Salvaging the Summer
If you’re in the middle of your college education, this pandemic could not come at a worse time. You’re trying to build up your resume to give you a chance of getting a job after graduation. And, you’re going to need one with all of those student loans you’ll have to pay back. One way to do this is often through summer internships. But, the number of internships that have been cut is astonishing.
When I was in college, I had the opportunity to have four internships. The first two were with General Motors. Then, I had one with Westinghouse and one with the Boys and Girls Clubs. Each one gave me experience and set me apart from my peers. But in graduate school, I was less lucky. I studied for my MBA during a time when the job market wasn’t great. There weren’t as many internships available – and the ones that were often expected you to work for free. So, I ended up not doing an internship during my MBA studies.
What are you to do if you have found yourself without an internship this summer?
Look for other ways to stand out. What else can you do with your summer that could be included on your resume? For example, are there opportunities to tutor other students online? Could you take additional courses? Perhaps you could volunteer to help a professor at your school with some of their research. Maybe you could teach yourself how to use a new kind of software.
Perhaps you could volunteer to be an intern for a company. This idea may work in situations where the company can’t afford to hire you, but is open to your help. I know this isn’t an option for everyone, but if it is, consider it.
Any of the ideas above will give you something that you can include on your resume. Speaking of your resume, this is the perfect time to work on yours. There are lots of tutorials online about how to craft a resume. And, while you’re at it, set up your LinkedIn profile.
Beyond this, another tactic I love is called informational interviewing. Informational interviews aren’t job interviews. They’re networking meetings that allow you to chat with a professional about the work they do. For example, if you’re studying computer programming, you might reach out to someone who is a computer scientist and ask them if they are willing to chat with you about their job. Many companies have slowed down, so there are some professionals who have extra time right now.
Whatever you do, try to keep your head up. I know this is tough. When I graduated with a computer engineering degree, the dot com crash had just happened. I thought things would never get better. But, keep pushing ahead. Someday things will improve and you want to put yourself in the best position to succeed then.
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
Back to Work
One of the hot topics around the virtual water cooler is when we’re going back to work. Some states are beginning to open up, while others continue to be locked down for what may be months. Recently, this question was posed to me. When should we all return to the office?
Before I share my thoughts, let me say this. There are many jobs where the luxury of working from home is not an option. There are so many people who are putting their lives on the line every day in order to keep us fed, to keep the mail going, and more. I’m so grateful for those essential workers and their families.
For companies that have been operating from home, you may wonder when is the right time to go back. It’s a tough question. We’re all ready for things to get back to “normal.” We’re ready forget this pandemic ever happened.
Working from home for the first time was a major transition. It was an upheaval for many businesses. We had to learn how to video conference in large groups. We had to learn to pay bills remotely. We had to learn to keep things going, while juggling children, pets, and spouses.
But, this is the thing. We did it. If your business is now fully functional remotely, you made it over the hump. You are likely in a routine now. Despite how much many people hate being at home all day, they’re adjusting.
My suggestion is this. If your business is able to successfully operate from home, continue to work from home until it’s truly safe to return to work. And, wait until the kids have gone back to school (or daycare).
Going back too soon has the potential to create two negative scenarios. In one, only half of employees are able to come back. The other half are at home, tending to young children – or avoiding infection. Imagine how your Zoom conference calls would be if half of the group were at work, while the other half was at the office. Imagine if you were never sure who was working from home and who was working remotely.
In an even worse scenario, we would all make the transition back to the office. Then, there would be a case of COVID-19 at work. It would infect someone who would pass it around the office. Then, we’d all be forced back home again.
By waiting to go back until we’re really sure it’s safe (and until other businesses, like childcare are up and running), we’ll keep the number of difficult transitions to a minimum. We’ll make sure we’re all healthy. Nobody will have to put their family in danger by going to work. No one will have to pick between their paycheck and their health.
And who knows, in the middle of this difficult time, we may learn to be better at business.
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
Sticking Together
Living through a disaster is hard. Really, this is an understatement. It’s more than hard.
I grew up in a place where natural disasters are the norm. I grew up in a suburb of Oklahoma City. You would have never heard of it, except for the natural disasters (and one famous country music singer). It’s called Moore. You probably saw it on the news in 1999 and 2013 when F5 tornadoes destroyed much of the city. It was devastating. Homes and businesses were destroyed. And, sadly, lives were lost.
The special thing about Moore is just how resilient it is. Every time a tornado wipes the ground clean, people rebuild. They continue to have excellent public schools. It’s safe. The economy is doing well.
If another city had been hit with the level of devastation Moore has, people would have packed up and moved by now. They would have had enough of the disasters and the drama and the heartbreak.
In Moore, the people come together in a way that doesn’t exist everywhere. They’re a true community. They support one another. They know that in order to get through disasters, they have to do it together. And, they have lots of practice.
I don’t live in Moore anymore. But, after COVID hit, one of the first people I saw was a friend from Moore. Although I hadn’t seen him in over twenty years, he personally drove a face mask to my home when I didn’t have one. He knew, as the community in Moore knows, that in order to get through this, we have to do it together.
When you go to work every day, I hope you’ll keep this in mind. We are all facing unique challenges. Some people are caring for small children. Others are trying to help their aging parents. And some are self-isolating completely alone. None of these different scenarios are easy.
As businesses, we’re only going to make it through this in one piece if we do it together. We’ve got to pick up the slack for our colleagues when they can’t. Everyone matters. This isn’t the time to judge harshly or to compete with one another. People have different levels of support or flexibility at home. No one was planning ahead for how to weather such a storm.
Not everyone has a nanny who can take care of their children during the day. Not every older person has adult children nearby who can help. And, not every single person has loved ones nearby. Every scenario is creating stress and strain.
The only answer is to work together. It’s not the time to make a fuss over little things. It’s not the time to feel guilty when you aren’t perfect. It’s the time to step forward with empathy and compassion, both for our colleagues and for ourselves. We are all struggling. And, that’s okay – as long as we stick together.
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
How COVID is Impacting Employee Sentiment
We can all agree on one thing. The last month or so has been fairly unexpected, and very stressful. In just a few days, life as we knew it changed. The weather was just beginning to warm up. Spring break was right around the corner with summer not far behind. Then, reality started to shift – quickly. Many employees started working from home full time. Vacations were postponed. Parties were canceled. Public places, including gyms, restaurants, and bars began to close.
This new normal comes with it so much unknown. It brings about worries around our jobs, our families, our future retirements, and our health. Glassdoor surveyed employees to get a sense for how they’re feeling about their employer’s response to COVID-19.
Glassdoor found that those with a household income of less than $50K were less likely to feel that their employers were taking the proper steps to address COVID concerns. Of those surveyed, 67 percent said they would support a decision by their employers to work from home indefinitely due to the COVID-19 outbreak. And, only 16 percent of employees said their companies were offering additional paid or unpaid sick leave in response to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
Of those surveyed by Glassdoor, 3 in 5 U.S. employees felt they were confident they can efficiently do their jobs remotely, if they are asked to work from home indefinitely. Half of employees felt they could be as productive or more productive at home as they are in the office.
There was a divide in age. Of those surveyed, 68% between the ages of 13 and 34 felt confident in efficiently working remotely, while only 44 percent of those between the ages of 55 and 64 agreed. In addition, 71 percent of employed parents with children under the age of 18 feel confident they can do their work remotely.
When it comes to remote work distractions, TV watching was rated as the top most likely distraction at 32 percent. Lack of human interaction and a feeling of going ‘stir crazy’ was ranked highly at 22 percent. And, 27 percent of employed parents were concerned with the challenges of managing their children while working from home. Of parents, 25 percent cited lack of social interaction as a concern, compared to only 18 percent of those employees without children.
No matter how you look at it, this isn’t an easy time. Chances are, your employer has evolved how they’re handling COVID. And, your situation as an employee may have changed. Whatever you do, hang in there. Know that you aren’t the only one concerned with working from home or finding a way to balance work and family. When it comes to your boss and colleagues, remember that they are also going through a difficult experience. We all are. This situation is a temporary one – no matter how serious it is today. And, we’re all in this together.
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
Zoom Meetings and Sweatpants
A month ago, work seemed stressful for all the normal reasons. Perhaps your boss had unrealistic expectations. You were making less than you wanted. Your coworkers were annoying.
Now, work is stressful for a new set of reasons. You’re worried about losing your job. You’re working from home for the first time. Your business model is shifting due to “The Virus.”
Who would have thought we’d all be learning to work through a pandemic? Who thought there would be a pandemic? This is the last thing I thought I would be thinking about when it comes to work. But, here we are.
For most people, the isolation of the pandemic (paired up with fear of the unknown) has been the hardest. So, what can you do to stay engaged at work when you’re isolated?
The first thing is this. Set a schedule and work to keep it. Get up at the same time every day. Start working at the same time. Stop working at the same time. And, go to bed at the same time. I know that it’s tempting to your schedule go. After all, for the first time in a long time, your boss isn’t there to breathe down your neck. But, you have to do this for you, not your boss. Keeping a normal routine will help to keep your head in check.
Take breaks throughout the day. I’ve found that with the number of Zoom meetings we’re all having, we can go almost an entire day without getting up from our chairs. Take the time to have lunch. If you can, get up at least once every hour to move around.
Try to keep tabs on whether or not your current communication style is working for your colleagues. Communication is key to success at work. With the changes we’ve had, there is no more walking down the hallway to check on people. Watercooler conversations just aren’t possible. Now, we’re sending email, instant messages, texts, and having video chats and phone calls. Not every type of communication works well for everyone. Check in with your colleagues to see what works for them.
Most importantly, take care of yourself. Whatever it is that you need to do to be sure you’re mentally and physically healthy as you can be, focus on it. Don’t allow yourself to get run down or drained more than necessary. One of the hardest parts about self-isolation is keeping your mental health in check. Don’t take it for granted. It will impact you, your spouse, your children, and other loved ones. And, it’s easy to neglect. Be sure you’re eating three meals a day. Do simple things like shower and comb your hair.
Hopefully soon, we can look back and remember that crazy time when we were all isolated. But, until then, you’ve got to get up every day, put on your sweatpants, and attend your 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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