Loving Your Job
Have you asked friends how they’re doing at work lately? Many people are feeling scared. The national news is filled with headlines about layoffs and an unstable economy. Unlike before, the layoffs no longer feel small and isolated. Big companies that we all know are laying off hundreds, if not thousands, of workers. Many are being laid off with little or no notice. The unemployment rate remains low, and there continue to be job postings. But, the state of the economy feels very uncertain. After three years of instability, people feel fear. It’s just that plain and simple.
This time of year, I often discuss the importance of having a job you love. You spend so much time at work that it is important to do work that is meaningful to you. It’s important to do work you can feel good about. This is all true. That said, there are also times you’re happy just to have a job. For many people, this is that point in time. If you’re feeling this way, what can you do?
Very often, how we feel at work isn’t really about the work we’re doing. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that people don’t quit companies. They quit managers. And, that’s the truth. Sometimes, workers will leave for a better salary. But, they wouldn’t have been looking if they hadn’t been unhappy.
If you are in a situation that feels tough, look around you. One way to combat unhappiness at work is to find a work friend. It sounds silly at first, but it works. Having someone to talk to about what’s going on in the office can create a support structure that is otherwise lacking. It can give you a sounding board on hard days. It can give you another reason to come to work and put your best foot forward when you’re not feeling it. It can give you one person you can trust and count on.
In most situations, finding a work friend is easier than finding a new job. And, if switching jobs during an uncertain economic period is more of a risk than you’d like to take, it’s time to build up the support system at your existing job.
If you’re lucky enough to have a work friend or two, don’t discount how important they are in your life. They are your buffer that will help you make it through tough times. They’ll help you to love days that might otherwise be unbearable. They’ll have your back, and shelter you from the storm happening in other areas of the company. Cherish those people. They’re special. They’re the ones you may even work with again in the future – at another company.
As always, if you have a new opportunity on the horizon, go for it. But, if you need to keep things steady, focus on friendships. Focus on the people who help you to love your job a little bit more.
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 Stories We Tell Ourselves
Interviewing for jobs is hard. Getting an interview is hard. This is especially true when you don’t know someone already at the company where you’re applying. Through the process of automated email rejections to our job applications, we try to make sense of it all. It’s human nature to try to piece together what we can’t see. It helps us to feel more in control. It helps to try to perform better the next time, if only we understood what went wrong now.
When I hear from job seekers, they are almost always beat down. It’s a lot like dating. The entire process can be rough until you find the one person you happen to click with. Until that point, the experience is a sea of rejections and unanswered questions. When you ask a job seeker why they weren’t hired, you’ll hear common themes. “I didn’t meet the minimum number of years of experience required.” “I’ve never worked in that industry before.” “They weren’t impressed with my job history.”
What is interesting is what comes next. If you ask the same jobseeker how they received this feedback, they didn’t. Very often, they never got a job interview. But, because the job description was so extensive, it’s easy to find a spot where their experience didn’t align to the job posting. That’s right. They deducted that they weren’t a match based on what they know about the role.
The problem is, this logic is flawed. Don’t get me wrong. The job seeker could be correct. But, more than likely, a human never saw their job application at all. Unfortunately, the system of applying online is flawed. And, beyond that, online job postings allow hundreds of people to apply to a single posting with just a few clicks.
Sadly, job searching has evolved into a numbers game. In order to find a new job, I suggest job seekers try to set a goal to apply to 100 jobs. The number seems high, but it’s about increasing your odds. The more applications you put in (for roles you’re a fit for), the more likely you are to get an interview. The more often you have a friend refer you to a role who already works at the company, the more likely you are to get an interview. The more often you email the hiring manager directly, the more likely you are to get an interview.
Getting an interview is key. If you don’t speak to a human, it’s possible a human never saw your resume. That’s why applying to so many jobs is important. And, that’s why going the extra mile by tapping your network is important. Set goals, and stick to them. When you are rejected, try to accept that a large part of the problem is the system. Every rejection should not be taken as a personal attack, but as a message to keep applying to other opportunities.
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’re Not Too Young
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
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
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
Copeland Coaching Podcast
You must be logged in to post a comment.