Episode 155 is live! This week, we talk with Isaac Lake in Memphis, TN. Isaac is a Manager of Brand Performance Support at Hilton. Previously, Isaac worked at the University of Memphis where he was the Manager of Facilities and Programs at the University Center. This is Isaac’s second time on the Copeland Coaching Podcast. He’s a former client and a friend. On this episode, we check back in with Isaac after 3.5 years at Hilton.
On today’s episode, Isaac shares:
The biggest differences between working in a corporate environment and at a university
Which transferable skills (and side hustles) helped him to transition into corporate
The role of networking in the job search
Advice for others looking to make a major career shift
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about Isaac, you can find him on LinkedIn.
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!
Can you believe it? 2018 is finally here. Regardless of your political leanings or any other views, 2017 was a long year. LLOOONG.
There were times when it felt like it would never be over. Right?
I mean, how many times did you consider defriending that overly opinionated friend on Facebook? How many times did you watch the train wreck of the morning news and think, “How is this happening?” How many times over the holidays around family did you think, “I better just keep my mouth closed about this topic right now.” “And, how many times did you think, “Oh my – I don’t think I can do this job one more day!”
The good news is, we made it. We made it TOGETHER. (Minus a few Facebook friends.)
So, let’s take this opportunity today to turn over a new leaf. It’s January 1st. It’s a Monday. Let’s start off a great new week to a great new year.
It’s time to refocus on our priorities and establish new goals. After all, that’s what the New Year is good for, right? Setting a few resolutions to help us target our energy.
But, first, let’s work on accepting a few things as they are.
If you did a great job in 2017, but didn’t get the raise you should have, it may be time to find a new job
If you asked for a promotion in 2017 and your boss had no interest, it may be time to find a new job
If you had no work life balance and were working crazy hours with little or no time off, it may be time to find a new company
If your work is boring / unfulfilling / soul sucking, it may be time to find a new job
I know, I know. You may be thinking, “But, Angela – I was planning to stay at this company forever. I want to work my way up to the top of my organization. I want to retire here.” I hear you. And, if you’re happy and things are going according to plan, great! You are in a dream job scenario.
But, if it’s not working… if you are dragged yourself to work every day in 2017… if you’re hoping each and every day that your boss will finally “get you” – it’s time to rethink the plan. Remember too – companies aren’t the same as they once were. Staying with one company forever is becoming the anomaly, not the norm.
People who switch jobs (and companies) more frequently are paid more. They go up the ladder. And, their bosses actually buy into them.
Why is this? Well, when your current boss is the one who recruited you, they did it because they liked you. They saw your potential. They didn’t simply inherit you from someone else. And, they probably fought to get you – so they offered you more to join their company than they would have if you were just getting an annual raise internally.
Moving around also helps to diversify your experience. It helps to expand your network. For many industries, it can help to reduce the risk that you will one day be unemployed.
Okay, so you get the point… With all of this in mind, what are you going to do differently in 2018?
The very first thing is to decide if you want to find a new job. And, if so, when do you want to find a new job? What’s your target and how will you get there?
But, keep in mind that if you’ve been with one company for a while and your pay is high, it will take longer to find your next high paying senior level job. It’s been estimated that for every $10,000 you make, it will take 1 month to find a new job. So, if you make $80,000 now, it may take you 8 months to find something new. EIGHT MONTHS! Wow!
So, if you’re even thinking of finding something new, this is the time to start. Don’t wait. Set your goal. Set your resolution. And, let’s get going!
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.
It’s with great excitement that I write to you today. Copeland Coaching is officially four years old! As I think back on this important birthday, I want to thank you.
Thank you for all your support! Thank you for your business, your referrals, your ideas, and most of all, your friendship. I couldn’t have done this without you.
Thank you to my wonderful clients. You have let me into a very private part of your world, and for that, I’m grateful. You make every day both joyful and meaningful.
But, the fun doesn’t stop there. You’ve been asking for more, and I’ve heard you! In 2018, I will be expanding to also include corporate services, including:
Recruiting
Corporate Outplacement
Look for more information coming soon about both recruiting and corporate outplacement. And, if I can help you in these areas, please let me know!
Thank you again for all of your support. I look forward to an awesome 2018. Stay tuned, and happy hunting!
Sometimes in your career, things don’t always work out the way you plan them. For me, the first time I learned this lesson, I was in college. I went to one of those fancy, private schools to study computer engineering in the late 90s. I knew that an investment in such a great degree would guarantee me a job when I graduated. Not only that, it would guarantee me a great paying job.
Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. The dot com crash came along right in the middle of my studies an put a halt on hiring. Even the recruiters that normally came to our school to hire students canceled their visits. It was something I’d never seen before and couldn’t have predicted.
This experience took me down a path of finding my transferrable skills and learning about new careers. Transferable skills are the strengths you can take from job to job. I also learned to interview for all sorts of jobs in many different industries – and I lost my fear of reaching out to strangers. It’s truly a skillset I developed out of survival. I needed to pay the rent.
I know it sounds strange, but when you look at interviewing from a different angle, it’s less scary and much more interesting. I looked at (and continue to look at) interviewing as making new professional contacts and learning about new jobs. I look at interviews as networking meetings, not as an opportunity to be rejected by a stranger.
And, you know what else? I don’t care as much if I meet every little minimum requirement on the job description. You know why? Because, truth be told, many employers don’t really care if you do. If an employer brings you in for an interview, it’s because they think you can do the job. Why not submit your application and let them decide?
If we could all spend a little less time worrying about being the perfect candidate, and a little more time just being the best candidate we can be, we’d all go a little further, faster. When I learned this lesson, my own career path changed dramatically. I went from being an engineer to a project manager then from a project manager to a digital marketing executive. Now, I’m a career coach. I could have never guessed in the 90s that my career path would have been so winding.
I was recently invited to share my own story of career success as a TEDx Talk. My talk, titled “How I broke the rules & found my perfect job,” shares my story of not waiting for permission and a little obsession I developed along the way. You may have already noticed. It turns out, I really like interviewing.
I invite you to check out my TEDx Talk on the TEDx Talk YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/broketherules). It’s my hope that you will be inspired to bend the rules in your own search, so you can find your perfect job.
Angela Copeland is a Career Coach and Founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
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.
Wow, spring is really here! This weekend was so pretty. I hope you had a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather.
This weekend, I was back at home. Last week, I traveled to Worthington, Ohio (a city near Columbus) to give a TEDx Talk about career success in the face of interference. Giving the talk was a huge accomplishment. Thank you to everyone who helped me prepare along the way!
I look forward to sharing the full talk with you very soon. When it’s available, I will be sure to email you.
In the meantime, I want to touch on a related topic — measuring success. Someone recently asked me, “Angela, how do you measure the success of your work as a coach?”
It’s an interesting question. If I were going the business route only, I’d probably just measure dollars and close rates. But, coaching is different. There are more layers to it. It’s truly special. I get a chance to be part of the lives of individual people.
After I check the numbers, I look at a few things that are a little harder to quantify in Excel. First, I look at the success of my clients. Were they able to make the switch they were aiming for? Did they successfully rebrand themselves? Do they enjoy their new career? For those clients who prioritize salary, how much of a financial jump was the client able to make with their switch?
Then, I look at something I didn’t expect to be thinking about when I started Copeland Coaching. I look at referrals. Surprisingly, most of my new clients come from current or former clients. They send me their friends, their family, and their colleagues.
On a number of occasions, I have had the chance to work with three members of the same immediate family — on three separate searches. I never in a million years expected that. It’s a huge honor when this happens. An entire family is inviting you into their world, to help them get closer to their personal goals.
So, the long story short is: Was a client able to achieve their goals and transition into a better career? And, was the client happy enough to recommend the process to loved ones?
I’m very fortunate to work with my clients. I get to help play a small role and their future, and for that I’m grateful.
At the end of the day, success is something that’s measured differently in each business or industry. Regardless of your situation, it can be good to occasionally take a step back and ask yourself what success looks like where you work. What can you do to constantly improve your results?
Although this is a simple question, it really got me thinking. And, I wanted to take a few moments to share those thoughts with you.
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.
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