by Angela Copeland | Apr 11, 2017 | Advice, Company Culture, Podcast
Episode 128 is live! This week, we talk with Jennifer Garrison in Houston, TX.
Jennifer is the Director of Human Resources at Elite SEM. Elite SEM is a New York based digital marketing agency. They have received a number of awards for their business, including: Ad Age – Small Agency of the Year, US Search Awards – Best Search Agency, Mashable – #1 Best Tech Company To Work For, Crain’s New York Business – #1 Place To Work, Entrepreneur – Best Company Culture, and Bing – Independent Agency of the Year. They were also recognized by the Inc. 5000 for year over year as one of the fastest growing search engine marketing agencies in the country.
On today’s episode, Jennifer shares her tips on finding and cultivating a great company culture. She also provides suggestions on how to land an internal promotion at your current company.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about Jennifer and Elite SEM, check out the Elite SEM website at www.elitesem.com.
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!
by Angela Copeland | Apr 5, 2017 | Advice, Career Corner Column
In the business world, things move fast. You write a business proposal, seek approval, and move on to your next project. Efficiency is key in business. Move fast. Waste little time. Produce as much output as possible.
I recently had a wonderful opportunity to share my personal career story at a TEDx event in Worthington Ohio. Giving a TEDx Talk was a huge honor, but also a big responsibility. I wanted to be prepared. And, not the kind of prepared that I’ve been in the past when I’ve delivered some sort of PowerPoint presentation I whipped up for an executive meeting.
But, what does being prepared for something like TED mean? Fortunately, I had a great team of folks around me to serve as advisors, including a professional speaking coach, a professional speech writer, and a great TEDx team. I honestly couldn’t have felt more proud to have such a great group working with me that I could put my trust in.
What I quickly found was that preparing for a fifteen minute memorized talk was an entirely different animal all together. For the first time, I had a script. And, I didn’t just write the script once. I wrote and revised it ten times. Each time, the team would have feedback. Perhaps one word didn’t sound quite right. Or, maybe another sentence was needed to bridge two thoughts.
Then came practicing. Memorizing eight pages of text is not easy for anyone. That was the first giant hill to conquer. Once the memorization was under control, I focused on my delivery. Even tiny details like the regional pronunciation of words was on the table for discussion. I’ll be honest. At times, this level of commitment felt tough.
Then, one day, I bumped into a professional ballet dancer at the theatre where I was practicing. He was there, by himself, practicing his dance skills. You might think this was a sign that he had a big production just around the corner. But, it wasn’t. He was there practicing because he wanted to be his best at all times. He didn’t have a show around the corner. He had discipline.
It really hit home with me in that moment how hard actors and athletes work when we’re not looking. They are dedicated to be the best at one specific thing, for the fifteen minutes when we are watching. But, it’s not random that they’re at their best for those fifteen minutes. Hours of tiring practice have gone into that perfect moment; practice that nobody else sees.
This experience makes me wonder how much more effective, and efficient, we all might be as business leaders if we set aside a little more time to practice. Rather than planning to give a presentation once with no rehearsal, what if we took the time to hone our message? I hope to take my newfound respect for performers and athletes with me as I go back to my projects in the fast paced business world.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Apr 4, 2017 | Advice, Podcast, Relocation, Working Abroad
Episode 127 is live! This week, we talk with Greg Taff in Oslo, Norway.
Greg is a Research Scientist at the Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomy Research in Oslo, Norway. He conducts land use change research in northern areas, primarily in the Artic, great Scandinavia, and the Baltics. Greg’s specialties include GIS, remote sensing, and statistics.
On today’s episode, Greg shares his tips to moving abroad. He covers how to go about finding a job, the jobs easiest to land in other countries, and trips for your move. If you’ve dreamed of moving to another country, you need to hear this episode!
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about Greg’s work, check out the NIBIO website here: http://www.nibio.no/en.
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!
by Angela Copeland | Apr 3, 2017 | Advice, Newsletter
Spring is an exciting time. It’s finally warming up. New flowers are blooming. People all around us are a little happier.
It can be a good time to clean out a few rooms in your home. And, it can also be a great time to clean up your job search approach!
Where do you have the most opportunity to step up your job search game? Let’s start with the basics – YOUR RESUME. This is an area that we often put off until another time. Before you know it, your resume is a year (or maybe even five) out of date.
But, don’t wait to update your resume until you find a job to apply to. First, you won’t be fast enough. It will take you longer to apply for the job than you want. And, when it comes to applying for jobs, speed matters more than you might think.
Second, a resume crams an entire career of information onto one or two pages. If you put off updating it, you’ll forget important details that you definitely want to include.
Here are three tips to get you started:
- Don’t give away your age: One of the top concerns all job seekers have is their age. And, it makes sense. Age discrimination is a real thing! On your resume, there are a few things you can do to make your age a little less obvious to your future boss. First, if you have been in the workforce for a number of years, consider removing some of your early work experience — especially if the skills you gained show up in other places on your resume. Be sure that you’re using an up to date email address. Those AOL email addresses will date you every time. And, remove your graduation year from college. These minor changes can make a big difference in the age of your resume!
- Include your latest work experience: I know, I know — this sounds obvious. But, very often, we get so busy working that we forget to include what we’re currently doing on our resume. This can come back to bite us later, when we’ve forgotten the exact details. Try to quantify your results in terms of numbers. And, if you don’t have a role that’s tied to revenue, think about quantity and frequency. How many people did you manage? How many contracts did you review? How often did you work on a particular issue?
- Comb your resume for typos: This one sounds obvious too. It’s so obvious that most people forget about this. And, why wouldn’t we? We aren’t applying to be a copywriter. What difference do typos make? A LOT! Many hiring managers admit to tossing out any resume that has typos — even for a job that requires no writing. Don’t underestimate the importance of this one. Ask a nit picky friend to help you review your resume if it helps.
Last, but not least, just remember — when it comes to your resume, DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT. It’s better to submit your resume quickly for a job than to put off your application while you perfect every detail. By the time you apply, someone else will have already beaten you to the job.
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
by Angela Copeland | Mar 29, 2017 | Advice, Career Corner Column, College, Media
I’ve met a number of people lately who have said something that’s surprised me. They’ve told me that they aren’t sure if college is really worth it. They believe it would be a waste of money to pay for something they might never use, especially if they change their mind on a career path later.
The group I’m talking about is made up of twenty-something millennials. They are college age and very unsure if they trust this system. They’ve seen their friends go to college and end up with little more than a pile of student loans and a degree that seems to open zero doors. They see friends living at home with parents, unable to get their own apartments.
The economy has struggled for years. College tuition is at extremely high levels creating high student debt. And older workers are being forced to stay in their jobs for longer than ever before, leaving fewer good jobs for new graduates.
When you think of it this way, this perspective makes sense. It can seem that the return on investment just isn’t there to justify spending the money. It also ups the importance of picking the right degree.
But, this perspective worries me. In today’s workforce, a college degree is often considered the minimum threshold for entry. It’s similar to how a high school diploma was perceived in a previous generation. Without one, a job seeker will likely be at a disadvantage compared to someone with a degree.
Very often, the specific degree is less important than having one. Ask anyone over the age of forty what they studied in college. There’s a decent chance you’ll be surprised by their answer because they likely have switched fields along the way.
When I hear this new doubt about the value of college, I think about a number of the older job seekers I’ve met along the way. Early in their careers, they were leaders in their field — perhaps in something like sales. They worked at the same company for years, building up clients and a big paycheck. Then one day, the industry shifted. The company they worked for went out of business and they were out of work.
Suddenly, the successful, seasoned professional they were disappears. They feel helpless. They feel lost. Employers are less interested in them. They have all the right experience and the right knowledge, but they don’t have a degree. They don’t meet the basic requirements. They struggle to find work that will pay the bills to maintain their existing lifestyle. This experience is devastating.
If you’re struggling to decide, remember the long game. Education is expensive, but it’s worth it. Think of how much you’d be willing to pay for a new car, because it drives you around. Education gets you places too, but just in a different way. And, if college isn’t for you for whatever reason, consider a trade program. Additional training will put you ahead of your competition, and help to secure your future.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Mar 28, 2017 | Advice, Networking, Podcast
Episode 126 is live! This week, we talk with Marcia Ballinger in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN.
Marcia is the Co-founder and Principle at Ballinger | Leafblad, an executive search firm focused on serving civic clients including foundations, non-profits, and higher education intuitions. She’s also co-author of The 20-Minute Networking Meeting.
On today’s episode, Marcia shares her secrets to getting and executing a 20-minute networking meeting successfully. If you’re struggling with networking, this episode is a must listen!
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about Marcia, visit her website at http://www.ballingerleafblad.com/, or check out her book, The 20-Minute Networking Meeting here: http://amzn.to/2mYB3p2.
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 must be logged in to post a comment.