by Angela Copeland | Aug 9, 2016 | Advice, Negotiating, Podcast
Episode 110 is live! This week, we talk with Aaron Michel in San Francisco, CA.
Aaron is the CEO of PathSource. PathSource is the world’s largest library of online information interviews on video along with a suite of tools to connect the dots between education, career, lifestyle, and budget. PathSource’s mobile app is also rated as the #1 career app in the Apple App Store.
On today’s episode, Aaron shares his tips on using his app to find a job, how to pick the right job on the first try, and tips on salary negotiation.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it for free on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about PathSource, visit their website at PathSource.com. PathSource can also be found on Facebook and Twitter. And, you can download the PathSource app in the Apple App Store.
Thank you to those who sent me questions! You can send your questions to Angela(at)CopelandCoaching.com. You can also send me questions via Twitter. I’m at @CopelandCoach. And, on Facebook, I’m Copeland Coaching. Don’t forget to help me out. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave me a review.
by Angela Copeland | Aug 8, 2016 | Advice, Financial, Graduate School, Newsletter
This is a question that comes up often, as it should. Education is important. We all learned that growing up. Whether or not to go back to school can be a tough choice.
On one hand, going back to school can feel like the “right” thing to do. You’re always supposed to be learning right? On the other, it’s expensive and time consuming.
To compound things, you’re not as young as you used to be. You have responsibilities like a spouse, children, a house, a job,… The list goes on and on.
I’ll be honest. The marketing higher education puts out bugs me a little. They’re selling a hope of a brighter future. If you’ve ever visited a fertility doctor, it reminds me of all the photos of babies on the walls. They’re selling hope. Hope that may or may not be fulfilled, due to a number of factors (like your age and how much money you have).
So, back to the question at hand… Should you go back to school?
The first question I have is this. Are you looking to get a second (or third) degree? Are you looking to finish a first degree? Or, are you looking to take one off classes to keep your continuing education up?
If you’re looking to complete your first degree, or keep up your continuing education, the answer is much more straight forward. If you haven’t finished college, I am definitely an advocate of going back. It provides some level of stability, especially as you enter the later part of your career.
Over the years, I’ve worked with a number of job seekers who never completed college. They had great careers and were stellar at their jobs. Then something happened. For example, their company went out of business. It wasn’t their fault, or a reflection of their work. Suddenly, they were on the open market, trying to explain to employers why they don’t have an advanced degree. It’s stressful and can create a sudden decrease in salary in a situation like the one described.
When it comes to getting a second or third degree, there are a few things to think about.
First, why do you want to get the degree? There’s this rumor floating around that a degree in a particular field will guarantee you work. Let’s be honest. That rumor is not true.
The result of getting a second degree is highly dependent on lots of things, including what your degree is in and how needed the degree is in the job market.
A few reasons you might consider getting a degree are — You want to change career paths and re-brand yourself with a new degree. I did this with my MBA. I have a computer and systems engineering degree from undergraduate school. It was hard for me to get people to look past the fact that I knew how to write code. My MBA helped solve this issue.
Or, perhaps you’re a lifelong learner. Your company pays for you to go to school and you have the time. So, you think — why not? It’s almost like a hobby and something you’ve always wanted to do. It’s for yourself. I can get behind this. Self improvement is an important part of life.
So, say you’ve decided to go back. Now what? How do you decide where to go?
IMHO, deciding where to go to school is almost as important as whether or not to go at all. Very often, I talk to people who went to a for profit university. They invested years of their life and have huge student loans. They are shocked to learn that some employers don’t take their degrees seriously at all. So, what can you do?
Learn as much as possible about a school. Thinking about why you want to go can help to narrow down your choices. For example, when I entered business school in 2004 (wow, that was a long time ago!), I wanted to learn about starting a business. So, I found a school that had a concentration in entrepreneurship. It was also around the same time that Enron fell apart and Martha Stewart went to jail. I felt a bit concerned about ethics in business, so I looked for a program that put an emphasis on this topic in their coursework. And, I hoped for a scholarship. I put myself through school (after quitting my job), so going to a school that could help me financially was important. That’s how I selected Pepperdine University.
Another thing to check out is what’s called the “post-graduation report.” This is a report that both colleges and graduate programs publish once a year on their graduates. It explains which industries their grads are working in and how much they make.
Often, the career center helps you to get your first job out of school. And, that career center will have existing relationships with certain companies. For example, my engineering college sees many graduates going to work for places like NASA. Pepperdine however has graduates going to companies such as Disney.
You also want to pay close attention to the part about how much the graduates are making. It’s sometimes surprising to think about it, but companies often pay different amounts for graduates based on which school they went to. You can argue whether this is right or wrong, but it just is.
So, if you have two graduate programs that both cost $20K per year in tuition (for example) — and one has graduates who make $70K after graduation, while the other has graduates making $95K, it can help you to pick between the two schools.
Another good place to look for these rankings are sites like US News & World Report. They have lists of the best schools. The lists contain lots of data that can give you an even better sense of the school and how it’s viewed by the world.
One trend I’ve noticed with people returning to school is that they consider enrolling in an online program pretty frequently. It’s easier. You can fit it into your life better. It’s less disruptive.
I would caution you against doing any kind of online degree program. Think about it this way. A big part of what you get out of business school (for example) is networking contacts. You meet new people who go with you through the rest of your career. They’re your friends. Your colleagues. You help one another get jobs and with projects. You aren’t going to make those strong connections through an online program. You’re going to make them when you sit next to your classmates day in and day out in class.
The same logic applies to something like engineering. How in the world are you expected to truly grasp onto engineering concepts if you never set foot into an engineering lab?
Last, think of school as an investment. As with any investment, you should evaluate the ROI. There are many calculators online to help you to figure this out. Here’s one from Learn Vest you might try. It helps you to get a sense of how much you’ll put into school — and how much you’ll get out.
Going back to school is a highly personal and highly individual decision. There’s no one answer for everyone. My bottom line recommendation here is DO YOUR HOMEWORK. When you finish school, you want to be sure that you end up with the results you were expecting to.
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 | Aug 3, 2016 | Advice, Job Posting
A very common issue faced by many employees is the feeling that they’re not appreciated. There’s a general sense of not feeling recognized, or being overlooked for promotions and raises. It can be overwhelming, disappointing, and demotivating to say the least.
If you find yourself in this situation, what can you do about it? How can you change the course of your career?
First, take an honest look at your performance. If you have a tendency to come in late, or to miss deadlines, work to correct these issues. Make an effort to connect to your peers and management more. Consider setting up weekly check in meetings with your boss. Have lunch with your coworkers.
But, if you have already taken an honest look, and you feel you’re doing a great job, it could be time to try another tactic. It may be time to stop beating yourself up and to look elsewhere for employment.
Much of career success is tied not just to your individual performance, but to the perception management has of you. It is also tied to how well your manager promotes your successes to their manager. If the person who hired you has moved on, you may find yourself stuck with a manager that is less than excited with your contributions (regardless of how great they may be).
Many employees take this as a sign to try harder. They may enroll in a new degree program. Or, they might take leadership classes. They could even start volunteering for causes at work, or join the company bowling league. They try to improve their skills and status.
These tactics may work. But, sadly, it is often unlikely. Once a manager’s view of you has been set, it can often be nearly impossible to change. This is especially true if they didn’t hire you. Many managers prefer to hand pick their own teams and may discredit any preexisting employees.
It can be a sad situation when an employee spends years trying to impress their existing management, only to find themselves in a hamster wheel. This process both hinders the employee’s overall growth, and their salary potential.
If you have found yourself in a less than ideal relationship with your current boss, it may be time to look for a new one. Before things are unbearable at your current job, begin looking around for openings.
A new hiring manager will select you because they like you, and they believe in you. It’s an opportunity to start fresh.
Working for someone who puts their faith in you, who listens to you, and allows you to do what you’re best at is a completely different experience. Going to work will be less of a chore, and much more enjoyable. And, it may have much less to do with your quality of work than your relationship with your boss.
If you are seeking the recognition you deserve, looking elsewhere can open up new doors to a new manager and a healthier work environment.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Aug 2, 2016 | Advice, Podcast, Technology Jobs
Episode 109 is live! This week, we talk with Bill Schankel in Mt. Laurel, NJ. Bill is the Executive Director of the Association of Information Technology Professionals where he is responsible for strategy, governance support, and financial oversight. AITP seeks to advance the IT Profession through professional development, support of IT education, and national policies on IT that improve society as a whole.
On today’s episode, Bill shares his tips on the challenges IT professionals face today, skills professionals need beyond tech, and how to stand out during a job search.
Listen and learn more!
To learn more about the Association of Information Technology Professionals, visit the AITP website at aitp.org. AITP can also be found on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Thank you to those who sent me questions! You can send your questions to Angela(at)CopelandCoaching.com. You can also send me questions via Twitter. I’m at @CopelandCoach. And, on Facebook, I’m Copeland Coaching. Don’t forget to help me out. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave me a review.
by Angela Copeland | Aug 1, 2016 | Advice, Negotiating, Newsletter
I saw an article last week that really got me thinking. It was all about this concept of doubling your salary. One of the top complaints of unhappy employees is money. They want to make more. They want to be paid fairly. And, who can blame them? With the two to three percent annual raises out there today, it’s impossible to keep up!
In fact, Forbes has argued that employees who stay at a job more than two years make 50% less than those who don’t — over the lifetime of their careers. Isn’t that nuts? The sad reality is, it’s true. It’s an unusual situation when an employee is appropriately rewarded for staying with a company. Even when they receive a raise, it’s typically small compared to what it would look like if they switched companies altogether.
And, how do I know this? Because I’ve lived it. There are lots of people out there giving advice on this topic. Sometimes I wonder how many times they’ve actually negotiated their own salary increase. Honestly, it gets me fired up. But, I digress…. Rather than give some high level, fluffy advice, I’d like to provide you with a few real life examples from my own career.
I don’t typically share this information, but I want you to understand where I’m coming from. To give you an idea of the success I’ve had with my own salary negotiation, I once doubled my salary and twice, I’ve negotiated my salary up over fifty percent. Not bad, right?
So, this is how I did it. First, I was never afraid of two things: 1. Negotiation and 2. Changing Companies. You have to ask for what you want. You’ve got to do it. It’s not hard. Like anything else, it just takes practice. I know it can be scary, but it’s worth a lot of money to you and your family. You’ve probably done far scary things for much less money.
Second, you have to be willing to get over the fairy tale that one day, your company is going to recognize your value. If they don’t see your value now, there’s a good chance they won’t see it in another year or in five years or ten more years. That’s just time passing by when you could be earning more.
Now, with those things out of the way, there are three main tactics I’ve used in my own salary jumps.
- Increase Your Qualifications – As you know, I never encourage you to run back to school without carefully thinking about why. But, there are times when more education will pay off. For example, my undergraduate degree is in Computer & Systems Engineering. This degree is like a combination of computer programming and electrical engineering. Partly in an effort to rebrand myself (and also in an effort to increase my knowledge), I went back to school and earned a M.B.A. One of the big salary jumps I described was after I completed my M.B.A. I was offered twice as much money to do the exact same type of job I had done before graduate school. The same job. It required no new skills, but my perception and personal brand had been elevated because I had a new degree. (Please keep in mind: There is no guarantee that an additional degree will give these results. Like I always say, think carefully before you commit to another degree program. It’s a ton of time and even more money.)
- Change Industries – We rarely think about this, but different industries pay different amounts for the same job. Yes, the same job. Project management and marketing are both good examples of this. Part of the reason is that certain industries generate much more profit than others. Another reason is that a certain position is more valuable in one industry than another. It may be closer to the money, so to speak. So, as nuts as it may sound, you could find yourself making much more and doing the same thing — just by switching industries. To really get a sense for this, check out sites like Glassdoor.com. Employees report their salary on Glassdoor and you can look up salaries by company.
- Know Your Worth – One of my biggest salary jumps came at a point in my career where I’d really honed my skills. My work was generating significant revenue and I knew it. I also knew the going rate for my industry, and I’d taken the time to give myself options. I didn’t have to work for one company or another. It gave me the ability to negotiate for more money with no fear. And, it worked!
The bottom line is this: If you want to make more money, it’s up to you to do it. Your current company is unlikely to shower you in big raises. You’ve got to release a little bit of your company loyalty, and think about being more loyal to yourself. In other words, if it no longer made financial sense for your company to have you on staff, they’d get rid of you, right? So, if it no longer makes financial sense for YOU to work at your company, why are you still there?
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 | Jul 27, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Personal Brand, Religion
A reader contacted me today with an important question for consideration. She asked when it was appropriate to wear clothing, jewelry, or other items associated with her religion to an interview or to work. Her concern was about being judged in the office for her religious affiliation.
As you can imagine, this is a very tricky and personal question. I will share my thoughts with you, but at the end of the day, it’s a very individual choice.
I often think of a job interview much like a dinner party. At a dinner party, you meet many new people who may have different viewpoints than you. Conversations tend to be high level, centered on pleasant topics, such as the weather. Etiquette experts say that the potentially taboo topics to avoid include politics, religion, and money. These hold true in an interview as well.
Unfortunately, when it comes to getting hired, studies show that managers aren’t free of biases. Those biases can influence who’s landing the job offer. Details as minor as hair and makeup can influence the interviewer’s impression of a candidate. Even a candidate’s height can make a difference.
Religion however is more personal, and much more important, than hair, makeup, or height. It can be a large part of one’s identity. In today’s climate, sharing your religious viewpoints with others can cause them to judge you, either positively or negatively. When they judge you negatively, it can potentially hurt your chances of getting hired.
A great organization to share your religious views with is one whose perspective aligns well to yours. For example, some private universities, non-profits, and corporations have a foundation that is based on specific beliefs.
A vast majority of organizations however are not based upon these views. Their employees are made up of people from around the U.S. and the world, who have a host of different affiliations. When interviewing at an organization like this, it’s important to be aware of the choice you decide to make.
If you want to minimize the likelihood that someone may unfairly judge you, think of all of the places you may send out cues to others about your views. Check the volunteer opportunities on your resume. Look at the organizations you follow on LinkedIn. Check your Facebook privacy settings. And, consider the pieces of your interview outfit that may signal an interviewer.
As I mentioned in the beginning of the column, this is a personal choice. I’m not here to influence you in one direction or another, or to discourage you from holding true to your beliefs. But, it is wise to consider the positive and negative implications of your decision – and to make it consciously based upon what you feel most comfortable with.
After you’ve landed a job, you have a new choice to make – whether or not you want to share your views with your new coworkers. While it’s important to be yourself, remember that your story is one to be earned over time through trust.
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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