by Angela Copeland | Oct 6, 2020 | Career Corner Column, Coronavirus, Newsletter, Work From Home
The letters WFH used to be mainly used by the tech industry. But, as work from home is becoming more common, so is the use of this important acronym. In the last six months, working from home has gone from an exception to a norm. But, if you’re like many employees, your company may be asking you to come back to work in person.
For many of the folks I have spoken to, returning to an in person work environment just doesn’t work right now. So, what can you do when your boss asks you to come back?
It’s tricky. Start by being honest. If you have a preexisting condition that makes you high risk for COVID complications, you may want to consider sharing it. Normally, I would never advise to share private health details with your boss. But, it may help them to understand why you need to continue to work from home.
The same applies for family situations. If you have aging parents who you help to care for, share your concerns. If you are being forced to home school your children, be up front about it. And, if your spouse has a high risk job where they work with the public, share your concerns about possibly infecting your office if you were to become infected.
These are all good reasons to keep working from home – especially if you’ve been doing it since March. Your boss’ biggest concern should be whether or not you’re getting your job done. When you approach them with this request, focus on your ability to do your work.
Outline the hours you plan to keep each day. Since your boss cannot see you, it may help to know you’re keep regular office hours from home. Set expectations around how you will communicate. If you plan to check email during certain hours, let them know. If you’ve available to video chat during meetings, share that. And, if you are available by text, say that too. The more your boss feels they can count on you, the more likely they will be to allow you to continue to work from home.
If you’re interviewing for a new job, this is something you’ll likely want to discuss at some point during the interview process. Given that this could be a point of negotiation for you, you may want to save it until you reach the offer stage of the job interview. You may be surprised though at just how many companies are willing to be flexible with work from home now. And, some companies that require you to move to their city are allowing you to delay the move until after COVID is finished.
If you believe you need to work from home for any reason, it’s your responsibility to advocate for yourself. It doesn’t mean your boss will agree. But, if you don’t ask, then you definitely won’t get 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.
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 | Sep 29, 2020 | Career Corner Column, Coronavirus, Indeed.com, Job Search, Newsletter
During this difficult season, finding a new job feels complicated and often nearly impossible. However, online there are a few options you should check out if you want to make a switch. As usual, you should check for job postings on sites such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor. But, you should also look for special events. In particular, Indeed has put together an hiring event that may help you if you’re looking for a new job.
Indeed.com has launched a Virtual Hiring Tour across the United States. Their goal is to help 20,000 people get hired for new jobs.
“With unemployment at record high levels, our mission of helping people get jobs has never felt more important. This Virtual Hiring Tour is designed to help people from all backgrounds – essential workers to licensed professionals – quickly find roles, in a way that is safe and effective,” said Chris Hyams, CEO of Indeed.
The Indeed Virtual Hiring Tour is made up of online events that are broken out by region across the country. The events will use Indeed’s video technology to help with interviews.
Indeed is also partnering with Goodwill Industries International, to ensure that job seekers are aware of the hiring tour and are able to participate if they’re interested.
“Even before the pandemic, millions of people were stuck on the employment sidelines, struggling to find work. Today, they are even more anxious about their prospects, but we want to assure them that we are here to help,” said Hyams.
The Western United States event was held earlier in September. The event for the South is being held from September 29 to October 2. The Midwest is being held October 13 to October 16. The Northeast is being held October 20 to October 23.
Job seekers can register for free. Once on the site, you’ll also find interview tips and tricks, including what to wear to a virtual interview, how to prepare for your interview, and how to find out if the job you’re interviewing for is remote. There are both presentations and videos available on the site to walk you through the interview process.
In addition, if you click on the region of the country where you’re interested to work, you’ll find a list of jobs currently posted to the hiring tour. From there, you can RSVP for an interview. You’ll see how many interview spots are available for each job.
To learn more about the Indeed Virtual Hiring Tour, you should visit indeed.com/virtualhiringtour.
The pandemic is one of the hardest things we’ll ever face. Remember that you’re not in this by yourself. Often when we job search, we hope friends and family will help. But, it is more common for someone you don’t know to be the one to help. Don’t stop looking. Look for events like this one, and check with your university to see what additional events they may be organizing.
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 | Sep 22, 2020 | Career Corner Column, Newsletter
We’ve all been there. The list of things you have to do or to manage suddenly grows. It can feel truly overwhelming. And, that’s because it is overwhelming.
When you look down and find a giant to do list, you wonder how you will achieve any of it. But, when you break the tasks down one at a time, each item on the list is often manageable. There’s nothing you don’t know how to do.
During the pandemic, many people are finding themselves overwhelmed. They’re pushed to the edge with family responsibilities, health concerns, home schooling, and working from home. At times, there’s a good chance you are one of these people. I know I have been.
When you find yourself at this place, start by creating a list. Grab a piece of paper and a pen. Jot down all of the things you need to take care of. Then, write down the amount of time you think each task will take. From there, take a look at your schedule to see when you may be able to achieve these goals.
You’ve probably done this before. But, it’s a good concept to remember when you’re feeling under water. I often use this exercise to sort out my goals for a particular day, week, or month.
But, very often, when I reach the point of feeling overwhelmed, I will set a goal that is one or two steps below what I think I can actually achieve. It’s not in an effort to achieve less. Backing the goal down gives me the breathing room that I need to both achieve the other items and my list, and to do them well.
It’s a great idea to push yourself. But, sometimes if you push yourself too hard, you will fail to meet the goal. Normally, that can be a good thing as it can drive you forward. But, if you’ve reached the point of being overwhelmed, feeling like you’re failing will only make it worse.
Remember, this is a crazy year. Frankly, every day feels more unbelievable than the last. Your job during this time is to keep things calm and on track.
When it comes to career, if you can, try to keep moving on your normal goals. There are many things you can do that don’t take much time. If you have extra time, you might want to update your LinkedIn profile. Or, you may want to revamp your resume. Or, you might want to attend a seminar virtually. It’s really interesting to see just how many conferences have moved online this year!
But, whatever you do, don’t do everything at once. And, if someone asks you what new hobbies you’ve learned or what new goals you’ve set, remember that it’s not a competition. A pandemic is not an opportunity to prove anything to anyone. It’s a time to stay physically healthy and mentally stable.
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 | Sep 15, 2020 | LinkedIn, Personal Brand, Podcast
Episode 208 is live! This week, we talk with Madison Yen in Denver, Colorado.
Madison is a photographer and brand strategist, and the CEO of her company, Madison Yen Photography.
On today’s episode, Madison shares:
- What are some of the dos and don’ts of our LinkedIn profile photo?
- How much does it cost, generally, to hire a professional photographer?
- Are photographers shooting photos during the pandemic?
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about Madison’s work, check out her website at madisonyen.com.
Thank YOU for listening! If you’ve enjoyed the show today, don’t forget to help me out. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts! When you subscribe, it helps to make the show easier for other job seekers to find the show!
by Angela Copeland | Sep 15, 2020 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter
If you’re like many people, you may be nervous about job searching right now. The market feels completely unstable. If you have a job, this doesn’t feel like the time to take a risk to switch. Although this is a very solid argument, I would encourage you to keep your eyes open. There are companies hiring and onboarding new employees during the pandemic.
Don’t get me wrong. Not all companies are actively hiring, and definitely not for every sort of job. But, many organizations have found that their workers can be productive from home. And, let’s face it. They need to keep running in order to stay afloat. The pandemic hasn’t completely stopped hiring.
If you search online, you’ll likely find less total jobs posted. But, it’s arguable that the jobs posted are more serious than those in the past. You’ve probably come across a job posting before for a company that isn’t completely sure they want to hire someone. But, they’re interviewing anyway – to see what’s out there. Companies are less likely to do that today. It’s too hard. Companies aren’t going to waste their time or yours unless they really are interested to find someone.
If you want to look for a job and you see something interesting, apply. With all the working from home you’re doing, interviewing will be less of a challenge. You’re not going to have to sneak out to take a phone call or to do a Zoom interview.
Companies are being more flexible right now about location too. They are more open to the idea of hiring out of town candidates. Some companies are now open to you working from home indefinitely.
In the event that you make it to the offer stage of a job interview, there’s one important thing to keep in mind. You need to research the company. You need to research them twice as much as you ever would have before. And, research the industry the company is in. Some industries have been hit harder than others.
When you research the company, you can learn how they are holding up in the face of the pandemic. Study their financials if you can find them online. Watch their stock price. Read about them in the news. This information will help you to make a decision.
Years ago, I interviewed at a very nice company that (once I did my homework) appeared to be financially unstable. This year, they closed their doors. If I had not researched them, I would not have known.
At the end of the day, if you’re interested to look, look. In a worst case scenario, you can turn down a job offer. But, if you have been thinking of looking, don’t assume companies aren’t hiring. Many are, despite everything going on. But, be sure to do your homework, so your decision will be a low risk one, based on solid research.
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
The letters WFH used to be mainly used by the tech industry. But, as work from home is becoming more common, so is the use of this important acronym. In the last six months, working from home has gone from an exception to a norm. But, if you’re like many employees, your company may be asking you to come back to work in person.
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