by Angela Copeland | Jan 21, 2025 | Career Corner Column, Headhunter, Job Search, Newsletter
In the world of job searching, there’s quite a bit of confusion around recruiters. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the question, “Are you going to hire a headhunter to help you find your next job?” Somewhere along the way, we got mixed up about how this process works, and in some situations, it can hurt us.
Let’s start at the beginning. When it comes to recruiters, there are generally two types. There are internal recruiters, and there are external recruiters.
Internal recruiters work for a company’s human resources department. If you applied for a job online via the company’s website, you will most likely interact with an internal recruiter. They screen candidates to see who might be a good fit for the job. They will ask basic questions, such as, “Why do you think you’re a good fit for this role?” They are also tasked with asking you the tough questions, such as, “How much money are you looking to make?” An internal recruiter also helps to coordinate the interview schedule. And, at the end of the process, they are often the person who will present the winning candidate with a job offer.
External recruiters work outside of the company that is hiring. They typically work for a large recruiting company, such as Robert Half, or they may work for a small boutique firm. External recruiters help companies to source candidates for hard to fill roles, and executive roles.
Internal recruiters are paid directly by the employer as a full time employee. In other words, they receive a normal salary. External recruiters are typically paid a commission when they make a placement. This percentage can vary, but it is somewhere in the ballpark of 25 percent of the candidate’s base salary.
An internal recruiter will typically help their employer with all sorts of roles. An external recruiter will often specialize in certain types of roles. For example, as a hiring manager myself, I once used an external recruiter that specialized in web analytics roles to find a web analyst.
Recruiters are not really working “for you.” This is something external recruiters may tell you as a candidate to build the relationship. But, don’t be mistaken. Their loyalty is to the employer. Also, recruiters aren’t fighting to get you the very highest pay. They are fighting to make a sale. The extra few thousand dollars you are asking for will only make a recruiter a few hundred dollars. It’s more important than they make the sale, than getting the highest price.
Note that no recruiter will ever ask you, the job candidate, for money. If a recruiter asks you to pay for anything, this should be a red flag that they are not legitimate. Walk away from any recruiter asking for money to revise your resume or to represent you to employers. There are plenty of legitimate recruiters who will help you for free.
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Jan 7, 2025 | Career Corner Column, Change, Job Search, Newsletter
As we close out the year, you may spend some time reflecting on what you accomplished. You are also likely beginning to think of what you would like to achieve in the New Year. This is a great time to set goals for the future.
Unfortunately, achieving something new in the future can often mean letting go of something else in the past. For example, to have a new job, you will eventually have to let go of your current role. As much as you are gaining something new, you will also lose something.
We often don’t think about how much our jobs mean to us. They are often a bigger part of our identity than we are consciously aware of. And, we are attached to our colleagues more than we might want to admit. On more than one occasion, I’ve stayed in a job longer than I should have because I loved my team.
Change can also be tough when the decision is made for you. From the news reports, it’s clear that many companies used the end of 2024 to lay off workers. This is a tough experience for anyone, and can take months or year to fully recover.
Whatever the reason, if you want to look for a new role in the New Year, this is the perfect time to begin. As many companies return from the holiday break, their hiring will begin to pick up speed again.
Start by sprucing up your LinkedIn profile. Then, ensure your resume is up to date, and uses a current style. If you haven’t searched in a while, look around online to find the latest resume trends.
Think twice before publicly posting on LinkedIn that you are open to work. It’s a new trend to let your network know that you’re looking for a job. Unfortunately, if you are still employed, it may make you look like you aren’t committed to the company. And, if you aren’t working, it might make you look desperate. It’s better to tell your contacts individually that you’re looking. Set your profile as open to work privately, so that recruiters who are looking for candidates will find you.
Begin to reconnect with old business contacts, and friends who may be aware of job openings. But, be sure to lead with your friendship, rather than your request for help.
When your resume and LinkedIn are up to date, begin to apply for jobs. But, don’t apply in the typical online way, or if you do, do more than just apply. Try to find the hiring manager. In other words, try to look up your potential future boss on LinkedIn and send them a message. If they like you, they will ask the recruiter to interview you. It can be a faster and easier process than applying online.
Today is the perfect time for new beginnings. I hope you will commit to starting your journey today.
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Dec 10, 2024 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter
Have you ever heard that companies don’t hire over the holidays? Me too. I’ve heard it more times than I can count. Many job seekers make the decision to pause their job search around Thanksgiving. They wait to restart it after the New Year, because they assume that the search is a waste of time.
These job seekers could be right. On average, there is less hiring during the holiday season. There are definitely more layoffs as we get closer to the end of the year.
But, there may be another side to consider. As a job seeker, over the years, I have received more job offers in November and December than any other time of the year. It has truly surprised me each time it has happened.
Here’s my theory on why this has happened. First, employers are hiring throughout the year. Yes, there may be fewer job postings near the end of the year, but I suspect that jobs posted at the end of the year are roles that the company definitely wants to fill.
Because many job seekers put their job searches on hold during the holidays, I suspect the competition may be less intense. In other words, you may find yourself competing with fewer resumes during December.
In addition, if a company is going to the trouble to post a job and to interview for it during the holidays, the company really wants to fill the role. They aren’t posting just to see what’s out there. They aren’t trying to waste your time.
Speaking of timing, companies who are hiring near the end of the year are often looking for the next year to start out strong. They hope that the candidate they hire will start their new job in January. So, interviews are less likely to be delayed or to go on for months.
We are all busy during the holiday season. But, if you are in need of a job, I would encourage you to keep an eye on the latest job postings. Don’t assume companies won’t hire during December. They do it every day.
Think of it like going to work out at the gym during December. In December, the gym is empty. There’s peace and quiet. There’s little competition for the equipment. The gym is yours.
But, the minute January first rolls around, the gym is packed. Everyone has a new goal. You have to wait in line. It’s an entirely different experience.
The same thing is true for job searching. Get out there while everyone else is distracted. Show your next company that you’re serious, and that you are ready to start off the New Year strong. A little work this year can go a long way at laying your foundation for a successful 2025.
It’s time to revise your resume, update your LinkedIn, and begin to attend networking events. Keep hope about your job search this holiday season!
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Nov 25, 2024 | Career Corner Column, Newsletter
We often ask children, “Who do you want to be when you grow up?” Their answers include firefighter, police officer, and these days, social media influencer. But, is there something deeper that may matter more than the job title? Over one lifetime, a person may transition from a waiter to a financial analyst to an executive leader. What remains consistent is the core of that person: their character.
So often in business, we lose ourselves. We are so set on achieving a goal that we forget about the person we wanted to be when we were that child. Some people even show up as one person at home, and a completely different person at work.
We may go through our day at work as if we are playing a video game. We look for rules and social norms. We look for the way to move from one level to the next. We look to maximize our prize, or our salary and title. But, at what cost?
When I was considering business schools, I stumbled upon Pepperdine University. At the time, one of the things that stood out to me was that they offered a concentration in entrepreneurial management. But, the other thing I found to be unique about their program was that they had a focus on business ethics.
Over the years, I had heard about disasters like the one at Enron. I had seen leaders in my own workplace making decisions that seemed dishonest. I was drawn to the idea of a program that incorporated the importance of ethics into business, and I wasn’t wrong. In many of our courses, we not only discussed how to maximize revenue and productivity, but how to do it in a way that is meaningful and ethical.
C.S. Lewis famously said, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” I could not agree more. Whether it’s respecting a patent in the world of manufacturing – or doing the right thing by your customers and colleagues, these decisions often happen when no one is watching.
You’ve probably read articles on what wise older people say was most important in their lives. They talk about relationships and experiences. They talk about living life authentically. Rarely do they ever talk about their achievements at work. Or, if they do speak about work, they remind us that work is not the most important thing in life. When you get to the end, you will rarely regret not spending more time at work.
If you’re a numbers oriented person, I’d ask, what is the incremental gain of operating in a way that’s anything less than ethical in the workplace? You may get your next promotion a little faster, but you will hurt yourself in the long run. You’ll forfeit future connections and trust that you need over the lifetime of your career. In the end, who do you want to be?
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Oct 28, 2024 | Career Corner Column, Interviewing, Newsletter
Happy Halloween! In celebration, I want to share one of my frightening job interview stories.
Years ago, I interviewed for a job in Pittsburgh. I flew in late at night, with the interview scheduled first thing the next morning. As I unpacked, I realized I had forgotten the pants to my suit. My mind was racing as I went through the options of what to do.
Could I wear the pants I’d flown there in? No, they were sweatpants. Could I call a cab to take me to a mall? No, it was late and everything was closed. 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 an hour. I wracked my brain as I tried to think of a creative solution to this big problem.
It turned out, packages could be dropped off directly at the airport until around midnight for FedEx, and could be delivered by six the next morning. The only catch was getting the pants to the airport.
My apartment manager was the only one with a key to my apartment, but I didn’t have her phone number. So, I called a neighbor who was friends with another neighbor who had a dog that the building manager walked every day. I knew he would have the building manager’s phone, and I knew my other neighbor had the dog owner’s phone number.
After a few calls, I found the building manager’s phone number. I called and asked her to give my key to a friend who was willing to drive the pants to the airport. My friend entered my apartment and called to locate the correct pair of pants. Then, he drove them to FedEx, and mailed them.
Afterward, I alerted the hotel desk to contact me the moment the pants arrived—which they did. The interview went smoothly and nobody noticed anything unusual.
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 impressed. What started as a nightmare turned out to be a big win!
I don’t remember if I got that job, but I do remember that the interview went well.
The lesson: When it comes to job interviews, don’t expect everything to go perfectly. There’s often something that will go wrong. If you can plan on that thing, it’s much easier to roll with the punches and have a positive experience.
Interviewing is not about answering every question correctly. The hiring manager is more likely to remember how they felt about you than how you answered each question. It’s like going to a live comedy show. You don’t remember each joke, but you remember whether you 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.
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
In the world of job searching, there’s quite a bit of confusion around recruiters. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the question, “Are you going to hire a headhunter to help you find your next job?” Somewhere along the way, we got mixed up about how this process works, and in some situations, it can hurt us.
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