Take Care of Yourself
In today’s workplace, it cannot be overstated how important it is to take care of yourself. Jobs come and go, but you are here to stay. If you’re not careful, work stress can take a toll on your health and personal life. This is especially true in the United States, where work culture tends to reward those who overwork themselves.
I am a strong believer that for employees with a desk job, we are often able to accomplish just as much work with less time if we are rested. When we work long hours, we may be slower, less creative, and less focused on the clock.
Granted, working long hours can result in more brownie points. You may impress your boss or coworkers with your dedication. But, will it truly change your path at work? Don’t get me wrong. Work is important. But, sacrificing yourself will not necessarily have a positive end result. Your health could suffer, and so could your personal relationships.
So, when should you prioritize taking care of yourself over work? You should take care of yourself when you don’t feel well. Whether you have a cold or a serious medical issue, your health is always important. You should take care when your children are sick or are having problems. The same applies when you are going through a pregnancy.
There are times when taking care of yourself is a luxury. You may not always have the ability to prioritize yourself first. I do understand this sad reality. However, there are often times when we have a choice, and we choose work.
You are probably familiar with various famous quotes around work and life. They say that when you die, no one will remember what you achieved at work. They’ll remember what sort of parent or friend you were to your loved ones.
What can you do to make the shift? For one, consider separating your methods of communication. At work, use a work computer, and use a work phone. At home, use a personal computer, and a personal phone. Keep your uses separated. This relatively small change can make a big difference. It helps to ensure that you aren’t distracted by personal tasks while you’re at work. And, when you’re home, it keeps you focused on your personal life.
Also, try to reduce the peer pressure at work around working outside of work hours. The biggest way that you can do this is by paying attention to your own email habits. In other words, if you do need to work on the weekend for some unavailable reason, try to wait to update your colleagues until Monday. Try not to push out email communications during off hours that will prompt others to begin working.
Most people agree that taking care of yourself is important. Let’s work together to make it a reality. We’ll accomplish just as much in less time, and with more sleep.
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
Feeling Like Yourself
At work, employees often wear many hats. You might play a role that you don’t typically play in your personal life. Or, you may go through periods of time when you put up with things at work that you wouldn’t normally be okay with. For example, if your office environment becomes unhealthy, you might just put up with it. After all, you have bills to pay and a family to provide for. You can’t fight every battle. You go to work with the understanding that things are just not going to be perfect.
Recently, a friend shared with me that they finally feel like themselves at work. They feel good, comfortable, and appreciated. They feel like they’re in the right place. That sounds amazing, right?
This simple phrase “I feel like myself” is incredibly enlightening. So often, we don’t look for roles that allow us to feel like ourselves. We’re simply looking for a job. We’re looking for a paycheck. We may be looking for a job title. And, it’s understandable. But, if you are looking for a new role, keep this concept in mind. There will be certain roles or companies that align to who you are. And, there are others that will not.
When it comes to finding a role that will be a good fit, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, is the team inclusive? Will you be different than everyone else you’ll be working with, or does the company value people with diverse backgrounds?
You should also consider whether or not the company’s values align to yours. For example, if you have strong negative feelings about certain industries, perhaps those are industries to avoid. Or, if the company takes positions on social or political issues that you strongly disagree with, you should take note.
Is the management team supportive of their employees? A manager can make or break your experience. This can be hard to judge from the outside. But, websites like Glassdoor.com have employee reviews that are often fairly accurate.
And, don’t forget the role itself. What are your favorite parts of your job? Do you love managing people, or are you a talented individual contributor? Are you an expert in a particular topic that you find especially enjoyable? If there is something about your job that you truly love, look for that in a future role. And, if there’s something you strongly dislike, try to find a role that doesn’t have a strong emphasis on that.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not always possible to find the perfect job. Work isn’t always about fulfillment and happiness. Sometimes, it’s just as important to bring home a paycheck and to make rent. But, if you do have the luxury of finding a job that’s a good fit for you, take the opportunity to look around. Keep your eyes open for a job that will make you feel like you. There’s nothing like it.
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
AI is a Marketing Idea
The title of this piece is a bit controversial, but hear me out. Artificial intelligence has gotten a lot of press lately. In fact, it has become so popular that AI is receiving a similar number of searches on Google as Taylor Swift. There’s a lot of talk about companies incorporating AI into everything they do. And, fear around AI replacing our jobs is growing.
Some companies are using AI to do incredible things. But, many other companies are using AI as a new marketing term. From the outside, the entire topic can feel confusing and alarming.
I had an enlightening conversation recently about AI. My undergraduate education is in computer engineering. Not long ago, I was discussing the topic of AI with a friend. This friend is a bit younger than me. He’s also a computer engineer, and he now develops AI technology. I shared that when I was in college, artificial intelligence and machine learning didn’t exist. I felt like I had missed out on many of the new concepts that exist today. My friend shared that the education had not actually changed that much. AI is just a new way to talk about technology. It’s a new language. Yes, some companies are doing big things with AI. But, many other companies are using AI for their branding. AI and ML are new terms that sound smart.
So, what does this mean for you? Think back to the time before AI when we were nervous that technology would replace our jobs. Computers became common and helped to make things more efficient. In some cases, jobs changed or evolved. But for the most part, we’re all still here, still working. This is not unlike what will likely happen with AI.
AI will certainly help us do some things faster. It may help make writing a bit easier. It may help with planning. But, at the end of the day, humans are still needed. Humans create strategy. Humans add a level of care and insight that a computer could never provide.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying there will be no impact. AI will influence change to occur. But, the real impact is likely being exaggerated online today. Companies are throwing around terms like AI and ML because it makes them (the companies) appear to be up to date with technology. It’s a marketing tactic.
What does this mean for you? If you can learn a little about AI, it may help you to ease your fears. If you believe your job will be impacted more than others, it may be time to evaluate your other skillsets. Think of your professional skills like you would think of an investment account. Diversifying your skillset can help to avoid any major issues.
But, try to remain calm. AI is interesting, and it has some great potential. But, it is likely not set to take over our human workforce.
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
Gen Z in the Workplace
In the past few years, I’ve had the honor of working with a number of professionals who are part of Gen Z. They’ve been honest, principled people who care about the world around them. I have been impressed with their awareness of current events, and how strongly they feel about social issues.
But, employers are also complaining that Gen Z is hard to work with. One poll of managers found that 74 percent find Gen Z to be challenging to work with. Another found managers were more likely to fire Gen Z than any other group. You can find the frustration in these surveys, and in casual conversations with friends and coworkers.
This may be a case of young people being young people. Every new generation is considered difficult at some point in time. But, there may be more to it with Gen Z. After all, Gen Z is the first generation to grow up with computers and technology in their hands from day one. And, they went to college during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Let that sink in for a moment. An entire generation has communicated more using technology than any other generation. And, not surprisingly, many of the complaints from managers are around communication skills. At work, your ability to communicate is often just as important as your technical knowledge. Some employers also reported that Gen Z is entitled, easily offended, and not productive.
If you’re a manager in this situation, there’s hope. Many Gen Z employees are looking for more mentoring. They may also need more direction and coaching at first. Because they have spent part of their early career remote, they haven’t had as many opportunities to observe those around them. Spend more time with them, and they will thank you.
If you are a Gen Z employee, it’s important not to overlook this concern. Being smart is not enough to get ahead at work. You must also learn to communicate well with others, and to work together with a team. If you feel you are lacking in these areas, it is your responsibility to learn. A workplace is much different than a university. Your boss and peers aren’t guaranteed to teach you, or to keep you happy. If you’re learning new material, seek out mentors who agree to help. Or, look for online resources or classes you might take.
It’s also important to remember that the workplace is made up of people with very different viewpoints. And, although it’s fantastic that companies are trying to be more aware of social issues, you will disagree with some coworkers about personal or political topics. That doesn’t mean that the work isn’t still important.
Your career is something that’s built, block by block, over many years. You are the CEO. If you’re struggling, it’s your responsibility to ask for help. It’s your job to keep working at it. It’s the only way to move forward in your career.
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
Your First Interview
When you’re interviewing for a job, a company may want to meet with you from two times to ten times before they make their final decision. The entire process is time consuming. But, through all of these interviews, it could be argued that one of the most important conversations happens in the very first interview.
At the time, the first interview may not seem too significant. It’s typically conducted by a recruiter who works for the company. The conversation may feel like a checklist. The recruiter will ask straight forward questions, such as why you’re interested in the job and when you’re available to start working.
Then, the recruiter may ask you how much money you currently make, or how much money you’d like to make. The question can sound reasonable. Unfortunately, answering this question may hurt you.
For salaried roles, companies typically have broad salary ranges. This allows the company to pay more or less based on factors such as experience. It also allows the company to pay less if they know the candidate currently makes less. In other words, if your current salary is low and you share it, the company is not incentivized to pay competitively. This can happen even if your market rate is higher.
At the other extreme, if you are highly paid today, you may eliminate yourself from the consideration set before the company gets to know you. In some cases, a company cannot increase the pay beyond their existing budget. But, in others they can. The only way to find out is to make it all the way through the process.
Rather than disclose your current pay, ask the recruiter if they are willing to share the pay range for the role. In most cases, this request is no problem. When it happens, you can simply share that you are (or are not) in the same general ballpark.
In the meantime, research what the company pays on your own. Look on websites such as Glassdoor.com, where you can look up pay by title and company. Glassdoor shares base pay and bonus pay information for the positions it reports on.
If you approach salary negotiation this way, you reduce the chances that you’ll be underpaid in the future.
Most companies are also beginning to realize that this technique of asking for salary is not entirely fair. Over the past ten years, the laws around salary disclosure have evolved. These changes, such as requiring the company to disclose the salary in certain states, are in place to help make the workplace fair.
There is one exception to this advice. If you find yourself working with an external placement firm, this approach likely won’t work. Unfortunately, they very often have a rule that you must disclose your salary before you meet the company.
Do your homework. Find out your worth. Practice your answers to salary questions, so you’ll be ready for your first interview.
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
Copeland Coaching Podcast
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