Teachers in Transition: Episode 220 – The Importance of Environment, Emails, and Another ATS Pitfall to Understand

In this episode, Vanessa talks about the effects of leadership on our mental health, a hack that might be both a hack and a job hunting tip about your email account, and finally we’ll talk about why your frustrations with the application process might not be about you at all.  

And remember to send your comments, stories, and random thoughts to me at TeachersinTransitionCoaching@gmail.com!  I can’t wait to read them.  

I’d love for you to come and join us on our Facebook Discussion Page! Join the discussion and toss in your two cents! Or – just follow our Teachers in Transition official page on Facebook for regular doses of inspiration, to keep up on the latest info, and to be the first to know what’s coming up!

Simon Sinek’s anecdote about Noah, the barrista (about 2 minutes long)

Manager’s resume got rejected and people got fired

And remember to send your comments, stories, and random thoughts to me at TeachersinTransitionCoaching@gmail.com!  I look forward to reading them.  Would you like to hear a specific topic on the pod?  Send those questions to me and I’ll answer them. Feel free to connect with Vanessa on LinkedIn!

The transcript of this podcast can be found on the podcast’s homepage at Buzzsprout. 

Transcript

Are you a teacher who is feeling stressed out and overwhelmed? do you worry that you're feeling symptoms of burnout - or are you sure you've already gotten there? Have you started to dream of doing something different or a new job or perhaps pursuing an entirely different career - but you don't know what else you're qualified to do? You don't know how to start a job search and you just feel stuck. if that sounds like you, I promise you are not alone. my name is Vanessa Jackson; and I am a career transition and job search coach and I specialize in helping burnt out teachers just like you deal with the overwhelmingly stressful nature of your day-to-day job and to consider what other careers might be out there waiting for you. You might ask yourself, What tools do I need to find a new career?  Are my skills valuable outside the classroom?  How and where do I even get started?  These are all questions you deserve answers to, and I can help you find them.  I’m Vanessa Jackson. Come and join me for Teachers in Transition.  

***Hi!  And Welcome back to another episode of Teachers in Transition. I am your host, Vanessa Jackson - a compassionate Career transition and job search coach who specializes in working with teachers - who are ready for a career change but are not sure where to begin or who need a little extra assistance in reaching their goals. I share tidbits to help combat stress and frustration, hacks designed to help you out, and job hunting tips. Today on the podcast, I am going to talk about the effects of leadership on our mental health, a hack that might be both a hack and a job hunting tip about your email account, and finally we’ll talk about why your frustrations with the application process might not be about you at all.  

A couple of weeks ago , I had some new lawn chairs delivered, and I took full advantage of them. I sat outside in my front yard, in the dark, listening to the frogs and the occasional passing car. The lunar eclipse was happening and for once, it was at a decent hour. It wasn’t a full eclipse—just a small corner of the moon being darkened by Earth’s shadow—but it was still peaceful sitting outside, watching it unfold.

I live in Texas, so the temperature was just right, and I’m lucky to live in a quiet area with minimal traffic. Although I did hear a train off in the distance and a helicopter flying overhead, I mostly enjoyed the stillness. I tried not to dwell too much on why the motion sensor light near the driveway kept flicking off and on. Did I mention that I live in a somewhat rural area? Critters are a regular occurrence around here.

As I sat there, it struck me how connected I am, not just to people all over the world, but also to those who lived thousands of years before me—people who gazed at the same moon and wondered about the same things. Today, we know it’s just a shadow, but I can’t help but wonder what they thought. Did moon-gazing bring them a sense of peace, the way it did for me? The moon was so bright that night it cast shadows on the ground, making me think about how, in ancient times, it would have made traveling by night so much easier.

I hope you, too, can find things that bring you peace. When you find those moments, take note of them. Repeat them, because you deserve peace.

But now, I want to pivot to something related to who you are and the kind of worker you’ve become, because chances are, a lot of that has been shaped by the leadership around you.

I recently saw a short clip from Simon Sinek, who is a wonderful speaker and author. I’ll include a link to this video so you can hear him tell the story, but I want to share it here, as it’s such a great example. Simon was staying at The Four Seasons Hotel and stopped for coffee. He asked the barista there if he enjoyed his job. Without hesitation, the barista replied, “I love my job.”

Now, because Simon studies work culture and environment, he pressed a little further. The barista explained that when he works at The Four Seasons, the managers regularly check in to ask how they can support him and how they can help. This makes it a great place to work. Then, the barista mentioned that he also works at another hotel where, instead of being supportive, management is constantly looking for mistakes- hat ‘gotcha!” moment. He said, “When I’m there, I just keep my head down and hope they don’t notice me.”

What Simon was pointing out is that this is the same person doing the same job in two different places, but the only real variable is the management style. At The Four Seasons, the barista is happy, confident, and empowered to engage with customers, probably making them feel welcome and encouraging them to return. At the other hotel, the same barista feels stifled and tries not to stand out—just staying in his lane, afraid of making mistakes. Customers probably notice that too. 

The difference? Leadership.

It’s remarkable how much of our work experience and performance is influenced by the environment we’re in. Often, we internalize it, thinking we’re the problem. But it’s not always you—it could be your environment. That’s something important to reflect on.  Some of us have great leadership, some of us have awful leadership.  And many of us have been in the game long enough to have seen examples of both.  

It reminds me of plants.  If you put a plant in hostile soil or an environment that doesn’t meet its needs, it will struggle, and it may not survive at all. Some plants adapt to harsh conditions, but they often become tough and spiky as a result. On the other hand, if you plant something in good soil, where it gets plenty of air, water, and nutrients, it can flourish and reach its full potential.  

The same applies to us. So, think about the environment you’re in. Are you thriving, or are you just surviving? I hope this gives you something to think about as you reflect on your own situation and what you need to grow. Perhaps it is simply a new school.  Maybe it’s a whole new career altogether.

Hack: Use a Current Email Address:
 
And moving on to our hack!  Our hacks are just little things that are designed to help you out creating space.  Maybe it’s mental space or emotional space – but it’s designed to help with that margin.  This hack doubles as a job-hunting tip too – so this recently came across my desk, one I hadn’t really considered before. But when I heard it, I thought, "Of course, that makes total sense!" The tip is to make sure you have a current email address, preferably with Gmail.com.

If you’re still holding on to an old email address like @aol.com, @yahoo.com, @hotmail.com or one from the Baby Bells—like @swbell.netit’ s time to update that for your job hunt. Those older domains scream your age without you even having to put a date on your resume. Switching to Gmail keeps things more current and modern.

Now, when you create that new Gmail account, remember to keep it professional. I know that teachers know this intuitively after some of the ones we’ve seen, but we've all seen some cringe-worthy email addresses. I’ll never forget having to send an email to a parent whose address was "noeffingway@something.com." Yeah, not exactly the vibe you want when you're job-hunting! Ideally, your email should be your name, but let’s be real—your name is probably taken by now.

So, you can get creative by adding dots, initials, a ZIP code, or your area code at the end. For example: firstname.lastname123@gmail.com or firstnamelastname210@gmail.com. Just be mindful of what numbers you use. You don’t want it to accidentally imply a birth year or age. I used to use "88" in my emails because there are 88 keys on a piano, and I thought that was a fun trivia piece. But now, someone might think that "88" is my birth year—and it’s not!

If you need help setting up that new Gmail account, it’s super easy. Just Google "how to set up a Gmail account," and it will walk you through it. 
 
 And a bonus to finally getting a new email address, or an email address strictly dedicated to your new life, is that you can walk away from a lot of spam or emails from 10 years ago that aren’t relevant anymore.  But make sure and update your address if you’re getting my newsletters!  There’s good stuff in there!

And moving on to our job-hunting segment – I am taking a quick detour.  I know we've been working on interview questions, and this week was supposed to be Part 5 of that series. But I stumbled across something I really wanted to share with you instead.

In the job hunt, we've talked before about “ghost listings”—those job postings that aren’t actually real. They’re listed for various reasons, like building a pool of candidates for future hiring, or sometimes to scare current employees into not asking for raises. These kinds of listings have nothing to do with getting you employed, but they sure clutter the job boards.

Another big issue is the sheer volume of applications for certain positions. We keep hearing two conflicting things: On the one hand: “No one can find a job” and on the other: “No one wants to work.” Both of those statements can't be true at the same time, right?

This brings me to a story I recently found on Reddit. I’ve linked to the original article in the show notes if you want to read the full thing. A manager was getting really frustrated because they had a position open for three months and still couldn’t find a single qualified applicant. This seemed odd, especially since the job had been posted in multiple places and over several months. HR kept saying, “Yeah, we’re not getting any qualified applicants.”

So, the manager decided to test the system. They took their own resume, created a new identity with fake details, and applied for the position themselves—because they knew they were 100% qualified for the role. And guess what? HR still said they didn’t have any qualified candidates!

The manager then confronted HR and explained that they had submitted a perfect resume specifically tailored for this job. So how could there be no qualified applicants? After digging into the issue, HR found that the specific software language required for the role had been misspelled in their applicant tracking system (ATS). So, all the qualified candidates, whose resumes were perfectly spelled and detailed, were automatically filtered out because they didn’t match the misspelling in the system.

People actually got fired over this—and rightfully so—because think about it: the only way someone could have gotten through the system would have been to misspell that software language in the exact same way! And if you can't even spell the language you're supposed to be proficient in, do you really think you’d be qualified for that job? It’s terrifying to think about how many perfectly qualified candidates were rejected because of a simple error like that.

So, this is an important lesson for all of us. When you’re submitting job applications and not hearing back, it might not be you. There are so many factors that can influence whether your application gets seen, and many of them are completely out of your control.  In the story, it mentions the frustration of the applicants who have received both the confirmation of their application and the rejection of it in the same minute.

Here’s the takeaway: the job hunt often requires you to apply for many positions. The odds of landing a job with just one application are slim, unless you already know the hiring manager. So - take care of yourself out there, keep doing the best you can, and remember—sometimes it’s not about you. But knowing the correct way to apply and the best ways to be competitive in your job hunt can help you land a job in a new career.  If you think you’d like some help with that, please reach out and book a complimentary discovery session with me to explore your options.
 
 I also want to encourage you to join our Facebook group – Teachers in Transition Podcast Club to talk with other teachers looking to leave teaching  - share tips, get ideas, and find support. Just search for Teachers in Transition Podcast Club and answer the quick questions that ensure you aren’t a bot.  If that seems to be too much, then head over and to our official Facebook page and follow that – get regular doses of inspiration, tips, and more. That is also linked in the show notes.  Trying to figure this all out on your own is tough – and you don’t have to.  
 
 If you are stuck in your job search, or are having trouble getting started, please feel free to reach out to me to schedule that complimentary discovery call to see how I can help you pivot careers and find the job of your dreams.   Remember, the best time to start your career transition and job search is several months before you plan to leave.  Now is GREAT time to get that started. 

You can do it.  I believe in you!

That’s the podcast for today! If you liked this podcast, tell a friend, and don’t forget to rate and review wherever you listen to your podcasts. Tune in weekly to Teachers in Transition where we discuss Job Search strategies as well as stress management techniques.  And I want to hear from you!  Please reach out and leave me a message at Teacher in transition coaching at gmail dot com.  You can also leave a voicemail or text at 512-640-9099. 

I’ll see you here again next week and remember – YOU are amazing!