by Angela Copeland | Oct 26, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Interviewing, Media, Networking
Sometimes, the devil really is in the details. This is especially true when it comes to the questions you ask when you’re looking for a job. Asking the wrong question, or not asking the right question can get you into trouble when you least expect it. And, it can be tricky to know when to ask which questions.
There are a few good rules of thumb to follow. The first applies to networking. When you’re meeting someone new, they want to get to know you first. They (in theory) have no specific ulterior motive, and they hope you don’t either. When you meet someone at a networking event, avoid asking if they’re hiring. Chances are good that they’re not hiring, and if you ask this up front, you may send the message that you’re not interested to get to know them unless they can give you something. But, do ask them if you can stay in touch. Ask for their business card. Ask to connect on LinkedIn. Ask to have coffee. Relationship building may eventually lead you down the path of a new job.
Another situation to be on the lookout for is when you find a job posted. You’ve found the perfect job at the perfect company. And, you’ve either found a great connection there – or you already have one. When you’re reaching out about a specific job, be up front about it. A hiring manager will want to know that you‘d like to be considered, so be sure to ask. Ask them if they have time to meet with you to discuss the position. Don’t hint around and hope they’ll get the drift. Be direct.
The most important place for questions is the job interview. It’s truly amazing how much your questions can influence the outcome of an interview. First, have questions – lots of them. Having a long list of questions doesn’t mean you have to ask all of them, but it does mean you’ll have options to go to when it’s your turn to ask questions. One of the primary complaints I’ve heard from hiring managers is that the candidate didn’t ask questions. The hiring manager assumes the candidate isn’t interested in the position (or worse, is lazy), while the candidate simply feels all their questions were answered during the job interview. Avoid this situation by asking a few questions at the end. But, keep your questions focused on the job. Do not ask questions that reflect an “all about me” attitude. Topics to stay away from include pay, vacation time, whether or not you can work from home, or anything else that isn’t specific to the work itself. And, always ask about the company’s timeline and what their expected next steps are.
As important as qualifications are, so are first impressions. The questions you ask will influence a hiring manager’s decision. Fortunately, there’s time to plan. If you draft your questions in advance and ask a friend for feedback, you’ll be on your way to success.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Oct 19, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Informational Interviewing, Media, Networking
Inevitably when I meet a job seeker, I ask a question that makes them pretty uncomfortable. Most of the time, the question is along the lines of, “Why don’t you send that hiring manager an email on LinkedIn?”
The person has very often found a job posting for their perfect job at a great company. But, they don’t have any connections at the company. So, I will suggest that they introduce themselves to the hiring manager – via LinkedIn or in an e-mail.
The most common objection is that the job seeker doesn’t want to bother the hiring manager. They feel that contacting the hiring manager directly would be breaking the rules. It would be going around the online system the company has designed. On top of that, they assume they’d be a bother to the hiring manager.
The thing to remember is this. It’s a great idea to apply online. But, online application systems aren’t perfect and there’s a chance your resume will never be seen by human eyes if you only apply online. In all likelihood, the hiring manager knows this. If you’re a qualified candidate, they will be more than happy to hear from you. They’re probably dying to find the right candidate to fill their opening.
On top of that, most hiring managers are themselves networkers. The higher you go up the food chain at most companies, the more your own networking abilities help to promote you. So, there’s a good chance that the hiring manager you email has done the very same thing before too.
And, the risk is pretty small. In a worst case scenario, the hiring manager will ignore your message. The chance that they will send you an angry response is very low. And, if you don’t contact them via e-mail, they may never know you exist in the first place.
You may be reading this and wondering how in the world you would find the name of the hiring manager if you don’t know them already. It can be tricky, but it’s often more possible than you think.
I’ll give you an example. Years ago, I was searching for a job when I came across a perfect digital marketing opportunity at a large company. I didn’t know anyone there, so I used LinkedIn to research who the hiring manager might be. I looked at the company’s page on LinkedIn. Then, I looked at all of the employees who worked there. I scanned each employee’s title until I found the vice president of digital marketing. I used LinkedIn to send him a message asking for a networking lunch, and the rest is history. Granted – I didn’t get hired right away, but after the company got to know me, my email paid off and I got the job.
The next time you’re hesitant to break the rules, ask yourself why. What’s the worst that will happen? And, if the worst isn’t too terrible, bend them a bit. It just might pay off.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Oct 12, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media
As strange as I know it sounds, I think of looking for a job a little bit like dating. Unless you are a reality TV show contestant, you’ve probably never gone on a first date hoping the other person would marry you. You’re there to get to know them, and to decide whether or not to have a second date.
The same holds true with interviewing for a job. Just because a company looks attractive on the outside doesn’t automatically mean it’s a place you want to spend your time. You could end up with eight hours a day of stress, followed by unpleasant evenings trying to recover.
So, what are the red flags you should be on the lookout for? One of the biggest signs you should run the other way is an incomplete interview process. Perhaps the employer wasn’t terribly interested to interview you. Rather than ask you questions about your experience, they were trying to convince you they were a great place to work. This could be a sign that they’re having a hard time finding candidates. Alternatively, perhaps the hiring manager was not the one to interview you or to make the final hiring decision. Their boss loved you and made the decision for them. This may set you up for an uncomfortable relationship with your direct boss in the future.
Another red flag can be how many times the role you’re interviewing for has turned over in recent years. If more than two people have held a role in a four year period, you should wonder what’s going on.
A number of other red flags can show up at the very end of the interview process – after you’ve received an offer and are negotiating. Take note of the following: The employer refuses to provide the offer to you in writing. The employer forces you to make a decision in less than twenty-four hours. The employer requires you to start working in less than two weeks. You are interviewing for a senior role and the employer is not open to any negotiation around increased salary or vacation.
The most important red flag of all is when you get a bad feeling about a company. You aren’t sure why, but something isn’t adding up. Maybe the employees seem unhappy, the boss seems squirrely, or something else just seems off. Even if you can’t pinpoint the exact cause of your discomfort, don’t ignore it. There’s a reason you are unsure.
While you’re sorting through red flags, it can be helpful to learn what others are saying about the company. If you don’t have a personal contact you can turn to, check out sites like Glassdoor.com. Employees rate companies on the website much like diners rate restaurants on popular review websites.
Whatever you do, don’t be fooled. These red flags won’t go away just because you love the company. They often become worse. Know when to walk away from a company just like you would from a bad date.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Oct 5, 2016 | Career Corner Column, Media, Resume Writing
One of the hardest parts of looking for a job isn’t the looking part. It’s what happens during preparation. In particular, writing a great resume can be an incredibly stressful feat.
Imagine this. You’re asked to put an entire summary of your life down on paper. But, it must fit on one or two pages, or it won’t be read. It must be 100% accurate, or you could be fired by your future employer. It must tell the story of every career victory, or no one will take you seriously. It must not make you look too old, or too young, or you could be perceived as incompetent. Oh, and it should be up to date – always. You never know when someone might ask for it.
For these reasons, it’s often easier to help someone else with their resume than to begin to revise your own. But, when you do begin, there are a few important things to keep in mind.
First, remember that there’s no one way to write a resume. Every person has their own opinion of how resumes should look, so it’s unlikely everyone will love yours. Find a layout you like, and solicit friends for feedback. If each person is giving you the same feedback, listen. If nine out of ten people love your resume and number ten doesn’t, listen to the first nine.
Think of your resume like a Google search results page. When you’re searching for something on Google, you only read down just far enough to get what you need. Hiring managers are the same way. They’ll scan down your resume and will stop at some point when they feel like they know enough about you. Be sure the most important things are listed first.
Work to minimize distractions. If you’re concerned about your age, remove your college graduation year. Consider dropping off your early jobs that no longer apply. Use an up to date e-mail address by staying away from AOL and Comcast emails. If you’re applying at an organization that is not affiliated with a particular religion or political group, consider reducing indirect references about faith or political party.
Don’t be shy. Give yourself credit for everything you’ve achieved. And, use numbers to quantify your results. For example, a military veteran may have something on their resume about how they managed a team. But, if you ask them how big the team was, you’ll learn they were managing 300 people. To the veteran, this seems completely normal. To an outsider, not only is this not normal, but it’s incredibly impressive. Quantifying your results helps someone in another industry or job function to understand what you really did.
And, most of all, avoid grammatical errors. This is a tough one, as there is so much of your life packed onto those few pages. It seems like a tiny mistake shouldn’t matter very much. But, you’d be surprised at just how often a hiring manager will toss a resume in the garbage over an incorrect verb tense, or a random word in the wrong place. Even when writing isn’t part of your job, you’re judged on it. Run your resume through spell check, read it out loud to yourself, and ask a grammar buff friend to take a look.
As painful as putting together a resume is, the good news is that it’s part of the preparation process. It’s done ahead of time. And, you can get help along the way. There’s no reason your resume should do anything other than add to the case that you’re the perfect candidate for the job.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Sep 28, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media, Social Media
You probably never thought you’d hear the words “social media” and “cover letter” together in one sentence. But today, I hope to convince you to consider them to be related when you’re looking for a new job.
A cover letter is a critical component of your job search. It’s a formal letter or an e-mail that you send to the hiring manager along with your resume. It’s your personal narrative. It explains why your background makes you a perfect fit for a particular role. It is often what determines whether a hiring manager will bring you in for an interview.
In the same way your cover letter tells your personal story, so does your online presence. We can no longer assume our personal life and professional job will have a clear dividing line. Google has given employers the power to find us on every social media site. And, they do! Ask any hiring manager if they look up job candidates online and the answer is yes.
Not only do employers look up candidates, but they also make decisions about whether or not to interview candidates using this information. And, they make decisions about which people to hire.
So, what types of posts could really make a difference on social media? I often say, it’s good to think of job searching like going to a dinner party. A dinner party is often made up of people you don’t know. Those people may have different opinions than you on certain topics.
When it comes to work, many of those topics and views shouldn’t matter. They’re completely separate. A hiring decision shouldn’t be made based on what religion you are or which presidential candidate you may be voting for. Unfortunately, hiring managers are human. Even if it’s unconscious, they may judge those who have a different perspective than them.
During the job interview, you want to be judged based on the quality of your experience, and the good ideas that come out of your mouth – not some other detail that’s unrelated to work. One way to protect yourself from this judgement is to be cautious with your social media.
If you’re interviewing, you may want to go easy on topics related to religion, politics, and money. Never post something negative about your current or past employer. And, be aware of photos that are posted of you. Avoid taking photos while intoxicated, or while wearing an outfit or costume you wouldn’t want a respected elder to see you in.
This can be a tall order I know, especially in today’s political season. Our voice and opinions are important. If you feel strongly about sharing your views online, consider tightening your social media settings. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow you to protect your posts, so only your friends see them.
Whatever you do, keep your personal feelings off of LinkedIn. It should be reserved for business. In today’s digital age, social media serves as your personal narrative more than ever before.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Sep 21, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media
Very often in school, we’re taught to understand both sides of an issue. If you can argue for or against a point, you’re often more likely to truly understand all dimensions of the problem at hand.
In the workplace, it’s also helpful to understand all angles of an issue. Earlier in my career, I worked in strategy roles. My internal “customers” (so to speak) were C-level executives. When I shared my ideas, I often tried to remain balanced, presenting both sides of the argument. I wanted to be unbiased in my approach.
But, one executive I worked for wanted to know my ideas. On multiple occasions, he said, “But, Angela, what do you really think about this issue?” He once shared that I was the only employee he’d ever had whose personal opinion he couldn’t guess. In a way, this felt good. I was separating business and personal.
Over the years, I’ve learned that this is not always the best approach. Recently, something happened to remind me of this point. I’ve been working with a smart person to help me on a project. The person is an expert in an area I know nothing about. I respect their experience, and perspectives. When it was time to make a decision, I asked the person, “What do you think about this?” The person responded with, “Well, I generally try not to influence my clients with my own opinions.”
There are certain times in your career when you’re brought in to work on a project because you know more about a particular subject than anyone else in the room. When that happens, it’s time to share your opinion. It’s time to have thoughts based on your past experiences. To a degree, it’s okay to have biases in that moment. The bias you have is your past experience guiding you. Past experience that nobody else in the room has.
Don’t get me wrong. There are times at work when your employer is just looking for someone to complete a task. They’re not looking for feedback, suggestions, or improvements.
But, when you’re hired to be a consultant, to be a strategist, or to be a high level thinker, you should have an opinion. Your opinion will guide your client to success. It will take them to a level that they weren’t able to reach on their own. It’s why they hired you. If they were just looking for a button pusher, they’d find someone cheaper who could do the job.
So, stand up, and speak up. When it’s your turn to have an opinion, have one. And, if you don’t have one for a specific reason, explain that too. But, be sure the reason is not because you’re avoiding having something to say. It’s true; you may fail. Failure happens to everyone. But, with your experience, and your expertise, you’re the person least likely to fail in the room. Your boss knows that, and they’re depending on you to help out and to have an opinion.
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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