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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: 2018
Dec 17, 2018

Elizabeth Rabaey has had to take multiple pivots to get where she is today. It wasn’t just one step. Elizabeth is a ‘creative,’ with a love for details. She spent 25 years working for a Texas-based environmental engineering consulting company, providing project management, and technical assistance. During her last three years there, she transitioned to the marketing and business development side of the company, which enabled her to combine both her creative and technical skills to promote the company.

 

Elizabeth then changed careers, taking multiple steps and learning new skills at each position, eventually finding a job working for an international company as a marketing coordinator. Marc and Elizabeth discuss why she initiated her career pivots, where they took her, what she learned along the way, and how long it took to land a position that met her needs.

 

At the end of the interview, Elizabeth returns to the podcast to give a 2018 update on her career.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:28] Marc welcomes you to Episode 108 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[1:41] CareerPivot.com brings you this podcast. CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of lives and our careers. Take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources that are delivered to you, free of charge.

[1:57] If you are enjoying this podcast, Marc asks you to share it with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, or any of the other apps that supply podcasts. Share it on social media, or just tell your neighbors and colleagues.

[2:13] This will be the last week you can take the 2018 Repurpose Your Career Podcast Survey. If you would be so kind, please go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey (where you will be redirected to SurveyMonkey) to take the survey. Marc will publish the results in January 2019. Marc thanks you in advance for your participation.

[2:39] This will be the last episode of 2018. Marc will not be publishing an episode on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. Marc will restart the podcast on January 7, 2019, with an interview of Elizabeth White, author of Fifty-Five, Unemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life.

[3:03] This week will be an encore episode where Marc interviewed Elizabeth Rabaey. Elizabeth has made multiple pivots to go from an air and water environmental permitting specialist, to be a creative marketing type. After the replay of the episode, which originally aired in March of 2017, Marc will bring Elizabeth back to give you an update.

[3:29] Marc welcomes Elizabeth to the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[3:43] Elizabeth started working with Marc in 2012 to pivot her career journey. She is grateful for Marc’s mentorship to keep moving forward. It takes longer than you might think to make major changes, especially after being in one industry for a long time.

[4:32] Elizabeth also had help from Jean LeFebvre of Panacheimages.com, an image consultant and others along the way.

[4:40] Elizabeth’s first half of life included working for a year in St. Paul, MN, after college. The winter inspired her to move to Austin, where she worked for the state government for three years. Looking to private industry, she went to a small environmental engineering company and worked there for 23+ years.

[5:15] Elizabeth had wonderful opportunities at that firm, and learned technical skills, like calculating air quality emissions, managing hazardous solid waste, planning around groundwater and stormwater, and more. She worked in many roles and learned new software. There was always something new and she had great mentors.

[6:32] One day, Elizabeth felt that she wanted more, and she opened the door to looking for a different opportunity.

[6:42] The spark for Elizabeth to make a change was that she felt like she had reached the end of what she wanted to do in that company. She also wanted to rein in her overtime and weekend hours to make room for volunteer activities, hobbies, or travel.

[7:29] How did Elizabeth start looking for ‘that next thing?’ LinkedIn was an influence. Where did she meet Marc Miller, and how did he catch her attention?

[8:39] At the Metropolitan Breakfast Club, Elizabeth met style and image consultant Jean LeFebvre. Used to T-shirts and shorts, Elizabeth needed a new image. Jean started by tossing out all Elizabeth’s clothes, and then she helped her select a business wardrobe. Jean LeFebvre has had remarkable success with several of Marc’s clients.

[11:40] What did Elizabeth do to improve her networking skills? She has three opening questions to get a conversation going. Just get out, and do it! It’s necessary, and it takes practice. Do what you feel works for you. The Metropolitan Breakfast Club was a good place for Elizabeth to learn networking.

[14:08] Elizabeth talks about her multiple job pivots. The first pivot came by way of a networking contact at a bigger firm, where she got a job and learned marketing and project management. Elizabeth stayed there for a year. Why did she go back to her former firm, and what did she learn?

[19:04] Marc notes that Elizabeth worked with Vicki McCullough, of Sequitur Marketing, who markets to engineers. Elizabeth comments on the challenges of marketing to engineers and service companies.

[20:45] Elizabeth explains how she found her current position on a job board and on their website. How did her five years of pivoting help her to get the job? What does she especially like about this job? How is it different from past roles?

[23:21] The most interesting thing: her company has no office in Austin. There are three employees who work in Austin from home, including Elizabeth’s boss. Jobs are largely becoming location independent. Jobs do not have to be where you live. Elizabeth feels she will perhaps have one more job. For right now, it is a good place for her to be.

[25:16] One skill Elizabeth has now that was not in her dreams of five years ago: her use of social media for marketing and branding. Another skill: collaborating with separated project team members, using text, and conference calls. Let go of “the way you’ve always done it,” so you can grow.

[27:05] Elizabeth does all the graphics for Marc, and she is good. She has learned Canva and other apps. She is a closet ‘creative.’ She wants to learn the Adobe Creative Cloud and become somewhat of a graphic artist. Marc comments on her progress.

[28:33] Elizabeth leaves some parting advice. Keep moving forward, and surround yourself with good people who push you to better things. Don’t let the bad things bring you down.

[29:40] You can reach out and start a conversation with Elizabeth Rabaey on LinkedIn. If you send her a connection request, say you listened to her on this podcast.

[30:28] Elizabeth started as a client of Marc’s. Then she became an intern and then a paid consultant. She’s not the same person she was when she got started! Marc thanks Elizabeth for being on the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[31:06] Marc notes that episode was originally released in March of 2017. Next, hear from Elizabeth again about where she is now in her journey.

[31:16] Marc welcomes Elizabeth back to the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Marc invites Elizabeth to tell everybody what has happened these last 18 months.

[31:36] Elizabeth is with the global heavy-duty mining equipment manufacturing company she described joining in the previous interview. She works on marketing projects supporting company offices in Canada and the U.S. She is on a team of three people.

[32:12] Elizabeth does the national and regional trade show management. She coordinates and gathers all the equipment to be displayed at the show, as well as working with vendors to build and tear down the company booth. She gets everybody registered manages travel, and arranges company speakers for the conferences.

[32:40] Elizabeth also produces printed marketing materials, designing the layout and writing the text. She has learned a lot and gained new skills through managing a lot of projects. It’s totally different from her earlier career. She works with a manager who gives her guidelines and boundaries and lets her go. That works very well for Elizabeth.

[33:18] Her earlier job of air and water environmental permitting was primarily Texas-based. In her new job, she travels to Canada and Australia as well as the U.S. There’s always something new and different. She uses creativity to solve problems in campaigns.

[34:30] Elizabeth markets things such as slurry pumps. A slurry pump is a big, heavy-duty pump used in a mining operation that moves slurry (water mixed with dirt, minerals, and mud) from one point to another. The material is usually very abrasive and so is the environment around the pump. Pumps need to withstand severe conditions.

[35:08] Elizabeth has been stretched by this job. She has added InDesign to her skillset to print brochures. She has learned logistics and how to work with a variety of vendors to coordinate events.

[36:23] Marc would like you to notice about Elizabeth — she is willing to learn and take chances. Four or five years ago, Elizabeth did not imagine anything close to the position she has now. She praises her manager and how they work together.

[37:09] During trade show season, January through the middle of May, Elizabeth travels to trade shows, arranging vendors setting up the booth, attending the show, and tearing down the booth. She does two big shows in the U.S. and one big show in Canada.

[37:51] In her permitting job, she traveled primarily in Texas. Now she gets to go to Montreal, Vancouver, Denver, Vegas and other places like that.

[38:56] Marc thanks Elizabeth for updating on her pivot. Elizabeth says she is already looking ahead and keeping herself fresh for the next pivot opportunity.

[39:38] Marc hopes you enjoyed this episode. Marc has more encore episodes planned where he will bring back the guest at the end to update you on where they are now.

[39:46] Susan Lahey and Marc are working on the next edition of Repurpose Your Career, and Marc is looking for your help. Marc is forming a release team of readers who will get access to pre-release chapters of the book to provide feedback. You can be part of this team by going to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam where you can sign up.

[40:08] When you sign up, you’ll receive the pre-release versions of chapters when they become available. What Marc asks in return is that you provide feedback and be prepared to write a review on Amazon.com when the book is released.

[40:22] Marc and Susan are adding around eight new chapters to the book and re-writing several others. Marc will release a new pre-release chapter on the podcast and to the team every four to six weeks.

[40:52] If you have not already taken the 2018 Repurpose Your Career podcast survey, please do it now by going to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey and taking the podcast survey on SurveyMonkey.com.

[40:57] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for almost 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Marc will start recruiting for the next cohort in early January.

[41:10] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves. Those in the initial cohorts will get to set the direction for this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with special content.

[41:46] Marc hopes you have a joyous holiday season. Marc and Mrs. Miller will be celebrating the holidays in Ajijic, Mexico.

[41:56] Check back on January 7th, for Marc’s interview of Elizabeth White, author of Fifty-Five, Unemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life.

[42:07] You will find the show notes for this episode at CareerPivot.com/episode-108.

[42:20] Please hop over to CareerPivot.com and subscribe to get updates to this podcast and all the other happenings at Career Pivot.

Dec 10, 2018

In this episode, Marc and Lynn discuss her book, Quitting by Design and discuss the advantages to quitting a job you don’t fit, some of the fears associated with quitting, how to prepare logically to meet the fears and move beyond them, and what you can learn from a job you hate and from leaving that job. Listen in for more ideas for your next career pivot or ‘quit.’

 

Key Takeaways:

[:58] Marc welcomes you to Episode 107 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[1:11] CareerPivot.com brings you this podcast. CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of lives and our careers. Take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources that are delivered to you, free of charge.

[1:30] If you are enjoying this podcast, Marc asks you to share it with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, and the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast app, TuneIn, Spotify app, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or just tell your neighbors and colleagues.

[1:51] We are coming to the end of the 2018 Repurpose Your Career Podcast Survey. Over 40 people have taken the survey. Marc will probably leave it up for another week.

[2:05] In order to improve the show, Marc needs to know something about you — how you listen to the show; if you read the show notes; what kinds of episodes are your favorites.

[2:15] Marc asks if you would kindly go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey (where you will be redirected to SurveyMonkey) to take the survey. Marc will publish the results very likely in January. As Marc records this in Matehuala, Mexico, on the way back to Ajijic, he has surpassed 40 survey participants. He thanks you in advance for doing this.

[2:49] Next week, Marc will share an encore episode where he interviewed Elizabeth Rabaey. Elizabeth has made multiple pivots to go from an air and water environmental permitting specialist, to be a creative marketing type.

[3:05] This week, Marc interviews Dr. Lynn Marie Morski, who is a quitting evangelist. She helps people quit strategically, through her book, Quitting by Design, and her podcast, Quit Happens.

[3:23] Marc welcomes Dr. Lynn Marie Morski to the Repurpose Your Career podcast.
[4:04] Lynn explains the differences between quitting and failing.

[4:41] Quitting strategically puts you in an empowered position. It is better than hoping for the best in a job where you are not performing until suddenly you get fired without any plans for what comes next.

[5:11] Unless you are independently wealthy, plan your next move. Marc has quit jobs. Once he was laid off, at his request. One of Marc’s favorite books is Necessary Endings, by Dr. Henry Cloud. In order for new things to start, we have to end things.

[6:04] Your body will tell you when it’s time to quit. When your body starts giving you signals, such as anxiety, insomnia, or a discontented feeling, you start to have chronic pain, or you start getting really irritable with your co-workers, loved ones, or friends, those are all signs that something is out of alignment and needs to be changed.

[6:49] Sometimes when people feel this way, they start adding things. It may be that you need to subtract something that isn’t working for you, not add something else.

[6:56] A therapist may point out to you the things that are not working for you. Sometimes another view can help us see what is not obvious to ourselves.

[8:11] Marc tells of times a therapist has helped him make a career change. It comes down to finding out what is creating the situation that is not working for you.

[8:32] There are fears around quitting. Lynn separates them into esoteric and logistical fears. If you wonder what about all the time and money you’ve wasted pursuing your career, overcome your fear by seeing the ‘sunk cost fallacy.’ Having put money into something is no reason to stay in it.

[9:37] If you were willing to spend time and money pursuing something you don’t want, the money you spent is gone, anyway. Don’t you owe it to yourself to find something you enjoy doing? Lynn talks about her medical school loans. She invested a lot in herself to follow a specific path.

[10:29] Lynn finished her Sports Medicine fellowship in 2009 and realized during that year that she didn’t love it. She decided what she did not want in her career. She chose to quit having a pager, quit prescribing, and quit working nights and weekends, sitting on the sidelines. She chose to do VA compensation and pension exams.

[13:24] Going through this process helped Lynn realize how to help other people who can’t make a dramatic ‘quit.’ To completely quit medicine is a lot bigger deal than to quit having specific aspects in a medical job.

[13:40] Marc notes that quitting is only bad if you haven’t learned something. He shares an experience from his IBM days. He quit from one position he hated in less than a year but he still uses what he learned from that year in his current practice. He’s glad he did it but enough of it was enough.

[14:50] People may fear that they have wasted whatever time they spent in a job they quit. The only way you can find out what you want to do is by experimenting. Not all those experiments are going to be slam-dunks. If you learn from it, it was not wasted.

[15:23] If Marc hated his IBM job and then took the same job at a competitor, yes, he would have wasted that time because he wouldn’t have learned from it. If you take an experience and learn what you do like, and what you don’t like, then it’s not a waste.

[15:40] Marc admits that multiple times in his career he has relapsed by going back to something he had done earlier, and not learning from the first time what he wanted to avoid. He says you have to learn from your mistakes, and not forget what you’ve learned!

[16:20] Besides the fears of sunk costs and wasted jobs, people may fear what other people may think. That is the least problem because nothing of what people think about you is nearly as important as what you think about yourself. What you experience is more real to you than what someone else may or may not be thinking.

[18:37] Marc recalls the episode with Jennifer Winter, who was head of sponsorship for Turner Broadcasting Sports. She did not like sports. People told her she had the greatest job ever, but it was not for her. Quitting is OK even if others don’t understand or support your decision.

[19:53] When somebody says something disapproving, it takes five seconds of your day. Contrast that with the 40 hours a week you have to put into the job. How does that balance out?

[20:45] If a person can’t quit and needs the money coming in. Strategically quitting is the answer. You want to up-level your life, not end up on the street. Lynn says to save up a nest egg or emergency fund, start a side hustle and work at it until it can take over as your main job, or start interviewing while you are still at the job you’re quitting.

[22:00] If you have to leave the job and you haven’t found a replacement job, find ways to live on half of your income and cut back on expenses so you can prepare for some time between jobs or finding a job with less earning potential than you had before.

[22:28] Marc recommends listeners to go back two episodes to listen to Susan Joyce of Job-Hunt.org. Susan talks about proactive vs. reactive job search. Marc reminds listeners he is moving to Mexico to be able to live on a third of the cost of living in Austin. This reduction in his cost of living allows Marc a huge amount of freedom.

[23:03] Marc also recommends you not to listen to what others tell you. Get the facts for yourself.

[23:14] You can find Lynn’s book or reach Lynn for coaching at QuittingByDesign.com. Also, you can contact Lynn on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at QuittingByDesign.

[23:44] Marc thanks Dr. Lynn Marie Morski for being on the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Marc hopes you enjoyed this episode — it might inspire you to be a quitter!

[23:56] Susan Lahey and Marc are working on the next edition of Repurpose Your Career, and Marc is looking for your help. Marc is forming a release team of readers who will get access to pre-release chapters of the book to provide feedback. You can be part of this team by going to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam where you can sign up.

[24:19] When you sign up, you’ll receive the pre-release version of chapters when they become available. What Marc asks in return is for you to provide feedback and be prepared to write a review on Amazon.com when the book is released.

[24:34] Marc and Susan are adding around eight new chapters to the book and re-writing several others. Marc’s goal is to have a chapter on the podcast and to the team every four to six weeks in the coming months. Marc may start a private Facebook group for the team to discuss their thoughts.

[24:58] Please go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey and take the 2018 Repurpose Your Career podcast survey on SurveyMonkey.com. Marc thanks the listeners who have already participated and taken the survey.

[25:19] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for almost 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Marc will start recruiting soon for the next cohort.  

[25:33] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves. Those in the initial cohorts will get to set the direction for this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with special content.

[26:13] Check back next week, when Marc interviews Elizabeth Rabaey, in an encore episode.

[26:32] Please hop over to CareerPivot.com and subscribe to get updates of this podcast and all the other happenings at CareerPivot. You can also subscribe on podcast sites.

Dec 3, 2018

In this episode, Marc recounts the details of traveling back to the U.S. from Mexico without a guide other than Google Maps. They clean out the condo and prepare it for rental. They sell what they don’t want to keep, store what they do, and give the remainder to the Salvation Army. Marc shares the health benefits he and his wife have experienced through walking more and eating healthier and the financial benefits of a more affordable healthcare system including health insurance at a fraction of the cost of the ACA programs. Marc describes the trip back to Austin and why you don’t drive at night in Mexico!

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:11] Marc welcomes you to Episode 106 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[1:22] CareerPivot.com brings you this podcast. CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of lives and our careers. Take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources that are delivered to you, free of charge.

[1:40] If you are enjoying this podcast, Marc asks you to share it with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, and the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast app, TuneIn, Spotify app, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or just tell your neighbors and colleagues. The more people Marc reaches, the more he can help.

[2:07] Marc has released the 2018 Repurpose Your Career Podcast Survey. Marc thanks listeners who have already taken the survey.

[2:15] In order to improve the show, Marc needs to know something about you — how you listen to the show; if you read the show notes; what kinds of episodes are your favorites.

[2:25] Marc asks if you would kindly go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey (where you will be redirected to SurveyMonkey) to take the survey. Marc will publish the results in a couple of months. In the last week of November, Marc has 35 survey participants, so far. He thanks you in advance for doing this survey for the podcast.

[2:50] Next week, Marc will interview Dr. Lynn Marie Morski, who is a quitting evangelist. She helps people quit strategically, through her book, Quitting by Design, and her podcast, Quit Happens.

[3:06] This week, Marc takes you on the next steps in becoming an expat in Mexico. Marc and his wife have returned to Austin for six weeks, where they are cleaning out their condo and preparing for their return trip to become semi-permanent residents of Mexico.

[3:24] Marc tells of their plan to clean out the condo, apply for visas at the Mexican Embassy in Laredo, get route advice from Juan Pablo (J.P.), get a new car battery, bring cats to the vet, get inn reservations, and use Google Maps for their first solo trip back.

[5:15] Mexican highways include several roads in various directions with the same number. Google Maps was invaluable for directions.

[5:37] The Millers left on a Tuesday, to avoid trucks that are usually released on Mondays. Going North is very different from going South, primarily because of security checkpoints.

[6:04] The Mexican countryside is “drop-dead gorgeous.” Marc wants to take a lot more pictures on their way back down. As they started toward Matehuala there was fairly minimal truck traffic for a good distance.

[6:32] Once the truck traffic picked up, there were stretches with one car for every 10 trucks. Marc found a truck going the speed they wanted and followed it for hundreds of miles, as J.P. had suggested.

[7:08] On Day One, the Millers ran into one security checkpoint but they were not stopping anyone. The first day was pretty uneventful. They had brought all the food they needed to eat on the trip, so their only stops were for bathroom breaks.

[7:33] At the end of Day One, the Millers stayed at the Las Palmas Midway Inn in Matehuala. It is a 1950s style motor inn. Many expats stay there because it is pet-friendly. It was almost full when Marc made the reservation, a week ahead of the trip. This is when all the snowbirds start coming down.

[8:11] This time, the cats were a whole lot more comfortable traveling. They were fine at the inn and in the car. The first day was easy. The Millers stopped at the Matehuala Walmart and bought a few things. The hotel restaurant was actually very, very good.

[8:46] On Day Two Marc and his wife started out at 7:30, and boy, did they see trucks! Trucks and more trucks. They went through multiple security checkpoints. One of the major ones actually backed up things for an hour. They were in bumper-to-bumper traffic for an hour as they diverted all trucks off to be searched.

[9:16] When the Millers got up to the checkpoint, cars were funneled to the left and were waved through. The car in front of the Millers was a high-powered car driven by a Mexican, and the security officers pulled it over to inspect.

[9:37] There was also a fruta stop to check for fruit. Marc knew enough Spanish to be able to answer no when the officer asked if they had any fruit in the car.

[9:53] Marc and his wife drove all the way up to Nuevo Laredo, to cross at the Laredo border crossing. First, they had to stop at the Banjercito where they surrendered the Temporary Import Permit (TIP) for their car and received back the $400 deposit they paid for their car. If you miss this, you will be barred from bringing a car back to Mexico.

[10:55] Marc pulled into the wrong side of the Banjercito booth, and they directed him to turn around and approach on the correct side. They peeled the sticker off and informed the Millers the deposit would be refunded to the Millers’ credit card in three or four days.

[11:14] Next was the Immigration (IMM) Office where they took the Millers’ tourist visa (FMM) card. Next would be the U.S. Customs on the other side of the border.

[11:37] The Millers had all the paperwork for the cats, as they were supposed to have. That was good because Customs did check their cats.

[11:49] These are highly-crossed borders, and closing them is a huge inconvenience for business and locals who go across the borders to work. The Millers crossed at about 5:00 p.m. after a 45-minute wait. They made it to a La Quinta in Laredo, where they stayed the night.

[12:37] The next morning, the Millers drove the nice, easy three-to-four trip home.

[12:53] The Millers discovered when they got back to Austin that Marc had lost 15 pounds and his wife had lost 20. In Mexico, other than drives to Guadalajara, they hadn’t put 20 miles on the car. They walked everywhere. If they had something big to bring back, like a sack of kitty litter, they brought a little hand truck to carry it.

[12:38] Another reason for the weight loss is that Mexican food has no added sugar and salt. Every kind of food the Millers ate tasted better. Local fruits and vegetables, and local baked goods tasted so good.

[14:36] Marc’s blood pressure is back to normal and still improving. Marc is now back at his college graduation weight at age 62 — 170 pounds at just under 6'4". He hasn’t been this healthy in years.

[15:05] Marc also noticed how much constant noise there is in Austin from machinery and traffic, contrasted with Ajijic. The pace of life is booming in Austin, and Marc finds he doesn’t like it anymore. Austin has changed dramatically in the 40 years the Millers have lived there.

[15:38] It used to be a sleepy little university town with state government. “It ain’t that no more.”

[15:44] Marc is healthier than he has been in years. His wife has more stamina than she’s had in years. Marc cannot say what the last four months have done for their health. They are looking forward to going back.

[15:58] The Miller’s first concern in Austin was what to do with all their stuff. They rented a 5'x10' room at a small storage facility for about $70 per month. Their goal had been to get rid of everything but — not quite everything. They’re storing a few things they are not sure they want to discard and things they will bring down to Ajijic on their next trip.

[16:33] The Millers will leave their bikes for now and bring them down on their next trip. They also have a really nice king-sized bed they will store, just in case they come back to stay. Items they wanted no more, they put up on their local condo Facebook group and on Marc’s regular Facebook page, saying no reasonable offer will be turned down.

[17:16] The Millers started selling things for $30 to $50. Whatever is leftover that the Millers do not want, the Salvation Army Austin will have come and picked up by the time this episode is released.

[17:35] Marc lists the repairs that were needed before renting the condo — new dishwasher, new seals in the toilet, new knobs for the range, some painting, and general maintenance.

[18:31] The Millers went through all their paper photos. They got rid of a lot of them and took the rest to a camera shop to be scanned. They will still keep the scanned photos in paper form as well.

[18:48] One of their biggest problems was moving George, their 45-year-old ponytail palm. George is nearly 10 feet tall and 500 pounds and was on the third floor. The condo manager found three guys to move the tree and it was an ordeal. They had to take it out of the pot, which was heavy in itself. They gave the tree to a former neighbor.

[19:55] They changed their correspondence address to that of an old family friend they’ve known for over 40 years. They are applying for health insurance. Marc has been approved and Lotus Miller is waiting for approval. Marc tells the premium and deductible for his own policy for a year, which will be much less than his monthly ACA premium.

[20:55] Lotus’s policy will be a little more than Marc’s and is going through the approval process, now.

[21:05] The Millers have just prepared their 2015 Subaru Outback with new tires and a full-size spare. They had to install a lockable Yakima roof rack for the spare, for about $500.

[22:15] Marc tells of going through a fog thicker than any he had driven through in his life. The temperature dropped 30°F immediately, and the low-pressure gauge for the tires popped on. Now Marc is getting an electric tire pump to keep in the vehicle.

[23:21] Within 10 days of crossing the border, the cats must go to the vet with all the paperwork needed.

[23:36] Marc will get a temporary resident visa for himself. Lotus will get a permanent resident visa for herself. You can’t bring a car in on a permanent visa! The car is in Marc’s name. Their marriage certificate shows a different name for Lotus.

[24:18] Lotus changed her first name about 10 years ago. The name on their wedding license needs to be certified by the Mexican government. After The Millers get their marriage license certified by the Mexican government, Marc will get a permanent visa and they will get rid of the car. The Mexican government does not like American cars.

[25:01] By the time this episode is released on Monday, the Millers will have stopped at the Mexican Embassy in Laredo to process the visa applications. They will cross the border, go to the IMM office very early and leave for Ajijic on Tuesday morning, making it a two-day trip.

[25:36] The key piece is — you do not drive at night in Mexico! You do not! There is livestock on the road, even the toll roads. There are also speed bumps that come up fast that you don’t see at night. Marc will leave Laredo with a full tank of gas. Gas is well over $4.00 in Mexico. The only stops will be for bathroom breaks.

[27:01] The Millers are excited to go back. Marc is happy to leave Austin. The stress of getting everything ready and turning it over to the property manager has been really difficult.

[27:33] Marc and his wife will be coming back to Austin in early March, as Marc has a speaking gig then in Central Texas. The car is also due for registration in April and a car inspection. Marc shares some travel plans for that time.

[28:12] Marc hopes you get a feel for this being an amazing experience and a healthy experience. Having spent five months in Mexico, their 2018 spending expenses are way, way down, probably 60% to two-thirds of 2017’s expenses. They have not lived a frugal lifestyle in Ajijic, Mexico.

[29:04] Marc hopes you learned something from this episode! If you have any questions, please go to the Show Notes at CareerPivot.com/Episode-106 and put some comments. Marc will be happy to answer your questions. A lot of people have been following the Millers on this journey, including some visits to see them in Ajijic!

[29:36] Susan Lahey and Marc are working on the next edition of Repurpose Your Career, and they are looking for your help. Marc is forming a release team of readers who will get access to pre-release chapters of the book to provide feedback. You can be part of this team by going to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam where you can sign up.

[29:58] When you sign up, you’ll receive the pre-release version of chapters when they become available. What Marc asks in return is for you to provide feedback and be prepared to write a review on Amazon when the book is released.

[30:17] Marc and Susan are adding around eight new chapters to the book and re-writing several others. Marc’s goal is to have a chapter on the podcast and to the team every four to six weeks in the coming months. Marc may start a private Facebook group for the team to discuss their thoughts. A PDF of Chapter 1 will be released soon.

[31:03] Please go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey and take the 2018 Repurpose Your Career podcast survey on SurveyMonkey.com. Marc thanks the listeners who have already participated and taken the survey.

[31:21] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for around 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Marc will start recruiting in mid-December for the next cohort to begin in early January.  

[31:38] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves. Those in the initial cohorts will get to set the direction for this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with special content.

[41:51] Marc will do a session, probably in early January, where he will be interviewing some of the members of the community about what they’re getting out of it. This is an evolving community ranging in age from the mid-fifties to the mid-sixties.

[32:14] Check back next week, when Marc interviews Dr. Lynn Marie Morski, author of Quitting by Design.

[32:48] If you would like to connect with Marc on LinkedIn, please go to LinkedIn.com/in/mrmiller and just say you were listening to this podcast and you would like to connect.

Nov 26, 2018

In this episode, Marc interviews Susan Joyce to discuss the difference between a reactive and a proactive job search. Job-Hunt.org and Susan have been helping people find jobs since 1998. Susan P. Joyce holds a BS in Education and an MBA in Information Systems. She is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and two corporate layoffs. Susan worked in HR at Harvard University and recently finished an appointment as the Visiting Scholar at MIT Sloan. Since 1998, She’s been the Publisher, Editor, Webmaster, and Chief Writer for Job-Hunt.org. Susan has been studying, writing, and speaking about online job search since 1995, building on her own unique background in Military Intelligence, technology, and human resources. A LinkedIn member since 2004, Susan has been teaching about the effective use of LinkedIn for job search for many years.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:33] Marc welcomes you to Episode 105 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[1:45] CareerPivot.com brings you this podcast. CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of life in our careers. Take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources that are delivered to you, free of charge.

[2:02] If you are enjoying this podcast, Marc asks you to share it with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play and the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast app, TuneIn, Spotify app, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or just tell your neighbors and colleagues.

[2:22] Marc has released the 2018 Repurpose Your Career Podcast Survey. Marc thanks listeners who have already taken the survey. So far, as of November 14, the number of surveys exceeds the number from last year, so thank you!

[2:40] To improve the show, Marc needs to know something about you — how you listen to the show; if you read the show notes; what kinds of episodes are your favorites.

[2:50] Marc asks if you would kindly go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey (where you will be redirected to SurveyMonkey) to take the survey. Marc will publish the results in a couple of months. Marc will probably keep the survey open through mid-to-late December. He thanks you in advance for doing this survey for the podcast.

[3:15] Next week, Marc will be taking you on the next steps on becoming an expat in Mexico. Marc and his wife have returned to Austin for six weeks, where they are cleaning out their condo and preparing for their return trip to become semi-permanent residents of Mexico.

[3:31] Marc and his wife are coming to the end of their journey, and he wants to close things out, at least, for a little while.

[3:39] This week, Marc is interviewing Susan Joyce, of Job-Hunt.org fame. Marc reads Susan’s bio and welcomes her to the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[5:13] Susan says she has been very fortunate in her career. In her last semester in college, she learned teaching would not be a good path for her. So, she joined the Marine Corps. It was the best job she ever had. Unfortunately, that was her first layoff.

[6:25] Susan next came to Massachusetts where there were lots of opportunities.

[6:29] Marc and Susan both feel that in their careers they’ve been more lucky than good. Marc only had one layoff, which was voluntary; otherwise, he chose to move.

[7:12] Susan explains the difference between a reactive and a proactive job search. Waiting for job postings and applying to them is being reactive. You are limited to the postings that you find. The reactive market is really random and the most competitive job market.

[7:55] In the proactive job market you leverage your network, make yourself visible, and give employers opportunities to find you. When you’re found by an employer, the shoe’s on the other foot. They’re pleading with you to work for them. It’s a stronger position for the job searcher, especially regarding salary and the choice of where you want to work.

[8:43] The proactive job searcher is not competing with everybody sitting at their computer applying through for jobs. There are a lot of advantages in being proactive rather than reactive.

[8:58] Someone asked Marc why recruiters weren’t finding them for jobs that they wanted. Marc advised them to make their LinkedIn profile state what they were looking for. You have to make yourself “look pretty” to be found for the job you want. If you look like a mechanic instead of an architect they will find you for mechanic jobs.

[9:42] The proactive approach is best. You avoid competition; you present what you want; you focus on where you want to work. Don’t call yourself a marketing professional. No recruiter is searching for the term “marketing professional.” They search for job titles like “social media marketing manager,” or “B2B marketing analyst.”

[11:02] In a proactive job search, use the exact job title of the role you want. Know the employers you want to work for and know what they call the job you want next. Use those terms in your LinkedIn profile, both in the professional headline and also in the description of your work. Including these keywords lets employers find you.

[11:48] Use the right keywords in the right places. Today’s search engines do not fall for using the same keywords over and over in white letters on white space. Use them in the text where they make sense.

[12:40] Think like a recruiter and how they search. Keep current with job titles as they change. Marc used to be a training manager. In today’s usage that would be learning and development. The old term MIS is replaced by IT. Using old terms stamps “old” on your forehead. Don’t refer to obsolete job skills, like MS-DOS Control Programmer.

[13:59] To start your proactive job search, first target employers and jobs at those employers. Don’t target two or three, but as many as are local to you. Ask for an informational interview to build your network. Find potential good places to work and then use your network to find out if they really are good places to work.

[14:43] Research the job title. Admin wizard might your current title. Most companies would call it a senior administrative assistant, so list it as admin wizard/sr. administrative assistant. That gives you the right keywords for the rest of the world.

[15:56] Use these job title keywords on LinkedIn, resume, your business card, and networking card (without your employer information.) If you are not employed you do need a networking card, with a Gmail address on it, because Gmail is the most widely respected email name. Get a free Google Voice phone number to forward to your cell.

[17:27] Marc tells people who wear many hats to put all the job titles that are applicable to what they do. Marc suggests using a vertical bar to separate them, but a slash also works. Always make sure you have the job titles for the job you want.

[18:14] Susan explains why you need to be specific in your LinkedIn profile about your location or your planned location.

[19:18] One of the best ways to use a proactive job search is to try to connect with an employee referral. Less than 20% of jobs are filled using job boards. More than 30% of jobs are filled using employee referrals. LinkedIn can find people who work for specific employers and can find connections you might have in common to reach out to them.

[21:25] Marc also recommends finding people who have left the company and finding out how long they were there and why they left. They can give you an authentic view of what the culture really is. If you don’t ask, you won’t find out.

[23:17] If you are unemployed, you can be really open and public about your proactive job search on and off LinkedIn. Go to the local Chamber of Commerce meeting or a local professional association. Introduce yourself in terms of the job you are seeking. Don’t represent that “you can do anything.” Take the opportunity for personal branding.

[24:42] If you say you are good at everything, no one will believe you, or know what your strengths are or what you want to do.

[26:20] If you are employed, you will be much more subtle. You can’t be open about a job search. You can be fired for that. Leave out anything about “seeking new opportunities” in every public discussion you are in on LinkedIn. Keep it low-profile.

[28:00] This is where having the right keywords in the right places and being visible in LinkedIn groups associated with your work is helpful. Share more information about what your company does. Fill out your LinkedIn profile with lots of detail without violating corporate confidentiality rules. It will increase your marketability and help your company.

[29:01] When you increase your visibility in a proactive way, you will be noticed, and hopefully, by the right people. You can also join groups that aren’t particularly related to your job, but which are interesting to you, and that you can explain easily if anybody asks. You increase your visibility and your knowledge base.

[29:43] There are so many opportunities for personal marketing on LinkedIn. Follow people who work for your target employers, if they share on LinkedIn. Who you follow isn’t something that people can normally check on LinkedIn. Make yourself visible, without drawing your employer's attention to yourself.

[31:11] Recruiters are getting so desperate. There used to be 250 applications for a job. Now there are 25 applications for a job. This may mean an increase in salary for your next job. Being out there, visible and intelligent and not ranting about politics or the Red Sox, or really, ranting about anything, unless ranting is the job you want next!

[31:44] Being seen out there as a professional in your field will bring attention to you. It’s not bragging to share a good article from a technical journal. Marc advises people to curate good content and then go share it, being sure to tag people that you want to see it. The idea is you are trying to be helpful and be a resource.

[33:06] If you’re providing them with useful information, it’s not being a pest.

[33:15] Asking people for advice is a whole lot more effective than asking them for a job. “What do you think about this? Does this strike you as a good idea?” Ask those kinds of questions when you’re tagging someone by sharing something. Or ask them for advice on how to make something happen for a particular situation, even technical questions.

[33:56] When you ask for advice it’s a compliment. Ask for AIR (Advice, Insights, and Recommendations). Always ask for the recommendation or the next step. It’s your close.

[34:55] The numbers associated with reactive job search vs. proactive job search should convince you to try the proactive approach. Susan estimates that 80% of the people she talks to have only tried reactive searching. As you keep track of how many jobs you apply for and how many times you hear back from a recruiter, you see it is bad.

[35:41] Applying for a job, to be successful, you need to thread the needle. You need to respond very specifically to the requirements of the job. Some of those job descriptions aren’t particularly realistic. If you’re applying well, you’re investing a lot of time. Instead, spend three hours a day interacting, curating and sharing good content, or networking.

[37:15] For the unemployed, job clubs are fabulous. Go to them and expand your network. Most of the people in the job club will end up with jobs. And you’ll stay in touch with those people on LinkedIn for the next job search. The lifetime job is gone.

[37:56] Marc refers to the Repurpose Your Career episode with Bob McIntosh where Bob talked about activity vs. engagement. Go engage!

[38:08] You can reach Susan Joyce through her contact information on LinkedIn at LinkedIn.com/in/SusanJoyce or email her at Susan@Job-Hunt.org. Don’t forget that hyphen! Marc thanks Susan for being on the podcast.

[38:59] Susan Lahey and Marc are working on the next edition of Repurpose Your Career, and they are looking for your help. Marc is forming a release team of readers who will get access to pre-release chapters of the book to provide feedback. You can be part of this team by going to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam where you can sign up.

[39:35] When you sign up, you’ll receive the pre-release version of chapters when they become available. Last week, Marc read the opening chapter, and that will be available in several weeks. What Marc asks in return is for you to provide feedback and be prepared to write a review on Amazon when the book is released.

[40:00] Marc and Susan are adding about eight chapters to the book and re-writing several others. Marc’s goal is to have a chapter on the podcast and to the team every four to six weeks in the coming months. Marc may start a private Facebook group for the team to discuss their thoughts.  

[40:39] Please go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey and take the 2018 Repurpose Your Career podcast survey on SurveyMonkey.com. Marc would be most appreciative for your help. Marc needs to know something about you so he can improve this podcast for you. Marc is getting a good response and would like to get as many as 100.

[40:53] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for almost 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Probably by the time this airs, Marc will have on-boarded the latest cohort. Marc will start recruiting for the next cohort by early January.

[41:16] If you’re interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves. Those in the initial cohorts will get to set the direction for this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with special content.

[41:51] Marc will do a session, probably in early January, where he will be interviewing some of the members of the community about what they’re getting out of it. This is an evolving community ranging in age from the mid-fifties to the mid-sixties.

[42:34] Check back next week, when Marc will take you on the next steps to becoming an ex-pat in Mexico.

Nov 12, 2018

In this episode, Marc invites listeners to take the 2018 Repurpose Your Career Survey, to help him make this podcast better with your feedback. He invites you to join pre-release readers of the new edition of Repurpose Your Career to read chapters of the book, give feedback, and review the book on Amazon when it is released. Marc reads Chapter 1 of the new edition.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:12] Marc welcomes you to Episode 104 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[1:25] CareerPivot.com brings you this podcast. CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of life in our careers. Take a moment to check out the blog and other resources that are delivered to you, free of charge.

[1:43] If you are enjoying this podcast, Marc asks you to share it with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play and the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast app, TuneIn, Spotify app, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or just tell your neighbors and colleagues.

[2:05] Marc has released the 2018 Repurpose Your Career Podcast Survey. Marc thanks listeners who have already taken the survey. Last year, there were about 30 responses. Marc is hoping for 60 to 100 responses this year, with his larger audience.

[2:22] To improve the show, Marc needs to know something about you — how you listen to the show; if you read the show notes; what kinds of episodes are your favorites.

[2:34] Marc asks if you would kindly go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey (where you will be redirected to SurveyMonkey) to take the survey. Marc will publish the results in a couple of months. Marc thanks you in advance for doing this survey for the podcast.

[2:57] The Repurpose Your Career podcast will skip a week for Thanksgiving. There will be no podcast next week, to give some folks — including Marc — a break. The following week, Marc will be interviewing Susan Joyce of Job-Hunt.org fame.

[3:20] Job-Hunt.org and Susan have been helping people find jobs since 1998. Marc and Susan will discuss the differences between a reactive and a proactive job search.

[3:36] This week, Marc starts the promotion of the next edition of Repurpose Your Career, with a planned release date in the first half of 2019. Marc has been working on the next edition with Susan Lahey, and he will be looking for your help. Marc is forming a release team of readers to read pre-release chapters of the book to provide feedback.

[4:00] You can be part of this pre-release team by going to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam, where you can sign up. When you sign up, you’ll receive pre-release versions of the chapter Marc is reading today, and additional chapters when they become available.

[4:22] Marc asks in return that you provide feedback and be prepared to write an Amazon.com book review when the book is released. Marc is not asking you to write a five-star review but your honest review.

[4:40] Marc begins reading the opening chapter of the next edition of Repurpose Your Career.

[4:48] Finally, we’re at full employment. Unemployment rates are below 4%. Everybody who wants a job, has one, right? Not exactly! That’s what most of the data says, but the data seems to be leaving something out.

[5:10] According to the AARP Public Policies Employment Data Digest, most people over 55 who want to be employed are. In fact, the unemployment rate for this age group was only 3% as of April 2018.

[5:25] Unemployment numbers are based on how many civilians not employed by an institution, are either working or looking for work. Marc goes to a fair number of jobs clubs for job seekers. The faces he sees there tend to be — well, old. Some of that is because these people are part of the long-term unemployed.

[5:49] Being unemployed for more than 26 weeks is a real drag on your health and can make you look old. And 22% of unemployed people have been unemployed that long, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). But more than a third of long-term unemployed are over 55.

[6:09] In Austin (where I live part of the time), the unemployment rate is under 3% — unless you happen to be over 50. If you’re over 50, it’s higher than 12%.

[6:21] In 2015, The Atlantic published the article “Where not to be Old and Jobless,” which listed Austin as the number four worst place to be old and unemployed, behind San Jose, Cal., El Paso, Tex., and New Haven, Conn.

[6:39] Research by AARP shows that there’s a real danger that unemployed people over 50 — especially women — could become impoverished. So the organization has funded a program at Austin Community College, called Back to Work 50+. It’s a great thing that AARP has funded this program; if we’re at full employment, why is it needed?

[7:04] Why are so many people in this age group unsuccessfully looking for work? The statistics they collected don’t include retired people, by the way. While I do know some people who have successfully retired before age 65, most of them are government employees or they retired because either their health or their spouse’s health was poor.

[7:30] I know people who gave up looking and just started taking Social Security early. 40% of the people who initiate Social Security do so at age 62. Only 7% wait to take Social Security until the maximum age of 70. This is a real problem. If you take Social Security before your full retirement, you lose a lot.

[8:02] If you were born in 1960 and take retirement at 62, you lose 30%. If you were born in 1960 and wait and take your full benefit until 70, you gain 24%. Some people take benefits early and work, too. If you’re doing that and you are under full retirement age for the full year, you lose $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn over the annual limit.

[8:33] In 2018, the limit is $17,040. So if you earn $40,000, They’ll take $11,480 out of your retirement benefits. Things have to be pretty rough if you’re willing to lose that much money for the rest of your life.

[8:51] Why are so many people over 55 unemployed and looking, compared to the rest of the population? Is it ageism? Is it they don’t have skills for today’s workplace? Or something else? The answer is: Yes.

[9:09] Ageism is thriving in places like Austin, where the economy revolves around tech startups. If your skills are up-to-date, you have a solid work history, you’re physically fit, you dress like you know what year it is, you’re not looking or acting old, except for some wrinkles and gray hair, and they don’t hire you, that’s age discrimination.

[9:42] I have lots of examples from the CareerPivot Online Community where the members have acquired skills in the latest programming technologies and data science, and still can’t get hiring managers to speak to them.

[9:55] Hiring managers don’t want to invest in the careers of people in the second half of life. The reasoning is, they don’t have enough career runway. Considering that most people change jobs every four-and-a-half years, should they be worried about career runway?

[10:13] When we are at full employment, should we be worried about having enough career runway? That is an example of ageism.

[10:23] However, ageism isn’t always the culprit. If you let yourself and your skills go, it’s something different. A lot of older people try to get by without learning new skills, hoping to coast toward retirement. But in this rapidly-changing environment of creative destruction, their career track may evaporate long before they’re ready to retire.

[10:46] In such cases, your experience may not help you get the next job. Think of it like trading in a car. When I traded in my 2003 Honda Element, it didn’t have GPS or Bluetooth. It didn’t have heated seats or any kind of hybrid engine. Plus, it had some wear and tear. It looked like a car that had been on some road trips.

[11:10] The dealership offered me a lower price than they charged me for my new car. They discriminated against my Honda Element! If you’re acting like an old curmudgeon, if you’re griping about learning new-fangled technologies, or about the behavior of Millennials, you’re keeping yourself out of the workforce.

[11:31] There is no question that we have a skills mismatch in the market. We are seeing creative destruction accelerate through so many industries, eliminating positions of people who’ve honed their skills over decades. I’ve had clients whose whole career worlds disappear in under five years.

[11:52] Keeping your skills up is crucial but it's not enough to keep you employed. You need to be creative. You need to be agile. You need to be ready to reinvent yourself after a few years to match what the market needs. Forget about cruise control It’s time to get a manual transmission and learn how to use it.

[12:16] Marti Konstant, author of Activate Your Agile Career: How Responding to Change Will Inspire Your Life's Work, said it best. “Adapt or be left behind.” You can plan for a future that will be significantly different from today or be left behind. It’s your choice.

[12:39] Many of us want or need to work into our 70s. Working in our 70s will not look like working in our 50s. It will, most likely, be a combination of different types of jobs. You’re looking at multiple part-time jobs; starting a side gig; finding different ways to make money. Many of us don’t think like that. We were raised to be employees.

[13:04] We believed that finding a job was the quickest, surest way to security. We’d get in there and stay until we got our gold watch. Today, that ain’t happening! For one thing, it’s tough to get anyone to hire someone in their 60s. Beyond that, these days, even companies can’t promise they’ll be around in five years! Your employer won’t save you.

[13:29] You have to get creative. More and more people prefer the self-service options to dealing with a human. And more and more jobs can be done by technology. Among the professions the BLS predicts are on the way out are respiratory therapy techs, computer operators, legal secretaries, and everybody at the Post Office.

[13:55] Consider how Uber transformed the taxi industry. How Airbnb transformed the hotel industry. And, how the iPhone has transformed everything since it was invented in 2007.

[14:11] Among the things we can now do on our smartphones: banking, sending messages, watching videos, making videos, learning languages, listening to music, scheduling, budgeting, shopping, booking a hotel, booking a flight, finding a date, joining a meeting, getting directions, paying for things — and that’s just for starters.

[14:35] Because many of these menial tasks have been taken off the table, what remains is often more meaningful. ‘Meaning’ is a key guide to finding your happy place when it comes to ‘work.’ Whatever path you take might disappear in the future, so don’t get hung up on the path. You have to think in terms of constant evolution.

[14:59] Several members of the CareerPivot Online Community have taken bold actions to get ready for ‘change.’ One is Mike Martin, a drone pilot instructor, whose story you will learn about later in this book. When Mike started his journey, there was no such thing as drone pilot instructor.

[15:18] Camille Knight is a logical creative. She grew up as a dancer and singer. Her first degree was in music and then she went back and got a degree in business. She worked in HR; got spit out of Whole Foods; and reinvented herself as a business analyst.

[15:35] She discovered Tableau software that lets her build beautiful dashboards that tell stories. For the first time in her life, she gets to marry both sides of her brain.

[15:47] I had a client who said he wanted to be a data scientist and I said, “No, you want to go into a manufacturing site and do scrap analysis.” It’s not enough, just to have a skill; you have to find a company’s pain point; you have to solve a problem.

[16:04] We are at an inflection point. You can no longer acquire a skill and be fitted into a job. Things change too fast. If you want to keep on being relevant, you must adapt to the speed of change. You have to find tasks and skills that are meaningful to you and adaptable to new technologies and cultural paradigms — or be left behind.

[16:30] Be the mentor you want to see in the world. Betty White said Facebook wouldn’t do her any good in terms of helping her to reconnect with old friends; “At my age, if I want to reconnect with old friends, I need a Ouija board.”

[16:47] We used to have mentors who could tell us what to do. Chances are, those mentors are retired. There are no coattails for us to ride anymore at this stage. We are the coattails. Much of our network may be gone. We have to forge the path, ourselves. Part of that is taking up the mantle and becoming mentors to younger people.

[17:09] Millennials and the generation behind them want mentors. They want help to know how they’re doing. As one Millennial wrote in The Muse, they’ve been conditioned to seek feedback and advice. So, yeah, they want that in their careers, preferably from someone who won’t tell them that they’re entitled, lazy snowflakes.

[17:35] In turn, they can help you tap into areas of the work world that might seem foreign to you. In fact, like the fact that there’s a publication called The Muse or, about how to use Instagram to grow your business.

[17:52] I know one freelance writer who meets with her mentees frequently for happy hour. Her mentees have introduced her to new markets and gotten her work in places where she would never have thought to have looked.

[18:06] In turn, she helps them with strategies for dealing with difficult clients, insights, networking, tactics for time management, and reassurance that being an adult isn’t so scary.

[18:17] We’ve entered a new dimension when it comes to ‘work.’ It’s more focused on developing yourself, ongoing, than on sliding into the position as a cog. The idea of getting old, tired, and set in your ways is a recipe for obsolescence. And that’s a good thing.

[18:36] Scientists have found if we treat our brain right, our brains can learn and adapt, right up to death. Now, we just have to rethink the second half of life to stay vibrant, connected, and contributing. This should be fun!

[18:53] Marc hopes you enjoyed this episode. The world is changing and it’s your responsibility to change with it if you want to stay relevant.

[19:04] To get a PDF version of this chapter and to be on the review team, to help Marc with this book, please go to CareerPivot.com/RYCteam to sign up. Marc and Susan will be adding about eight chapters to the book and rewriting several others.

[19:25] Marc will release a new chapter on the podcast and to the review team every four to six weeks in the coming months. Marc is considering starting a private Facebook group to discuss this effort.

[19:46] Please go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey and take the 2018 Repurpose Your Career podcast survey on SurveyMonkey.com. (Marc thanks the listeners who have already taken the survey.) Marc needs to know something about you so he can improve this podcast for you.

[20:01] How do you listen to the show? The big question is if you read the Show Notes! (Marc is finding that more than half the listeners taking the survey read the Show Notes.) What kinds of episodes are your favorite? Marc will publish the results of the survey in several months.

[20:29] Marc invites you to pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd half of Life, and when you complete reading the book, Marc would appreciate your writing an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version is available on iTunes, Audible, and Amazon.

[20:52] Marc’s plan for the next edition of the book is to release the print, ebook and Audible versions of it at the same time.

[21:03] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for almost 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Marc hopes to exit the Beta phase in the middle of 2019. It is growing slowly. Remember, you are not alone.

[21:17] Marc is soliciting members for the next cohort of the CareerPivot.com Online Community. For information, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. Those in the initial cohorts in the Beta phase get to set the direction for this endeavor. Every two to three months, Marc holds a mastermind group that discusses what to do next.

[30:16] Check back in two weeks (after the Thanksgiving break), when Marc will interview Susan Joyce of Job-Hunt.org fame to discuss the difference between a reactive and a proactive job search.

Nov 5, 2018

In this episode, Marc and Mark address questions about video interviewing, starting a job search, and spreading the news about your new certification or degree. Listen in for great tips.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:38] Marc welcomes you to Episode 103 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. This podcast is brought to you by CareerPivot.com, one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of life and our careers. Take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources delivered to you, free of charge.

[2:07] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play and the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast app, TuneIn, Spotify app, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[2:28] Marc is launching The 2018 Repurpose Your Career Podcast Survey. To improve the show, Marc needs to know more about you — how you listen to the show; if you read the show notes; what kinds of episodes are your favorite.

[2:44] Marc asks if you would kindly go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey (where you will be redirected to SurveyMonkey) to take the survey. Marc will publish the results in a couple of months. Marc thanks you in advance for doing this survey for the podcast.

[3:07] Next week, Marc will be announcing the next edition of Repurpose Your Career, with a planned release date of the first half of 2019. Marc has been working on the next edition with Susan Lahey, and he will be looking for your help. Marc is forming a release team of readers to read pre-release chapters of the book to provide feedback.

[3:32] Look for signup instructions to be on the release team in next week’s episode. Marc will also be reading the opening chapter of the next edition in next week’s episode.

[3:43] This week, Marc is answering listener questions, along with his trusty sidekick, Mark Anthony Dyson.

[3:53] Marc welcomes you to the regular Q&A episode and introduces the ‘world-famous Mark Anthony Dyson. Marc is back in Austin and Mark is in Chicago.

[4:32] Marc and Mark note that they’ve both received copies of books from publishers recently. Mark received Taking the Work Out of Networking: An Introvert's Guide to Making Connections That Count, by Karen Wickre and Humanity Works: Merging Technologies and People for the Workplace of the Future, by Alexandra Levit.

[5:52] Simon & Schuster just told Marc they were sending him Fifty-Five, Unemployed, and Faking Normal, by Elizabeth White, due out in January. Marc would like her on the show in January. She is a Harvard graduate who couldn’t get a job.

[7:00] Q1: I’ve been asked to be interviewed over video. I’ve never done this. Can you give me any hints or tips so I can do my best?

[7:11] A1: First pick the right room, with carpeting and drapes; hard surfaces are bad for audio. Put fabric up, at least.

[8:10] Second, make sure you have good light on your face. Get some inexpensive desk lamps and install full-spectrum light bulbs. Third, make sure you are using a microphone and headphones. The audio is more important than anything else. Fourth, dress for video. Stay away from patterns. Fifth, interview standing up, without squeaky shoes.

[9:43] The top of the camera should be about the top of your forehead. Look at the camera (not at the screen). A little picture just above the camera can help you. You need to practice it. Get some friends to interview you on Skype or Zoom. Mark agrees, that standing gives you energy, which is really crucial to impress in an interview.

[10:40] You don’t want to be boring. The person interviewing you won’t be as enthusiastic. They might muddle through, but you’re the one being judged. Mark suggests Skype with someone you don’t know well.

[11:54] Marc always recommends standing for phone interviews, because it opens the diaphragm. Mark says find a place without surrounding noise. Mark adds, have some personality when you interview. It is not an interrogation, but a time to impress. In many cases, the video interview is one of the first times you will be vetted.

[14:21] Q2: I received an unacceptable feedback from HR and my contract will be terminated by the end of October, rather than April or May. Although the workplace is toxic, I want to leave and not sign a new contract. Your feedback is appreciated.
[14:47] A2: This question came to Mark through LinkedIn messaging from an older gentleman. There was a fair amount of back and forth that Mark summarizes. Mark helped the man figure out what he wants to do and what company he wants to do it with. If you can answer those questions completely, they accelerate your goals.

[15:32] Then, work to get a referral from someone that works in the company that you want to work with who can possibly lead you to the interview with the right person. Mark also asked the man, who was not a coaching client, to report back how it goes. After an exchange, it took Mark only about two minutes to give that advice.

[16:13] The man got interviews. One was for his passion as a software engineer.

[17:04] On a tangent, Mark says you know you’re with the right coach if you can get back a direct answer, without haggling over dollars and minutes.

[18:18] A woman with cancer she is being treated for called Marc and she wondered if she should tell her next employer if she has cancer. He advised not to mention it until she has a job offer and then bringing it up with the assurance that she can perform the job. They will probably not withdraw the offer. Marc will not charge for the 10-minute call.

[19:41] If people are stuck and they require a deeper dive, then a coach can start the process with them. Sometimes all people want is just one answer for something simple. For the people listening: don’t be afraid to ask questions of the right people, Mark says. The people will give you straight answers and maybe even some how-tos.

[20:33] Q3: I recently passed the PMP exam and I’m a Certified Project Manager. How can I leverage this new certification?

[20:44] A3: This question came from Marc’s CareerPivot.com online community. Marc has been promoting is for people to turn on the broadcast setting in LinkedIn when they update their credentials. People will get the message and you will get a lot of congratulations.

[21:31] Always respond with a customized response: Thank you for the congratulations. Here’s what you can do for me. I’m looking for a job, I just got my PMP. Do you have 15 minutes for a short phone call so I can get some advice from you?

[22:02] When Marc does this, he puts a link from ScheduleOnce for appointments. (Marc has no relationship with them but loves their service. Other scheduling systems are available.) Marc put in a link to iTunes when he reached his one-year podcast mark.

[22:27] Marc also asked people to listen to and review a podcast. He got a spike of downloads that week because people listened to an episode from his request.

[22:39] When you update your LinkedIn profile you want people to notice. When people notice, a few may be able to help you. Marc learned a long time ago, “If you don’t ask, you usually don’t get.”

[23:18] Mark suggests when you get a new certification or degree, you become part of their association, industry, or trade membership group. You want to get the newsletter and participate so you can start to be familiar to the group. You can’t sit on the sidelines and try to scoop up the benefits. Contribute a lot to get to know a lot of people fast.

[24:08] Networking and the job search are more about people than the process. People have made it about the process, but the process is not always the best approach. Industry organizations make a huge difference in becoming familiar. It is the long-tailed benefit that will serve your career for a long time.

[24:54] Connect with people first, care about the person, and then, eventually, that will help you. You’ll learn a lot more than you think by just watching for a while before saying something.

[25:06] Marc agrees, that when we reach our age, over 60, getting a job is about a relationship. Focus on the relationships. You have no control over the timing of job openings. All you can do is keep building the relationships.

[26:31] That’s why everybody needs to read How to Win Friends & Influence People, by Dale Carnegie, Mark believes. The essence of the book is how to win over people, not how to look for shortcuts. Relationships over time lead to different points that will benefit your career as a whole and bring other people with you.

[27:15] In the ’30s and ’40s, Dale Carnegie had a radio show and he interviewed people. You can find some episodes from Dale Carnegie on Spotify. They are all about relationships.

[28:07] Marc thanks Mark for being on this Repurpose Your Career podcast episode.

[28:26] Marc invites you to pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd half of Life, and write an honest review of the book on iTunes.com.

[28:51] Please take the 2018 Repurpose Your Career Podcast Survey. Marc needs to know something about you so he can make this podcast to meet your needs. Go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey and take the SurveyMonkey.com survey.

[29:25] Marc is soliciting members for the next cohort of the CareerPivot.com Online Community. For information, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community.

[30:16] Check back next week when Marc will announce the next edition of Repurpose Your Career and read the opening chapter as a preview to the book.

Oct 29, 2018

Michael O’Brien is a Sales and Marketing Executive Coach, Resilience Builder, Motivational Speaker, and the bestselling author of Shift: Creating Better Tomorrows: Winning at Work and in Life. Marc and Michael share their common experience of near-fatal bike accidents and Michael talks about his life and career since his accident.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:24] Marc welcomes you to Episode 102 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[1:38] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play and the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast app, TuneIn, Spotify app, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[2:01] Marc is launching the 2018 Repurpose Your Career Podcast Survey. To improve the show, Marc would like to know more about you — how you listen to the show; if you read the show notes; what kinds of episodes are your favorite; and so forth.

[2:22] Marc asks if you would kindly go to CareerPivot.com/podcast-survey (where you will be redirected to SurveyMonkey) to take the survey. Marc will publish the results in a couple of months. Marc thanks you in advance for doing this for the podcast.

[2:48] Next week, Marc will likely have a Q&A episode but he may decide to do something different. Listen in to hear!

[2:58] This week, Marc interviews Michael O’Brien, who, like Marc, suffered from a near-fatal bicycle accident. Hear how this changed his life. Michael is the author of Shift: Creating Better Tomorrows: Winning at Work and in Life.

[3:21] Marc and Michael have discussed how similar their accidents were, and how the paths they have taken are very parallel.

[3:33] Marc welcomes Michael to the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Marc and Michael met two or three years ago. It has been 6,298 days since Michael’s last bad day.

[4:32] Michael tells how the first of his life involved school, family, and the corporate ladder. He felt sales was his calling, since his paper route. He started selling copiers on commission but wanted to be in pharmaceutical sales. When he finally got into pharmaceutical sales, it was a 22-year long career.

[6:37] Eventually Michael came to his first downsizing, which was unexpected. It taught him to diversify his resume. At his next job, he had the opportunity to get into sales management but he went into pharmaceutical marketing management, instead, in New Jersey, where he and his family have stayed.

[7:33] Now, Michael helps leaders avoid getting hit by their SUV. He does that as an author and through speaking, but mainly as an executive coach. Michael loves helping leaders and shaping corporate culture. He has been doing so full-time since 2014.

[8:28] Michael tries to help people put their last bad day behind them and create better tomorrows. He tries to help people live a life that is purposeful, so they can be ‘the wealthiest person they know.’” Michael means by that, the wealth that comes from within, not just the wealth of ‘money and stuff,’ but happiness, joy, and fulfillment.

[9:02] Michael has a story about his own last bad day. He had brought his bike to a sales and marketing summit in New Mexico. Michael describes the experience of cycling and being hit head-on by a white SUV. The EMTs were scared for his survival.

[12:17] All he could do was look up at the sky and will himself not to fall asleep — to ‘stay in control.’ He remembers making a commitment that his life would change if he lived. He remembers every minute of the 19-minute helicopter flight to the hospital.

[13:59] Michael’s commitment was to stop chasing happiness. He relates this to something he had read from Zig Ziglar, who had talked about the ‘do, have, be’ way of living that many follow — work hard, buy things, and that will finally lead to happiness. Michael used to tell himself he would be happy when he got to the next thing.

[15:14] At each life milestone, Michael was happy for a moment and then found it was fleeting and he went back to chasing happiness. He knew it wasn’t a healthy way of living. He didn’t know the path forward but he knew it was a different path.

[16:10] In that moment of clarity on the helicopter, he knew he just wanted to live. Bound and braced, he could only move his eyes. He kept them on his flight nurse. He still has a picture of that flight crew. He sees it every morning with gratitude.
[16:41] Michael tells of his surgeries and how many units of blood product he needed. Many of his major bones were broken. His left femur had shattered and lacerated his femoral artery. Only his youth and good shape had kept him alive to get to the hospital.

[18:00] Michael spent 72 hours in the ICU, ‘jacked up on a whole bunch of meds.’ He doesn’t remember any of it, but he ‘was babbling like a fool.’ At one point he spent 45 minutes interviewing his wife for a sales rep position on his team and didn’t hire her. He said he had to call her back because he had other candidates to interview.

[18:48] Marc’s near-fatal bike accident was a year to the day later than Michael’s, on July 11, 2002. Marc has his own morphine-related trauma center story. He tried to go home and started pulling off his restraints. He had to insist on no more drugs.

[19:44] Michael, still loaded on drugs, tried to convince his wife they should buy Amazon stock. It was worth $15.00. She ignored that, and he forgives her since she forgave him for not hiring her.

[20:09] When Michael came out of the ICU, a few days later, the doctor talked to him about the accident and the extent of his injuries. The SUV driver had a revoked license and should not have been driving. Michael learned he would have a lifetime of limitations, dependencies, and future surgeries including total knee replacements soon.

[20:36] Michael’s quality of life was going to suffer. At that moment, he recalled his commitment that if he lived, his life would be different. It got different, but not in the way that he wanted. Michael became angry, frustrated, bitter, and even revengeful.

[20:54] Michael focused at first on the unfairness of the events and facts he had to face. He played up the victim story pretty well and everyone validated it. He was a mess. His wife was left taking care of him in the hospital and their two young daughters.

[21:52] When Michael flew home to New Jersey he had another aha moment. He realized he was dissatisfied with the toxic stew he was lying in. During his daily physical therapy one day, he saw some patients were progressing and some were stuck and moping. He knew he wasn’t showing up with the right attitude and mindset to get better.

[23:23] At that moment, Michael made another commitment that he was going to show up differently, going forward so he could be the best husband and father and person that he could be.

[23:34] He let go of comparing himself to others and showed up with a different lens — one of abundance instead of scarcity. He didn’t use that vocabulary, but he had that attitude. He decided to find some level of gratitude in his situation. Viktor Frankl said it’s not the events in our life that define us, but it’s our response to them (paraphrased).

[24:51] Michael determined to be known by his response to the accident, and not be known by what happened. Michael got busy that day trying to make his recovery something he was known for.

[25:07] Marc says so many of us get defined by what happens to us. We also like to compare ourselves to other people and those comparisons just aren’t fair to ourselves. Marc is a fan of ProBlogger’s Darren Rowse, who says to new bloggers, don’t compare yourself to someone who’s been doing this for 10 years. You’re brand new.

[26:05] The next day, Michael had a real test. He had an orthopedic appointment to see if he was ready to start learning to walk. The doctor told him he needed more time in the wheelchair; more time in the hospital. His new attitude didn’t give him new strength, but it gave him determination not to go back to his victim way of thinking.

[27:27] Eventually, day by day, or pedal stroke by pedal stroke, Michael kept working on his self-narrative, losing the victim story, and becoming resilient. Day by day, Michael was getting better. He decided he was never going to have another bad day. With his wife and his daughters in his life, there was no way he could have another bad day.

[28:21] Michael focused in on the things he could still do and the things he still had. He strung a few days of improvement together and then a few weeks and eventually, he got out of that wheelchair and out of the hospital. He still had about 10 surgeries ahead of him, setbacks, and hospital stays before he could get back on the bike as he wished.

[29:20] Someone told Michael, “Hey, listen! Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” Michael was at the beginning of a journey to get better and healthier. From the time of the accident to the start of his rehabilitation took three to four months.

[30:12] Michael’s wife and daughters had been coming to visit him at the hospital twice a day, 45 minutes each way. He was exhausted after a 15-minute visit, but he was anxious to get back home. He wanted life to be normal again. Nothing about being in the hospital was normal.

[31:25] Michael credits his employer with being really kind and very patient, to a degree that is rare. They worked out a system where Michael could go back to work part-time at first, through the rest of the year, working half a day and doing rehabilitation half a day. In January 2002, they gave him a pivot to run operations and get out of traveling.

[33:53] Michael was reluctant to give up his head of marketing position but he took the job and it turned out to be the best shift in his corporate career. He is so grateful they gave him the pivot opportunity.

[35:10] That pivot eventually landed Michael in executive leadership. All the time he was in recovery, he knew he was eventually going to go into executive coaching. This concept first came from David, a recent hire of Michael’s before the accident. David was the first executive coach Michael had met — before he even knew what that meant.

[36:07] When Michael got into executive leadership, he stayed in that role for six years, from 2008 to 2014. He had a team of close to 1,000 reps, with a P&L of around $4 billion. That was beyond any expectations he had ever had. In 2014 he got the last ‘puzzle piece.’ There was another realignment in the company

[36:38] The president of the company, Michael’s friend of 18 years, got pushed out and a new president came in. Michael knew right away they were not a good match. This was the puzzle piece that helped Michael make his last pivot. Michael told his boss in May, he would stay for the summer and September 1, he would start his own business.

[37:30] People questioned why he was making the decision. Michael told them he’d been working on the decision for 13 years and this corporate change made it clear that it was time for him to move forward.

[38:00] Marc notes how this pattern is very similar to the career paths of a lot of people he has interviewed. They start in a role that is not their favorite, an event tells them they need to do something different, they do nothing, then, a second event gives them the kick to go do what they want to do.

[38:27] Marc invites you to listen to Episode 7 with Mike O’Krent, or Episode 3 with Dr. Joel Dobbs for similar path career pivoters. We know what we’re supposed to do but usually, it takes some outside interference to get us to do what we want to do.

[38:49] If someone’s life has been touched, and they are inspired by Michael’s book or work, or a keynote, to lead a purposeful life, that’s the type of work Michael really loves to do.

[41:39] Marc shares his own bicycle accident details with Michael. Marc’s Toyota Corolla experience didn’t cause nearly as much damage as Michael’s Ford SUV experience. Michael regrets that he didn’t want to hear how lucky he was in the accident situation, with EMTs coming immediately. He knows it now.

[44:35] All the proceeds from Michael’s book Shift: Creating Better Tomorrows go to the charity World Bicycle Relief, giving mobility to girls in poor countries. Bicycles change the world for someone. You can reach out to Michael at MichaelOBrienShift.com.

[45:49] Marc hopes you enjoyed this episode. He got choked up when editing this episode. Marc hopes you will be inspired by Michael’s story.

[47:06] Marc is soliciting members for the next cohort of the CareerPivot.com Online Community. For information, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community.

[47:48] Check back next week when Marc will likely be doing a Q&A session with listener’s questions.

Oct 22, 2018

Bob McIntosh is a career trainer who leads more than 15 job search workshops at an urban career center. He also critiques LinkedIn profiles and conducts mock interviews. Bob started the first LinkedIn program at MassHire Lowell Career Center and created workshops to support the program. Jobseekers from across the state attend his LinkedIn workshops. Bob has gained the reputation as an authority on LinkedIn. Marc has known of Bob for many years, but they had never met. Marc heard Bob on an episode of Mark Anthony Dyson’s The Voice of Jobseekers Podcast and knew he had to have Bob on as a guest.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:22] Marc welcomes you to Episode 101 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[1:34] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play and the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[1:55] Next week, Marc will interview Michael O’Brien, who, like Marc, suffered from a near-fatal bicycle accident. Hear how this changed his life. Michael is the author of Shift: Creating Better Tomorrows: Winning at Work and in Life.

[2:14] This week, Marc interviews Bob McIntosh. Marc starts with Bob’s bio.

[3:29] Bob leads workshops at an urban career center and counsels individuals one-on-one. The workshops range from resume writing to LinkedIn to salary negotiations. Bob is more of a job coach than simply a workshop facilitator.

[3:57] Bob developed the first LinkedIn workshop at the [then] Career Center of Lowell and since then, he has been updating workshops to meet the needs better of their clients. He finds great pleasure out of helping people find work.

[4:16] The average client age at the career center is about 55. What older workers need to realize is that between 87% and 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find talent. Employers want to know that candidates are tech savvy and use platforms like LinkedIn. Finally, LinkedIn is a great platform for landing a job through professional networking.

[5:29] To use LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook effectively says you are up-to-date. If you don’t use them, you are invisible. Bob has read that 40% of employers will disqualify you just for not being on LinkedIn.

[6:00] Bob says there are three components to a successful LinkedIn campaign, profile, networking with the right people, and being engaged on LinkedIn.

[6:27] It’s very important that LinkedIn users have a full profile with all of its sections completed. Bob lists the parts. It must include keywords relating to their occupation and areas of expertise that will make the profile searchable. Bob explains how to use them.

[7:24] Bob sees the profile as more of a personal resume than the resume itself. Bob says your resume can be in the first-person or third-person point of view. It’s a networking document, like sitting down and talking with an employer.

[7:57] Bob considers the uses of first-person vs. third-person point of view resumes. Most people use the first-person point of view.

[8:58] Try to have a tone on your profile that speaks personally, in first-person POV.

[9:04] Structure your LinkedIn networking with the right people. First, the people you work (or worked) with — supervisor and colleagues. Second, people who do the same type of work you do. Third, people in the same industry, with something in common with you. Then add people who do your kind of work in different industries.

[9:42] Try to connect with recruiters, in the same industry in which you are looking. Networking is a two-way street.

[10:18] For younger folks, focus on alumni and professors. LinkedIn’s See Alumni feature lets you see people who went to your alma mater.

[10:53] Bob recommends 500+ connections. 10K is not too many. The more connections you have, the more opportunities you’re going to have in terms of people reaching out to you and finding you.

[11:17] Once you have connected with people, every once in a while, ping them and let them know that you’re there.

[11:32] Marc suggests going through your connections once a week, picking two or three that you haven’t heard from in a while, and send them a “checking in” email. A significant number will respond.

[12:08] Bob suggests considering removing from your network people who don’t respond. It’s about communication.
[12:26] For your headshot: In 2003 it needed to be really professional. Things have gotten a little more informal. Aim for a headshot that reflects the sort of work you do. A banker would stay with a suit and tie. A job coach might wear a nice button shirt with a little bit “going on” in the background. No selfies.

[13:49] The background image needs to brand you. Does it reflect the kind of work that you do?

[14:14] Without a headshot your site is much less likely to be visited or seen. Know what message you are sending with your headshot and background image. Marc shares a couple of case studies from his jobs club. Your background image needs to explain who you are, what you do, and what you are trying to accomplish.

[17:43] Take that message into your summary and your experience section. What you are doing is showing value and branding yourself.

[17:54] Marc talks about the case of an obscure profession. He recommends finding people with their same degree and same graduating eras, and look at what they are doing.

[19:10] To find recruiters, type in the search area: recruiter, your industry, your location. That will give you a list of local recruiters in your industry. Vet them by their profiles. What is more difficult is to grab their attention. The invite you send them should show what your value is in your industry.
[20:53] Be nice to recruiters. Marc refers to the episode with Gary O’Neal. Gary is a recruiter for Austin HR (Now Asure Software). Recruiters are busy and may not always have time to respond back but you want to be a polite persistent pest with them.

[21:47] What job seekers need to understand is that recruiters are working for the clients which would be the companies. Endear yourself to them. The right type of recruiter can be of great help.

[22:08] Marc recommends sending a recruiter that has been very helpful to you a $5.00 Starbucks card, even if you didn’t get the job. Marc gives a client example.

[23:24] Engagement may be the most important step. It keeps you on your network’s radar. Bob gives some examples of how to engage. Don’t just ‘like’ what people share. Leave pertinent comments. Start conversations and keep them going.

[24:52] Marc gets a lot of spam comments on his website and he always hits the spam button. People who are just trying to get SEO off a post are not worth the connection. When people send Marc a blank LinkedIn invite, he accepts it and immediately sends back I accepted your connection. How did you find me?

[26:06] Marc gets 30 to 50 connection requests a week. He responds to them, 10 at a time. Bob’s thought is if you’re not even putting in the effort to send a personalized invite, why should we connect?

[26:56] Marc doesn’t connect from the mobile app because it is too easy to send a generic invite to “people you may know.” You can send a personalized invite, but it is easy to forget. Bob just did that yesterday, in error.

[28:01] Marc talks about folks in the CareerPivot online community doing remote job searches. He recommends them to curate material, share it, and tag specific individuals saying “You might be interested in this.” Share articles of value to your connections and be helpful.

[28:48] Bob notes that Mark Anthony Dyson is a great curator of information that he shares with his connections.

[29:05] Marc has four or five places where he looks for material. One of these is NextAvenue.org. There are many things there that are useful to his audience.

[29:47] Bob’s final advice: If you want to be on LinkedIn and you want to use it in your job search, then it’s going to take work. It’s not just simply setting up a profile, connecting with people, and then simply being active on LinkedIn. It’s going to entail all of what was talked about in this episode.

[30:35] Bob re-emphasizes, LinkedIn takes work. Put in the time to use LinkedIn successfully.

[31:06] Marc’s number one problem with his clients is getting them to put themselves out there. They want to write their LinkedIn profile and put it on auto-pilot. However, they must compete with people all over the world for jobs. Show what makes you different. This is especially important if you are a little older.

[31:41] It’s not bragging. Don’t promote yourself obnoxiously. Be factual. Be proud of what you’ve done but don’t brag. On the other hand, don’t just remain silent. You have to make a bold statement because you want people to go on and read the rest.

[32:53] Marc thanks Bob for being on the Repurpose Your Career podcast. People can get in touch with Bob at LinkedIn.com/in/BobMcIntosh. If you send an invite to Bob, please personalize it! When people don’t personalize an invite to Bob, it’s a very easy decision it’s click “Ignore.”

[34:08] Marc hopes you enjoyed this episode, especially about activity vs. engagement. This takes work but it will pay off in spades in the future. You just need to work at it.

[35:39] Check back next week when Marc will interview Michael O’Brien, author of Shift: Creating Better Tomorrows: Winning at Work and in Life.

Oct 15, 2018

In this special Episode 100, Marc’s wife, Lotus Miller, is the guest. Marc has talked about the issues from his point of view, so now we hear about her experiences. Listen in for a forthright review of what she has found and what she feels about it.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:27] Marc welcomes you to Episode 100 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. When Marc launched this podcast late in October 2016, he never imagined you would be downloading this podcast in the thousands of episode downloads per month. Over 45K episode downloads occurred in the first nine months of 2018.

[1:58] Episode downloads have tripled since the podcast was featured in the May issue of AARP Magazine.

[2:06] Marc certainly didn’t think he would be recording episode 100 outside the U.S.A. A lot has changed since the show debuted. Since the podcast launched, the economy has done very well but not for everybody. Marc has written on the blog that the recovery has been very uneven.
[2:28] While the published unemployment rate for Boomers is 3%, many of our generation have dropped out and are no longer being counted. Health insurance is a political punching bag. This is why Marc is living in Mexico — for better health care and cheaper health insurance.

[2:54] Who would have thought a few years ago that people over 55 would be so poorly treated by our health system? Our world in October 2018 looks a whole lot different than it did in October 2016. Therefore, this podcast will continue to evolve.

[3:13] Marc says thank you to everyone who has written an iTunes review. Marc really appreciates when someone rates or reviews the show.

[3:23] Here’s what Marc has planned. He has a series of fascinating guests to interview. Next week Marc will interview Bob McIntosh, a renowned LinkedIn expert who will discuss how to use LinkedIn in your job search.

[3:36] The following week, Marc will have Michael O’Brien, who, like Marc, suffered a near-fatal bicycle accident. Their accidents were nearly identical and occurred one year apart, to the day.

[4:01] Marc will survey the audience in the coming weeks. Marc would like your input. What do you want from the next 100 episodes?

[4:11] Marc will launch a Patreon page in early 2019. Patreon is a platform for performers and content creators to raise money. This podcast costs about $400 a month to produce. Marc will be polling the community of listeners to see if there is an appetite for anyone who’d be willing to contribute to defray the cost for making this podcast.

[4:48] For Episode 100, Marc “rattled his brain” wondering what he could do to make this episode special. After consulting a number of folks, including the Podfly team, Marc decided on interviewing his wife, Lotus Miller, on her experiences about their move to Mexico.

[5:04] Lotus is not a recovering engineer but a former Registered Nurse and a massage therapist. A lot has changed for Lotus and Marc in the last two years. Marc has chronicled their journey to Mexico on the blog and in the podcast. What surprised Marc is the magnitude of the positive response. You folks like hearing about their journey.

[5:26] It has not always been pleasant, like when Marc recorded Episode 29 from Lotus’s hospital room after returning from Ecuador five days early or grappling with health insurance and tax implications. Marc remembers completing his income taxes in Ajijic last April, digging through the insurance company’s portal for claims they had paid.

[5:54] Marc is a really smart guy, and he found taxes really difficult. What does the ‘average Joe’ do? It’s ridiculous.

[6:06] As Marc records this episode, they are preparing to drive back to Austin. As this episode is published, Marc and Lotus will be on a three-day drive to Austin to empty out their condo and prepare it to be rented. After 40 years in Austin, Texas, it’s time to move on.
[6:29] Marc will continue in the coming year to record episodes about their move to Mexico, but maybe not as frequently — you tell Marc what you would like. Marc has been very open about sharing the good times and the bad. It has not been easy, but many of you have told him you appreciate how open and frank he has been.

[6:48] Four podcast listeners have visited the Millers in the last four months. If you are interested, ping Marc.

[7:01] Marc welcomes Lotus to the Repurpose Your Career podcast. They are recording in the second bedroom of the casita. If it sounds like a concrete bunker, it is!

[7:21] It was a year ago that Marc and Lotus first visited Ajijic. The first things that got Lotus’s attention were all the dogs lying on the sidewalk in the sun and often sleeping. There were some dog droppings on the sidewalks. Some dogs were in fenced yards.

[9:57] Lotus thought the people in the neighborhood looked comfortable and happy, though not rich. When she greeted anyone in Spanish, they were always happy to acknowledge her with a “Buenos días” or a “Buenos noches.”

[10:55] Marc remembers when Lotus greeted a woman with “Buenos días,” and the woman corrected her with “No, no, no, no! ‘Buenos tardes!’” Lotus found the elderly ladies very nice to her.

[11:36] As time passed over a couple of visits, what at first seemed odd to Lotus, now she doesn’t notice. The dogs on the sidewalk seem normal to her. Most of them are not street dogs, they are just allowed to run loose. People feed and take care of dogs that are unowned. In general, there’s not much difference between owned and street dogs.
[12:57] One dog, Chiclet, seemed to be a street dog, but then somebody took it in. Marc and Lotus give details.

[14:09] The weather and foliage were much different from Texas. Everything is so green, in the rainy season. People had ivy on their walls. Trees bloom in the fall, covered with purple or orange blooms. Plans get Lotus’s attention because she loves the outdoors. The town and the lake are surrounded by mountains.

[16:07] Lotus notes that the native speakers of Spanish speak much faster than she can understand. Over the year, her grasp of it is coming along. Even in English, Lotus prefers slower speech to faster speech.

[17:54] Lotus loves the food in Ajijic. There are a lot of Italian restaurants in Ajijic! Lotus has met a lot of people of different nationalities, which may play a part. Lotus, from Austin, is accustomed to eating Italian food or continental food. In Texas, she rarely ate Mexican food, but she is eating a lot of it now and finds it so much better.

[19:06] Lotus finds the quality of food amazing; the sauces are very slowly produced in the morning. Lotus has not been a fruit eater but she is starting to enjoy the mangoes. She does not like the papayas. International companies grow various berries all year long, available fresh at half the price as in the U.S. Farms surround the lake.

[21:19] Lotus goes to tianguis or open-air markets. There are three she goes to, the Chapala Market, the organic farmers’ market, and the Ajijic Market. Lotus describes the markets and when she goes. She tells about one woman at the Chapala Market, who chops up a chicken on the spot as Lotus likes.

[24:07] The Chapala Tianguis is a sensory experience. Marc talks about the array of goods available there, in at least half-a-mile of displays.

[25:00] Lotus discusses the organic market. Lotus soaks vegetables in an iodine solution before eating them fresh but doesn’t need to do that with vegetables from the organic farmers’ market. The Ajijic Farmers’ market on Wednesday is a scaled-down version of the Chapala Market.

[27:12] Lotus talks about seafood. It is more flavorful than she has found in Austin. I Kilo of shrimp for about 100 pesos, or about $5. Lotus serves it with no seasoning. Marc notes both he and Lotus have lost weight without trying.

[28:12] Lotus tells about riding the bus. The driver takes off while you are still handling the fare. The buses run to cities all around the lake for a few pesos. When the bus is full people stand on the back of the bus and hand their fare up through the crowd. It is not unusual to see school children riding the bus by themselves.

[30:11] The back seats of the bus are very bouncy on the irregularly paved cobblestone roads with holes. Some drivers are cautious and others zip around, but they get there safely. Marc and Lotus have ridden the bus to Chapala and to Jocotepec. From Ajijic to Jocotepec (about 15-20K) costs 12 pesos or about 60 cents.

[31:51] Sometimes musicians will perform on the bus, maybe with their children.

[32:27] Lotus talks about the Lake Chapala Society, where Marc and Lotus are members. They have much to offer expats and visitors. Lotus takes Yoga classes there. Lotus knows of bridge groups, Scrabble, and Mahjong players. They have too many activities to list. They have the largest English library outside the U.S.

[33:42] Lotus has been checking out books and reading a lot; not watching any TV since they have been there. She is looking forward to bringing a U.S. DVD player, because the English DVDs she can rent cannot be played on a Mexican DVD player, only on a U.S. DVD player. They are U.S. formatted DVDs and Blu-Rays.

[34:21] There are many ponds and so much greenery. Marc and Lotus were eating at an outdoor cafe at the Lake Chapala Society and a very large avocado fell from a tree onto the awning and rolled off. They took it home and ate it later. It was so good. The avocados and other local foods in Mexico are always good and fresh.

[35:53] There are grocery stores that cater to expats, with lots of packaged foods.

[36:00] Lake Chapala Society assists children in schools and classes and offer art classes for children. They give back to the locals as much as assisting expats. The expat community has created and participates in many nonprofits in the area in the arts and the schools and spaying and neutering dogs and finding homes for them.

[37:07] In spite of their daughter’s prior misgivings, Lotus feels very safe and happy in the environment and with the people around her. It is a slower-moving life. Mañana means no more than ‘not today.’

[38:09] Most of the crime in the big cities is cartel against cartel. There are one million American expats living in Mexico, not to mention from other countries. Expats are very welcome by the government and do a lot of good for the community.

[38:09] There are a lot of similarities between Austin and Ajijic. Austin grows by 150 people every day. People are also moving to Ajijic like crazy. The rental market necessitated Marc’s and Lotus’s early move, to make sure they got the property they wanted. There’s a lot of gentrification occurring.

[39:49] On their first visit, and again, right now, it is a month of religious feast days with fireworks shooting off at 5:00 most days in the morning for a month. The events move from chapel to chapel carrying a statue to represent a saint. There are horses and bands parading as part of it.

[42:56] September 16, Mexican Independence Day is a big celebration of performances and fireworks, starting the weekend before. Lotus admires how the Mexicans celebrate things. If you don’t like the noise, “probably don’t come here.” Mexicans celebrate at the drop of a hat. Some chapels, from the 1600s, are rented out for celebrations.

[45:03] Lotus is disappointed to miss The Day of the Dead, this year but it will still be there every year. Lotus is looking forward to the dry season, the winter. It should be mostly sunny. The dry season high is usually about 75 degrees F in the late afternoon with the low in the low 50s or even into the 40s.

[46:00] Marc and Lotus were there at Easter this year, and the Mexicans really celebrated that, so Marc and Lotus want to know how they celebrate Christmas.

[46:19] Lotus would advise first-time visitors to get the book, Moving to Mexico’s Lake Chapala, by Lisa Jorgensen. Marc also recommends this book. Lotus likes a smaller-town feel and that’s what she loves about Ajijic. Ajijic is an indigenous peoples’ name, not a Mexican name, by the way.

[47:30] Marc thanks Lotus for being on the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[47:36] Marc notes that Lotus is very much on board with this plan. Your experience may differ. There have been a fair number of divorces after couples move overseas and one just loves it and the other just craves to return to the U.S.

[48:01] The one who loves it isn’t always the member of the couple that instigated the move. It’s not as simple as one might think. Half the people who retire overseas, return in less than five years. It’s half for health, and the other half because they can’t handle the cultural change. Lotus is pretty excited about what she has found.

[48:59] Watch for the opportunity to help Marc work on the third edition of his book Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, with Susan Lahey. He will be forming a team of volunteers in the coming months to read pre-release versions of new chapters. Look for the sign-up sheet coming soon!

[50:19] Check back next week for Episode 101! Marc will interview Bob McIntosh, the renowned LinkedIn expert on using LinkedIn in your job search.

Oct 8, 2018

Jeanne Yocum presented this Webinar to the members of the CareerPivot online community and in this episode, Marc Miller shares her valuable insights with you, the Repurpose Your Career podcast listeners.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:41] Marc welcomes you to Episode 99 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.
[1:54] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play and the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[2:16] We are rapidly approaching the magic Episode 100 of Repurpose Your Career. When Marc started this podcast in October 2016, he didn’t think he would get to 100. Except for Thanksgiving and Christmas, there has been an episode every week for the last two years.

[2:41] Next week, Marc will put together a special program, the key piece being, Marc will interview his wife, Lotus Miller, about her experiences around their move to Mexico! Mrs. Miller is a former Registered Nurse and massage therapist.

[3:01] This week, Marc presents a special episode, which is the audio from a webinar that Jeanne Yocum presented to the Career Pivot membership community, called “Pricing Your Services — How to Get it Right.”

[3:14] Many of the Career Pivot membership community are becoming freelancers or consultants. Setting the right prices is one of the most difficult things for freelancers and consultants. Jeanne was on Episode 89 of the podcast talking about her book, The Self-Employment Survival Guide.

[3:32] There are quite a few community members who are realizing that they want to control their future and need to start their own business. It may be only something on the side but it is their business. They own it and no one can lay them off.

[3:51] This will give you a taste of what is available inside The Career Pivot Membership Community. Listen at the end of the podcast for how you can become involved in this community.

[4:04] You will find the slides for this presentation at CareerPivot.com/PricingSlides or CareerPivot.com/Episode-99

[4:27] Marc introduces the webinar, invites questions in the chat box, and welcomes Jeanne Yocum.

[4:46] Jeanne refers to her previous webinar, “The Thrills and Chills of Self-Employment” and presents the topic of the current webinar, “Pricing Your Services — How to Get it Right.” In Jeanne’s 30 years of experience, she has seen people struggle with this and make pricing mistakes.

[5:25] Over the years, Jeanne has gotten the impression from some freelancers that they pulled pricing numbers out of a hat instead of doing the research and calculations necessary to get this very important decision right.

[5:44] If you get your pricing wrong from the start, this is going to hinder your ability to succeed, over the long haul. Ironically, this is the case, both if you set your prices too low and if you set them too high.

[5:58] Jeanne will repeat some very important points because they are points to remember and they cover basic principles to follow and mistakes people make.

[6:19] Let’s look at the factors that affect pricing.

[6:33] Level of skill — People of age 50 and over have plenty of experience in your business field, but people venturing into something totally different that involves new skills need to take that into consideration when setting your rates.

[6:53] Amount of experience — more experience allows charging a higher rate. Jeanne tells an anecdote from her own life.

[7:47] What your competitors are charging for the same service or product — You can justify higher rates with more skills and experience but not if all things are equal.

[8:10] Your community. Jeanne shares a personal experience. Word can spread.

[8:34] The amount of competition in your field. The more people in your area that duplicate your offering, the less you can charge for it. Very specialized areas without much competition are different.

[9:02] If you’re offering something that companies around you aren’t used to buying, they’re going to be more price-sensitive than if you’re in an area where the service you’re offering is very common. Jeanne talks of why she lowered her rates in Western Massachusetts, after working in Boston.

[9:58] The nature of your clients -- corporations vs. nonprofits, small businesses vs. large businesses. Jeanne often had to lower her rates a bit for smaller nonprofits. The same with family-owned or small businesses. You need to know to whom it is you’re going to market.

[10:35] Are you going after the businesses who are able to pay you more? If so, you will be likely facing more competition.

[10:49] What is your motivation? Many people work for nonprofits for their purposes. You won’t make a lot of money off of them but you may enjoy it.

[11:18] Jeanne says the biggest mistake people make starting up is overestimating the number of hours you can actually bill per week. If you worked in an agency, someone else was in the back office and in the field while you worked billable hours. In a startup, the sales and back-office tasks fall on you and your billable hours take a major hit.

[12:27] Overestimating your potential billable hours will cause you to charge a lower rate than you will actually need to survive and thrive. Nor will you get paid days off or vacations as you probably did working for your former employer. In your calculations, allow for these hours when you won’t be earning income.

[12:54] Another huge mistake beginners make is low-balling your hourly rate to get your foot in the door. If you charge too little, you can’t possibly survive.

[13:15] You can get pricing wrong by not doing your homework to understand what your skills and experience are worth in the marketplace. Different marketplaces bear different kinds of pricing. Jeanne is paying a graphic designer in Durham half of what she would have paid for the same services in Boston.

[14:07] In a rural area you just can’t charge the same kinds of rates as in a metropolitan area.

[14:13] Professional societies can help you find the information you need about your market area. Networking can help. Jeanne finds that recently, people are more open to sharing information about billing rates than they used to be. Tread carefully in this sensitive topic.

[14:32] Sites such as Glassdoor.com provide salary ranges for what somebody working in your job for an employer is making in your area. Then you have to add in things like paying your full self-employment tax and other overhead to come up with a billable rate.

[15:13] You need to understand that the same internet that gives you information about billing rates gives your prospects the availability to outsource work to labor markets that pay the worker less. You can also pick up clients from other parts of the country or the world, so long as you prove your value to them.

[15:58] In some fields there are potential customers looking for the lowest possible cost for services. Sites like Upwork.com and Freelance.com cater to them. These customers are often difficult and very hard to satisfy. Jeanne recommends her freelance clients not to use that type of site. Look for clients who will want a recurring relationship with you.

[17:01] How do you get your pricing right? Know how many hours you will be able to bill weekly. If you bill for 40 hours, that means you will be working nights and weekends doing the unbillable but very necessary work of running a company. That leads to burnout.

[17:41] Research what people with your skills make where you live. If you research thoroughly then you can be confident in telling a prospect your rate. Your confidence will help convince that person that the rate is reasonable and justified. If you are insecure about your rate, that will undermine your position. Don’t undersell yourself.

[18:40] Be prepared to respond when potential or existing clients push back. It’s inevitable that someone will push back about your proposed rate by quoting a lower rate from someone in India or Rumania.

[19:10] You have a load of good arguments to make is such cases. The time difference alone adds an unnecessary level of difficulty and definitely slows things down. Also, unless the person being hired overseas is a U.S. expat, there may be language and cultural differences that may impede client communications.

[19:39] Yes the overseas freelancer may speak English, but do they really understand all the American idioms that your client is apt to use. Will the client have to figure out new ways to explain things?

[20:03] Always be ready to talk about what backs up your proposed rates -- your depth of experience and breadth of skills. This applies to overseas and local competition. Jeanne tells a case study from her own career as a ghost-writer.

[21:36] Never ‘buy the job.’ If you low-ball your rate to get in the door, you will almost always be sorry that you did that. If the hourly rate does not pay your bills, you’ve made a big mistake. You’ll have to work an unsustainable number of hours to make ends meet.

[22:15] Once you have set a rate, that will be the rate your clients will expect to pay you, at least for a year or two. If your goal is to form a long-term relationship, do you want it to be to your disadvantage? Existing clients will not like your raising your rates and they may go off in search of a less expensive provider.

[23:04] Be very careful how you communicate price increases. Sooner or later you are going to need to raise your rates, even if it’s just to keep up with the cost of living. Jeanne recommends being as formal as possible about communicating price hikes.

[23:31] Jeanne started sending out letters for a January 1st price hike in late November. She sends out letters on letterhead, not emails, because people are prone to reply and push back to an email message, but rarely write out a letter to push back.

[24:08] The first time Jeanne sent out some price hike letters she could barely breathe until she knew the people had received them. She was positive that the phone would ring like crazy but it didn’t. When she was talking to customers a couple said they had gotten her letter but nobody pushed back. It depends on how you do it and how often.

[24:44] You gradually need to cull out low-paying clients from your roster or get them up to the rate you are currently charging. If a client really can’t pay a higher rate, bid them a fond adieu and recommend them to somebody just starting out, with a lower rate. The client will be happy, and your competitor may refer larger clients back to you.

[26:06] If your low-paying client is really a favored client, and you believe they could pay even just a little bit more, have a serious chat with them about this. If you can gradually move them in the right direction it’s worth a try before you write them off as clients.

[26:28] There are various ways to price. You can charge by the hour or you can charge a flat project fee. To charge a flat fee you need to be accurate about the time it will take to do the various tasks associated with the project. This can take a while to master when you get into a new field.

[27:16] When you have built up trust with a client, it is possible to get away from the flat-fee method. Once people know you’re going to deliver good work and on a timely basis, they aren’t as demanding about having you commit to a specific project fee up front.

[27:37] Jeanne has also had clients where there is a limit of how many hours she will put in during a month, and when that limit is hit, additional work is pushed off until the next month. This differs from a retainer agreement, as clients are not paying up front, so they are not getting a discount.

[28:02] With retainers, the benefits are that you get paid up front and you get paid regularly. The downside is that you generally have to give a discount on your hourly rate to retainer clients. Jeanne shares an example from her past.

[28:40] You need to have other options available in your head because you’re going to be asked. Some clients wanted a day rate, for attending conferences for them. Jeanne generally gave a day rate discount for a large chunk of time.

[29:15] Jeanne always required a 20% deposit from every new client before she started work on any project. Until she had that check in her hand, she wouldn’t do anything for anybody. Just be clear with them about that.

[29:50] 70% to 80% of Jeanne’s business came to her through referrals from her clients but she still kept to that deposit policy. People don’t know their associates’ payment habits. Once payment for the first project went smoothly, Jeanne dropped the deposit requirement for future projects. If the client was a slow payer, the deposits continued.

[30:54] If a client did not pay or was very slow in paying, then for any future work, full payment was required up front, before any work was done. Jeanne only ever had to do that with one client, but they understood that because they had messed up so badly. The other option is to drop the slow paying client entirely from your client roster.

[31:31] Offer a menu of services in your proposal. Offer separate pricing for each element of the project. This is helpful in introducing your services to a new client and facilitating the sales process.

[32:32] Jeanne covers common issues that come up regarding pricing and project costs.

[32:40] Mission creep occurs when a client adds “little tasks” to the project beyond what has been agreed. Get that under control ASAP. You should have already provided the client with a thorough list of action steps you’ve agreed upon, and who is responsible for what and what the deadlines are.

[33:12] Mission creep can get ugly fast, in terms of hours you will burn. Revisit the action list with the client, and explain what the additional tasks will add to the price of the project. Do not let someone expect a Mercedes when they’re paying for a Chevy.

[33:48] Slow payers can impact you. Never be afraid to fire a client, particularly one you have to fight to get your money or who argue over your fees. This type of person is a huge drain on your energy. Jeanne has a whole chapter in her book on strategies for getting your money from slow payers.

[34:47] Cashflow ebbs happen to everybody, so get used to it. Do what you can to protect yourself, like asking for deposits and getting clients on retainers, setting your prices right, to begin with, and most of all, never letting up on your marketing and networking. You’ve got to devote some time to generating business each week.

[35:28] If you ever decide your dance card is full and you no longer need to do any marketing or any networking, shortly down the road something will happen that will cause a client to fall off your dance card and leave a big hole in your cash flow. Jeanne tells of an unexpected client defection worth over $8K a year in her book.

[36:35] Jeanne invites listeners to write to her with questions.

[37:19] Marc reads a question for Jeanne from the chat box. “What percentage of time do you spend on marketing vs. product delivery of services you get paid for?” Jeanne never charted that. Her goal, when she was working full-time, was to bill at least 20 hours a week. Marc says he spends three-quarters of his time in marketing.

[38:27] Jeanne says it would vary by profession. Jeanne recommends at least one hour a day into marketing, networking, proposals, and prospect meetings.

[39:06] Marc asks Jeanne to talk more about billing by the value you deliver. She goes back to her client that tried to talk down her pricing, and how she defended against that by the value she brought to the table and her familiarity with the client’s work. Marc notes the value Susan Lahey brings to him when she helps him write a book.

[42:09] Jeanne talks about how all her experience with clients in the financial and insurance fields gives her expertise for financial services clients. You have to figure why your prospect would find value in you.

[43:14] Another chat box question for Jeanne: “Please elaborate on how to propose a retainer agreement and why a discount is needed.” People expect a discount if they are agreeing to write a check every 30 days. Retainer clients are not that easy to find and Jeanne was willing to accommodate them.

[43:53] It depends on the field. If projects are few and far between it is a hard sell. But you can guarantee a certain availability and readiness to a client with a retainer. Jeanne had few retainer clients but they were all clients she had for a long time. Pam, a listener explains her retainer experience at PR agencies.

[46:05] Jeanne explains how she worked the retainer with a big non-profit with a tight budget. If there were under the hours they evened it up in another month.
[47:58] Jeanne charged travel time at half of her regular rate (or one-way at the full rate). People in general understand they will pay for travel, but not at the full hourly rate.

[49:03] Roberta asks if it’s better to charge a straight per hour rate or a rate tiered by the task performed. Jeanne has never tiered her rates. Whatever she does is at the same rate. But she does have a “friends and family” rate, different from somebody she knows is going to be a long-term client.

[51:12] Martha asks Jeanne how often did she say to herself it would be so much easier just to get a job. Jeanne never said that in 30 years, after all of her experience in corporate America. It took Jeanne about a year to get things rolling — during a recession — and she never looked for an easier way.

[52:18] Marc thanks Jeanne for the webinar and for her giving attitude. Jeanne says she knows how hard it is to start over again after 50.

[53:15] Marc says Jeanne has been a real resource to the CareerPivot community. You can reach out to Jeanne at Jeanne_Yocum@Yahoo.com.

[54:29] If you are interested in learning more about the CareerPivot.com community go to CareerPivot.com/Community and sign up for the waiting list.

[55:11] Check back next week for Episode 100! This will be a special episode where Marc brings his wife to the microphone!

Oct 1, 2018

In Part 4 of this series, Marc covers the third feedback session with Sara for her personality assessment.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:12] Marc welcomes you to Episode 98 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.
[1:24] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play and the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[1:45] Marc thanks everyone who has rated or reviewed the show on iTunes. Repurpose Your Career has 25 ratings and 17 customer reviews. Marc would be most appreciative if you chose to write a review.
[2:02] We are rapidly approaching Episode 100 of Repurpose Your Career. Marc is thinking of interviewing his wife, Lotus Miller, about her experiences around their move to Mexico! Mrs. Miller is a former Registered Nurse and massage therapist.

[2:26] Next week, Marc will have a special episode — the audio from the webinar that Jeanne Yocum presented to the Career Pivot membership community, called “Pricing Your Services — How to Get it Right.” Setting the right prices is difficult for freelancers and consultants. Jeanne was on Episode 89 of the podcast talking about her book.

[3:03] Last week in Episode 97, Marc covered Part 3 of the “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?” series. This week, Marc will play Part 4 of the series. If you have not listened to Episodes 93, 94 and 97, Marc suggests you stop here and go listen to all episodes, first. You will find the reports for these episodes at Careerpivot.com/sara.

[3:48] Marc welcomes Sara back to the podcast. Sara has done her homework. She tells how she makes decisions using her intellect and her intuition. She has her head and her heart involved.

[4:50] Marc looks at the homework. Sara was once told by a manager that she is a results-oriented decision maker. She wondered how an employee could not be results-oriented. She has learned that not everyone sees things the same way.

[5:56] When Sara has a problem to solve, she asks as many questions as she needs to get all the facts and then she takes the ball and runs with it to get those results. She likes being able to point to the results of her problem-solving.

[6:36] Marc reminds Sara that everyone does not think the same and he hopes that she will take time to explain to others how she thinks and decides, so there are no misunderstandings. Marc talks about teaching in mainland China and how differently the Chinese think.

[7:49] Sara looks at her Stress Report. There are three sections. They are Interpersonal Relationships, Schedules and Details, and Decision Making. Each section has two pages. The first covers what happens when you go into stress. The second covers what you can do to get out of stress. Sara will explore the second pages on her own.

[8:24] Activities to stay out of stress include things you are already doing, things you used to do but stopped doing, and eight choices of things you should try.

[9:16] Sara looks at Self-consciousness and Social Energy in dealing one-on-one and dealing in groups. Sara’s social needs are low, meaning she doesn’t want to be around people all day; her self-consciousness is also low, meaning she wants people to deal with her very directly. That is an unusual combination.

[9:59] Sara reads her results. It is likely that Sara needs straightforward instruction, praise that is free of sentiment, associates who speak up easily, people who get to the point, direct questions or corrections, freedom from group pressures, special time to be alone, time to be quiet and think, individualized benefits, and a few one-on-one friends.

[10:31] Sara says that what resonates with her are straightforward instructions, praise that is free of sentiment, associates who speak up easily, and the rest, except that she is not sure what is meant by individualized benefits.

[10:53] Marc explains individualized benefits as meaning, ‘You want to get stroked the way that you want to get stroked.’

[10:58] Sara reflects on what makes her feel valued (from the Career Reflection worksheet). She feels valued when she fills a need. She likes to be needed, personally and professionally. She likes to be depended on. It feels great when someone thanks her for a significant accomplishment, not just for the day-to-day minutia.

[12:01] Marc summarizes that Sara wants a level of importance and she wants people to recognize her importance. Sara agrees. She doesn’t want to be relied on for the smaller tasks.

[12:46] Marc wants Sara to have ingrained within her the knowledge of what makes her feel valued at work, and to be able to communicate that to others. Marc always loved getting recognition from his clients. Developing software that he never saw anyone use was meaningless to him and didn’t give him ‘strokes.’

[13:46] In Sara’s three pages of needs, there are 30 needs. There will be overlap. Marc will ask Sara to synthesize her 30 needs down to 10 needs and to write an open-ended question for each and what she is listening for.

[14:11] Marc cites Jim Camp’s Start with NO, a negotiation book. The art and science of questioning is to get the other side to ‘spill the beans.’ Marc asks Sara to do the same thing, based on her own needs.

[14:34] Sara’s things she can do to build resistance: Identify a person or group that interacts with her in an objective manner and spend more time with that person or group. Build a hit list of things she knows have gone well and use it to help gauge her success.

[15:00] Sara can find opportunities to assess real signs of success and identify areas that she needs to improve upon. Build a relationship with a coach who, without being shy about it, can help her evaluate how well she has done in a situation. Set aside quiet time for herself every day. She needs solitude to recharge

[15:22] Sara can take active steps to protect herself from interruptions when she is working on an important or stressful task. Allocate at least one weekend a month just to be alone with that one person who is most important to her. The more difficult this is to do, the more important it is.

[15:39] Sara can prepare herself for big holidays or hectic social periods by spending more time being quiet and alone.

[15:47] Sara is already setting aside quiet time for herself every day to recharge and taking active steps to protect herself from interruptions during important or stressful tasks. She has also learned to manage the interruptions. She prepares herself for holidays by spending more time by herself. Marc also avoids holiday parties.

[16:56] Sara knows when it’s time to find her happy place in a corner of a room away from other people. Marc talks about the difficulty introverts have in being social.

[17:42] On page 5, Sara reads about managing her needs for insistence and restlessness. Sara is low insistence, which means she does not like rules imposed on her. Sara’s restlessness rating shows she does not like to be interrupted.

[18:15] Sara may need freedom from close controls, a minimum of structured routine, direct access to everyone, unusual and stimulating tasks, flexible rules and policies, a minimum of abrupt changes in routine, consistently applied policies or rules, only one or two tasks at a time, protection from interruptions, and predictable schedules and tasks.

[18:45] Sara disagrees with the minimum of structured routine. She seeks it out and makes it for herself. Marc reminds her that she is a structured anarchist. She would very much prefer the structure to be her own. Sara agrees. She does not want others to impose it. Direct access means she does not do well with a bunch of gatekeepers.

[19:51] Unusual and stimulating tasks and flexible rules and policies, and consistently applied policies or rules also resonate with Sara. Sara likes consistency, in general.

[20:17] Marc also considers it to be a need for fairness and Sara agrees. Regarding working on one or two tasks at a time, Sara is not a believer in multi-tasking. Marc also has a low restlessness score and he does his best work when he is not interrupted.

[20:56] Marc keeps his phone away from himself when he needs to concentrate. He turns the automatic download in Outlook off. People with low restlessness scores tend to have ‘bright, shiny object syndrome’ and their productivity goes way down.

[21:27] It can be very stress-reducing for Sara to protect herself from interruptions, and she can boost her productivity be avoiding interruptions. Sara also is happiest when her tasks are not tightly controlled by others. She would much rather be asked than told to do a task.

[22:34] Sara reads some things she can do to stay out of stress. Sara can set aside time each week to follow some new interest or satisfy new curiosity, indulge her sense of adventure whenever possible, and use vacations or hobbies to try new activities.

[22:54] Sara can create frequent opportunities to discuss future goals, plans and activities with her family and/or coworkers; make schedules that allow her flexibility in executing tasks and plans; and develop work schedules that allow her to spend significant periods of time on one project, without interruption.

[23:14] Sara can use time management skills, gatekeepers, and any other means to protect herself from distractions and obstructions from working on tedious tasks and arrange major work schedules in such a manner that she can fit in a few interruptions without getting behind.

[23:37] Sara can establish routines for the beginning or end of the day to provide background structure when life gets busy.

[23:50] Sara is already doing the last activity. She has established alone thinking time for every morning getting ready for the day and in the evening getting ready for bed. She follows them even if she goes traveling. Marc wants Sara to be very aware of keeping those patterns as habits.

[25:35] Sara has not yet regularly set aside weekly time to follow new interests or satisfy curiosity but she has tried it from time to time. She indulges her sense of adventure whenever possible and tries new activities on vacations or as hobbies. She sees that finding the time to do more of that would bring her greater satisfaction.

[26:15] Marc reminds Sara to take time out during the day to do something creative. So far, she is not taking enough time to do that. She is very task-oriented which keeps her from taking breaks. That frustrates her. Having a creative streak and being so orderly is an unusual combination.

[27:02] Sara looks at managing needs for physical energy and thought. Sara is rated moderately on physical energy — she’s not inactive and not extremely active. Sara is rated moderately low on thought. Sara reads her 10 likely needs.

[27:26] Sara may need a minimum of prolonged activity, stimulation of new ideas, friendly low-key surroundings, time for reflective thought, unhurried work conditions, quick decisions from others, forceful and definite bosses or peers, and a minimum of ambiguity in situations.

[27:59] Sara may also need thoughtful suggestions from others and opportunities to take action quickly.

[28:03] Being moderately low in thought means Sara likes to make big decisions in a fairly matter-of-fact basis but if there is no right answer, or there is a lot of ambiguity, it is likely to cause Sara stress. Marc relates a client example.

[30:24] Sara lists the needs that resonate with her: stimulation of new ideas, friendly, low-key surroundings, time for reflective thought, unhurried work conditions, quick decisions from others, thoughtful suggestions from others, and opportunities to take actions quickly.

[30:50] The ‘thoughtful suggestions from others’ need is in the same vein as the preference to be asked and not told. Fairness plays into this. The cohesiveness of the team is really important.

[31:25] To avoid stress, Sara can plan schedules and projects so she can stop and think about where she has been and where she is going, give more time to abstract or philosophical thought and activities, and avoid taking on too many projects or social obligations when things are getting hectic at work.

[31:50] Sara can develop a relaxing, low-key hobby or recreation and make use of the curative powers of this activity often, and build family plans and goals, carefully using a thorough planning procedure so that she looks at all the factors and options for important decisions.

[32:11] Sara can develop contacts with aggressive but careful thinkers who can help her think things through carefully without holding her back unnecessarily, work out rules with those close to her that allow her to move quickly on little issues but help her to be cautious on important ones.

[32:33] Sara can remind family and co-workers that she needs fast-paced action when decisions are required and ask them to push options aggressively while helping her avoid black-and-white thinking.

[32:46] Sara tells which activities resonate with her: getting fast-paced action when decisions are required and help to avoid black-and-white thinking is important to Sara. Marc encourages Sara to develop a relaxing, low-key hobby or recreation and make use of the curative powers of this activity.

[33:22] Marc asks Sara to use her creative streak to figure out the activity and to give herself permission to take the time to go off and do it, understanding that she will be a better person for it. Sara just finished an assignment of making a personal video that related to work, to be used at work. She was very excited to have that creative outlet.

[34:57] Marc asks Sara to give herself permission to sit with that feeling — the combination of knowing her project was wanted and being able to be creative with it. Marc asks her to bookmark it mentally so that when something else comes up, she can bring this feeling back. Sometimes she may need to go ask for similar projects.

[36:25] Sara compares her work role to being typecast as an actress. Marc explains as we hit our 50s and 60s, staying in our role becomes exhausting to us. The stamina of our 30s and 40s is no longer there.

[37:17] Marc gives Sara homework. Synthesize the 30 needs down into about 10. Then write an open-ended question about each need, and know what to listen for  when she asks these questions — if the answer feels right to her, or if she should run away as fast as she can go. She needs to know her red flags and pay attention to them in interviews.

[38:08] Sara also needs to take her assignment of usual behavior, strength phrases that she translated into her own words and turn them into a narrative. This will be her story to share about herself. The key piece is to write it the way she talks, not the way she writes. Marc suggests saying it into her phone then transcribing it.

[38:47] Sara’s third assignment for this session will be to talk to three people at work she knows and trusts and three people from her personal life and ask them each for three to five phrases that describe her.

[39:10] We behave a certain way at work and another way in our personal life. Marc wants Sara to note the words both sets of three people use, and look for overlap.

[39:37] Marc will do one feedback session more with Sara that will not be recorded for the podcast, so this podcast series is completed.

[39:49] Sara says she has learned from the experience so far that she is a lot more comfortable with what she is seeking. She has been aware of a lot of what was discussed for a while but she is now more comfortable in articulating it and leveraging it for a future job search.

[40:28] Sara synopsizes what she learned about herself, that now she feels like she has the understanding to rebuild her LinkedIn profile and the words and phrases to tell her interesting story in a professional setting.

[42:42] Check back next week when we will hear Jeanne Yocum discuss pricing your services — how to get it right.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

CareerPivot.com/Episode-89 Jeanne Yocum

The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss, by Jeanne Yocum

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

CareerPivot.com/Episode-93 Sara Part 1

CareerPivot.com/Episode-94 Sara Part 2

CareerPivot.com/Episode-97 Sara Part 3

Sara’s Reports

Outlook

LinkedIn

Birkman Assessments

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has six initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort and receive more information about the community as it evolves. Those in the initial cohorts are setting the direction of this endeavor. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and, more importantly, a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-98 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and on the Google Podcast app, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Sep 24, 2018

In Part 3 of this series, Marc covers the second feedback session with Sara for her personality assessment.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:11] Marc welcomes you to Episode 97 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.
[1:23] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play and the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[1:49] We are rapidly approaching Episode 100 of Repurpose Your Career. Marc is thinking of producing a special episode when he decides what to do! If you have any ideas or can help Marc get unstuck, please email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

[2:12] Last week in Episode 96, Marc discussed a variety of issues around how they pulled the plug and moved to Mexico.

[2:19] This week and next week, Marc will play Parts 3 and 4 of the series “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?” If you have not listened to Episode 93 and 94, Marc suggests you stop here and go listen to both episodes, first. You will find the reports for these episodes at Careerpivot.com/sara.

[3:01] Marc welcomes Sara back to the podcast. Marc notes that Sara is very creative and very orderly — an odd combination. Sara has creative traits and also likes rules. She thinks people see her more as orderly than creative.

[4:11] Marc compares Sara with Elizabeth Rabaey from Episode 20. Marc had assigned Elizabeth to start randomly taking art classes and jewelry classes. This allowed her to try things she wouldn’t have thought of. Elizabeth is also highly creative and orderly.

[4:49] Marc suggests that Sara should consider taking classes in creative arts. Sara believes she should take creative breaks at work just as she has been taking reading breaks.

[5:51] Creatives in the business environment forget about their creativity. Marc encourages Sara to see where she can insert creativity first into her life and then into her job.

[6:25] Sara looks at the PWS (workstyles) document. It covers natural management styles, work motivation, self-development, corporate adaptability, and how Sara fits into society. There is also a section on how Sara makes decisions. Sara is a linear concrete thinker, which is not typical for an artistic person. This is probably a superpower.

[7:50] It appears that Sara is a fact-based decision maker and process-oriented, yet creative. That is unusual. Marc recalls a client who was artistic and musical but unemotional. Her superpower was the ability to get a quick decision from a group. With her creativity and interpersonal skills, she knew how to get stuff done.

[8:45] Marc recalls another interview, Camille Knight, a creative, logical thinker. She now creates Tableau dashboards, using creativity and data analysis. Sara relates to that.

[9:33] Sara’s natural management style is knowledge specialist, directive management, delegative management. Sara likes a collaborative relationship with those she manages. Sara refers to the reports from the previous session with Marc. Sara explains her preferred management behaviors.

[11:08] Sara is ranked 4/10 in Knowledge Specialist. Knowledge specialists contribute and lead by utilizing personal expertise and knowledge to find solutions. They lead by example. Marc says the vast majority of his clients are ranked much higher as knowledge specialists. They are individual contributors and are paid for what they know.

[11:50] Marc has the impression Sara is not expert in what she does but Sara says she is an expert. Sara describes how she leads different team members. In some areas, she is not the knowledge specialist so she leaves it to the team member with guidance.

[12:35] Sara is ranked 5/10 in Directive Management. Directive managers have personal, direct involvement in problem-solving, controlling, and implementing. They lead from the front in exercising authority.

[13:00] Most of Marc’s clients with high directive management have been in IT. Sara does not see her role as directing people.

[13:29] Sara is ranked 4/10 in Delegative Management. Delegative managers utilize plans and strategies, arrange resources and assist coworkers and teams in dealing with resources and implementation issues.

[13:48] Sara has never aspired to be a VP. People who are high in delegative management are very comfortable with their hands off the work. Sara’s current role does not call for much delegation and she does not aspire to such a role.

[14:32] Sara is Marc’s first client who has had equal values in each of the three management styles. This tells Marc that Sara is very adaptable in her management. Marc wants Sara to consider that this may be a selling point for her.

[15:03] Sara looks at the Corporate Styles page in the Preferred Workstyles document. The first area is Work Motivation. Sara is ranked 8/10. Work motivation describes your attitude towards work, what motivates you to work.

[15:28] People who score 7 or above seem to enjoy work for its own sake and have a tendency to work well for others, exhibiting responsible attitudes toward work rules and assigned functions. People with lower scores need to have an interest or a buy-in in their work, in order to get motivated. They need to see the value in their assigned work.

[15:52] It is important to note that good managers score low, as well as high, on work motivation.

[15:59] Marc says people with a 10/10 rank are excited to do any task they are assigned. People with a 1/10 rank always ask why, when they are assigned a task. Marc compares 10s with dogs and 1s with cats. Sara is more ‘dog’ than ‘cat.’ Marc surmises from Sara’s scores that the most important thing at work is the team around her.

[17:08] Sara hired her team. When she worked with a team she inherited, things did not go as smoothly as with the team she hired.

[18:15] Sara is ranked 10/10 in Corporate Adaptability. Corporate adaptability refers to how a person responds to and level of commitment to the organization. Someone with a 7 or above understands and is prepared to participate in corporate politics. This person is able to identify with the organization as an entity.

[18:45] Someone with a score of 3 or lower does not like or choose to participate in the politics of an organization. This person will identify with the people or an individual within the organization, rather than with the organization, itself.

[19:08] Marc discusses pride in the corporate mission. A person with high corporate adaptability feels it very important that the corporate mission aligns with their own values. Marc talks about his unhappy experience consulting with EZCorp for IBM Corporate Services.

[20:12] Sara is very mission-driven. Marc says that is very common among creatives because they are emotional. Creative people tend to believe in causes. Being very organized, like Sara is, is very unusual for a creative.

[20:58] Sara plays corporate politics to some extent when she has to. It is a fact of corporate life in America. She doesn’t like it when it “smacks of” something unethical.

[21:56] Sara ranks 9/10 in Self-Development. Self-development measures how much you prefer to learn, advance and develop. A score of 7 or above shows a strong desire to learn skills in classroom settings. A score of 3 or lower suggests a person will learn new skills best through practical hands-on experience.

[22:24] Marc substitutes ‘some structure’ for the term ‘classroom settings.’ People who score high should ask about the onboarding process at the organization. Sara will want some kind of structure in her onboarding. Marc gives a client example.

[24:39] Sara is ranked 8/10 in Social Adaptability. Social styles describe basic opinions concerning other people in general. A high-scoring individual is generally trusting of other people, as well as being open to new ideas. A low-scoring individual generally feels that trust must be earned and is most cautious in trusting others.

[25:27] Low-trust people are stressed in new situations. High-trust people get burned easily. Marc always recommends finding a method for people to earn your trust. Observe how they follow through on commitments.

[26:41] Sara is ranked 9/10 in Social Responsibility. Social responsibility describes the tolerance a person has for following social and organizational rules and procedures. A 5 and above indicates a willingness to go along with the rules and a willingness to conform to various expectations society places on us.

[27:04] A person with a score lower than 5 will sometimes question the expectations that are put on society. This individual will likely choose to do something only if it is believed to be the right thing to do.

[27:23] Marc sees two pieces to this: social rules and organizational rules. Marc makes a guess that from the organizational side, Sara is a pretty good soldier. Sara agrees she is a rule-follower. Sometimes, Sara wishes she would question the rules more.

[27:58] Sara has studied music, playing the flute, oboe, and piano. Marc notes that there are two types of musical people, those who play rock and those who play classical. There is only one way to play Mozart. The musicians who play classical music follow the rules to the letter of the law. Marc refers to a client’s case.

[30:08] Sara had to take an art class in college. Her final project, while following the rules, turned out wildly different from everyone else’s.

[31:20] Sara follows social rules but she questions them more than work rules.

[32:50] In the Workstyles document, Sara is ranked 3/10 in Public Contact and 8/10 in Detail. A person high in public contact prefers activities involving social contact, seeks solutions for people and focuses on people being central to organizational effectiveness.

[33:31] A person high in detail is concerned for the procedural and detailed aspects of work and is focused on processes as central to organizational effectiveness.

[33:42] Marc translates these rankings. Sara shouldn’t be around people all the time. She would be just as comfortable working from home some days.

[34:05] Sara is ranked 2/10 in Global and 9/10 in Linear. Global means problem solving that involves a relational and holistic process. Thinking and actions need not follow a sequential pattern. Linear means a preference for activities and tasks that follow a logical, sequential analysis and process.

[34:32] Sara likes following and setting processes. Marc tells how one of his clients, an interior designer, created one linear process to follow for all design assignments. Creatives can be linear.

[35:14] Sara is ranked 3/10 Conceptual and 8/10 Concrete. A person ranked high in conceptual utilizes abstract information, experience, intuition, and knowledge to find fresh and imaginative solutions. A person ranked high in concrete uses analysis and facts to solve problems.

[35:40] Sara likes to use the facts.

[35:48] Marc brings up Combinations of Problem Solving. Individuals scoring high on both concrete and linear are practical and action-oriented. Their credo is “Give us the facts and get out of the way.”

[36:15] These individuals see the use of logic and hard analysis as valuable and necessary. On the other hand, they are impatient with the planning process and often question its value. They are at their best when the problem to be fixed can be readily analyzed and contains an element of urgency.

[36:35] Objective and pragmatic, these individuals are not drawn to problems just because they are problems. The problems need to have practical results if solved.

[36:46] This resonates with Sara, especially about problems that can be readily analyzed and contain an element of urgency. Sara needs to have a purpose to the problem-solving.

[37:10] Marc gives Sara an assignment to look at three problems she has solved in her personal life and three problems she solved in her work life, write them up, and ask herself how she approached and solved them. Marc guarantees Sara will see a pattern. Marc wants Sara to be able to explain the pattern she finds.

[38:12] Marc tells Sara the more she understands how she thinks, the more she will see how differently others think. Global conceptual thinkers come at problems by seeing the big picture and peeling it back in a nonlinear fashion to come to the ‘obvious’ solution.

[38:49] Linear concrete thinkers and global conceptual thinkers can be quite complementary, but more likely will “kill” one another. They are polar opposites. It helps to understand your own process in relation to how others think. This will help Sara understand her employees.

[40:09] Marc goes over the Birkman map with Sara. The blue asterisks mark the things that give Sara energy when she does them. Sara’s blue asterisks show that she might like to innovate or create, plan how to do things, consider the future, create new approaches, and look at things theoretically. Sara agrees.

[41:02] The yellow diamonds indicate how Sara self-describes. Sara’s yellow diamonds show that she is probably careful, focused, low-key, team-minded, and detached. Sara agrees.

[41:21] The yellow circles indicate how Sara wants to be treated. Sara’s yellow circles show that she is most comfortable when people around her tell her the rules but invite her input and don’t interrupt her unnecessarily.

[41:44] She also responds well to people who give her time alone or with one or two others, don’t overschedule her, and show they appreciate her. This resonates with Sara.

[41:57] The yellow squares indicate Sara’s primary stress behaviors. Sara’s yellow squares show that when Sara is stressed she is quietly resistant and impractical. She may also become unsociable, critical, indecisive, and protective. Sara agrees.

[42:31] Marc gives Sara the assignment to cut out this section and put it somewhere she will see it frequently. Marc wants Sara to be able to start spotting her primary stress behaviors. If she can spot them early, she can do something about them.

[43:25] In the next session, Marc will lead Sara through her Birkman Stress Report that will show her top 30 needs, divided into three sections. With each, there will be eight things she can do to stay out of stress. Marc gives an example from his own stress report. Marc wants to help Sara not to go into stress by doing behaviors good for her.

[44:53] Marc describes the homework he will send her. First to turn her usual behaviors into ‘Sara talk,’ and later, into a narrative. This will give Sara a way to quickly tell people about herself based on who she is, not what she does at work.

[45:33] The second assignment will be to look at three problems she solved in her personal life and three problems she solved at work. The third assignment will be the career reflection worksheet to tell about her best boss ever, a team she adored, and when she felt the most valued, and explain why. What was the right level of activity?

[46:21] Marc wants Sara to think of when things were really good, so she can frame up what she wants for work conditions. Sara wants an orderly, cooperative team, that plays by the rules and plays well together. She likes when people take a risk for the good of the team.

[48:34] Marc hopes you can hear the insights Sara is gaining, and how to apply them.

[49:42] Check back next week, when Marc will present Part 4 of “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?” and complete the series.
[49:48] Please send in your ideas for special topics for Episode 100 of Repurpose Your Career at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

CareerPivot.com/Episode-93 Sara Part 1

CareerPivot.com/Episode-94 Sara Part 2

Sara’s Reports

CareerPivot.com/Episode-20 Elizabeth Rabaey

CareerPivot.com/Episode-64 Camille Knight

Tableau

Birkman Assessments

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has six initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort and receive more information about the community as it evolves. Those in the initial cohorts are setting the direction of this endeavor. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and, more importantly, a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-97 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and on the Google Podcast app, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Sep 17, 2018

In this episode, Marc explores healthcare, insurance, automobiles, shipping food supplements, house rentals, the internet, visas, public transportation, and downsizing. He explains his plans for the next year while continuing to run his businesses from Ajijic.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:22] Marc welcomes you to Episode 96 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.
[1:34] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. The more people you share it with, the more he can help. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues.

[2:03] Last week, Marc answered LinkedIn questions with his ‘partner-in-crime,’ Mark Anthony Dyson.
[2:10] Next week Marc will return to the career pivot evaluation series “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?” for Part 3 of four parts.
[2:16] In this podcast episode, Marc will be discussing a variety of issues around their final decision to make the move to Mexico. This will include things like healthcare, health insurance, automobile insurance, automobiles, shipping food supplements and medications from the U.S. to Mexico. You can’t get everything in Mexico.

[2:38] Marc will talk about leasing property in Mexico, and their move. Finally, Marc will talk about shopping to set up their house. Don’t plan on bringing your “stuff” from the U.S. Just get rid of it and buy used or new stuff in Mexico.

[2:58] Marc and his wife made the decision in the last two weeks to “push the button” and sign a lease on a two-bedroom, two-bath Casita in central Ajijic, Mexico. The number one factor in making this move is the absurd behavior of the U.S. Government and the healthcare and health insurance industries.

[3:18] Marc wrote about this in a post called “The Looming Healthcare Insurance Catastrophe for Baby Boomers.” Marc’s prediction about rates has come true. Marc’s health insurance provider has asked the Texas Insurance Board for a 34% rate increase in 2019. Marc already pays $1,358 per month premium for a $10,000 deductible policy.

[3:50] In two-and-a-half months in Mexico, Marc’s wife has seen an endocrinologist, a hematologist, a dermatologist, had blood work done and had her teeth cleaned. Overall they have paid about $150 in fees. She has been treated by doctors with credentials from top universities. The three doctors spent a total of four hours with Marc’s wife.

[4:19] Mrs. Miller’s blood was drawn at a local clinic but for about 200 pesos ($10.00) more, the nurse would have come to their house. The Millers have researched a variety of health insurance policies and a worldwide policy, excluding the U.S., with a $2,500 individual deductible, will cost them a little less than $2,000 per year.

[4:43] If Marc stayed in the U.S., health insurance for him and his wife would have cost $2,000 per month. They could take a worldwide policy that includes the U.S., with a $5,000 individual deductible for something less than $4,000 per year.
[5:01] The world-wide policies don’t cover pre-existing conditions but Marc’s wife’s out-of-pocket expenses have been very low.

[5:15] Marc talks about a couple near them in Mexico who are both enrolled in Medicare. They don’t carry coverage in Mexico, and for anything major they go to the U.S. Another senior covered by Medicare returned to the U.S. when he had a heart attack.

[5:43] Another senior in their Introduction to Spanish class came down with pneumonia. She was admitted to the top cardiac hospital in Guadalajara and for two nights her total cost was $1,500. She was thrilled with the treatment and the care. The doctor even made a house call to check in on her.

[6:14] Marc and his wife are in Mexico for the health insurance and healthcare. Then they had to face questions about bringing their car into Mexico. Mexico does not want your American car there. Marc put up a blog post about it last week and talked about Visa levels. On a temporary visa, you can bring a U.S.-plated care into Mexico temporarily.

[7:04] You cannot sell your American car in Mexico. After four years you have to take it back to the U.S. and dispose of it. Mexico wants residents to buy Mexican cars. With duties and taxes, cars are more expensive in Mexico.

[7:21] Marc has not investigated all the aspects of car insurance in Mexico. In an accident, you need to call your insurance agent first, and then the police.

[7:40] Mrs. Miller takes certain food supplements and a thyroid medication that she cannot get in Mexico. She is a Genesis Pure distributor and uses the products. Genesis Pure does not ship to Mexico. There are shipping companies in Mexico to facilitate that with an address in Laredo, Texas where you ship your products.

[8:16] The products are taken through customs by the company, duty is paid, the products are taken out of the box, reboxed and shipped to the company’s address in Ajijic. Where it is picked up and the customer pays for the shipping and the duty on the products. Just ship small amounts at a time, as the reboxing is not careful or gentle.

[9:36] When the Millers go back to the U.S. in October, they will bring as much of the supplements with them as they can when they drive back. On every trip back to the States, they will bring more.

[9:52] The next issue is renting property in Mexico. Many people just buy. Marc is not planning to do that. You pay cash to buy property in Mexico. There are no mortgages. Everyone has recommended to the Millers to rent. They are in their fourth location in the area. They decided they wanted to be in the center of Ajijic.

[10:33] Marc’s original plans were to come down in June for three months, then again in September, for three months, and arrange for a long-term rental property in January. That would not work. The rental market in Ajijic is so tight that rental agents are asking people for more properties to rent. People are moving from both Canada and the U.S.

[11:12] At least a third of the expats are Canadian. The high season is October through March.

[11:27] There are two ways to acquire rental property. One is through a rental agency and the other is from an individual. Individuals rent by word of mouth. Marc didn’t have the connections, so they contacted a couple of Realtors® and with their direction, connected to three or four services. They ended up choosing Access Lake Chapala.

[12:41] Julio was their agent. It is important to understand what comes with the rental, and what the costs are. Some expats want to rent a property that is fully furnished and where everything is paid for.
[13:17] Water is included in the rental. It is usually paid annually. The water flows from the city to an underground cistern on the property. Then a pump moves it to a rooftop cistern. This provides the water pressure to the home. No one drinks the water, though it is potable. Marc gets a 5-gallon jug of drinking water delivered for 20 pesos.

[14:24] Taxes are also included in the rental. Then there are the internet, gas, and electricity. A poll and air conditioning take a lot of electricity so it can run high. April and May are the hottest months. Otherwise, you don’t use air conditioning.

[14:56] Marc looked at several places where the internet was not installed. The incumbent carrier is TelMex. It is ADSL. There is no guarantee you can get a line at a specific property. Marc turned down a property because the internet was not installed.

[15:34] Marc was advised over and over again, if the internet was not installed and where you could test it, not to rent that property.

[15:46] The lease looks very different from a lease in the U.S. It is in Spanish. An unofficial English translation is provided on the back, but Marc found a local expat attorney, Spencer McMullen, to go over the lease for him. In Mexico, the landlord does not have to fix any problems on the property if they don’t affect health and safety.

[16:44] Most Gringo landlords don’t play those games. Written into Marc’s lease is a clause that if the repair costs less than 900 pesos ($45-$50), Marc is responsible, and if it costs more, the landlord is responsible. The landlord is Mexican and has a very good reputation. He manufactures furniture and fully furnished the casita with nice furniture.

[17:28] The Millers found the casita right in the center of Ajijic. It is going to be noisy, particularly around the holidays. Some of the expats head to Puerto Vallarta for the holiday season. The Millers will head back to Austin in early October and not return to Mexico until mid-November, so they will miss the Day of the Dead, November 2nd.

[18:05] Marc will empty their condo, saving only a few keepsake pieces from his parents. You don’t want to ship furniture to Mexico. As it goes through customs it is not treated with care. Also, American appliances do not fare well with Mexican power surges.

[19:14] Appliances in Mexico are really cheap and don’t last through too many power surges. Marc will bring a VitaMix with him and leave it unplugged most of the time.

[19:38] Ajijic is a very transient community. There are a lot of second-hand stores where items are inexpensive. Juan, the landlord gave some basic Kitchen cookware. They are buying utensils, a cutting board, and large knives for fruits and vegetables. They picked up coat racks and hat racks and custom cat trees at bazaars.

[21:03] People find it hard to give up their stuff when they move but it is best. The Millers only live in a 1,000 sq. ft. condo in Austin, so they’ve already downsized once. They are not attached to a lot of their stuff. Marc has his mother’s urn. They don’t have a place to bury her. Marc does not know if he will bring the urn to Mexico.

[21:36] Marc wrote in the recent blog post about the visa needed to bring a car to Mexico. Marc will get a permanent visa so he can get a bank account. Mrs. Miller will get either a tourist or a temporary visa so she can keep the car. Marc is thinking about getting rid of the car on the next trip back to the U.S. and not have a car in Ajijic.

[22:43] Public transportation on the north shore of Lake Chapala is very inexpensive. It’s very easy to get around. Buses run all the time for seven to nine pesos (35 to 50 cents).

[23:15] The point is to live like a local and not like a tourist. There are a lot of gringos who don’t assimilate. They drive everywhere and keep to themselves. Marc has a 71-year-old neighbor from Dallas who has no car and walks everywhere. He has lost five inches in 18 months! It is also easy to eat healthy in Ajijic.

[24:08] Marc has been getting lots of positive feedback about both the blog posts and podcast episodes. Reach out to Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com, or leave a comment at CareerPivot.com/Episode-96/ with any questions.

[25:56] Click back next week, when Marc will continue with “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?”

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

“The Looming Healthcare and Insurance Catastrophe for Baby Boomers.”

“How to Move Abroad and Take Your Job With You – Part V”

Genesis Pure

Access Lake Chapala

TelMex

Spencer McMullen Chapala Law

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. Those in the initial cohorts are guiding the direction of this endeavor. Marc is in the middle of recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and, more importantly, a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-96 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Sep 10, 2018

In this episode, Marc and Mark address questions about network size, how to use LinkedIn to get your best results, how to grow your LinkedIn network productively, and upgrading to the premium version of LinkedIn.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:14] Marc welcomes you to Episode 95 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.
[1:27] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues.

[1:50] Last week, Marc presented Part 2 of the career pivot evaluation series “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?” Marc is taking a two-week break from the Sara series.

[1:59] Next week Marc will report in after having made his final decision for the next year on staying in Mexico.
[2:08] When this episode airs, this week’s blog post will be about the business side of moving to Mexico. Next week’s podcast will be about navigating the move. Marc has already moved into a two-bedroom, two-bath Casita in the heart of Ajijic, Mexico. He will be talking about the issues of the move, the visas, and much more.

[2:30] The move was really not that complicated but there are a lot of details.

[2:36] This week, Marc will be answering LinkedIn questions with his ‘partner-in-crime,’ Mark Anthony Dyson.

[2:43] Related to moving to Mexico, the power went out in the entire area around the house Marc and his wife have been staying in. Marc had to go to a local coffee house where he had better cell service to record this audio Skype call. It was pretty noisy but Marc edited the sound somewhat to make the episode easy to listen to.

[3:07] One of the things Marc discusses in this week’s blog post is issues with telecommunication. You always have to have a backup plan. The intros and outros of this episode are being recorded in a makeshift studio in the casita that Marc and his wife just moved into. Marc uses padding to cover hard-surfaced walls in a closet.

[3:58] Marc welcomes Mark Anthony Dyson to help answer listener questions.

[4:35] Mark sent Marc a question about LinkedIn, leading Marc to chose to do a Q&A session on LinkedIn questions.

[4:49] Q1: My title is Senior Project Manager but I am also a business analyst and provide data analysis for a variety of projects. I get calls from recruiters for Project Management positions. I would rather do the business and data analysis work. What should I do to make myself a magnet for the kinds of opportunities I would prefer?

[5:24] A1: Job titles are nebulous and many people wear multiple hats. There are two ways to handle this in LinkedIn. The first option is, in your current job title, put your official job title. Then put a vertical bar and start listing out all the job titles that are valid for what you do today, each separated by a vertical bar.

[6:28] The second way to handle this is the way Marc handles his current job titles. Marc has three jobs: CareerPivot, The Repurpose Your Career podcast, and his volunteer position on the board at LaunchPad Job Club. All have a current job title, and so all the titles he lists there go up to the present.

[7:03] Recruiters search primarily on the current job title and on keywords. If you want to be found as a business analyst, you need to have business analyst in your current job title, otherwise, no one is going to find you for that.

[7:28] Mark was talking to Bob McIntosh of LinkedIn about algorithms. Getting engagement regarding the things you want to do is a great way to get someone to look at your profile. For business analysts and data analysts, join groups and discussions in those areas to show your interest and expertise so people will go to your profile.

[8:32] Mark says people will put things in their profile but get no attention because they don’t engage or are not active in in some way. Another things to do to get more attention from the LinkedIn algorithms is to endorse people in your area of expertise. Also, you can ask people to give you a recommendation.

[9:19] Look at the panel where it says “People also viewed,” to get an idea of if you are listed with the people who have those same job titles.

[9:38] Mark suggests Googling the job title you want to be known for is an updated, current title that people are actually looking for. Do a search in quotes, “LinkedIn.com job title” to see what comes up.

[11:13] You can use keywords in your summary associated with quantifiable results.

[11:36] Marc says job titles people search on aren’t necessarily the titles you are using. Marc used to be a training manager, but now people search for learning & development instead, for that job. Make sure you are using the job titles people are looking for.

[12:17] If you want to get more visibility, go look at the LinkedIn profiles of people who are doing the job you want to do. See if they look back at your profile. Also, look at the profiles of recruiters at companies where you might want to work and see if they look back.
[12:55] Once someone has looked at your LinkedIn profile, send them a connection request. You will be a known quantity to them as they’ve already looked at your profile.

[13:15] LinkedIn shows you who has viewed your profile. You can see how you were found. You can tweak the keywords to influence how you get found. You can also do things external to LinkedIn by writing blogs and content you can then insert into your feed and share them for people to connect to you. You can put them under publications.

[15:55] Q2: I am trying to understand if my network of 8,000 on LinkedIn is any better than someone that has 500. I know you use the networking science in your profile and I want to connect and follow you to see what you think and what I can learn.

[16:16] A2: This is obviously a connection request for Mark Anthony Dyson. Mark says he doesn’t know where the networking science thing came from but he has written articles and had podcast episodes regarding networking.

[16:38] For some jobs with really unique niches, you might need less than 500 connections to have an impact on your career and to have it impact on others, depending on your other activity.

[17:00] The more connections you have, the more visibility you have. When you share an article, whether your own content or content from others, you will get more likes with 8,000 connections than with 500. What really matters to you is if you’re having career connections. Those 500 may be very concentrated and strategic connections.

[17:52] If your goal is visibility, the 8000 is definitely better than 500. If you are looking to advance your career or have many more engaging conversations about your career, then the 500 might be even better. It depends what your goal is.

[18:34] Marc write a blog post on how many connects is enough connections. Marc has a client who wanted to get into pharmacogenomics — a very small niche. When they took the keywords associated with that, there were only about 1,000 on LinkedIn who had those terms in their profile. Connecting to 200 of the key people would be enough.

[19:26] If you were a general Java programmer who just wanted to focus on the Chicago market, probably a network of 500 to 1,000 would be enough, as long as you have the right people.

[19:50] If you are like Mark or Marc, a consultant dealing with a broad market of a lot of people, then the more, the merrier. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. A large network of people outside your niche doesn’t get you a job in your niche field. Mark advises you to be active and engaged, whatever size of network fits you.

[22:41] When Mark gets a connection request with no note on it, he wonders how he can teach them the right protocol if they are connected to him. There are some who don’t know the best way to connect. Mark doesn’t connect with people looking to sell to him.

[24:07] Marc also says it depends. First he looks at the profile. If there is no picture or very few connections, the answer is no. He ignores it. If it’s a Russian model, he ignores it. Marc gets a lot of young people from India and Pakistan. He tries to determine validity through the profile.

[24:55] If Marc accepts, he immediately responds with a LinkedIn message, “I just accepted your LinkedIn connection request. How did you find me?” The idea is to find out how people learn about him, but also to get people to engage with him.

[25:32] Some will say LinkedIn recommended Marc, others will say they found him in an article. 70 to 80% will respond. Marc gets 30 to 50 requests a week so he waits until he has 10 to 15 connection requests, then he can copy and paste his message.

[26:06] If people respond, they usually respond within a couple of hours.

[26:21] Mark is fascinated by the amount of people who work in the career space who say that they’re LinkedIn trainers and gurus, who don’t write a note with a connection request. They are teaching people their behavior. Writing a note is elementary. They should practice that courtesy and promote it.

[27:26] Marc has been getting requests from folks selling leads systems to coaches. He ignores those requests. Marc gets approached 30 to 40 times a week by people who want to write blog posts for him. All the emails look alike.

[28:07] Mark says if the message starts with the generic ‘Hi,’ and no name, he will answer back, “Hi, you wouldn’t be a fit. Good luck in finding an opportunity.” He has that in Evernote so he can just copy and paste it.

[28:37] Those who talk about Mark’s specific podcast episodes, or comment on an article Mark wrote, get his attention. Most people who don’t include a note are looking for Mark to do something for them, such as having them on the podcast. Mark does not connect with them.

[29:24] Marc just received a pitch to be on the podcast from someone who listened to the last podcast and wrote an iTunes review about what he heard on the podcast. Marc responded back and asked if he could have a copy of the author’s last book.

[30:02] There is no one set rule how to approach someone, but you do have to have some discernment whether somebody’s going to be a good or fruitful connection. Mark is not impressed by numbers. He is impressed by someone who engages and uses their network to provide value as well as to ask for help once in a while.

[31:07] Mark says, think about how you want to be contacted and be engaged with, and that’s it.

[31:22] Q3: I’m looking for a job and have the free version of LinkedIn. Is it worth the money for me to upgrade?

[31:30] A3: Marc and Mark both get this question a lot. Marc’s version is a base business premium membership he bought in 2015. That version is no longer available. For Marc, it is $250 a year. He sees who looked at his profile. He gets worthwhile business insights.

[32:16] Where Marc sees people running into trouble with the free version is the limited number of searches they can do. However, searching in Google is a workaround. The hidden gem in LinkedIn Premium is in having access to LinkedIn Learning. There is a lot of good valuable content in LinkedIn Learning. Usually they will give you 30 days free.

[33:32] Mark was never interested in the business account. You don’t need a Premium Account to get a job using LinkedIn. Once you have a job, there is content available with a Premium Account that is nowhere else, such as LinkedIn Learning. However, you could find certain YouTube videos that are just as valuable.

[34:21] Mark tried the Premium and really didn’t see, as far as finding a job goes, that you need more than a free version. If you are running a business, there is some value to getting the LinkedIn Premium. For sales there is some value in the Premium. For Mark’s own business, he does not see the business case for that fee, yet.

[35:08] Nobody is saying, unless they engage with me on LinkedIn, I won’t talk to them. At the same time, there may be ways to have a larger reach with other people who are on LinkedIn Premium. Some may be having their company pay for their LinkedIn Premium Account. The free is enough to find a job in most cases.

[35:58] Marc keeps getting invited to Sales Navigator and other offers, but for what he is paying he has all he needs now. The packages can be thousands of dollars a year. Marc is not interested. Marc comments on LinkedIn operating under Microsoft.

[38:56] Click back next week, when Marc will be telling the story of moving into a new casita in the heart of Ajijic, Mexico.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

LinkedIn

Bob McIntosh on LinkedIn

Evernote

Microsoft

The Voice of Jobseekers

The Voice of Jobseekers on iTunes, Stitcher, and most of the podcatchers, even
the Spotify app and iHeartradio.

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. Those in the initial cohorts are guiding the direction of this endeavor. Marc has started recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and, more importantly, a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-95 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Sep 3, 2018

In Part 2 of this series, Marc covers the second half of the first feedback session with Sara for her personality assessment.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:24] Marc welcomes you to Episode 94 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.
[1:36] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[2:02] Last week, Marc presented Part 1 of the career pivot evaluation series “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?” Sara (not her real name) is employed, a closet creative, and a structured anarchist. Sara likes rules, as long as they’re hers.

[2:29] This week, Marc will play Part 2, the second half of Sara’s first feedback session. If you have not listened to Episode 93, Marc suggests you stop here and go listen to Episode 93, first. You will find all of the reports for this episode at Careerpivot.com/sara

[3:11] Next week Marc will work with his good friend Mark Anthony Dyson on a Q&A session to answer your LinkedIn questions.

[3:23] Sara turns to the organizational portion of the assessment. First is insistence — Sara’s approach to detail, structure, follow-through, and routine. Sara’s usual behaviors are a definite preference to work from a plan, attend to detail, anticipate difficulties and plan for contingencies — systematic, procedural, and concerned with detail.

[4:07] Sara agrees that she is very much a process person.

[4:26] Sara’s strengths are maximized to the extent that her plan is of her own making. Although she will put systems and procedures in place, she needs occasional opportunities to bend her own rules. Sara is comfortable with bringing order to chaos.

[4:59] Sara can fix a situation and bring order to it. After she has done so, she has been asked to stay and run the system. Her real objective is to go into chaos and fix it, not to maintain the process after it’s fixed. Sara is at her best when she walks into chaos.

[5:58] Sara describes how she would react to a process that is highly regulated. She would work the process and document very carefully her suggestions for improvements. She is not comfortable with strict prescriptiveness in processes.

[7:50] The rules need to be Sara’s rules or at least have flexibility. Sara agrees that is key.

[8:11] Marc will assign homework to Sara to reread the organizational pages about four or five of her behaviors and then think about a time where she got angry. Her orderliness is misinterpreted from time to time by others who don’t realize Sara is at her best in chaos.

[8:52] Sara reads her causes of stress. Since she tries to put first things first, she logically emphasizes systems and control. External interference in her plan can frustrate and distract her. She may overreact to pressures that threaten her personal freedom. Sara likes doing things her way and she is good at it.

[9:27] Sara’s stress reactions: overgeneralizing, neglect of order and systems, weakened follow-through. When Sara can’t get her way, at some point she loses interest and just goes through the motions.

[10:02] Sara turns to the assertiveness section. This is her tendency to speak up and express opinions hopefully and forcefully. Sara deals with people best on the basis of discussion and suggestion. When giving directions to others, Sara has the asset of asking rather than telling. Sara comes across as pleasant and easygoing.

[10:34] Sara’s usual behaviors: pleasant, agreeable, self-directive. This goes with Sara’s incentives score. Sara is a good team player.

[10:47] Sara’s needs: for highest productivity, Sara needs a peaceful environment. She responds best to people who involve her in the decision-making process, rather than ordering her to follow other people’s instructions. Sara doesn’t want a boss. She wants a team around her. She wants to be asked to do things. Sara is an asker, not a teller.

[12:16] Sara avoids interacting with dictators.

[13:20] Sara’s causes of stress: direct confrontations are likely to make Sara uncomfortable, especially when they become personal or emotional. Sara may feel intimidated by highly authoritarian people.
[13:32] Sara’s stress reactions: resistance to others’ directions, difficulty speaking up, avoidance of open disagreement. Sara does not relate to being easily intimidated but she sees some of these stress behaviors in herself.

[14:20] Sara’s team is incredibly important to her. Marc recommends to Sara that when moving somewhere she should do research on the working environment and what the team looks like.

[14:46] Sara turns to the last part of the organizational section, restlessness — how Sara prefers to focus attention or change focus and seek varied activities.

[15:05] Sara is able to resist distractions and concentrate on the subject at hand with greater than average intensity. Sara can also “compartmentalize’ when there is a need to give attention to different activities in close succession.

[15:24] Sara’s usual behaviors: concentrative, thorough, and purposeful. Sara knows how to focus. Sara is the polar opposite of most creatives Marc deals with. They want to do something new every 15 minutes. That drives Sara crazy but she works with people like that.

[16:05] Sara’s needs: It is preferable that Sara be given advance warning of any change that significantly affects her life or work, and that she be provided the opportunity to express her input and ideas concerning such change. Don’t mess with Sara’s schedule or interrupt her. Sara has to watch rigidity in her scheduling to be approachable.

[17:29] Marc, like Sara, has to find ways to minimize his distractions so he can stay focused. He gives the example of a person answering email and doing simple tasks in an open office and finding a conference room to do tasks which require concentration.

[19:01] Sara’s causes of stress: frequent interruptions can be a burden to Sara’s thoroughness. Changes which are imposed on her, with little or none of her input, may create resistance within her. It’s very important for Sara to stay informed. Marc recalls his last boss, who shared no information.

[20:13] Sara’s stress reactions: resisting change, over-concentration, and reduced perspective. Sara reflects on how these describe her. She likes Marc’s suggestion from the previous episode to take work breaks and read something for personal enjoyment. If she doesn’t break away periodically, from her focus, her quality of work suffers.

[21:26] Marc reminds Sara that the things that really interest her are not the things she does at work. She needs to fit them into small breaks in her day. A lifetime of doing work that doesn’t bring you joy is exhausting.

[23:35] Sara turns to the physical energy section. Sara’s high energy level affords her the considerable assets of vigorous and persuasive reasoning and a generally forceful and enthusiastic approach to everything she does. Sara finds it easy to be physically active on a regular basis.

[24:07] Sara’s usual behavior: enthusiastic, energetic, and forceful. Sara goes and goes.

[24:18] Sara’s needs: Sara prefers to be in control regarding the spending of her energies. It is best when her environment neither places the demands of a heavy schedule upon her nor emphasizes thought and reflection to the exclusion of personal action. Sara’s behavior rating is 76 against the median rating of 75, so she is normal.

[24:46] Sara’s need is a little bit below usual, which indicates she wants a little bit more control over how hard she physically works and control over her schedule, more than people probably understand about her.

[25:08] Sara’s causes of stress: external demands on her energies, either physical or mental, are likely to be frustrating to her. When she is denied the opportunity to balance planning with action, her naturally high energy level may result in unexpected fatigue.

[25:26] Sara’s stress reactions: edginess and feeling fatigued. Sara definitely feels this way at home. She wants to do things around the home on her own terms. Marc reviews some of Sara’s characteristics with her. She is really good at fixing things and creating processes when she can set her own terms. She is a cooperative team player.

[26:48] Sara turns to the thought section — Sara’s decision making process and concern for consequences in making the right decision. This regards big decisions. Marc finds Sara’s scores to be really unusual for a creative person. Marc sees it as one of Sara’s superpowers.

[27:14] Sara is generally decisive, able to quickly formulate her answers and make decisions without undue delay. Her ability to grasp relevant issues and form quick judgments allows her to be direct and to the point. Sara’s usual behavior: matter-of-fact,  decisive, and direct.

[27:40] Marc points out what is unusual in this description for a creative person. Usually, creatives see every shade of gray and can’t make a big decision.

[27:52] Sara’s needs: Sara feels that she doesn't need to be given a lot of time to make decisions, especially those that are usual and routine. However, the time she needs to make a decision will increase as the issues become complicated or unusual. Sara likes to see things in black and white. It didn’t take Sara long to buy a new car.

[28:50] Marc tells of a couple with ‘needs’ scores of 1 and 99. The wife wanted to buy a cell phone in one afternoon. Her husband wanted three weeks to compare plans and phones. Sara is closer to the wife’s score.

[29:34] Sara’s causes of stress: since Sara likes to make decisions rapidly and dispassionately, ambiguity can frustrate her at times. She may be inclined to be impetuous, overlooking points of detail. Marc tells about a past client who, like Sara, was really good at getting people together in a room and coming up with a decision.

[30:35] Marc calls that a superpower. He wants Sara to think about how that applies to her. Organization, creativity, and being a good decision-maker tie together into making good quick decisions. Sara likes to think things through early, and likes to research before making a decision but does not get into analysis paralysis.

[32:12] Sara’s stress reactions: over-definite thinking, becoming impulsive, snap decisions. In other words, when stressed, Sara spends less time and effort thinking through the decision.

[33:02] Marc will pick out four or five behaviors, and ask Sara to think about times when she got angry, and see if she can find the triggers based on her behaviors, needs, and causes of stress. Sara should think about the worst times in her career.

[33:32] Marc also wants Sara to look at her 27 usual behaviors in the report and pick out 8-15 of them she fully identifies with. Her next assignment will be to turn those into ‘Sara talk,’ and the assignment after that will be to turn that into a speaking narrative. This will be her authentic language to use when someone asks her to tell them about herself.

[35:14] Marc invites you to think about your own odd combinations of behaviors which are your superpowers, and why they are superpowers.

[36:42] Check back next week, when Marc will be working with his good friend, Mark Anthony Dyson and they will be answering your LinkedIn questions.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

CareerPivot.com/Episode-93

Sara’s Reports

Marc Miller on LinkedIn

Birkman Assessments

StrengthsFinder (now Gallup CliftonStrengths)

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. Those in the initial cohorts are guiding the direction of this endeavor. Marc has started recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and, more importantly, a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-94 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Aug 27, 2018

In Part 1 of this series, Marc covers the first half of the first feedback session with Sarah for her personality assessment.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:35] Marc welcomes you to Episode 93 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.
[1:48] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls.

[1:53] Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[2:12] The next two weeks, Marc will present the next career pivot evaluation series with “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” Sarah (not her real name) is employed, a closet creative, and a structured anarchist. Her personality is quite interesting. Marc has seen all aspects of her personality in other clients, but not in this combination.

[2:37] This week, Marc will play the first half of the first feedback session and next week, Marc will play the second half. Then Marc will take a break with a Q&A episode and maybe an interview before concluding the series “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?”.

You will find all of the reports for this episode at https://careerpivot.com/sara

[2:57] Marc welcomes Sarah to the podcast and invites Sarah to give her background for the audience.

[3:13] Sarah is a group leader in marketing communications. She manages the company’s advertising and promotion process. She works closely with marketing managers, sales training managers, and account reps in the field to create and distribute collateral that helps sell products and services to customers.

[3:49] Sarah is a creative and her current role does not allow her to use as much creativity as she would like. She feels frustrated.

[4:08] Sarah looks at the signature summary for the Birkman Assessment. Marc explains the two numbers for each component. ‘The usual’ is how Sarah described herself; ‘your needs’ is how Sarah wants to be treated in that same area.
[4:33] A big gap between the numbers means you don’t behave the way you want to be treated. It often indicates you are not treated as you want to be. A narrow gap very often means a blind spot. Marc says the science of the assessment is that how you describe other people is actually how you want to be treated.

[5:07] In components where the numbers are close to equal, that means Sarah believes she is just like everybody else. Marc says, we know that’s not true. Marc notes Sarah has some very low, low scores. He says this session will be very informative for Sarah.

[5:28] Next is the Birkman Interests, showing what you are interested in, not necessarily what you are good at doing. Things that you are really interested in, make you happy and give you energy when you do them. Things that are really low, you may be able to do them, but when you do them too much, they drain you.

[5:56] Sarah is very low in numerical, which does not surprise her. She is also introverted according to the Birkman map.

[6:19] On the signature report, page 13, Sarah has a 99 rating for artistic. Anything over 90 is something you have to have in your life. Sarah started her career as a floral designer. She loves art projects, gardening, and making things around her pretty and interesting to look at. She loves working with her hands.

[7:10] This doesn’t play out at Sarah’s work, which is a point of increasing frustration. However, there is a lot of creation going on, but in her role, she supports other people’s projects. She doesn’t like being in the role of an order taker. She has been doing it for 10 years. She does decorate her cubicle.

[8:57] Marc finds people who have high creative interests go into the corporate world and don’t get to fulfill those, and then, what happens is, the life gets sucked out of them.

[9:16] Sarah is rated 95 literary. Sarah loves to read. She got into communication from writing and editing. One of her first roles out of college was writing and editing corporate publications and she misses that. Sarah reads business publications and fiction, especially forensic novels.

[10:59] Sarah reads for enjoyment, relaxation, and education. She reads before she goes to bed. It’s undisturbed time.

[12:09] Marc gives Sarah a suggestion. When Sarah goes into a soul-sucking meeting, or all-day events, that she take 15-minute reading breaks and schedule them into her day. This comes from a book, Quiet, by Susan Cain. It’s about introversion. She talks about restorative niches. Highly creative people should schedule them into their day.

[13:01] Marc has a former client who knows to take her drawing pad out two or three times a day. It makes her feel good and re-energizes her. Sarah should schedule reading breaks into her day.

[13:22] Sarah is rated 94 musical. She used to play musical instruments at school. She listens to music in the home, usually letting her husband select it. In the car, she listens to podcasts. Marc suggests Sarah should get her phone out and turn on her tunes when she is at a point where she feels exhausted.

[14:46] Sarah’s artistic, literary, and musical interests don’t get fulfilled at work. Marc suggests that she needs to insert those interests into work.
[15:26] Marc encourages Sarah to take the Start a Blog Course by ProBlogger. Several people in Marc’s online community are going through the course. Marc says Sarah should go write.

[16:02] Technical is the next area. Sarah is moderately high in outdoor and scientific. She likes to research. Sarah is low persuasive, which rules out selling her ideas. Sarah is low in administrative. She doesn’t like rules unless they are hers. Sarah is low in numerical. She doesn’t enjoy spreadsheets, but she can understand them.

[17:11] Sarah is low in social services, which is not unusual for highly creative people. Sarah questions the administrative and social services scores. She is good at system tracking, record keeping and categorizing for her job. Marc agrees she can do it, but it sucks the life out of her when she has to do too much of it.

[18:08] We learn the skills our employer demands of us. We get good at them and may enjoy them, but they are tied to our low interests. When we overuse them, we get burnt out. Marc talks about being a phenomenally good public speaker as an introvert. It sucks the life out of him, though.

[19:19] You have to differentiate between the things you are good at and that may bring you some comfort, and the things you are actually interested in doing.

[19:35] Next Marc and Sarah look at the behaviors matrix. The behaviors are broken into three areas: interpersonal, organizational, and time management/planning. Marc comments that for someone with such creative interests, Sarah is pretty comfortable with ambiguity. Sarah agrees. Marc points out that is unusual for creative people.

[20:51] Marc directs Sarah to the signature report, page 20. There are three bars on the page: usual behavior, needs, and what happens when you don’t get treated the way she wants to be treated. Sarah’s numbers are 6, 31, and 31. The medians in the population are 25, 50, and 50.

[21:43] Marc asks Sarah to read about dealing one-on-one. Sarah is direct and straightforward, with objectivity and frankness. She is unevasive, matter-of-fact, frank, and open. Sarah agrees. She has learned the value of directness over time in the business world. She prefers to work with men.

[23:50] Sarah’s needs are that she is most comfortable when others are frank and direct toward her. When being praised, she needs to feel that the compliment is genuine and free of sentiment. Sarah agrees. Sarah gets highly impatient when others ramble or evade. It is tiring for her to interact with shy people.

[25:19] Sarah’s causes of stress and her stress reactions are that in the presence of shyness or evasiveness, she is likely to feel uncomfortable. She does not respond well to subtlety from others, sometimes making it difficult to recognize their personal needs and feelings. She reacts with reduced concern, detachment, and tactlessness.

[26:03] Marc says not to be surprised if she thinks of a tactless statement without saying it. Sarah replies, “All the time!” Sarah husband is also very direct. Stress reactions are more likely to be acted out with our family than at work. We are more comfortable with our family and we know they won’t beat us up.

[27:04] On page 17, Sarah’s social energy rating for dealing one-on-many is shown. Sarah’s generally pleasant and outgoing manner makes her at ease in group activities. Her warm and accepting attitude helps her meet people easily. Her usual behavior is sociable, at ease in groups and communicative. Sarah is 84. The median is 75.

[27:50] Sarah is pretty social. She does well at networking events. Sarah’s needs: the comfort she displays in social settings conceals her underlying need for considerable time by herself or in the company of one or two significant individuals. Sarah is a closet introvert who has learned to behave like an extrovert. She has a people threshold.

[30:03] Sarah likes being around people. She’s good at it. But it sucks the life out of her.

[30:54] Marc tells Sarah she’s not getting energy from people, they are pulling it out of her. She just has a large reservoir to pull from and like adrenalin, it wears off. Marc suggests that Sarah bring her books and music when she has to be around people a lot and periodically take downtime during the day.

[31:30] Marc had a client who had to present six times in two days at a conference. Marc advised him to take a book and go read in his room for 45 minutes between each presentation. At the end of two days, he actually wasn’t exhausted.

[32:04] Sarah’s causes of stress: Continuous pressure to be in social or group sessions can upset her sense of well-being. Without sufficient time to herself, she is likely to become withdrawn, possibly to a surprising extent.

[32:45] If the purpose of being with people is a real purpose, Sarah is less likely to feel stress. Getting together for small talk makes her skin crawl. Sarah’s stress reactions are withdrawal, tendency to ignore groups, and becoming impatient. Sarah sees herself.

[33:42] Page 23 shows Sarah’s incentives: A predominantly idealistic person, Sarah values cooperative effort and concepts of trust, loyalty, and team spirit. Sarah can think and reason in terms of intangible benefits and prefers to minimize face-to-face, competitive rivalry. Sarah’s behaviors are trustful, loyal, and service-oriented.

[34:23] Sarah is a team player. Sarah’s needs: a certain amount of competition and some assurance concerning her personal advancement. While Sarah values team effort, it is good for her to receive recognition for individual effort.

[34:45] By nature, Sarah does not consider herself competitive. Sarah’s causes of stress: Her respectful attitude complicates matters when in face-to-face conflict since her feelings and opinions are stronger than they appear to be. People who are opportunistic or unrealistic can be a source of discomfort.

[35:52] Sarah is far less competitive than expected for someone who is as direct as she is. Sarah’s stress reactions: becoming distrustful, becoming impractical (idealistic).

[36:39] People who are highly artistic tend to be stealth competitors. Sarah is a really good team player. She has learned this behavior to get ahead in business.

[37:46] Page 19 shows Sarah’s emotional energy. She prefers to balance between cautious detachment and sincere emotional involvement. She avoids excessive emotionalism and complete detachment. Sarah agrees. Her usual behaviors: objective, yet sympathetic, warm, yet practical. Sarah is at 37. Median is at 25.

[39:08] Sarah’s needs: Sarah needs a similar balance in her surroundings. She is at her best in the presence of people who combine logic and practicality with a certain amount of sympathy and understanding for personal feelings.

[39:26] Sarah feels suffocated and gets impatient with people who are really emotional and she gets angry and disappointed with people who don’t care about her needs. Both extremes bother her.

[40:15] Marc refers back to an episode with “Tim,” who was angry when his boss came to his father’s wake but didn’t say a word after that. Emotionally cold people annoy Sarah.

[40:49] Sarah’s causes of stress: extremes in others are likely to put pressure on her own moderation. Too much emotionalism from others can add to her tension, while she may tend to magnify her own problems when others are too detached. Sarah’s stress reactions: dejection, becoming too impersonal, loss of optimism. Sarah agrees.

[41:23] Marc will work with Sarah to help her spot her own stress reactions. If she can spot them, she can do something about them, early.

[42:59] Check back next week, when Marc finishes the first feedback session in the “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” series.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Sara’s Reports

Careerpivot.com

Birkman Assessments

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

“FREE Ultimate Guide to Start a Blog Course” by ProBlogger

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. Those in the initial cohorts are guiding him in this endeavor. Shortly, Marc will start recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and, more importantly, a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-93 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Aug 20, 2018

Dr. Dawn Marie Graham, Ph.D. is one of the nation’s leading career coaches. She is the career director for the MBA program for executives at the Wharton School, where she counsels business leaders on making strategic career choices. A licensed psychologist and former corporate recruiter, Dr. Dawn Graham hosts the SiriusXM Radio’s popular weekly call-in show, Career Talk and is a regular contributor to Forbes.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:33] Marc welcomes you to Episode 92 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.
[1:45] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls.

[1:50] Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[2:09] Next week, Marc will start the next career pivot evaluation series with “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” Sarah (not her real name) is employed, a closet creative, and a structured anarchist. Her personality is quite interesting. Marc has seen all aspects of her personality in other clients, but not in this combination.

[2:34] This week, Marc will interview Dawn Graham, author of Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers — and Seize Success. Marc reads Dr. Graham’s bio.

[3:20] Marc welcomes Dr. Dawn Graham to the podcast. Members of Marc’s online community had recommended her book to Marc and he invited her to the podcast. A lot of what Marc read in the book is pretty closely aligned to his own thoughts.

[3:40] Dawn wrote the book because the traditional career ladder has gone away. No longer do people start out in a career and retire from that career. It’s an exciting time. Dawn covers some of the reasons people find themselves ready to switch.

[4:19] No one has a background in the new hybrid jobs, so transferable skills are critical, such as strategic thinking, working with customers, building relationships, and being innovative.

[4:46] The timing has never been so ripe to move into these different opportunities. The challenge is that the hiring process has not caught up with the new jobs. AI Algorithms to match skill sets to jobs are biased toward traditional candidates. They look for the right titles or years of experience in a very specific area.

[5:24] Job seekers are more excited than ever to do different things, but the market is not in a position to see the career switchers because they’re not getting through the applicant tracking systems or other online technology.

[5:40] The book, Switchers, helps people bypass the technology and get in front of the decision makers. Marc always tells people their next job is going to come from a relationship, not a tracking system.

[6:05] In a tracking system, you are an unknown, competing with people who are known, either through a referral or as an internal candidate or a boomerang employee. Most people (70% or 80%) get their job through networking. The conversations of daily life, or knowing someone, can introduce you to information about your perfect opening.

[6:59] Marc recently posted about the five things you will never know about the hiring process at your target company.

[7:30] There are lots of obstacles between the online job searcher and the decision maker at the target company that the applicant does not even realize. When a job posting comes out, you don’t even know if the company has a pre-identified internal candidate but are just following procedures or if it’s an obsolete posting or a scam.

[8:22] Provided the job posting is real, an applicant system will kick you out if your resume is not formatted in the way it’s used to reading. You may be thinking you’re a perfect match but your application has not gone to the hiring manager.

[8:47] Between the time you applied and the application got to the hiring manager, someone internal may have referred another candidate who has leapfrogged the system and already in the second interview with the hiring manager.

[9:03] Applying online is really a risk. Marc gives a case study.

[9:44] The hiring manager is often not skilled in the hiring process. They have a full-time job in another department and are only called on to manage hiring a couple of times a year. Oftentimes, job descriptions are not written in a way that aligns with performance measures. The whole process has a lot of places where it can fall apart before you even get in the door.

[10:13] If you get a referral from someone inside the company who knows the culture, knows what’s going on in the company, puts your resume in front of somebody, and actually connects you to that person, you will likely get a phone call so you can prove yourself.

[10:38] Dawn includes psychological principles in the book important for understanding the process. A lot of the hiring process is about psychology. It’s important to know what’s happening in the mind of the hirer. They will make the decision emotionally and then justify it with data. You want to understand that so you can build a strategy.

[11:49] Hiring managers are concerned about losses. Loss aversion is common to all humans. You are angrier about a loss than happy about a gain. As a switcher, the hiring manager sees you as a risk. You haven’t done this job before. So you have to come up with a strategy to put their mind at ease.

[12:34] The job search process is a game of elimination, not of selection. There are hundreds of applicants. Hiring managers look for red flags, including being a switcher, a job hopper, or going to an unfavored school. It can be silly things. They want easy outs to narrow down the pile. You can put together a strategy to end up in the final round.

[13:36] For applicants over 50, one of the key things is getting over the fact that they’re older. Hiring managers are looking for easy outs, even if they don’t know they’re being biased. No job descriptions ask for 30+ years of experience. Do not give that number away early. Don’t show the year of your degree. List experience back only 20 years.

[14:51] With your age-free materials, work on getting a referral. A lot of bias can be overcome with a strong referral. A referral is somebody trusted by the hiring manager to put applicants before them that fit with the culture and fits the approach the team takes and gives them an endorsement. Now the hiring manager has to prove them wrong.

[15:43] The safest candidate you can hire is an internal hire. The second safest candidate is an external candidate with an employee referral. Marc thinks that the safe candidates make up 80% to 90% of all hiring, so, go get the referral.

[16:00] Dawn talks about how to build a network. As an introvert, Dawn has constantly worked on expanding her network. One easy step is to make sure your spouse, children, neighbor, and people where you attend services all know, in a sentence or two, very clearly the value you add in the professional world.

[17:05] If the people who care about you most and support you are able to do this, they can be your ambassadors to share your information with others and bring opportunities to your attention. They can’t do this if they can’t explain to others what you do. Make sure the people closest to you know clearly what you do.

[17:36] Marc and Dawn discuss strong ties and weak ties. One overlooked weak tie is your children’s friends’ parents. They may have a completely different network. When Marc went to teach high school, his most powerful connector was his chiropractor.

[18:05] Your chiropractor, dentist, hairdresser, etc., see a lot of people from a lot of areas. They could tell you of opportunities or even introduce you to somebody who could open the door to new opportunities. Don’t discount any connection.

[18:52] Don’t overlook dormant contacts you may have lost touch with. Old neighbors, old co-workers, old roommates — there are so many places where we’ve crossed paths with people that we can reconnect with, even on social media. Rebuilding a trusted relationship tends to be pretty quick.

[19:44] Marc gives a case study of an introverted sales guy in the packaged food industry. Marc told him to reach out to everyone he had worked with in the last 20 years. He got a job as an account manager from somebody he had worked with 15 years earlier.

[20:55] Dawn comments on why people are hesitant to reach out. They know it makes sense, and they don’t have challenges speaking to people, but when they look for employment, they feel vulnerable asking for help. They can ask for a restaurant referral but are nervous to ask about a job referral.
[21:46] Be curious. Don’t start talking about a job. Ask how they are doing and what they are up to after these years. Talk about mutual friends. Re-establish your connection. When you meet, then you can talk about your situation and they will want to do what they can to help you. Ask for advice, insights, and recommendations (AIR).

[22:37] Whether are not you are promoting your brand, people brand you by how they observe you and your behaviors. Be conscious of the perceptions people have of you. Understand your audience in a job search and how your accomplishments and strengths can start to solve their problems. Make that your brand.

[24:14] Your brand needs to be in light of what your audience is looking for. There are also intangibles, such as likability. It is critical to your brand.

[24:30] If you’re a likable person, you can get away with a lot more inside your organization than if you’re not. Venture capitalists are going to be more likely to invest in your new business if you’re likable than if you’re not. People are looking for likability as part of your brand. Put your phone away in a conversation. Take time to ask questions.

[25:08] Following through on your commitments is critical as well.

[25:24] There is a chapter in the book about fairness. Dawn talks about it. A lot of people who are unsuccessful in switching careers have been chasing fairness instead of reality. Don’t take unfairness personally. Learn the rules and play within them. Create a strategy to get around bias. Don’t get stuck in the applicant tracking system.

[27:06] When you get hired as a switcher, somebody with the traditional background is going to say that’s not fair. It’s not a level playing field so you have to learn to get around the situations that can bog you down to get the advantage.

[27:41] Marc notes that older workers are scared of rejection, or they don’t want to brag so they don’t put themselves out there as they must. He refers to Alexander Buschek’s journey to rebrand himself into a digital transformation thought leader in Episode 72. Marc told Alexander over and over again to be bold.

[28:22] Each time Alexander took a little step forward, he got positive feedback. Marc kept pushing him. Now he speaks all over Europe at conferences. He is the digital transformation guy.

[28:50] Chances are, if you’re worried that you’re bragging, you’re probably not. If you are going to be humble, remember that the guy behind you will not, so you will lose out. There are ways to advocate for yourself that don’t feel as though you’re bragging. Dawn recommends talking about how you were rewarded or recruited, in terms of others.

[29:45] It may be tempting to speak in terms of “we” and “our team.” That tends to masks your contribution. People know you were on a team but talk about the things you did. Use “glide” questions by stating an accomplishment and asking how that might work relevant to what the company is doing.

[30:57] Dawn gives her connection info. Marc thanks Dawn for being on the podcast.

[31:49] Dawn has a very similar view on changing careers as Marc has. Marc suggests you pick up her book and give it a read.

[33:07] Check back next week, when Marc will start the next career pivot evaluation series with “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?”

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers — and Seize Success,
by Dawn Graham

“5 Things You Will Never Know About the Hiring Process,” by Mark Miller

CareerPivot.com/Episode-72 Alexander Buschek

Dr. Dawn Graham on LinkedIn

DrDawnOnCareers.com

SiriusXM Channel 132 “Career Talk”

Dr. Dawn on Careers on iTunes

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. Those in the initial cohorts are guiding him in this endeavor. Shortly, Marc will start recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and, more importantly, a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-92 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Aug 13, 2018

Marc shares with the audience more about his upcoming move to Mexico including a big announcement on how the move is progressing.

Key Takeaways:

[2:12] Marc welcomes you to Episode 91 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[2:49] Next week, Marc will interview Dawn Graham, author of Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers — and Seize Success. Dr. Dawn Marie Graham, Ph.D. is one of the nation’s leading career coaches. She is the career director for the MBA program for executives at the Wharton School, where she counsels business leaders.

[3:11] A licensed psychologist and former corporate recruiter, Dr. Dawn Graham hosts the SiriusXM Radio’s popular weekly call-in show, Career Talk and is a regular contributor to Forbes.

[3:26] This week, Marc will be talking about the first six weeks of his family’s transition to being temporary expats in Mexico. This is a three-to-four month visit. This episode is a follow-on to Episode 86 where Marc discussed their drive from Austin to Ajijic, Mexico.

[3:44] The Millers arrived in Ajijic on a Saturday late in June and Marc’s first challenge was getting all the technology to work.

[3:53] The WiFi in the Airbnb they rented wasn’t very good. It is through TelMex, the incumbent landline carrier. They provide ADSL service but the connection is shared between two houses and the cable router is in the other house, so coverage is poor. Marc bought a WiFi extender and an Ethernet cable at Steren (like Radio Shack).

[6:05] The second problem is that the cell phone service is not very good. They get 3G data. Marc was getting a low signal for a while, but it has gotten stronger.

[6:51] The next step was to find stores. They found a small “dollar store” and bought a slow cooker, a blender, a racket-sized electric insect swatter, and household items. The store opened the insect swatter package and slow cooker to make sure they worked when they bought them. They later bought a bug zapper from Steren.

[8:10] Next, Marc found a gym. He chose Zona Gym, a basic gym for 550 pesos for two months or about $12 a month. He also bought a cat tree from a man at a Bazaar who makes them custom for 1200 pesos ($60). It would have been more than $200 at home.

[9:28] Mrs. Miller set a Saturday appointment for an endocrinologist through the Quality Care Clinic about three weeks before the trip. At the appointment, the doctor spent two hours with her looking at her history, then set up an appointment for a hematologist, two days later on Monday. The endocrinologist appointment was 700 pesos or about $35.

[11:06] On Monday, Mrs. Miller met with the hematologist for an hour. The cost was also about $35. Mrs. Miller, a former nurse, was thrilled with the care from both doctors.

[11:28] After about three weeks, the Millers were fairly settled in. Marc was running his Career Pivot Community Mastermind calls. One night, during a seasonal storm, the Internet connection failed. So he ran the call off his iPhone 3G network without video. Marc was getting about 1Mb/s upload speeds, which is low for video.

[12:31] Marc talks about Chicklet, the street dog in the neighborhood. He was an abandoned dog. Marc started leaving food for him. He was getting fed by a lot of people. Finally, an expat family took him in, so he has a home. Ajijic has plenty of street dogs and some roof dogs! You may hear some of them in the podcast.

[14:52] There is a lot of construction in Ajijic. The housing market is hot, mostly due to the number of expats moving in, both renters and buyers. Marc says some buy within three days. This caused Marc to accelerate their search for a rental property.

[15:20] Marc’s original plan was to arrange a rental now for January when they would return to Mexico. The rental market is too hot for that. Big Announcement: Marc is about to sign a lease for a two-bedroom, two-bath casita a block from the main plaza in Ajijic.

[15:55] It will be $950 a month, which is $200 to $300 more than Marc was planning to spend. It is new construction and part of a gentrification development in the middle of town. Marc renewed their membership at Lake Chapala Society. A volunteer there, Marguerita, is a real estate agent. She gave Marc some leads on apartments.

[16:35] Marc also talked to their neighbor Lori, a real estate agent. Marc learned that you have to move quickly to get a rental. They also looked on some Facebook groups. They first looked at a unit in La Floresta, a neighborhood built in the 50s and 60s. There are a lot of four to five bedroom homes built for Guadalajarans for vacation homes.

[17:48] Then, they looked at a property in Riberas but there was no internet installed. Marc didn’t want to take the chance that they couldn’t get a good installation there. After looking at a couple more places, they found the casita that they chose to rent. Marc lists the deposits they need to put on the rental. Marc found cats are a problem in renting.

[20:05] The casita has secure off-street parking and a private courtyard. There are about $4,000 in deposits due up front. Marc doesn’t have a bank account in Ajijic so he is pulling 7,000 pesos at a time from ATMs. That’s $390. It’s an all cash society.

[20:53] The next steps are to finalize the lease. They plan to move in on September 3. Marc needs to get a lawyer to review the lease and talk about immigration status. After that step, Marc needs legal advice on taxes and running his business from Mexico.

[21:29] Marc has located a health insurance broker. Marc completely expects his ACA plan to blow up next year. Marc and his wife are currently paying $1,358 a month for a $10,000 deductible policy. Next is an appointment to get their teeth cleaned.

[22:06] Marc needs to locate a property manager in Austin for their home there. As Marc accelerates his plans to rent, he has time set apart to buy some things for the rental, including a much larger cat tree.

[22:51] The last thing is to find a new gym because they will be two or three miles from Zona, which is walking distance from his Airbnb. Marc has not put 20 miles on his car since they arrived in Ajijic.
[23:14] They take the bus everywhere. They took the bus one weekend to Jocotepec on the western end of Lake Chapala. They took the bus another weekend to San Juan Cosalá also on the lake. Next weekend, they will take the car into Guadalajara.

[23:37] Mrs. Miller needed her Birkenstock boots repaired. Marc tells how they found Umberto, a shoe repairman, through the Gringos Ajijic & Lakeside Facebook group. It was 300 pesos ($15) to put new soles and heels on them, made out of tire tread, in a week. Umberto is also the lead singer at the Chili Fest. Everyone loves him.

[25:40] Facebook is the place to go to find different people’s experiences.

[26:11] Marc will be in the unit one month, pay the electric bill, then drive back to Austin for a period to get the condo ready to rent.

[26:37] Marc has figured out that what they are going to save on health insurance will fully pay for their housing expenses in Mexico. At the same time, Marc expects that renting out their Austin condo will also almost cover their housing expense.

[27:01] The housing in Ajijic is 30% to 40% higher than Marc thought it would be. The market is exploding.

[27:11] All the rental units they looked at are fully furnished.

[27:29] Marc had thought they would start renting in early January, but it was just not possible. No matter how well they had planned, they have had to adjust plans as they learned more.

[27:49] They also met the man who makes the cat trees. Ignacio (Nacio for short) is a 75-year-old retired Mexican general manager. He is going to build a six-foot-tall that will be weather resistant for outside use.

[28:07] In a couple of weeks, Marc will start the next career pivot evaluation series with “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” Sarah (not her real name) is employed, a closet creative, and a structured anarchist. He personality is quite interesting. Marc has seen all aspects of her personality in other clients, but not in the same person.

[29:42] Check back next week, when Marc will be interviewing Dawn Graham, author of Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers — and Seize Success.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers — and Seize Success,
by Dawn Graham

TelMex

Steren

Radio Shack

Walmart Mexico

Airbnb

Zona Fitness Club in Mexico

Quality Care Clinic Chapala

iPhone

3G Wireless

Zoom.us

Lake Chapala Society

La Floresta

Riberas del Pilar

Jocotepec

San Juan Cosalá

Guadalajara

Gringos Ajijic & Lakeside

Birkenstock

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. Those in the initial cohorts are guiding him in this endeavor. Shortly, Marc will start recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and, more importantly, a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-91 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Aug 6, 2018

In Part 4 of this series, Marc covers the third feedback session with Juan for his personality assessment.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:59] Marc welcomes you to Episode 90 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Marc started this podcast the last week of October 2016. He never expected to reach Episode 90, nor to get the positive reception he’s received from many of the episodes. Marc wants to do something special for Episode 100!

[1:34] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[1:58] Marc reads a couple of iTunes reviews. Adine1965 started a new job search and found Career Pivot. “I don’t miss a single episode. With Marc’s help and insight, I’m starting to reframe the next steps in my career and tell my story in a new and better way.”

[2:29] Mark Anthony Dyson says, “Engaging and informative. Big fan of this podcast as Marc takes us through many phases of the over-40 journey. Listen to his shows on moving to another country! … Marc will say he’s a recovering engineer only to let you know he is analytically inclined with a propensity to give you the truth with no chaser!”

[3:04] Mark Anthony Dyson will be back to help Marc with another Q&A session in the next month or so.

[3:11] Marc has added links to the Career Pivot podcast for Podbean, Overcast and TuneIn so there are all kinds of places you can get this podcast.

[3:21] Next week, Marc will be talking about his family’s next steps in moving to Mexico. Marc is recording this episode about six weeks into his current visit and he has a major announcement for listeners. He wants you to hear why the family is accelerating the process and the choices they are making.

[3:42] This week, Marc presents part four of “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” Juan is in his mid-fifties, a former school teacher, technology trainer, adjunct professor, and a multipotentialite. Juan is trying to figure out what is next.

[3:59] If you have not listened to the first three parts of this series, please stop now and listen to Episode 83, Episode 84, and Episode 88. Find the reports used in this series at CareerPivot.com/Juan. You may pause the episode now to download the reports.

[4:31] Juan was calling in from a hotel in Central America, so the audio is less than optimal.

[4:43] Marc welcomes Juan to the third feedback session. Juan has been doing some homework. His assignment was to review three problems he solved at work and three problems he solved in his personal life to study his thought process. He comments on the insights he received from the reports. Juan deliberates over decisions and takes time when he can.

[7:00] Juan says that under stress he will make a quick decision. He uses the example of his divorce as a quicker decision. On the job front, he makes sure he has a gig lined up before he leaves a job.

[8:25] Marc and Juan look at the stress report. There are three sections in it. The sections are interpersonal relationships, schedules and details, and decision-making. The first page covers what you can do when you are under stress to get out of stress.

[9:11] The interpersonal section shows Juan’s needs in self-consciousness and dealing with people. Juan likes to be respected and is an introvert. Juan reads a list of 10 needs that likely relate to him personally.

[10:10] Juan needs respected titles and status, personalized benefits, criticism balanced by praise, genuine pats on the back, close individual ties, freedom from group pressures, special time to be alone, time to be quiet and think, individualized benefits, and a few close one-on-one friends. Juan picks the top four of this list. They all fit.

[11:15] Each section contains 10 needs. Juan will consider them all and synthesize them down to his 10 most important needs. Then Juan will write a probing open-ended question for each need. Juan needs to know how to figure out if he will get them. He needs to know what to listen for.

[11:55] At the bottom of the page are things Juan can do to avoid stress in these areas. Spend time with a special person, keep a list of your recent successes, do things you feel good about, have for casual exchanges with superiors, set aside quiet time, protect yourself from interruptions. Allocate one weekend a month for your significant other.

[13:07] Prepare for holidays or hectic social periods by spending more time alone. Juan really relates to this one. Juan is already doing some of these. Marc relates to spending time alone as well, especially during the holidays. Marc doesn’t go to holiday parties.

[14:45] On page 5 is the topic of managing needs for insistence and restlessness. Insistence is your need to have rules and structure. Juan is relatively high in insistence. Restlessness is your need for variety. Juan is average in restlessness. Juan needs the following items.

[15:14] Organizational support, detailed instructions, steady, predictable income, clearly defined responsibilities, specific rules and policies, novelty and change in your day, frequent shifts in your activities, an independent work role, varied or complex work activities, and changes in the group or the scenery.

[15:45] Novelty, an independent role, clearly defined responsibilities, changes in group or scenery stand out the most for Juan. The steady predictable income is what kept him on as a teacher, but he didn’t feel professionally respected.

[16:42] Juan’s need for variety and for rules and structure contrast each other.

[16:52] Juan reads tips to build resistance and avoid stress in these areas. Identify an important recurring task you do well and schedule time for that task at the beginning of a work period or cycle, schedule important tasks in a way that allows for interruptions but protects the important tasks. Establish your schedule in writing.

[17:24] Set aside time every day to organize your thoughts and plan your day or to review the day’s progress and plan the next day. Build up a stockpile of small worthwhile projects to work on when you need a break from a boring task.

[17:41] Develop schedules and time management habits that allow you to routinely work on or monitor several tasks every day. Keep variety and a sense of newness in your hobbies and social life. Avoid taking on home projects that will require you to do essentially the same tasks every day and night for months on end.

[18:07] Marc stresses that Juan should pay attention to keeping variety and a sense of newness in his hobbies and social life. You can find enjoyment and a needed break in hobbies. Juan is spending time keeping on top of technology changes to keep current. His stockpile of small worthwhile projects is technology projects.

[19:23] Juan keeps a variety and sense of newness by traveling, meeting new people and attending conferences. Juan agrees that he needs new challenging projects at home. Juan enjoys diving into ambiguity in his freelance and consulting work and seeing what’s new.

[20:30] The next area is managing needs for physical energy and thought. A minimum of prolonged activity, stimulation of new ideas, friendly, low-key surroundings, time for reflection, unhurried work conditions, time to think decisions through, support from others on decisions, opportunities to talk out worries, and offers of assistance and help.

[21:08] The last is cautious decision-making by others. Juan relates to the stimulation of new ideas, friendly, low-key surroundings, unhurried work conditions, support from others in decisions. Juan notes he is relocating out of state to a new low-key surrounding with minimal pressure. He does not want to work in a factory.

[22:03] Juan wants support from others on decisions. He likes Marc’s writings, the community forum, Career Pivot. He appreciates the offers of assistance from others on the community forum. Juan looks to others who have made cautious decisions who have been inspirational in Juan’s pivoting.

[22:38] To build resistance and avoid stress, Juan should plan schedules and projects taking time to stop and think about where he has been and where he is going, give more time to abstract or philosophical thought activities, and avoid taking on too many projects or social obligations when work is hectic.

[23:03] Juan should develop a relaxing, low-key hobby or recreation and make use of the curative powers of this activity often. Build life goals and important plans carefully with thorough discussion from those close to him and advice from knowledgeable advisors.

[23:24] Juan should develop close relations with patient and effective advisors who will reflect on his ideas with him and help him think carefully about important issues. Juan should keep abreast of major developments in his work area so he is ready to deal with issues they arise and have a good idea of where to go for assistance and information.

[23:47] Juan should remind those close to him that he needs careful preparation before making a decision and elicit their support in developing several options to consider.

[24:00] Juan is giving more time to philosophical thought and activities, such as exercise, yoga, meditation, healthy eating, avoiding things that would threaten his health. Juan is avoiding taking on too many projects as he has overwhelmed himself in the past. Juan is building life goals, working with Marc and others.

[24:58] As technology in business is changing, Juan is staying abreast of issues like AI and how his field is affected. Juan says the report gives him a map to follow.

[25:53] Marc assigns homework to Juan. Synthesize the 30 needs down to 10. Read a blog post Marc will send him about how to write open-ended questions; develop an open-ended question for each of the 10 needs and then know what he is listening for.

[26:18] Marc assigns Juan to approach three people from his personal life and three people from his work life and ask them to give him three to five phrases that describe him. Marc expects there will be a difference between the people who know him from work and the people who know him more socially. Juan needs to look for the difference.

[27:07] Juan shares with the audience that he is relocating abroad. He is inspired by Marc and Mrs. Miller and their experiences as well as the experiences of other friends who have moved to new areas. Juan is looking for a low-key, low-stress area to refresh and recharge. With no dependents and no home, it is easy for him to move.

[28:28] Juan notes the impending healthcare disaster in the U.S. Juan sees a new future in San Jose, Costa Rica. He has met people from all over who expatriate there. He feels like he is in a new Paradise.

[29:48] Marc thanks Juan for participating in this series and says people have told him how it has resonated with them. Juan thanks Marc for changing his life.

[31:02] Marc says Juan is in the process of making some major decisions and working through the Career Pivot evaluation has been a real help to him. Juan was in the initial cohort of the Career Pivot Community website.

[32:17] In a couple of weeks, Marc will be starting the next series, with “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” Sarah (not her real name) is employed, a closet creative, and a structured anarchist. Sarah’s personality is quite interesting.

[33:08] Check back next week, when Marc will be talking about their next steps in moving to Mexico. There will be a major announcement you will want to hear. Marc wants you to hear the reasons they are accelerating the process and the choices they are making.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

CareerPivot.com/Episode-83 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 1”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-84 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 2”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-88 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 3”

Reports used in the Feedback Session with Juan Doe

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

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production in Beta Mode. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. They are guiding him on what to build. Shortly, Marc will start recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-90 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Jul 30, 2018

For 30 years, Jeanne Yocum has been self-employed as a public relations consultant and ghostwriter. This Spring, Rowman and Littlefield published Jeanne’s first solo book, The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss. Jeanne previously authored two books: The New Product Launch: 10 Proven Strategies and Ban the Humorous Bazooka: [and Avoid the Roadblocks and Speed Bumps Along the Innovation Highway]. She has also ghostwritten books on open innovation, strategic partnerships, and leading fast-growth companies. A Pennsylvania native, Jeanne holds a BA in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University and a Masters in Journalism from Boston University. After spending most of her career in Greater Boston and in Western Massachusetts, she now lives in Durham, North Carolina. She credits her parents for fostering skills that have enabled her to succeed as her own boss. Her mother was a high school teacher who led her to love writing. Her father was self-employed and served as her example on how to succeed out there on your own.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:23] Marc welcomes you to Episode 89 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast and invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[1:52] Next week’s episode is planned to be the fourth episode of the four-part series “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” You’ll want to come back and hear the closing episode of Juan’s saga!

[2:04] This week, Marc has an interesting interview with Jeanne Yocum. Marc shares her biography.

[3:25] Marc welcomes Jeanne Yocum to the podcast. Marc says he relates to The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss. For three years, setting up CareerPivot, Marc was going through much of the mindset described in the book. He sometimes thinks he works for the worst boss ever.

[3:49] As her own boss, Jeanne indulged her own requests for days off, usually.

[4:15] Jeanne had been self-employed for 25 years when she started writing this book. In addition to her own experience, a significant number of her public relations and event planning clients were self-employed. She also worked with self-employed graphic designers.

[4:52] Jeanne didn’t find any books that addressed the nitty-gritty of running your business and the perplexing people problems you run into on a day-to-day basis. So she decided to write that book as a resource for others.

[6:01] When Marc first got started he hired a business coach who walked him through understanding the types of clients he wanted and those he didn’t and learning how to determine the difference quickly. Marc has come up with a business model where he asks for a lot of his money up front.

[6:33] Jeanne discusses the question of whether someone can succeed in self-employment. Everyone likes to think they could. Then they start asking about staying motivated. (Well, the mortgage comes due every month! How’s that?)

[7:16] There’s a mindset that you do need, including some specific characteristics. Some of them can be learned. You can be great with your product or service, but are you great with the people issues?

[8:04] When Marc got started, he was used to being an employee, not self-employed. It took him a long time to get the self-employment mindset.

[8:24] Persistence, decisiveness, risk tolerance, self-motivation, confidence, and optimism are the six characteristics Jeanne recommends you need before deciding to become self-employed.

[8:52] Most of us working for anybody else rely on someone above us to make final decisions. That is not the case for the self-employed.

[9:22] Marc’s problem as a self-employed person was in being his own biggest critic.

[9:37] Some people starting out lack persistence. It’s easy to get discouraged from people who are not interested or keep you dangling. Get used to rejection and get used to going after people who owe you money. Not everybody says yes and not everybody pays on time. Take assertiveness training.

[11:07] You have to be decisive. Put a strategy in place and give it a good, honest chance to succeed. You have to work toward something. Jeanne shares a client story. If you get queasy about being the decider, you need to give this serious thought. Self-employment may not be right for you.

[12:43] Marc runs into some people who can’t make decisions and others who make slap-dash decisions without thinking enough about them. Do the research but set a time-limit to how long you research before the decision.

[13:48] Marc asks how long to hold onto an idea before letting it die as unworkable. Don’t worry how much time you have invested in it. Investing more time won’t make it work. Marc notes his own flopped ideas before he started this podcast.

[14:27] Don’t keep digging a hole that you’re in over your head. If you never make the decision, then you really have made a decision not to do something. You’re going to face risks day-to-day, through no fault of your own. If you just can’t tolerate risk, self-employment will make you unhappy.

[15:39] Jeanne started her business at the beginning of a recession and has survived two more. She was worried. She lost a major client. But somebody else came along.

[16:16] You’ll need self-motivation. When you’re self-employed, you have to have it within yourself to do what needs to be done.

[16:45]  Don’t fall for distractions. When business is down, it’s no time to paint a bedroom. Get back to your desk and do something to produce income.

[17:10] You have to build up your self-motivation. You have to want the business to succeed. Many businesses fail before the five-year mark, largely because the owner lacked self-motivation.

[17:35] Marc discusses the Birkman Assessment. One of the measurements is ‘change/insistence.’ Marc is very low ‘change.’ He has to separate himself from ‘devices’ because he is too easily distracted. He has taken Facebook off his phone. He moved his podcast setup into a closet to isolate himself.

[18:57] Jeanne addresses myths: ‘Life will be better without a boss.” Think of all the decisions the boss makes. You have to understand the accounting, especially about taxes.

[19:53] When you’re self-employed, you have multiple bosses — all your clients. Each of them wants to feel they are the most important person on your schedule that day and that you will jump when they call. Jeanne talks about clients trying to micromanage her.

[21:27] Don’t make the decision to be self-employed because you are unhappy with your current boss. You have to see if you have the self-employment mindset, a solid plan, a market who will buy from you, and the expectation of making a living off the price you can charge in that market. If you want to escape your boss, find a better boss.

[22:57] If you are running to something, not away from something, self-employment may be right for you.

[23:10] Will your work/life balance be so much better when you are self-employed? Eventually, that may be true. In the startup phase (the first couple of years), your work/life balance may be worse than when you work for someone else.

[23:33] Marc has not had a work/life balance for five years! If you want to run a lifestyle business, you may not build up much business. It takes time to create a business.

[25:13] You will go to early-morning networking breakfasts, after-hours meetings at the end of the day, and do all sorts of work running the business that you don’t get paid to do. You have to run your business. You will need accounting training, etc. You don’t get to do just what you love (providing your service or product).

[27:38] Marc makes two points: it’s very important to work on the business, not in it, and figure out what you are not good at or do not like to do and find other people to do that. Don’t think you can’t afford to hire. You can’t afford not to.

[28:17] Marc can do any of the tasks in his business. So he needs to learn how to outsource to people who will do it faster than he can, and for less money.

[29:02] Look at what your own time is worth writing business proposals rather than writing code for your website. Cash flow, cash flow, cash flow is the mantra of the self-employed.

[30:02] Marc asks how to deal with income and workflow fluctuations.

[30:08] Jeanne says, keep at it. If you have “just a little” work to do, don’t put it off to do your grocery shopping or mow the lawn. Do the paid work first, then spend the rest of the day bringing in new business. You can’t let up. Do chores outside of business hours. When things are down, don’t let that distract you. Keep it up.

[31:21] Another aspect of the self-employment mindset is optimism. When business slows down, you can get discouraged or you can open another door. If you just keep at it, your plate will get full again.

[32:04] When you have too much work, outsource new work to a known and trusted vendor. Or ask the client if they can wait until next month when you can devote time to them.

[33:27] Kay McManus of K-Kan says when you get started, the only qualification for a new client is a pulse. It’s hard to run away from a client with money but sometimes you have to trust your instinct. You don’t want to work with clients that take energy away from you. It takes a while to trust your instincts, Jeanne says. Meet them for lunch.

[34:48] If you have dollar signs in your eyes, you never learn to listen to your instincts. But you can’t afford not to do your best work for everybody. Word will spread. It helps if you have clients that are really great. If something is putting you off, just walk away.

[36:00] Jeanne’s last words — “Buy my book!” Jeanne also invites you to her blog, Succeeding in Small Business. Find yourself some friends who are self-employed, not necessarily a mentor (but get mentors, too), with whom you can commiserate. Having someone in the same situation to talk to will be a big help.

[37:55] Marc ties this into his online community where he asks people to get an accountability buddy.

[38:20] Jeanne says you can buy the book on Amazon and it is also available in a Kindle version. Barnes & Noble carries the book in many locations. Or check your independent bookstore. Also available in Audible format. Jeanne shares her contact information (see below).

[40:52] Check back next week, when Marc will air the fourth and final part of “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?”

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Careerpivot.com/Juan

The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss, by Jeanne Yocum

Birkman Assessment

Kay McManus / Kay-Kan.com

Succeeding in Small Business — Jeanne Yocum blog

The Self-Employment Survival Guide on Facebook

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. They are guiding him on what to build. In a few weeks, Marc will start recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-89 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Jul 23, 2018

In Part 3 of this series, Marc covers the second feedback session with Juan for his personality assessment.

Key Takeaways:

[1:40] Marc welcomes you to Episode 88 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast (the intro of which he is recording inside his closet in Ajijic) and invites you to share this podcast with others. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[2:31] Next week’s episode is an interesting interview with Jeanne Yocum. Jeanne has been self-employed as a public relations consultant and ghostwriter for over 30 years. This Spring, Jeanne published her first solo book, The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss. This book really resonated with Marc.

[2:58] This week is the third episode of the four-part series “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” Juan is in his mid-fifties, a former school teacher, technology trainer and educator, adjunct professor, and multipotentialite. Juan is figuring out what is next.
[3:19] If you have not listened to the first two parts of this series, please stop now and listen to Episode 83 and Episode 84 before listening to this third part. You will find all the reports for the series to download at Careerpivot.com/Juan. Marc added more reports for this Episode 88.

[4:00] Marc has already gotten feedback from a number of people about how this series resonates with them.

[4:09] Marc introduces Juan. This episode is the second feedback session for Juan.

[4:17] Juan reports on his homework from the first feedback session. Juan recalls the stress of leaving a union teaching position to going to a freelance situation, and what that meant to him. The security and convenience of benefits are alluring but Juan felt unchallenged and stagnant in a protected job.

[6:01] Juan learned a lot about his personality and natural predispositions in the first feedback session. He says the Birkman Assessment was on the spot. Juan wants to be high-challenged. He was happy doing freelancing. He enjoyed traveling a lot.

[7:37] Marc introduces the Preferred Work Styles (PWS) report. This covers Juan’s natural management style, how he fits into the corporate work environment, social adaptability and social responsibilities, and how Juan makes decisions.

[8:40] Juan is a global conceptual thinker.

[9:03] Juan’s knowledge specialist rank is 7/10. This is common for Marc’s clientele. Juan reads the knowledge specialist description. Juan leads by example.

[9:59] Juan ranks 3/10 in directive management. Juan reads the description. Juan doesn’t lead by telling.

[11:00] Juan ranks 2/10 in delegative management. Juan is not interested in a VP or CIO position.

[12:37] In the PWS document, Juan’s work motivation is ranked at 2/10. He needs to see value in his work to get motivated. Just having work is not motivation enough.

[13:59] Marc shares an example of someone who goes crazy with assignments given without explaining their purpose. Marc and Juan apply the rating to Juan’s experience in the public school system. Juan needs work he believes in.

[15:57] Juans ranks 4/10 in corporate adaptability. Juan reads the description for the level of commitment to the organization. Someone with a score of 3 or lower does not participate in organizational politics. Juan was proud to work for the organizations where he was given a lot of freedom and flexibility.

[1718] Juan identifies more with the good managers he has had than with the corporations where they worked.

[18:55] Juan ranks 7/10 in self-development. Juan reads the description. A rank of 7 shows he learns a job best in a structured onboarding process. Being left on his own is uncomfortable for him.

[21:26] Juan ranks 6/10 in social adaptability. This is about his opinions of other people in general, relating to trust. A low-trust individual would make a good policeman. A high-trust individual tends to get burned. Marc always recommends, in a new job situation, regardless of your trust ranking, to find ways to let people earn your trust.

[23:36] Juan ranks 5/10 in social responsibility. He is right in the middle. Juan reads the description. A rank of five and above shows a willingness to go along with the rules and conform to social expectations. Juan was a good corporate citizen. Juan, as a Latin-American, has bucked the traditional cultural trend to marry and have a family.

[28:00] Juan ranks 5/10 in public contact and 6/10 in detail. Juan reads the public contact and detail descriptions. Being in the middle of both areas means Juan doesn’t want to be around people all the time, but some time is good.

[29:45] Juan ranks 7/10 global and 4/10 linear. Juan reads the global and linear descriptions. Juan follows a relational and holistic approach to solve problems. Low-middle linear means Juan is not mostly logical but uses intuition as well. He thinks big. By contrast, Marc is a 10 linear. For Marc, everything is a process.

[30:37] Juan ranks 8/10 conceptual and 3/10 concrete. Juan reads the descriptions. Conceptual utilizes abstract information, experience, intuition, and knowledge to find fresh solutions. Concrete uses analysis and facts to solve problems. Juan prefers to use intuition and experience before facts.

[31:24] In combinations of problem-solving, Juan is a conceptual global thinker. Juan reads the description. Juan is a strategic thinker and is comfortable with ambiguity. He is open to new ideas and will consider all facets of an issue before taking action. His approach is more intuitive than fact-based.

[32:10] The priority of a conceptual global thinker is to make sure a problem has been fully identified and defined. Then they move to take action to solve the problem. Juan sees this as 100% on-target.

[32:41] Marc gives Juan some homework to use this as a framework to consider how he solves problems and find three problems he solved at work and three problems he solved in his personal life and report back to Marc how he did it. Marc wants Juan to be able to see a pattern and explain it.

[33:07] Marc is a linear concrete thinker. A linear concrete thinker and a conceptual global thinker can either complement each other or “kill” one another. They think very differently. Marc asks Juan to observe how his own brain works. If he can explain that in a job interview the hiring manager will have a better idea if Juan will fit in.

[34:03] One of the big problems a hiring manager has is thinking everyone thinks like them. We are all different.

[34:48] The Birkman Map Summary shows what Juan likes to do. “You may like to innovate or create, plan how to do things, consider the future, create new approaches, and look at things theoretically.”

[35:21] Juan self-describes as “You prefer to be enthusiastic and flexible, assertive and competitive, logical and objective, energetic, direct, and open.”

[35:43] In the next feedback session, Marc will discuss in detail with Juan his stress report and how he wants to be treated. In short, Juan wants people to show they appreciate him, are interested in his feelings, as well as logic, give him time for complex decisions, give him time alone or with one or two others, and not overschedule him.

[36:18] Marc observes that Juan wants to be around a small number of people he likes and who like him. He doesn’t want to be rushed on decisions. He wants some alone time and wants to manage his own schedule.

[36:39] Marc points out that how Juan behaves and how he wants to be treated are very different. Juan is a closet introvert. He has learned to behave differently because he is expected to.

[37:06] Last, are Juan’s primary stress behaviors. Marc gives Juan an assignment to cut them out and place them where he will see them frequently. If he catches them early, he can change the behavior. Juan’s stress behaviors are withdrawing, fatigue, indecisiveness, pessimism, over-sensitivity to criticism.

[37:49] Juan recognizes withdrawing as a career pattern after completing an assignment or being laid off. He also recognizes fatigue in the office, and indecisiveness while a freelancer.

[38:48] Marc gives Juan a homework assignment to translate 8-15 of the usual behavior phrases into ‘Juan-talk,’ figure out his problem-solving style, and fill out a career reflection worksheet about the times he was the happiest with his boss, his team, and when he felt valued, with the right level of activity.

[40:16] When Juan understands what are the best conditions for him, and what are the worst conditions, he can run to the good stuff, instead of running from the bad stuff. Marc just wants Juan to make sure he doesn’t go back to a bad circumstance. If he stays a freelancer he has fewer constraints; if he goes to teaching he has security.

[41:26] Marc talks about relapsing and uses himself as an example. He went back to something — a tech startup — that was familiar. It wasn’t healthy for him.

[42:05] Juan tells how grateful he is for Marc’s insight and helping him find the right course.

[42:33] Marc describes why Juan, being a multipotentialite, has bounced around in his career. He thought with enough education he would be recession-proof. He wanted to do something different every few years. In his mid-fifties, with no clear direction, the goal is to steer to a path of success.

[44:38] Check back next week, when Marc will interview Jeanne Yocum.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss, by Jeanne Yocum

Careerpivot.com/Juan

CareerPivot.com/Episode-83 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 1”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-84 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 2”

Birkman Assessment

Reports used in the Feedback Session with Juan Doe

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. They are guiding him on what to build. He will start recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-88 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Jul 16, 2018

Marc revisits his interview with career pivoter Mike O’Krent. Mike O’Krent, Founder of LifeStories Alive, LLC, specializes in making personal history videos for families that value their heritage. They create family heirlooms in video — digitally mastered records of life stories with personal accounts, photos, and mementos of family history. Marc has known Mike for 10-plus years, and it has been fascinating, watching him grow his very unique business. Marc and Mike discuss what Mike did in the first half of life, why he quit without a plan, the life-changing experience of interviewing Holocaust, or Shoah, survivors, and, the nudge from a business coach that set him on the second half of life.

 

Marc thinks you’ll find Mike’s story quite fascinating; Marc got emotional listening to it again. Listen in to get inspiration for your own career pivot.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:49] Marc welcomes you to Episode 87 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast and invites you to share this podcast with others. The larger the audience he can reach, the more people he can help. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues.

[2:23] Marc’s original plan was to share Part 3 of “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” But he is delaying that for a week. Today’s episode is a rebroadcast of Episode 7, Marc’s interview with Mike O’Krent.

[2:39] Marc introduces the episode. If you hear any thumping, Marc is in Mexico, and there is construction going on around the area. You can hear about Marc’s drive to Mexico in Episode 86.

[3:52] Marc and Mike start the interview.

[4:14] In the first half of life, Mike was in retail floor coverings, in his grandfather’s business in San Antonio, Texas. He started his own carpeting business in Austin in ’98, but sold it in ’04, without an idea what to do next.

[5:11] In the early days, Mike and his grandfather went to markets in Chicago and Dallas, where 200-plus carpet mills vied for their business. By the time Mike sold his business, there were three carpet mills left. The negotiation and the fun had gone.

[5:55] Mike gives an overview of what he does in his company, Life Stories Alive, LLC.

[6:38] In 1995, Mike was volunteering for the Jewish Federation of San Antonio, visiting schools and teaching about the Holocaust. Steven Spielberg was filming Schindler’s List, in Poland, and survivors were coming up and saying they have a story they want to tell.

[7:03] Spielberg wanted to preserve their stories. He started The Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. He set a goal of capturing 50,000 survivors’ stories, worldwide, and ended up with 52,000, in 39 languages.

[7:32] The foundation asked the Jewish Federation of San Antonio if they had someone to volunteer for training to interview local survivors. Mike jumped at the chance. He learned the process of interviewing people for their history. He interviewed survivors from ’96 to 2000 — it was one of the most fascinating experiences of his life.

[8:43] So, Mike had the process, and he loved the interviews, but then they were over in 2000. When he sold his carpeting business, he went to Administaff and worked, until he realized the corporate world was not for him. He still had no plan.

[10:38] Through his wife, Mike found a good business coach, who gave him an exercise: make a list of everything you’ve done, that 1) you liked and 2) you thought you did well. Exclude activities that don’t meet both tests. The next week Mike read a list of 20-25 things to the coach.

[11:54] The coach picked up on Mike’s excitement over the Holocaust interviews and asked him to talk about it. When Mike finished, the coach asked, can you make a business doing something like that? The lightbulb went on, and Mike was on his way. He planned for the resources he would need to get started.

[13:22] Marc shares how body language is a clue to your passion. A coach sitting across from you can see better what interests you than you can when you talk to them because they see your excitement through your body language.

[14:01] Mike got his first client, Bill, through his wife. Bill was a bank officer with a strong corporate background. Mike did his video for free, as a test. When he saw it, Bill called his connections and said, “You need to do business with Mike,” and handed Mike the phone! That’s how he got his first clients.

[15:44] The technology has changed. Mike started with videotapes, then DVDs, now he can upload a life story to the cloud or use other delivery methods. No matter the technology, there has always been and there will always be a way to do a life story.

[16:44] Besides personal life stories, Mike has done documentaries for businesses and nonprofits. These stories pull in customers, or donations, with their emotional appeal. When you can see the faces and the expression, that pulls the heartstrings.

[18:31] Mike had thought to franchise his business. He refers back to the franchise-type model Steven Spielberg used to capture 52,000 stories all over the world. If only Mike could duplicate himself — he has all the other processes down!

[19:30] Mike feels very fulfilled by the individual interviews he does and keeping himself productive and busy.

[19:51] Mike does only the interviewing. Videography, lighting, and sound, are hired out to professionals who accompany him, so Mike can focus on listening intently to the interviewee with no distractions. The editing is also hired out to professionals.

[22:05] Marc wants solopreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to realize they don’t have to do it all. Let the experts make you look good.

[22:50] Mike has done alright with word of mouth but is now moving to a marketing professional.

[24:55] Marc recaps Mike’s experience, common to most second-half-of-life pivoters. There was an idea to do something but no action was taken. After a period of years, there was a trigger get started. Finally, there came the realization that things do not turn out exactly as planned and there is a need for nimbleness to meet market needs.

[27:52] Marc’s last thoughts: Mike has taken a different path that most of us wouldn’t think would be very practical. But he has made it work.

[29:20] Check back next week for Part 3 of “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?”

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Careerpivot.com/Episode-83 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?”

Careerpivot.com/Episode-7 “Mike Made an Amazing Career Pivot…”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-86 “Marc Miller and His Wife are Expatriating to Mexico”

“How to Move Abroad and Take Your Job with You — Part IV”

Administaff (Now Insperity)

Careerpivot.com/Episode-6 “How to Prepare, Get Fit, and ... Shift ... with Kerry Hannon”

Don Osmond

Website: Life Stories Alive

Email: MOKrent@LifeStoriesAlive.com

Phone (512) 431-8166

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc has accepted five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. He is recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions, and most importantly, a community where you can seek help. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist for the next cohort at CareerPivot.com/Community.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-87 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast.

 

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Jul 9, 2018

Marc shares with the audience more about his upcoming move to Mexico and how the move is progressing.

Key Takeaways:

[1:29] Marc welcomes you to Episode 86 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast and invites you to share this podcast with others. The more people he can reach, the more people he can help. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues.

[2:05] Next week’s episode should be part three of a four-part series called “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” But it’s not recorded yet, so if it’s not ready, Marc will play an encore interview of one of his favorite career pivoters, Mike O’Krent.

[2:27] This week’s episode will be about driving to Mexico in the last week of June. You may hear a difference in the audio. Marc is recording in Mexico, in a house just outside of Ajijic. Listen for potential bird songs, barking dogs, or who knows what else?

[2:56] On June 20th Marc and his wife packed the car to prepare for leaving on the morning of the 21st. There wasn’t room to take the slow cooker or the blender. This was emotionally jarring for Mrs. Miller but just another problem to solve for Marc.

[3:44] Marc’s son works for the Navy; his daughter-in-law works for the Department of Defense. They warned Marc that this was a dangerous drive. Marc had hired a driver from Ajijic, so he was not worried. Around 11:00 a.m. they started driving to Laredo. Halfway there, Rex, the cat had a panic attack. Eventually, he curled up at Marc’s feet.

[5:05] They arrived in Laredo and had a room at the La Quinta on I-35. Marc confirmed with JP, their driver in Mexico, which bridge to take from Laredo across the border. There were five choices.

[5:57] Crossing the bridge, they pulled into the customs line to declare their cats. Nobody asked to see Marc’s documents. As they pulled away, they met with JP, and he took them to the immigration building. Marc would not have found it without a guide. One immigration building served all five bridges crossing from Laredo.

[7:05] Leaving the cats in the car, Marc and his wife started filling out immigration paperwork. There were multiple places to go to complete the process. There is a tax of 533 pesos to enter Mexico or about $25.00. Then they needed a Temporary Import Permit for the car. That was convoluted and they had to pay to copy their papers.

[8:23] From the time the Millers crossed the bridge to the time they were processed through was about one hour. They started driving to Matehuala, about the halfway point to Ajijic. Periodically, Marc would take a screenshot of Google Maps to text to his son, so he would not worry.

[8:58] The entire trip was taken over toll-roads. It happens that the State Department approves of the same route Marc took. Every expat they had met assured them of its safety. There were trucks and more trucks, mostly going to the U.S. When Marc had crossed the border, the lines coming North were much longer than those going South.

[10:01]  It was convoluted to cross the border. Marc would not have figured it out without help. About 30 miles in, you run into the formal immigration office. You can’t go through it if you missed going through immigration at the border. There is a lot of daily border crossing just for shopping that never gets more than a few miles from the border.

[10:52] Marc has not added up the tolls yet but estimates that in two days, the tolls exceeded $100. The roads were very good. There were cows and horses in the medians and side of the road. It’s free grazing. Don’t drive at night or you might hit a cow or horse.

[11:55] Central Mexico is gorgeous. It is high desert. As you climb the hills, you will get caught behind overloaded trucks going very slowly. They stayed at Las Palmas in Matehuala. Las Palmas is pet-friendly and it has a good restaurant.

[13:40] Saturday morning, they departed for Ajijic. About halfway there, they stopped at a rest stop. JP was listening to Mexico playing Korea in the World Cup Games. But, he turned the car off, left the air conditioner and the radio on at the rest stop. The battery died. JP flagged down someone to give them a jump. Everyone carries them in Mexico.

[15:27] They arrived in Ajijic in the late afternoon. After settling in, they went shopping for a blender at WalMart and a slow cooker at a dollar store on the square in Ajijic. Since then, they have bought a WiFi extender, a cat tree, and other items they couldn’t fit in the car on the way down.

[16:28] Chapala is about a mile from Riberas del Pillas, the mostly expat community where Marc is staying. They are renting a one-bedroom 800 square foot house for $620 a month. They went to Chapala for market day. Marc bought one Kilo of strawberries for 25 pesos, or $1.25. Fresh whole chickens are inexpensive.

[17:30] See Marc’s blog post about the business aspects of working remotely in Mexico. The internet is not the best; he is in an AT&T dead spot between two towers. He is working through the problems.

[18:17] They are settled in. Marc recorded this episode on July 3rd. They have been in Ajijic a little over a week. The cats are settled in. They will stay for 12 weeks. They need a long-term rental for later this year.

[18:54] Marc explains why he hired a driver from Laredo to Ajijic. He has been in the wrong place at the wrong time in other countries more than once. He was in China for the SARS epidemic and also for the spy plane scandal in 2004. Other occasions made him glad to have local support. The level of stress was reduced greatly by a driver.

[19:53] JP proved to be good for conversation as well about things related to Mexico and the U.S. One topic was how the end of NAFTA caused a huge spike in Mexican gas prices at the pump. Marc noticed gas prices are about twice what he was paying in the U.S. High fructose corn syrup and American foods are causing an obesity epidemic.

[21:43] As more expats come to the North Shore of Lake Chapala, they drive prices up for housing and rental. Local Mexicans are being priced out. This is similar to what’s happening where Marc lives in Austin, Texas.

[22:07] Look for more on Marc’s move to Mexico in the coming weeks. Marc is getting feedback that people are enjoying hearing the processes of his move. Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments for this podcast. Marc will do an episode on his move about once a month.

[24:19] Check back next week, when Marc will either air the third part of “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” or the episode recorded with Mike O’Krent.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Careerpivot.com/Juan

Running a Business in Ajijic Mexico

Episode 007 with Mike O’Krent

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has accepted five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. They are guiding him on what to build. He is recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. He’s currently working on LinkedIn, blogging, and book publishing training. Marc is bringing someone in to guide members on how to write a book. The next topic will be business formation and there will be lots of other things. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, and a community where you can seek help.

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-86 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Jul 2, 2018

Marc shares with the audience how he got to where he is today as a coach, author, and podcast host. He gives case studies from some of his clients and suggestions for action.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:57] Marc welcomes you to Episode 85 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast and invites you to share this podcast with others. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues.

[1:34] Last week’s episode was part two of a four-part series called “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” Marc will return to that series in a couple of weeks.

[1:45] Next week’s episode will cover Marc’s and his wife’s driving to Mexico the last week of June. It will be the next of a series about becoming an expat in Mexico and taking Career Pivot with him.

[1:57] This episode comes from when Denise King interviewed Marc during the “Escape the Corporate World Now” Summit.

[2:07] Denise, the host, welcomes the audience to “Escape the Corporate World Now Summit” and introduces her guest, Marc Miller. Marc gives his bio — he is a Baby Boomer, raised to be an employee of a company that would take care of him for 30-40 years. They ‘moved his cheese,’ and it didn’t happen.

[3:20] Marc graduated in the mid-to-late 70’s with an engineering degree and went to work for IBM. After 22 years of ‘wandering’ from area to area at IBM, they cut his pension plan. He left to work for a successful tech startup that was quickly acquired by Lucent.

[4:34] On July 11, 2002, Marc had a bicycling accident going downhill on a blind turn. He crashed head-first into a vehicle going uphill at about his speed. He broke or dislocated several bones but had no internal or brain injuries. In three days, he was on crutches. In 10 weeks, he was on a bike. In four months, he was flying to China, into the bird flu.

[5:43] Marc wondered why he was doing that. His first tech startup left him debt-free and mortgage-free, even after he had put his son through college. He was grateful that his accident gave him more time with his son. After four years at school, his son came back and listened to Marc.

[7:06] The year after his accident, Marc laid himself off and got his Math teaching certificate. Then he went to teach high school math. He devotes a chapter of his book to this experience. He wasn’t the best fit for the job and it wasn’t a good fit for him. Years of teaching adults had not prepared him for teaching high school.

[7:56] Next, Marc moved to fund-raising for the Jewish Community Center in Austin. That was an interesting experience, but not for him. He relapsed into working for a tech startup. Logitech bought them and it “got really, really ugly, really, really fast.” He timed his resignation to get the optimal financial reward.

[9:15] That’s when Marc started Career Pivot, primarily because he had changed careers seven times, using a process for change. That process is a pivot, changing from position to position in incremental steps.

[9:57] You can either change a business skill or switch industries using the same skill. It doesn’t work well to try a new skill in a different industry. Marc gives a case study of a successful pivot done over years.

[11:58] When Marc came out of teaching and went back to a startup he was feeling lost. He watched his friends still at IBM and other companies who were being spat out in their early 50s, and they were totally lost. Marc joined the board of LaunchPad Job Club and wondered who was helping his generation.

[12:42] When Marc started at the startup LifeSize, the great recession of 2008 hit. He searched for career books or a career website for Baby Boomers. Marc found nothing. Marc hired a student intern to do some Boomer research. Boomers were expected to retire. State pensions are in debt. Most Boomers will not retire.

[14:21] Marc wants to work on his terms at something he loves. He launched the Career Pivot Brand in 2012 because nobody else was addressing this problem. Even still, a Google search today shows Career Pivot to be the only site focused on Boomer careers.

[15:58] For hundreds of years new technologies have replaced old technologies in a form of creative destruction. It used to talk 50 years, now it happens quickly. Think what the iPhone has done to cellular and what Amazon has done to retail.

[17:10] Marc has a creative destruction workshop he gives. He explains how to stay ahead of the creative destruction. Your growth will be funded by you. No one’s going to take care of you, anymore. You have to stay on top of things.

[19:59] In the corporate world we play roles. If we do it long enough, we believe the role. Marc explained how he behaves as an extrovert, because it pays, even though it exhausts him.

[21:13] Marc uses the Birkman Assessment for clients one-on-one, to poke them while assessing them. The assessment shows not only how you behave in an area, but how you want to be treated in that area.

[21:49] Marc describes case studies of structured anarchists. They love order, so long as it is their order. They are good at fixing stuff. Then they want to move on to something else.

[23:49] Marc continues explaining how the Birkman Assessment analyzes your worst and best times in your career. Then it covers your needs. The idea is to get you very self-aware about what you want.

[24:41] Our environment and who we work with are more important than what the job is. If it’s the right environment, it probably will be a job you want to do.

[26:26] Marc suggested to one client to go find a problem to solve. The problems he solves will lead him in the direction he wants to go. What drives you? What gets you up in the morning?

[27:37] Most Boomers need to find something they want to go do, with a financial element to it. There’s a balance between what you want to do, and what society will pay you for. Marc does not think anyone would pay him to be in a band.

[28:55] Quiet, by Susan Cain talks about restored niches. Some people need to exercise, some pick up a book to read, or write or draw something.

[3108] Marc opens how much the Birkman Assessment revealed about him. Marc is very, very low-change. Don’t interrupt him, and don’t get in the way of his schedule. Marc had to make some changes.

[31.59] Birkman’s category of “organizational focus” helped Marc to understand his personality compared to other people. Marc has a client he describes as a square peg because his scores are so different from others.

[32:58] Denise relates to not fitting in. Her mother was an artist, and her father was an investment banker. Denise sees that there was no combining those two roles in one job.

[33:54] Technology has created a lot of activities. For instance, recording a podcast. That was not widely available a decade ago. PCs, the internet, and telecommunication are easily affordable. Be open to new roles that were never available.

[35:12] Marc’s parting words: You need to keep an open mind. You need to know who you are. For those born in the 50s and 60s, there is a ton of data (based on life experiences). When have you been happy at work, and why? What didn’t you like to do, and why? Don’t repeat familiar experiences of the past. Run to a role, not away from it.

[36.06] Marc presents some free offers of content from CareerPivot.com.

[36:51] Marc says you can either walk off a cliff, let someone push you off the cliff, or best yet, plan the trip and wear a parachute. Plan your career.

[39:39] Check back next week, when Marc will air the episode recorded during their trip to Ajijic, Mexico.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Careerpivot.com/Juan

IBM

Lucent

Jewish Community Center of Austin

LaunchPad Job Club

LifeSize

iPhone

Amazon

The Birkman Assessment

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

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has four initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. They are guiding him on what to build. He is recruiting members for the fifth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. He’s currently working on LinkedIn, blogging, and book publishing training. Marc is bringing someone in to guide members on how to write a book. The next topic will be business formation and there will be lots of other things. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, and a community where you can seek help.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-85 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

Jun 25, 2018

In Part 2 of this series, Marc covers the second half of a feedback session with Juan about his personality assessment.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:12] Marc welcomes you to Episode 84 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast and invites you to share this podcast with others. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues.

[1:40] Last week’s episode was part one of a four-part series called “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” Juan is in his mid-fifties, a former school teacher, technology trainer, adjunct professor, and multipotentialite. Juan is trying to figure out what is next.

[2:04] This episode covers the second half of the first feedback session Marc held with Juan. If you haven’t listened to the first half of the feedback session, please stop and listen to it on episode 83, presented last week, before listening to the rest of this episode.

[2:13] You will find all the reports used in this four-episode series at CareerPivot.com/Juan. You may pause the podcast now to download the reports.

[2:27] After today’s episode, Marc will take a two-week break in the “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” series, first, with an interview with Denise King and then a report on the Miller family’s pivot to Mexico. Then Marc will present Parts Three and Four of this series, “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?”

[3:00] Marc directs Juan to the organizational piece of the Birkman Assessment. First comes Juan’s attention to detail. Juan is systematic and process-driven. He likes an environment that’s predictable. He values policies and rules. Juan doesn’t do well in chaos. He is reassured by having a predictable income and stressed without one.

[5:52] Juan’s causes of stress are, pressure to change his plan of action, and too much attention to details. Juan’s stress reactions are a de-emphasis on systems and being over-controlling.

[6:34] Juan’s assertiveness score: positions of command and control appeal to Juan. Juan is satisfied by giving and carrying out definite, clear-cut directions. Juan organizes, initiates, and carries out his own activities and the activities of others. Juan is self-assertive, enjoys directing others, and seeks to influence and excel.

[7:46] Marc notes that Juan’s emotional side probably gives him a softer touch in dealing with people, even when being direct.

[8:24] Juan needs to know that authority is being exercised in a fair and effective manner. Both the dictator boss and the weak boss will drive Juan “crazy.”

[9:34] Juan responds adversely to people who are extreme in handling authority. He will either back off or become argumentative.

[10:10] Restlessness, or seeking varied activities, is the next trait discussed. Juan is always ready to start new things and enjoys handling a variety of task at the same time. Juan’s assets are adaptability, responsiveness, and attentiveness. Juan tends very much to be a catalyst to change. He is easy to stimulate, flexible, and attentive.

[11:33] Juan’s surroundings should provide a balance of variety and novelty with ample opportunity for him to change his activities. He left school because it was monotonous and devoid of anything creative.

[12:58] Juan may find it more and more difficult to discipline himself as changes are imposed upon him. His strengths are related to the extent to which he has control over his daily routine.

[14:33] Juan is resistant to abrupt change and annoyed at delays.

[15:08] The next topic is time management and decision-making. Juan is energetic, enthusiastic, and vigorous. His natural high energy level leads him to take on many activities and projects, making it easy to neglect rest and relaxation. For optimum performance, he needs time for re-energizing.

[16:55] In Juan’s career, he has found himself at full steam and going at high power until he was exhausted and needed to take a break now and then. His high incentive score leads him to compete for the reward. Marc asks him to read Quiet, by Susan Cain. Susan comes up with the idea for restorative niches. This is a tip for introverts.

[18:30] Juan should schedule in restorative niches, or ten-minute breaks he can take during the day to do a quick activity he enjoys.

[19:38] Marc talks about how, at conferences, he took breaks away from the group, and even went out for dinner by himself.

[21:05] In hurried situations where Juan does not have the opportunity to think through a process, he is likely to feel rushed and less-effective. He likes to consider all the possibilities. It took him a month to buy a laptop. He describes making the decision.

[24:50] Juan worries about his decision-making about big decisions.

[25:35] Situations that require quick and decisive action make Juan feel hurried and rushed. Making decisions when he is not ready is very stressful for him.

[26:42] Juan’s stress reactions are over-concern for consequences, postponing decisions, and anxiety. He can procrastinate.

[27:04] Marc gives Juan an assignment. Juan needs to remember events when he went into stress and analyze them. What was stressing him? Then he wants Juan to put these into 8-15 statements and distill them into a narrative about himself.

[28:24] Marc explains that Juan can perform this exercise with any of the assessments using the strengths finder.

[28:48] The next feedback session (in three weeks) will cover Juan’s preferred management workstyles, how he fits in the corporate workstyle, how he fits in society, and how he makes decisions.

[29:57] Juan is a global conceptual thinker. He is creative in his decision-making. The more you understand how you think, the more you will see how other people think differently. Marc talks about the next assignment. Juan needs to consider three problems he solved in his personal life and three problems he solved at work.

[31:21] Juan will do his homework and then schedule his next session with Marc. Marc wants Juan to be able to explain his decision-making process to potential employers. Meanwhile, he is learning classroom education is not for him.

[32:12] In a couple of months, we will do this again with Sarah. Sarah is a creative who has managed to stuff her creative streak in her career. She is a square peg.

[34:10] Check back next week, when Marc will air the interview when Denise King interviewed Marc during the “Escape the Corporate World, Now” summit.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Careerpivot.com/Juan

CareerPivot.com/Episode-83 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 1”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-84 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 2”

Birkman Assessment

Reports used in the Feedback Session with Juan Doe

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

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

 

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, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has four initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. They are guiding him on what to build. He will start recruiting members for the fifth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. He’s currently working on LinkedIn, blogging, and book publishing training. Marc is bringing someone in to guide members on how to write a book. The next topic will be business formation and there will be lots of other things. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, and a community where you can seek help.

CareerPivot.com/Episode-84 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast.

Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. 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.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

Careerpivot.com

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