by Angela Copeland | Apr 26, 2017 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Interviewing, Job Search, Media, Rejection
Being overlooked for a job is the worst. It’s especially bad after you’ve had a series of interviews. You took off work (multiple times), bought a new suit, and updated your resume. How could they reject you after all of that hard work?
First, I’m with you. It’s pretty awful when a company puts you through the ringer, just to toss you aside in the end. Sometimes they don’t even notify you. They aren’t shopping for a new pair of shoes. You’re a person.
So, what are you going to do now that you’ve been rejected? If you’re like most people, you are going to stay as far away from the company as possible. It’s like a bad breakup. They rejected you. Clearly, they didn’t want you. Why would you want to pour salt in those wounds?
This is totally reasonable. But, what if we chose to see the situation from a different perspective? What if it wasn’t a complete rejection? Just maybe, hiring could have been put on hold. Another candidate could have been preselected. Your salary history could have been a bit high for the role. Or, perhaps the hiring manager felt you were overqualified for the job. Often, we don’t know what the real reason was. We make assumptions; assumptions that the company didn’t like us.
What if we decided not to take it personally? What if we looked at the interviews as the start of a longer conversation?
If we did this, we would probably reach back out to the hiring manager in the future. We’d keep an eye on new jobs in the same department. And, we might even meet up with someone from the team every now and then for a coffee.
What’s the worst that could happen? The hiring manager might get to know you better. They might really like you. And, they might call you the next time they’re hiring. In fact, they might call you before the position is posted online.
But, this approach takes two things. First, it requires you to separate yourself from the rejection of not being selected the first time around. You have to be confident enough in your skills to say, “This wasn’t the right fit this time” instead of, “this will never work.” Second, it takes longer. It requires you to put in more time. It’s not an immediate answer, and it could even take years to build a relationship with the company that rejected you.
I’d argue that it’s worth it. If you take this approach across the board, you will grow your network more than you can imagine. Instead of searching for a new job, jobs begin to come to you. Hiring managers will call you when you are a good fit. They will call when they can pay you enough and when they have a job that really meets your skills.
But, it requires looking at things differently when you’re not picked. So, what’s your next move – complete rejection or conversation starter?
Angela Copeland is a Career Coach and Founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Apr 24, 2017 | Advice, Cover Letter Writing, Media, Podcast, Resume Writing
Today, I want to share with you a column I wrote in 2015 for my Career Corner Column. It’s been two years since it was first published, but the message still holds true today. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
There’s something you may be doing every day that’s making you look old. And you probably have no idea what it is. It’s not your clothes, your hairstyle or the AOL email address you’re using (although those aren’t helping either).
What you’re doing is subtle, and worst of all, it’s what you were taught in school. How could someone teach you to do something incorrectly? Times have changed, possibly without you.
Before I get on a high horse, let me share – I learned this lesson the hard way. I want to keep you from learning it the hard way too. Because it’s possible nobody else will point it out to you. They’ll just talk about you when you’re not around or wonder to themselves about your intelligence.
This sounds like a big deal, doesn’t it?
This is how I learned my lesson the hard way. When I wrote my book, Breaking The Rules & Getting The Job, I used an editor who read the draft pages in detail. When she finished, I asked for feedback on my writing style. She said something I never expected to hear. “The one thing you need to stop doing is using two spaces after your periods.”
Wait, what? Nothing about my writing style? Two periods instead of one? But, teachers in school drilled two spaces into my head. “This must be a minor creative difference,” I thought. I left the e-book with double spaces and never looked back.
About six months later, I met with another group of editors who review my newspaper column. I asked the same question.
One editor cringed. He said, “Your writing style is good. But, there’s one thing that would be great if you could stop doing. You use two periods at the ends of your sentences. We always delete them.”
This stopped me in my tracks. How in the world was this a thing? How was it a big deal? How was it a pet peeve of writers? Where did I go wrong?
From the best I can gather, using two spaces was taught for years in school. At some point, the standard changed and one space became the norm. Unless you write for a living, you probably weren’t told about the change.
Simply put – your two spaces are dating you. I suspect you’re like me and don’t know. Anytime I tell a client about this standard, they’re always surprised.
Recently, I read an article that began, “Can I let you in on a secret? Typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong.” The author goes on to say, “What galls me about two-spacers is…”
What I’m getting at is one space versus two spaces is apparently a controversial issue. And, we’re all being judged. If you’re out there applying for jobs, take my advice: Switch to one space. Don’t overthink it. Just do it. After some practice, it will become more natural. And you’ll look that much better, and younger, in job interviews.
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
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Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Apr 19, 2017 | Advice, Career Coaching, Career Corner Column, Media
Loyalty is an important quality. It’s what helps bind friendships and loved ones. It’s what holds teams together. But, dare I say it – there are limits to loyalty.
Many of us were taught to be loyal to our companies. To some degree, this makes a lot of sense. We should all be truthful. We should keep trade secrets private. And, we should put in an honest day’s work when we’re there. We have a duty to be great employees each and every day.
In the past, loyalty at work also brought with it a number of great rewards. We could count on having a job every day. Job security was more of a given. Very often, hard work and commitment resulted in promotions and more money. And, years of service guaranteed a comfortable retirement. Putting the company’s needs first meant putting our own needs first to some degree.
But, times have changed. Without putting blame on one side or another, it’s fair to acknowledge that things are different in many modern workplaces. It’s no longer unusual for a company to restructure and cut an entire department – with no notice. It’s also not unusual for a company to look for outside talent to save the day when things are going wrong.
This new climate puts us at an increased risk of losing our job sometime during our career – no matter how great of an employee we may be. It also means the chances go up that we could be overlooked for an internal promotion. And, with the effort companies are putting into recruiting external talent, it means that we may also be overlooked for a pay raise along the way.
So, what can we do about this new environment? Well, first, keep being a great employee each and every day. You are your own personal brand. You don’t want to be any less of a good employee just because times have changed and you are adjusting your ideas on loyalty.
Second, focus on your long term goals. Where do you want to be in five years? Where do you want to be in ten?
As you work to achieve your goals, observe whether or not your company is supporting those goals. If you are being overlooked for promotions and raises, pay attention. The company is sending a signal. For whatever reason, they are not aligned to your goals. Your future success is dependent upon your acceptance of this unfortunate fact.
Expand your network and begin searching for a company that does align to your personal goals. When you switch companies, you have a chance to renegotiate your salary and your title. Instead of getting a two percent raise this year, what if you could have a ten percent raise (or more)?
At the end of the day, keep yourself and your future in mind. Don’t sacrifice yourself because you want to be loyal to an organization. If the organization needed to save money, their own loyalty would become much more optional.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Apr 12, 2017 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Media
The job market often offers twists and turns you’d never expect. My first twist happened during college.
I grew up in the 90s, along with the internet. Companies like AOL were just starting. With a “fast” dial up modem, you could connect through your phone line. It was just the sort of thing a teenager dying to go to college out of state needed. It was an exciting time. Everything and everyone suddenly seemed magically intertwined in a new way.
Startups were popping up everywhere. Young people were getting investments to start business and were suddenly worth millions. It was like being a celebrity. The guarantee of a good job and a great financial future motivated me to study computer and systems engineering in college. I moved from Oklahoma to Upstate New York for the opportunity.
Midway through school, the dot com crash happened. Suddenly, startups were disappearing and jobs in the tech world dried up. Recruiters that came to my college to hire students canceled their visits. Not only were their visits canceled, the jobs they were hiring for were canceled too.
This was one of the scariest times in my career. It forced me to rethink the possibilities of what I might become. After some soul searching, I found a project management job. It wasn’t what I had expected to be doing, but the good news was, it was even better. This work capitalized on my strengths more than computer programming ever did, and it prepared me for my next challenge – graduate school.
Getting my MBA presented an entirely new set of hurdles. The first was saving enough money to quit my job to go. The second was to move cross country to a new city in California where I knew no one. While I was in school, the job market continued to be competitive. In fact, many employers were no longer paying for interns. The prospect of working for free was one catalyst to finish school early and to begin my new career.
Strangely, although I planned to change careers when I finished business school, employers didn’t initially see it the same way. One company offered me twice as much money to do the same sort of work I’d been doing before school. It was incredibly confusing. The money was great, but I’d quit my job so that I could change careers completely. I turned down the offer and kept searching. Eventually, I became a digital marketing executive and now, a career coach.
What I’ve learned along the way is that your path isn’t always as straight as you picture it when you’re eighteen. And, more importantly – that’s okay. In today’s job market, changing jobs every three to five years keeps you fresh. It diversifies your professional contacts and your experience. It turns you into a bit of a free agent so to speak. And, you have a chance to negotiate for more money every few years. Very often, unexpected career interference is a true blessing in disguise.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Mar 29, 2017 | Advice, Career Corner Column, College, Media
I’ve met a number of people lately who have said something that’s surprised me. They’ve told me that they aren’t sure if college is really worth it. They believe it would be a waste of money to pay for something they might never use, especially if they change their mind on a career path later.
The group I’m talking about is made up of twenty-something millennials. They are college age and very unsure if they trust this system. They’ve seen their friends go to college and end up with little more than a pile of student loans and a degree that seems to open zero doors. They see friends living at home with parents, unable to get their own apartments.
The economy has struggled for years. College tuition is at extremely high levels creating high student debt. And older workers are being forced to stay in their jobs for longer than ever before, leaving fewer good jobs for new graduates.
When you think of it this way, this perspective makes sense. It can seem that the return on investment just isn’t there to justify spending the money. It also ups the importance of picking the right degree.
But, this perspective worries me. In today’s workforce, a college degree is often considered the minimum threshold for entry. It’s similar to how a high school diploma was perceived in a previous generation. Without one, a job seeker will likely be at a disadvantage compared to someone with a degree.
Very often, the specific degree is less important than having one. Ask anyone over the age of forty what they studied in college. There’s a decent chance you’ll be surprised by their answer because they likely have switched fields along the way.
When I hear this new doubt about the value of college, I think about a number of the older job seekers I’ve met along the way. Early in their careers, they were leaders in their field — perhaps in something like sales. They worked at the same company for years, building up clients and a big paycheck. Then one day, the industry shifted. The company they worked for went out of business and they were out of work.
Suddenly, the successful, seasoned professional they were disappears. They feel helpless. They feel lost. Employers are less interested in them. They have all the right experience and the right knowledge, but they don’t have a degree. They don’t meet the basic requirements. They struggle to find work that will pay the bills to maintain their existing lifestyle. This experience is devastating.
If you’re struggling to decide, remember the long game. Education is expensive, but it’s worth it. Think of how much you’d be willing to pay for a new car, because it drives you around. Education gets you places too, but just in a different way. And, if college isn’t for you for whatever reason, consider a trade program. Additional training will put you ahead of your competition, and help to secure your future.
Angela Copeland is CEO and founder of Copeland Coaching and can be reached at CopelandCoaching.com or on Twitter at @CopelandCoach.
by Angela Copeland | Mar 22, 2017 | Advice, Career Corner Column, Job Search, Media
When you’re truly unhappy in your current job, a new one can’t get here fast enough. Having to drag yourself to the office each day can be the worst. When you’re caught up in the emotion of it all, you begin to wonder why you don’t have a new job yet. Is it a problem with your resume, your cover letter, or your LinkedIn? Panic and frustration begins to set in as each day goes by.
But, sometimes it’s none of those things at all. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of time. What I mean by this is, it’s easy to get swept up in our everyday responsibilities. Whether it’s a current job, children, a side project, or social commitments, there’s always something pressing to do. The job search gets pushed to the side, like a treadmill bought with the best intensions that’s gathering dust in the corner.
The problem is, just like physical health, your dream job will rarely find you without some real work. It’s possible that a so-so job that pays almost enough will fall into your lap. But, with that job, there’s no guarantee that it will actually be better than the one you have now. That high paying promotion you’ve been dreaming of will not be found easily. Those jobs are harder to find and to get. They require treating the process of getting a job like its own job.
Believe me, I wish there was an easier way. But, for the most part, elbow grease is the only answer. Making your job search the most important thing you’re doing will move it forward faster.
Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe that preexisting commitments, such as family, should take top billing. It’s the right decision and one that I truly respect. But, the higher you can prioritize your search and the more time you’re able to pour into it, the faster things will come together.
Start by deciding how many hours each week you’d like to work on your search. Then, picture when would be the best time to put in those hours. Are mornings easier for you? Is right after work the best? Or, is Sunday afternoon ideal? Whatever time you select, hold yourself to it. Let your family know that you’re going to need a little extra time to focus on your search. Consider tracking your progress in a spreadsheet or on a calendar.
As I write this, I’m reminded that prioritizing your search is in reality a lot like prioritizing yourself, and your own happiness. It’s making time for your future goals. It’s making time for your future self. It’s a way of saying that you will not wait until your current job is so miserable that you can’t stand it anymore. You won’t wait for another tiny raise or a nonexistent promotion. You’re ready to take your search into your own hands because it’s a priority for you. Only then will you find what you’ve been hoping and searching for.
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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