We all have bad days. Whether you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, or someone cut you off on the way to work, it can make getting through the day difficult. What can make it even more difficult is when we look at each moment as a competition to the top.
Why do we assume that in order to do well at our job (or to win), someone else must lose? It’s a sad state of affairs when we look at those around us as competition. It’s sad to think of life as a zero-sum game.
Think of it this way. When you’re having that bad day, the one thing you need is a helping hand. But, if you haven’t given a hand to anyone else in the past, you’re unlikely to get the help you need. Alternatively, if you’ve spent time helping others over the years, you may be surprised to see help pouring in from those around you.
I heard a similar idea last year at a podcast conference I often attend, Podcast Movement. A speaker talked about how we, as podcasters, look at one another as competition. We each want to be number one in iTunes. We don’t want to help each other for fear that we’ll lose listeners. But, what would happen if we assumed there was room for everyone? What would happen if we assumed that we could all succeed in some way?
In this scenario, it’s likely that we would help each other more. We would talk to each other more. We’d share ideas, and suggestions. And, we would all be more successful — together.
I know. There’s a strong temptation to be “the best.” Going to school prepares us for this idea. In elementary school, our teachers may rank us by reading level. In high school, we fight to become the valedictorian or the best athlete. In college, we each want to earn the distinction of cum laude. There’s always a ranking. There’s a first place, and then the very first loser. Nobody wants to lose.
But, in real life, and in the professional world, things rarely work this way. We get ahead because of the people on our team. We get ahead when we lean on those whose strengths are different than ours – and when we share our talents with others.
In life, we rarely get ahead on our own with zero support. We get ahead when others help us. And, others want to help us when we’ve helped them. Even if we could get ahead on our own – what would the prize be at the end of the journey? Who would we share our winnings with? All alone seems like a pretty lonely place to be.
So, take the time to remember – there’s room for everyone. We each have a place at the table. And, the best way to get there is together.
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 or Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If you’ve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in iTunes or Stitcher.
If you’re like most people, you think you’re the only one. Everything was fine for the first twenty years of your career.
You were focused. You were happy. You were going up the ladder. Then, you hit an age. Maybe it was thirty or forty or fifty. But, suddenly, everything changed.
You are no longer happy at your current job. Something just isn’t right. But, nothing has really changed all that much. And, still, somehow you just aren’t satisfied.
It’s so confusing. Chances are good that you worked your entire career to get to where you are. You’re at the top of the mountain. And, yet, it seems like maybe you were climbing up the wrong mountain. It can make you question everything you’ve worked for.
If this has happened to you, don’t worry. You’re not alone. I talk to multiple people every single day who are having this very same experience.
We’re all just so secretive that we don’t talk about these feelings and thoughts out loud to each other. I wish we would. But, it seems that this kind of sharing might seem to indicate that we have failed in some way.
I prefer to look at it a little different. It’s more like this. You’ve conquered your original goal (the first mountain), and now you’re ready for a new one.
The priorities in your life have shifted. So maybe, you are no longer as motivated by money. Perhaps your retirement account is at a good place. Or, alternatively, maybe money motivates you more. Perhaps you want to catch up on your retirement savings.
Maybe you’ve learned more about yourself. You really don’t like managing people after all. Or, you really don’t want to work in a creative atmosphere where the expectation of producing new content never seems to go away.
Whatever it is, you’ve simply grown. You’ve changed. Growth and change are both good things. And, they’re an inevitable part of life.
Making a change midcareer doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It doesn’t mean you’ll fail in the future. Your priorities have just evolved. It’s time to find something new that better aligns with your new goals and your new direction.
Start small. You won’t find the answer tomorrow. And, you probably won’t find it in your head, thinking for hours, devising the perfect solution. The answer most likely doesn’t exist in any certain personality test either.
Almost always, this career change happens by doing. It happens by getting out there and having conversations with other people in different lines of work. It happens by researching various companies. It happens by volunteering for projects outside of your comfort zone. It happens by trying new things, to find what works and what doesn’t.
Career change is not an easy process, but the journey will take you to where you’re mean to be: a new life that is in alignment with your current and future priorities.
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 or Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If you’ve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in iTunes or Stitcher.
Today is truly a historic day in the world of job seeking! Job search giant Glassdoor.com has just announced that they have been sold to Recruit Holdings for $1.2 B.
Glassdoor CEO Robert Hohman announced the deal in a tweet, stating, “Excited to announce Glassdoor is joining together with Recruit Holdings.”
Recruit Holdings is a large company based in Japan that primarily focuses on HR-related businesses. For example, they own a number of global staffing firms. But, the one company that’s already in their portfolio that you have definitely heard of is Indeed.com. Glassdoor is the world’s fastest growing job website, while Indeed is ranked as the largest.
Glassdoor and Recruit Holdings cite the following benefits that will come from the acquisition:
Enhance the ability to deliver better solutions to job seekers and employers over the long term
Expand further into the growing HR technology industry
Strengthen capabilities of their HR technology platform with one of the strongest brands in the industry
Brings an experienced and talented Glassdoor management team into Recruit
If you are like most job seekers, you probably don’t remember a time when Glassdoor wasn’t a household name. But, this iconic job website just got its start ten years ago – in June of 2008 – in Mill Valley, California. In this relatively short time, Glassdoor has helped to push the needle of transparency in the workplace – in terms of both pay and company ratings and reviews. They have also provided job seekers another resource for both applying online, and for researching the interview processes within companies.
The transparency created by sites like Glassdoor opens the doors for professionals on both sides of the hiring desk to have more frank and honest conversations about issues, such as equal pay.
Over the last ten years, Glassdoor has grown to now include visitors from more than 190 countries and 770,000 companies. They have participation from more than 160,000 companies — and have received more than 40 million company reviews from employees. This all adds up to 59 million unique visitors per month.
As you can imagine, this is some pretty big news for those job seekers looking for a new career. Glassdoor and Indeed are both incredible sites with unique strengths. It will be exciting to see what the two can create for the future, together.
For the full press release about the Glassdoor acquisition by Recruit Holdings, visit Glassdoor.com: https://www.glassdoor.com/press/new-chapter/
I hope you’re having a great week! I’m writing with an update. My recent tutorial about how to use LinkedIn’s new referral feature was well received. If you missed the LinkedIn referral tutorial, you can find it on YouTube here.
Because it went over so well, I wanted to share another tutorial for you. In this tutorial, I’m going to share with you — how to use the Glassdoor “Know Your Worth Tool.”
The Glassdoor.com Know Your Worth Tool helps you to estimate your current market value — where you live, for your job, and for the amount of experience you have. It helps you to know if you’re being paid fairly, and if not, what alternatives might exist for you in your area.
I hope you enjoy this how to use the Glassdoor “Know Your Worth Tool” tutorial!
One of the number one reasons people are hesitant to switch jobs is because of their vacation time. They start with one or two weeks of vacation each year at their company. Then, as they stay at their job for a few years, more days are added on. After a while, they may find that they have earned four or five weeks of vacation per year. This much vacation can truly be life changing. And, all that vacation time took years to earn. It makes you not want to leave. Can you relate?
One of the biggest secrets to interviewing for a new job is this. Vacation time is negotiable. In other words, you can ask for more. This especially true at big corporations – for office jobs.
I get it. There’s a company handbook. The human resources team lays out the rules. Everyone starts with two weeks. When you start a new job, you start over.
In reality, everyone starts out with two weeks, until they negotiate for more. When you are negotiating your job offer, along with pay and your start date, you can negotiate for more vacation. Don’t get me wrong. You can’t ask for more of everything. If you ask for more vacation, you may not want to ask for ask for more money.
Often, it is actually easier for a company to give you more vacation than it is to give you more money. On the surface, this can be surprising, because many employees value vacation more than they value a few extra dollars.
If you’re thinking of switching, don’t let your current vacation stop you from looking for a new job. It’s very possible that your new job will be open to the idea of matching your current vacation time.
Wait until you have a job offer in hand to ask for more vacation. Then, ask if there’s room for negotiation around the amount of vacation. Explain that you love the new job, but that you have earned a certain level of vacation time at your current company. You would hate to lose that time.
In all likelihood, you’ll ask this question to the human resources recruiter. That person will have to talk this over with the hiring manager. Then, they’ll let you know if your request is approved.
If they do decide to approve your request, there’s one important thing not to forget. Get it in writing. Increased vacation days are often an agreement between you and your manager. If your current manager were to leave the company, how would your new manager know about the agreement? At a bare minimum, get your approved vacation time in an email, so that you could share it with a new manager.
It’s as simple as that. If you ask for more vacation, you very well might get it. It doesn’t always work. But, if you don’t ask, you will never know.
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 or Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If you’ve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in iTunes or Stitcher.
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