Are you being paid what you’re worth? Now you can find out.
You know by now, my biggest pet peeve is pay. You should be paid fairly. Period.
You should be paid fairly for your industry. You should be paid fairly for your tenure. You should be paid fairly compared to your peers.
Keep in mind that fairly doesn’t mean “the most money ever.” It means equitably. For example, a non-profit may not be able to support the same high salaries that a big corporations provides. But, they ought to be paying their employees similar amounts within their organization (for similar roles).
Don’t you agree?
I’m going to be honest. I think we’re probably all on the same page here. Everyone wants to be paid fairly, right? Everyone wants to be paid based on their results, and their experience — not some other irrelevant detail.
Well, one of the GREAT perks the internet brings is data. And, not just any data — salary data. The internet is cracking open salary information every day. It’s creating an environment that’s more transparent.
It’s giving you, the job seeker, more power! It’s increasing the likelihood that you will be compensated fairly. Yay!
There are a handful of sites with salary data you can use to better understand this worth (and to negotiate for more money!). But, there’s one taking the lead. One that you should pay attention to:
Glassdoor.com!
Glassdoor recently released a new salary tool. It’s called the “Know Your Worth” tool and it’s tagline is “Are you paid fairly?”
How much better does it get than that! (Can you hear how excited I am??)
If you want to try the tool, visit Glassdoor.com here.
You’ll be asked to provide your employer name, employer location, job title, number of years experience, salary, education level, university, and major. But, don’t worry — Glassdoor is sensitive with your data. Their site says, “Glassdoor is committed to your privacy. Your market value is only shared with you.”
To figure out if you’re being paid fairly, Glassdoor compares your salary to others in your city, and to those of open jobs in your area.
Below is a sample salary I tested out for a project manager. In this example, the employee is being paid about $13K less than market value, or -16.6%.
How amazing is that? It gives you data to support your request for more money — and a fair salary! I am so excited to share this tool with you!
Please know that I’m not compensated in any way to share the Know Your Worth tool — I just think it’s that great.
Please check it out! And, if you learn something interesting about your salary, I want to hear from you! Let me know what you find out.
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
Want to find a new job? Stop paying so much attention to the minimum requirements.
I’m certain I’m going to get negative feedback for saying this, but I just have to. Every day (and I really mean every day) I spend at least an hour trying to convince job seekers to do something that seems completely crazy — apply for a job.
Why does it seem crazy? It seems crazy to apply for certain jobs because the job seeker’s work history doesn’t match up 100% with the employer’s job description. The job seeker is convinced that they won’t be considered and it will be a big waste of time (and possibly embarrassing).
So, why would I encourage someone to apply for something that they are clearly not qualified for? I encourage them to apply because they CAN DO THE JOB!
Our educational history and experience are both important. But, do you know what’s more important than which degree you have? That you can do the work. Seriously.
Employers create job descriptions in the most random ways. When I was a hiring manager, I studied job descriptions for other similar positions (to the one I was hiring for). I did my best to compile all the good parts of the other job descriptions I studied. I wanted to be sure the job description was perfect, and that I didn’t leave anything out. I was going to ace that assignment. I’m 100% certain that in the process, I came up with a wish list of qualifications that was a mile long. Did it mean that I wouldn’t consider anyone who couldn’t stand up to all my wishes? No. It was just that – a wish list. It would have been unreasonable for me to expect a candidate to have all those qualifications and I knew it.
Here’s another real life example to demonstrate this point. I recently heard from an employer who is looking to fill a super interesting role. We’re talking fun work, impressive title, great company. The job description is very comprehensive and is what I described above – a wish list. And, the employer knows it. They told me that they put out a long list of skills hoping to attract as many candidates as possible.
(Notice: They are trying to attract as many people as possible — not eliminate as many people as possible.)
I forwarded that great job to a few qualified people. I got an immediate response from multiple job seekers along these lines. “This looks awesome, but I’m not fully qualified to do it. Too bad I can’t apply!”
Do you see what’s happening here? We are assuming the company won’t want to hire us, so we eliminate ourselves from the list of qualified candidates. Then, the company never even hears from us. They don’t know we exist. We have taken ourselves out of the race (not the company).
Let’s think of this in another way. I often say that looking for a job is a lot like dating. At this day in age, let’s be honest — we’ve all tried online dating at one time or another. On sites like Match.com, singles are able to specify their preferences for things in a partner including age, height, hobbies, and musical taste.
But, if a dater comes across someone that seems interesting, they don’t just ignore the profile when they’re not a 100% match in requirements. They send the other person a message. They let the other person know they exist and that there was something about their profile that seemed interesting. Then, the other single (the one being contacted) can decide what they think. Their choice will depend on things like how important those qualities are to them (something you can’t know from a profile).
Job descriptions are the same way. A company may toss in some random requirement that they don’t really care about. If you don’t apply, you’ll never have the chance to be considered. If I could stand up on a table to shout this out, I would.
By not applying, you are not allowing the company to make their own decision about their interest level. You are making the decision for them. You are effectively telling them that you’re not qualified to do a job you know you can do.
Applying for a job often takes just a few minutes. It’s not a huge waste of time. If you think you can do the job, take the time and submit yourself. If you are called for a job interview, it means that the company sees something in your background that’s promising. And, they are flexible on their requirements (something you can’t know from a job description).
If there was only one piece of job search advice I could give, it would be this: APPLY MORE! Put your hat in the ring. The more you apply for jobs you know you can do (whether or not you meet all the “requirements”), the more choices you will have in the end.
You are your own advocate — you are your own salesperson. Do your part and SELL YOURSELF!
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
This job-interview nightmare story is downright chilling
Happy Halloween!! 🎃🎃🎃 In celebration of this fun holiday, I wanted to share a piece I wrote for Monster.com about a nightmare interview I had.
A number of years ago, I was interviewing for a job in Pittsburgh. The company flew me to Pittsburgh to interview in person.
I flew in relatively late at night and was taken by taxi to my hotel, with the interview scheduled first thing the next morning.
As I unpacked my suitcase, I realized I had forgotten the pants to my suit at home. Uh oh.
My mind was racing as I went through the options of what to do:
Could I wear the pants I’d flown to Pittsburgh in? No, they were sweatpants—and I was interviewing at a large corporation.
Could I call a cab to take me to a mall to shop for a new suit? No, it was around 10 p.m. and everything was closed.
Could I go into a nearby 24-hour store and look for pants? No, the only store nearby was a drugstore and they didn’t carry pants.
Could I have a pair of pants shipped to me from home? No, all the shippers were closed for the day.
This brainstorming went on for about an hour. I tried to calmly think of a creative solution to this big problem.
Eventually, I found the answer online.
It turned out, packages could be dropped off directly at the airport until around midnight for FedEx, and could be delivered as early as 6 a.m. the next morning. The only catch was getting them to the airport.
So, then began the task of figuring out how to get pants from my apartment to FedEx in a short period of time. The building manager was the only one with a key to my apartment, but I didn’t have her phone number. So I called a female neighbor who was friends with another male neighbor who had a dog that the building manager walked every day—I knew he would have the building manager’s personal contact information, and I knew my female neighbor had the dog owner’s phone number.
After a few calls, I got the building manager’s phone number. Then, I called the building manager and asked her to give my backup key to a friend who was willing to drive the pants to the airport. Fortunately, the building manager was willing to do this and the friend got my key.
Then, the friend entered my apartment and called me in order to locate the correct pair of pants that matched the suit. After locating the pants, the friend drove them to FedEx, which was at the airport, and set them to be delivered at the earliest possible time.
Then, I alerted the hotel to contact me the moment the pants arrived at 6 a.m.—which they did. The interview went smoothly and nobody noticed anything unusual.
The funny thing was that one of the questions they asked was, “Tell us about a time you encountered a problem and were able to find a creative way to solve it.”
It was the perfect opportunity to share my story. The interviewers were both surprised and very impressed. What started as a potential nightmare turned out to be a big win.
I honestly don’t remember if I got that job, but I do remember that the interview went really well.
The lesson here: When it comes to job interviews, don’t expect everything to go perfectly. In fact, there’s often one thing that will go wrong. If you can plan on that one thing, it’s much easier to roll with the punches and have an overall positive experience.
Interviewing is not about answering every question exactly right, either. The hiring manager is much more likely to remember how they felt about you than how you answered each specific question. It’s much like the experience of going to a live comedy show. You don’t remember each joke that was performed, but you remember whether you laughed and had a good time.
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
Technology is a tool, not a key.
I keep running into the same issue, over and over. Today, it’s weighing heavy on my mind, so I wanted to take a moment to share my thoughts with you.
All the time, I see job seekers who are working really, really hard. They’re at home, perfecting their resume and cover letter. And, they’re spending countless hours applying for jobs online. And, I mean HOURS. It could literally be their full time job.
After months of going through this exercise with no results, they’ll come to me. By this time, the job seeker is completely demoralized. They’ve lost hope. They’ve decided that they don’t have enough skills to procure any kind of job. They clearly are not a desirable candidate. And, they’re frankly not sure how they made it this far in life WITH a job. Clearly, they aren’t cut out for today’s new job market (…or so they think.)
It’s a terrible situation. The job seeker is giving up on themselves. And, why?
Because we are being conditioned (I hate to sound so dramatic, but frankly, it’s true) to think that ALL we need is our computer to find a job. As long as we have an internet connection and a LinkedIn account, we should be all set, right? Wrong.
I know that times have changed. I know that job seeking has evolved in the past twenty years. I get it. I’ve been here the entire time.
But, what hasn’t changed is this: PEOPLE. And, people make hiring decisions. When is the last time you hired someone from a blind ad on Indeed? It’s probably been a while. Instead, you reach out to your friends to see if they’d be interested. Then, you reach out to their network to see if someone they know might be interested.
I get it. Companies have been telling us all, “Submit your application on our website. If you’re a fit, we’ll call you.” Heck, the computer engineer in me wishes this were true.
But, it’s not! The online application systems are flawed. And, even if they weren’t flawed, there is no substitute for a personal connection.
The next time you get an automated rejection e-mail that says you weren’t a good fit for the job, don’t take it so personally. It’s not a reflection of your skills. It’s a reflection of the medium you chose to apply.
Instead of relying on technology to get a job, use it as a tool. Use websites like LinkedIn to find the hiring manager. Then, reach out to them directly and network with them — the old fashioned way. As much as technology has changed, one thing stays the same — people hire people. If you know the ones who are hiring, you’re more likely to be hired. It’s as simple as that.
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
Plan for the Worst & Work Toward the Best
Very often, people ask me how I’ve been able to do it. Lately, they’ve asked how I was able to start my business – and stay in business. Before that, I was asked how I was able to be successful in my own career – or go to a faraway college and graduate school.
Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” I really like this quote. It reminds me a lot of my own journey. Those who know me well know that throughout my life, I have rarely encountered things that came easy.
School, for example, was never an easy task. Because I knew this, I always planned accordingly. I studied more than those around me. I worked hard. And, often, I prepared for the unknown. In the off chance that something went wrong along the way, I was prepared to handle it. I had a backup plan. Sometimes, I even had a backup, backup plan.
Succeeding at work is very much the same. Even though you love your job, and may want to retire there, unforeseen things could happen. The company could go out of business, your boss could be replaced, or something else. If the worst were to happen to you, what would you do?
First and foremost, set aside an emergency fund, and start investing in your retirement early. When you have an emergency fund, you have options. You have a safety net. An emergency fund can allow you to get over a bump in the road without a major impact to your everyday life. It ensures you can pay your rent and put food on the table.
But, beyond the financial piece, there’s something equally important. When you surround yourself with only those from your current job, what happens if your workplace goes out of business? Who will you reach out to? Networking with people at different companies and in different industries helps to diversify your risk. It’s a bit like diversifying your financial investments. If one industry goes under, another may grow. In the same way that having money gives you choices, so does having an extended network.
And, when you are out there searching for a job – don’t fall into the trap of only interviewing with one company. Very often, we are so interested in one particular job that we can’t be bothered to apply anywhere else. We’re certain this is the job we want and we’re going to spend every spare moment trying to turn this job into a reality. But, what happens when the job is put on hold? Or what happens when someone else is hired? Or even worse – what happens when they give you a lowball offer? If you are unhappy with your current job, these scenarios can take away all your power. They may put you in a situation to take a job you don’t really want, for less money than you’re worth.
I hate to be too negative, but I often think about the question, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” Then, I plan for what I’d do in the worst case scenario. Rarely does it get that bad, but because I’ve already planned for it, things turn out much better than they would have otherwise.
As the title of my newsletter this week says, plan for the worst, but work toward the best!
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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