How to Help Your Loved Ones

by Angela Copeland | Jul 29, 2019 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter

Job seeking is a daunting task. This is especially true if you’re unemployed, and you need to find something quick. It’s painful, long, and challenging. It can be demoralizing. Every day can feel like a struggle.

If you have a loved one going through this job search process, you might want to help. It’s the natural thing to do. You want to help make the pain stop. You want to step in.

The first place most people begin is with advice. As an outside observer, this seems to make sense. You can offer advice on anything from resume to interview skills to search strategy. You can critique the job seeker to help them in their search. There must be something they can do better, and you know the answers.

But, this is where you might want to think twice. Do you work in the same field as your loved one? Are you located in the same city as your loved one? Has your last job search been recently? Have you looked for a job since online searching became the norm? If your answers to these questions is no, you might want to hold off on giving any advice. It’s possible that your situation may be a bit different than your loved one’s situation.

Very often, job searching can take months. This is normal. It’s not necessarily a sign that something has gone wrong. And, the higher the salary job, the longer the process takes. It’s estimated that for every $10,000 per year you make, it takes a month to find a job. So, for a $50,000 per year job, it could take five months.

When you reach out to help, the best place to start is by asking, “How are you?” If your loved one is comfortable, they will share more information. If they need advice, they will ask. Try not to start off with the question, “Did you find a job, yet?”

Very often, your loved one needs a sympathetic ear and someone who will encourage them rather than critique their approach. Job seeking can be a lonely process, especially if the person isn’t currently working. Listening is one of the most helpful things you can do.

Providing unsolicited advice can be like pouring gasoline on a fire. It’s not always helpful. In fact, it may communicate the message that you don’t believe they’re working hard, or that they know what they’re doing. It can discourage them and keep them from moving forward.

Job searching can be hard to watch. It’s like dating. It’s a messy, long process. You never know when it will end. You never know when the right match will pop up. But, just like dating, the best thing you can offer your loved one is support. Be accepting. Try to keep your judgments to a minimum. This, above all, will help your loved one to find a job faster.

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.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach

The Odds of Getting Hired

by Angela Copeland | Jul 22, 2019 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter

Since the launch of the internet, job searching has becoming increasingly transactional. Job seekers are able to apply to jobs in bulk. In fact, they must apply in bulk if they want to increase their chances of getting hired.

Whenever I attend a conference, I always hear at least one of the speakers say, “Remember how hard it was to get into an Ivy League college when you were in high school? Well, it’s even harder to find a job online!” The problem is, it is unclear where this fact comes from.

Although sources do not agree, they all seem to say the same thing. Your chances are slim.

Website Workopolis.com says only 2% of job applicants make it to the interview phase of the process. Weeks Career Services shared that the odds of being hired are 1.2% overall. Inc.com shared that on average, every corporate job opening attracts 250 resumes.

You get the idea. There is some serious competition out there. This means that as a job seeker, you very well may have to apply to hundreds of jobs to land an offer that you really like.

One problem is, it’s the very process of mass applying to jobs that makes it so hard to get a real interview. When a company has to sort through 250 resumes, everyone’s chances go down.

So, what can you do? Well, first, try to apply to jobs you can truly do. I’m not a fan of taking the requirements section too seriously. But, be sure you could actually complete the work before you apply. If you know there’s a good chance you cannot do the work, skip the job. Focus on opportunities you know you can do.

Then, look for opportunities to engage employers in the old fashioned way. If you know the hiring manager, reach out directly. If you know someone who works at the company you’re applying to, ask them if they would be willing to refer you. They can often refer you through the company website or you can get a referral through LinkedIn. Your chances of getting hired go up exponentially when you know someone internally. And, the person you know will often get a financial reward if you’re hired.

Apply on the company website. Also, look for ways to apply outside of the traditional online process. In other words, if you have found the hiring manager on LinkedIn, send them a message. If you know someone at the company, send them an email. Don’t assume that just because you’re qualified, someone will see your online application.

Do your best not to get discouraged. So often, we assume that we weren’t hired because we aren’t qualified. But, it may really come down to a numbers game at times. Keep moving. Keep applying. And, monitor postings each day. The faster you apply to a new job, the higher your chances are of being hired.

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.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach

How long should a job search take?

by Angela Copeland | Jul 15, 2019 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter

When you’re looking for a new job, the time it takes can feel brutal. Every day, you hope the right job will fall into your lap. Not only are you anxious about this, so are your friends and family. They’ve never seen a job search take so long. Something must be wrong. Right? Not necessarily.

There are a few things to consider when it comes to getting a new job. First, think about this. When you finished college, you would take any job, working anywhere, doing anything, for any amount of money. You had never worked before. You just needed something to put on your resume.

But, after you got a little bit of experience under your belt, you started to know yourself better. You realized that you’re good at a certain type of work. Maybe you need to live in a certain city now. You may be married or own a home. And, you may need to make a certain amount of money.

When you have more requirements, the number of jobs you’re looking for are more limited. This isn’t a bad thing. Knowing what you’re looking for is great. It will help you to find a job that’s a good fit. But, it will take longer. Because instead of any kind of job, you are now looking for one particular kind of job.

In addition, your search can take longer if anything about your search is unusual. For example, if you’re job searching from a distance (if you want to relocate), it usually takes longer. If you are switching industries, it may take longer. If you’re switching job functions, it may take longer.

The more you make, the longer it takes. This is also an issue as you climb the corporate ladder. The more experienced you are, the longer your search will take.

Experts estimate that for every $10,000 you make, it should take approximately one month to find a job. In other words, if you make $40,000 per year, it should take about four months to find a job. If you make $60,000 per year, that number jumps to six months.

If you’ve reached an executive level role at your company, the amount of time it takes to find something goes up, right along with your pay. This can make job searching more time consuming and more exhausting than ever before. It can be shocking for friends and family who are aware of your search. Not only does it take time to find something, by this point in your career, you don’t want any offer. You want a job that’s a good fit all the way around.

This time horizon is something to keep in mind if you’re struggling. It’s also a reason why having an emergency fund can be helpful, if you can build one up. If you find yourself without a job, it may take time to find a new one.

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.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach

Annual Hiring Trends

by Angela Copeland | Jul 1, 2019 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter

You may be wondering if you have missed your chance to get a new job. After all, you had a new year’s resolution to job search. And, you just didn’t get around to it. Or, maybe you did try, but it didn’t work out the way you were expecting.

Well, I have some good news for you. You’re not out yet! There’s still time to get hired in 2019.

Every month, LinkedIn puts out this really helpful report. It’s one that I follow each month. It’s called the LinkedIn Workforce report. If you haven’t seen it, try Googling it. You’ll find the latest report right away.

The report shares hiring trends for the U.S. And, it dives into trends in the top markets across the country. In those top markets, it shares which skills are needed, and which skills that city has more than enough of.

But, one of the most interesting pieces of the reports comes in the form of a simple graph. There’s a graph that shows the rate of hiring on LinkedIn in the United States. LinkedIn calculates the “hiring rate” by looking at the number of LinkedIn members who added a new employer to their profile in the same month the new job began, and dividing it by the total number of LinkedIn members in the U.S.

Like any self-reported information, I’m certain the data behind this graph isn’t without flaws. But, it’s a very helpful peek into the hiring world. One thing you notice right away is that hiring is seasonal. There are peaks and valleys on the graph each year. And, they line up very closely with peaks and valleys from the year before.

Looking at the year from start to finish, this is what you’ll notice. January starts off strong. Then, it drops quite a bit after January. Then, the rate goes higher and higher through June. In June, hiring is actually slightly higher than in January. May college graduation likely factors into this.

That brings us to July. In July, hiring is a little less than in June. But, it’s still at a good spot. And, it goes up in August. August hiring rates aren’t quite as high as January or June, but they are actually quite high overall. From September to December, hiring rates will slowly fall. December is the lowest point in the year.

One thing that likely influences the July, August, and September hiring numbers are fiscal years. Very often, hiring lines up to when a new year begins. Companies will hold off on hiring until the clock flips to January 1st, for example. But, many companies actually have a fiscal year that begins in July. That means, some companies will post new jobs in July for the first time.

If you’re thinking of finding a new job, there’s still time! But, get moving before we get too far into the year.

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.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach