Dressing for Career Success

My latest Memphis Daily News column is out, “Dressing for Career Success.” In it, I provide tips on what to wear to 'knock 'em dead' at your next interview.

You’ve been applying online for months, and finally something has clicked. You have an interview in a few days for the perfect job at the best company in town.

This scenario sounds great on the surface, but can often lead to stress and anxiety when job seekers prepare to suit up for their next interview. And it makes sense, because your outfit can impact your overall interview success.

To read my entire article, and learn about how you can dress for success, visit the Memphis Daily News site here.

 

Copeland Coaching Launches Podcast: Listen Now!

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! The important holiday honoring our veterans is always a great opportunity to reconnect with friends and loved ones.

As you continue your job search, keep those close to you in mind. They can be a great resource for learning.

Of your friends, think of the one with the most interesting job. You know, the friend whose job you secretly wish you could have.

Have you ever thought about calling that friend and asking them to have an informational interview with you? An informational interview is when you sit down with another professional to learn about their career.

It's not a job interview, but it is an excellent learning and networking opportunity. It can often help you to identify jobs you don't want, and can open your eyes to jobs you hadn't considered.

You might be surprised at just how easy it is to ask someone for an informational interview. Most people love to talk about what they do, and are more than happy to share with you.

I have found this to be true in both my personal job searches, and with my new podcast. As the title of this blog suggests, this is an exciting day. Today, I'm launching the first episode of the Copeland Coaching Podcast!

I sat down and interviewed my friend, Amy Ware, to get her perspective on the job search process. Amy is a long time career coach and Director of Career Services at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee.
 

In my interview, Amy shares tips on job searching, dressing for success, and nailing the interview. If you've ever had questions about what you should or shouldn't wear to an interview, this podcast is for you! Amy also gives great tips on what to do after an interview to follow up with employers and to increase your chances of getting the job.

You can listen to the podcast in two ways. First, it's available for download on iTunes. You can also listen on SoundCloud.com. So, whether you want to listen on your desktop, laptop, mobile phone, or tablet, you're covered! Listen from wherever, whenever.
 
       
If this is your first time to listen to a podcast on iTunes, you may not see the episode above listed right away. If you're having trouble, search for "the podcast app" in the App Store. After you download The Podcast App, you can search for the "Copeland Coaching Podcast." You should then be able to view the podcast episode for download. Once you download it, you can begin listening!   

I hope you will enjoy this first episode of the Copeland Coaching Podcast. Tune in each Tuesday for a new podcast and expert guest. We will be discussing everything from getting an interview,  switching career fields, offer negotiation, and finding happiness at work.

And speaking of switching fields and findings happiness, I'm searching for a Social Media Intern for Copeland Coaching.
 

This person should have extremely strong organization and time management skills, with the ability to work independently and meet deadlines. They should have excellent written and verbal communication skills.

At a minimum, they should have experience personally using social media. But, it's not critical that they've used social media in business before. This will be a great learning opportunity for the right candidate.

This is a paid internship, and the intern may be located in Memphis or may work virtually.

The full job description is located here (note: this is a PDF document). Interested candidates are asked to send their resume, cover letter, and social media links to intern@CopelandCoaching.com.

I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search.

Happy hunting!



Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
 

Scaling Your Career

My latest Memphis Daily News column is out, “Scaling Your Career.” In it, I encourage you to consider transition between different industries - and to learn about the differences that may hold you back during your search.

One of the most exciting career transitions job seekers make is changing industries. You may want to move from nonprofit to corporate or from a large organization to a small business. These moves expose you to a new workplace and can reenergize you if you’re feeling burnt out in your current environment.

However, the one issue many job seekers struggle to understand is scalability. Scalability is an understanding of how your old work environment translates into your new work environment.

For example, a friend was recently working as a manager at a major university. He had 75 employees, large-scale projects and an impressive budget. Interested to move to a corporate job, he was concerned about titles such as “manager” and “director” that appeared on job postings. In the university setting, these titles were reserved for a select few with expansive responsibilities.

To read my entire article, and learn about how you can learn more about how to scale your career, visit the Memphis Daily News site here.

Does this resume make me look old?

My latest newsletter is out, "Does this resume make me look old?"


If you're in the later part of your career and find yourself starting over, you may be worried about a number of things. In particular, many older job seekers are concerned about the discrimination they may face during the interview process.

And honestly, it's for good reason. First impressions happen quickly and make a lasting impact.

Even the Bureau of Labor Statistics agrees. Unemployed workers who are 55 and older stay out of work 20% longer than those between 25 and 54.

To learn the steps to take to avoid this dilemma and shave years of your resume, check out my latest newsletter here. 

Subscribe to the Copeland Coaching newsletter here. 

Networking Over Coffee

My latest Memphis Daily News column is out, “Networking Over Coffee.” In it, I encourage you to expand your network and learn more about new industries.

Workers change jobs more frequently now than ever before. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employees only stay at a job for a little over four years on average.

In the past, people making quick transitions were sometimes looked at as flaky or unstable. Today, it’s common to assume those who transition more frequently are also more experienced. They’ve seen different environments, and have been forced to grow their skills.

If you’ve decided to become part of this growing trend, you may wonder where to start. You’ll need to decide if you want to keep the same type of job, or try something new, and whether or not to stay in the same industry. When changing careers, it’s often easiest to either keep the same job function in a new industry – or try a new job function in the same industry.

But first, you need to decide which job function, and which industry. This is a place where people often get stuck. They wonder how to gather enough information to make this decision.

To read my entire article, and learn about how you can learn more about different industries and jobs, visit the Memphis Daily News site here.

Transitioning Between Corporate and Nonprofit

My latest Memphis Daily News column is out, “Transitioning Between Corporate and Nonprofit.” In it, I give you tips on how to transition your career from corporate to non-profit or from non-profit to corporate.

Career transitions are all the rage these days. Whether it’s moving between jobs more frequently or updating your skill set midstream, change is happening. One trend growing in popularity is employees who are making a move between the nonprofit and corporate worlds.

Regardless of which side of the fence you’re on now, the grass often looks greener on the other side. And, the good news is, many employers are warming up to the idea to. Now the questions becomes, how do you make such a bold move?

To read my entire article, and learn about how to successfully transition your career, visit the Memphis Daily News site here.

How to survive the most uncomfortable 5 minutes of your job search

My latest newsletter is out, "How to survive the most uncomfortable 5 minutes of your job search."

Lately, I’m finding myself having the same conversation. It has to do with your salary negotiation, and it starts a lot sooner than you’d think.

Typically, your very first interview at a company is with the HR manager. Sometimes, it’s with the hiring manager. Either way, the first discussion is fairly casuel with questions about where you’ve lived, or how many people you’ve managed before. These questions are all easy and routine.

The question that really throws people for a loop in the first interview is this one: “How much do you make?” It can also come in the form of, “How much do you want to make?”

Many people feel obligated to spill the beans. The interviewer is in a position of authority, and they really want to get a job offer.

To learn how to successfully survive this uncomfortable 5 minutes, check out my latest newsletter here. 

Subscribe to the Copeland Coaching newsletter here. 

Lesson Learned: Being Open to New Opportunities

My latest newsletter is out, "Lesson learned: being open to new opportunities."

I recently had the special opportunity to interview an old friend about his exciting and successful career. Hint: I will be launching the Copeland Coaching podcast very soon! You will be able to listen to the entire interview online. Watch CopelandCoaching.com for updates. In the meantime, I want to share a little preview of our conversation here.

Shane Presley has had an amazingly career in technology. I met Shane when we worked together at FedEx back in 2001. Since then, he's found great job after great job that have taken him to cities all over the world. A few years ago, he worked at Netflix in San Francisco and most recently, he worked for a large bank in Sydney, Australia.

He's back in the US now, so I had the opportunity to sit down with him to learn more about how he's grown his career. There were many great takeaways from our discussion. You will be able to hear the entire thing very soon, but there's one piece of our conversation that really stuck out to me.

To learn how to open up yourself to incredible career opportunities, check out my latest newsletter here.

Subscribe to the Copeland Coaching newsletter here.

Negotiation 101

My latest Memphis Daily News column is out, “Negotiation 101.” In it, I encourage you to begin to negotiate your job offers.

Negotiation is one of my favorite topics. You negotiate things every day – from which movie to watch to what to eat for dinner. At work, your ability to negotiate can hit close to your wallet.

I learned the importance of negotiation at 19. I was given the opportunity to spend the summer working as an engineer for General Motors in an automotive assembly plant. It required me to relocate over 1,500 miles, so I hoped the company would pay to move me cross country. Unfortunately, they didn't - because I didn't negotiate.

To read my entire article, and learn about how you can avoid the misstep I made at my first job, visit the Memphis Daily News site here.