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Terry Jones

Career and Executive Coach

Terry Jones is a career and executive coach based in New York City. He is an ICF credentialed coach, an Accredited Career Coach through the Institute for Career Coaching, and a Certified Master of Career Services with the National Career Development Association. Terry has guided hundreds of professionals through career transitions, promotions, and leadership challenges. He has built online leadership courses and practical toolkits, and has led more than 100 group and one-to-one training sessions on career strategy, LinkedIn optimization, and interview preparation. With over 20 years in corporate leadership and learning and development, he now consults with FireBridge Consulting to design and implement strategic L&D programs. Terry’s social platforms reach more than 570,000 people, and his videos have earned over 60 million views, helping professionals advocate for themselves at work, land roles they are proud of, and advance with confidence.

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Forum Comments (6)

How do I call out of work​? What do I say?
First, you should know what the policy is for the company to call out and be clear on that. Sometimes the policy is to physically call, while at other places people don't mind a text or an email.

Sometimes in the policy, it also specifies requirements. And so, if you're sick, understand how many days you have of sick time, for example.

I would just say something like, "Hey, I'd like to let you know that I won't be coming in today. I'm sick and I plan to use eight hours of sick time. I'm currently feeling like this is going to only be for a day. I'll probably be in tomorrow, but if you have any questions, let me know."
What's the most productive way to deal with boredom at work?
First, you want to be mindful of how you frame the concept of boredom to your supervisors, right? I would never use the word "bored". If you are not a person who flourishes in boredom and can't find anything to do, then you want to be strategic in the conversation you have with your managers and leadership about that boredom.

It might come across as, "Hey, I finished this project and I was going to go back and look at Project A, but I noticed we're going to, we have some things coming up on the horizon with Project B, and I would love to know if that is something I could participate in.

I would look to see how you can do more to add value and be seen as indispensable. If you tell your manager you're bored, they might be internalizing ideas like, "Oh, I'm not a good delegator, or I'm not managing the functions of my team members effectively". So also be careful to frame this in a way that doesn't place any sort of blame on their manager, but offers it up in a way that shows how you're a team player and you're there to be the best. So, I would frame it in a way that will help you enhance your value.
How to write a killer cover letter
The cover letter's an opportunity for you to bring attention to something that may get lost in your resume, but that may allow you to rise to the surface. If there's some sort of quantifiable impact you've made to really make a difference at another company, put it in the cover letter.

Also, if you ever perceive there to be a gap between what the role is asking for and your actual experience, address that in the cover letter. If you can strategically put that into a cover letter, that could actually be the very thing that gets you the first interview.

Finally, think about it this way. What can you say to get them to want to talk to you? Think about bringing specific focus to your experience that's aligned with the job description, or squashing any perceived gaps between your resume and what they're looking for.
Tips on how to ask for a raise? I'm nervous!
If you're already working at the job, I believe that you should have a strategy for asking for a raise. I would never randomly go into my manager's office and ask for a raise. Every time I've asked for a raise, it's been a 6-12 month process.

Instead, I would sit down with my manager and strategically come up with 3-5 goals for the year. Then, I'd commit myself to actually doing those things. Then, after the 6-12 months have passed, I'll schedule a meeting to talk about my progress. I'm going to show him or her how I've absolutely slammed each one of those goals. And at that point, I'm going to ask for the raise. So, I always tie it down to specific goals.

It doesn't always have to be that way, but that's how I coach people on asking for a raise.

However, if you're asking for a raise and a promotion, it's not just about the work that you did, it's also about how this will be beneficial to the company. If you're asking for a promotion, frame it as "this promotion is going to be helpful for the company because of A, B, C, and D". Then, you can talk about the impact of your work and the larger vision of what that might mean for the growth of the company.
What should I say when asked "what are your salary expectations?"
If you are interviewing for a role, absolutely do your research first and find out what the salary is before you begin the process, or at least try to figure out the salary range. I do not ever personally bring up salary unless I am prompted first, because you want to give the employer the impression that your focus is on talking about the job and showing how you can be the best fit for your job, and that your interest is not focused on money (even though we know that it is!). You want to ultimately give them the impression that that is where your focus lies.

If you're asked about salary in an interview and it's not the final interview, my response is the following:

"Well, thank you so much for asking that question. I'm still getting a feel for the role, but as we continue down this conversation, could you tell me the budget for the role?"

I always try to throw it back. When you throw it back to them, you get an opportunity to see a couple of things. One, are they transparent? Are they going to hold the salary hostage? If they do, guess what? You're going to be working for a company that's going to intentionally withhold all types of information. That to me is a red flag. If they offer up the salary, great. You get the opportunity to now tell them what you want without undercutting yourself.
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