Oh my gosh! I have such exciting news to share with you today! My TEDx Talk video is live!
I haven’t said much about it, so in case this is the first you’ve heard about this news, let me fill you in. I was recently invited to give a TEDx Talk about my career success.
(Pretty exciting, right?! Also, what a big honor!!)
The event took place in Columbus, Ohio at TEDxWorthington with a theme of “Interference.”
My TEDx Talk, entitled “How I broke the rules & found my perfect job” shares my story of not waiting for permission in my career and a little obsession I developed along the way.
I share the story about how I went from being an engineer to being a marketing executive to a career coach. I share the bumps and the bruises — and the good parts (like negotiating up my salary – more than once!).
Oh, and, it turns out, I really like interviewing. Did you know that I once snuck into a graduate school campus where I didn’t go in order to get a job interview? When word got out about my ‘love,’ people starting asking me for help with their careers.
But, the biggest lesson I learned along the way was… well, you’ll just have to watch the video to find out!
This is my career story, from the beginning to now. I really hope you’ll enjoy watching the video as much as I enjoyed making it! You can watch the video on YouTube by clicking the link below or any of the photos in this email.
Please watch it, like it, and share it with your friends. You can share the video on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Or, you can simply forward this email to a friend who’s currently on the job hunt.
My hope is truly that the ideas behind my book Breaking The Rules & Getting The Job will catch on far and wide. I want to help job seekers to be more successful in their search, and in their lives.
It’s time to think outside the box and stop living life by other people’s rules. It’s time to push boundaries, to try new things, and to dare to ask for more money. It’s time to find a job that you TRULY LOVE.
And, speaking of love— I need to thank so many people. First, thank you to the TEDx Worthington team for inviting me to participate in such a wonderful event in your special community. A special thank you goes to Dirk for all your support and for listening to my talk countless times in multiple states. A HUGE thank you goes to Irene Crist and Roy Kaufmann for your incredible guidance through this process. Thank you to Daniel Lynn for doing what you do the best. And, thank you to all of my friends who encouraged me to have the courage to share my own story.
I would love you to help me share my “big idea” too. Please forward this email, share on Facebook, share on Twitter, or whatever way works the best for you. I don’t usually include an ask in my e-newsletter, but this is it. Please share my story.
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 Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
Let’s face it. We all want to be paid fairly. But, what “fair” means can be hard to tell.
After all, we were all taught not to talk about a few key things with others: politics, religion, and money. So, how can you know how much you’re worth on such a taboo topic?
As you can imagine, determining whether or not you’re being paid fairly can be tricky. But, fortunately, the internet is making it a little easier.
Research is where it’s at. You need data to help you determine what’s truly fair. Here are a few ideas for helping you to determine your fair market value.
Salary.com – Salary.com provides salary data by zip code and title. This can be useful information, especially if you’re searching at a small company.
Glassdoor.com – Glassdoor compiles anonymous, self-reported salary data. It’s reported by title, location, and company. They also rolled out a new tool earlier this year that can be very helpful called the “Know Your Worth Tool.” And, best of all, Glassdoor periodically sends you updates to let you know if your market value is increasing or decreasing.
Your University – One area that many job seekers overlook is called a post-graduation report. Most universities put these reports out, sharing how much their graduates make 1-2 years after graduation. Some also include data about the specific companies their graduates are working for. Although this report is the most helpful when you’re a young professional, it can help to provide another data point in your search for information.
Last, the good old fashioned way of salary research can help here too. Talking with friends a little more openly about money can shed quite a bit of light. And, if all else fails, a few competitive job offers from other companies will definitely give you a better idea of what your current going rate is.
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 Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
First and foremost, money isn’t everything. And, if it’s not your primary driver, that’s okay. You job search should be about finding an opportunity that’s a good fit and that aligns to your personal values and goals.
However, if you’re like me, you want to be paid fairly compared to your peers. And, you want to save for your future. There’s a difference between wanting to make a lot of money, and wanting to not have to worry about money every day. Don’t you agree?
So, let’s think about a decision that comes up very often during our job search. And, before I get too far – let me say this. I’m going to use some simple math that does not account for things like inflation. It’s not going to be as accurate as an estimate that you could make using Excel or another tool. But, I think this simple model will be helpful.
Okay, back to the common decision. We’re searching for a job that’s in a new field. We receive a job offer and are faced with the decision of whether or not to accept less money than we currently make.
Less money! Oh no! That’s typically not our goal when we start a job search. But, when we switch fields, it’s not uncommon to find ourselves with a lower paying job offer.
So, now what?
Well, first, let’s do some simple math. Here’s an example.
Let’s say that Jerry makes $70K today at Acme Company. Jerry is 30 years old. He plans to work until he’s 65.
Jerry landed a job offer at Baker Company that pays $60K. He plans to stay at the job for 5 years before looking for a better paying job. He wants to get some experience first. Jerry takes the job. In 5 years, Jerry applies for a new job and gets an offer at Carter Company that is a big raise — $10K more than what he is making at Baker Company. It’s for $70K.
So, for the 5 years that Jerry spent at Baker Company, he made $10K less per year than he made at Acme Company. In total, it was $50K less over the 5 years. Then, he went to Carter Company and began to make what he previously made at Acme Company.
Current Salary New Salary 5 Years
$70K –> $60K –> $70K $50K less over 5 years
Now, let’s look at another example. Let’s say that Jerry makes $70K today at Acme Company. Jerry is 30 years old. He plans to work until he’s 65.
Jerry landed a job offer at Davidson Company that pays $80K. He plans to stay at the job for 5 years before looking for a better paying job. He wants to get some experience first. Jerry takes the job. In 5 years, Jerry applies for a new job and gets an offer at Edison Company that is a big raise $10K more than what is making at Davidson Company. It’s for $90K.
So, for the 5 years that Jerry spent at Davidson Company, he made $10K more per year than he made at Acme Company. In total, it was $50K more over the 5 years. Then, he went to Edison Company and began to make $20K more than he previously made at Acme Company.
Current Salary New Salary 5 Years
$70K –> $80K –> $90K $50K more over 5 years
Now, let’s compare the two scenarios. In the first scenario, Jerry is making $70K at the end of 5 years. In the second scenario, Jerry is making $90K at the end of 5 years.
So, instead of a small investment, of time, Jerry has actually forfeited $20K per year beginning in year 5. Considering that future salaries are often based on past salaries, this decision could easily follow Jerry around for the lifetime of his career.
If his salary remained flat from age 35 to 65, the projected difference would be $20K per year, or $600K over the next 30 years. Wow, that’s a big difference for what seems like a small decision!
So, what should Jerry do? Should he take the first offer with Baker Company? Or, should he hold out for the job at Davidson Company?
This is where things get tough. The thing is, we don’t know anything more about Jerry’s situation here than the numbers. Here are some things we might want to keep in mind.
How much has Jerry saved for his retirement already? What’s his overall retirement savings goal and will he meet that goal with either job?
How old is Jerry? In this scenario, Jerry is 30. But, if he were younger or older, we might adjust our choices.
Is Jerry over the moon happy about the job that pays less? Is it everything he’s ever wanted, but has never had? Or, is he lukewarm about the entire situation? If Jerry plans to take a big pay cut, he should definitely like the job.
If Jerry is over the moon about the job, does it really require a pay cut? Very often, we assume that moving to a new industry requires us to start over completely from a salary perspective. Sometimes, that’s true. But, sometimes, it’s not. It’s important to fully understand Jerry’s worth in a new role before making this choice.
In summary, money isn’t everything. But, it is something. It’s an important factor to consider in our job choices. The decision we make today will have a long lasting impact on our futures.
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 Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
Episode 111 is live! This week, we talk with Rich Jones in San Francisco, CA.
Rich is a Technical Recruiter at a large dot com company. He’s a certified professional in Human Resources with over seven years of recruiter and HR experience. Rich also co-hosts the Paychecks & Balances podcast. Paychecks & Balances is a fun-formative podcast covering work and money for the rising professional.
On today’s episode, Rich shares the biggest financial issue faced today by professionals, how to ask your current boss for a raise, and secrets to effective negotiation at a new job.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about Rich’s podcast, Paychecks & Balances, visit his website at PaychecksAndBalances.com.
Thanks to everyone for listening! if you have questions, you can e-mail me at Angela(at)CopelandCoaching(dot)com. If you’ve enjoyed the program today, please be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave me a review!
How often have you talked to a friend who hasn’t received a real raise in years and is feeling frustrated? Perhaps you are that person. You’ve been at your company for years, receiving two to three percent raises each time you have a performance review. You know you’re falling behind financially as compared to your peers, but you’re not sure what to do.
Often, employees in this situation will recommit themselves to their work. They decide that if they work hard enough and show their boss how great they are, they’ll be rewarded in a few more years. It feels very personal and somewhat emotional. Hard work means more money.
Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Unless you are in sales, the issue of money has far less to do with your own performance than you might imagine. Once you’re hired at a company, you become part of a system. The system typically only offers pay raises during review time. And, managers are restricted on how much they’re able to give.
So, what can you do? Some employees threaten to leave. Others argue their value. And, a few present competitive job offers. Threatening to leave or presenting competitive offers is rarely the answer and companies know this. Even if they agree to your demands, there’s still a good chance you’ll leave later – and you may damage the relationship with your company in the process.
If you want to stay at your current organization, your best bet is to make a case for your value during your annual performance review. Even then, you’re unlikely to get the huge raise you’re dreaming of.
In order to truly impact your salary, you have to consider switching companies completely. Big salary increases not only impact how much you make now, but also how much you will make over the lifetime of your career. In fact, Forbes makes the case that employees who stay at a job more than two years make fifty percent less over the lifetime of their career than those who don’t.
Once you’ve decided to change jobs, do your homework. Find out what the going rate is for the work you do. It’s important to know your worth before you begin.
When you interview, you’ll quickly find that one of the first questions a company will ask is, “How much do you make?” If you answer this question, you can bet that your new salary will be based upon how much you’re currently making. To maximize your salary bump, try to avoid answering this as long as possible. One technique is to ask the recruiter if they would be willing to share the salary range with you. This can give you a sense of the pay without disclosing your own number.
And, start your search before you’re so unhappy at your job that you’re ready to run out of the building. The longer your timetable is, the more choices you’ll have and the longer you can wait for the highest paying offer.
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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