by Angela Copeland | Mar 2, 2015 | Advice, Newsletter
In our relationships, especially the personal ones, we often ignore the signs. We hope things will get better and they usually do. When it comes to love, it can at times be better to let things slide at first in hopes that they’ll work out.
But, when it comes to work, this philosophy can leave you blind-sided and without a job. I once had a friend whose entire department had been eliminated. They were the only survivor, and their office had been moved into a storage area. Fortunately, they got out just in time, but if any additional months had gone by, I’m not sure what might have happened.
Waiting until you lose your job to find another takes away your power. It leaves you helpless and desperate for anything. You’re not able to effectively negotiate and it’s unlikely your salary will grow at your new job.
Here are a few of the signs to watch for:
- Your position has been what’s called “layered.” Suddenly, there’s another layer of management between you and your boss, and you’re reporting to someone else; someone lower in position.
- You’ve been demoted. You’ve been moved into another role that’s more junior, or have been given a less significant title in your same role.
- Responsibilities are slowly being taken away from you.
- You’ve received a pay cut.
- You haven’t been given a bonus you were expecting.
- You didn’t get a raise when everyone else on your team did.
- You’re not being invited to meetings anymore.
- Your boss is beginning to send e-mails documenting all sorts of complaints about your work that you’ve never heard before.
- After years of great performance reviews, you’ve suddenly started receiving negative reviews.
- Your boss has left the company and your new boss doesn’t seem to be as “into you” or your work.
- Your department is losing money, people, and power within the organization.
What should you do when you see these signs? They’re good to take note of for your own sake. When you begin to notice the writing on the wall, it’s time to take a proactive stance. Brush off your resume, begin networking, and look around you for new opportunities outside of your current organization.
Whatever you do, don’t wait on your company to decide what they think about you. Decide what you think about your situation, and act! It will save you significant heartache in the long run. And, chances are good that if you act fast enough, you’ll end up on top, possibly making more money in a better job!
For more tips on what to do when you find yourself suddenly without a job, be sure to download tomorrow’s Copeland Coaching Podcast. I will interview Jim Simpson, an employment attorney from Allen Summers law firm. Jim has many great suggestions on what to do, and how to completely avoid a potentially negative workplace situation.
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 and 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 | Feb 23, 2015 | Advice, Newsletter
As you know, one of my favorite topics is negotiation. I love helping my clients to make more money at work.
A number of factors influence how much you’ll be paid at your next job, including:
- Your years of experience
- Your education
- Your career field
- Your location
- Your negotiation skills
- Whether or not you manage others
Often though, a manager in one department makes a very different salary than a manager at the same level in another department. This is despite having similar experience and education.
Why is that?
If you’ve found yourself in this situation, one thing to consider is how close you are to the money. In other words, how critical is your role to generating revenue for the company?
That’s right. How close are you to the customer? How close are you to sales?
Even if your role is a very important one, upper management often prioritizes positions based on their impact to the bottom line.
For example, in the digital marketing world, there are many roles. Some people manage social media sites, like Facebook. Others keep the company website up and running. And, some focus on customer lead generation. If you were to compare the salaries of these positions, on average, you would find that those marketers who focus on generating leads and sales are more highly compensated than those managing social media.
Again, all these roles are important. But, if you think of it from a company perspective, what’s the most important thing to the company? Getting new customers and generating more revenue.
Have you ever wondered why the sales force drives new cars and is rewarded with company trips? It’s surprising, but in some organizations, a top performing salesperson is even able to bring in more income than their manager!
So, if you find yourself in a situation where you want to make more money, reflect back on the entire list of factors above. If you feel you’ve covered everything else, such as education and experience, consider your impact to the bottom line. Is there another role you might consider that has a more direct impact to the health of the company?
Focusing on “the business” will often get your further and help to put more money in your pocket.
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 and 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 | Feb 16, 2015 | Advice, Newsletter
Chances are, you’ve heard the term “personal brand” at least a few times since you started looking for a job. But the question is, what exactly is a personal brand – and why does it even matter?
In theory, employers should only care about whether or not you can do a job. They should look at your education and work history.
The entire process should be straight forward, right? Although the logic seems to make sense, you’d be wrong if you expect the process to work this way.
In reality, there are many people who can do the same job. Just ask a friend who’s a hiring manager. How many applications did they receive for the last position they posted? A local non-profit recently shared with me that within two days of posting one job, they received more than 200 resumes. The staff became so overwhelmed with the volume of applications that they cutoff the deadline early. And, of the volume of candidates who applied, more than just one or two could have done the job.
This level of competition forces you to up your game. You need to stand out from the crowd. And how do you do that? By refining your personal brand.
Your personal brand is made up of all the things that reflect upon you during the interview process. The list of components includes:
- What you wear
- Your elevator pitch
- Your resume
- Your cover letter
- Your online presence, including LinkedIn
It can even include simple details like how you shake hands, how you speak, or whether or not you make eye contact.
As you can see, many of these things may be disconnected from whether or not you can “do the job,” but they give an employer an overall impression of you.
Before you begin your search, spend some time refining these pieces and you’ll find your job search success will increase.
If you’re located in the Memphis area and you’d like to learn more, you’re invited to attend a “Building Your Personal Brand” workshop I will be presenting at Christian Brothers University in Buckman Hall’s Spain Auditorium next week. It will help you to prepare for the upcoming Multicultural Career Expo. It’s free and open to the public. It will be held on Tuesday, February 24th at 6 PM. I hope to see you there! To learn more, visit www.CareerExpoMemphis.com.
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 and 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 | Feb 9, 2015 | Advice, Newsletter
One of my favorite weeks of the year is here – Valentine’s Day! I hope you have a great week, filled with happiness and love.
And, speaking of love – do you love your job? I recently took a CNN.com quiz called, “Is your job awesome?” As I expected, my job was rated as awesome. What would you rate your job?
The quiz includes questions like:
- Do you like what you do?
- Is your job low stress?
- Does it benefit society?
After you answer these questions and a few more, the CNN Money poll rates your job’s awesomeness. And, even better, it compares your answers to the other people who have taken the quiz. As of today, over 8,500 people have responded.
If you’d like to rate the awesomeness of your job, check out their interactive poll here.
And, if you don’t love your job, now’s the perfect time to do something about it! The job search season is just getting warmed up. Companies are posting many new positions and there are job fairs happening all over the country.
But, before you start, you should ask yourself how prepared you are. How ready are you to jump into the deep end of the pool? The job market is still very competitive. You need to ensure your resume, LinkedIn, and overall personal brand are up to date and polished.
If you find you still have work to do, I’m happy to help. You can reach out to me directly here to setup a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your goals.
I will also be presenting my workshop, “Branding Yourself,” on Tuesday, February 24th at 6:00 PM at Christian Brothers University in Memphis. The workshop is presented as a partnership between the 2nd annual Multicultural Career Expo, Christian Brothers University, and Copeland Coaching. The event is free to the public, so please mark your calendar if you’d like to attend.
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 and 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. Thanks.
Happy hunting! And, Happy Valentine’s Day!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Feb 2, 2015 | Advice, Newsletter
Every week, every day, I have the same conversation. It happens when I’m meeting with a client one-on-one to talk about their career. It goes like this, “You must think I’m crazy. I must be the only person you’ve ever talked to who’s having this issue.”
But this is the thing, every day, someone says this. They’re not the only person feeling the way they do.
Think about it this way. It’s very important to keep your job search a secret. Because you don’t talk about what’s on your mind, you don’t realize that other people are feeling the same way.
Here are some of the common concerns that people feel about looking for a job, every day:
- Am I too old? Am I too young?
- Do I have the right clothes or look?
- Do I have enough education? Do I have too much education?
- What will people think about the time I took off of work to care for my sick loved one or young child?
- What if they knew that I was struggling with personal issues (such as a family member dying)?
- Do I come across well in interviews?
- Am I behind in my skills?
- What if I don’t meet every requirement in a job description?
- I want to do something different, but what would it be?
Can you identify with any of these scenarios? My guess is that you can, or you have another similar example.
And, guess what? You’re not alone. You and every other job seeker has something on your mind. There’s something you don’t like and are afraid you might be judged for.
It’s totally normal. There’s so much of job seeking that’s like going on a first date or giving a presentation. You’re vulnerable. Other people are going to judge you. And, their judgment of you will determine whether or not you’ll get the job.
I’m writing this week’s newsletter to say this: you’re not alone. If there is someone you can secretly and privately talk about your concerns, you might want to consider it. Just be discreet. You don’t want to jeopardize your current employment status.
And, if I can help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I help my clients re-brand themselves every day and tackle many of the concerns listed above, in a safe, discreet, confidential environment.
But, whatever you do, remember that it’s not just you. Let go of your fears as much as you can and keep your focus on finding – and landing – your next job!
Also, please take just a moment to like my Copeland Coaching Facebook page. It’s a great way to stay connected, and each day, I share great job postings.
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 and 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. Thanks.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
by Angela Copeland | Jan 26, 2015 | Advice, Newsletter
Over the past few weeks, I have received numerous questions regarding performance reviews. It’s that time of year again. Companies look for ways to evaluate – and document – the performance of their employees.
From the employee perspective, this process can seem outdated and frustrating. It’s typically administered through a website where both you and your manager evaluate your performance. Your review is divided up into a number of goals. Each goal has a weighting as some are more important than others.
It starts with the self-review. The employee must identify what percentage complete each goal is and whether or not they met expectations. The choices are typically met expectations, exceeded expectations, and did not meet expectations. Then, there’s a box where the employee types up why they gave themselves the review they did.
Then, the manager evaluates the employee. Sometimes they do this before meeting with the employee and sometimes afterward. During the meeting, the employee and the manager what went well in the past year, what went poorly, plans for next year, and the areas the employee should work to improve on.
At the end of the conversation, the manager often reveals the employee raise and annual bonus, if they’re eligible for one.
I’ve seen many people really fail at this entire process. They look at it like checking a box. It’s something they want to get through so they can get back to work.
But, this is really the wrong approach. Your annual evaluation may be one of your only opportunities during the year to highlight your skills and to show your boss (who may have been busy attending to other things) what you’ve been up to.
Here are a few do’s and don’ts to help make your annual review a little more successful.
Don’t:
- Don’t arrive unprepared to your meeting
- Don’t wait until the last minute to fill out your self-evaluation
- Don’t be shy when talking about your achievements
- Don’t under value yourself
- Don’t spend a lot of time highlighting what went wrong
- Don’t come with negative feedback on your boss’ performance or the company – this meeting is about you
- Don’t be defensive if your boss gives you suggestions on areas where you can improve – it’s their job to give you this feedback
Do:
- Put together a presentation of your annual review for your boss
- Practice what you’d like to say before meeting with your boss
- Highlight your most impactful contributions
- Use numbers to describe your accomplishments when possible
- Dress to impress – this is an important meeting for you!
- Be on time with your self-evaluation and your review meeting
- Score yourself positively where possible – this isn’t the time to be shy
- Come prepared with a proactive list of what you’d like to do next year
- Be prepared for discussions around your raise or annual bonus
Taking your performance review seriously can have a positive impact on your future job assignments. It shows that you’re willing to take initiative and stand out from your peers. It can also positively impact your bonus or raise, as your manager will be reminded of all the great work you’ve done over the last year.
Also, please take just a moment to like my Copeland Coaching Facebook page. It’s a great way to stay connected, and each day, I share great job postings.
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 and 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. Thanks.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
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