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Repurpose Your Career | Career Pivot | Careers for the 2nd Half of Life | Career Change | Baby Boomer

Repurpose Your Career podcast brought to you by Career Pivot is a podcast for those of us in the 2nd half of life to come together to discuss how repurpose our careers for the 21st century.  Come listen to career experts give you proven strategies, listen to people like you tell their stories about how they repurposed their careers and finally get your questions answered.   Your host, Marc Miller, has made six career pivots over the last 30 years. He understands this is not about jumping out of the frying pan into a fire but rather to create a plan where you make clear actionable steps or pivots to a better future career. 
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Now displaying: 2017
Dec 18, 2017

Gary O'Neal is Director of Recruiting for Austin HR. Gary is a recruiting and hiring consultant. His mission is to help business leaders hire more than their fair share of top talent and beat the competition by building superior teams. Gary has seen the inside story of how recruiting and hiring happened inside of well over 200 companies. He’s led high-performance recruiting teams in both agency and corporate environments and has over 20 years of experience in recruitment. He’s been close to near 20,000 hires. Gary’s industry background is vast and includes software, IT, banking, public, semiconductor, engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing, and environmental companies. His experience spans all levels, including C-level executives, senior management, technical leadership, high-performance professionals, as well as support staff.

 

Listen in for actionable advice on re-entering the job market as it is today.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:57] Marc announces his first audience survey on what demographic listens to the podcast, what you like, and what you would like to hear about in the future. Please take the survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. This will redirect you to a SurveyMonkey page. Marc will keep the survey going through 2017 to hear from you.

[1:30] Marc has released the audio files to the publisher for his audiobook Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, and believes it may be ready for purchase. Marc will send an email blast to CareerPivots Insights email subscribers once he knows more. Or check its availability at CareerPivot.com/Repurpose-Your-Career/

[2:07] Marc explains the schedule. Last episode was an interview with Mac Prichard of Mac’s List. This episode is an interview with Gary O'Neal with Austin HR, on how he would search for a job. There will be no episode on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, but Marc’s favorite episode of 2017 will be re-released on Tuesday, January 2nd.

[4:47] Marc welcomes Gary to Repurpose Your Career.

[5:00] Gary has made big career pivots, himself. He started as a NASA software engineer, then joined a startup as director of professional services for IT, working with large companies. Gary helped grow the startup to almost 2,000 employees in seven years using a hiring architecture that he helped create. Sprint bought them in 1997.

[5:58] Gary saw that more than anything else he had done, helping a startup hire more than their fair share of top talent made a material difference. He started his own company, Cool Hires, outsourcing recruiting departments for companies. The market turned ugly in 2009 and Gary went back into IT for a while, and now is at Austin HR.

[6:44] Gary spoke at Launch Club recently about how he would conduct a job search, which inspired Marc to invite him to Repurpose Your Career.

[7:00] Gary starts with why he would follow a specific path to finding a job. He has recruiting experience as a consultant in at least 200 companies. Rarely does a company hire very well. So the traditional approach many people use to find a job and companies use to hire is really broken. Most people look for openings online and apply.

[8:07] In most of the companies Gary has helped, most of the resumes never get seen. No one has the time to devote to them. So junior people without experience around the job or the background experience to fill it filter the resumes. No one gets hired without talking to the hiring manager. Everything and everybody else gets in the way of that.

[10:19] People are afraid to break the rules for hiring. The rules are not there to serve you. People hire people. Connect with the hiring manager. Forget the rules. Step 1. Get really crystal clear on the job you want to have. What problems do you solve and what role will you fill? Don’t go to market being open to ‘lots of possibilities.’

[13:00] Align your background with where you are most likely to be accepted, with what the opportunities are, with what you are likely to get paid for, and with what motivates and excites you. Eliminate from your vocabulary anything not pertaining to that position. Become that role. Wear the jacket. Rehearse over and over your story of that role.

[15:01] When you’re not clear about what you are, you become less interesting, for whatever reason. Gary tells a story of a sales leader who talked himself out of a job by mentioning an area of expertise that didn’t relate to his prospective employer.

[17:25] Research the best opportunities. Compare job boards with the workforce, as shown on LinkedIn. Go after a job that is in high demand, not a job in decline.

[18:43] Step 2. Get there ahead of the opening. By the time an opening appears on job boards, it’s too competitive. Most resumes won’t be seen. Instead of looking for jobs, target companies that have the kind of problems you solve. Search LinkedIn for companies hiring people who look, feel, and talk like you. Lower any barriers you can.

[22:18] If you’re changing careers, you already have obstacles ahead of you. You need to build trust that you are a great fit for the job. Don’t target companies that have no employees your age. That’s a barrier that doesn’t need to be there. Step 3. Target companies hiring from your generation. Make a list of 200 companies to target.

[22:53] With your 200 target companies, identify at least three people at each company: one or more likely hiring managers, a recruiter in HR, and a peer in the company. That’s 600 people to reach out to.

[23:55] Austin HR is a company of headhunters. They recruit for other firms. For any role they are filling, they reach out to 175 people for a career conversation to get one hired. As a job hunter, reaching out to 600 people might get you three offers.

[25:36] Don’t be fearful of the number. Each of the 600 doesn’t know you’re reaching out to 599 other people. Their only experience is they got a message from you. It’s very individual on the receiving end.

[26:19] Step 4. Craft an outreach campaign with at least three steps in it. You’re sending a message to someone who really needs your help. They need your help because they’re busy. Since they’re busy, they’ll forget about your message. You send a follow-up message in a couple of days. They’ll want to get back, but they’re still busy.

[27:02] That person really needs your help. Reach out to them a third time. Use the takeaway close, “I know that your busy. I continue to be open. I would welcome a conversation with you, however, I don’t want to be a bother. This is the last message I’m going to send to you.” The recipient, if they need you, will immediately get back to you.

[27:36] The same three-step email campaign goes out to every hiring manager. You may craft it differently to send to every recruiter. The one to a peer would be different yet. At least mildly personalize every single one of the messages. It will take a while.

[28:11] You will cycle through 600 people by sending out 200 messages a week. Four days a week you message 50 people. It may take two or three hours a day, over a three week period. The next three weeks you will send the second email, and so forth. Something is happening at one or more of those companies.

[28:58] The reason you need a campaign is to avoid getting stuck. Be machine-like in your persistence to make all the contacts. Don’t be distracted. Use simple messages. Gary gives a message example.

[29:52] Even from companies that are not hiring, you’ll get quite a little bit of encouragement and very little rejection. You may get silence from many but some will respond. Be politely persistent until you get a no or a yes. Don’t ask them for anything. Ask them how you can help them with their problems that you solve. It’s not a bother.

[32:00] You’ll get various responses. One is, “Thanks, we’re not hiring, goodbye.” Follow up with a genuine thank you and courteously ask for advice, insights, or referrals.

[36:37] The response you really want is an invitation to call or visit. Some organization will need your help. If not, go back to Step 1. and target a job that’s more available.

[37:33] Once you get a conversation, the whole conversation needs to be about the company’s needs, what keeps them up at night, and the path forward for that company.  Investigate if they have the kinds of problems you can solve for them. Try to get the conversation about how you might address that problem and what you might do.

[38:55] Needy isn’t pretty. Going to market looking for something for yourself doesn’t serve you as well as going to market looking for people to help. Marc suggests probing for pain points. This all takes finesse. The truth is, people are nicer than you think. They do want to help. When you take an interest in them, you are more likeable.

[41:58] Gary heard on NPR that in speed dating, people preferred people who asked more questions. Use that principle in interviews. Tell me a little bit about your career. What do you love? This is like dating. Not every date turns into marriage. Thom Singer suggests introverts ask the best questions and are the best networkers and listeners.

[44:14] Gary’s closing comments: None of the rules are real. Set them aside. Be a human being. Reach out to other people. Genuinely be interested in them. Genuinely be interested in helping them solve problems. Things will go much better for you.

[45:57] Marc comments that applying for a job in the old way is fruitless. Marc invites you to take the Repurpose Your Career audience survey and to pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life. The audio version should be available now or soon.

[48:10] The next episode, on January 2, 2018 will be Marc’s favorite episode of 2017.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

CareerPivot.com/Episode-57 Show Notes for last week’s episode with Mac Prichard.

Austin HR

NASA

Intel

Exxon

Sprint

Launch Pad Job Club

“Probing for Pain Points When You’re on a Job Interview,” by Marc Miller

“People Like People Who Ask Questions,” NPR, Morning Edition

Thom Singer

Gary@AustinHR.com

Gary O'Neal on LinkedIn

Please take Marc’s survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. This will redirect you to a SurveyMonkey page. Marc will keep the survey going through 2017 to hear from you. Taking the survey will help Marc to select Repurpose Your Career topics for 2018.

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback and ebook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. Marc expects to have the audiobook available in December 2017. Subscribe, and get a notification when it is available.

Marc has a prototype running of the paid membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of 10 members helping him. Marc has opened a waitlist. Sign up at CareerPivot.com/Community.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to

CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me

CareerPivot.com/Episode-58 Show Notes for this episode.

You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast.

To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes

To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources

Careerpivot.com

Dec 11, 2017

Mac Prichard is the founder and publisher of Mac’s List, an online community for people looking for rewarding, creative, and meaningful work. More than 80,000 people a month visit the site, which includes a job board, a blog, and courses about the nuts and bolts of job hunting and career management. A leading career expert, Mac helps people who are looking for a job during all of life’s transitions — Millennials getting a first job, midlife professionals switching sectors, parents getting back to work after raising a family, or baby-boomers who want to change careers. Mac is proud to own two registered B-Corp companies, which use the power of the market to solve social and environmental problems. He is the author of Land Your Dream Job Anywhere and hosts the weekly podcast Find Your Dream Job, which I was on earlier this year.

 

Listen in for actionable advice staying relevant to the job market you want to explore.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:57] Marc announces his first audience survey on what demographic listens to the podcast, what you like, and what you would like to hear about in the future. Please take the survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. This will redirect you to a SurveyMonkey page. Marc will keep the survey going through 2017 to hear from you.

[1:34] Marc has released all the audio files to publisher ACX.com for his audiobook Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, and believes they will be ready for purchase online before the end of the year. Marc will send an email blast to CareerPivots Insights email subscribers once he knows more.

[1:57] Marc explains the schedule. This episode is an interview with Mac Prichard of Mac’s List. The next will be an interview with Gary O'Neal with Austin HR, on how he would search for a job. There will be no episode on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, but Marc’s favorite episode of 2017 will be re-released on Tuesday, January 2nd.

[4:47] Marc welcomes Mac to Repurpose Your Career.

[4:59] Mac runs Prichard Communications (a social change communications company doing PR for foundations, nonprofits, and purpose-driven brands) and Mac’s List (an online community including a job board and resources about job hunting and career management for people looking for work with purpose and meaning).

[5:32] Prichard Communications and Mac’s List each employs about five people. They have one value in common: service. This core value — learned from his parents and his upbringing — has been central to the success of Mac’s companies and his career.

[6:08] When you give without any expectation of return, you get so much back and along the way, you can make a difference in the community where you live and work and on issues you care about.

[6:25] Marc and Mac discuss Adam Grant’s book, Give and Take. Mac follows many of Adam’s principles in his own career. Adam writes about givers, takers, and matchers. Givers are the ones that win.

[7:01] Marc talks about why he invited Mac on the show. Mac encourages listeners over 50 to reflect back on their own careers. You’ve already done some very different things. You had to figure out how to make switches in the past. Next, know what you want to do. Take an assessment.

[9:44] Once you know where you want to go, make the case for what you offer to that sector or employer. Spend time understanding what their needs are. Go on some informational interviews. Employers hire people to solve problems. Show employers what you offer to them.

[10:45] You won’t make a change on your own. Most of us are going to work into our 70s. You need to start planning that in your 50s. Find the balance between what you want to do and what an employer will pay for you to do. If you want to have a successful career you have to make investments in education or professional development.

[15:00] Marc asks about ageism. What can people do to combat it? It affects Boomers significantly. Millennials also worry about the stereotypes people have against them. There are laws against age discrimination, but it happens. Do you want to work for an employer who discriminates against older people? Intentionally overcome stereotypes.

[17:06] Marc recalls Episode 53, the interview with Thea Kelly. Thea gave steps people can take to overcome stereotypes of Boomers. One of Marc’s clients lost an opportunity because it looked to the younger interviewers that he couldn’t keep up. Marc tells an example of an older applicant overdressing for the interview. Learn the culture.

[18:58] Start with your online presence. Hiring managers will Google your name. Put a current photo and updated skills and professional accomplishments in your LinkedIn profile. Show that you embrace new developments in your field and new technologies.

[20:56] Google yourself. If there’s nothing, or something bad, that’s not good. Set up a Google alert on your name. Claim your own name as a domain name. Put a lot of content on the web to feed Google. If you don’t have a good Google presence, including a professional LinkedIn profile, you will not get an interview.

[24:32] Before the recession, more people planned on retiring on-time or early. Now people will need to work into their 70s to gather resources. Mac notes that many people have planned for retirement to some degree. Once you know what salary you need, get clear about what you want to do and what opportunities are out there to pursue.

[26:51] Having a timeline, 10 or 15 years into the future as a long-term view, is very helpful as you’re having this conversation. Chances are opportunities will change in that time.

[27:33] Marc says that the first 10 people in his online community are asking how to broaden their horizons. Career opportunities are endless. People just need to know about them. Educate yourself about them, just as you did coming out of school.

[30:39] As a Boomer, Marc was raised to be a career-long employee for one company. Later in his career, they changed the rules. He left IBM and looked for other opportunities. It’s like starting fresh just out of college.

[32:15] Don’t make stuff up. Learn the situation about each opportunity. Go talk to people who work in the organization you are targeting, before you make the decision to work there. Someone in your network may know someone there. Or you can find them on LinkedIn. You may discover it’s not what you want to do. Save yourself grief.

[34:49] Marc tells people to talk to someone doing what you want to do at a company and get the inside scoop. Your next job will come from a current relationship, an old relationship, or a new relationship. Someone will refer you. Marc was referred to his teaching job by his chiropractor. Whom do you know who might know someone?

[37:33] Most jobs get filled by word of mouth. 80% of jobs never get posted on a job board. Employers manage risk by turning to people they know for referrals. Employers also give back to their networks.

[38:59] After you serve someone, when you least expect it, you often get something back. Mac’s List was simply a list of job postings that came to his desk that he shared with his network. It grew over the years. After 16 years there are 25,000 names on it. The list carries about 600 job listings a month. Now it is a business with five employees.

[40:28] Mac’s List attracts more than 80K people a month. Mac started Mac’s List with no expectation of getting anything in return. The value that drove it is a big part of Mac’s success. Mac talks about how to get his new book.

[41:49] Marc invites you to take the Repurpose Your Career audience survey and to pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life. The next episode will be an interview with Gary O’Neal.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Mac Prichard on LinkedIn

Prichard Communications

MacsList.org

Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, by Adam Grant

“When You’re Working in a Career Disaster Area,” by Marc Miller on Next Avenue

StrengthsFinder

Myers-Briggs

Mark Anthony Dyson’s Voice of Jobseekers podcast

Job-hunt.org

Ryan Rhoten’s The Brand New You Show podcast

LinkedIn

Apple

Land Your Dream Job Anywhere: The Complete Mac's List Guide to Finding Work You Can Love, by Mac Prichard

Please take Marc’s survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. This will redirect you to a SurveyMonkey page. Marc will keep the survey going through 2017 to hear from you. Taking the survey will help Marc to select Repurpose Your Career topics for 2018.

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback and ebook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. Marc expects to have the audiobook available in December 2017. Subscribe, and get a notification when it is available.

Marc has a prototype running of the paid membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of 10 members helping him. Marc has opened a waitlist. Sign up at CareerPivot.com/Community.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to

CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources

Careerpivot.com

Episode 53 with Thea Kelley

Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me

Marc@CareerPivot.com

CareerPivot.com/Episode-57 Show Notes for this episode.

You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast.

To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes

To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

Dec 4, 2017

In this episode, Marc answers questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. You can learn about her career pivots in Episode 020. Listen in to this episode for insights into preparing yourself to work in a changing market, or in a new role.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:56] Marc explains why he did not release an episode Thanksgiving week. He gave himself a mini-vacation in Galveston.

[1:25] Marc announces his first podcast audience survey on what demographic listens to the podcast, what you like, and what you would like to hear about in the future. Please take the survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. This will redirect you to a Survey Monkey page. Marc will keep the survey going through 2017 to hear from you.

[2:03] Marc reviews the series format of this podcast for new listeners. Each month, the first episode is an expert interview. December’s expert will be Mac Prichard of Mac’s List. The second episode is a career pivot interview. The third episode is of Marc’s choosing. The fourth episode of the month is a Q&A episode with Elizabeth Rabaey.

[3:18] Elizabeth introduces herself.

[3:43] Q1: I am closer to 70 than 60. I have been unemployed a year. I had a grueling all-day interview, and I was not selected. The recruiter told me the younger team members vetoed my selection because they did not think I could keep up. I also had a call about another position there but was not called in. What should I do?

[4:34] A1: Marc says, first, send the recruiter a $25 gift card for telling you why you were not selected and also gave you another opportunity. Reward the recruiter. Second, do not give the appearance of being old. Marc told the candidate to focus on his health, exercise, and eat right. He no longer has a young metabolism.

[7:23] A person who works into their 70s needs to have the energy to do it. Marc tells about a very high-stress job he took that burned him out emotionally and physically. You also need to dress as the culture of the company dictates. Research it. Don’t overdress.

[9:10] Q2: I am a 50-year-old IT professional, currently at a major company in a sales support role. I hate it. I have spent the last 10 years as a team lead, or manager. I want to go back to an earlier role I had, but I don’t see an opening for it. What should I do?

[9:42] A2: Marc has been an IT manager, and those days are largely gone. The cloud is wiping out entire IT organizations that used to manage servers and installations. Marc says to look at where you need to be in 10 years and position yourself. About the only traditional IT departments left are on the state and university levels. They don’t pay well.

[10:54] Marc interviewed Stan Siranovich in Episode 45. Stan used to be a Microsoft Certified Engineer. Those jobs are gone.

[11:20] Marc was in Mexico last month and was interviewed over Zoom, on his iPhone, by Jim Peacock of Peak Careers, in Maine, and Geoff Pearman of Partners in Change, in New Zealand. It worked really well. They discussed the planning needed in your 50s to continue working into your 70s. Q1 and Q2 deal with changing industries.

[14:03] Besides certifications, look at whether you will want to be working for yourself or for an employer. Within Marc’s Online Community, participants are in their 60s and they are looking for freedom, in various forms. They don’t want a 9-to-5 job.

[15:09] Q3: I would like to change industries. I have been managing software projects for 20 years. I would like to transition into working in construction. I am getting a few new certifications, but the jobs want specific industry experience. How do I apply managing software projects to managing construction projects?

[15:43] A3: Marc’s friend Gary O’Neal of Austin HR talks about how he would look for a job. Recruiters want to see a smoothly rising career trajectory. Many people don’t have that. The goal is to make your resume, and your LinkedIn profile look like a nice smooth upward rise. Start figuring out where do you want to go, and eliminate irrelevant items.

[17:46] In this case figure out how to make your software projects look like the construction industry. Part of that is weaving in construction industry lingo, and start talking about the commonalities between what you would be doing on a construction project, versus software development. Figure out the commonalities.

[18:20] Daniel, a client of Marc’s, wanted to transition into the smart-grid industry. What did he do? He wrote a blog, and every month he interviewed somebody in the smart grid industry. He learned a lot in 18 months, and more importantly, built up street credibility.

[18:58] Marc suggests doing a construction blog and figuring out how to make yourself look like a construction person. By the way, this is a very hard task. Your first job will be suboptimal and will serve to get your foot in the door. Focus on the construction industry on your resume and LinkedIn profile. Elizabeth also makes suggestions.

[21:39] Marc talks about following the money. Look for people who just got a loan. That will tell you who will be building. Construction is a very cyclical business.

[23:30] The next Q&A will be toward the end of December. There will be an encore episode for Christmas. Download figures put Repurpose Your Career in the top half of Libsyn podcasts. Considering that the 50+ demographic makes up 5% of podcast listeners, this is a remarkable statistic.

[24:28] Marc invites you to take the podcast audience survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback and ebook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. Marc hopes to have the audiobook available in early December 2017. Subscribe, and get a notification when it is available.

Marc has a prototype running of the paid membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of 10 members helping him. Marc has opened a wait list. Sign up at CareerPivot.com/Community.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to

CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources

Careerpivot.com

Peak Careers

Partners in Change

Adobe Creative Cloud

Austin HR

SMPS

Libsyn

Podcast Movement
Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me

Marc@CareerPivot.com

CareerPivot.com/Episode-56 Show Notes for this episode.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-45 Stan Siranovich interview

You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast.

To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes

To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

Nov 27, 2017

Marc and his wife have a few reasons for planning a move to Mexico in 2018, but mainly it involves the high cost of healthcare in the U.S. Marc will not retire but will continue to run his company from Mexico.

 

Listen in for how you can research whether Mexico or Central America is right for your family.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:28] Marc announces his first audience survey on what demographic listens to the podcast, what you like, and what you would like to hear about in the future. Please take the survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. This will redirect you to a Survey Monkey page. Marc will keep the survey going through 2017 to hear from you.

[2:12] Marc reviews the series format of this podcast for new listeners. Each month, the first episode is an expert interview. The second episode is a career pivot interview. The third episode is of Marc’s choosing. This month it is Marc’s story of taking the family and job abroad. The fourth episode of the month is a Q&A episode with Elizabeth Rabaey.

[3:06] Marc and his wife are moving to Ajijic, Mexico In this episode, he walks through the decision process and their plan for execution. It started with the October 15, 2016 episode of the Money Matters podcast by Hanson and McClain where they interviewed Art Koff of Retired Brains on best international retirement destinations.

[4:17] RetiredBrains.com has a ranking of places to retire overseas. #1 is Ecuador, #2 is Panama, and #3 is Mexico. The analysis considers real estate, expat benefits, cost of living, ease of integration into the community, entertainment and amenities, health care, infrastructure, and climate. The top three destinations were closely-ranked.

[5:11] At the same period Marc received his new health care insurance premium at $1,800.00 a month. They decided to look for another plan on Healthcare.gov. The choices were very limited. Marc’s 2017 premiums and medical costs were $20K.

[6:35] In November, Donald Trump won the presidency. This created uncertainty around the Affordable Care Act. They visited Ecuador. Over half of U.S. retirees overseas return to the U.S. within five years. Also, those in the 60 - 64 age range now are at a disadvantage. Marc and his wife discussed this several of times.

[8:45] Marc read a post on GringoTree.com on assimilation vs. integration. Assimilation is full immersion in the language and culture, standing apart from the expat community. Assimilation leads to more happiness, better eating, better exercise, and a longer life.

[10:40] Marc and his wife visited San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, a popular ex-pat destination. Marc found a webcam on the downtown plaza, filled with expats. They booked an Airbnb. Date a location before moving there.

[12:09] Marc and his wife went to visit places for one-to-two weeks each. San Miguel is typical of much of Mexico — with lots of fireworks. There were many Canadians, U.S. citizens, and some Europeans. There are no chain pharmacies or supermarkets there but family-owned stores with only the most common medicines and foods.

[15:18] San Miguel at about 5,000 feet may cause some altitude sickness. San Miguel is about a 90-minute shuttle bus ride from the airport. Flight scheduling back to the U.S. is difficult.

[16:50] The Millers next went to Cuenca, Ecuador. Cuenca was difficult to get to due to flight schedules. Quito and Guayaquil are two other popular cities for expats. Ecuador has some high-altitude cities, such as Cuenca, and most Americans leave there within a couple of years.

[19:03] Mrs. Miller was experiencing overwhelming fatigue. They cut their visit after five days. It took three days to get to Austin from Cuenca, and then Mrs. Miller went to the hospital. She was very anemic.

[19:37] The fruits and vegetables in Ecuador don’t resemble fruits and vegetables in the U.S., but they are good. Repair or maintenance is offered mañana, by which they mean, ‘not today.’ Bills are paid by check at the bank, not online. It is a cash-based culture. Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar.

[20:47] The Millers went to Ajijic in October, and that is their planned destination. Ajijic is on Lake Chapala, the largest lake in Mexico, and just south of Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, and is very easy to get to with multiple U.S. flights daily. Ajijic is 25 minutes by cab. Thousands of U.S. and Canadian expats live there in an ideal climate.

[22:13] Marc and his wife found the community to be very supportive. Everybody was so nice. They all say Ajijic is the best location in Mexico for expats. There is one paved street in town, alongside the lake. Every other street is cobblestones.

[24:46] The Millers are going to go back to Ajijic for a month next March, and shop for doctors, insurance, and rental properties.

[25:43] Marc talks about Necessary Endings, a book he considers life-changing. A good gardener will trim a rosebush so the buds that are left will flourish. We need to do the same things with careers, relationships, and more.

[27:14] Marc has lived in Austin Texas for almost 40 years. Why is he still there? No other family members live near. Marc can work from anywhere.Taxes are too high. It’s expensive to live in Austin now. The health insurance costs in Texas are high, so they are looking. Austin is an expensive city.

[23:29]  In March, Marc and his wife will go down to Ajijic next March, shop for doctors, health insurance, and rental properties. The plan is to go down there for six months to a year, next July. They will also visit Costa Rica, Panama and Belize. Then they will make decision. International House Hunter has given Marc some ideas for selecting a home.

[29:19] Marc is not looking for a vacation resort, but for a community of expats and locals populated 12 months of the year. That describes Ajijic.

[29:32] The Millers will rent out their Austin home while they travel. They haven’t made a permanent decision yet as to the move. They may come back. This is a journey to take one step at a time.

[30:43] Marc mentions a post on GringoTree from Ecuador about health insurance. The state health insurance is about $80.00 monthly. People retire overseas either out of adventure, or necessity. The author of the post and his wife lived on SS $1,200 monthly.

[33:30] This is a deliberate and thoughtful journey for the Miller family.

[36:06] Next week is the Q&A episode.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey or CareerPivot.com/Podcast-Survey

Survey Monkey

Hanson & McClain’s Money Matters podcast Best International Retirement 10/15/2016

Retiredbrains.com/retiring-abroad.html

Money.cnn.com/2017/11/09/news/economy/obamacare-early-retirees/

GringoTree.com

SanMiguelrealestate.com/san-miguel-de-allende/live-webcam

FlexJobs.com

Chapala.com/wwwboard/webboard.html

Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward, by Henry Cloud

Careerpivot.com/2017/necessary-endings-2nd-half-of-life/

House Hunters International

CareerPivot.com/Episode-54 Interview with author and career pivoter Susan Lahey

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey The paperback and ebook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. Marc has completed recording the audio version of the book and will be editing it the week of Thanksgiving. He hopes to have it available before the end of November 2017.

Marc has a prototype running of the paid membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him. Marc is opening a wait list if you want to participate.Sign up at CareerPivot.com/Community.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-55 Show Notes for this episode.

You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to

CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Marc is taking on new clients. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me or call at 512-693-9132, and leave a message with your email address. Marc will respond with a link to his calendar, to find a time to talk.

Nov 13, 2017

Susan Lahey is Marc’s co-author for both Repurpose Your Career books. This is one of the best of the 25-plus interviews Marc has recorded in the last year. Susan is a freelance writer who is driven to take on new challenges, whether that’s writing about the nature of meaning, the scary adventure of changing your career, or truly death-defying acts like jumping out of airplanes and parenting. Marc was Susan’s first real Austin client.

 

Listen in for thoughts on enduring hardship with bravery and purpose.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:14] Marc announces his first audience survey on what demographic listens to the podcast, what you like, and what you would like to hear about in the future. Please take the survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. This will redirect you to a Survey Monkey page. Marc will keep the survey going through 2017 to hear from you.

[1:55] Marc reviews the series format of this podcast for new listeners. The previous episode was an expert interview. This episode is a career pivot interview. The next episode will be Marc’s story of moving abroad and taking the job with him. The fourth episode of the month is a Q&A episode with Elizabeth Rabaey.

[3:43] Marc introduces Susan Lahey and welcomes Susan to the podcast.

[3:52] Susan is always tempted to stay home with her adult children and watch Netflix, paint, and hide out from everyone. So she makes herself go do stuff, instead. She just got a tattoo that says “Life is Short.”

[5:12] Susan was a newspaper reporter for the beginning of her career, at the Kansas City Star, from age 17 until college and as her first job out of school. After several years she got a job as an associate editor at the business lifestyle magazine in KC. She left there to raise a family, freelancing from home.

[5:54] At age 42, Susan was divorced, took the children and moved off the grid to New Mexico, taking what work she could get. The Taos News wanted her as a freelancer but didn’t move on it.

[6:55] She started working as a community liaison for an EPA technical assistance group for a Superfund project. That was tough since she did not speak Spanish and was new to the community. She also did substitute teaching. She was broke.

[7:26] Susan and her children volunteered at a food pantry for the food. Finally, she got on as a freelancer with the Taos News, for maybe $100 an article.

[8:16] Taos was challenging in being far behind the times. Susan was out of touch with the times as a freelancer. She wanted to give her children a better opportunity.

[9:38] After a trip to Europe they were motivated to change their lives. Austin had “a similar vibe” to Taos, a University, and a lot of intellectual capital. Susan rented an apartment and drove the family to Austin to start over.

[10:43] Susan finally sold the Taos house for “five dollars.” At first, she wrote eHow articles, but that was unsatisfying for her. She attended networking events and learned how to market herself online with blogs and web content. She pushed herself, using EMDR psychotherapy to help her overcome fear and stress of networking.

[15:33] Creatives are typically introverted and selling yourself as a creative is really hard for them. Confidence is essential for approaching clients.

[17:26] Marc was Susan’s first major client. Then she got some blogs. Through a contact who was recommended by Marc, she started writing tech news articles for a tech startup publication and finally got paid reasonably. She has covered SXSW for six years and went to Thailand and Norway to see their technologies.

[19:36] Susan got an article in Wired and is hoping to write more for them. She had also written a profile for bootstrap guru Bijoy Goswami, who works people through the psychological risks and fears of starting your own business.

[20:10] Bijoy introduced Susan to his best friend, Danny Gutknecht, and Susan worked with him on one book and other writings. They will write more. Most of her work is with Danny. When Susan has 'bandwidth,' she looks for freelance work online and networks.

[21:15] Susan mentors and one woman she mentored hooked her up with a gig. She still does journalism.

[21:40] Susan was an old-school journalism person. Her idea of journalism came from All the President’s Men. Her sister was a journalist. She never imagined journalism wouldn’t be there for her. Most of her friends who were journalists are out of jobs. Journalism is dying. It can’t find a business model that works today.

[22:36] Susan never imagined she would be a tech writer or a business writer, and she is so glad she pursued both of those because that’s the direction the world is going.

[23:29] When Susan was asked to find her ‘why’ she had never thought about it. She realized that she liked writing about people who were doing scary, brave things. She uses Marc as an example. When he started his business, it was scary new for him, but also, scary new for job pivoters he is helping.

[24:41] For the most part, Susan’s career pivot has turned out amazingly. She’s definitely not rich, but she’s supporting herself, doing what she loves. It fuels her as well as paying her.

[25:09] Marc is proud of Susan. In spite of her hard times, she survived. Her three great children have gone to college on full scholarships, and are doing well. Her oldest is teaching English in Tangier, as Susan continues to enjoy her career.

[25:49] People tell Susan she’s brave, but they have no idea how hard she has to work to be brave. She’s sometimes afraid, but she just makes herself do things. She recommends people examine why they act a certain way, or go in a certain direction. People need to steer their own ship. Susan hopes to move to Morocco next year.

[28:57] Marc has been working with Susan since 2012, when she went through an early version of Marc’s career pivot evaluation. If you would like to know more about this process, listen to episodes 48 through 51 — a series called, “Can Tim Repurpose His Career?”

[31:27] Next week’s episode will be all about the process of the Miller’s move to Ajijic, Mexico in 2018. Marc is moving, but not retiring. He will run everything from Mexico.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey or CareerPivot.com/Podcast-Survey

Survey Monkey

eHow

Taos News

EMDR

Silicon Hills News

South X Southwest (SXSW)

Oslo Innovation Week

Bijoy Goswami on LinkedIn

Danny Gutknecht on LinkedIn

Glass Door

Media Bistro

ZenDesk

CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-48 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 1”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-49 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 2”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-50 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 3”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-51 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 4”

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey The paperback and ebook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. Marc has completed recording the audio version of the book and will be editing it the week of Thanksgiving. He hopes to have it available before the end of November 2017.

Marc has a prototype running of the paid membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him. Marc is opening a wait list if you want to participate.Sign up at CareerPivot.com/Community.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-54 Show Notes for this episode.

You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to

CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Marc is taking on new clients. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me or call at 512-693-9132, and leave a message with your email address. Marc will respond with a link to his calendar, to find a time to talk.

Nov 6, 2017

Thea Kelley provides one-on-one job search and interview coaching to help you get a great job sooner. Drawing on 20 years of experience in career services, writing, editing, and coaching, she has facilitated career breakthroughs for job seekers in a wide range of occupations and industries. Thea’s clients have successfully landed roles from entry-level to senior executive, often surmounting tricky obstacles, making major changes in their careers. Thea is the author of Get That Job: The Quick and Complete Guide to a Winning Interview, which has been very positively reviewed by Forbes. The book is available from Amazon and other fine online booksellers.

 

Listen in for actionable advice to prepare you for your next great interview.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:56] Marc invites the audience to listen to Episode 52, the 1st Anniversary special, and episodes 48 to 51, the four-episode series “Can Tim Repurpose His Career?” if you haven’t listened to them yet.

[1:15] Marc announces his first audience survey on what demographic listens to the podcast, what you like, and what you would like to hear about in the future. Please take the survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. This will redirect you to a Survey Monkey page. Marc will keep the survey going through 2017 to hear from you.

[2:00] Marc returns to the normal sequence of episodes. This week is an interview with jobs expert Thea Kelley. Next week will be an interview with a career pivoter. The third week, Marc will take you through the process of his moving the podcast with his family to another country. The fourth week will be a Q&A with Elizabeth Rabaey.

[3:10] Marc introduces Thea Kelley and welcomes Thea to the podcast.

[4:11] Thea notes that she is often described with words starting with ‘in’: introverted, insightful, and intuitive. She has always been fascinated by what goes on inside herself and inside others; our psychology and how we communicate. As a teenager, she wrote poetry. As an adult, she writes business communications.

[4:44] These days, Thea is coaching people on how to communicate with prospective employers to get great jobs.That taps into her interest in psychology — who we are inside — and getting that truth out there in a way that works.

[5:00] Thea says the main thing that will cost the offer to someone in the second half of life interviewing for a job is the lack of interview skills. Don’t go in unprepared. Know your top three or five skills you want to emphasize in your interview, which are your selling points for this job. Most people haven’t given much thought to that.

[6:03] Thea says there is a risk of ageism and age discrimination. Many interviewers prefer to hire someone within a certain age range, whether they’re conscious of it or not. It’s not legal, but it happens. Mark Anthony Dyson calls this unconscious bias.

[6:37] Thea says one of the most important things is to be aware of the stereotypes people have about people in the second half of life. In your interview, make a point of demonstrating that those stereotypes don’t apply to you.

[7:11] Marc tells his clients to demonstrate technological adeptness and energy. Thea says to convey energy and enthusiasm in the interview by sharing stories about times when you worked really hard or really fast, or motivated others with your enthusiasm and passion, or went above and beyond requirements.

[7:50] Go above and beyond requirements for the interview itself. Thea’s clients have brought well-research proposed action plans for the job’s first month to an interview. Very likely, they were the only candidates to do so. That made the candidates stand out.

[8:19] Marc tells of a 65-year-old candidate who was run through the gauntlet of seven interviews in an eight-hour day, with a break for lunch. Marc insisted the candidate should bring energy bars to eat between interviews. Take care of your body.

[9:25] Thea examines other ageism stereotypes. Health is a major issue. Be healthy when you interview. Look healthy. Experts recommend exercising while in the process of your job search. Take care of your skin and your hair. Use a moisturizing sunscreen. Cultivate posture. Don’t slouch.

[10:28] Show that you embrace new technologies. Use a smartphone. Be willing to text with the interviewer. Be familiar and comfortable with Google Docs.

[11:03] Show that you are mentally sharp and have a good memory. Review dates and figures of your job accomplishments before going into the interview, so you don’t stumble over the numbers. Ask if you can take a few notes during the interview, but don’t take a lot of notes. After the interview, you can fill out your notes in private.

[12:00] Some people may feel older people are not innovative. Have stories ready about things you did that were innovative. People may feel your experience is outdated, so be sure to talk about your most recent experiences.

[12:17] If you have to talk about something that happened seven or even 10 years ago, avoid mentioning the year. Another stereotype is that older people are unwilling to work late, evenings, or weekends. If you are willing to have those opportunities, give examples of when you have worked over, or at unusual hours.

[12:40] If you want to keep to regular hours, tell stories of your efficient, focused working methods that allow you to get your work done within regular hours.

[12:54] To avoid the appearance of being overqualified, you may omit some of your excess experience. If the new job is at a lower level than you are used to, have a really good answer for why you want that job when previously you’ve held a higher job. Make sure it is an honest answer about why climbing the corporate ladder is not your goal.

[14:08] You have to have your story down on why you are looking for a lesser position. It’s not a desperation move. Emphasize your passion and enthusiasm for the things you are involved in outside of the job, without getting carried away. Don’t say you don’t want to work the hours anymore you previously worked! Say what you do want to do.

[15:58] When you take notes in an interview, don’t bring a big book. A small pad. A number of adults take notes in full sentences. That’s a bad look. Jot down a key word now and then. Write full notes later in your car. Review the questions, to prepare for future interviews.

[18:43] Use the thank you (follow up) note to continue the conversation. You want them to hear from you about once a week to update them that you’re still very interested, and what you’ve been researching about the job.

[20:43] Don’t make stuff up about whether they have already made a decision if you haven’t heard from them. Just check in once a week, and they will let you know.

[20:54] The follow up note should be email if you are in tech. In a more personal industry you may send a paper note. When in doubt, go with an email. You can follow up with a card. In the email, reiterate your key selling points, such as important certifications, and the experience you have that meets or exceeds their needs.

[23:39] When you interview with a younger hiring manager, first consider your own bias. CareerBuilder did a survey that showed most older employees are happy working for a younger boss. Show that you will respect their knowledge and skills. Listen actively. Ask good questions, and do not go into teacher mode. Don’t call attention to age differences.

[26:03] Impress the interviewer by asking really good, probing questions to which you may already know the answer. Listen attentively.

[26:39] Dress for the interview in contemporary, graceful style. But do your interview how they dress at the job. Dress a level above what you would actually wear to do the job.

[29:08] Be prepared for anything. The social mores of the younger generation may be different. Don’t impose your opinion of how things may be. Don’t appear startled or look disapproving. You may see tattoos and unusual piercings.

[30:58] Not every interviewer is ageist. Many of them will value your experience. There is no job seeker who doesn’t have something that will count against them in interviews. You are not alone with this big problem. These things don’t have to hold you back. The maturity to prepare diligently for the interview can really give you a huge advantage.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey or CareerPivot.com/Podcast-Survey

Survey Monkey

CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-48 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 1”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-49 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 2”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-50 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 3”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-51 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 4”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-52 “1st Anniversary Special Episode”

Get That Job: The Quick and Complete Guide to a Winning Interview, by Thea Kelley

TheaKelley.com

GreatJobSooner.com Subscribe to Thea’s blog and receive a free report on how to stand out in interviews.

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey The paperback and ebook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. Marc is recording the audio version of the book, and he plans to have it available in late November 2017.

Marc has a prototype running of the paid membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him. Marc is opening a wait list if you want to participate.Sign up at CareerPivot.com/Community.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-53 Show Notes for this episode.

You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to

Marc is taking on new clients. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me or call at 512-693-9132, and leave a message with your email address. Marc will respond with a link to his calendar, to find a time to talk.

Oct 30, 2017

Marc thanks his listeners, and invites you to take an audience survey about the podcast, so he can provide more of what you want in the coming year. He discusses his interest in podcasts and books, and how he decided to launch the Repurpose Your Career podcast in support of his book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. Marc goes on to describe how the show has evolved once the book launched, and finally, what he plans for 2018 and beyond.

Listen in for a look at Marc’s processes of launching and running a podcast and making it appeal to you.

Key Takeaways:

[1:22] Marc thanks you, the listeners. Please fill out an audience survey to help guide how Marc can continue to serve his audience with helpful content. Marc also invites you to give your honest review of this podcast on iTunes.

[3:00] In August of 2016, Marc had the idea of the Repurpose Your Career podcast, to support the launch of the next edition of his book, Repurpose Your Career. The idea largely came from listening to podcasts. Thom Singer’s, Ryan Rhoten’s, and Roger Whitney’s podcasts were his motivation. He wanted to blend their features in one show.

[3:40] Marc found Podfly Productions through Thom Singer. Podfly sponsor’s Thom’s show and does his production work. Marc had the ability to produce and edit his own show, but all the production details were more than he wanted to handle.

[4:00] Marc contacted Corey Coates, the owner of Podfly, and bought one of their launch packages. Corey and the Podfly team walked Marc through selecting music, creating artwork, creating an intro with a professional voice artist, and everything else to get his show launched. Marc knew he had no artistic talents, so he needed help.

[4:30] Marc talks about the recording process. First, he had trouble with cable hum. So Corey suggested recording on his Mac with Piezo for Mac software. Marc decided next on a series approach where he would, over four weeks, interview an expert, interview a late-career pivoter, read a chapter from his book, and then do a Q&A session.

[5:03] Marc discovered he was much better as an interviewee than an interviewer. Marc was used to speaking on topics he enjoyed as a public speaker. When he has to interact with someone on an interview that is off script, it is not a smooth process. Marc is his harshest critic when he listens to a recording of himself, but he edits out mistakes.

[5:51] Marc has made a lot of refinements in this year. Marc can tell the difference between the early episodes to what he is producing today. The most important improvement in his technique is recording standing up in a closet with the microphone and pop filter attached to a shelf.

[6:47] Marc tells how the production week goes with Podfly, from Marc’s raw file to audio edit, show notes, proofing, tagging, and uploading to LibSyn. From LibSyn, they show up on iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play. On Monday afternoon, Marc’s VA creates the blog post, which contains the show notes, for Tuesday morning publication.

[7:28] Marc lists some expert guests: Kerry Hannon, who writes on Boomer issues, Chris Farrell, author of Unretirement, Retirement Answer Man podcaster Roger Whitney, Taylor Pearson, author of End of Jobs, and John Tarnoff, author of Boomer Reinvention.

[7:49] For the career pivoter episodes, Marc had a group of career changers in his network. At episode 20, Marc had to invite someone from his post clients to be interviewed. Marc’s first pivoter interview was with Dr. Joel Dobbs, who had volunteered to tell his great story in episode three.

[8:14] Marc started recording episodes from his book and knew he had episodes for about a year. The book launched in April of 2017 and the original reason for the podcast had kind of come to an end. Marc introduced solo episodes, like this one, and found out it was really hard. Marc starts with a script, but ad-libs as he goes along.

[8:55] Marc admires podcasters who do solo episodes and make it sound great. Roger Whitney does most of his Retirement Answer Man podcasts solo, and they are well-produced.

[9:15] The last episode in the series is the Q&A episode, which Marc first named the Mailbag episode. The idea was to answer three listener questions. If Marc did not receive enough questions, he reflected back on his past clients’ questions. Marc recorded these with Elizabeth Rabaey, Marc’s long-time client and intern.

[9:57] One thing Marc learned from recording is that shuffling pages is noisy. He reads from an iPad. Elizabeth rewrites in her own words a script Marc provides. Marc writes his points and then adlibs answers to the questions. Marc and Elizabeth can knock out an episode in just over 30 minutes. These have become the easiest episodes, by far.

[10:44] By watching download stats on LibSyn, Marc saw that downloads dropped when the name Mailbag was in the title, so Mar dropped the name. By the middle of the year, Marc was editing more of his own audio. He likes to make it sound good. A 20-minute podcast takes a couple of hours to edit. By forgetting breath sounds, his edits got faster.

[11:19] The book was launched about six months in, but there were a lot of other things going on. In October 2016 he noticed his health insurance premiums were about to explode, and they did. In November after the presidential election, Marc’s phones quieted for a few months. Business was off 60% for the first half of 2017.

[12:07] This downtime gave Marc time to finish his book, and he was interviewed on different podcasts almost weekly promoting the book. He was using a podcast booking service to get the interviews booked. The book launched, has sold well, and continues to sell. Marc’s email list continues to grow.

[12:33] Marc and his wife started exploring the possibility of becoming expats and living in another country. Next month, Marc will have an episode on their experience. In May they visited Ecuador, and returned early. Marc’s wife ended up in the hospital. The high altitude uncovered a condition that is now being resolved, at some expense.

[13:05] Marc recorded episode 29 from his wife’s hospital bedside in Austin after they returned. 2017 has been an interesting year. Business started picking up again in June, perhaps when people became unfrozen from the uncertainty. Marc is glad that the AHCA failed, as it could have raised his insurance premiums.

[13:43] At the same time, Marc began the CareerPivot Community website concept. Being so busy has made getting this podcast produced on time more difficult. Marc is now on a week-to-week basis. The second half of the year Marc turned over the blog post to his virtual assistant. The interview audio quality has improved, as has the flow.

[14:30] Marc heard Roger Whitney’s podcast series, “Can Carl Retire?” It helped Marc create a series, just concluded, called, “Can Tim Repurpose His Career?” This series finished off the first year of podcasting. Please listen to episodes 48-51 for this series. This has delayed Marc’s audio recording of Repurpose Your Career.

[15:22] It costs about $4,000 annually to produce this podcast. Starting in 2018, Marc will have a Patreon page for people to donate money on a recurring basis to support a cause. Patreon has become popular with podcasters. Podcasts are rarely profitable on their own. Marc would like to do a Repurpose Your Career series per year.

[16:14] In 2018, Marc will be shifting his business away from individual coaching to group coaching and the community website. Marc has the initial cohort of about 10 individuals that he is onboarding onto a trial platform. Once he has feedback, he will create a more final product and open the community up to small groups of 10 to 15.

[16:40] This will be a pod membership community, but Marc wants to keep the fees affordable to help more people. To learn more, you can sign up for the waiting list at CareerPivot.com/Community.

[17:01] Now that the podcast is a year old, Marc wants to survey the audience on what you like, and what you would like in the future. Please take the survey at CareerPivot.com/Podcast-Survey. Marc will be sending an email to the entire subscriber list about the time this episode goes up. This will help Marc shape what comes next.

[17:47] This podcast is a success because of you, the listener. Marc wants to thank everyone who’s been listening and supporting the cause. Onto a second year of the Repurpose Your Career podcast! Next week, Marc will interview author Thea Kelly.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

CareerPivot.com/Podcast-Survey or CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey

Survey Monkey

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Boomer Reinvention: How to Create Your Dream Career Over 50, by John Tarnoff

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CareerPivot.com/Episode-48 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 1”

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Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey The paperback and ebook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. Marc is recording the audio version of the book, and he plans to have it available in late November 2017.

Marc is taking on new clients. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me or call at 512-693-9132, and leave a message with your email address. Marc will respond with a link to his calendar, to find a time to talk.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-52 Show Notes for this episode.

You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast.

Oct 23, 2017

In this episode, Marc shares Part 4 of 4 parts of the CareerPivot evaluation process. This is the Stress Report session, where Marc helps Tim understand how to plan for stressful situations, and how to avoid them. Marc gives Tim more homework to help him collaborate with people to reduce stressors.

Key Takeaways:

[2:20] Tim is a 50-year-old who has been stair-stepping himself out of a career and building a side business. Recently he got laid off, which was his trigger to pivot. In this episode, Marc takes Tim through the Birkman Stress Report, with his top 40 needs and actions he can take to keep himself out of stress. He will learn some questions to ask.

[3:16] If you haven’t listened to Episodes 48, 49, and 50, Marc would suggest you stop here and listen to them, first. If you listen on the go, listen first without the reports and then download them from CareerPivot.com/Tim and listen to it again. There is a lot to digest, and Tim is very open about his experiences at work.

[4:16] Tim says the homework was much harder this week than last. He noticed that while the tasks had changed, he used the same problem-solving process for all of them. He gathers information first, discusses the problem with people, puts his thoughts in an organized order, takes some time to put together a plan, and charges forward.

[5:38] The exercise gave him the opportunity to look back at his business work behaviors and see where he added the most value.

[6:21] Marc notes that the more Tim understands how he solves problems, the more he’ll understand how other people solve them differently. Tim discusses how his wife solves problems differently than he does.

[7:32] Marc covers the Stress Pages. There are four sections. For each area, there are interpersonal relationships, schedules and details, conflict and decision making. There is one page about being in stress. Marc skips ahead to the page about staying out of stress. Page 3 is Managing Needs for Esteem and Acceptance.

[8:16] The page shows things Tim needs, and activities he can do to stay out of stress. Tim relates to personalized benefits, genuine pats on the back, criticism balanced by praise, and time alone. He also notices his need for a few close friends. In the four areas, there will be a total of 40 needs. Tim should mix them down to 10 or 12.

[9:44] Tim should come up with a core set of needs, and develop an open-ended question for each. Next, come the things Tim can do to avoid stress. Tim reads through them and considers his compliance to each. One thing he does now to keep busy is home repair and door replacement. He also sets time aside for some quiet time.

[15:00] Tim comments on the suggested activity of spending one weekend a month alone with his significant other. He and his wife have not tried that yet. He is too active to just relax with her. They are always on projects. The last activity is to spend quiet time alone before big holidays. Tim will try that. Marc avoids certain holiday parties, himself.

[17:29] Page 5 is Managing Needs for Structure and Change. Tim has a low need for rules and a moderate need for variety. He is a borderline structured anarchist. Tim needs freedom from close controls and needs a minimally structured routine. He also needs novelty during the day, or he feels drained.

[18:45] Tim has an independent work role now, and that pleases him, and he likes varied and complex work activities. Tim needs direct access to everyone. Tim likes Twitter because there is no gatekeeper, but Tim will have a hard time narrowing down the list.

[19:58] Tim’s suggested activities are, set aside time weekly for new activities and interests, take vacations or spend time on hobbies, create opportunities to discuss goals and plans with his family, make schedules that allow for flexibility, build up a stockpile of small projects to work on, and time management that allows several tasks each day.

[24:22] Tim needs to avoid home projects that will take months of the same activity to complete. Basement remodeling would be a bad idea.

[25:34] Page 7 is Managing Needs for Authority and Freedom. Tim has a very low need for authority, and a moderate need for freedom. Tim needs low-key discussions, comprehensive policies to follow, suggestions rather than orders, encouragement to speak up, agreeable, pleasant relationships, and assignments that allow independence.

[25:54] Tim needs opportunities to set his own direction, freedom from control by others, opportunities to be unconventional, and superiors who delegate broadly. Tim likes bosses who ask him to do things, and then leave him alone to do them.

[27:03] Tim needs to identify a few close associates who are low-key people and good listeners and spend more casual time with them. He is in a small mastermind group that offers this type of conversation. Tim needs to develop signals with people close to him, to use when he wants to call a truce to a heated exchange.

[29:19] Tim recalls an unpleasant conversation with his former boss, who pointedly did not want to hear his side of the story. Tim retreats from confrontation finding no value in it. Tim has brought this up to Marc multiple times.

[30:08] Tim needs to spend more time in activities where rules have been made that are observed fairly. He needs to single out tasks he can execute without controversy or opposition, to do without stress. He needs to avoid being put on the spot with new suggestions, but have time to think without responding.

[32:28] Tim needs friendships with people who understand his need for independence and are patient with his nonconformity. He needs to develop a clear definition of his concerns and values to share with those around him. Tim should look for commitments others have to finding good solutions to common problems.

[35:01] Page 9 is Activity and Thought. This is making big decisions. Tim is very high in thought and moderately low in activity. Tims needs are, stimulation of new ideas, friendly, low-key surroundings, time for reflection, unhurried work conditions, and time to think, support from others on decisions, and offer assistance and help.

[35:36] Tim needs others to be cautious in decision-making. This is common among high-thought people. They also want others to be careful thinkers.

[37:01] To stay out of stress Tim can plan schedules and projects in light of past and future, give more time to abstract thought. Thinking helps Tim de-stress. He needs to avoid taking on too many projects or social obligations. Tim sees this as a valid need.

[39:04] Tim needs a relaxing low-key hobby or recreation for its curative powers. Tim has one in mind to start again. Tim needs to build life goals and important plans with advice from knowledgeable advisors, and develop close relationships with advisors.

[40:15] Tim should keep abreast of major developments in his work area, to keep ahead of changes affecting his work. He should have a good idea of where to go for assistance and information.

[41:04] Tim should remind those close to him he needs careful preparation before making a decision. He should elicit their support in developing options to consider.

[41:15] Tim’s homework is to synthesize his needs in the report down from 40 to 10 or so, and then write an open-ended question on each. Marc will send Tim a link to a blog post on the art of writing questions, and the responses he wants to hear. The goal is to get the other person to open up. Marc gives some example questions he uses.

[43:37] The questions Tim will write should be questions he will use with his actual prospects to determine if they are people he wants to as clients. Tim knows he has a couple of questions right now that take too long to answer him.

[44:20] Open-ended questions help move people along to figure out the things you need to find out.

[44:56] This wraps up the last feedback session. For clients that are not going to move into branding with Marc, he will do a fourth and final feedback session, which he will do with Tim, but not in a podcast.

[45:14] Marc gives Tim a branding project for homework: talk to three people from work, and three people from personal life, and ask, can you give me three to five phrases that describe me? The idea is to see the difference between the perceptions of the two groups of people. Tim needs to notice the words they use about him, not his own words.

[45:46] Tim is also to take the phrases that he translated in last weeks homework, and turn them into a narrative about himself that is written in the way he speaks, and not in the way he writes.

[46:51] Tim feels very much more self-aware after these feedback sessions.

[47:03] Marc hopes you enjoyed this series. He would like to hear from you about it. His thought is to do this twice a year with different types of individuals. If you are interested in having Marc do a Birkman assessment with you as a series of podcasts like this, please contact Marc at CareerPivot.com/contact-me or any contact method on the site.

[48:32] Check out next week’s first birthday episode of the Repurpose Your Career podcast!

Mentioned in This Episode:

CareerPivot.com Episode-41

Birkman Assessment

CareerPivot.com/Tim

CareerPivot.com/Episode-48

CareerPivot.com/Episode-49

CareerPivot.com/Episode-50

Career Reflection Worksheet

Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS, by Shirzad Chamine

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon. The audio version will be available in November.

Watch for news of the membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him develop the content. Soon Marc will start a wait list for those who want to participate.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-51

Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Please give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc answers your questions every month.

Start with NO...The Negotiating Tools that the Pros Don't Want You to Know,
by Jim Camp

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

 

Oct 16, 2017

In this episode, Marc shares Part 3 of 4 parts of the CareerPivot evaluation process. This is the Preferred Workstyles session, where Marc helps Tim understand his natural management style, corporate adaptability, work motivation, social adaptability, and responsibility. Tim learns his decision-making style and reviews his Lifestyle Grid.

Key Takeaways:

[2:02] Tim is a 50-year-old who has been stair-stepping himself out of a career and building a side business. Recently he got laid off, which was his trigger to complete his pivot. This episode covers Tim’s preferred workstyles: his natural management style, corporate adaptability, work motivation, and social adaptability and responsibility.

[2:43] Marc and Tim will discuss his decision-making style and his Lifestyle Grid.

[2:50] If you haven’t listened to Episode 48 and Episode 49, Marc would suggest you stop here and listen to them, first. If you listen on the go, listen first without the reports and then download them from CareerPivot.com/Tim and listen to it again. There is a lot to digest, and Tim is very open about his experiences at work.

[3:26] Tim explains why he stayed at his last job so long. They gave him a new position with a new project every two or three years, which suited his need to create, and then move on. Marc calls him a multipotentialite, for having many interests. This is a poor fit for a specialist role that a corporation would want for a professional position.

[5:48] Tim puts his next steps on sticky notes, keeping them on a high level for organization. When he gets ready to go into the details, he expands the notes. Tim has a broad spectrum of interests. He likes solving problems but is not process-driven. He only likes rules he develops, that he can break.

[6:53] Tim and Marc examine Tim’s preferred work style, as Marc explains the bars. The first bars are Tim’s Natural Management Style: Knowledge Specialist, Directive Management, or Delegated Management. Next are fitting into the Corporate Environment: Work Motivation, Self-Development, and Corporate Adaptability.

[7:43] The next two bars are Social Adaptability and Social Responsibility. These relate to fitting into society, and trust. On the right side of the page, the bars are in pairs that add to 11. These are Tim’s decision-making style. He is a linear, concrete thinker. Marc gives Tim an assignment to examine how he solved problems at work and at home.

[9:33] Marc expects Tim to be able to understand how he solves problems and to articulate the process to his manager. Marc’s method of assessment is to discuss the results with the client and then see how they apply in the client’s real life.

[10:02] Tim is 2 out of 10 a Knowledge Specialist and 9 out of 10 a Directive Manager, Tim is not a specialist, He leads from the front, directing the work. He takes charge.

[13:35] Tim should brand himself as an action problem-solving person, and choose clients who will let him be the guide. Tim shares an anecdote of a client relationship that works well for him.They let him lead their teams. Intuitively, he picked the right client. 

[15:03] Marc asks Tim to survey that client, once they have a good relationship, and ask why they chose him. This will help him know whom he attracts. Tim tells another client story, where the client doesn’t quite get it yet. Tim’s broad and varied experiences help him connect to clients in various fields. He knows what they do.

[16:59] Tim is a 2 out of 10 in Delegative Management. Tim reads the description of his style. He would not want to be a VP because he would rather do the work than a Powerpoint report on work that someone else got to do.

[19:29] Tim does not like long meetings.

[19:42] Tim and Marc explore Corporate Styles, Work Motivation. Mark is a 6 out of 10. People with scores of 7 or above like work for work’s sake. People with lower scores tend to need a buy-in to get interested in the work. They need to see the value in their work. Marc explains that a 6 score needs some explanation, but not every detail.

[22:00] Tim is a 9 out of 10 on Corporate Adaptability. A score of 7 or above means they understand and are prepared to participate in corporate politics. They identify with the organization as an entity. Someone with a low score identifies with a manager or their coworkers, but not the company. The issue for high scorers is that it is very important to find an organization that has a corporate mission that resonates with you.

[26:39] Tim is aware of his own skills in playing office politics.

[27:16] Tim measures 10 out of 10 in self-development. That indicates he likes classroom learning, but he does not like to sit in a classroom. Onboarding needs to be a process he can follow with a roadmap.

[28:49] Tim is a 7 in Social Adaptability. That means he is a trusting person. He used to get dinged for that by bosses. Marc asks clients, whether they score low or high in this, to put in place a system where people can earn trust by keeping their agreements.

[31:07] Marc shares an anecdote of a project leader who ran things by intimidation.

[32:51] Tim’s Social Responsibility score is 8 out of 10. A score above 7 will go along with the corporate rules and procedures. In Tim’s case, he did so, but didn’t particularly like them. Personal Social Responsibility for Tim is not always following social rules, but seeing both sides of every story. In his own business, Tim will set the rules.

[36:34] Marc and Tim examine how Tim makes decisions. Public Contact is 9, Detail is 2. Tim’s score shows he wants to be around people, but not necessarily interacting with them. He could work at a coffee shop with wifi.

[40:07] Tim is 4 Global and 7 Linear. Global is relational and holistic. Linear follows a logical sequential process. Tim is more sequential than global. He shares an anecdote about interrupting the conversation with a whiteboard diagram, that gives a starting point.

[41:37] Tim is a 4 Conceptual and a 7 Concrete. Marc explains what this means for Tim. Marc happens to be a 10 Concrete. He just wants the data, not the backstory or fluff.

[44:53] On the Combinations of Problem-Solving page, Tim is a Concrete/Linear Thinker. This shows he is practical and action-oriented. They want people to give them the facts and get out of the way. Marc gives Tim an assignment around problem-solving.

[47:25] Tim’s Lifestyle Grid shows that his Red and Blue interests are very unusual. These are things that when he does, he gets energy. They are things he likes to do, They are solving practical problems, being directly involved, doing things/working with people, organizing tasks while focusing on the people who do them, getting things done.

[48:13] Marc notes that this matches clearly with Tim’s side business. These are things Tim needs in his day to be happy. He did not get them all at his last job.

[49:08] The Blue diamond shows Tim is Thoughtful,  Reflective, Insightful, and Optimistic. Also, Competitive, Enthusiastic, and Assertive. The things Tim does are very operational. The way he behaves is more on the creative side. Tim is more motivated by the job than by the title or the management aspect of a role.

[51:45] The whole point of an assessment is to take the big data from Tim’s years of work experience and find out with it means about him, and the job that is right for him.

[52:06] We often go back to what is familiar because it is familiar. It doesn’t mean it’s good for us. Marc tells why that doesn’t work out well.

[53:31] The Blue circle shows how Tim wants to be treated. He is most comfortable when people around him show they appreciate him, are interested in feelings, as well as logic, give him time for complex decisions, give him time alone or with one or two others, and don’t overschedule him. He wants to be on a team of people that like him.

[54:37] Tim’s Stress Report will help him know what kind of client he wants to deal with. Tim’s Stress Behaviors are Withdrawing, Fatigued, Indecisive, Pessimistic, Overly sensitive to criticism. Marc gives Tim an assignment to place the list where he will see it frequently, and be able to head off these behaviors. Tim engages in negative self-talk.

[56:40] Marc recommends Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS, by Shirzad Chamine. It talks about the sage side of the brain, and the saboteur side. It has exercises to manage self-talk.

[58:36] Tim has a lot of self-talk, so he needs to stay around positive people. Marc gives Tim assignments that will lead to a narrative of who he is. The last assignment is to download Marc’s Career Reflection worksheet from the show notes.

[59:57] Marc gives Tim questions to answer for next week, about good experiences and why they were good. The next session will be on Tim’s Stress Report, and things he can do to stay out of stress, or to get out of stress if he is in it.

[1:02:08] Marc invites listeners to download the assessment for Tim from the CareerPivot website.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

CareerPivot.com Episode-41

Birkman Assessment

CareerPivot.com/Tim

CareerPivot.com/Episode-48

CareerPivot.com/Episode-49

Career Reflection Worksheet

Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS, by Shirzad Chamine

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon. The audio version will be available in late October.

Watch for news of the membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him develop the content. Soon Marc will start a wait list for those who want to participate.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-50

Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Please give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc answers your questions every month.

Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS, by Shirzad Chamine

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

 

Oct 9, 2017

In this episode, Marc shares Part 2 of 4 parts of the CareerPivot evaluation process. This is the second half of the feedback session, where Marc helps Tim understand his organizational and time management behaviors. Tim shares office stories about his strengths and stresses.

Key Takeaways:

[1:34] Tim is a 50-year-old guy who has been stair-stepping himself out of a career and building a business on the side. Last month he got laid off, which was his trigger to complete his pivot. This episode will cover Tim’s Birkman through his organizational and time management behaviors and the Birkman measures of freedom and challenge. [2:19] If you missed Episode 48, please stop here and listen to it first. If you listen on the go, listen first without the reports and then download them from CareerPivot.com/Tim and listen to it again.

[2:53] Page 10 has the need for structure, organizing, and being responsible. Flexibility vs. Structure. Tim’s most effective behavior puts a high value on structure and order. He is systematic, procedural, and concerned with detail. His strengths are maximized when the plan is of his own making and when he has the flexibility to bend his own rules.

[5:25] Tim can walk into a situation, create order, and set up procedures. But then he has to go. He cannot live under his own procedures for a long period. He gets bored.

[6:33] Tim’s causes of stress are external interference in his plan can frustrate or distract him. He may overreact to pressures that threaten his personal freedom. Tim agrees with what he hears so far. He dreads a manager coming by and suggesting changes without knowing what has gone into the procedure.

[7:30] Tim’s possible stress reactions would be overgeneralizing, neglect of order and system, and weakened follow through. This has appeared on his past performance reviews.

[8:07] Page 11 covers Need for Authority. Being in Charge, and Suggest vs. Tell. Tim wants to win the argument. He prefers to be free of close authority. Tim is most effective when there is a minimum of controls placed on him. Strengths: Deferent and agreeable, pleasant and low-key. Tim is a nice guy who doesn’t want a boss.

[9:06] Tim would much rather be asked than told. Tim wants to be in-the-know and to know why. Tim recognizes the importance of control in the environment. This applies a need for some balance. He is most at ease in environments that maintain direction and control in a fair and equitable way.

[10:28] Tim would rather have a collegial boss than an authoritarian boss. Because of his need for balance, he may be annoyed by people who are too assertive, or he may become unusually aggressive in situations that seem to lack direction.

[11:41] Tim possible stress reactions are becoming argumentative, and difficulty speaking up. He has done both but especially is reluctant to speak up.

[12:13] Page 12 is Dealing with Change and Focused vs. Variety. Tim’s most effective behavior is his sense of novelty, adventure and readiness to start new things. His resilience to change is above average. He is easy to stimulate, responsive, attentive, and adaptive. Tim likes variety. This is a problem in the corporate environment.

[14:46] Tim responds best to situations and surroundings that offer frequent changes of activity. He gets positive reinforcement from an environment that allows him to move. He has a standing desk with wheels that he moves. He is totally bored sitting at a desk. Excessive emphasis on routine can put Tim under pressure, feel restless and annoyed.

[16:56] Tim gets annoyed with delays, problems with self-discipline, and an inability to concentrate.

[17:22] Page 13 covers the need for kinesthetic movement in his day, and the energy he uses in making decisions. He enjoys being regularly active and can summon reserves of energy when his schedule demands it. He is energetic, enthusiastic and uses vigorous reasoning. He may take on many projects, and overlook the need to rest.

[18:21] Tim has trouble shutting down in the evenings. He is always thinking. Marc recommends to him the book Positive Intelligence, and focus on one small thing at a time for 15 seconds 100 times a day. Tim’s causes of stress are hurried conditions with too little time to think things through. This leaves him feeling rushed and less effective.

[20:15] Tim discusses the preparation he puts into a podcast interview. He may be flexible during the interview, but it has to follow the flow he planned, or he is unhappy. Marc notes that Tim does more show prep than anyone he knows. It makes him feel ready when he understands how he will relate the conversation to his audience.

[21:54] Tim wants his podcast guests to know he respects their time, and that he took the time to prepare for the podcast. He is pleased when they compliment his work. Tim’s Stress Reactions are postponing direct action, magnifying boredom of projects, and favoring thought over action. Tim needs to take breaks.

[22:39] Page 14 is Making Decisions. Tim has a primary emphasis on a thoughtful and reflective approach to decision making, considering distant as well as immediate consequences of his decisions. He makes routine decisions quickly. His need is a preference for the time to make thoughtful decisions, exhausting all possibilities.

[24:46] Tim worked for his last company for 13 years, holding four or five positions. Every three years they moved him to another position. That was his need for variety being met. When Tim buys a car, it takes a long time, starting with considering if a scooter will work. He sometimes gets analysis paralysis.

[26:27] Tim’s Causes of Stress: pressure mounts when he is hurried in actions and rushed in making judgments. He dreads the unforeseen, and can needlessly postpone or evade a decision. This is why a layoff for people like Tim is good. He has to make a decision.

[28:00] Reactions to Stresses are becoming indecisive, fear of the unknown, and unnecessary caution. Decision making can be worrisome for Tim. At this time he worries about his lost salary. Planning helps him feel more comfortable.

[29:42] Page 15 is the Need for Freedom. Tim’s Most Effective Behaviors are consistent and cooperative. He has insight into how people think and feel. He likes convention. His Strengths are restrained, consistent, and cooperative. His Need includes a preference sometimes for a personal touch.

[30:29] He projects individuality against a background of predictability. He puts color in his spreadsheets and designs his own Powerpoints. He is somewhat creative and wants to do things his way.

[31:23] Tim’s Cause of Stress is a lack of predictability in the environment. Tensions can mount if he is denied some freedom of thought and action. Tim wants predictability his way. He will need to think about this working for himself.

[32:54] Tim’s Possible Stress Reactions are anxiety and emphasis on undue restraint.

[33:01] Page 16 is Expectation of Myself and Others. Tim’s Most Effective Behaviors are natural confidence and positive self-image, focusing on his Strengths of Personal Charm, being Pleasant, and his Confidence. These have made him successful with his podcast. People readily accept to come on the Podcast.

[34:27] Tim’s need is to be in situations and surroundings that do not place unrealistic demands on his abilities. His relationships should be emotionally supportive. Causes of Stress are that his strong self-image makes it difficult to accept blame. Criticism must be balanced with praise.

[35:51] Stress Reactions: unrealistic expectations, sidestepping uncomfortable situations, and avoiding critical self-evaluation.

[36:25] Marc has a homework assignment he will email to Tim about reevaluating times when he got mad, and what he could do differently. Tim will also need to pick out 8-15 Strength Phrases that he strongly accepts. More assignments will be based on these. Tim will be able to authentically tell who he is, not what he has done.

[37:48] Next week Marc will cover with Tim his preferred work styles and his lifestyle grid.

Mentioned in This Episode:

CareerPivot.com Episode-41

Birkman Assessment

CareerPivot.com/Tim

Oristand.co

Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS, by Shirzad Chamine

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon. The audio version will be available in October.

Watch for news of the membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him develop the content. Soon Marc will start a wait list for those who want to participate.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-49

Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Please give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc answers your questions every month.

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

 

Oct 2, 2017

Description: In this episode, Marc shares Part 1 of 4 parts of the CareerPivot evaluation process. This is the first half of the feedback session, where Marc helps Tim understand his interpersonal and social strengths and needs. Tim shares office stories that illustrate his strengths and stresses.

Key Takeaways:

[1:36] Tim is a 50-year-old guy who has been stair-stepping himself out of a career and building a business on the side. Last month he got laid off, which is his trigger to take action. This episode will cover Tim’s Birkman interests and interpersonal behaviors. Listen to the episode first, and then download the reports and listen to it again.

[2:37] Tim gives his first thoughts after reading the report. He agrees with the vast majority of it but found a few things that surprised him. Marc does not use the job titles and families category because the jobs of five years ago are changed or gone, and the jobs of five years in the future do not exist yet. Jobs are changing quickly.

[5:46] Tim pulls up his profile to follow along with Marc. Marc first covers Areas of Interest, which are not necessarily skills. The scores are 1 to 99. Today’s discussion is on these components: Effective Behavior, Needs, Normative Pattern, Acceptance, and Organizational Focus. Tim’s Organization Focus is “Get ‘er done,” and Tim agrees.

[9:15] Marc explains Tim’s circumstances prior to the call. They will discuss whether the side gig Tim is working is right for him. The Key will be to pick the right clients, and the clients he will not want to work with.

[10:45] Interests with Basic Colors measures interests. Tim scores high on Mechanical, which means he is a puzzle solver. Tim has a podcast, and he is very fastidious about editing it. Solving problems gives him energy. His hobby is carpentry. Marc says when he is stressed or tired, Tim should do what he likes to do. He should add it to his business.

[13:13] Understand what you like to do and are good at; everything else — outsource. Tim comes up 72 in Persuasive, which means he likes convincing people. Marc applies this to Tim’s teaching and becoming a subject matter expert. He is in the middle in Scientific, so he likes research. He also likes music. 

[15:11] Tim is low on Social Service and Office Professional. Tim doesn’t like other people’s rules, but he is OK with rules that he makes up.Tim reflects on his previous job and the things he disliked there. Marc says Tim is a borderline Structured Anarchist.

[16:55] Tim is not very numerical. He can do his bookkeeping, but it is not a favored activity. One of the key differences between talents and skills is that we can develop skills in things not tied to innate talents, but even if we excel at them, overuse leads to burnout.

[18:25] Tim examines his behavior matrix, that Marc creates. There are four behaviors: Interpersonal, Organizational (structure, authority, and change), Time Management, and Planning (big decision-making); and two attitude boxes: Freedom (wanting to stand out)  and Challenge (ego). Tim is low on Challenge, which says he worries.

[19:45] Tim needs to surround himself with positive people and find ways to feed his ego with enjoyable activities.

[20:52] Respect for Issues and People. Tim deals with others with openness and frankness, and insight into their feelings. He is direct, without being blunt. Tim should not find a position where he needs to be directive. Others showing him respect and appreciation are important, and Tim is at his best when others are aware of his feelings.

[25:21] Tim will need to be careful working with clients. If he has an abusive client, it is important to fire that client. Becoming a subject matter expert will get him respect.

[26:02] Tim’s Cause of Stress is the disconnect between his Interpersonal Needs and his Usual Style. This may make it hard for others to know his feelings, while he may suspect them of insensitivity.

[27:02] Tim’s Reactions to Stress are shyness, oversensitivity, and embarrassment. Tim recognizes these reactions in himself. Tim needs to learn to identify his reactions as they occur, so he can do something about them.

[27:43] Tim’s Most Effective Behavior makes him sociable, at ease in groups, and communicative. Tim’s Need is to spend considerable time with himself or with one or two trusted individuals. He is a closet introvert. The key piece is that he is seen as social, but he needs his time alone. When he is with people, he needs their support.

[32:23] Tim does not like all-day meetings, especially when they are for the sake of having a meeting. Pressure to be involved in social or group settings can upset his sense of well-being and cause withdrawal to a surprising degree. Marc suggests Tim should break for lunch and doing an enjoyable activity. These are restorative niches.

[34:40] Tim recalls circumstances from his former job that allowed him to work partly at home, and only come to work at the office for spreadsheets. When his needs are not met, he withdraws, ignores the group, and becomes impatient. This happens in long meetings.

[36:40] Tim is moderately competitive, determined and forceful. He believes others are more competitive. He gets frustrated when he is not recognized for accomplishment. Tim shares a success story from his last job, where he saved the company millions of dollars, but instead of praise, he got laid off.

[39:01] Tim wants his strokes. In another episode Marc will discuss what that means. There is also financial reward, and verbal recognition. When did Tim feel the most valued at work, and what did they do?

[40:22] Tim’s Causes of Stress: not being informed, impracticality, or extreme idealism shown by others. Tim shares stresses he experienced from one boss. Tim’s Stress Reactions:Over-emphasizing quick success, becoming opportunistic, self-promotion. There were times Tim used these tactics.

[43:40] Need for Empathy, Dealing with Emotions, and Logic vs. Feelings: Tim can display emotion openly, but is usually low-key and matter-of-fact. He is practical, logical, and objective. Tim’s need is for people to treat him with logic and objectivity, with a reasonable amount of sympathy for his feelings. He wants people to care about him.

[46:15] People who are higher on the empathy scale tend to work better in an office with women. Tim may prefer to have some female clients. Tim’s balance of practicality and sensitivity from others means that people who are too detached may cause him to magnify his own problems, while excessive emotionalism may cause him anxiety.

[48:43] Tim’s stress reaction is to detach or get discouraged.

[49:29] Next episode will be the second half of the feedback session, covering organizational behaviors, time management, and attitudes.

 

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

CareerPivot.com Episode-41

Birkman Assessment

CareerPivot.com/Tim

CareerPivot.com Episode-32

Amy Porterfield Podcast

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon. The audio version will be available in October.

Watch for news of the membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him develop the content.

CareerPivot.com Episode-48

Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Please give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc answers your questions every month.

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

 

Sep 25, 2017

In this episode, Marc answers questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. You can learn about her career pivots in Episode 020. Listen in to this episode for ideas on planning a freelance path, whether you need a Bachelor’s degree when you have the experience, and volunteering and networking at a not-for-profit.

Key Takeaways:

[2:40] Elizabeth introduces herself. Through an assessment, Marc helped Elizabeth find and connect with her creativity. After pivoting, she is the marketing coordinator for an international company. She uses Adobe InDesign to create marketing materials.

[4:14] Q1: I am out of work for two-and-a-half years after surgeries. I am completely recovered. I am an illustrator/designer and have worked in several industries.

[4:56] I have been reaching out to my network. I adjust my resume for every opportunity. I am getting no response. There is no human connection in the application process. I would love to work freelance but have no sales ability. How do I find opportunities?

[5:42] A1: Marc notes that people in that situation apply for jobs, but graphic design jobs are few. There are lots of freelance gigs. Marc suggests looking at Upworks and other freelance broker sites. They have a rating system, so you need to get some gigs on there and get good ratings. Look for local freelance groups and creative meetups.

[7:07] Look at creative communities, such as Adobe users. These will vary by location. If you still want to apply for a job, look for people on LinkedIn who “look like you” and find out where they work. Those are potential employers. The key is to go talk to employees or freelancers about how they get work. Freelance groups have business workshops.

[10:32] Q2: I just turned 60. Unless I can find someone to take care of me financially, I will have to return to work. I have a Project Management Planner (PMP) certificate, but every job seems to require a BA. I don’t want additional debt. What are my options?

[10:52] A2: A PMP is sufficient. Put on the application, “20 years of experience in lieu of a BA,” or BS, (whichever they specify). That gets you honestly past the applicant tracker. Do not lie.

[11:51] Q3: I am not having any luck finding employment. I am qualified to be an HR manager, but I don’t want a management role. I have applied to non-managerial positions in HR and had a couple of interviews but no offers. Money is not a problem. I am willing to work for much less than I have in the past. I would like to work at an Non-Profit.

[12:42] A3: There are multiple pieces to this. No one is going to believe that you are willing to work for less money. If you go back into the for-profit world in the second half of life, it’s going to come down to a relationship that you already have or can resurrect or build. To work in the nonprofit world takes completely different skills than for profit.

[14:28] Marc suggests first seeking a nonprofit certificate program at a community college. Fundraising is different from sales. Volunteer management is not HR. You will have to build relationships at the nonprofit by serving on a board or volunteering. They are often dysfunctional. Figure out which one you could tolerate with its dysfunctions.

[17:07] Elizabeth has worked on nonprofit boards. She recommends building your network by volunteering. There may be a lot of uncertainty and you may need flexibility.

[18:01] Marc serves on the board of one nonprofit, Launchpad Job Club, and the President hates to ask for money. Money is necessary for a nonprofit. Marc notes that getting to a size where employees are paid is a big, difficult change for an NFP.

[19:03] Marc invites you to record your question for the show using the microphone option at CareerPivot.com. Your voice can be on the show! Or email him your question.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you complete reading the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon. The audio version will be available in or October.

Watch for news of the membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him develop the content. Soon there will be a waiting list, with a link to be set up in a future episode.

Next week will start the four-part series, “Can Tim Repurpose His Career?” with his personal operating system assessment.

CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources

Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

Birkman Assessment

Adobe Creative Cloud

Mamiserwaa

Launchpad Job Club

Freelance-austin.org

Upwork.com

Flexjobs.com

Freelancer.com

Guru.com

“79 Websites To Get Freelance Jobs Fast,” Abdullahi Muhammed, Forbes

CareerPivot.com Episode-47

Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Please give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Sep 18, 2017

 In this episode, Marc shares the chapter, “Career Mistakes: Failure is a Great Option,” from his upcoming audio book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life.

Key Takeaways:

[3:11] Failure is a great option if you are not running a life-or-death mission. If you’re like most people, it’s inevitable and essential. You don’t learn unless you fail. If you are unwilling to fail, you are unlikely to venture into anything very impressive.

[4:41] Mistake 1: Marc was ‘seduced’ by a former manager to leave an easy job at IBM, and join her at IBM Global Services. Why was it one of the biggest mistakes of his career? He should have done his own research about the job. It wasn’t for him, and it led him to unhappiness. So he quit.

[7:42] Mistake 2: Taking his ‘dream job.’ Most of us take a dream job, without ever investigating what it actually entails. Marc went to teach Math in an inner-city high school. He had a lot of experience writing curriculum to teach engineers. He was not prepared to teach kids whose problems reached far beyond his ability to help them.

[10:59] Mistake 3: ‘I can make this work!’ Marc took a job that was not optimal, working in fundraising for a non-profit that was not aligned with his goals, just before a major downturn in the economy. He lasted a year, but he could not make it work.

[12:57] Failure’s upside: Marc is happy he took all three jobs. He learned a tremendous amount about consulting, public education, and non-profits. He also learned a lot about himself.

[13:19] Very few of us just hop from one career, into the perfect one, without some experimentation. Marc tells about Dave, a client who pivoted through several jobs before landing where he was happy.

[14:32] Failing, experimenting, and reinventing can be an adventure, but you need your infrastructure in place. Marc has come up with a plan to help you do this to prepare for your career pivot.

[14:47] Rules of Reinvention: Have a Plan B. Be prepared to pull the plug on the reinvention project. Have a clear timeline and metrics to determine your success.

[14:59] You might have three or five goals you’re working on, in terms of finances, skills learned, or happiness. Give yourself short windows to achieve these and evaluate them.

[15:22] Make sure the work you’re doing is something from which you could pivot into something else. Don’t fall away from your skillset without building anything you could use in your next job if this one doesn’t work out.

[15:36] Keep your network fresh even as you’re working in a new job or industry.

[15:41] Marc reviews when he had a Plan B (at IBM), and when he had no Plan B (at the high school). He planned his withdrawal from the nonprofit, which gave him time to find multiple Plan Bs.

[16:28] Think through your Plan B carefully. If a job becomes a trap, you need a way to escape it.

[17:06] Learn from your mistakes. The way you turn a mistake into something good is by learning from the experience. Marc learned a ton from his mistakes — what he needed and what he did not want to have.

[18:29] Failure is an option, but fail fast. Don’t be too risk averse, but be resilient.

[19:57] If you have a laptop, an Internet connection, and some hustle, you can start a business right now, with no money down. You won’t need a loan. Marc has written two books without a publisher and created a website that garners over 10,000 visitors a month without a major capital investment. He has created a highly-recognizable brand.

[21:22] In two of Marc’s three mistakes, he failed fast. That greatly eased his recovery. He was able to get back on track without being separated from his job skills. Don’t cling to a mistake just because it took you so long to make it.

[21:54] If you’re not failing, you’re not growing, but you have to be doing both. Have a plan, have a way to gauge whether it’s working, and jump ship when it isn’t. If you planned it right, another ship will come along, soon enough.

[22:13] Action Steps: Reflect on a career failure. Write down how you recovered. Reflect on what you could have done differently. Did you take risks, and if you did not, do you have regrets about that?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon. The audio version will be available in September or October.

CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources

Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc answers your questions every month.

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

CareerPivot.com Episode-46

Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Please give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Watch for news of the membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him develop the content.

Sep 11, 2017

In this episode, Marc interviews Stan Siranovich. Stan is closer to 70 than 60. Stan has reinvented himself twice in the last 15 years, this time it was as a big data guy. Stan recently landed full-time employment for the first time in about 15 years. He is just two to three months into the new job, so anything could happen, but his story may be inspiring to all of you who thought you might never go back to work again. He has landed as a Senior Data Analyst, where he typically had to compete against 20-somethings to get the job. Stan is working hard at the new job with a small startup. It’s a new environment for him, but he is learning and adapting. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Listen in to learn how to educate yourself online for the position you desire.

 

Key Takeaways:

[3:44] Marc introduces Stan Siranovich, closer to 70 than to 60. Stan is a scientist who has been doing data science since long before “Al Gore invented the internet.” Stan studied data science in undergraduate and graduate work.

[4:13] In the first half of life Stan did polymer research and development and technical marketing for large chemical corporations. Most of his career was with Bayer Corporation, but he also worked for some years at Mobil Oil, and also at Cargill, and AkzoNobel.

[4:41] Stan started in analytical chemistry, moved into product development, then into polymer synthesis. He began at Mobil, was recruited by Cargill, and then was recruited by Bayer. Soon after arriving at Bayer, they had a massive structural change.

[5:27] Stan was given two options: research or technical marketing. He chose technical marketing, from his customer-facing days at Cargill, and he liked it. He also did applications development, and product development for a while. Then he hit the speaking circuit when the company entered the wood coatings market as a supplier.

[6:02] There was another downsize. The Pittsburgh campus went from about 2,200 employees to about 800. Stan went off on his own and bought a franchise. He liked running a business but missed the research and development. In 2000 he sold it, after about a year.

[6:56] After selling the franchise, Stan worked contract jobs, and was recruited by AkzoNobel. He moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where he was the technical marketing manager for Coatings/Resins in North America. It was a $60 million product line with 170 products in 20 categories. In 2001, profits lagged, and they sold the business.

[7:34] Stan worked some temp and contract jobs, then went to Sullivan University to become a Certified Microsoft Network Engineer. While in school he was hired in the IT Security department of Yum! Brands until 2008 when 600 were laid off in Louisville.

[8:45] Stan worked some more contract jobs until late 2012, then he formed Crucial Connections, LLC, and did consulting and contract work through the business. Stan says it was a tough business without having a multinational name behind him.

[9:44] Stan had to draw down on savings to survive. He decided to look into big data. He had been working with computers since running 'PV = nRT' equations as an undergraduate. At Bayer, he had done statistical experimental design using JMP statistical software from SAS.

[10:56] To get himself up-to-date, Stan did a lot of self-education. He already had a BS in Chemistry and an MBA with concentrations in Finance and Management Information Systems. Besides his Microsoft Engineer certification from Sullivan, he took a series of certification tests from Microsoft. and several certification tests from CompTIA.

[11:54] Stan took courses from Coursera, Lynda.com, Springboard, Sharp Sight Labs, and Udemy for his online education. Stan spent small amounts on the training. Some courses are $10.00, some are $100 to a few hundred dollars. He prefers shorter skills courses, as he already had studied theory. Stan works now in JMP, Tableau, and R.

[13:52] Stan started working with Marc over a year ago. Stan was struggling with recruiters. Marc told him to be more proactive. Stan did presentations anywhere that would have him, and a lot of networking. One of his presentations is on YouTube. These presentations gave Stan exposure to the data science community in a three-state area.

[15:10] Stan showed that he knew his stuff. It was the only way to get by recruiters. If the gatekeepers can’t check off enough boxes on their list, you don’t make the first cut.

[15:39] Stan was hired in July. A recruiter from V-Soft emailed him. Stan had worked with V-Soft for seven years, but nothing had come of it. From the email to the first day of work at the client was eight days.

[17:44] Marc wants everyone to understand this: When you are going through this kind of job search, you have no control over the timing.

[18:02] The last time Stan was a full-time employee was years earlier. He has been contracting since that time, until this job. It feels good to have a regular paycheck.

[19:09] Stan is one of Marc’s poster children. The big challenge was to keep Stan positive and moving forward. Stan got frustrated dealing with recruiters. It took a long time. If Stan could talk to himself two years ago, he would say, keep putting one foot in front of the other. Do what you need to do. Educate yourself. Get out. Meet people.

[21:36] Marc’s final thoughts: Are you inspired by Stan’s story? I hope it would inspire you to be resilient and stick with it. Stan does not give up.

Mentioned in This Episode:

CareerPivot.com/blog

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc is accepting new clients, so reach out to him. He will supply a link to his calendar to set up a call.

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you complete reading the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon.

CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources (Repurpose Your Career Resources)

CareerPivot.com/episode-45

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Watch for news of the membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him develop the content.

Email: PittsburghStan@gmail.com

Email: Stan@CrucialConnection.com

Bayer Corporation

Mobil Oil

Cargill

AkzoNobel

Certified Microsoft Network Engineer

Sullivan University

Yum! Brands

SAS

CompTIA Certifications

Coursera

Lynda.com

Springboard

Sharp Sight Labs

Udemy

JMP

Tableau

R

V-Soft

Dice

 

Sep 4, 2017

For the U.S. Labor Day holiday, Marc provides a brief episode for shout outs and an announcement of a special series of four podcasts for October, where he will take a client through his assessment process, to know themselves, before committing to a new position. Marc refers listeners to Episode 041, “What Is Your Personal Operating System?” Listen in for what to expect in this special series.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:56] This episode is releasing on the U.S. Labor Day holiday, so Marc is keeping it short. Marc gives a shout-out to Podfly Productions, LLC, and those who help produce this podcast: Eric Begay, Ryan Morrison, and Tim McGowan. These folks edit the podcast, create the show notes, and make sure it’s on iTunes.

[1:24] Marc gives a shout-out to his virtual assistant, Stephanie Brodt, who creates the podcast post, the Boomer Job Tips post, Marc’s Career Insights email, and a lot of other stuff, to make all of this work.

[1:38] Marc announces that starting on the first Monday of October, he will be podcasting a four-part series, called, “Can Tim Repurpose His Career?”

[1:48] Episode 41 was the chapter, “What Is Your Personal Operating System?” from Marc’s upcoming audio book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life. In Episode 41, Marc describes the process he uses to help his clients understand themselves. Marc will take Tim (not his real name) through this process.

[2:05] Tim is a 50-year-old male who has been stair-stepping himself out of his current career. He has been building a business on the side. Tim was laid off from his regular paycheck last month, and now has the “kick in the butt” to complete his career pivot. Listen to this case study of what it takes to “know thyself.”

[2:25] Marc’s final thoughts: See episode show notes at CareerPivot.com/episode-44. Go to CareerPivot.com to subscribe and get updates to this podcast and all the other happenings at CareerPivot.com. Subscribe to the CareerPivot Blog, and receive the CareerPivot Insights email every Sunday, with a link to this podcast.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com/episode-44

Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey (Now available online)

Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me

Call Marc at 512-693-9132 and leave a message and email address.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

 

Aug 28, 2017

Ryan Rhoten helps business professionals position their brands online, so they build a strong digital presence, in order to grow their businesses and their careers. He is also a speaker, podcaster, StoryBrand certified guide, and a personal brand marketing strategist. Ryan is also the author of the book, CareerKred: 4 Simple Steps to Build Your Digital Brand and Boost Credibility in Your Career.

Marc and Ryan start the discussion with Ryan’s personal story, and the inciting incidents led him to become an expert in branding. They move on to a discussion of the DICE Method described in Ryan’s book, how to make it work, and leveraging your brand for your career.

Listen in to learn about establishing career credibility in the second half of life.

Key Takeaways:

[2:41] Ryan has been figuring out his career like the rest of us. He mentions some inciting incidents that led him to explore the impact of career credibility on new roles.

[3:56] Ryan believed he was on a well-defined career path. He applied for a specific promotion that had been assured to him. After a leadership change, he didn’t get the position. First, he blamed leadership. Then he started examining himself. He listened to a lot of podcasts. He heard the words, “personal branding,” and they hit home at once.

[6:20] He researched personal branding, and found that the career landscape has changed, hiring has changed, how you get found has changed, and other aspects of branding have changed, all recently. He also found a criminal Ryan Rhoten online.

[7:50] Ryan continued researching branding for employment. He learned skills. He started The Brand New You Show podcast, to interview intelligent, career-minded folks, and he learned the importance of understanding what your brand is, and using today’s technology to leverage your brand. You can set yourself up to be found by recruiters.

[8:48] Ryan has to push himself to ask people to talk to him on his show, because he is naturally shy. But the worst they can tell you is, “no.” Ryan got a lot of noes, and learned a lot about himself. He also learned a lot from his guests. The knowledge he gained was the beginning of his book. He knew he had to share it with everybody else.

[10:15] Performing a digital brand assessment is one of the first exercises in the book. Ryan explains what it is, the importance of it, and how to do it. You want to be known for what you want people to know about you. No one has hit 100 on the assessment, yet.

[13:05] The book follows the DICE method. D is for Define. Ryan explains why people in the second half of life need to define themselves. Don’t think of yourself as a job title. Know and understand yourself. What are your values, skills, and traits? How do you work? Where do you work best, and in what type of environment? Take assessments.

[14:36] Over time, your work values change. A younger person may enjoy travel. An older person may not care about traveling for work. Once you know your values, you can apply them to help yourself make the right career decisions.

[15:47] Integrate is the next step. Do you need a personal website? Now that you know who you are, put yourself online, intentionally, and on purpose, telling the world who you are, and how you add value to it. Let the world get to know you. If you are not found online, recruiters will go to somebody else.

[16:15] Marc automatically tells people, “No thank you,” if they don’t have a LinkedIn profile. Ryan points out sites like Glassdoor let people check out companies online, so branding works both ways.

[19:28] Create is the third step. You don’t have to write a book to publish. You do have to create content that demonstrates your expertise in public, in some way. It could be writing, doing a podcast, or creating video. Start with the easiest thing, writing. Go to LinkedIn, and leave comments on topics of your subject matter or expertise. Interact.

[21:20] Blogger Darren Rowse says just get started. You will get better as you go along.

[21:55] Engage is the fourth step. Interact with people who have influence in your sphere of expertise. Social media allows you to engage with others and talk about your area of expertise in a way that is not bragging, but sharing. Participate in moderated Twitter chats around a specific hashtag. Ryan learned this from a guest on his show.

[26:14] Marc joins #BlogChat every Sunday evening at 8 CT, and he has for five years. It got him started in blogging, and now he’s one of the experts there. Marc’s one piece of advice is, “Push the publish button.” Ryan shares a blog story. Practice when small.

[28:34] Publish on a consistent schedule, and be congruent in your content. Don’t confuse people. Make it about something for which you want to be known. Stay on topic for everything you do online.

[29:38] Ryan says, the game will continue to change, and as career professionals we need to change with it. We are in charge. Decide what the path is for you, to add the most value for yourself and your company. Just get started and move yourself forward. Before you know it, you’re consistent and congruent, and people will find you.

[32:51] Marc’s final words: Marc enjoyed the DICE method. Marc would like you to pick up Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide to the Second half of Life, at Amazon or other online retailers. When you complete reading the book, Marc would appreciate an honest review on Amazon.com. The CareerPivot.com membership site is coming soon.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com/episode-43

Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey (Now available online)

Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me

Call Marc at 512-693-9132 and leave a message and email address.

CareerKred: 4 Simple Steps to Build Your Digital Brand and Boost Credibility in Your Career, by Ryan Rhoten

Website: RyanRhoten.com

Twitter: @RyanRhoten

Instagram: @RyanRhoten

Google: Ryan Rhoten

LinkedIn: Ryan Rhoten

Book: CareerKredBook.com

StoryBrand

The Brand New You Show

GlassDoor

Darren Rowse

BlogChat

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Aug 21, 2017

In this episode, Marc is the guest, and answers a variety of career questions by Ryan Rhoten on The Brand New You Show. Ryan asks about Marc’s new book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, with the audio book version coming in September 2017. Marc answers questions about the book and gives client examples. Marc leaves listeners with the advice to know themselves, and get an assistant, such as a coach or trusted friend to help.

 

Key Takeaways:

[3:55] Ryan introduces Marc, and Marc answers the vacation question.

[4:43] Ryan asks Marc about happiness and contentment in a career. Marc contrasts the Boomer career and retirement situation with the generation before. Ryan contrasts that with Gen Xers and Millennials.People will have to work years longer than expected.

[6:59] The Millennials are echo Boomers, doing the things Boomers wish they had done. They are more attuned to purpose than to money. Marc sees that as a change for the better in the workplace. Millennial influence added to technology is opening up work from home opportunities. Marc talks about creative destruction by tech, and the iPhone.

[9:16] Marc can completely manage his finances on his phone, find his keys, and all kinds of ways that smartphones have changed things. Look at how automation will affect your career. It’s in journalism, and it will be in all industries.

[10:44] Ryan talks about upcoming employability scores, that will not measure soft skills. Marc notes that one large consulting firm interviews by Skype, and then analyzes the video recordings of the candidates by software, to determine who will advance to a personal interview. 

[12:07] We get to a point in our career when we start to question our choices, and ask what’s next? That is a time to consider career reinvention. Marc talks to clients about knowing themselves. Most of us adopt an expected persona, because we are paid better for it. It may not be authentic. Marc is an introvert who had to play an extrovert.

[14:44] Many people outside of work are different people. People who are not aligned properly with a position burn out, when they could do better in another role. Ryan suggests assessments to his clients. Marc discusses the Birkman Method. It tells you about your behaviors, and about how you want to be treated. Marc talks specifics.

[16:54] Marc talks about structured anarchists, who want to fix chaos, but are misplaced into orderly environments, that frustrate them. Marc talks about stealth competitors, who act sweet because it is expected, but inwardly resent the success of assertive people. The Birkman method helps people see these personal dichotomies, to manage them.

[19:30] It’s hard to take assessment career advice at face value, because careers are changing too quickly. Marc uses it to help people understand the reasons behind the best of times and the worst of times in their careers. It is for those with 20+ years of experience. It gives a decision-making style. Marc contrasts global and linear thinkers.

[21:50] Birkman Method helps identify your Personal Operating System. The stress report gives you your top 40 needs. Marc asks clients to synthesize those to 10, and then write an open-ended question for each of those needs. Marc talks about his own needs, and what kinds of environments and managers would not satisfy his needs.

[23:00] Many people may not realize about themselves that they have an optimum work environment that helps them be most productive. Marc explains why he switched email systems. His days got better when he turned off notifications. Ryan comments on the importance of being self-aware, to make career decisions.

[24:48] There is no such thing as a dream job. They all have pluses and minuses. We all make stuff up. Go in with your eyes open, look at the facts, and recognize every job has its ups and downs. Author Susan Cain recommends restorative niches, to take breaks that work for your interests. Marc takes his phone calls in the backyard, watching trees.

[27:43] Ryan’s restorative niches are alone time he schedules throughout the day, not to be crushed by all the activity. He notices a huge change in his productivity when he takes his breaks. Marc tells about a sales rep couple — one an introvert, and one extrovert — and how they dealt with sales conferences.

[29:20] Ryan asks about ‘awfulizing.’ Marc tells about an applicant who made stuff up, rather than following up with the company where she applied. Marc says come up with a stop, drop, and roll procedure, to cope with anxiety. Marc cites Dr. Henry Cloud, on wise people, stupid people, and evil people. Marc gives examples. Buffer yourself from evil.

[34:07] Marc describes strategic networking, finding the exact people you need to meet. He gives client examples that work. To vet the company, you ask people who work at your target job, and also people who left, about the conditions there.

[38:01] Marc describes the dreaded question: Why do you want to leave your current job? Answer positively, and deflect. Pivot back to a question about where you want to go. If you are leaving a toxic environment, you don’t want them to dig into it.

[42:38] Marc describes the Repurpose Your Career podcast, and the common themes of those he has interviewed about their career pivots.

[46:03] Marc’s final thoughts: Look at yourself. Make sure you really know who you are. Get out of your own head. Work with a coach, spouse, or friend.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon.

Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

The Podcast Movement Conference

The Brand New You Show with Ryan Rhoten

CareerKred: 4 simple steps to Build Your Digital Brand and boost credibility in your career, by Ryan Rhoten

Tile App

Wall Street Journal

The Reputation Economy: How to Optimize Your Digital Footprint in a World Where Your Reputation Is Your Most Valuable Asset, by Michael Fertik
and David C. Thompson

Birkman Method Personality Assessment

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain

Necessary Endings, by Dr. Henry Cloud

CareerPivot.com Episode-42

Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Please give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

 

Aug 14, 2017

In this episode, Marc reads a chapter of his new audiobook. The topic is knowing yourself. Marc explains the difficulties people cause themselves when they take jobs that are not suited for their personalities, and gives tips for how to cope in situations that are not optimal. Marc offers case studies, and what adjustments were made. Marc also describes several career and personality profile assessments that are available to help you personalize your career search so that your personality traits can flourish at work. Listen in to learn how to make sure the career you target is really a career that fits your personal operating system.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:29] Most of Marc’s clients have their sets of needs, stressors, and behaviors running in the background, like an operating system. This impacts everything about how they feel and function. One might be a deliberate researcher, frustrated by the amount of work his boss gives him.

[3:26] The boss doesn’t expect them to research it, just to do it. they need a job where thoroughness would be an asset. Assessments help prevent mismatched expectations. [3:51] The first step to career bliss is to know yourself. Many go after jobs, looking for new circumstances, not knowing where the real problems lay with their previous jobs. Assessments reveal what you need, what stresses you, and what makes you happy.

[4:29] Assessments reveal truths about us that we might not realize affect our career. Marc lists several assessments. Marc found the Birkman most valuable for his own assessment. It told him he needed plenty of alone time, balanced with social activity.

[6:00] The Birkman Assessment is 298 questions about what you do, think, and believe, and what you think most people do, think, and believe. After all the questions, you sit down with a Birkman advisor, who tells things you sort of knew, deep down.

[7:06] Marc’s client scored high on his math SAT, and studied engineering. He was a very emotional, empathetic person. Over the years he learned to act like his colleagues, but he was miserable. The Birkman confirmed that empathy was a strength he hid.

[7:53] Marc cites a Fortune Magazine article about the Birkman method. A lot of us behave in ways that are not natural for us, for the sakes of our jobs. That behavior can make us miserable, or we can learn coping skills. We play roles because we get paid to play those roles. Marc schmoozes, but he gets his energy from his time alone.

[9:51] Our society is biased towards extroverts. They make more money. They are more accepted as leaders. They are perceived as more competent. Susan Cain says many great thinkers and artists are introverts, and cites a Harvard Business School team exercise where an introvert with the right answer did not speak, and no one asked him.

[10:56] If you’re an introvert, find a way to cope so you don’t miss out. Cain, an introvert, pretends to be an extrovert, but found she needed little restorative niches during the day, to do something she enjoys. Marc has a client who takes breaks between meetings to knit. Another brings a book. Another brings a camera.

[11:46] A top-level sales rep, married to another top-level sales rep both act like extroverts, but the wife is an introvert. After a conference, she gets room service, while the husband goes out to a group dinner. There are a lot of introverts in extroverts’ clothing. After a social situation, an introvert needs a break, to recharge.

[12:38] A giant factor in being happy in a career is figuring out what makes your personal operating system work best. Marc talks about women who are ‘stealth competitors,’ who seem affable, but who are angry that they are not rewarded with recognition and raises for hard work. They ask for very little, and that’s what they get.

[14:17] Highly organized people succeed in their fields by prioritizing tasks and focusing their attention and energy where it’s most effective. They are not intimidated by a large workload, as long as they get to decide how to do it. A micromanaging boss will not help them. Some people are uncomfortable with autonomy and need more direction.

[15:19] Some people function beautifully with a lot of distractions and switch easily from one task to the next. Others need stretches of uninterrupted work time to accomplish their best results. Being interrupted all the time shatters their thoughts and leaves them frustrated.

[16:00] Spend time considering how you work best. It can make all the difference in the world, in terms of job satisfaction and performance. Marc took a trip to Australia to teach a four-day sales class. At the end of the day, some of the class wanted to take him out for drinks. Marc chose a quiet dinner with a few close friends, and watched TV, instead.

[16:35] The Birkman taught one of Marc’s clients she was happier with a desk near a window, and plants. Another found she was upset when others with less expertise commented on her part of a project. She learned to handle it gracefully.

[17:08] It took Marc months to internalize what he learned in his Birkman report, with the help of his advisor. He still goes back to review the report, and is still learning about himself. He also learned he has an unusual competency for reading a Birkman report. Marc talks about traits that he has learned go together in various personalities.

[18:12] Marc has gotten other tools from client Birkman reports, to help them understand their needs, from process thinkers who thought they were creative, to creatives who thought they were process thinkers. Understanding yourself leads to better decisions and outcomes. What could an assessment tell you, to set you right?

[20:10] Action Steps: Take a career assessment test, such as the Birkman, to uncover rules and motivators you didn’t even know you had. Contact Marc to schedule an assessment.

[20:40] The Birkman is a very complicated assessment, which is why it is not often discussed in the career space. It is used more often in the C-suite. Marc explains how he uses it with his clients. Marc will give you a 20% discount on the Birkman assessment if you mention you heard about it on this podcast episode.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

CareerPivot.com/blog

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc is accepting new clients, so reach out to him. He will supply a link to his calendar to set up a call.

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave a review on Amazon.

CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources (Repurpose Your Career Resources)

CareerPivot.com/episode-41

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

MBTI

Disc Profile

Kolbe Index

Strengths Finder 2.0

Birkman Method Personality Assessment Call Marc for a 20% discount on this test.

“Are you a good fit for your job?” by Jennifer Reingold, in Fortune

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain

 

Aug 7, 2017

Marc discusses his career changes, and the traumatic events and job conditions that led him to resign, and turn to teaching high school. That pivot taught him a number of things, most of which were different than what he had convinced himself about his motivation. He explains how he got into teaching, how it changed him, and how he got out of it.

Listen in for a look at a career pivot that turned South quickly, and caused a major rethinking of a life.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:37] Marc begins his story of going from high-tech training to teaching high school math in the inner city, and why he returned after 18 months. Marc was very successful, but seduced himself into thinking he was something he was not.

[2:56] In 1990, while working for IBM, Marc moved to a technology transfer group, to prepare for selling a leading-edge product, by developing curriculum, and delivering it to over 1,000 salespeople and sales engineers. Marc did that for three years and was really good at it. He spent the rest of the decade presenting.

[3:36] Marc had transformed himself from being an introvert, to appearing to be an extrovert. In the late 1990s, IBM started layoffs. After a bad pension deal, Marc left in 2000 to be a trainer for a startup. He developed curriculum, had a small team, and taught leading-edge router and communication companies how to use a network chip.

[4:26] The team developed very sophisticated curriculum and taught the class about twice a month. Marc spent much more time preparing than he did delivering. He is a much better curriculum developer than a presenter. After the dotcom boom, he flew to Asia regularly to meet with manufacturers.

[5:28] On July 11, 2002, Marc was riding with his bicycle club on a difficult route. Going at 25 mph downhill, around a blind turn, Marc found himself slamming head-on into a ‘96 Toyota Corolla. His body and bicycle totalled the car. Marc was taken to the emergency room. He spent five days in the trauma center with various injuries.

[6:30] Marc was walking on crutches in three days, and back on a bicycle in 10 weeks, and flying back to China in four months, right into the SARS epidemic. Marc wondered what he was doing! The company was bought, and his stock options were worthless, but he received six-figure retention bonuses, and paid off his house and debts.

[7:26] Marc decided he would teach high school math. This was his MSU moment. In 2003 the company was laying off, and Marc was pursuing teaching certifications. He went for the alternative certification for teaching, and saw several signs he didn’t quite fit the mold of the ideal candidate, but he proceeded.

[10:29] He took the THEA test in English, and had to write a 600-word essay in pencil and paper. He hadn’t written with pencil in 25 years. While he was going for his certification, Marc volunteered to take a layoff, and got a severance. Then he got his rejection letter from Region 13 of the Texas Higher Education Assessment.

[11:08] Marc wondered what next. He saw Austin Community College was launching an alternative certification program. Marc applied and was accepted. The programs was of low quality, and didn’t prepare him to teach math. He took the test anyway, and passed.

Then he, and other men over 40 with the certification, found they couldn’t get interviews.

[12:56] The schools didn’t want guys over 40, because they don’t do what they’re told. However, one week before school started, an opportunity came up at Akins High School, and he applied and was hired. His five-day new teacher orientation was useless. For a week he couldn’t access the attendance system.

[14:13] Marc was assigned two sections of Algebra 2 and three sections of Algebra 1. That put him ‘on stage’ for 25 hours a week, which was exhausting. As a first-year teacher, every lesson was new to him, so he spent hours prepping. By Thanksgiving his morale was low. Marc found out, he does not get his energy from being ‘on.’

[15:46] Marc got lesson plans for Algebra 1 from the lead teacher, and that helped. Algebra 2 lesson plans were harder. He borrowed from another teacher, staying two days behind her. Then, he was challenged by students that were nothing like him, by background culture, or financial class. Most were poor, and many had probation officers.

[17:49] Marc had never dealt with a culture of poverty. He finished his first year exhausted. He had about 100 people that he emailed every week about the classes, and one student, Julio, who was a hard worker. People wrote him back like a fan club.

[20:01] Marc spent the summer preparing for the next year, with about 10 weeks of lesson plans. When the year started, he got in and got going, with five sections of Algebra 2. Marc has a lot of stories, but the year was really sad. Grace was pregnant, kicked out of her home, and her baby was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

[20:56] Marc went downhill fast. Once the time changed in October, it got worse for him. He discovered that being ‘on’ just wore him out. He’s not an extrovert, and he doesn’t get energy from presenting. He was really struggling, and moderately depressed. He turned in his resignation in early December, for the end of the semester.

[22:02] The school accepted his resignation. By the way, the first year, all but one of his junior students passed their exit TAKS test in one or two tries. The school average was 30%. No one noticed.

[22:50] Marc has learned by reflecting back and realizing how much he had conned himself into believing he was something he was not. It took six months after leaving teaching for Marc to feel normal again, it so wore him out.

[23:14] How are you really different than what you think you are? Marc is a closet introvert. He was a very shy kid. Seeing him on stage, it does not show. He will be on, on stage, then walk off and collapse, almost exhausted. Who Marc is, is not what he appears. Think about that for yourself.

[24:07] Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. In 2016 Marc wrote a post, “What Skills Will You Use in the Second Half of Life?” Read that post to consider what skills you want to carry forward, and, more importantly, what skills do you want to leave behind?

[24:38] Please pick up a copy of Marc’s book, and write an honest review on Amazon.com. He is working on the audio version next. Marc is also working on the Career Pivot Community membership website. Watch for updates in the coming months.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey The paperback and ebook formats are available now. Marc is recording the audio version of the book, and he plans to have it available in September 2017.

Marc is taking on new clients. Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me or call at 512-693-9132, and leave a message with your email address. Marc will respond with a link to his calendar, to find a time to talk.

Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast

IBM

Lucent

THEA Test

Austin Community College

Akins High School

TAKS test

“What Skills Will You Use in the Second Half of Life?”, blog by Marc Miller on LinkedIn

CareerPivot.com Episode 40

 

Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Jul 31, 2017

Steve Preston is Marc’s expert guest in this episode. Recognized as The Career Catalyst, Steve has transformed the lives and careers of thousands of people. Following a successful management career, Steve turned the opportunity of ‘redundancy’ (British for layoff), into a springboard, to achieve a very different working life. By exercising choice, Steve has become what he calls the architect of his own future, pursuing a successful portfolio career. Now, an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and leading career coach, Steve is passionate about helping unlock and fulfill people’s potential. He especially enjoys helping people change their working lifestyle and develop portfolio careers to work for passion, pleasure, and profit.

 

Marc and Steve start the discussion with an introduction to Steve and his passions. Steve’s foremost passion is making a difference for others. He defines the portfolio career, what it is good for, and who it suits best. He talks about choice and flexibility. He shares examples of portfolio careerists from his book, Portfolio Career: How to Work for Passion, Pleasure, & Profit. Finally, he explains some of the aspects that people have who are attracted to a portfolio career.

 

Listen in to learn about working for passion, pleasure & profit, with multiple earnings streams.

Key Takeaways:

[3:22] Steve introduces himself and his passions. He is a family man, empty nester, world traveler, tennis player, music-lover, and guitar player. He loves craft beer, and is especially passionate about making a difference to the lives of others.

[6:38] A portfolio career derives income from a number of different sources. It’s a different mindset from having a one-income job, or a self-employed career doing one type of work. It uses any combination of activity, interests, skills, talents, and passions to create the working lifestyle you want, working for passion, pleasure and profit.

[7:44] In Marc’s online community, the one thing everyone wants is freedom. Steve shares a couple of examples of people of people from a recent visit to the U.S. Many people have portfolio careers without knowing what one is, exactly. Steve features many samples in his book. Freedom is what most of them enjoy.

[11:29] Steve clears up some myths about portfolio careers. Two widely-held conflicting concepts are: you never make money from your passion, vs., if you do what you love, the money will automatically follow. It all depends on your stage of life, and what the passion is. You might just be focused on earning enough. Take positive action.

[14:23] A portfolio career does not make you Jack of all trades and master of none. Steve offers examples of Jacks of all trades, and masters of many. In general, those with portfolio careers are very good at what they enjoy, or why do it?

[15:27] Some people who are transitioning ask, How do you expect me to get multiple jobs, when I’m struggling to get one? A full-time job is not the point of a portfolio career. You want income from multiple strands of activities. There can be a mixture of employed and self-employed.

[16:40] There is not any one type of person who wants a portfolio careers. There are examples from around the world in Steven’s book. But they have in common that they are open to challenging the way they work and earn, and challenging the conventional job mindset. They mix and match their ways to earn. They want choice. 

[19:08] Steven shares stories from the book. One came from a Turkish family farming background, and worked in the corporate world for while, but now earns multiple income streams in multiple currencies, as an internet entrepreneur. He also is involved in cryptocurrency. He failed his way forward. It has taken him 10 years to succeed.

[21:58] Another example was in local government, and laid off in his fifties. He unleashed his latent creativity. He now works with neurolinguistic programming, writing, blogging, and copy editing. He copy edited Steven’s books. He creates presentations.

[23:33] A lot of the examples are like Marc’s clients, who fit into the corporate world, until they couldn’t take it any longer. Steven shares another example, of a lady who daydreamed her way out of a corporate job, into becoming a digital nomad in Malaysia. It’s essential to have a support group, spouse, or fan club to pick you up when you fall.

[25:53] Key aspects to a portfolio career: mindset, resilience, and finding your anchor. One thing that will cover most of your earnings. Then you build up other streams besides that. If you get overloaded, then prioritize, and collaborate with other people.

[28:19] Self Marketing is fundamental. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and so on are integral to your brand. Say the right things about yourself that will interest the right people. Steven’s book lists the top ten aspects that make the difference for portfolio careerists.

[30:22] Marc’s final words: Marc would like you to pick up Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide to the Second half of Life, at Amazon or other online retailers. When you complete reading the book, Marc would appreciate an honest review on Amazon.com. Marc is working on a CareerPivot.com membership community.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com/episode-39

Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey (Now available online)

Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me

Call Marc at 512-693-9132 and leave a message and email address.

Portfolio Careers: How to Work for Passion, Pleasure & Profit, by Steve Preston

StevePrestonTheCareerCatalyst.com

Amazon.com/Steve-Preston

Twitter: @SteveMPreston

LinkedIn: Steve Preston

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

 

Jul 24, 2017

In this episode, Marc answers questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. You can learn about her career pivots in Episode 020. Listen in to this episode for ideas on planning a path to the end goal, harvesting contacts in similar and adjacent industries, coping with stress before searching for a job, and pivoting to a new industry using your core value proposition!

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:44] Elizabeth introduces herself. After pivoting, she is the marketing coordinator for an international company. Elizabeth invites listeners to connect with her on LinkedIn to share experiences. She enjoys working with Marc, and helping on the Mailbag episode!

[3:27] Q1: I am 49 and am going through a divorce. I’ve been a housewife since 1992. I’m going to college for an MBA. I have eight years ahead of me. I am hoping to support myself by a job in Hawaii after I get my MBA. I will have no debt. Any ideas what to do?

[4:06] A1: Marc notes she will be in her late 50s, with no experience, after getting her bachelor's and master’s degrees. Rather than looking at an MBA, she should look at her actual goal. Marc connected her with contacts in Hawaii, to understand that economy. Marc suggests buying a franchise or business, learning trade skills, or something else.

[6:49] Marc says many of the best jobs today didn’t exist five years ago. What will exist in eight years? Divorce later in life often leads to poverty. This client doesn’t want to leave Hawaii. Marc put her in touch with a Hawaiian workforce specialist to help her.

[7:33] Q2: I am a 56-year-old account manager. I was just laid off from a position that I held for 18 years in the moving industry. I’m getting depressed, as I have been unsuccessful in my job search. I have been applying to jobs every day, but never hear back. What should I do?

[7:51] A2: Account managers are becoming rare in B2B sales. The need for account managers has been greatly decreased. Marc helped someone very similar to this. See the :Introverted Sales Guy Job Search” blog on Marc’s website. The key piece is, your next job will only come from somebody you’ve worked with over the last 10-15 years.

[8:43] You’re going to have to go back and carefully harvest all of your contacts, people you have worked with, reach out to them where they work now, and see if they are willing to help. The answer is most account managers are really nice guys. Usually they’re very good at relationships. Very often people will remember them positively.

[9:25] As Marc did with the Account Manager who came out of the equipment manufacturing business, he had the client very carefully go on LinkedIn to find his previous employer’s page, look for similar companies, and adjacent industries, who need the same skills, and look for weak ties at those companies.

[10:27] This is a long process. Look for connections everyday. You don’t know when you will find the right contact who can help you, who has a job, in an industry where you fit. Start taking really good care of yourself, eating right, exercising, and getting up at the same time, and managing your own health. Your mental attitude is absolutely critical.

[11:26] Q3: I am a 52-year-old traffic manager. My job has gotten toxic after I was transferred and I uncovered fraud. I cleaned up the mess, but it has taken quite a toll on me emotionally, and after everything was cleaned up, the owner brought in someone over me who has ethical flaws. I have been looking for a year. What should I do?

[11:57] A3: This is a family-owned business. The challenge with working for a family owned business, not being family, is that it can get ugly. He’s an emotional guy. When he was getting rid of people, and getting his tires slashed, it really took a toll on him. If you’re stressed out, no one is going to hire you. First, chill out.

[13:14] In this situation, he will need to stop caring about doing a great job. He needs to work on his own emotional health, and get rid of stress. Marc suggests the book Positive Intelligence to get out of stress. The point is to stay in the positive mind three times longer than in the negative mind. Find your emotional saboteurs. Name them.

[15:20] Then you need to find your core value proposition. This gentleman’s core value proposition was recruiting drivers. We don’t have enough drivers in this country. Build a brand that sells your core value proposition, in your LinkedIn profile, your resume, and more importantly, when you talk to people. That is your primary selling point.

[16:04] He needs to look at himself as a product, understand what his core value proposition is, and and go sell that ‘product.’ He’s getting offers that are not local, but his wife has a good job, and he doesn’t want to move. He can move into a different niche, because his recruiting skill is transferable. He should think of himself as a consultant.

[17:57] When Marc left corporate America, he was completely stressed out. It took him six-to-nine months to destress, before he was useful again.

[19:30] Marc has started recording the audio version of his book. He is also working on the Career Pivot Community website. This will be a membership area of the current CareerPivot.com website. An initial cohort of members is helping develop the content. Look for more on this, in the coming months.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon.

Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me

Episode 020 Elizabeth Rabaey

Elizabeth Rabaey on LinkedIn

CareerPivot.com Introverted Sales Guy Job Search

Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS, by Shirzad Chamine

CareerPivot.com Episode-38

Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Please give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Jul 17, 2017

In this episode, Marc reads the first two chapters of his new audio book. The topics are vetting the company, and answering the dreaded question, why do you want to leave your current position? Marc uses case studies and examples to explain the purpose of these important themes. Listen in to learn how to make sure the company you target is really the company where you want to work.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:33] “Vetting the Company.” A client told Marc about interviewing for a new startup. After getting to the final interview, she lost. The employee that was hired was fired in six weeks. The company came back to this client, and she declined.

[3:05] Before approaching a company about a job, do your due diligence. Research the company on sites like Glassdoor.com. Go to the hiring manager’s profile on LinkedIn and check their recommendation section. Have they given recommendations to their employees? Have their employees recommended their manager?

[3:47] Connect with recruiters or HR Professionals at the target company on LInkedIn. This will give you visibility at the target company. Ask your connections for connections at the target company. Former employees may give information what it’s like to work there. Find out what current and former employees think of the hiring manager.

[5:03] Prepare for the interview. An interview is like a first date. It’s not all about whether the other person likes you. What do you like or not like about the company? Be ready with your elevator pitch about what you need.

[5:18] The interview isn’t just about whether you get the job, but whether you want it. Marc gives a case study from a hiring manager. Have written questions to ask, and write the answers on the paper. Use controlled pauses. Restate the question you were asked.

[6:09] Marc gives examples of questions you should ask, and scenarios you may encounter. If the hiring manager balks at your questions, you might want to dig deeper.

[7:36] You may watch body language to get an accurate reading of the situation. With the information you have received from current and former employees, you should be able to ‘play detective.’ Pay attention to your gut instincts.

[8:06] Action steps. Check out the company before the interview. Look on sites like Glassdoor.com. Talk to people who work for the company, and former employees.Look at recommendations on LinkedIn. Prepare a list of 10 questions you want answered.

[8:37] For additional sources, check out CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources.

[8:46] “The Dreaded Question.” It is all but guaranteed you will be asked the following question: “Why do you want to leave your current company?” They may harp on this, to see if you have anger about your company. Your response should pivot the conversation from what you are leaving to where you are going. Do not get negative.

[9:55] When you need more love and more money. Marc uses the example of Robert, a lecturer at a major midwest university, and gives sample questions to use, to pivot from a negative theme to a positive response. Use the questions as a way to pose a question back at the interviewer. Practice doing this with your own questions and answers.

[12:03] When you need more status and freedom. Marc uses the example of James, and gives ways that James could pivot the conversation where he wants it to go, when asked why he wants to leave his current position.

[14:15] When you need to be in charge of the process. Marc uses the example of Mary, who works in marketing for a large company. Marc gives sample answers Mary could provide to the question, why she wants to leave her current position.

[16:59] Action steps: Formulate a positive response to the question why you want to leave your current position. Practice answering uncomfortable questions by asking the interviewer a difficult questions. Avoid saying anything that looks, smells, or sounds the least bit negative.

[16:20] These two chapters were only updated slightly, and are still relevant. Pick up a copy of the book, and please write an honest review on Amazon.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

CareerPivot.com/blog

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc is accepting new clients, so reach out to him. He will supply a link to his calendar to set up a call.

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave a review on Amazon.

CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources (Repurpose Your Career Resources)

CareerPivot.com/episode-37

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Jul 10, 2017

Marc introduces the common themes of the eight career changes or pivots recapped in this episode. First, they had an idea, and did not act on it. Second, there was a moment or event that vaulted them into action. Third, no matter how well they planned it, things did not turn out as planned, and they needed to adapt as they went along. Marc reviews some of their stories, with clips characterizing the three phases in common. He shares some guest clips for each of the three phases.

Listen in for a variety of experiences and tips for pivoting to, or changing, careers.

 

Key Takeaways:

[3:08] Marc interviewed Dr. Joel Dobbs in Episode 3. Dr. Dobbs was an accomplished pharmaceutical executive. Now he has a portfolio career that includes consulting, teaching, and coaching. He planned this out well. Dr. Dobson noted that his life was half gone, and he was inspired by the book Halftime, to do something different.

[5:28] Dr. Dobson took a pause to reflect, and sought things that would lead to a new life of significance, to give back. He thought about doing something very different.

[7:26] Marc interviewed Mike O’Krent in Episode 7. Mike went from a carpet store to chronicling people’s lives in video interviews with Life Stories Alive. Mike tells how he started chronicling Holocaust survivors’ stories for the Jewish Federation of San Antonio — for one project ending in 2000. When it was over, he went back to his carpet sales.

[10:02] Marc interviewed Jennifer Winter in Episode 28. Jennifer was VP of Sports Sponsorship for Turner Broadcasting, and hated it. Everyone told her how great her job was, so she stayed 21 years. Impending layoffs started her thinking about a change.

[14:12] Marc introduces the next phase, vaulting into action, with more from Mike O’Krent. Mike’s business coach had him write a list of items he both enjoyed and did well. As he read the list to the coach, he was directed to reread certain items, and lit up with the Holocaust interviews. The coach asked, can you make a business like that? [16:47] Marc interviewed Kay McManus in Episode 32. Kay was a business professional working for technology companies before she was laid off in 2009. Now she is the CEO of Kay-Kan. Kay says being laid off was what moved her to act. It turned out she was able to serve the managers at her past job as a freelancer. Then she went full-time. 

[20:33] Marc introduces Vicki McCullough of Sequitur Marketing, his guest in Episode 11. Vicki was laid off multiple times, and finally decided to be her own boss. She explains how she started. After she tried the job search route to no success, she started contract work in marketing. Then she told herself, this was the time.

[22:18] Marc had two guests who made multi-step pivots. Elizabeth Rabaey was Marc’s guest on Episode 20. Elizabeth also helps Marc on the mailbag episodes. Elizabeth worked for an environmental engineering company, on air and water permitting. After multiple pivots, she is a marketing professional for a large mining equipment company.

[23:16] Elizabeth networked into a project manager position at a company larger than her first one. Elizabeth got involved in marketing and branding there. After a year, her old company reached out to her for marketing, and she worked for them for three years. 

[29:32] Towards the end of 2016 Elizabeth was looking on job boards, and found a marketing coordinator position for an international company. She went to the company website, applied for the job, and her engineering and marketing backgrounds got her hired very quickly. She works from home, with the possibility of international travel.

[32:06] Marc interviewed Thom Singer in Episode 15. Thom was a business development professional who worked for a law firm until the 2009 recession, when he was laid off. He then launched his career as a keynote speaker and MC. He had already been speaking on the side, but the layoff motivated him to make this his profession.

[32:36] Thom’s background prepared him to train other law firms. But, because of the recession, they stopped hiring outside services. Associations of all kinds still held their meetings, and so keynote speaking became the biggest part of Thom’s business. He was unable to get the rates per speech he needed, and his mortgage didn’t shrink.

[34:30] Thom was losing money. The family went through cash reserves and credit cards. In a few years he caught up to his previous salary, but then had to work off three years of debt. In six and a half years he was at a stable level. A bad quarter still makes him nervous, but then the next quarter is fine.

[35:34] Marc interviewed Mike Martin in Episode 24. Mike spent most of his career in industrial sales, but that career sputtered out. Mike shares his multi-step pivots, from teaching school, to driving trains, to being a drone pilot instructor.

[37:36] Mike got his teaching certification just as massive teacher layoffs hit Texas. So he finished his bachelor’s degree in aviation. He took a job at a small airport, but didn’t like it, so he looked at other transportation, and found an opening as a train operator in Texas. He passed the test, aced the interview, and was sent to train operator school.

[39:30] Mike got an RV, and parked it at an RV resort near the train school. In 10 weeks he had a certificate, and was assigned to wash trains until a route came up. He got an assignment to burn in new trains, with their computer systems. Then he started testing the signal systems on a new route. When the new route opened, he ran the PR train.

[41:37] With the new line open, and new confidence from training operators, he returned home. When he looked around, he saw activity in the drone world, and that’s where he landed. He took 25 hours of training, and started training others to fly, for Dart Drones. He could not have planned his career path, and made corrections on the way.

[44:43] Mike encourages career pivoters to pursue their dreams and never give up. The first avenue might not work out. Work the industry deep and wide.

[45:23] Marc’s final words: Please pick up a copy of Marc’s book, and write an honest review on Amazon.com. He is working on the audio version next. Marc is also working on the Career Pivot Community membership website. Watch for updates in the coming months.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey The paperback and ebook formats are available now. Marc is recording the audio version of the book, and he plans to have it available in September. 

Marc is taking on new clients. Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me or call at 512-693-9132, and leave a message with your email address. Marc will respond with a link to his calendar, to find a time to talk.

Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast

Dr. Joel Dobbs, Episode 3

Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance, by Bob P. Buford

Mike O’Krent, Episode 7

Jennifer Winter, Episode 28

Kay McManus, Episode 32

Vicki McCullough, Episode 11

Elizabeth Rabaey, Episode 20

Mike Martin, Episode 24

Thom Singer, Episode 15

CareerPivot.com Episode 36

 

Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Jul 3, 2017

Richard Eisenberg is Marc’s expert guest in this episode. Richard is the Managing Editor for PBS’s Baby Boomer website, NextAvenue.org, a site for people 50-plus, and Editor of the site’s Work & Purpose and Money & Security channels. He previously worked at Money Magazine, Yahoo, Good Housekeeping, and USA Today. He is the author of How to Avoid a Midlife Financial Crisis, and The Money Book of Personal Finance. Richard lives in New Jersey, and will be 61 in July.

Marc and Richard start the discussion with Richard’s career history, how he heard about Next Avenue, how he got involved, and what were the attractors that brought him to work for a virtual company starting in his mid-fifties. Richard comments on some of the issues faced by the fifty-to-seventy demographic, and what Next Avenue is doing to educate and inform about these challenges of mature life. Richard tells of the surprises, mostly pleasant he found at Next Avenue.

 

Listen in to learn about this online resource with great information to improve your life.

Key Takeaways:

[2:43] Richard became a journalist because he is curious. He likes to learn things, and relate them to other people.

[3:06] NextAvenue.org is a website by the public television station of Minneapolis-St. Paul, TPT. Next Avenue was the idea of Jim Pagliarini, TPT President and CEO. Jim researched for seven years how PBS could serve Boomers, as they had served children with Sesame Street. He settled on a website. Richard helped launch it in May, 2012.

[4:50] Richard decides which pieces to publish and when to publish them. He maintains the home page and copy edits all the articles on the site, which includes new content every day. His main job is editing two of the five channels — Money & Security, and Work & Purpose. He also assists with the other three channels.

[6:10] Next Avenue has developed in five years. Based on the economy, there is less concern now over major layoffs and “Will I ever get hired?” The audience has grown, and they give feedback. Partner companies republish some Next Avenue articles.

[7:58] Gen X people are moving into the 50-and-older group, and the site writes now for Boomers and Gen Xers. The content is targeted to people in their 50s and 60s. In the years to come, Richard sees the groups becoming more educated about age-related topics, so Next Avenue will go into more detail beyond the basics in articles.

[9:12] Marc has also pivoted his site to address Gen Xers in the second half of life. Some Boomers are 70-plus, crossing the demographic boundary.

[9:30] Richard was referred to the site as it was launching, and he wanted to be part of a startup, where he could write again. The role and the opportunity were right for him. He had spent his career doing service journalism, and this site was for his own age group.

[11:19] Next Avenue is a virtual operation, headquartered in St. Paul, Minn. There are about nine people who work on the site full-time, in various cities. A lot of the articles are written by freelance writers or by the editors, or are excerpts from books.

[12:24] Next Avenue gets between one and two million visitors a month. This is from five years of publishing. Richard would like more people to know about it, and read the articles.

[13:25] Marc joined the Next Avenue Facebook group in 2011. From there, he met someone who introduced him to Richard. Marc and Richard were in the same graduating class at Northwestern, but never knew each other, in their separate majors.

[14:23] Richard enjoys learning new things every day about his channel areas, and about the other channels, which he might not read if he didn’t work there. He likes to be able to talk to people that are the smartest people in the areas of the site channels, to pick their brains, and also to read the latest research.

[15:16] Richard’s readers are more upbeat, positive, and resilient than he might have expected, even in view of serious challenges of employment and health. They tell how they’ve managed to survive in spite of the challenges. People are hopeful, and willing to do what they need to do.

[17:20] If you have hope, you will likely get through it. The internet is allowing us to learn more, through other people who have gone through these challenges in the past. One of Richard’s big disappointments is with people knowing what to do, but not doing it, such as saving for retirement.

[18:40] The reality is the environmental change isn’t slowing down, it’s speeding up. We need to adapt. It’s a lot harder to do than it sounds. If you’re not preparing yourself for the things that you need, it will be even harder when the time comes, to do something.

[21:06] Marc’s final words: NextAvenue.org is not just a website, it is a community to go to for inspiration. Marc would like you to pick up Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide to the Second half of Life, at Amazon or other online retailers. When you complete reading the book, Marc would appreciate an honest review on Amazon.com.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com/episode-35

Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey (Now available online)

Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me

Call Marc at 512-693-9132 and leave a message and email address.

REisenberg@NextAvenue.org

NextAvenue.org

Twitter: @RichEis315

LinkedIn: Richard Eisenberg

How to Avoid a Mid-Life Financial Crisis, by Richard Eisenberg

The Money Book of Personal Finance, by Richard Eisenberg

 

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Jun 26, 2017

In this episode, Marc answers questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. You can learn about her career pivots in Episode 020. Listen in for ideas on exploring the job market, transitioning from teaching, the relevance of resumes, and tips for competing against internal candidates!

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:14] Elizabeth shares her story, and how Marc has helped guide her to her latest pivot, which has worked out well. Elizabeth invites listeners to listen to Episode 20, and connect with her on LinkedIn to share experiences.

[3:25] Q1: I am 57 and have recently retired from teaching H.S. science. I am seeking a freelance, travel freelance, or consulting job. I love to write, but not for a corporation. I love to travel and compare educational systems to create learning activities. I tried to start an early-learning school, but did not get enough students. Can you help me?

[4:22] A1: Marc talks about teaching H.S. math. He said teachers live a very isolated life, and are disconnected from the world. Marc wants this former teacher to explore. Travel blogging is one choice. Marc challenges him to focus on exactly what his writing emphasis will be. Marc can share resources for travel blogging if you contact him.

[6:35] Marc says to do homework, and find the opportunities. Teachers sometimes suffer from ‘MSU,’ because they don’t have the background. By the way, there is a huge cohort of teachers about to retire. Marc says it will take a lot of exploration for teachers to choose a direction and follow it. It won’t be easy.

[7:16] Q2: I am looking for a resume writer. I have seen prices from $200 to $5,000. Man! Why such a difference? Am I wasting money if I’m paying ‘crazy expensive?’ What do you think?

[7:40] A2: The resume is not nearly as important as it used to be. It is a good idea for new graduates, spend a little for help with your resume. For high income executives, it might make sense to spend $5,000 for a resume. For most in the second half of life, the resume is not what gets us the job; it’s the personal connections. Marc suggests a book.

[8:44] The huge range of resume costs reflects the amount of work needed for it. If you’ve got a decent resume to start, you can do it yourself, or get someone to clean it up. If you have no resume, it’s probably worth spending $500 to $1,000 with a decent resume writer. Marc offers low-end and a high-end suggestions for resume writers.

[12:17] Elizabeth wonders about switching career fields. Marc advises job shifters to reframe their experience for the particular job they are pursuing. He recommends Jobscan.co as a reframing resource. Also, the Modernize Your Resume book. But making a transition requires working your network connections, more than your resume.

[14:31] Marc talks about a client who has recruiters reaching out to her through her LinkedIn profile, regardless of her resume. If you get past the recruiter, you are fine.

[15:24] Q3: I am interviewing for a position where I know I am up against three internal candidates. Do you have any advice for how to compete for a position when the competition are coming from the inside of the company?

[15:40] A: Understand that when you are going up against internal candidates, you are going to lose a significant portion of the time. The hiring manager will make the safe choice. They know what they are getting. Marc says, go for it. Why are they interviewing you against these internal candidates? That’s what you’ve got to find out.

[17:17] What is the real problem? If they have three internal candidate, and one external candidate, they are looking to the external candidate for some reason. They may be looking for different ideas. Look on LinkedIn and find out as much about that department and their recent hiring, as you can. Have they been hiring externally?

[18:10] Marc gives the example of Nation Instruments, who hire mainly college graduates, who either stay, 7-10 years, or their entire career. They rarely hire externally. Marc says: go for it, be aggressive, ask good questions, find out why they are looking at an external candidate, and don’t get your hopes way up. Marc cites Jim Camp.

[20:18] You have nothing to lose. Really do your homework, and ask great questions. “If I poke you here, does it hurt?” What you’re trying to do is get them to spill the beans, as Jim Camp says in his negotiating book, Start With No. Then you have a way to position yourself. When you don’t get a job, always get on LinkedIn afterwards and see who did.

[22:03] Next episode will be with Richard Eisenberg, Managing Editor of Next Avenue, talking about the origins of Next Avenue, and where it’s going.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me

Episode 020 Elizabeth Rabaey

Elizabeth Rabaey on LInkedIn

The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast

Modernize Your Resume: Get Noticed ... Get Hired, by Wendy Enelow
and Louise Kursmark

L. Xavier Cano, The Resume WhizTM

Resumes That Stand Out!: Tips for College Students and Recent Grads for Writing a Superior Resume and Securing an Interview, by L. Xavier Cano

Chameleon Resumes by Lisa Rangel

Jobscan.co

National Instruments

Start with NO...The Negotiating Tools that the Pros Don't Want You to Know,
by Jim Camp

Next Avenue

CareerPivot.com Episode34

 

Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

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