON’T: List a reference you are unsure about. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
DON’T: Ask for a written reference. Most references are provided via the phone.
DON’T: List your references in your resume. They’re provided in your application when you apply for the job. Listing them in your resume takes up precious space you could be using to highlight your skills.
DON’T: Include family members or friends you have never worked with. These aren’t considered relevant references.
DON’T: Forget to follow up with your references to thank them, even if you don’t get the job. They’ve done you a huge favor, and you will most likely ask them to help out more than once.
DON’T: Overuse your references. It’s a special thing that they’re taking the time to help you with; appreciate it.
As you can see, there are a number of things you can do to help your chances when it comes to securing successful references.
Although reference checking is often the last step of the interview process, the importance of this step should not be underestimated.
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 | Jul 21, 2014 | Advice, Newsletter
I hope you had a wonderful weekend! The weather in much of the country has been beautiful the past few days. I hope you’ve had the opportunity to enjoy it.
If you missed my newsletter last week, please be sure to check it out here. I tried making a few adjustments to the that may have prevented you from receiving it. In it, I covered summer job search strategies and discussed my recent interview with job website Glassdoor.com’s Career Trends Analyst, Scott Dobroski. In particular, I show you how to research company salaries on Glassdoor.
This week, I want to know – What’s your exit strategy?
With the unstable economy we’ve been experiencing for years now, keeping an exit strategy in mind is a must. Do you have yours nailed down? If your exit strategy is dependent on hope and crossed fingers, it’s time to rethink things.
Ideally, you shouldn’t wait until signs of trouble to plan your next career move. But, at a minimum, when those signs appear, it’s time to move. In some industries, you may experience what’s known as a RPE – a “resume producing event.” It could come in the form of an intense company meeting, or other warning signs that your organization could be in trouble.
If you ignore these signs and wait, you become a sitting duck. You lose your power of negotiation because when you look for a new job, you have no choice but to find one. You’ve given up all your leverage.
Getting ahead of the game gives you increased negotiating power and the time to wait for the right opportunity.
Here are a few tips to create your very own exit strategy:
- Always keep your resume up to date – You never know when the right opportunity could come along. Even if your job is great, wouldn’t you consider a job that offered twice the pay? You always want to be prepared because you never know what might happen. The other advantage is you don’t have to go back and remember important facts later. Keep track of them as they’re happening!
- Always participate in LinkedIn – If you only update your LinkedIn profile when you’re looking for a job, it’s a dead give away that something’s up. Keeping your LinkedIn profile continuously fresh can help to quiet suspicions.
- Keep it quiet – It can be so tempting to share that you’re looking for another job. Your best friend at work is sitting right next to you and they’re equally frustrated. You don’t want to leave your awesome boss in the lurch. Although you have good intentions, they can backfire. Even a manager who considers you to be a friend often feels obligated to tell their supervisor. Worst case scenario, you can be walked out of the building when your news leaks. This takes your power away and reduces your timeline, so keep your lips sealed.
- Stay connected with your old coworkers – When you start searching, you’ll need references from your previous employers. It’s important to keep in touch with your former managers, coworkers, and employees, so you’ll have a bank of folks to offer when it’s time to do a background check.
- Keep your certifications up to date – Don’t rely on your current employer to keep your education up to date. Attend courses, take webinars, and look for other opportunities to continue your learning. It will benefit you when you are interviewing for your next big opportunity.
- Keep working and follow the rules – Keep delivering the same high quality of work you do every day. Follow company guidelines and rules. Although you may want to run from the building, this is the not the time to slack off. Show that you will produce the same high quality of work, regardless of the situation.
- Take personal items home – Slowly and quietly, take some of your personal belongings home. The last thing you’ll want on your last day is to carry out boxes and boxes of things that have piled up at your desk over the years.
- Research your company’s vacation policy – Many employers will reimburse you for the time you don’t take. Find out in advance what vacation you’ll be reimbursed for, if any.
- Taken inventory of your finances – If worst came to worst, would you be prepared to be unemployed for six months? For many job seekers, this timeline is a reality. Look closely at your finances to ensure you’ll be able to survive if you had to.
- Leave on good terms – When you do finally leave, do it in a positive way. Give at least two weeks notice and keep your word. Think very carefully before you bash your boss in an exit interview. Put in your best work until your very last day.
Leaving can be a tough process. Many people look at changing jobs like a breakup or divorce. Do your best to be prepared, so you can walk toward a better situation rather than just running from a bad one. It will help you keep your peace of mind and it will give you negotiating power in your interview process.
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 | Jul 7, 2014 | Advice, Newsletter
I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend. Being back in the office today may remind you of how much you’d still like to be on vacation. Or at another job. Or anywhere else for that matter.
Unfortunately, we sometimes wait a little too long to decide to make a career change. We wait until things feel unbearable before we begin our search. And suddenly, it can feel like time has already run out.
Our patience is low. Anxiety is high. We’d do anything to just not have to go to that job one more day.
When you get into this frame of mind, you may start to search for jobs you wouldn’t normally look for. You know, jobs you could have done 10 years ago. Positions that require few skills and little of your true talents. They may even pay much less.
You know you can land one of these jobs quickly, and it will buy you time. You’ll be able to work there for a few months while you keep searching for your next real gig.
But, I bet when you interview for that easy, temporary job – you don’t tell them your plans. You can’t. They’d never hire you if they knew you weren’t planning to stick around.
If you take that temporary job, it will take a weight off your shoulders and give you time to start looking for your real dream job. But, what will you tell your next employer when you interview? Will you say that you’re only been working at your job for a month, but are looking for something new?
You could tell them how awful your last manager was and how you ran from the building when it was practically burning down. They’d understand, right? Wrong.
This entire plan has three flaws that I want you to consider before running from your job:
- It doesn’t look good to stay at a job for just a few months. It makes it harder for you to be considered for another job and it creates a story on your resume that you’ll be forced to explain time and time again in the future. And, if you decide to stay at your temporary job for a year, you’ve delayed your real job search by a year. That’s also not helpful.
- It puts you in a position to talk negatively about your previous and current employers. You’ll want to explain why your last job was so bad. Then, you’ll want to explain why this so-so job is temporary. This is never good. You don’t want to spend your time in an interview explaining what was wrong at your last (or current) job. Even if your reasoning is completely sound, it creates a poor reflection on you. This is something you want to avoid.
- It takes away your negotiating power. You want to make more money in your next job. But, if your dream job knows you’re in a helpless, dead end situation right now, they’re not going to offer you the same competitive salary. They don’t have to. They know you don’t have a lot of options. They realize you ran away from your last job, and you need them more than they need you.
I know it can be hard, but if you can, try to devote your energy to finding your dream job now rather than searching for a temporary solution. Even though a temporary job seems like a solution, it can often delay you arriving at your dream job for months or years longer than necessary.
Finding a good job is a job in itself. Set aside time each day to work on your job search. In just a few months, you could be in a better situation. You’ll find something you really enjoy more. It will use your skills, and might even pay more. In this sense, your patience will truly pay off.
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 | Jun 30, 2014 | Advice, Newsletter
I hope you have a wonderful holiday week! I know I’m looking forward to spending time with friends, grilling out, and watching fireworks to celebrate Independence Day. This is also a great time to reflect on your current job situation.
Are you feeling unhappy or unfilled? If you’ve been thinking of making a change, this could be the perfect time. Finding a job can take a few months, so you still have time to get started before the winter holidays begin to approach.
Often, one of the sources of job frustration can be a lack of control. Whether you’re not doing the kind of work you enjoy, don’t like your boss, or are underpaid, you may feel helpless.
It’s this helpless feeling that can really impact you each day as you go in. It can make your day seem longer, and tasks seem harder.
Finding career independence starts with identifying what is within your radius of control. What can you impact today that will help you to gain more freedom from your current situation?
First, I recommend keeping your resume up to date at all times. On top of that, keep your LinkedIn current and connect to your coworkers. You never know when things could change.
If you’re not using your favorite skills at work, look for ways to keep your expertise up to date. Consider taking on small consulting projects, or volunteer at a non-profit. You may even want to take a class or two to keep any certifications current.
If you’d like to acquire a new skill, the same advice applies. Enroll in a class. There are many options at local colleges, and online. If you don’t have an opportunity to try your new skill at work, look for a way to volunteer your time – either on a non-profit project or at a part-time internship.
Nurture your network. Take the time to attend networking events. Get lunch and coffee with coworkers from previous jobs. Stay connected.
Re-evaluate your priorities. Often, a source of unhappiness can be tied to a shifting of what’s important to you. Early in your career, you may have been willing to work for hours on end just to make the most money possible.
As you’ve grown older, financial stability may be less important. You may now be looking for work-life balance, but are still saddled with an 80-hour per week job.
As you can see, much of the independence we crave is tied back to a self awareness of what’s important to us.
And, unlike Independence Day fireworks, career freedom rarely happens all at once. It doesn’t go off with a bang of beautiful lights. Independence at work takes time. It takes commitment. It takes a little dedication each day.
But if you’re committed, over time you will find that independence, and the happiness that comes along with it.
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search.
Have a wonderful Independence Day. Enjoy the time with your loved ones and be safe.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Jun 23, 2014 | Advice, Newsletter
For job seekers interested in working for a non-profit, it can seem like a tough road. You wonder if a non-profit will pay the bills. How many people really work at a particular non-profit? What do the non-profit’s employees think about their jobs?
When you ask around, you hear mixed reviews. One person talks about how they love helping children. Another talks about their disastrous Executive Director. Many talk about sacrificing their salaries for their job. Some talk about their great work life balance. Others talk about working all weekend at events.
This is a lot to think about. Below are three resources to help you narrow your choice down.
- Book of Lists – If you aren’t sure where to begin, pick up a copy of your local Book of Lists. The Business Journal in your city produces these books annually. They contain a list of the top non-profits in your region. You can easily scan their annual revenue, number of employees, and other pertinent information.
- GuideStar.com – GuideStar.com is a website that provides data about non-profits. If you sign-up for a free account, you can download copies of most non-profits’ 990 Forms. These tax reporting documents often allow you to view the company’s revenue and expenses. It also allows you to learn the highest paid employee’s salary. That salary can vary from $30K per year to $300K per year, so pay close attention to this important piece of information. It will give you a sense for how much other funding the organization has available.
- Glassdoor.com – Glassdoor.com allows employees to anonymously provide information about their employer. You can often find the number of employees at an organization, reviews of the environment, and salary ranges for various positions.
If you take the time to go through these three simple steps, you’ll have a better idea of where to begin. In fact, you may find that a few of your favorite non-profits actually pay just as well as your current for-profit job.
Once you have a list of your top 5 non-profits, start reaching out to find out more. Talk to your friends who work there. Setup informational interviews. Volunteer your time. Look for ways to get the truly inside scoop. This information, paired up with the data you’ve gathered will give you the best idea of where to begin.
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
