by Angela Copeland | May 23, 2014 | Advice, Change, Media
My latest Memphis Daily News column is out, “Scaling Your Career.” In it, I encourage you to consider transition between different industries – and to learn about the differences that may hold you back during your search.
One of the most exciting career transitions job seekers make is changing industries. You may want to move from nonprofit to corporate or from a large organization to a small business. These moves expose you to a new workplace and can reenergize you if you’re feeling burnt out in your current environment.
However, the one issue many job seekers struggle to understand is scalability. Scalability is an understanding of how your old work environment translates into your new work environment.
For example, a friend was recently working as a manager at a major university. He had 75 employees, large-scale projects and an impressive budget. Interested to move to a corporate job, he was concerned about titles such as “manager” and “director” that appeared on job postings. In the university setting, these titles were reserved for a select few with expansive responsibilities.
To read my entire article, and learn about how you can learn more about how to scale your career, visit the Memphis Daily News site here.
by Angela Copeland | Mar 10, 2014 | Advice, Change, Newsletter
Good morning! There’s a decent chance that today you’re a little tired. With the time change over the weekend, it seems that everyone’s sleep schedule (including our animals and children) are a little off. The good news is we’ll have more light to enjoy at the end of the day. That is, of course, after our sleep schedule adjusts to the new routine. In the meantime, we’re all a little grumpy about the entire situation.
Change is hard. It can be a long, sometimes painful process. But in the end, good things often come from it.
Are you someone who embraces change or who runs from it? If you got the impression your company was downsizing, would you start to look for another job, or wait for your boss to walk you out the door? I recommend the first, more proactive approach. It puts you in the driver’s seat, and allows you to make your own decisions about your career path.
People often continue to do things they dislike until those things become unbearable for them. That’s the point at which change typically happens. You may have noticed this with a friend who complains endlessly about some situation they claim to hate. They keep repeating their behavior, and you wonder, “When will they ever change? They obviously aren’t happy at all!” And the answer is, they will change — when things become painful enough.
I encourage you to begin to embrace change in your life and career. Start to look for opportunities for growth before you are forced to. Regardless of your position in your workplace, you are after all, the CEO of your own career. Nobody else is going to make sure you’re taking yourself to the next level.
Growing your career is a job all in itself. It takes time, just like personal relationships, hobbies, or anything else you prioritize as important in your life.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once said, “For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
Don’t wait for a dramatic event to change your life. Take control now, and begin to look for small steps to grow and change at your own pace, in your own way. Think about your long term goals and how your daily activities align to them. Do they add or subtract from your plan?
Life is short, and your career is even shorter. Embrace your role as CEO, and look for opportunities to grow and change your career for the better each day. You may just find that you end up with a little more sunshine in your life.
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
