Don’t forget to say thank you
How many times have you heard the phrase “don’t forget to say thank you”? When we were children, adults reiterated this phrase over and over again. Yet, somehow, as adults, we are forgetting this simple lesson.
The Wall Street Journal recently cited a poll that found of employers surveyed, 75% complained that job applicants didn’t send thank you notes after an interview. In addition to the after interview thank you notes, I have seen this trend inside cover letters. We are increasingly leaving out the thank you at the bottom of our cover letters.
The crazy thing is, a thank you is essentially free to give. It doesn’t require going back to school or paying for some expensive certification. It’s a simple acknowledgement of someone’s time and consideration.
But, given that we all mean well, I have to think that this trend is not intentional. It has to be connected back to how busy we all are, and how blurry the lines have become about social rules. We focus on being the most qualified candidate rather than the easiest to get along with. Yet, we know that hiring managers are people too. And, their decisions are often based on the little things, like first impressions.
Given the importance and the simplicity of the thank you, here are a few guidelines.
First, include a thank you in your cover letter. For example, near the end, you could say, “Thank you for taking the time to review my request.” This thank you is important because the hiring manager is very possibly reviewing hundreds of applications.
Then, as you correspond with the hiring manager, the human resources representative, or anyone else from the company, be sure to close all communications with a thank you. “Thank you for your help” or a simple “thank you” at the end of emails works great.
In person, thank the hiring manager for inviting you to interview. Thank them for their time.
After the interview, do two things. First, send electronic thank you notes by email. These are short emails sent to each person you interviewed with – thanking them for meeting with you. This can be a great place to mention something specific that you discussed with the interviewer.
Then, follow up with a hand written thank you note to each person. I know it sounds old fashioned, but it works. And, it’s cheap. Include a personal message for each person, and drop in your business card. It helps to remind them about who you are.
Sending a thank you note and a thank you email after an interview may sound redundant. But, think of it this way. The hand written note is the most powerful one, but it may get lost or take a while. The e-mail is the sure fire way to ensure the hiring manager hears from you before they make a decision.
The best news is, with so few people sending thank you notes, this simple gesture will make you stand ahead of the pack.
Angela Copeland is a Career Coach and Founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
132 | How to be a Digital Nomad – Tamara Murray, United States
Episode 132 is live! This week, we talk with Tamara Murray.
Tamara is a digital nomad who runs my own one-woman communications firm, Well-Rounded Communications, while traveling full-time for the past two and a half years. Tamara is also the author of the book Awesome Supervisory Skills: Seven Lessons for Young, First Time Managers.
On today’s episode, Tamara shares what it means to be a digital nomad, the pros and cons to being a digital nomad, and the misconceptions. She also discusses the topic of remote working and work from home.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about Tamara and her company, visit her website at www.wellroundedcommunications.com. To follow her travels online, visit her travel site www.nomadswithavan.com. And, to get a copy of her book, visit Amazon here.
Thanks to everyone for listening! And, thank you to those who sent me questions. You can send your questions to Angela@CopelandCoaching.com. You can also send me questions via Twitter. I’m @CopelandCoach. And, on Facebook, I am Copeland Coaching.
Don’t forget to help me out. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave me a review!
How important is timing to my job search?
One of the quickest ways to stand out from the crowd is one of the easiest. And, unfortunately, it can make you look very good or incredibly bad. The concept I’m referring to is timing. Your timing can have a huge impact on your outcome on multiple fronts professionally.
I learned this lesson the hard way. As a senior in college, I was rapidly applying to many potential jobs. An amazing one came across my desk that was perfect. I would have been the person who designs the way a website looks – to make it user friendly.
In some job interviews, the employer will give you a test. This exam was to build an entire website from scratch. It was a huge task, but it gave them a sense for your skill set.
At the same time, I was offered the chance to be an extra in a well-known movie. I had never done anything like that before and the 21-year-old me just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I contacted the employer and asked for just a few extra days to participate. They were very understanding and agreed to extend my deadline by a few days.
When the movie was over, I worked furiously to build the perfect site. It was an instructional guide about photography and contained beautiful photos. I proudly submitted my new website by the agreed-upon date. I received a friendly note back from the hiring manager. It read something like this: “Thank you for taking the time to build this website. It looks wonderful! In fact, even better than the person we already hired.”
I could not believe it. The company didn’t even give me a chance to submit my homework by the new agreed-upon date. And, they selected a less-qualified candidate just because they had been faster.
This experience taught me a valuable lesson. When it comes to the job market, timing is everything. The first place to keep it in mind is the application. You should apply quickly when you see a job posted. Apply within 24 hours of when you find it. Companies often want to select a handful of candidates and may miss later additions.
This policy also applies to email. At a minimum, you should respond to all emails within 24 hours. Did you know that many people actually expect a response within hours if not minutes? If you don’t know the answer to a question, send an email letting the person know their email was received and that you’re following up on it.
When it comes to business meetings or interviews, being on time can also impact your success. To ensure you arrive right on time, try locating the building the night before. Build in a few minutes extra, in case of traffic. But whatever you do, don’t be too early and definitely don’t be late.
As you can imagine, timing is an important part of any job search. Paying attention to timing ensures you have the highest chances of putting your best foot 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
Finding Your First Job
You’ve made it through four years of college. Now what? Getting your first job after graduation can feel like a daunting task. We have such high hopes of finding the perfect career quickly and easily – until we hit a wall. Based on a recent piece by the Wall Street Journal, many college graduates can relate.
The National Association of Colleges and Employees reports that companies plan to hire 5% more young workers this year than last year. This sounds like a great forecast. It makes you wonder what’s going on that’s impacting new graduates.
It seems there’s a mismatch of what companies are looking for and what applicants have to offer. Approximately thirty percent of applications aren’t meeting the minimum requirements for entry level jobs. To compound the issue, some jobs require higher level minimum requirements than are really needed to perform the job. This means that companies aren’t able to find the candidates they want. And, young job seekers are left without jobs.
In addition, ninety percent of college seniors believed their interviewing skills were strong. This was a stark contrast to the perceptions of hiring managers.
What’s a young person to do? First, know that finding your first job can be tough, no matter what you studied. Decide that you’re going to commit to your job search in the same way you committed to college. It’s a process that takes hard work, time, and dedication.
But, don’t assume your college degree along is enough to land a job. Do everything you can to grow your skills and increase your work experience. Search for internships, paid or unpaid. Volunteer your services for nonprofits that will allow you to grow your marketable skills. Target opportunities that will help you to beef up your resume, not just your pocketbook.
If your college has a career center, this is a good time to get to know them better. Get help with your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile. Give your elevator pitch to anyone who will listen. Write out answers to common interview questions and review them. In other words, prepare and practice, practice, practice.
When you search for a new job, don’t rely on the internet to serve up your next opportunity. Betting that the company will call you after you apply online rarely works. Network as much as you can. If possible, contact the hiring manager directly to express your interest.
Last, but not least – take a little pressure of yourself. When you first take a new job, it can be tough to know if it’s a good job for one year or for your entire career. Only real work experience can help to give you this information. Don’t feel like you have to find the perfect job for your first try. Look for a good job that you find exciting and that you’ll be proud to put on your resume.
If you stick to these principles and treat job searching as a job, you’ll land yours faster.
Angela Copeland is a Career Coach and Founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
131 | Finding a Great Job – Larry Smith, Ontario, Canada
Episode 131 is live! This week, we talk with Larry Smith in Ontario, Canada.
Larry is a professor of economics at the University of Waterloo in Canada where he coaches his students to find careers that they will truly love. In 2011, Larry presented a TED Talk titled “Why you will fail to have a great career” that has received over 5 million views. He also authored No Fears, No Excuses: What You Need to Do to Have a Great Career.
On today’s episode, Larry shares the secret to surviving in today’s job marketing, and to finding a truly great career. He also shares the reasons why you may fail to find yours.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
Thanks to everyone for listening! And, thank you to those who sent me questions. You can send your questions to Angela@CopelandCoaching.com. You can also send me questions via Twitter. I’m @CopelandCoach. And, on Facebook, I am Copeland Coaching.
Don’t forget to help me out. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave me a review!
How much money should you make?
First and foremost, money isn’t everything. And, if it’s not your primary driver, that’s okay. You job search should be about finding an opportunity that’s a good fit and that aligns to your personal values and goals.
However, if you’re like me, you want to be paid fairly compared to your peers. And, you want to save for your future. There’s a difference between wanting to make a lot of money, and wanting to not have to worry about money every day. Don’t you agree?
So, let’s think about a decision that comes up very often during our job search. And, before I get too far – let me say this. I’m going to use some simple math that does not account for things like inflation. It’s not going to be as accurate as an estimate that you could make using Excel or another tool. But, I think this simple model will be helpful.
Okay, back to the common decision. We’re searching for a job that’s in a new field. We receive a job offer and are faced with the decision of whether or not to accept less money than we currently make.
Less money! Oh no! That’s typically not our goal when we start a job search. But, when we switch fields, it’s not uncommon to find ourselves with a lower paying job offer.
So, now what?
Well, first, let’s do some simple math. Here’s an example.
Let’s say that Jerry makes $70K today at Acme Company. Jerry is 30 years old. He plans to work until he’s 65.
Jerry landed a job offer at Baker Company that pays $60K. He plans to stay at the job for 5 years before looking for a better paying job. He wants to get some experience first. Jerry takes the job. In 5 years, Jerry applies for a new job and gets an offer at Carter Company that is a big raise — $10K more than what he is making at Baker Company. It’s for $70K.
So, for the 5 years that Jerry spent at Baker Company, he made $10K less per year than he made at Acme Company. In total, it was $50K less over the 5 years. Then, he went to Carter Company and began to make what he previously made at Acme Company.
Current Salary New Salary 5 Years
$70K –> $60K –> $70K
$50K less over 5 years
Now, let’s look at another example. Let’s say that Jerry makes $70K today at Acme Company. Jerry is 30 years old. He plans to work until he’s 65.
Jerry landed a job offer at Davidson Company that pays $80K. He plans to stay at the job for 5 years before looking for a better paying job. He wants to get some experience first. Jerry takes the job. In 5 years, Jerry applies for a new job and gets an offer at Edison Company that is a big raise $10K more than what is making at Davidson Company. It’s for $90K.
So, for the 5 years that Jerry spent at Davidson Company, he made $10K more per year than he made at Acme Company. In total, it was $50K more over the 5 years. Then, he went to Edison Company and began to make $20K more than he previously made at Acme Company.
Current Salary New Salary 5 Years
$70K –> $80K –> $90K
$50K more over 5 years
Now, let’s compare the two scenarios. In the first scenario, Jerry is making $70K at the end of 5 years. In the second scenario, Jerry is making $90K at the end of 5 years.
So, instead of a small investment, of time, Jerry has actually forfeited $20K per year beginning in year 5. Considering that future salaries are often based on past salaries, this decision could easily follow Jerry around for the lifetime of his career.
If his salary remained flat from age 35 to 65, the projected difference would be $20K per year, or $600K over the next 30 years. Wow, that’s a big difference for what seems like a small decision!
So, what should Jerry do? Should he take the first offer with Baker Company? Or, should he hold out for the job at Davidson Company?
This is where things get tough. The thing is, we don’t know anything more about Jerry’s situation here than the numbers. Here are some things we might want to keep in mind.
How much has Jerry saved for his retirement already? What’s his overall retirement savings goal and will he meet that goal with either job?
How old is Jerry? In this scenario, Jerry is 30. But, if he were younger or older, we might adjust our choices.
Is Jerry over the moon happy about the job that pays less? Is it everything he’s ever wanted, but has never had? Or, is he lukewarm about the entire situation? If Jerry plans to take a big pay cut, he should definitely like the job.
If Jerry is over the moon about the job, does it really require a pay cut? Very often, we assume that moving to a new industry requires us to start over completely from a salary perspective. Sometimes, that’s true. But, sometimes, it’s not. It’s important to fully understand Jerry’s worth in a new role before making this choice.
In summary, money isn’t everything. But, it is something. It’s an important factor to consider in our job choices. The decision we make today will have a long lasting impact on our futures.
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
You weren’t picked. Now what?
Being overlooked for a job is the worst. It’s especially bad after you’ve had a series of interviews. You took off work (multiple times), bought a new suit, and updated your resume. How could they reject you after all of that hard work?
First, I’m with you. It’s pretty awful when a company puts you through the ringer, just to toss you aside in the end. Sometimes they don’t even notify you. They aren’t shopping for a new pair of shoes. You’re a person.
So, what are you going to do now that you’ve been rejected? If you’re like most people, you are going to stay as far away from the company as possible. It’s like a bad breakup. They rejected you. Clearly, they didn’t want you. Why would you want to pour salt in those wounds?
This is totally reasonable. But, what if we chose to see the situation from a different perspective? What if it wasn’t a complete rejection? Just maybe, hiring could have been put on hold. Another candidate could have been preselected. Your salary history could have been a bit high for the role. Or, perhaps the hiring manager felt you were overqualified for the job. Often, we don’t know what the real reason was. We make assumptions; assumptions that the company didn’t like us.
What if we decided not to take it personally? What if we looked at the interviews as the start of a longer conversation?
If we did this, we would probably reach back out to the hiring manager in the future. We’d keep an eye on new jobs in the same department. And, we might even meet up with someone from the team every now and then for a coffee.
What’s the worst that could happen? The hiring manager might get to know you better. They might really like you. And, they might call you the next time they’re hiring. In fact, they might call you before the position is posted online.
But, this approach takes two things. First, it requires you to separate yourself from the rejection of not being selected the first time around. You have to be confident enough in your skills to say, “This wasn’t the right fit this time” instead of, “this will never work.” Second, it takes longer. It requires you to put in more time. It’s not an immediate answer, and it could even take years to build a relationship with the company that rejected you.
I’d argue that it’s worth it. If you take this approach across the board, you will grow your network more than you can imagine. Instead of searching for a new job, jobs begin to come to you. Hiring managers will call you when you are a good fit. They will call when they can pay you enough and when they have a job that really meets your skills.
But, it requires looking at things differently when you’re not picked. So, what’s your next move – complete rejection or conversation starter?
Angela Copeland is a Career Coach and Founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
130 | Being on a Board – Lisa Skeete Tatum, New York, NY
Episode 130 is live! This week, we talk with Lisa Skeete Tatum in New York, New York.
Lisa is the Founder and CEO of Landit, the personalized playbook for women seeking to move their career forward. Lisa was previously a General Partner at Cardinal Partners, and held leadership positions at Proctor & Gamble. She holds a BS in engineering from Cornell University and a MBA from Harvard University.
On today’s episode, Lisa shares how to create a personal board of directors, and how to land a board position at a non-profit, or a for-profit. She also shares her career app, Landit.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
Thanks to everyone for listening! And, thank you to those who sent me questions. You can send your questions to Angela@CopelandCoaching.com. You can also send me questions via Twitter. I’m @CopelandCoach. And, on Facebook, I am Copeland Coaching. Don’t forget to help me out. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave me a review!
You’re making yourself look old. And, you don’t even know it.
Today, I want to share with you a column I wrote in 2015 for my Career Corner Column. It’s been two years since it was first published, but the message still holds true today. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
There’s something you may be doing every day that’s making you look old. And you probably have no idea what it is. It’s not your clothes, your hairstyle or the AOL email address you’re using (although those aren’t helping either).
What you’re doing is subtle, and worst of all, it’s what you were taught in school. How could someone teach you to do something incorrectly? Times have changed, possibly without you.
Before I get on a high horse, let me share – I learned this lesson the hard way. I want to keep you from learning it the hard way too. Because it’s possible nobody else will point it out to you. They’ll just talk about you when you’re not around or wonder to themselves about your intelligence.
This sounds like a big deal, doesn’t it?
This is how I learned my lesson the hard way. When I wrote my book, Breaking The Rules & Getting The Job, I used an editor who read the draft pages in detail. When she finished, I asked for feedback on my writing style. She said something I never expected to hear. “The one thing you need to stop doing is using two spaces after your periods.”
Wait, what? Nothing about my writing style? Two periods instead of one? But, teachers in school drilled two spaces into my head. “This must be a minor creative difference,” I thought. I left the e-book with double spaces and never looked back.
About six months later, I met with another group of editors who review my newspaper column. I asked the same question.
One editor cringed. He said, “Your writing style is good. But, there’s one thing that would be great if you could stop doing. You use two periods at the ends of your sentences. We always delete them.”
This stopped me in my tracks. How in the world was this a thing? How was it a big deal? How was it a pet peeve of writers? Where did I go wrong?
From the best I can gather, using two spaces was taught for years in school. At some point, the standard changed and one space became the norm. Unless you write for a living, you probably weren’t told about the change.
Simply put – your two spaces are dating you. I suspect you’re like me and don’t know. Anytime I tell a client about this standard, they’re always surprised.
Recently, I read an article that began, “Can I let you in on a secret? Typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong.” The author goes on to say, “What galls me about two-spacers is…”
What I’m getting at is one space versus two spaces is apparently a controversial issue. And, we’re all being judged. If you’re out there applying for jobs, take my advice: Switch to one space. Don’t overthink it. Just do it. After some practice, it will become more natural. And you’ll look that much better, and younger, in job interviews.
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
The Limits of Loyalty
Loyalty is an important quality. It’s what helps bind friendships and loved ones. It’s what holds teams together. But, dare I say it – there are limits to loyalty.
Many of us were taught to be loyal to our companies. To some degree, this makes a lot of sense. We should all be truthful. We should keep trade secrets private. And, we should put in an honest day’s work when we’re there. We have a duty to be great employees each and every day.
In the past, loyalty at work also brought with it a number of great rewards. We could count on having a job every day. Job security was more of a given. Very often, hard work and commitment resulted in promotions and more money. And, years of service guaranteed a comfortable retirement. Putting the company’s needs first meant putting our own needs first to some degree.
But, times have changed. Without putting blame on one side or another, it’s fair to acknowledge that things are different in many modern workplaces. It’s no longer unusual for a company to restructure and cut an entire department – with no notice. It’s also not unusual for a company to look for outside talent to save the day when things are going wrong.
This new climate puts us at an increased risk of losing our job sometime during our career – no matter how great of an employee we may be. It also means the chances go up that we could be overlooked for an internal promotion. And, with the effort companies are putting into recruiting external talent, it means that we may also be overlooked for a pay raise along the way.
So, what can we do about this new environment? Well, first, keep being a great employee each and every day. You are your own personal brand. You don’t want to be any less of a good employee just because times have changed and you are adjusting your ideas on loyalty.
Second, focus on your long term goals. Where do you want to be in five years? Where do you want to be in ten?
As you work to achieve your goals, observe whether or not your company is supporting those goals. If you are being overlooked for promotions and raises, pay attention. The company is sending a signal. For whatever reason, they are not aligned to your goals. Your future success is dependent upon your acceptance of this unfortunate fact.
Expand your network and begin searching for a company that does align to your personal goals. When you switch companies, you have a chance to renegotiate your salary and your title. Instead of getting a two percent raise this year, what if you could have a ten percent raise (or more)?
At the end of the day, keep yourself and your future in mind. Don’t sacrifice yourself because you want to be loyal to an organization. If the organization needed to save money, their own loyalty would become much more optional.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
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