Over the past few weeks, I have received numerous questions regarding performance reviews. It’s that time of year again. Companies look for ways to evaluate – and document – the performance of their employees.

From the employee perspective, this process can seem outdated and frustrating. It’s typically administered through a website where both you and your manager evaluate your performance. Your review is divided up into a number of goals. Each goal has a weighting as some are more important than others.

It starts with the self-review. The employee must identify what percentage complete each goal is and whether or not they met expectations. The choices are typically met expectations, exceeded expectations, and did not meet expectations. Then, there’s a box where the employee types up why they gave themselves the review they did.

Then, the manager evaluates the employee. Sometimes they do this before meeting with the employee and sometimes afterward. During the meeting, the employee and the manager what went well in the past year, what went poorly, plans for next year, and the areas the employee should work to improve on.

At the end of the conversation, the manager often reveals the employee raise and annual bonus, if they’re eligible for one.

I’ve seen many people really fail at this entire process. They look at it like checking a box. It’s something they want to get through so they can get back to work.

But, this is really the wrong approach. Your annual evaluation may be one of your only opportunities during the year to highlight your skills and to show your boss (who may have been busy attending to other things) what you’ve been up to.

Here are a few do’s and don’ts to help make your annual review a little more successful.

Don’t:

• Don’t arrive unprepared to your meeting
• Don’t wait until the last minute to fill out your self-evaluation
• Don’t be shy when talking about your achievements
• Don’t under value yourself
• Don’t spend a lot of time highlighting what went wrong
• Don’t come with negative feedback on your boss’ performance or the company – this meeting is about you
• Don’t be defensive if your boss gives you suggestions on areas where you can improve – it’s their job to give you this feedback

Do:

• Put together a presentation of your annual review for your boss
• Practice what you’d like to say before meeting with your boss
• Highlight your most impactful contributions
• Use numbers to describe your accomplishments when possible
• Dress to impress – this is an important meeting for you!
• Be on time with your self-evaluation and your review meeting
• Score yourself positively where possible – this isn’t the time to be shy
• Come prepared with a proactive list of what you’d like to do next year
• Be prepared for discussions around your raise or annual bonus

Taking your performance review seriously can have a positive impact on your future job assignments. It shows that you’re willing to take initiative and stand out from your peers. It can also positively impact your bonus or raise, as your manager will be reminded of all the great work you’ve done over the last year.

Also, please take just a moment to like my Copeland Coaching Facebook page. It’s a great way to stay connected, and each day, I share great job postings.

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 and 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. Thanks.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland

@CopelandCoach

It’s a New Year, and you’re one year older than last year. You may have signed up for a new gym membership and are watching what you eat. If you’re like most people, getting older isn’t a fun idea.

When you’re interviewing, you may even find that your age is causing people to judge you. You may even feel discriminated against. Even though companies aren’t supposed to take things like age into account, what can you do?

You cannot change their thinking, but you can change how you present yourself. If you want to avoid being labeled as “too old” in your next interview, consider these tips:

1. Get an up to date e-mail address. I know I’ve mentioned this a few times, but I can’t emphasize it enough. Having an e-mail address that ends in “AOL.com” screams out that you’re either older or very technology challenged.
2. Update your look. If you’re actively interviewing, ensure that your clothes are up to date in terms of style. Check to be sure your hair, makeup, and shoes are all up to date as well. Have a friend or family member help to give you an unbiased opinion.
3. Don’t include all jobs. On your resume and on LinkedIn, you don’t have to include every job you’ve ever held. Unless you’re trying to highlight something special, you can consider limiting your experience to the last ten to fifteen years. Dropping off your first job can help to quickly drop off years.
4. Remove your graduation years. Did you know that you don’t have to include the year you graduated on your resume? That’s right! By removing your graduation years, it’s harder for an employer to quickly calculate your age. But when you do, remove these years from LinkedIn and Facebook too.
5. Remove the year you were born from Facebook. Facebook requires you to provide your birthdate, but you get to decide whether or not it’s public information. At a minimum, hide the year. Employers will look you up on Facebook when you’re interviewing.
6. Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date. You don’t want to fall into the camp of those who never learned LinkedIn, so are choosing to opt-out of it. LinkedIn is a necessity for job searching.

This list may seem like tiny details, but in reality it’s these details that are the social cues to let someone know how old you are. By reducing the ability to guess your age, you will increase the chances someone will assume you’re younger – and the chances that you’ll be discriminated against in your job search.

And — if you have questions about your job search that you’d like me to address in an upcoming newsletter, please send me an e-mail at Angela@CopelandCoaching.com.

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 and 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. Thanks.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland

@CopelandCoach

I hope you’re managing to stay warm today! In the past week, the temperatures have really gone down considerably. Hopefully, you’re taking advantage of the time inside and are focused on what else – your job search!

One topic that becomes very important during job searching is your e-mail etiquette. When you miss the boat on your e-mail communications, it’s rare that anyone will tell you directly. But, rest assured—they noticed and they’re talking about it.

Avoid being that person and take the time to consider the recommendations below. They’re very simple, and they will help tremendously.

1. Upgrade your e-mail account. If you’re still stuck in the days of AOL, Comcast, or any older provider, it’s time to upgrade to Gmail or a similar service. If you’ve had your personal e-mail address for over 10 years, this may be you. Your e-mail address can indicate a few things – one being your age, and one being your level of sophistication when it comes to technology. Stay up to date to keep from being judged.
2. Select a professional e-mail address. Stay away from e-mail addresses that include your birth year or graduation year. They provide unnecessary information about your age. Stay away from e-mails that contain casual nicknames or hobbies. Pick something that contains your first and last name if possible.
3. Respond within 24 hours. When you receive an e-mail, respond within one day. Even if you don’t have the entire answer, respond to say you’ve received the message. You are your own brand and a product you’re marketing. As such, treat those you interact with as if they were your customers.
4. Start your e-mails with your receipt’s name and end with your name. Job search related e-mails should start with something like “Dear Andrew, Thank you for your e-mail” and not with something like “Hey! Thank you for your e-mail.”
5. If you must send a mass e-mail, use BCC. Blind Carbon Copy is the most professional way to send e-mail to a large group of people. Sending to a group and not hiding their e-mails shows lack of respect for personal privacy. It can also be very annoying when people begin to reply. That leads me to my next tip…
6. If you receive a mass e-mail and must respond, reply directly. Unless it’s very important, don’t send a reply-all message. When you reply-all, everyone on the original e-mail receives a copy of your message. It can also trigger a number of other reply-all messages. You’ve probably had this happen before and can attest to how annoying it can be.
7. Include a signature. At the bottom of your e-mail, you have the option to include a signature. This is a great thing to include! In addition to your name and e-mail, be sure it includes your phone number. So many people use your signature to find your phone number. When it’s not there, the experience can be difficult and they may give up.

These suggestions should be an extension of the everyday business etiquette you use. They will ensure you aren’t the subject of a discussion about how, “that person just doesn’t know how to use e-mail properly!”

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 and 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. Thanks.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland

@CopelandCoach

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and a happy New Year! Now that 2015 is officially here, it’s time to put your job search back into high gear.

If you’re like many of the clients I work with, you’ve thought at least once or twice about moving this year. In fact, you may have even thought of moving to another country.

For many people, moving abroad is a lifelong dream. It started in college when they thought about doing an exchange program and then lingered when they became a professional. They were just not sure where to begin.

One of my goals for 2015 is to bring you information about the steps required to make such a big move. Some countries are easier or harder to move to from a legal perspective.

To start off, I traveled to one of the most popular places many people want to move to: Europe. In December, I visited Dublin, Ireland to get the scoop on how you might move there.

I met with career coach Karen Willis. Karen specializes in empowering her clients to discover their new career plans or to change careers. A native of Ireland, Karen relates to the struggles her clients go through as they juggle career and other life commitments.

Karen explained that roughly five years ago, a number of large companies began to open offices in Dublin. The entire list is too long to go through, but the short version includes Google, Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and LinkedIn. It’s incredible to see so many big dot coms opening offices in a downtown area the size of downtown Memphis.

You may wonder why Dublin was selected. First, it’s the closest European country to the U.S. It has the lowest median age in Europe, so there are lots of young, mobile, educated workers there. And, because they’re part of the E.U., people can move from all over Europe to work there. That means that they also have a diverse work force that speaks many languages. In addition, Ireland’s corporate tax rate is around half what other countries offer at 12.5%. These factors make Dublin an attractive place to be.

But, back to the relocation side of things. What do you need to do to make a move to Dublin happen?

During my conversation with Karen and a few other folks, I learned that unfortunately, it can be quite tricky to move to Dublin. When applicants are considered for a job, by law those in Europe are prioritized above applicants from other countries. Informally, it sounds like Irish are also prioritized above other Europeans.

This means that if you really want to move there, you’ve got to get creative. Here are a few ideas:

• Transfer with a U.S. company that has offices there. This is easiest when you’re already working for the company.
• Apply for highly specialized positions. Similar to the U.S., those working in highly technical fields like engineering or healthcare will find it easier to move abroad. Here’s the entire list of jobs that fall into this category.
• Work in a senior level position. The rules are more flexible for those in very senior level roles.
• Consider going back to graduate school – in Europe. If you’ve been thinking of going to graduate school, this could be a great way to build a bridge to Europe.
• Consider other cities in Europe. Rumor has it that cities such as London are easier to get your foot in the door.
• Start a business. Dublin is booming with start-ups, and successful dot coms. If you’re an entrepreneur, this can be a great way to transition to another country.

If you’d like to learn more, tune into Tuesday’s Copeland Coaching Podcast. In my new episode, I will be interviewing Karen Willis about what you need to know to relocate to Dublin.

You can also learn more about Irish work visas here. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation has additional information about employment permits here. And, to learn more about Karen, check out her website here.

As you may find, moving to Ireland or the rest of Europe can be difficult. However, I hope these steps will make the process a little easier. As the year goes on, I hope to share with the you the immigration details for other countries.

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 and 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. Thanks.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland

@CopelandCoach