Next Level Career
I recently received a question from a reader. The reader asked at what point in your career you will have reached your ideal potential. In other words, when should you stop moving up and seeking more money and a better title? When do you run the risk of messing things up? When should you be happy with your current situation?
I wish this scenario were an option. Perhaps many years ago, it was. Employees stayed at the same company for years. They retired there and got a gold watch. Unfortunately, those days are over.
Assuming you’ll stay in one position for the remainder of your career is risky. Companies are no longer guaranteed to be in business. And, even if they stay in business, they aren’t required to keep you on the payroll.
Whether or not you’re self-employed, our current environment makes you the CEO of your own career. You are the only one in the driver’s seat. This has never been more clear than during the pandemic. Companies are laying off employees and going out of business every single day.
Although you don’t have to go up the ladder, it’s not recommended to get off the ladder completely. You must stay in the game or risk becoming obsolete. At a bare minimum, you should be maintaining (and growing) your skillset. You can do this by volunteering for new projects at work. You can take a continuing education course online. You can find a mentor. There are many ways to grow yourself and your resume.
One thing you may consider is a lateral move. Perhaps you move to another department within your company. Or, you might move to a similar role in another company. Over time, salaries increase significantly. But, you’d be surprised to learn where they grow. Very often, companies save the big salary bumps for external hires. If you are happy to continue at your current company, they will be happy to increase your pay three percent each year. But, if you are open to joining another company, your pay may increase by ten, twenty, or thirty percent in one move.
Sadly, companies just don’t incentivize their employees to stick around anymore. And very often, they aren’t investing resources into the skillsets of their existing employees. If you’ve finding this to be the case, pay attention. Ignoring these signs will leave you at risk if anything goes wrong and you need to find another job.
This all sounds quite negative, I know. But, this is the reality we’re living in today. Our workplaces aren’t as stable as they once were. You have to create your own stability. Think of your career like an investment. You want to diversify. You want to minimize your risk, and maximize your return. You wouldn’t let your money sit in an account for years without ever looking at it. Why would you do that with your career?
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
A New Kind of Thanksgiving
This week, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Normally, it’s an opportunity to gather together with loved ones, eat way too much good food, and watch a little football. It’s typically an opportunity to express gratitude for our good fortune. This year, it’s a little different. The pandemic and 2020 have created a challenging environment that leaves some wondering what we are thankful for, and others realizing just how lucky we are.
Whichever side you fall on this years, I encourage you to allow Thanksgiving to inspire your job search. Just because we are going through a difficult time does not mean there are not opportunities to be had. Find yours, and help those around you who are struggling to find theirs.
Be Grateful: Focus on the positive things about your current job. Perhaps you like your boss, your team, or that you’re able to work remotely. Even in negative situation, there are usually a few things to be thankful for. Move your attention to those items.
Reconnect: Thanksgiving is the kickoff to the holiday season. Take the opportunity to reconnect with friends, coworkers, and loved ones you haven’t seen in a while – by phone, email, or video. Not only is it good for your soul, it’s good for your network. When you’re looking for a job, it’s critical that you keep your network up to date.
Reflect: Holidays are a great time to think back about the past year, and to make plans for the future. What went well? What would you do differently? Write these things down, along with goals for next year. When would you like to find a new job? What are the attributes you’d prefer in your next job?
Help Others: Networking is a big part of finding a job. When we’re in the middle of our own search, we forget about those around us. Take the time to help those in your life who are also looking. In return, they will help you.
Relax: Looking for a job can be a long, and at times, stressful, process. Don’t forget to take a little time for yourself. It will help you to keep moving forward in your search when you return to work.
Give Thanks: Take the time to thank those in your life who help you every day. Whether it’s a friend, coworker, or supervisor, take the time to wish them a happy Thanksgiving — and thank them for the impact they make on your life. You might even consider giving thanks in the form of a written recommendation on LinkedIn.
Stay Positive: The holiday season can be a tough one if you’re looking for a job. It is a time of increased financial responsibilities and decreased opportunities. But, staying positive will help to draw good people to you. It will help to lay the foundation for your job search, so they will think of you when they’re hiring. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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
Work Life Balancing Act
Maintaining a healthy work life balance has always been important. In the past, finding balance was easier. It was obvious when you left your work world and entered your home. It was clear when you weren’t balancing your time well.
For the most part, I would argue that maintaining a healthy work life balance is as important now as it ever was. It might be more important now. Maintaining mental health is critical to making it through 2020. And, one thing that can erode it is a lack of division between work and personal.
The one exception is this. If working nonstop is providing a positive outlet, go for it! But, for the rest of us, we’ve got to find some space between the two worlds.
For most people, the pandemic is the first time we have worked from home for any length of time. Many people are working from their former dining rooms (now converted into makeshift offices). Most people are no longer changing into work attire during the day. We’re wearing hoodies and sweats to our meetings. Our children and pets are popping into Zoom meetings.
And, we’re not just taking our personal selves to work. We’re taking our work selves home. The time when work begins and ends has blurred. Our work supplies and computers are at home with us every day. We may get work calls and texts to our personal phones.
The line between what was our time and what was company time is unclear. And, it’s wearing many people down. If you find this is happening to you, look for ways to create worlds that are more separate.
For example, don’t do personal tasks during the day. Don’t respond to personal emails. Don’t make personal calls during work hours. Make work time just that – work time. Then, after a set time in the evening, switch off your work computer. Don’t respond to work email during personal time. Don’t take work calls. Separate the communications by both the hours in the day and the computer you are using.
Consider talking to your colleagues about this goal too. One of the problems in an office is that some folks will send email after work. They may be trying to make a point that they’re working, or they may not think about it. Either way, it puts social pressure on colleagues to do the same. Some folks will call into work meetings, even when they have taken a vacation day. It seems like no big deal. We’re all at home anyway, right? Wrong. This also puts unnecessary pressure on those around you to give up their personal time.
The gains from doing personal things during work hours – or doing work things during personal hours – are very small. But, the loss can be huge. Finding this balancing act will help you during the pandemic. Take it seriously and those around you will too.
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
Your WFH Performance Evaluation
This has been a crazy year. What we thought would be two weeks of working from home has turned into an entire year of Zoom meetings with no end in sight. Many companies are now rounding the corner to performance evaluations. If performance evaluations weren’t weird before, they will definitely be different now. Here are a few tips on how to make your work from home performance review a success.
First, your evaluation is important. Often, we think of it as an afterthought. We do all of our other work as if it’s the real priority, and we treat our review as something that’s optional. It’s not. Treat your performance evaluation the same way you would treat a project for the CEO of your company. In your world, you are the CEO of your career. And, your review is important for your future career.
Don’t wait for your boss to tell you what to do. Take initiative. Ask your boss about setting up your review. Then, prepare in advance. This will set a positive stage.
Ahead of your boss’ evaluation, do your own self-evaluation. Go through your performance goals and write up why you believe you deserve a specific score. If you’re using a computer system with limited flexibility, you may want to score yourself – and create a separate presentation that goes into more detail.
Inside of your self-evaluation, give general reasons you believe you deserve a certain score. Then, dive into specifics. If you have metrics, include them. If you can show a percentage increase in results, show it. If you finished your project ahead of schedule, say so. If you’re making a separate presentation, you may also want to include pictures of work you’ve done. For example, if you helped to redesign a website, you might include a screenshot of the new website. Share not just how you achieved your goals, but also how you went above and beyond in the pandemic environment.
The day of your evaluation, take note of how you look. If you’ve been working in sweats and a cap every day, it’s time to go back to business casual. Style your hair and generally create a look that you would have been comfortable presenting in during pre-COVID times.
Be on time for your review. In fact, you may want to log into Zoom a few minutes early to be sure your sound and video are working well. For the best look on camera, you may want to put your laptop on top of books to give it extra height. And, double check that your lighting looks good.
If your boss suggests areas for improvement or gives you a lower score than you’d like, try to take it in stride. We can always get better. And, once your review is completed, use it to update your resume. If there’s one thing we’ve learned in 2020, it’s that anything can happen.
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
Commuting to a Zoom Meeting
Has your work changed as a result of the pandemic? If you have a corporate desk job, the answer may very well be no. While where you do your work has changed, the nature of your work has not. You are still focused on the same projects. You’re meeting with the same people. Work is moving ahead.
But, doesn’t that seem strange? Isn’t it odd that work is moving forward, despite the current situation? Many people haven’t seen their coworkers in person since mid-March.
With that in mind, what would change if we all went back to the office tomorrow? We’d pack a bag with our laptop. We would put on more formal clothing. We would spend a lot of time in traffic. Then, we would sit in our tiny offices on Zoom calls with our same colleagues.
What have we all been doing? In some cases, people have in person meetings. But it is increasingly common to communicate via video meetings, phone, and email.
Think back to your pre-pandemic work life. If you were to group your day into categories, how much was truly spent in person with your coworkers? For many people, it was very little.
Are we driving to work to sit by ourselves and to send email to each other? Are we sitting in a cubicle so that we can video chat with our colleagues from across the building?
Don’t get me wrong. There are advantages to in person work. For example, you may have a tiny apartment. Or, you might have children at home. In cases like these, an office can be very helpful.
But, office buildings are very expensive. They’re expensive to build, and to maintain. Does your office building have one of those ping pong rooms? They’re created to get us talking to each other. I’ve seen many of those rooms, but I’ve never seen anyone actually play ping pong at work.
This pandemic is truly the worst. It’s painful on many levels every day. But, it is making us question why we’ve been doing things the way we are.
Why commute thirty minutes or an hour each way just to sit at a desk to email the person in the next office? We can all do that from anywhere.
Getting back to work would offer many perks on the mental health front. But, would those perks be as important if everyday activities were open? For example, if you could do your normal personal social activities, would it matter whether or not you went to an office?
If we let go of the office, what else would happen? Would our quality of life change? Would we spend less time commuting? What if we could move out of the crowded city to a home that was more suited for us? What if we had a little more time each day for our loved ones?
Should we commute for Zoom meetings?
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
Copeland Coaching Podcast
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