by Angela Copeland | Jun 22, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media, Negotiating
One of the worst things that can happen to any employee is to find out they aren’t being treated the same as their coworkers. We’ve all been there. Perhaps you didn’t realize the person who sits next to you gets a week more of vacation. Or, maybe they have special permission to leave early every day. Or, they make more money than you do. Perhaps their mobile phone is paid for.
This grim discovery can make an otherwise pleasant job feel miserable. It’s like a wakeup call. You realize that your company doesn’t value you or your talents in the way you thought they did. It makes you second guess your future there. It makes you angry. It’s like your company has been cheating on you with someone else – someone younger.
Common complaints are that the coworker is less experienced, less knowledgeable, and produces less value for the company. “They don’t know what they’re doing!” you may argue.
Unfortunately, in the corporate world of work, salaries and perks are not always decided in a way that’s considered fair. They’re based on other factors. First and foremost, they’re based on negotiation skills. They may also be based on other details, such as the school you went to or your salary history.
If you’ve discovered your benefits are out of balance, what should you do? One option is to go to your human resources department. You can certainly go through the process of asking for a better compensation package. And, in some cases, this may be a sound idea.
But, for the vast majority of cases, take the time to reflect on the situation. If you make a case and win, then what happens? Will you enjoy working for a company that wasn’t straightforward with you? Do you want to work for a boss who doesn’t believe in your skills enough to compensate you fairly?
It may seem a bit passive, but I’d encourage you to consider focusing on your future rather than on your past. Be happy that you finally know you’re being treated differently. Allow this knowledge to be a catalyst for change.
Take the time to look for a new company who will appreciate what you bring to the table. Find a new boss who will stand behind you and be your advocate. Look for a new place where you can truly grow your career.
Search for just the right opportunity. You want to avoid recreating the negative situation you have today. While you’re looking, don’t quit your current job. It may take time to find something new.
Once you find the perfect job, negotiate for a higher salary and more vacation. By ensuring you’re paid fairly, you will likely see a considerable pay bump on your way into the door of this new organization. Not only will you reap the benefits of more financial stability, but you will also know that your new boss truly values you – and is willing to pay you what you’re worth.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Jun 15, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media, Relocation
With the summer finally here, you may be planning a fun vacation. That vacation to visit a far away, relaxing location can leave you dreaming of moving to a new place. The farther along you are in your career, the trickier moving can feel. At times, it’s hard to know where to even begin.
If you’re part of a unique profession where companies struggle to find candidates, you’re one of the lucky ones. Headhunters and company recruiters will seek you out. Companies will court you and offer to pay to move you and your entire family to their headquarters.
But, if you are not one of this select group, you may be struggling to figure out how to make a move. Organizations often want to recruit local talent first. And, it makes sense. Someone local doesn’t require relocation. They can often start sooner, and the recruiter can get references from other employers in the city about their work.
What can you do? First, don’t just apply online. I harp on this topic, but applying through the company website only will rarely land a job offer. This is especially true if that job is in another city.
Instead, consider this approach. Plan a trip to your target city. The trip could last anywhere from a few days to a week, but be sure to go on weekdays, when business offices are open. Stay away from big holiday weekends when employees are out of town.
Before you go, reach out to as many people as possible to setup meetings. Start with your existing network, including friends, family, and former colleagues. Then, contact local recruiters in your target city. Last, reach out to potential hiring managers are companies you’re interested in. You can find these people through websites like LinkedIn. When you reach out, mention that you will be in town only for a short time, but that you’d love the opportunity to take the person to coffee or lunch while you’re visiting.
Break each day into three parts: morning, midday, and evening. Try to schedule a coffee meeting in the morning and a lunch meeting midday for each day you visit. In the evenings, look for networking events to attend.
A great place to look for networking events is Meetup.com. You can search the website by the type of event you’re looking for in a particular location. You can also search the local Chamber of Commerce website, and other professional organizations that you may already be a member of.
For every meeting and event you attend, be sure to bring extra business cards and resumes. You never know when you might meet someone who’s looking to hire you. And, bring at least one suit, just in case you land an interview while you’re there.
This approach is much more in depth than applying online, however it is also much more effective. By meeting you in person, you become more than just a resume and you show potential employers that you’re serious about your move.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Jun 8, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media
When we’re looking for a new job, we often spend all our time perfecting our resume and applying online to random openings. These tactics can sometimes work, but is there a better way? What about the times when we’re ready for a career change, but aren’t quite sure where to look for something new?
There’s a very special way to boost your search strategy. It’s cheap and easy to do. It can even be fun. In fact, you may be doing it already and don’t even realize it. The secret is called “informational interviewing.”
At first glance, informational interviewing may sound quite intimidating. After all, this phrase contains the word interview. In reality, informational interviews are quite relaxed. They’re more of an educational exercise than anything else.
Instead of calling them informational interviews, perhaps we should rename them “get to know someone new who works in a different industry or company than you do” or more simply, “networking.” Networking sounds a bit more reasonable, doesn’t it?
To set up informational interviews, reach out to those people you’d like to learn more about. Perhaps they work in an interesting industry, or maybe they have a particular job title that peaks your curiosity. Give the person a call, send an e-mail, or write a note on LinkedIn. Tell them that you admire their work, and would be grateful if they’d take just a few minutes to speak with you over the phone. If they seem especially receptive, ask them if you can take them for a coffee, or if you can meet in person at their office.
Before the meeting, do your homework. Learn everything you can about their career and their company. Come prepared with a list of questions. If you aren’t sure what to ask, think of things you’d like to know that will help you to understand more about their company, or more about their career path.
Sample questions include: How did you get into marketing? What convinced you to work at your company? What was the process like for you to switch your career path? What do you like the most about your job?
Be prepared to answer questions about yourself too. The most common question is, “Tell me about yourself.” If you aren’t sure what you want to do next, be honest. However, avoid confusing the other person. The fastest way to do this is to provide a laundry list of possibilities for what you want to do next. If you have a few specific choices in mind, speak about the one most relevant to the person you’re talking to.
Be conscious of time. Show up a little early, and be careful not to keep the person too long. Afterward, send a thank you e-mail and a hand written thank you note. And, don’t forget to connect to the person on LinkedIn and to check in occasionally. The connections created from an informational interview can often turn into a new job offer in the long run.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Jun 1, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media
In the most difficult of cases, a job search can take a year or more. The process is grueling and emotionally exhausting. We spend many days and lots of money perfecting our look, networking with new people, and trying to find just the right fit.
Once we finally find the perfect job, it would be easy to think that things should be smooth sailing. We went through the difficult part during the interview, right? Things should be easy now.
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. In fact, in the worse scenario, we can mess up a good thing with just a few wrong moves. When that happens, we’re back to square one – wondering if we should find a new job, again.
To start off on the right foot, the first thing to work on is our perception of our coworkers and our boss. Arrive to work early and stay late. Dress as if you belong at company. In other words, don’t be too casual or too dressy. It can be hard to imagine, but visual cues like these can make a world of difference.
You should also take initiative and avoid office politics. Offer to help your coworkers when they need it. And, when they help you in return, be sure to say thank you often. Avoid those who seem to dwell on the negative or talk badly about one another. Be humble, and don’t attempt to stand out from the crowd (at least not in the beginning).
Take the time to get to know your coworkers. Socialize with them outside of the office. Consider going to lunch with them, or to drinks after work. But, be sure to check your personal life at the door. There may come a time that deep personal sharing makes sense, but that’s not the case when you first start.
It’s also important to learn about your new company. Look up how the company was started and any key facts that may impact the business today. Your boss and coworkers will have respect for the time you’ve taken to learn about the company.
As strange as it may seem, take the time to read the company handbook. When you start out, human resources typically gives you a book of information about the policies at work. If you don’t review it, you may assume that your new company has similar policies as your last workplace. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. For example, some companies allow you to post your personal views publically on social media, while others will terminate you for it. This is a big difference!
As you can see, first impressions are often based on things like how likeable you are – or how much of a team player you’re perceived to be. Fortunately, these are things that are easy to do as long as you are aware of expectations. Following these straight forward guidelines will help to make sure you start off on the right foot – and will cement your future 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 | May 25, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media
The number one reason employees change jobs varies depending on the source you’re reading. One list includes “appreciation and recognition” while another says, “unsatisfied with upper management.” Whatever the reason given, one thing’s for sure. These answers can all be grouped under one important category – cultural fit.
When we talk about cultural fit in a business setting, we’re talking about a common understanding of expectations. These expectations may be around the time employees arrive at work. They may be a standard of dress required during business hours, the office setup, or how formal or casual conversations should be. They include expectations around how quickly employees should respond to e-mails or phone calls.
Often, we want to assume that as a professional, we can work in any environment. Or, we may feel that if there’s a problem with the environment, we’ll be able to help fix it. Alternatively, it may never cross our mind that different offices operate with a different set of norms than we’re used to.
In reality, these office details that seem insignificant at first can greatly influence our level of happiness at work.
When I meet with a job seeker, they outline their future employer wish list. But, it’s often a list of what they want to avoid rather than what they want. At the top of the list is something like, “I want to work in a respectful environment.” This is the sort of requirement that seems incredibly basic until it’s not.
Unfortunately, many office environments turn out to be unhealthy places to spend our time. We often don’t learn this until it’s much too late. But, we’ve already quit our job and have started at the new one before we find out.
This is a lesson we should all keep in mind when we interview. Interviewing is a two way street. Rather than get caught up in whether or not a company chooses us, we should spend more time thinking about whether we choose the company.
There are a number of ways to answer this question. First, what are our priorities and how do they stack up against what the company has to offer? Is this a promotion over our last position? Does it offer more money, or better benefits?
Then, we can look at sites like Glassdoor.com. Employees are encouraged to rate their companies, much like customers rate hotels and restaurants.
Some of the information gathered is very direct and straightforward. Other information must be gathered through thoughtful observation and research.
At the end of the day, it’s far less important that we receive an offer for every job we interview for. It’s more important to find a job that fits us. This will ultimately lead us to fewer jobs, but the ones that do surface will be much more closely matched to our skills, background, and preferred company culture. This will increase our chances of happiness and therefore, success. After all, you aren’t made for every job. Wait for the best fit.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | May 18, 2016 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media
Business networking can be a tricky subject. With that in mind, I received a great question from a reader I want to share with you. The reader writes, “A recruiter recently reached out to me about a particular job they are hiring for. I’m not a good fit for it, but I know someone who is. Should I say anything, or should I keep my mouth closed?”
At first glance, it may feel strange to turn down an opportunity, only to refer someone else. It may feel like you shouldn’t get involved. It could seem inappropriate to speak for a friend. Or, it might even feel as though you’re saying, “I’m not really qualified, but I know someone who is smarter than me. Here’s their phone number.”
Fortunately, recruiters don’t take referrals this way. They understand that you aren’t always looking for a job, or that a job isn’t quite a fit with your skills or goals. Or maybe it’s not located where you want to live. Or possibly, your current job is going great.
By referring a potential candidate, you are both helping your friend – and you’re helping the recruiter. When the recruiter has another position, they very well may think of you again. They’ll know that if you aren’t interested, you’ll help to find someone who is.
I remember one of the first times this happened to me. I was completing graduate school when I interviewed with a large gaming company that was interested to relocate me to Las Vegas. It was a great job, and the interviews were going very well. Midway through one interview however, I realized it wasn’t for me. I looked at the hiring manager and said, “I’m sorry; I don’t think I’m the person for you. But, I know who is!” I had a friend who was a perfect fit. The company was so interested that they interviewed him for multiple rounds and flew him to Las Vegas. I’m not sure how it all turned out, but given the chance, I would definitely do it again.
Now, I’m not necessarily advocating for this specific approach, but for the general idea. It’s best to refer a friend before you have started to interview for the job. But, the thing to remember is that networking is a two way street. It’s not all about getting something for yourself out of every professional interaction. It’s also about giving. In a way, this process is like referring someone to your favorite hair stylist or dentist. You’re sending the recruiter a trusted person you know could do the job well.
Depending on the recruiter, another advantage could be a referral bonus. External placement agencies and headhunters often provide a small financial incentive to encourage referrals. It is typically only paid out if the person you refer is hired.
Providing a hiring referral can be helpful to you, your friend, and the recruiter. It strengthens both your internal and external networks, and can help your own search in the future.
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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