by Angela Copeland | Jul 18, 2016 | Advice, Newsletter
One of the number one (if not THE number one) complaints job seekers have is how long it really takes to find a new job. So, what’s a reasonable expectation?
It’s not uncommon for me to meet a new job seeker who is looking to change careers completely. They’ve got to rebrand themselves, update their resume, make new networking contacts, and interview for and land a new job. When I ask when they’d like to have a new job, they casually say, “I’m thinking about four weeks from now.”
Does this sound reasonable? Well, it depends. Many people land jobs when they aren’t expecting them. They seem to drop out of the air when a family friend suggests you come work for him, or an old boss calls up to check in.
Unfortunately, these jobs that drop out of the air don’t always match our expectations. They can leave us feeling unhappy at work. When we are actively job seeking, it’s often because we want to find something new and different — a job we actually like.
I think of the entire process a little like buying a car. Many years ago, before I went to graduate school, I was in the market for a new car. It didn’t need to be fancy. It just needed to be reliable and get me from place to place. Finding the car took very little time and was a relatively pain free process.
Just a few years ago, I was in the market to buy a car again. This time, I wanted a specific kind of car: a sports car. I researched all the available models. I test drove them in multiple cities. I compared coupes to convertibles — with hard and soft tops. I even rented one for a week to see what I thought of driving it around with the top down. I graphed the depreciation over time. I got estimates on the price of car insurance. I researched the maintenance on the various cars.
When I finally decided on the kind of car I wanted, I set out to find the perfect one — nation wide. I looked at dealerships, on eBay, and on other car sites. Eventually, I narrowed it down to three cars. I hired a professional mechanic to inspect each car to be sure they were in good shape. Then, I began negotiations with the dealerships that had the cars. Once I picked my future car, I signed the paperwork and had the car shipped to me cross country.
This process that had taken just weeks the first time around had taken over a year the second time. But, I wanted more than a car that would take me from Point A to Point B. I wanted a special car; a specific car. And, in time, I found it.
This same rule applies to job seeking. When you graduate from college and are looking for your first job, it’s likely that you’re more flexible on your requirements. You’d accept a job anywhere, paying any amount of money, doing a large number of different job functions. You just need a job. You need experience, and you need to pay your rent.
But, over the years, you learn what you like and what you don’t. You become more specialized in your career. You want to be in a certain city, or region. You have a family to support, so you need a certain level of income. You want a boss with a certain leadership style. You want a company whose values align to yours in some way.
The more specific you are in your job search, the fewer jobs there are that meet your criteria. A CEO job is a great example! For every company with thousands of employees, there’s just one CEO. Therefore, it takes much longer to find a CEO job than a job that reports to the CEO.
Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s great to know what you want. The more specific you are, often the happier you will be in your new job. But, it will also take longer to find. The chances that the perfect job will show up after just a few weeks of looking is slim. But, if you stick with your search, the right job will come along in time.
Here’s a graphic I designed a few years ago to share with my clients on how to think about the time it takes to get a job. As you can see, the more requirements you have, the longer it takes. The more flexible you are, the faster it is to find a job.
Keep this graph in mind to keep your expectations in check. It will help to lower your frustration level, and keep you moving forward with your search!
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Jul 11, 2016 | Advice, Newsletter, Resume Writing
Having a great resume is an important part of the job search process. But, it can go wrong quickly if you’re not careful. Below are a few tips to help you spruce up your resume today.
- Use just your first and last names only. And, use the first name you go by on a daily basis. As strange as it sounds, your resume is more likely to get attention with the name “Chris” than with “Christopher.” Here are 13 surprising ways your name can have an impact on your success. Quite a few are unfortunate, but they are good to be aware of.
- Update your e-mail address. If you have an e-mail address that ends in @aol.com, @comcast.net, or any other e-mail extension from the 90s, it’s time to get a new one. Don’t worry; you can keep your old e-mail, but take it off your resume. By keeping an AOL e-mail address, you’re telling the company right up front that you’re behind on technology.
- Leave your age out of it. Drop your graduation years off of your resume. If you’ve been working for many years, consider dropping an old position or two. And, be sure your e-mail address doesn’t contain your birth year, your graduation year, or any other year tied to your age.
- Include a phone number that’s local to the city where you live. It’s not unusual to have an area code in a city on the other side of the country. In fact, it makes sense. Why would you change your cell phone number? But, you do want to be sure companies realize when you are in fact local. Rather than paying for a new number, check out Google Voice. They’ll give you a local number that redirects to your existing cell phone. It’s free and easy to use!
- Leave off your GPA. If you are more than a few years out of college, it is rarely appropriate to include your GPA or other test scores on your resume. Unless you’re in a very specific field where this is the norm, nix these details from your resume.
- Include results. Don’t just tell them you’re a great salesperson. Share your sales numbers. Include the percentage that you beat your goals by last year. Show the incremental revenue you generated. Stating your results in terms of numbers allows someone outside your company to truly understand the scope of your role.
- Look for typos. One of the quickest ways to lose a job opportunity is to have misspellings in your resume. Here are a few of the most common misspelled words.
- Check your formatting. It’s very important that your resume is easy to read. Mismatched formatting can make it impossible for the reader to understand your resume. Check to be sure every job is formatted in the same way. Every piece of educational history should be formatted the same way, etc.
- Save your resume as a PDF. It sounds weird, I know. But, when you e-mail your Microsoft Word resume to someone else, there’s a 50-50 chance it will look the same on their screen as it does for you. Worst case, your two page resume is four or five pages, with big font. The simple step of saving as a PDF ensures that your resume will look the same for them as it does for you.
- As a friend to proofread your resume. Pick someone who works in a different industry than you. You’d be surprised at just how many things you’ll include are specific to your industry. If your friend is confused, a recruiter will be too. Take the time to do this step and your resume will be easier to read for more people.
A resume is a critical piece of your job search. In addition to these ten tips, my eleventh tip is: do your resume yourself. Stay away from a resume writer who doesn’t know your work history. As annoying as it is, there’s value in you working through your own resume improvements. On top of ensuring everything is accurate, you will have the opportunity to think through your personal brand. If you do need help, reach out to a career coach (like me) who can work WITH YOU to make the improvements to your resume.
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Jun 27, 2016 | Advice, Change, Negotiating, Newsletter, Salary
You probably already know. There’s an ongoing debate going on. It’s growing as workplace philosophies continue to evolve.
This is the question. How long should you stay at your current employer?
If you leave too soon, your next employer will think you job hop. They may think you have a problem with commitment. Perhaps you’ve been fired before. Or, maybe they’ll assume you don’t get along well with others. You definitely won’t be someone they’ll want to invest their company resources into.
That’s true, right?
Not necessarily. Staying at a job too long may send signs you never even thought of. Your future hiring manager may think you’re the kind of person who doesn’t challenge yourself to grow. They may assume that your skills are rusty. They may wonder what’s wrong with you… (Yes, what’s wrong with you.)
In today’s job market, it’s not unusual to switch jobs every three to five years. In fact, many hiring managers appreciate someone with multiple companies on their resume.
Here are a few of the positive perceptions hiring managers have about employees who transition between different companies:
- This person has a diverse skill set of knowledge
- This person is a real go-getter
- This person knows how to work well in many different environments
- This person has many industry contacts
- This person is self motivated
Don’t get me wrong, this perception varies by industry. In certain industries, it is more important to change frequently while in other industries, staying for a long time can be valued. But, overall, it’s becoming more and more expected that you change frequently. In fact, people hold more than ten different jobs in their lifetime today.
And, do you know what’s more? The data suggests that employees who stay at companies longer than two years get paid 50% less over the course of their lifetime.
50% – that earning figure sounds crazy! Well, until you think of how hard it is to negotiate a good raise within your company. Where do you think all the raises are going to? They’re going to outside candidates the company is trying to lure in.
So, what’s holding you back? Do you think your boss is eventually going to recognize your brilliance (one day)? Do you feel under-qualified to take another job? Are you afraid of the interview process? Are you convinced there are no good jobs out there?
Or, are you sure that someone is going to appreciate your long term commitment?
If this is your strategy, I hate to break it to you, but it may not work. In fact, it could backfire in a big way.
Imagine you live in a small city where you’re known for doing a particular kind of work for a certain company. You’ve earned respect for many years working at the same place. Then, you decide that you want to pick up and move to someplace bigger — maybe New York or LA.
And, all of the sudden, that longevity and respect don’t take you as far. You may just look like someone who’s comfortable… complacent… not committed to growth. You may have become someone with a tiny network of contacts.
Of course, the length of time truly varies by the type of profession you’re in. But, keep that in mind when your great uncle (who has never worked a day in your field) starts to give you a hard time about job hopping. These relatives will often scare you with stories about the unknown. They talk about the possibility of failure, of being laid off, and of losing your health insurance.
But really, you’re at risk anywhere you go. Jobs today are not a guarantee. But, if you do switch periodically, you will diversify your skill set – and your professional network. And, you will create a bigger safety net for yourself than you started with.
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Jun 20, 2016 | Advice, Negotiating, Newsletter
If you ask an employer why their employee quit, they often say pay. The person found a better deal somewhere else. But, if you ask the employee the same question, pay is rarely the reason.
It’s certainly at the top of their list for the new company they want to work for. But, it’s rarely the real reason they left their old company. As you know, a big reason employees leave is they feel treated unfairly.
This brings the question, “What is fair?”
At a government job (including the military), what’s “fair” can feel more obvious. Pay is a known quantity because pay scales are public information. Promotions and raises are typically scheduled. In this type of job, it’s unlikely you will wake up one day to learn that your peer is making significantly more money than you, or has been awarded more vacation.
In a corporate job however, this isn’t the case at all. I’m the biggest advocate for the job seeker, so don’t get me wrong. But, things work differently in this world.
What’s “fair” often doesn’t matter.
Pay is based on things like how well you negotiated. It may be based on your previous salary history. It could even be based on the college you attended.
It isn’t necessarily based on the following:
- The quality of your work
- How senior you are
- How much money you saved the organization
- How smart you are
Essentially, fair is what you’re willing to accept.
And, once you’re in the door with a company, they aren’t obligated to pay you more just because you’re a superstar.
It’s upsetting, I know. It can make you angry. It can make you want to scream.
But, in the corporate world, you are your advocate. You’re the one who must convince your company and your boss that you’re valuable. Getting the most money is a game. It’s one you have to play.
And, you have to play it on the front end. Don’t expect future raises to be more than 2-6% annually once you’re at a company.
So, what should you do when you wake up one day to realize that your peers are making more than you?
You could kick and scream. You could quit. There are laws about this stuff, RIGHT?
Yes, you could. And, if you’re truly being mistreated, I don’t want to discourage you from seeking help. But, think about where you want to put your energy.
If your company doesn’t respect you enough to pay you what you’re worth today, what difference will it make if they pay you more tomorrow? You’ll still be in the same unfortunate situation, with a boss who is unlikely to recognize your talents or encourage your growth.
If you learn that you’re being treated unfairly, my suggestion is to start looking for someone who will treat you fairly. Search for a company that values you. Find a boss that will promote you, and be your advocate.
Stop focusing on the past and start looking toward the future.
But, whatever you do, don’t quit your current job (if you can help it). I know it’s awful. I know you hate being there. I get it; you hate your boss. But, if you quit, you will forever have to explain what happened, and why you have a gap on your resume. You’ll forever have to explain that you were underappreciated and underpaid.
Other people may even assume that you were fired. Crazy, right? It’s something we don’t think about when we make the choice to quit, but hiring managers will wonder what happened.
If you are being treated unfairly, I’m terribly sorry. It’s the absolute worst feeling in the world. Hang in there, and refocus your energy on what you can control – YOUR FUTURE. In no time, you’ll find someone who will truly appreciate you!
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Jun 13, 2016 | Advice, Newsletter, Relocation
The thought of moving to a new city can be one of the most energizing and most scary thoughts. Especially once you’ve settled down in a place for a few years, how do you pick a new city? How do you decide where to go? And furthermore, how do you get there?
Here are a few tips on choosing and successfully moving to a new city:
- Start with a broad list of cities that seem interesting. Write the cities down that you come up with.
- Create a list of things that are important to you. When you pick a new city to move to, it’s often based on lifestyle choices. Your list might include things like the quality of the public schools, the cost of living, the crime rate, and more. Decide what’s the most important to you and look up the stats for each city. You can find these things on the Census Bureau website, or on local government sites.
- Narrow your list of cities and start visiting them. Nothing can help you to decide where to move, and where NOT to move than by visiting the cities on your list. But, don’t make the mistake of being a tourist. Stay at a place you find on AirBnB.com, so you’ll live with the locals. Go to local events that you would attend if you were back home. Try things like networking events, yoga classes, dance lessons, or cooking classes.
- Once you have decided on a target city, research the companies there. Create a list of the companies you want to target.
- Now that you have your target list of companies, go again. But, this time, setup networking meetings with local hiring managers. Even if you don’t know them personally, reach out on LinkedIn. Explain that you’ll only be in town for a week, but that you’d love to take them out for a coffee to learn more about their business. Not everyone will respond, but those who do have the potential to turn into real connections.
Moving can be tough. Above all, don’t apply online and expect for things to just work out. If you’re not local, you’re not known. Companies prefer to hire local candidates if they can. They can find them through their existing network, they don’t have to pay relocation, and the candidate can start working sooner.
And, speaking of relocation — Decide how important paid relocation is to you. If you don’t want relocation costs to make or break an offer, start saving now. Get a quote from a local moving company so that you’ll have an idea of what to expect.
Going in person can set you apart from other candidates. It can make you more than just a resume. It can sometimes be just enough to get the hiring manager to hire you before they hire someone else.
And, one last note: If it’s your dream to move abroad, learn the rules. Different countries are easier or harder to immigrate to. They may have rules about the kind of work you can do, the age you must be, etc. From my experience, it seems to be easier to relocate from the U.S. to Australia than to Europe, for example — but, only if you are under a certain age.
Bottom line: Do your homework and take the extra steps you need to in order to turn your moving dream into a reality.
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Jun 6, 2016 | Advice, Newsletter
I speak to job seekers every day who are miserable at work. Going into the office is a chore they dread. Sunday nights are anxiety filled. Just thinking about Monday morning can keep us up at night.
Does this sound familiar?
If so, it’s really time to stop and think about how much longer you’re comfortable feeling so very uncomfortable.
Finding a job is a process. And, in many cases, it’s not a quick one. If you wait until you can’t bear to go in to work one more day, you’ve waited too long.
Think about it. It can take six months to find a great job. If you wait until things are in a dire situation at work to start looking, you will lose many of your choices. This is especially true if you find yourself out of work.
Suddenly, finding a job FAST is the number one priority. Speed outweighs everything else. When this happens, it doesn’t matter as much how well the job pays. It doesn’t matter as much what the title is. It may not even matter where the job is located. These things all become true when you’re running away from a burning building.
But, if you start now — start proactively — if you plan for the future — you will retain your options. You hang on to your power.
You’ll have time to find the best paying job, with a better title, in a city that you and your family want to live in.
But, this approach requires something different. It requires you to take a proactive approach to your job search. It requires you to take the reins.
If you’re like most people, you have been offered jobs over the years that you weren’t even looking for. You have great skills and someone else picked up on them and tapped you for a job. But, at some point, you may decide that you want to take the wheel on this entire process. You may want to find a job that better aligns with YOUR goals and YOUR interests and YOUR priorities.
It can be scary. Finding a job can be like learning a new skill; like learning a new job. But, this is exactly why you need more time to look. You need the time to learn the new skills of job searching.
And speaking of time, the holidays are coming up. That’s when things begin to slow down in the job search world. Well, they aren’t coming up tomorrow, but they’re just a little over five months away. And, if it takes six months to find something, you’re already behind on finding a job this year.
That sounds crazy, right?
I hope this message doesn’t come across too harshly. My purpose is not to be negative, but to shine a light on the potential that is still available.
If you’re thinking of finding something this year, start now. Start before the holidays. Start before your job gets worse. Start while you still have control.
Having the control to make the choices about your job that you want will be the key to creating a happy and fulfilling future — and to much more relaxing Sunday evenings!
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.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
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