You’re Not Too Young

by Angela Copeland | Jan 10, 2023 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter

People often ask, “If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?” This is such a great question. It causes you to reflect on the past, and to think back about where your blind spots might have been. The idea is that if you had only known this one detail, your life path might have changed positively in some way.

If I were to go back in time, there is one piece of advice I would give myself, and I’ll share it with you: You’re not too young. You’re not too young to do that job. You’re not too young to manage people. You’re not too young to start a business.

Fortunately, I believed that having a lack of experience wasn’t a deal breaker. I often applied for jobs that I was technically underqualified for, because I knew that I could perform the role. I didn’t let the job description hinder my search.  But, this didn’t hold true when it came to my age.

On a few occasions, I was given incredible opportunities that I turned down because I assumed that I was too young. I assumed the person who was offering the opportunity didn’t understand that I wasn’t old enough to do those jobs. For example, when I was a senior in college, I interviewed for an engineering job at Motorola. I was looking for a full time job after graduation. One of the interviewers was so impressed that he asked me if I would consider a manager job. I immediately declined. There was no way I should be managing other people at twenty-one, or so I thought. I delayed managing people for six more years.

But, there was no reason not to try sooner. You don’t have to be a certain age to try things. Some of the people who are the best managers are those who started very young. They have so much more experience, and learned a lot early on. When you are young, people will give you a chance. They’ll forgive your mistakes. It is harder to get this sort of opportunity for the first time at an older age.

In the same way that I was scared, I have heard from many job seekers who also face this fear. They assume they are underqualified and will have no chance. Honestly, it makes sense. Job descriptions are an impossible wish list that includes many years of experience. In fact, I’ve never seen a job description for a manager role that doesn’t call for management experience.

Whether you want to become a manager, or whether you want to start a business, don’t assume you are too young. When you’re young, you have less to lose. You can try things, and if you fall down, there’s time to get back up. But, along the way, you’ll learn many valuable lessons and be better for it in the end.

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

Prepare for Your 2023 Job Search

by Angela Copeland | Jan 3, 2023 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter

It’s a new year, and a new opportunity to find the career that is meant for you. January is the perfect time to begin to set new goals, and look toward the future. So, what can you expect from 2023?

First and foremost, hiring is still happening. As seen on TV, there have been a number of layoffs in recent months. But, keep in mind that there are specific industries that are experiencing layoffs. And, only a small portion of employees are impacted. These layoffs do not mean that the entire job market is down. The United States unemployment rate in November was 3.7 percent. This shows that overall, the market is still strong.

A big focus of 2023 will be the diverse work options available. With the pandemic, many companies went fully remote. As time has gone by, some companies are asking employees to come back to the office full time. Other companies have created hybrid models that allow employees to come to the office a few days each week, and to work from home the remaining days. Employees will begin to seek out opportunities that align to their lifestyles. It is interesting to note that there are fewer work from home jobs being posted, and they are receiving a high volume of applicants. If you’re a hiring manager, you may want to keep this in mind.

Lifestyle will also continue to be a large focus in 2023. In the past two years, employees have prioritized health and quality of life more. There will continue to be an emphasis on work life balance. Employers will continue to test out new benefits, such as mental health days.

Wages will continue to rise during 2023. However, do not expect to see the large jumps we saw in the previous few years. If you are looking for a new job, do your research. Sites such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn will help you to understand what the current pay rate is for your role, in your industry.

When you are job searching in 2023, consider the industry that you are looking in. There are some sectors, such as financial services, travel, and government contracting that are seeing growth this year. There are other sectors such as tech that are less stable.

No matter what sort of job you’re pursuing, the time to get started is now. Do not sit and wait for a job to find you. Make your job search a priority. And, if you haven’t looked for a job in a few years, brace yourself. Things have changed. The online application process is a long one. It can be discouraging at times. You will apply to many jobs that you won’t hear back from at all. Know that this is normal now. It’s not you, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Hang in there. Keep moving forward, and you’ll find something in the New Year before you know 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.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach

Keep Looking Forward

by Angela Copeland | Dec 13, 2022 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter

When you’re riding a horse, there’s an important lesson about where you focus your energy. You need to keep your head up, and focused on where you want to go. If you look down, you may get stuck and ultimately, you may not make it to your intended destination. The same is true when looking for a job.

The modern job search comes with quite a few bumps in the road. It has happened to the best of us. You’re interviewing with one company. It seems like it’s going well. You receive positive feedback, so you stop looking for jobs. You wait for the job offer to arrive. But, at the end, you aren’t selected.

This happened to me when interviewing for a job at a financial services company. They put me through ten rounds of interviews over a six month period. After going in person for interviews, the hiring manager let me know that I was the one he’d selected. But, he wanted me to talk with a few more people, which elongated the process by a month or more. This was an unusual request given how far along we were, but I did the interviews. Since I knew I’d been selected, I began to pack my things. The job was in another city, and I needed to prepare to move.

Strangely, that job offer never arrived. Instead, I received a phone call from the hiring manager. He told me he had good news and bad news. I was the winning candidate. But, they had decided not to hire anyone in order to save money.  I could tell by the lightness in the hiring manager’s tone that he had no idea what an impact this decision had on me. He wasn’t thinking about the months it would take me to find another job. He had no idea I’d already packed, or that I’d stopped applying at other companies. In his mind, it was as if he’d changed his mind about ordering a dessert after dinner. But for me, it was devastating news.

What could I have done differently here? Well, for one, the lesson is to never stop applying for jobs until you have a written job offer in hand. Until that point, anything could happen. The company could choose to hire someone else, or to hire no one at all.

Second, you should try to go through job interviews without thinking about the outcome. When you focus on the outcome, you will be extremely disappointed by all the rejection. It will begin to feel as if something is wrong with you. But, that’s not true. The modern hiring process is broken.

And, don’t get too excited just because you’re a perfect fit for a role. Someone else may be a perfect fit too.

So, stay focused. Keep your eyes on the end goal. When you reach it, you’ll know. Until then, keep looking forward.

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