Featured Job: Director @ Target
Target is seeking a Director of Engineering in San Francisco, CA.
You will set the technical vision for the team and lead a group of high caliber engineering talent as well as support our industry leading smart device concept store (aka Open House). You will determine the relevant technology solution related to platforms and products that are highly interconnected with smart devices. The key to the success of this position is having strong & innovative approach to problem solving, great technical leadership, excellent communication (written and verbal, formal and informal), flexibility, and a self-motivated working style with attention to detail.
To learn more, or to apply online, visit the Target website.
How long should your job search really take?
One of the number one (if not THE number one) complaints job seekers have is how long it really takes to find a new job. So, what’s a reasonable expectation?
It’s not uncommon for me to meet a new job seeker who is looking to change careers completely. They’ve got to rebrand themselves, update their resume, make new networking contacts, and interview for and land a new job. When I ask when they’d like to have a new job, they casually say, “I’m thinking about four weeks from now.”
Does this sound reasonable? Well, it depends. Many people land jobs when they aren’t expecting them. They seem to drop out of the air when a family friend suggests you come work for him, or an old boss calls up to check in.
Unfortunately, these jobs that drop out of the air don’t always match our expectations. They can leave us feeling unhappy at work. When we are actively job seeking, it’s often because we want to find something new and different — a job we actually like.
I think of the entire process a little like buying a car. Many years ago, before I went to graduate school, I was in the market for a new car. It didn’t need to be fancy. It just needed to be reliable and get me from place to place. Finding the car took very little time and was a relatively pain free process.
Just a few years ago, I was in the market to buy a car again. This time, I wanted a specific kind of car: a sports car. I researched all the available models. I test drove them in multiple cities. I compared coupes to convertibles — with hard and soft tops. I even rented one for a week to see what I thought of driving it around with the top down. I graphed the depreciation over time. I got estimates on the price of car insurance. I researched the maintenance on the various cars.
When I finally decided on the kind of car I wanted, I set out to find the perfect one — nation wide. I looked at dealerships, on eBay, and on other car sites. Eventually, I narrowed it down to three cars. I hired a professional mechanic to inspect each car to be sure they were in good shape. Then, I began negotiations with the dealerships that had the cars. Once I picked my future car, I signed the paperwork and had the car shipped to me cross country.
This process that had taken just weeks the first time around had taken over a year the second time. But, I wanted more than a car that would take me from Point A to Point B. I wanted a special car; a specific car. And, in time, I found it.
This same rule applies to job seeking. When you graduate from college and are looking for your first job, it’s likely that you’re more flexible on your requirements. You’d accept a job anywhere, paying any amount of money, doing a large number of different job functions. You just need a job. You need experience, and you need to pay your rent.
But, over the years, you learn what you like and what you don’t. You become more specialized in your career. You want to be in a certain city, or region. You have a family to support, so you need a certain level of income. You want a boss with a certain leadership style. You want a company whose values align to yours in some way.
The more specific you are in your job search, the fewer jobs there are that meet your criteria. A CEO job is a great example! For every company with thousands of employees, there’s just one CEO. Therefore, it takes much longer to find a CEO job than a job that reports to the CEO.
Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s great to know what you want. The more specific you are, often the happier you will be in your new job. But, it will also take longer to find. The chances that the perfect job will show up after just a few weeks of looking is slim. But, if you stick with your search, the right job will come along in time.
Here’s a graphic I designed a few years ago to share with my clients on how to think about the time it takes to get a job. As you can see, the more requirements you have, the longer it takes. The more flexible you are, the faster it is to find a job.
Keep this graph in mind to keep your expectations in check. It will help to lower your frustration level, and keep you moving forward with your search!
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 Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
Featured Job: PM @ Equifax
Equifax is seeking a Project Manager in Alpharetta, GA.
Responsible for management of the entire project lifecycle from project definition through implementation. Develop project plan, drive project milestones and employ project management methodologies and tools and lead cross-functional subject matter experts to ensure project success.
To learn more, or to apply online, visit the Equifax website.
Featured Job: CTO @ Teradata
Teradata is seeking a Chief Technology Officer in San Diego, CA.
UDA consists of industry leading Big Data technologies including Hadoop, Aster and Teradata platforms, as well as new and innovative software applications such as QueryGrid and Data Listener. UDA technologies are built to be cloud-ready and able to run in cloud, dedicated/private and hybrid environments.
The CTO will act as a technology visionary, conceptualising and executing on a long-term vision towards data-centric platform development, responsible for technology selection and direction across the UDA group.
To learn more, or to apply online, visit the Teradata website.
Featured Job: Director @ Harvard
Harvard is seeking a Director of Operations – Men’s Basketball in Boston, MA.
Under the direction of Head Coach Tommy Amaker, this position manages all aspects of running the operations of Harvard’s Men’s Varsity Basketball program. The position plays a key role in supporting the program as well as Coach Amaker.
You will manage and oversee the daily operations of the Men’s Basketball program, including developing and implementing plans and strategies affecting all aspects of running the program; marketing games and events; achieving and building ticket sales to generate revenue and promote audience participation, and ensure the appropriate and timely release of media and other communications about the program.
You will manage and oversee the program’s annual budget (excluding salaries), including seeking appropriate cost efficiencies. You will resolve problems, including budget discrepancies, travel and staffing issues, and scheduling conflicts. You will be the primary contact for external organizations and vendors. You will manage awards programs for student-athletes. You will also develop and implement an effective community relations strategy. You will also assist with alumni relations and development (fundraising). Primary liaison with administrative functions within Athletics, including Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Equipment Operations, Travel, Compliance, Facilities.
To learn more, or to apply online, visit the Harvard website.
Featured Job: Director @ Pampered Chef
Pampered Chef is seeking a Director of Customer Solutions in Addison, IL.
We provide world-class service to our independent consultants and customers, fielding questions and concerns through calls, email, and live chat. Problems are no problem for us; we’ve got the skills and expertise to make every person feel valued, no matter why they reached out in the first place.
As the Director of Customer Solutions you’ll…
- Direct the operations of the Customer Solutions team which supports Pampered Chef’s North American independent consultants and customers
- Ensure that everyone who contacts the team receives the best possible service experience
- Look for new ways to push the team to improve service experience by challenging the status quo
- Help create the vision for what Customer Solutions means for Pampered Chef
- Advocate and represent the voice of the customer throughout the organization
- Lead and mentor the Customer Solutions team of approximately 70 coworkers, team leads, and managers
- Monitor quality and performance metrics and take action to ensure effective attainment of Pampered Chef’s customer satisfaction measurements including actively benchmarking service and costs to ensure effectiveness of the center
- Review current and proposed business initiatives to determine and plan for likely impact on the department (e.g. increased call or email volume, need for additional support, etc.)
- Develop operating and capital budgets needed to provide cost-effective service in customer solutions
To learn more, or to apply online, visit the Pampered Chef website.
Featured Job: President @ Kitsap Sun
Kitsap Sun (part of Gannett) is seeking a President in Seattle, WA.
Gannett seeks a President for the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton, WA. The President is responsible for the strategic, financial and operational success of the Kitsap Sun. The primary focus is to drive sales performance to exceed goals and represent the community by building strategic partnerships that improve position in the market place. This is accomplished in part through effective change leadership within a highly consolidated and matrix organizational structure, a strong customer-first focus and by having a firm understanding of the changing digital-media landscape and the opportunities and impacts to our business. The successful President will hire and hold employees accountable for business results and establish a performance-oriented world class sales culture focused on winning. The four key responsibility areas are sales execution and leadership; market strategy and collaboration; achieving a culture of success; and community leadership and engagement. The ideal candidate will have a record of delivering results in both “traditional” and “new” media environments, and deeply understand digital advertising and marketing. The position is located at the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton and reports to the Regional President located in AZ. Kitsap Sun products include: the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, three weeklies and an outdoors guide and dining guide magazines.
To learn more, or to apply online, visit the Kitsap Sun website.
Featured Job: Program Manager @ UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley is seeking a Program Manager for the Center for Global Public Health in Berkeley, CA.
Responsibilities
• Plan, manage and ensure successful implementation of Center-wide research and education activities–including symposia, seminars, student competitions, and other special events. Coordinate all aspects of the CGPH global health fellowship program and the SPH global health specialty area, working closely with campus departments, students, and faculty. Support development of global health curriculum for online initiatives and contribute to CGPH communication efforts.
• Provide project support for the development of a joint UCB-UCSF global health research agenda. Collect, analyze and organize information on potential priority areas; coordinate and support meetings to promote faculty engagement; investigate policies/procedures; and manage correspondence.
• Investigate opportunities and draft portions of scientific grants, program proposals, reports, and briefings for conferences, meetings, and development activities to further the strategic direction of UC Berkeley global health.
• Coordinate CGPH communications and outreach, including developing print materials, and drafting content for the web, social media and news media. Maintain email lists and databases. Supervise work study students to provide regular updates to the CGPH website.
• Conduct analyses to support financial management and reporting, academic program review, and systems and resource projects. Conduct post-implementation analysis of projects to determine the need for further enhancements, finer distinctions and/or additional process/policy components.
To learn more, or to apply online, visit the UC Berkeley website.
Whatever you do, don’t quit!
We’ve all been there. Your boss doesn’t appreciate you. Your coworkers are rude. You’re underpaid and getting no respect. The last thing you want to do is spend one more day at that awful place you call work.
You’ve had enough for too long, and you’re finally ready to make a decision. Quitting seems like a great option. It’s the only option. It makes perfect sense. They couldn’t pay you enough to stay.
Quitting will give you more time to look for a new job. Every future employer you interview with will understand. You were working for morons. Moving on was the only decision possible.
In the moment, this sounds right. I’m completely empathetic to this issue, especially when you’re being pushed to the limit on a daily basis. But, is there something more you should consider? For example, how would a future employer know that you really quit, and weren’t actually fired? In reality, they probably wouldn’t know without a bit of investigation.
Think about it. What would you say if you were fired? You might say, “We both decided it would be best if we parted ways.” That’s the same type of language you might use if you quit. This means that a future employer may jump to incorrect conclusions about you. They could easily (and logically) assume you were terminated from your last job. This may cause them to overlook you for opportunities, scrutinize your background, and generally be hesitant to hire you.
Another downside to quitting with no job is you never know how long it will take to find another job. Even if you’re a top performer with very rare skills, a job must be available in order for you to be hired. In some cases, it can take six months or more to find the right opportunity. This length of time can create quite a dent in your emergency savings.
On top of this, your future employer may not buy your story about your current terrible work environment. Despite how crazy things really are, your future employer will be left guessing whether there was a problem, or whether you are the problem. By waiting to quit until you already have a job, you can avoid going into detail about your current negative situation.
If you did quit, you’d also be surprised at how hard is it to job search all day when you have lost all of your structure and the corporate identity you established for yourself. You would likely spend a good bit of time worrying about money and fielding questions from loved ones who don’t understand.
The saying, “it’s easier to find a job when you have a job” is very true. If you can hold out until you find another job to quit, your path will be easier and less stressful. Don’t get me wrong. In a situation that is truly abusive, you shouldn’t stick around for any length of time. But, in every other case, whatever you do, don’t quit!
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
Featured Job: Director @ Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is seeking a Director of Project Management – Americas in New Brunswick, NJ.
The Director, Project Management is responsible for the overall direction, coordination, implementation, execution, control and completion of major capital projects (local and/or global) ensuring consistency with business strategy, commitments and goals. This includes defining, identifying and securing appropriate internal and external resources and coordinating the efforts of team members and third-party contractors or consultants in order to deliver projects according to plan.
Business Impact -Deliver on regional business objectives that result in fulfillment of company goals through Project and Program Management to establish, enable and attain company goals and objectives. Work Direction -Lead regional, local, and/or global cross functional teams to ensure successful projects and programs to achieve business goals in technology/science. Originates programs and defines strategies and recommendations for improving processes.
To learn more, or to apply online, visit the Johnson & Johnson website.
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