Job Search Archives - Page 8 of 24

This job interview is downright chilling!

by Angela Copeland | Oct 26, 2020 | Career Corner Column, Interviewing, Job Search, Newsletter

Happy Halloween! In celebration, I want to share one of my own frightening job interview stories.

Years ago, I interviewed for a job in Pittsburgh. I flew in late at night, with the interview scheduled first thing the next morning. As I unpacked, I realized I had forgotten the pants to my suit. My mind was racing as I went through the options of what to do.

Could I wear the pants I’d flown there in? No, they were sweatpants. Could I call a cab to take me to a mall? No, it was late and everything was closed. Could I have a pair of pants shipped to me from home? No, all the shippers were closed for the day.

This brainstorming went on for an hour. I wracked my brain as I tried to think of a creative solution to this big problem.

It turned out, packages could be dropped off directly at the airport until around midnight for FedEx, and could be delivered by six the next morning. The only catch was getting the pants to the airport.

My apartment manager was the only one with a key to my apartment, but I didn’t have her phone number. So, I called a neighbor who was friends with another neighbor who had a dog that the building manager walked every day. I knew he would have the building manager’s phone, and I knew my other neighbor had the dog owner’s phone number.

After a few calls, I found the building manager’s phone number. I called and asked her to give my key to a friend who was willing to drive the pants to the airport. My friend entered my apartment and called to locate the correct pair of pants. Then, he drove them to FedEx, and mailed them.

Afterward, I alerted the hotel desk to contact me the moment the pants arrived—which they did. The interview went smoothly and nobody noticed anything unusual.

One of the questions they asked was, “Tell us about a time you encountered a problem and were able to find a creative way to solve it.” It was the perfect opportunity to share my story. The interviewers were both surprised and impressed. What started as a nightmare turned out to be a big win!

I don’t remember if I got that job, but I do remember that the interview went well.

The lesson: When it comes to job interviews, don’t expect everything to go perfectly. There’s often something that will go wrong. If you can plan on that thing, it’s much easier to roll with the punches and have a positive experience.

Interviewing is not about answering every question correctly. The hiring manager is more likely to remember how they felt about you than how you answered each question. It’s like going to a live comedy show. You don’t remember each joke, but you remember whether you had a good time.

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 iTunes or Stitcher.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach

Looking in the Mirror

by Angela Copeland | Oct 20, 2020 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter

If you’re a manager, you will sometimes be in the market to hire someone new. Have you ever found yourself in this situation, but there are just no good candidates? Everyone you’re interviewing is a dud. Does that sound familiar? If so, it may be time to look in the mirror.

If you’re relying on recruiters to find the best candidates (and you’re having trouble), there may be something you don’t know. Don’t get me wrong. Many recruiters are amazing. They can sift through stacks of resumes and find just the perfect candidates.

Then there are the other recruiters. They are doing you and your company a disservice. But, you’d never know it. Why not? Well, because as a candidate, if you complain, you’ll be eliminated. Nobody wants to hire a complainer. And, if you (the candidate) complain after you’ve been eliminated, then you’re just the sore loser.

So, what could go wrong that it might impact hiring? The biggest issue is that some recruiters are unwilling to take the candidate into consideration. Their opinion is that if the candidate wants the job, they’ll make themselves available. A recruiter may contact the candidate with only an hour or so of notice to request an interview. Or, they may call with no notice at all.

They believe the company and the hiring manager are very busy people. The candidate should cater to them. In many ways, this is true. But, a great candidate is not available all day, waiting for interviews. Successful folks have things to do. And, they have commitments to their existing company that they need to keep.

As a hiring manager, how would you feel if the recruiter expected you to interview someone with only an hour of notice? That would be a little strange, right? Now, imagine you weren’t just asking questions; you were answering them.

Very often, recruiters are also late to interviews or they miss them completely. They expect the candidate to understand that something came up. It’s also not uncommon for a recruiter to interview a candidate without ever having seen their resume.

Add to this list illegal questions. It’s not uncommon for a recruiter to ask the candidate about their marital status or whether or not they have kids. The candidate rarely objects to these questions, but I can assure you that they take note.

Candidate experience is real. More companies should give candidates a way to give feedback on their experience. Instead, candidates are never asked about how they felt. I do believe a candidate should be as flexible as they can. They’re selling themselves after all. But, if you expect the candidate to drop everything multiple times, you’re going to end up with the candidates who don’t have much going on professionally. You won’t be happy with the selection.

If you can’t seem to find good candidates, it may be time to look in the mirror.

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

Virtual Hiring

by Angela Copeland | Sep 29, 2020 | Career Corner Column, Coronavirus, Indeed.com, Job Search, Newsletter

During this difficult season, finding a new job feels complicated and often nearly impossible. However, online there are a few options you should check out if you want to make a switch. As usual, you should check for job postings on sites such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor. But, you should also look for special events. In particular, Indeed has put together an hiring event that may help you if you’re looking for a new job.

Indeed.com has launched a Virtual Hiring Tour across the United States. Their goal is to help 20,000 people get hired for new jobs.

“With unemployment at record high levels, our mission of helping people get jobs has never felt more important. This Virtual Hiring Tour is designed to help people from all backgrounds – essential workers to licensed professionals – quickly find roles, in a way that is safe and effective,” said Chris Hyams, CEO of Indeed.

The Indeed Virtual Hiring Tour is made up of online events that are broken out by region across the country. The events will use Indeed’s video technology to help with interviews.

Indeed is also partnering with Goodwill Industries International, to ensure that job seekers are aware of the hiring tour and are able to participate if they’re interested.

“Even before the pandemic, millions of people were stuck on the employment sidelines, struggling to find work. Today, they are even more anxious about their prospects, but we want to assure them that we are here to help,” said Hyams.

The Western United States event was held earlier in September. The event for the South is being held from September 29 to October 2. The Midwest is being held October 13 to October 16. The Northeast is being held October 20 to October 23.

Job seekers can register for free. Once on the site, you’ll also find interview tips and tricks, including what to wear to a virtual interview, how to prepare for your interview, and how to find out if the job you’re interviewing for is remote. There are both presentations and videos available on the site to walk you through the interview process.

In addition, if you click on the region of the country where you’re interested to work, you’ll find a list of jobs currently posted to the hiring tour. From there, you can RSVP for an interview. You’ll see how many interview spots are available for each job.

To learn more about the Indeed Virtual Hiring Tour, you should visit indeed.com/virtualhiringtour.

The pandemic is one of the hardest things we’ll ever face. Remember that you’re not in this by yourself. Often when we job search, we hope friends and family will help. But, it is more common for someone you don’t know to be the one to help. Don’t stop looking. Look for events like this one, and check with your university to see what additional events they may be organizing.

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

Risky Business

by Angela Copeland | Sep 15, 2020 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter

If you’re like many people, you may be nervous about job searching right now. The market feels completely unstable. If you have a job, this doesn’t feel like the time to take a risk to switch. Although this is a very solid argument, I would encourage you to keep your eyes open. There are companies hiring and onboarding new employees during the pandemic.

Don’t get me wrong. Not all companies are actively hiring, and definitely not for every sort of job. But, many organizations have found that their workers can be productive from home. And, let’s face it. They need to keep running in order to stay afloat. The pandemic hasn’t completely stopped hiring.

If you search online, you’ll likely find less total jobs posted. But, it’s arguable that the jobs posted are more serious than those in the past. You’ve probably come across a job posting before for a company that isn’t completely sure they want to hire someone. But, they’re interviewing anyway – to see what’s out there. Companies are less likely to do that today. It’s too hard. Companies aren’t going to waste their time or yours unless they really are interested to find someone.

If you want to look for a job and you see something interesting, apply. With all the working from home you’re doing, interviewing will be less of a challenge. You’re not going to have to sneak out to take a phone call or to do a Zoom interview.

Companies are being more flexible right now about location too. They are more open to the idea of hiring out of town candidates. Some companies are now open to you working from home indefinitely.

In the event that you make it to the offer stage of a job interview, there’s one important thing to keep in mind. You need to research the company. You need to research them twice as much as you ever would have before. And, research the industry the company is in. Some industries have been hit harder than others.

When you research the company, you can learn how they are holding up in the face of the pandemic. Study their financials if you can find them online. Watch their stock price. Read about them in the news. This information will help you to make a decision.

Years ago, I interviewed at a very nice company that (once I did my homework) appeared to be financially unstable. This year, they closed their doors. If I had not researched them, I would not have known.

At the end of the day, if you’re interested to look, look. In a worst case scenario, you can turn down a job offer. But, if you have been thinking of looking, don’t assume companies aren’t hiring. Many are, despite everything going on. But, be sure to do your homework, so your decision will be a low risk one, based on solid research.

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

207 | COVID Job Search | Sami Harvey, Hilton and Eventbrite

by Angela Copeland | Sep 1, 2020 | Coronavirus, Job Search, Podcast

Episode 207 is live! This week, we talk with Sami Harvey in Memphis, Tennessee.

Sami is a UX Writer who has worked for hotel company Hilton and advertising agency Archer Malmo.

On today’s episode, Sami shares:

Advice for if we’ve been impacted by COVID and have lost our job
Tips for creating our sudden COVID resume
How to talk about COVID’s impact on your search

Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

To learn more about Sami’s new adventure, check out her website at www.outofthewoodswildlife.org.

Thank YOU for listening! If you’ve enjoyed the show today, don’t forget to help me out. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts! When you subscribe, it helps to make the show easier for other job seekers to find the show!

Best Job Search Apps

by Angela Copeland | Aug 17, 2020 | Career Corner Column, Job Search, Newsletter

As you know, we’re facing record breaking unemployment. Unemployment for July was up by 1.8 million, with a rate of 10.2 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These staggering numbers mean that many people are looking for new jobs. If you are a job seeker, you’re probably wondering where to begin. You may wonder where to find the best job search websites, and the best job search apps.

There are many websites where you can look for jobs. There are three main sites that I recommend for most jobs: LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Indeed. Each of these sites has a great app.

If you work in certain specialized fields, there are other sites you should also be aware of. For example, if you’re looking for a government job, you should check out usa.gov. If you looking for a job related to sports, check out teamworkonline.com. There are many other sites, but let’s start with the basics of the top three.

LinkedIn offers job seekers many features. You can create an online profile that is essentially an online resume or portfolio of your work. LinkedIn also gives you the opportunity to connect with people who work at the companies you’re interested in. And, it has job postings. The job postings offer various data points, including how many people have applied to a job and how you rank in comparison to other candidates. In addition, you may be able to see an estimated salary and the human resources recruiter who posted the job. Applying is fairly straightforward, and there are optional features available such as asking for a referral.

Glassdoor and Indeed are now owned by the same parent company. They’re both excellent websites with unique features.

Glassdoor is built on employee feedback. They have similar job postings to those offered on LinkedIn. But, they also give quite a bit of information about each company. You can look at how well ranked a company is by its employees. You can also see how much the company pays employees for specific roles. And, you can look up interview questions the company may ask.

Indeed has long been hailed as the world’s largest job website. They have more job postings than any other website. Indeed also shares estimated salary data with job seekers, along with company reviews.

As you can see, each job website adds its own value. On top of that, you want to look where the jobs are listed. Not every company puts each job on all three sites. You don’t want to miss jobs by only focusing on one site. Use each site in the way that it best fits you. Then, go directly to company websites for companies you really love. And, keep your eyes open for other sites that may be more specific to your career.

Last, remember that applying online is a numbers game. Get started if you want to play.

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