In this episode, Marc answers questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. You can learn about her career pivots in Episode 020. Listen in to this episode for ideas on planning a path to the end goal, harvesting contacts in similar and adjacent industries, coping with stress before searching for a job, and pivoting to a new industry using your core value proposition!
Key Takeaways:
[2:44] Elizabeth introduces herself. After pivoting, she is the marketing coordinator for an international company. Elizabeth invites listeners to connect with her on LinkedIn to share experiences. She enjoys working with Marc, and helping on the Mailbag episode!
[3:27] Q1: I am 49 and am going through a divorce. I’ve been a housewife since 1992. I’m going to college for an MBA. I have eight years ahead of me. I am hoping to support myself by a job in Hawaii after I get my MBA. I will have no debt. Any ideas what to do?
[4:06] A1: Marc notes she will be in her late 50s, with no experience, after getting her bachelor's and master’s degrees. Rather than looking at an MBA, she should look at her actual goal. Marc connected her with contacts in Hawaii, to understand that economy. Marc suggests buying a franchise or business, learning trade skills, or something else.
[6:49] Marc says many of the best jobs today didn’t exist five years ago. What will exist in eight years? Divorce later in life often leads to poverty. This client doesn’t want to leave Hawaii. Marc put her in touch with a Hawaiian workforce specialist to help her.
[7:33] Q2: I am a 56-year-old account manager. I was just laid off from a position that I held for 18 years in the moving industry. I’m getting depressed, as I have been unsuccessful in my job search. I have been applying to jobs every day, but never hear back. What should I do?
[7:51] A2: Account managers are becoming rare in B2B sales. The need for account managers has been greatly decreased. Marc helped someone very similar to this. See the :Introverted Sales Guy Job Search” blog on Marc’s website. The key piece is, your next job will only come from somebody you’ve worked with over the last 10-15 years.
[8:43] You’re going to have to go back and carefully harvest all of your contacts, people you have worked with, reach out to them where they work now, and see if they are willing to help. The answer is most account managers are really nice guys. Usually they’re very good at relationships. Very often people will remember them positively.
[9:25] As Marc did with the Account Manager who came out of the equipment manufacturing business, he had the client very carefully go on LinkedIn to find his previous employer’s page, look for similar companies, and adjacent industries, who need the same skills, and look for weak ties at those companies.
[10:27] This is a long process. Look for connections everyday. You don’t know when you will find the right contact who can help you, who has a job, in an industry where you fit. Start taking really good care of yourself, eating right, exercising, and getting up at the same time, and managing your own health. Your mental attitude is absolutely critical.
[11:26] Q3: I am a 52-year-old traffic manager. My job has gotten toxic after I was transferred and I uncovered fraud. I cleaned up the mess, but it has taken quite a toll on me emotionally, and after everything was cleaned up, the owner brought in someone over me who has ethical flaws. I have been looking for a year. What should I do?
[11:57] A3: This is a family-owned business. The challenge with working for a family owned business, not being family, is that it can get ugly. He’s an emotional guy. When he was getting rid of people, and getting his tires slashed, it really took a toll on him. If you’re stressed out, no one is going to hire you. First, chill out.
[13:14] In this situation, he will need to stop caring about doing a great job. He needs to work on his own emotional health, and get rid of stress. Marc suggests the book Positive Intelligence to get out of stress. The point is to stay in the positive mind three times longer than in the negative mind. Find your emotional saboteurs. Name them.
[15:20] Then you need to find your core value proposition. This gentleman’s core value proposition was recruiting drivers. We don’t have enough drivers in this country. Build a brand that sells your core value proposition, in your LinkedIn profile, your resume, and more importantly, when you talk to people. That is your primary selling point.
[16:04] He needs to look at himself as a product, understand what his core value proposition is, and and go sell that ‘product.’ He’s getting offers that are not local, but his wife has a good job, and he doesn’t want to move. He can move into a different niche, because his recruiting skill is transferable. He should think of himself as a consultant.
[17:57] When Marc left corporate America, he was completely stressed out. It took him six-to-nine months to destress, before he was useful again.
[19:30] Marc has started recording the audio version of his book. He is also working on the Career Pivot Community website. This will be a membership area of the current CareerPivot.com website. An initial cohort of members is helping develop the content. Look for more on this, in the coming months.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon.
Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
CareerPivot.com Introverted Sales Guy Job Search
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In this episode, Marc reads the first two chapters of his new audio book. The topics are vetting the company, and answering the dreaded question, why do you want to leave your current position? Marc uses case studies and examples to explain the purpose of these important themes. Listen in to learn how to make sure the company you target is really the company where you want to work.
Key Takeaways:
[2:33] “Vetting the Company.” A client told Marc about interviewing for a new startup. After getting to the final interview, she lost. The employee that was hired was fired in six weeks. The company came back to this client, and she declined.
[3:05] Before approaching a company about a job, do your due diligence. Research the company on sites like Glassdoor.com. Go to the hiring manager’s profile on LinkedIn and check their recommendation section. Have they given recommendations to their employees? Have their employees recommended their manager?
[3:47] Connect with recruiters or HR Professionals at the target company on LInkedIn. This will give you visibility at the target company. Ask your connections for connections at the target company. Former employees may give information what it’s like to work there. Find out what current and former employees think of the hiring manager.
[5:03] Prepare for the interview. An interview is like a first date. It’s not all about whether the other person likes you. What do you like or not like about the company? Be ready with your elevator pitch about what you need.
[5:18] The interview isn’t just about whether you get the job, but whether you want it. Marc gives a case study from a hiring manager. Have written questions to ask, and write the answers on the paper. Use controlled pauses. Restate the question you were asked.
[6:09] Marc gives examples of questions you should ask, and scenarios you may encounter. If the hiring manager balks at your questions, you might want to dig deeper.
[7:36] You may watch body language to get an accurate reading of the situation. With the information you have received from current and former employees, you should be able to ‘play detective.’ Pay attention to your gut instincts.
[8:06] Action steps. Check out the company before the interview. Look on sites like Glassdoor.com. Talk to people who work for the company, and former employees.Look at recommendations on LinkedIn. Prepare a list of 10 questions you want answered.
[8:37] For additional sources, check out CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources.
[8:46] “The Dreaded Question.” It is all but guaranteed you will be asked the following question: “Why do you want to leave your current company?” They may harp on this, to see if you have anger about your company. Your response should pivot the conversation from what you are leaving to where you are going. Do not get negative.
[9:55] When you need more love and more money. Marc uses the example of Robert, a lecturer at a major midwest university, and gives sample questions to use, to pivot from a negative theme to a positive response. Use the questions as a way to pose a question back at the interviewer. Practice doing this with your own questions and answers.
[12:03] When you need more status and freedom. Marc uses the example of James, and gives ways that James could pivot the conversation where he wants it to go, when asked why he wants to leave his current position.
[14:15] When you need to be in charge of the process. Marc uses the example of Mary, who works in marketing for a large company. Marc gives sample answers Mary could provide to the question, why she wants to leave her current position.
[16:59] Action steps: Formulate a positive response to the question why you want to leave your current position. Practice answering uncomfortable questions by asking the interviewer a difficult questions. Avoid saying anything that looks, smells, or sounds the least bit negative.
[16:20] These two chapters were only updated slightly, and are still relevant. Pick up a copy of the book, and please write an honest review on Amazon.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc is accepting new clients, so reach out to him. He will supply a link to his calendar to set up a call.
Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave a review on Amazon.
CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources (Repurpose Your Career Resources)
Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
Marc introduces the common themes of the eight career changes or pivots recapped in this episode. First, they had an idea, and did not act on it. Second, there was a moment or event that vaulted them into action. Third, no matter how well they planned it, things did not turn out as planned, and they needed to adapt as they went along. Marc reviews some of their stories, with clips characterizing the three phases in common. He shares some guest clips for each of the three phases.
Listen in for a variety of experiences and tips for pivoting to, or changing, careers.
Key Takeaways:
[3:08] Marc interviewed Dr. Joel Dobbs in Episode 3. Dr. Dobbs was an accomplished pharmaceutical executive. Now he has a portfolio career that includes consulting, teaching, and coaching. He planned this out well. Dr. Dobson noted that his life was half gone, and he was inspired by the book Halftime, to do something different.
[5:28] Dr. Dobson took a pause to reflect, and sought things that would lead to a new life of significance, to give back. He thought about doing something very different.
[7:26] Marc interviewed Mike O’Krent in Episode 7. Mike went from a carpet store to chronicling people’s lives in video interviews with Life Stories Alive. Mike tells how he started chronicling Holocaust survivors’ stories for the Jewish Federation of San Antonio — for one project ending in 2000. When it was over, he went back to his carpet sales.
[10:02] Marc interviewed Jennifer Winter in Episode 28. Jennifer was VP of Sports Sponsorship for Turner Broadcasting, and hated it. Everyone told her how great her job was, so she stayed 21 years. Impending layoffs started her thinking about a change.
[14:12] Marc introduces the next phase, vaulting into action, with more from Mike O’Krent. Mike’s business coach had him write a list of items he both enjoyed and did well. As he read the list to the coach, he was directed to reread certain items, and lit up with the Holocaust interviews. The coach asked, can you make a business like that? [16:47] Marc interviewed Kay McManus in Episode 32. Kay was a business professional working for technology companies before she was laid off in 2009. Now she is the CEO of Kay-Kan. Kay says being laid off was what moved her to act. It turned out she was able to serve the managers at her past job as a freelancer. Then she went full-time.
[20:33] Marc introduces Vicki McCullough of Sequitur Marketing, his guest in Episode 11. Vicki was laid off multiple times, and finally decided to be her own boss. She explains how she started. After she tried the job search route to no success, she started contract work in marketing. Then she told herself, this was the time.
[22:18] Marc had two guests who made multi-step pivots. Elizabeth Rabaey was Marc’s guest on Episode 20. Elizabeth also helps Marc on the mailbag episodes. Elizabeth worked for an environmental engineering company, on air and water permitting. After multiple pivots, she is a marketing professional for a large mining equipment company.
[23:16] Elizabeth networked into a project manager position at a company larger than her first one. Elizabeth got involved in marketing and branding there. After a year, her old company reached out to her for marketing, and she worked for them for three years.
[29:32] Towards the end of 2016 Elizabeth was looking on job boards, and found a marketing coordinator position for an international company. She went to the company website, applied for the job, and her engineering and marketing backgrounds got her hired very quickly. She works from home, with the possibility of international travel.
[32:06] Marc interviewed Thom Singer in Episode 15. Thom was a business development professional who worked for a law firm until the 2009 recession, when he was laid off. He then launched his career as a keynote speaker and MC. He had already been speaking on the side, but the layoff motivated him to make this his profession.
[32:36] Thom’s background prepared him to train other law firms. But, because of the recession, they stopped hiring outside services. Associations of all kinds still held their meetings, and so keynote speaking became the biggest part of Thom’s business. He was unable to get the rates per speech he needed, and his mortgage didn’t shrink.
[34:30] Thom was losing money. The family went through cash reserves and credit cards. In a few years he caught up to his previous salary, but then had to work off three years of debt. In six and a half years he was at a stable level. A bad quarter still makes him nervous, but then the next quarter is fine.
[35:34] Marc interviewed Mike Martin in Episode 24. Mike spent most of his career in industrial sales, but that career sputtered out. Mike shares his multi-step pivots, from teaching school, to driving trains, to being a drone pilot instructor.
[37:36] Mike got his teaching certification just as massive teacher layoffs hit Texas. So he finished his bachelor’s degree in aviation. He took a job at a small airport, but didn’t like it, so he looked at other transportation, and found an opening as a train operator in Texas. He passed the test, aced the interview, and was sent to train operator school.
[39:30] Mike got an RV, and parked it at an RV resort near the train school. In 10 weeks he had a certificate, and was assigned to wash trains until a route came up. He got an assignment to burn in new trains, with their computer systems. Then he started testing the signal systems on a new route. When the new route opened, he ran the PR train.
[41:37] With the new line open, and new confidence from training operators, he returned home. When he looked around, he saw activity in the drone world, and that’s where he landed. He took 25 hours of training, and started training others to fly, for Dart Drones. He could not have planned his career path, and made corrections on the way.
[44:43] Mike encourages career pivoters to pursue their dreams and never give up. The first avenue might not work out. Work the industry deep and wide.
[45:23] Marc’s final words: Please pick up a copy of Marc’s book, and write an honest review on Amazon.com. He is working on the audio version next. Marc is also working on the Career Pivot Community membership website. Watch for updates in the coming months.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey The paperback and ebook formats are available now. Marc is recording the audio version of the book, and he plans to have it available in September.
Marc is taking on new clients. Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me or call at 512-693-9132, and leave a message with your email address. Marc will respond with a link to his calendar, to find a time to talk.
Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast
Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance, by Bob P. Buford
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Richard Eisenberg is Marc’s expert guest in this episode. Richard is the Managing Editor for PBS’s Baby Boomer website, NextAvenue.org, a site for people 50-plus, and Editor of the site’s Work & Purpose and Money & Security channels. He previously worked at Money Magazine, Yahoo, Good Housekeeping, and USA Today. He is the author of How to Avoid a Midlife Financial Crisis, and The Money Book of Personal Finance. Richard lives in New Jersey, and will be 61 in July.
Marc and Richard start the discussion with Richard’s career history, how he heard about Next Avenue, how he got involved, and what were the attractors that brought him to work for a virtual company starting in his mid-fifties. Richard comments on some of the issues faced by the fifty-to-seventy demographic, and what Next Avenue is doing to educate and inform about these challenges of mature life. Richard tells of the surprises, mostly pleasant he found at Next Avenue.
Listen in to learn about this online resource with great information to improve your life.
Key Takeaways:
[2:43] Richard became a journalist because he is curious. He likes to learn things, and relate them to other people.
[3:06] NextAvenue.org is a website by the public television station of Minneapolis-St. Paul, TPT. Next Avenue was the idea of Jim Pagliarini, TPT President and CEO. Jim researched for seven years how PBS could serve Boomers, as they had served children with Sesame Street. He settled on a website. Richard helped launch it in May, 2012.
[4:50] Richard decides which pieces to publish and when to publish them. He maintains the home page and copy edits all the articles on the site, which includes new content every day. His main job is editing two of the five channels — Money & Security, and Work & Purpose. He also assists with the other three channels.
[6:10] Next Avenue has developed in five years. Based on the economy, there is less concern now over major layoffs and “Will I ever get hired?” The audience has grown, and they give feedback. Partner companies republish some Next Avenue articles.
[7:58] Gen X people are moving into the 50-and-older group, and the site writes now for Boomers and Gen Xers. The content is targeted to people in their 50s and 60s. In the years to come, Richard sees the groups becoming more educated about age-related topics, so Next Avenue will go into more detail beyond the basics in articles.
[9:12] Marc has also pivoted his site to address Gen Xers in the second half of life. Some Boomers are 70-plus, crossing the demographic boundary.
[9:30] Richard was referred to the site as it was launching, and he wanted to be part of a startup, where he could write again. The role and the opportunity were right for him. He had spent his career doing service journalism, and this site was for his own age group.
[11:19] Next Avenue is a virtual operation, headquartered in St. Paul, Minn. There are about nine people who work on the site full-time, in various cities. A lot of the articles are written by freelance writers or by the editors, or are excerpts from books.
[12:24] Next Avenue gets between one and two million visitors a month. This is from five years of publishing. Richard would like more people to know about it, and read the articles.
[13:25] Marc joined the Next Avenue Facebook group in 2011. From there, he met someone who introduced him to Richard. Marc and Richard were in the same graduating class at Northwestern, but never knew each other, in their separate majors.
[14:23] Richard enjoys learning new things every day about his channel areas, and about the other channels, which he might not read if he didn’t work there. He likes to be able to talk to people that are the smartest people in the areas of the site channels, to pick their brains, and also to read the latest research.
[15:16] Richard’s readers are more upbeat, positive, and resilient than he might have expected, even in view of serious challenges of employment and health. They tell how they’ve managed to survive in spite of the challenges. People are hopeful, and willing to do what they need to do.
[17:20] If you have hope, you will likely get through it. The internet is allowing us to learn more, through other people who have gone through these challenges in the past. One of Richard’s big disappointments is with people knowing what to do, but not doing it, such as saving for retirement.
[18:40] The reality is the environmental change isn’t slowing down, it’s speeding up. We need to adapt. It’s a lot harder to do than it sounds. If you’re not preparing yourself for the things that you need, it will be even harder when the time comes, to do something.
[21:06] Marc’s final words: NextAvenue.org is not just a website, it is a community to go to for inspiration. Marc would like you to pick up Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide to the Second half of Life, at Amazon or other online retailers. When you complete reading the book, Marc would appreciate an honest review on Amazon.com.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Careerpivot.com/episode-35
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey (Now available online)
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Call Marc at 512-693-9132 and leave a message and email address.
Twitter: @RichEis315
LinkedIn: Richard Eisenberg
How to Avoid a Mid-Life Financial Crisis, by Richard Eisenberg
The Money Book of Personal Finance, by Richard Eisenberg
Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
In this episode, Marc answers questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. You can learn about her career pivots in Episode 020. Listen in for ideas on exploring the job market, transitioning from teaching, the relevance of resumes, and tips for competing against internal candidates!
Key Takeaways:
[2:14] Elizabeth shares her story, and how Marc has helped guide her to her latest pivot, which has worked out well. Elizabeth invites listeners to listen to Episode 20, and connect with her on LinkedIn to share experiences.
[3:25] Q1: I am 57 and have recently retired from teaching H.S. science. I am seeking a freelance, travel freelance, or consulting job. I love to write, but not for a corporation. I love to travel and compare educational systems to create learning activities. I tried to start an early-learning school, but did not get enough students. Can you help me?
[4:22] A1: Marc talks about teaching H.S. math. He said teachers live a very isolated life, and are disconnected from the world. Marc wants this former teacher to explore. Travel blogging is one choice. Marc challenges him to focus on exactly what his writing emphasis will be. Marc can share resources for travel blogging if you contact him.
[6:35] Marc says to do homework, and find the opportunities. Teachers sometimes suffer from ‘MSU,’ because they don’t have the background. By the way, there is a huge cohort of teachers about to retire. Marc says it will take a lot of exploration for teachers to choose a direction and follow it. It won’t be easy.
[7:16] Q2: I am looking for a resume writer. I have seen prices from $200 to $5,000. Man! Why such a difference? Am I wasting money if I’m paying ‘crazy expensive?’ What do you think?
[7:40] A2: The resume is not nearly as important as it used to be. It is a good idea for new graduates, spend a little for help with your resume. For high income executives, it might make sense to spend $5,000 for a resume. For most in the second half of life, the resume is not what gets us the job; it’s the personal connections. Marc suggests a book.
[8:44] The huge range of resume costs reflects the amount of work needed for it. If you’ve got a decent resume to start, you can do it yourself, or get someone to clean it up. If you have no resume, it’s probably worth spending $500 to $1,000 with a decent resume writer. Marc offers low-end and a high-end suggestions for resume writers.
[12:17] Elizabeth wonders about switching career fields. Marc advises job shifters to reframe their experience for the particular job they are pursuing. He recommends Jobscan.co as a reframing resource. Also, the Modernize Your Resume book. But making a transition requires working your network connections, more than your resume.
[14:31] Marc talks about a client who has recruiters reaching out to her through her LinkedIn profile, regardless of her resume. If you get past the recruiter, you are fine.
[15:24] Q3: I am interviewing for a position where I know I am up against three internal candidates. Do you have any advice for how to compete for a position when the competition are coming from the inside of the company?
[15:40] A: Understand that when you are going up against internal candidates, you are going to lose a significant portion of the time. The hiring manager will make the safe choice. They know what they are getting. Marc says, go for it. Why are they interviewing you against these internal candidates? That’s what you’ve got to find out.
[17:17] What is the real problem? If they have three internal candidate, and one external candidate, they are looking to the external candidate for some reason. They may be looking for different ideas. Look on LinkedIn and find out as much about that department and their recent hiring, as you can. Have they been hiring externally?
[18:10] Marc gives the example of Nation Instruments, who hire mainly college graduates, who either stay, 7-10 years, or their entire career. They rarely hire externally. Marc says: go for it, be aggressive, ask good questions, find out why they are looking at an external candidate, and don’t get your hopes way up. Marc cites Jim Camp.
[20:18] You have nothing to lose. Really do your homework, and ask great questions. “If I poke you here, does it hurt?” What you’re trying to do is get them to spill the beans, as Jim Camp says in his negotiating book, Start With No. Then you have a way to position yourself. When you don’t get a job, always get on LinkedIn afterwards and see who did.
[22:03] Next episode will be with Richard Eisenberg, Managing Editor of Next Avenue, talking about the origins of Next Avenue, and where it’s going.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast
Modernize Your Resume: Get Noticed ... Get Hired, by Wendy Enelow
and Louise Kursmark
L. Xavier Cano, The Resume WhizTM
Chameleon Resumes by Lisa Rangel
Start with NO...The Negotiating Tools that the Pros Don't Want You to Know,
by Jim Camp
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In this episode, Marc says he has been getting tremendous feedback from his appearance on the Think, Believe, and Manifest! Online Radio podcast, and he decided to use it as an episode of the Repurpose Your Career Podcast. This time, Marc is the guest! Marc shares career pivot advice and anecdotes from his own career and the pivots of his clients, with host Constance Arnold. Listen in for a refresher course on how to plan for your career pivot.
Key Takeaways:
[1:31] Constance Arnold introduces Marc and he goes over his history at IBM, a startup, and his near-fatal bicycle accident, his high school teaching stint, his work with a not-for-profit, another startup, and his inspiration for a career pivot system.
[6:15] Marc says people are living longer, and are often dissatisfied with the direction of their current career, so they pivot incrementally to get where they want. The most common way to do it is to repurpose their industry knowledge or their business skills.
[7:45] Marc has an intern, Elizabeth, who found she wanted to change careers. She wanted to use her creativity. So she first went from permitting, to business development and marketing at the same company. Then she pivoted to a pure marketing role at a different company. Marc, in his seven pivots, used half steps. He explains that.
[10:02] To pivot, first, “know thyself.” You are not the persona you’ve taken on at work. As you prepare to pivot, what skills do you want to carry forward, and what skills do you want to leave behind? Marc uses a practice from Susan Cain’s book, Quiet, ‘restorative niches.’ Schedule into your day something that will restore you, for self-care.
[12:38] Sometimes you make a career pivot because you need the money. One in four people over 65 still have college debt, and it comes out of their SS. There has to be a balance between doing what society needs and doing what you want.
[14:43] The second step in pivoting is learning not to make assumptions. Marc calls this “MSU Syndrome.” Marc talks about assumptions he made when pivoting to teaching high school. Several of his assumptions were completely wrong. He uses an example.
[17:34] The third step is you’re not going to do this alone. Build a tribe — those people you can go to and reliably ask a favor and it be fulfilled. Who are those people? Many of us need a fan club. A fan club is those people around you who, when you’re making this change, and things don’t go right, they will cheer you onward.
[22:14] Ask your weak ties for advice, insights, and recommendations. Asking for advice is a compliment. People will rarely turn you down. Ask what should I do next? Is there anyone you can think of I should talk to?
[24:32] To help clients know where they want to go, Marc uses the Birkman Assessment. He finds out when they have been the happiest, and when they have been the most miserable, and helps them understand why. Be honest with yourself. Get a coach, or your spouse, or friend to advise you.
[29:33] LinkedIn is a valuable tool to find people who look, taste, and smell like you, and where they are working. There is wonderful information in LinkedIn. Represent yourself authentically.
[32:33] Someone looking for a career pivot has to be willing to ask for help. Be humble, be willing to move along and go with the flow. Marc gives some examples from past episodes of Repurpose Your Career.
[38:52] The possibilities are unlimited. Marc puts people on the podcasts who have made the transitions to say, yes, you can do this. There are a lot of people going through what you’re going through. And they found ways to accomplish it.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc is accepting new clients, so reach out to him. He will supply a link to his calendar to set up a call.
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey
Think, Believe, and Manifest! Online Radio
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain
Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
Marc first gives statistics about the Repurpose Your Career Podcast so far. The show is in the top half on LibSyn, after seven months of availability. Marc thanks you, his listeners for your support.
Kay McManus is the Founder of K-Kan, Inc., a firm that provides, office, home, and record organization, as well as administrative, accounting, and business development services. Kay leads with integrity. She and her staff are detail-oriented, personable, supportive, and effective, whether organizing physical or electronic items, designing efficient storage systems, orchestrating a move, assisting with downsizing efforts, or serving as a company’s marketing rep. In addition to being an active member in the business-related and networking groups, Kay is involved with fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society, other charitable organizations, and working on the family ranch. Marc says, “Let me confirm that Kay can.”
Kay discusses her beginnings, the various skills she developed along the way, and the happy accident of a layoff that got her started in her own business helping people organize files, accounts, homes, storage, and processes, in what turns out to be her dream career. Listen in for an inspiring journey to a career with purpose.
Key Takeaways:
[3:36] Kay has learned to be adaptable, to roll with the flow, and to distinguish a position or a job that will be truly valued, from someone that may just not be prepared to be organized at the present time. Kay has had to walk through a few fires to get to this point. It has been a journey she did not anticipate, but which has truly been a blessing.
[4:29] Marc attests that Kay is organized. He tells of a client he sent to Kay for help organizing her taxes and her house, who says it was the best money she ever spent.
[4:57] After college, Kay worked in business development marketing in tech, moved into sales, and then account management, where she did a bit of everything. The last employer, Spansion, came to an economic crunch, and laid off a lot of people, including Kay. The layoff propelled her to the idea of starting her own company.
[7:32] The remaining staff at Spansion became very overloaded, and managers who didn’t know how to do the jobs their people had done, started calling her for advice. She helped one, and got a referral to help others, as a freelancer. She saw how many skills she had, and came up with the name K-Kan, Inc. to signify her many abilities.
[8:31] Kay envisioned two parts to her business: the first part would be hands-on, and the second would be virtual, with assistants that would help in various areas. The challenge is always scheduling. Kay describes the kinds of organizing and design jobs she takes.
[9:28] 80% of the work is personal, and 20% B2B. In the office, Kay will manage email and marketing or follow-up calls for clients, and enter it into the CRM. For accounting, she will work with QuickBooks, Excel, Quicken, or Mint, and works with CPAs. Kay has been doing Marc’s books for over four years, about two hours each month.
[12:44] The mix of business client tasks is 60% virtual, marketing, or staffing a trade show, and 40% physical tasks on site. From helping organize and move offices, she gets referrals for organizing garages and storage units with remodeling and design.
[13:41] For design jobs Kay calls on two contractors to do the carpentry and finish work. She has three virtual assistants to do phone calls and other tasks. Working on contract rather than by employment allows them to choose their work hours, and frees Kay from constant payroll. Marc also has a contractor crew, including Kay, to help his ventures.
[15:13] Coming out of the corporate world, working with contractors was a change from having a staff. She started with one part-time staffer, but the need was not constant, and they decided an on-call situation would work better for both of them. Kay soon found others who were happy with an on-call agreement.
[16:14] Marc is getting ready to launch a Career Pivot online community. For many people, flexibility is more important than the money or what the job is. People just want to work when they want, and with people they enjoy.
[17:29] Kay expected to stay in the sales and management world forever. Instead, she had to take a hard look at her skills and talents, and truly what made her happy, and how she could be of service to people. She knows she is making a difference to others.
[18:19] Kay started K-Kan with the thought of its being a one-man-band. When she needed help, she learned to let go, and start working with other individuals. Now she not only works to support herself, but has the opportunity to give other people income.
[19:05] Kay wishes she had known better how to judge character, and be more forceful about managing individuals, to have the difficult conversations in a nice way, to be more effective as a manager and as a communicator.
[19:54] Marc cites Sherry Lowry, who coached Marc to identify the clients he wanted to work with, and the clients he wanted to repel. Kay also met with Sherry, who helped her understand it was OK to fire a client that wasn’t a good fit.
[20:35] Marc has only fired one client so far, but he identifies people as they come to him, if they will be a good fit, or not. Kay has a routine where she will do a complimentary interview, and at the end of the interview, she will either accept them, or refer them to someone else.
[22:20] Marc met Kay at Metropolitan Breakfast Club, where he also met others who have been on the show, all with a common theme of going on an entrepreneurial path, but not always for an obvious reason. Vicki McCullough, like Kay, was laid off, and, like Kay, is happier for it.
[23:02] Kay has really appreciated the challenges, and the opportunities to work with other people, and help them out, and she is grateful for the ‘kick in the butt’ that she needed to get out of a situation that wasn’t the best fit for her personality.
[25:01] Marc’s points: Kay listened to people when they said, Kay can, and she made that her brand. She evolved the business, and has surrounded herself with great support people who are not employees. Kay has multiple types of clients, so there is variety. Kay has figured out it is important to work for clients who value her service.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey
Marc is taking on new clients. Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me or call at 512-693-9132, and leave a message with your email address. Marc will respond with a link to his calendar, to find a time to talk.
Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast
Jennifer on LinkedIn: Jennifer H. Winter
(512) 431-8069 to reach Kay by phone
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Brie Reynolds is Marc’s expert guest in this episode. Brie is the Senior Career Specialist at FlexJobs, the award-winning site for remote work, flexible schedule and freelance job listings. She helps people empower themselves to find jobs that fit their lives by providing practical information, resources, and insights into flexible jobs and the future of work. With a background in human resources and career advising, Brie has 12 years’ experience working with jobseekers and employers, and she offers career hiring and work/life balance advice through the FlexJobs blog, media outlets like Fast Company, Forbes, and NBC News.
Marc and Brie start the discussion with an overview of the origins of FlexJobs, the growth flexible opportunities, how Brie got involved, and the types of work FlexJobs features on its site. They talk about the four measures of flexibility of a job, the types of companies offering flexibility, the types of jobs offered, and the reasons a person might seek flexibility in employment. Brie offers tips for preparing to apply for a job with flexibility, and how to make yourself stand out as a solid contributor.
Listen in to learn about the trend of flexibility in employment, and how you may obtain a flexible position.
Key Takeaways:
[3:08] Brie describes herself, and her passion for ‘job stuff.’
[3:42] FlexJobs is a job search service, with a few key differences, specializing in telecommuting and flexible jobs for professionals. All of them have some flexibility, and many of them are for remote work. This is FlexJobs’ 10th year!
[4:24] In 2006, Sara, the CEO and Founder, was laid off late in her pregnancy. She had founded a job search company in college, and also had held high-level positions. Looking for work, she wanted the flexibility to work from home. Flexible jobs were rare. She knew there must be others in her position. After giving birth, she founded FlexJobs.
[6:03] Brie is the Senior Career Specialist, and helps people learn about the flexible jobs market. She writes articles, hosts webinars, and has press and media interviews to spread the word, so job seekers can prepare themselves to find a job with flexibility.
[7:37] The world of flexible or remote work has changed dramatically, and a lot of that is due to technology. Marc is in Austin, and Brie is in Boston, and they are recording this podcast over free software. Marc is recording it on software that cost him $19.00.
[8:03] Brie started looking for flexible work about eight years ago, when her husband got on a rotational career track. Brie had worked as a college career advisor. Her first flexible job was as a customer service job working from home. She loved working from home, but not customer service. Someone from the company put her in touch with Sara.
[10:04] This recommendation from her co-worker to apply to work for Sara at FlexJobs was the best networking experience she had ever had. This person had worked at Sara’s earlier job search firm, before she had sold it. Brie interviewed, and found herself writing part-time at home for FlexJobs, as one of nine employees at the time.
[10:36] Brie loved it. It allowed her to offer career advice, and learn about this new way of working, to learn which companies were doing great at it, and what sorts of jobs were compatible with flexible work. The company moved around, and is now in Boston. In seven years she has gone from flexible, to full-time, and back to flexible part-time.
[11:40] Marc used to run a help desk for IBM, supporting 500 engineers while he took away their drafting boards and put them on CAD/CAM screens. He also used to train world-wide technical support people. He knows talking to unhappy people all day can cause morale problems. Certain people can do it, and others can’t.
[13:04] FlexJobs considers jobs that have flexibility in any of four areas: hours (part-time to full-time); schedule; telecommuting; and freelancing. They list jobs in 55 career fields; the type of work determines the type of flexibility. There are so many companies that offer flexible work, but not always to the same degree.
[15:40] FlexJobs offers a mix of employee and freelance jobs on the site. The freelance assignments may last six weeks to six months or longer, rather than being quick tasks.
[16:43] Marc now wants more control over when and where he does things, than over what he does. He wants to work less time doing what he likes to do. Brie sees that type of applicant, along with people who are looking to advance their careers and grow their responsibilities; also, people who want to take a step back for a while.
[18:02] FlexJobs has C-level jobs, telecommuting VP positions, and Executive Directors, and jobs with no advancement, just flexibility, such as customer service and data entry.
[18:32] Brie cites an example of a retiree who needed the flexibility to travel around the country in an RV. She found a behavioral coaching position for an insurance company, using her background in medicine. Others just want to transition to a different position or career, and take a flexible role as part of their pivot.
[21:13] Some people just start a new career and start as freelance, or part time, and work their way up to a full-time position in their new field.
[23:41] In applying for flexible work, consider if you have previous flexible experience. What skills did you use to focus? What software did you use to communicate with coworkers? Put these on your LinkedIn profile. Companies want you to be able to troubleshoot basic errors at home. Tout communications skills, and conferencing tools.
[28:09] Former entrepreneurs looking to transition back to the corporate world, bring great skills with them. Flexible work and freelance work are similar environments.
[31:08] Marc’s final words: To join the FlexJobs community, please click on the FlexJobs ad at the bottom of any of Marc’s CareerPivot blogposts. He is a proud affiliate of FlexJobs.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Careerpivot.com/episode-31
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey (Now available online)
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Call Marc at 512-693-9132 and leave a message and email address.
Twitter: @BrieWReynolds
LinkedIn: Brie Reynolds
LinkedIn: Sara Sutton Fell
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Marc answers very late in life career decision questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. You can learn about her career pivots in Episode 020. Listen in, for ideas to pivot your career very late in the second half of life!
Key Takeaways:
[2:11] Elizabeth shares her story, and how Marc has helped guide her to her latest pivot, which has worked out well. Elizabeth invites listeners to listen to Episode 20, and connect with her on LinkedIn to share experiences.
[3:23] Q1: I am 70 and retired when I was 52. I had a long career as a programmer and project manager. The money is starting to run out, and I need to go back to work. What do you think I should do?
[3:40] A1: There are three factors. He retired about 1999 from a large technology company. He thought his retirement money would last forever, but the Dotcom bust blew that away. He also retired very young, without a plan. His skills are very stale. His network is largely retired, also. The technology space that he knew no longer exists.
[5:14] Marc told him to find a problem to solve, and that started his brain going. He has entrepreneurial tendencies. Marc wanted him to find a problem he could develop into a business service or product. He has Social Security, so he’s not going to be out on the street. After 18 years being unemployed, at 70, no-one else is going to invest in him.
[6:48] His most valuable skills acquired over the last 18 years have been the engineering things he has done on his property. He liked that answer, because it got him juiced. It’s never been easier to be an entrepreneur. Marc has a friend who has products manufactured in China, and has them shipped directly to Amazon Fulfillment.
[9:51] Q2: I am doing informal research on analytics career paths. My company puts analytics professionals on a business management track. I understand some companies offer higher analytics professional positions. I want to continue to develop as an analyst. Do you have any ideas on a career path?
[11:11] A2: IBM and other companies started doing this in the mid-90s. This gentleman is in his early 60s. Working for a government contractor. The company needs him in business development (sales) to get more contracts. They will not invest in his analytics career. They might invest in Millennials.
[12:45] Marc asked him, “What do you want to be doing in five years, and what do you have to do to get there?” It could be retirement, it could be consulting, it could be getting certified to teach classes. This man is in supply chain, and that skillset will be needed in the automation world.
[15:40] Marc will be doing a series of blogposts on “How will automation, AI, and robots destroy your career?” One of those will touch your career. There is a retail crash as a result of competition from Amazon and similar online companies.
[17:06] Q3: I have spent the last 15-20 years as a lecturer at a public university. I feel like the future looks dim, as they continue to cut costs, move to part-time adjunct professors, and move coursework online. Where does someone like myself go? I’m very late in my career, and I think I’ll be pushed out soon. What should I do?
[17:31] A: This is a composite of three conversations Marc had, all fit the same profile, 50 and above, and had the same circumstances. They had stayed at the university because of the tremendous amount freedom it offered. They took the summer off to pursue mission-driven endeavors. They enjoyed flexible office hours.
[18:16] People from a college teaching environment typically do not make very good employees. Marc suggested to one to find a problem to solve, and look at stair-stepping his way to a new business (See Episode 14 with Taylor Pearson). The second case was in liberal arts. Marc steered him to UpWork and FlexJobs to do freelance while working.
[19:16] The third individual was a dean at a public university. Many people in higher education receive enjoyment from the mentoring aspects of their jobs. That is not found in the corporate world. Look at Episode 3, with Joel Dobbs. Joel has a portfolio career; part of it is mentoring executives. He also teaches, and consults to companies.
[20:25] The dean needs to determine what people will pay him in the private sector, and how he gets into it. He has some of the connections required, and needs to find which ones will work for him, and start working the relationships.
[21:00] Marc did not tell any of these to go find a job. Elizabeth suggests embracing the change you face, and now is the time to do it. The transition will be difficult, but once you pass through it, it will be a great opportunity to do whatever you have always wanted to pursue, and still maintain control over your schedule.
[21:48] Marc says the getting out of higher education or high school teaching is challenging. Plan for the long haul, and don’t expect it to happen tomorrow. Stairstep your wait out over a year or two. Do something on the side, as the Millennials do.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Roger Whitney's Retirement Answer Man
The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast
What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles
Chris Farrell’s Unretirement Podcast
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In this episode, Marc is recording the show in the hospital with his wife. He talks about making stuff up, dealing with assumptions — most of which are wrong — and how things do not go as planned. He discusses insurance, planning to retire to another country, checking things out, and being set back by plans gone wrong. Listen in to hear how, regardless of how carefully you plan, you should never assume, or make stuff up.
Key Takeaways:
[1:46] Marc has had numerous times over the last six months where reality has bit him in the butt. Marc and his wife are on the Affordable Care Act, and in October their premium went up 50%.They changed to another plan, for $1,100 a month with a $13,000 deductible. Marc Listens to Money Matters, and an interview gave him an idea.
[3:17] On Money Matters, RetiredBrains.com had analyzed countries for retirement, and they gave some recommendations in an interview. Trying to stay real, Marc considered Ecuador and Mexico, and planned to research and visit each country to evaluate them.
[4:01] Marc tried very hard to stay with what was factual, which is really hard. In March they visited San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico. They found good Internet, good phone service, a good exchange rate, and acceptable transportation, but they had questions.
[5:41] Next, Marc planned to visit Cuenca, Ecuador. Corey Coates of Podfly put them in touch with some people in Cuenca, and they felt prepared. They used frequent flyer miles to fly into Quito, the capital. Morning and evening flights commute to Cuenca
[6:32] Cuenca was beautiful, and inexpensive. Health care was top-flight. Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar. They spent a few days in Quito. Phone wires were everywhere, strung from building to building, and on the edges of buildings. Internet was all copper wire. In Cuenca, the Internet would go out for a couple of hours at a time.
[7:48] Marc uses AT&T, and arranged for a plan in Ecuador, but they only connect at 3G. Walking a block may cause a change in carriers and speed. He was surprised that the ATM would only let him take $40 twice, and $80 once. He thinks it was limited by his credit union.
[9:00] In San Miguel, Mrs. Miller seemed to have had altitude sickness, but recovered at home. In Ecuador, much higher, her sickness was much worse, and they left five days early. With connecting flights, it took three days to get home from Cuenca. With planning, it could be done in two days. Mrs. Miller started to feel better, and then, worse.
[11:01] They went to the ER, and it turns out, she was anemic, which turns out to have been a long-term problem. Now they don’t know whether Ecuador would cause problems or not. Reality slapped them in the face.
[11:45] We do this throughout our careers. We believe we’re doing all the right stuff. The more Marc learned, the more questions he had. Now, there are probably other things he was missing, and he needs to keep on doing his research.
[12:39] As you go through your career decisions, don’t make stuff up.
[12:58] As Marc is recording, his wife is going through tests to determine the cause of the anemia. Now that he knows she has been anemic for a considerable time, it makes sense, some of the experiences she had had. This was a big reality check. Marc thought he had understood what was going on, but he really hadn’t.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc is accepting new clients, so reach out to him. He will supply a link to his calendar to set up a call.
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey
CareerPivot.com Making Stuff Up Episode
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Jennifer Winter has always understood the importance of seeing the big picture, while always focusing on the small details. Doing both well enabled her to grow, along with Turner Broadcasting. She began her career in print publishing before moving to sports, where she coordinated sponsorships in every sport the network broadcast — NBA basketball, Major league baseball, NFL football, PGA golf, NASCAR, figure skating, and more.
After 21 years at Turner, and after rising to the position of Vice President of Sports Sponsorship and Marketing, Winter transitioned back to her home city of Austin, where she has brought the same skill to her role of Director of Programming for Texture Media. Her role is to ensure that the company has both the strategy and resources in place to grow and succeed. As she has done throughout her professional life, she is helping shape the creative vision of her company, while at the same time, ensuring that it has the plan and the resources necessary to execute that vision on time and on budget.
Key Takeaways:
[3:36] Jennifer is an introvert, and full of regrets that she didn’t make changes to her life sooner, but she is happy to be home in Austin, and to be working towards acceptance of her professional position.
[4:21] Jennifer wants to make sure she doesn’t repeat the mistake of working for years in a job she didn’t like.
[5:00] Jennifer describes her career path during the first half of life, and how she spent 21 year at Turner Broadcasting, finally in Turner Sports, doing a job she never imagined.
[7:07] Jennifer explains her time at Turner. She hated sports, and all her time was spent at sporting events, and with on-air talent. People told her everyday that she had a dream job, but it wasn’t her dream to work 24/7 on sports. She kept asking herself why she hadn’t moved to entertainment, or news.
[8:50] Jennifer got to know Charles Barkley, and other great athletes, which was great, but not enough of a reason to stay. However, she stayed, unhappily, for 21 years.
[9:42] While Jennifer was at Turner, she had great friends, but was miserable. She was risk averse, and didn’t do anything to change. In 2013 Turner started talking about layoffs, and Jennifer thought about making a change, but still didn’t do anything about it. Then she got the notice that her position had been eliminated, and she was badly hurt!
[11:22] In a typical layoff, Turner went through and laid off the 20-plus year employees who were making good money. That’s what prompted the change. Jennifer was risk averse, and when it happened, her feelings were hurt, because she took it personally. They gave her a generous severance package. The family moved back to Austin.
[13:14] Even though a layoff is impersonal, and everyone is replaceable, it feels very personal. Jennifer had felt like a part of Turner, and wondered how they could do it without her!
[15:10] Jennifer is now working for Texture Media, LLC, in Austin. It’s a website all about wavy, curly, coily hair, and Jennifer is the Director of Programming, overseeing the development of video and photo content. She started as a contractor, and then became a full-time employee after a year.
[16:01] Jennifer talks about searching for a job after settling her family. Her television skills didn’t seem likely to transfer to the digital city that Austin has become. After joining Women Communicators of Austin, she gained confidence, and reached out to Marc.
[18:10] At that time, Jennifer had applied for a CSM position at TextureMedia. A phone interview showed she didn’t have the right experience for that job, but the interviewer told her there might be something coming up that she would be good for, and to follow back. So after four months they met for coffee (although Jennifer doesn’t drink it).
[19:20] They had an honest conversation about what they were looking for, what Jennifer’s background was, and where she was in life. The next day she got an offer to help them produce client videos as a contractor. The idea made Jennifer nervous. She had no idea how to discuss compensation. Marc helped her determine a good rate.
[20:58] Jennifer started at 30 hours a week, to have flexibility to pick her children up from school, and look for full-time work. However, she didn’t stop at 30 hours. She kept her Turner mentality and got things done, whatever time it took. She started to burn out. Marc told her to track hours and get paid overtime. They weren’t happy, but they did it.
[23:39] Jennifer is still challenged by the differences between broadcast media and digital media, even though they are both video content. The way people consume content is different. All the language around it, and how it is measured, are different. Keeping up with changes is challenging.
[25:27] Jennifer had the industry expertise, but she had to update her skills around digital media and platforms. Jennifer knows how to get creative people to behave themselves.
[27:17] Jennifer leaves this advice: Working with Marc has been huge, and she still calls him all the time with questions. She suggests staying involved with small networking groups, as she did with the Women Communicators. It helped her come out of her shell, and find others like her, with the same concerns, and hopes.
[30:00] Marc’s notes: Jennifer was institutionalized at Turner, and that made it difficult to leave on her own. She was angry when they let her go, but she knew it was for the best. She would not transition to a new job in a new town by applying to job postings online.
[30:27] Jennifer reached out for help, which she found at WCA, and with Marc. She was first hired as a contractor, which was a good way to ‘date’ the company. However it was new territory, and it was terrifying. She had been in a dying business — broadcasting — but she was frozen and did nothing about it. Does any of that sound familiar?
Mentioned in This Episode:
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey
Marc is taking on new clients. Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me or call at 512-693-9132, and leave a message with your email address. Marc will respond with a link to his calendar, to find a time to talk.
Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast
Jennifer on LinkedIn: Jennifer H. Winter
Texture Media, LLC (NaturallyCurly.com)
Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
Mark Anthony Dyson is Marc’s expert guest in this episode. Mark is The Voice of Job Seekers, career consultant, job seeker advocate, career writer, and founder of this award-winning blog. He helps the employed, unemployed, underemployed, and underappreciated find jobs using job search strategies to navigate the new job market. Marc knows Mark from the hosting of his great The Voice of Job Seekers podcast, one of the few career-related podcasts that I listen to.
Marc and Mark discuss the social impact of unconscious bias, and how the older job seeker may be affected. While unconscious bias is a fact, you can prepare to handle it by not accepting the perceptions that as an older worker, you lack energy, are not a good fit, or won’t be able to keep up. Mark discusses trends in legal issues related to ageism, and how building relationships, embracing technology, and networking with professionals can help the older job seeker navigate the unconscious biases of hiring managers.
Listen in for behaviors to avoid, and attitudes to adopt, to stay relevant in the workplace.
Key Takeaways:
[3:21] Mark talks about his family, his grown sons, and moving forward into the second half of marriage to what he and his wife want to do. He is studying unconscious bias as it relates to job seekers. Mark enjoys music, personal training, and family life.
[5:00] Mark discusses unconscious bias, referencing the work of Dr. Derald Sue. In simple terms, it is a non-aware unpremeditated assumption about different ethnicities, age groups, genders, and so on. Mark says the assumptions are usually insulting or degrading. Microaggressions are statements or actions based on the biases.
[6:40] Telling a person older than you that they look good for their age is not a compliment. It is a microaggression. Microaggressions do not make people feel valued. Everyone has unconscious bias, and it comes out in different ways.
[7:53] Marc shares an example of his last boss’s unconscious bias. Mark also gives an example for a client he had coached. The interviewer said they were concerned that the pace of this place was pretty fast, and that the candidate might not keep up (based on their age).
[8:54] Marc considers biases that came from his upbringing in an all-white town. Mark discusses how unconscious age bias affects older job seekers. One bias is that an older person’s skillset may be outdated, or less relevant. Employers talk about “fit,” without being precise about their bias, and laws do not fully protect aged workers.
[10:54] Gut instinct is relied on in hiring decisions. This includes bias. If merit hiring were implemented in many more companies, unconscious bias would be minimized. The Illinois State Attorney sent a notice to major job boards regarding ageism on their online forms. NPR ran a good article about ageism in hiring.
[12:50] Mark discusses how to deal with ageism. Satchel Paige pitched in the major leagues when he was near 60. George Blanda played football near 50. Don’t accept the perceptions of hiring managers.
[14:44] We’re seeing people work a lot longer. Mark wrote on CareerPivot.com about 8 ways older workers invite age bias on social media. On social sites, do not complain about work, or post things that do not show professionalism. Use digital photos, not scanned pictures. Don’t mention aches and pains. Forget making political statements.
[19:33] One of Marc’s readers responded to Mark’s post, worried that bias was going to be used against him no matter what he did, and he had an edgy tone in the remarks. Mark says, if you make curmudgeonly comments, you flag that you may not fit in well.
[22:00] Marc noticed an unconscious bias when he was teaching a class of 90% Hispanic youth high school math. He felt like he did not fit there. Most of them had probation officers, which added to his bias, although they were not bad kids.
[23:17] Older workers also make assumptions about Millennials. Mark was a substitute teacher in his 40s, and he found the older teachers to be wiser, even though he enjoyed the younger teachers. In some cultures, older people are considered wise. In America, younger people take the torch from older people, even before they want to pass it.
[25:10] Older workers need to build relationships, earn respect, learn new technologies, and network in professional organizations.
[26:05] Marc talks about working with younger engineers, and dressing and acting like them, to be peer accepted, even though he was really the peer of their manager. They would confide in him. He purposely worked those relationships.
[28:25] Mark’s closing remarks: some people don’t think unconscious bias exists, or that it matters. Always consider: How can I have a respectful conversation with this person about their bias or about my bias? Be proactive, if you want to build a relationship. Once we are aware of our biases, we’ve taken the first step. Then, see how bias hurts people.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Call Marc at 512-693-9132 and leave a message and email address.
Twitter: @MADyson
LinkedIn: Mark Anthony Dyson
Facebook: Mark Anthony Dyson
Instagram: MarkADyson
Illinois Attorney General Notice on Age Discrimination on Job Boards
NPR Article on Ageism in Hiring
"8 Ways Older Job Seekers Invite Age Unconscious Bias on Social Media," by
Marc Anthony Dyson
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey (April 17, 2017)
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In this episode, Marc answers career pivot job search questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. Listen, to pivot your career in the second half of life!
Key Takeaways:
[2:05] Elizabeth shares her story, and how Marc has helped guide her to her latest pivot, which has worked out well. You can learn about her career pivots in Episode 020.
[2:50] Q1: I am in my 50s. Faced with divorce, I panicked and went to graduate school. I owe $11K on my school loan with two more years to go. I will have a child in college next year. I don’t want to take debt with me into retirement. I am working part-time in my field of study. What is Marc’s honest opinion, should I quit school, or continue?
[4:01] A1: Ask yourself, will this Master’s degree make you educated, or employable? You need to know before any Master’s program. Ask the college to show you alumni like you in age, background, and experience, that have come out of the program with a job.
[5:11] You have sunk $11K into this. Do you hold onto a bad investment, or get out? Go with your gut, after you find out if it is a good program for you. Your child’s college cannot take up your career and retirement. Let them get a two-year community college certificate, get a job, and go back later for a four-year degree. Things have changed.
[9:41] Q2: After being downsized, I went back to graduate school, earned a Master’s degree in nonprofit management. I took a year off to care for a family member. Now I get almost no response to my resume. I am 65 years old, have long and varied experience, and strong skills. What should I do?
[10:23] A2: Why did you get this degree? (It looked good.) Where are you applying? (Job boards for nonprofits). You have no experience at nonprofits. Target what you want to do, and pick a nonprofit where the cause is important to you. Do your homework, and also pull up their Form 990 from Guidestar.org. Do they have money to pay you?
[13:40] Marc got his nonprofit job by walking into a conference, and targeting five nonprofits. He met with five executive directors. He got the job at the nonprofit, without ever applying for a job. In a nonprofit, relationships are the key.
[14:56] Q3: I have just moved back to the U.S. from Africa. I have a PhD in linguistics and have spent the last decade translating the Bible into different languages, which was very fulfilling. I am lost about what to do next. What do you think?
[15:19] A: This is a needle in a haystack. Marc gave this client a method to find the needle. He said to look at the top ten schools for linguistics PhDs, and look for graduates on LinkedIn, and find out what they are doing. This was a mission-driven individual, so I said to look for mission-oriented keywords. What can they tell you?
[16:43] Marc tells of another client who, after working in nonprofits, went to a Ruby on Rails programming bootcamp, and now has a government contractor offer, for which they need a top-secret security clearance, which takes nine months to a year.
[19:31] Now that Marc’s latest book, Repurpose Your Career, A Practical Guide to the 2nd Half of Life, is out, he has time to work with you! Go to CareerPivot.com and click on the Contact Me button, or go to the speaker pipe and leave Marc a voice message. Marc says, Let’s talk! You can also ask a question he can answer on the show!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Careerpivot.com
AudibleTrial.com/RepurposeYourCareer/
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Arizona State Global Pathways Institute
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Mark Miller
with Susan Lahey
Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
In this episode, Marc discusses his new book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, now available on Amazon; and the paths he took to write it and the two books that preceded it. Marc starts by describing his departing the corporate world and starting a blog, how the blog led to a white paper, a website, and then a book, and how wrote two more books, earning additional credibility at each step. Marc explains the art of self-publishing, and what you can expect in writing your book.
Key Takeaways:
[1:42] Marc left his last corporate job in January, 2011, and in June he started a blog, called the My Career for My Life blog, with two, three, and then four posts a week. It took Marc months to find his voice and learn his readers’ interests. He listened to learn.
[2:16] In late 2011, Marc hired Susan Lahey, who interviewed him, and wrote the white paper, Don’t Retire, Even If You Can, a Baby Boomer Manifesto. The CareerPivot.com website launched in February 2012, along with the white paper. Using the white paper and the blog, Susan wrote the book, looking to author Gudjon Bergmann for title ideas.
[3:04] Having a title, Marc next needed a cover. He started with graphic artists, but he didn’t get their technical questions. He was introduced to MamiSerwaa Amoakohene, who took Marc through a branding process, and helped him choose graphics suited to his audience.
[4:07] Susan drew from the white paper, and the blog posts which were most popular. Writing a blog will tell you, by feedback, the topics people want to read. Marc hired a college student to edit, which led to a minor skirmish between creatives; then they crowdsourced reviews. The common criticism was all the stories were from Marc’s life.
[5:23] Marc used CreateSpace to publish the paperback, and KDP to publish the Kindle version. They released them about the first of January. They found three typos in the paperback, and fixed them to release the Kindle version. The only marketing was a book signing at BookPeople. There was a glitch in swapped covers, but Amazon fixed it!
[6:52] Marc did a giveaway of the Kindle version, to get a mailing list for his next book. Marc has a relationship at NextAvenue, that led to an article picked up by Forbes, for invaluable credibility. Marc planned the next edition for 2015, but it didn’t work out.
[8:14] In 2014 Marc had a VO client record audio; Marc edited the audio, and put it on ACX.com — now Audible.com. His main expense was time. There have been 100 audios sold, and 2,500 books, in four years. What was gained was credibility, not much income. The credibility led to guest blogging in 2014 on Personal Branding Blog.
[10:35] The blog forced Marc to write more on personal branding. Of the blogs, they put the five most popular into a white paper, and it was incredibly well-received, by AARP. They added more posts, and turned it into an ebook. Marc lost a lot of time and momentum creating it, from co-authors walking away from it.
[12:29] In early 2016 Marc started making the pivot to focus on the 2nd half of life. He wrote the blog post, “Careers in the 2nd Half of Life.” It was very popular. That made him think of a second edition focused on the 2nd half of life, and asked MamiSerwaa for cover suggestions. They retained the walking element, with changes, to differentiate.
[13:30] Marc started working with Susan in 2016, giving her 8-10 of the most popular blog posts to roll them into 4-5 chapters. Then Marc dictated client stories to Susan that she could fit into the old version to add depth. The book was completed toward the end of 2016, and Marc reached out to well-known authors to review it for quotes.
[15:00] Marc asked Susan to pick a professional editor she wanted to edit the book. It worked out much better for all. With the new draft, Marc sent a Review PDF to 100 people, to for quotes. He expects to get 50 to 70 reviews. He has five reviews so far. He also set up pre-ordering on Amazon Advantage. That led to 30 preorders.
[17:31] As with the first book, Marc used CreateSpace and KDP to create and publish the books. Amazon customer support was amazing every time Marc needed help.
[18:30] Marc launched the Kindle version on April 18, at $.99, to encourage reviewers to buy the book, and be a verified Amazon purchaser. On the second day, 50 copies have been sold so far, and it’s rolling out smoothly. If you want reviews, Marc says, you need to ask people to review it on Amazon. They generally won’t think of that on their own.
[19:20] Marc’s blog allowed him to find material that people wanted to read, and most of the book came from his most-read blog posts. Marc credits Susan on the cover, and both Susan and MamiSerwaa on the Amazon listing. It costs nothing to give credit, and it creates loyalty. A book is a credibility-builder, second to none.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey
Careerpivot.com/2016/careers-2nd-half-life
Ericvanderhope.com/how-to-set-up-pre-orders-on-amazon-for-print-books
Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
Mike Martin made a career pivot after 30 years in industrial sales, first as a volunteer instructor and substitute teacher. Mike realized that instructing had a very fulfilling feel to it. Night college courses in teaching seemed the next logical step. This eventually became full-time aviation school at a college in Killeen, Texas, then two years of rail operations, instructing train operators on the new light rail extensions on the Harris County Metro line.
Wanting very much to use his pilot experience and passion for aviation, Mike joined Dart Drones in 2016 as a commercial drone pilot instructor. Dart is growing, and Mike is also helping Dart develop specialized curriculum aimed at target industries, and he even got to write a blog piece on the FAA knowledge test given to pilot candidates. Mike is very happy now, and says he has found a good place, and the future looks bright. Dart Drones has been on Shark Tank. Please see the link below.
Key Takeaways:
[:56] Marc reads a listener review from M11395 on iTunes, and invites listeners to write their own reviews.
[3:16] Mike’s early influence was wanting to do anything big, noisy, and loud, and usually something moving. He wavered between train engineer and pilot. He took flying lessons as a teen, hoping to fly commercially, but that didn’t happen.
[4:22] Mike went into industrial sales after a series of warehouse jobs that paid for his flying lessons. He found he was good with parts. His cousin suggested he should sell parts, instead of warehousing them. He opened a dialog with the CEO of a parts company he respected, and was offered a job in their electrical parts company.
[6:13] In the late 80’s, purchasing became automated, competition was tougher, decision makers became hard to reach, and commissions were cut. When expenses reached income, it was time for a new career. Mike enjoyed his time in sales, until it was no longer sustainable. He wishes he had focused more on aviation.
[7:49] Mike’s present employer, Dart Drones of Scranton, Penn., was represented on Shark Tank by CEO Abby Speicher. She got $300K from Mark Cuban for 10% of the company. She will use it to build the curriculum into more specialized areas, such as fire departments, and search and rescue.
[8:22] Besides training classes with Dart Drones, Mike also has an agreement with another company, Drone Ascent, for on-call commercial assignments as an operator.
[9:14] Mike’s first pivot came at a moment of clarity doing volunteer work at a school science olympiad, teaching the students meteorology. That led him to substitute teaching, and he went back to school for a certificate — during a big teacher layoff. He applied his certificate towards a bachelor’s degree in aviation, and worked at an airport.
[12:42] Lacking flight hours, Mike looked at other transportation, and found an opening for train operators in Houston, passed the test, and aced the interview. He was hired, and sent to train operator school. Then he tested and burned in trains, and trained rail operators for two years on the new lines, until they opened, before returning to Austin.
[16:42] Mike found a lot of activity in the drone industry, and found a place there, training people for FAA drone operator registration. These are drones weighing more than 250 grams, and less than 50 lbs.
[17:23] Mike learned from trains, that he could take on something big, with great responsibility involved, and train someone new, in a matter of hours, to running it up and down the line in a competent way.
[19:16] Mike’s pivots were all about piloting, which applied to driving a train. He took his piloting skills and applied them to the rail industry, and then added his training skills, and applied them with his pilot skills, to the drone industry.
[20:20] Mike needed flying hours to fly drones and train others on a prosumer drone. So he bought a drone and put in 25 hours. He got the job at Dart Drones, after impressing the CEO by talking about the science olympiad, and the need for more females in technology.
[23:01] Mike gives his advice to listeners. Don’t give up your dreams. One avenue might not be your thing, but you might find another avenue, like the training part of drones.
[25:34] Marc’s Notes: Mike is a really interesting guy, and his journey has taken a lot of twists and turns. Mike is very persistent, and has a very supportive spouse. Do not discount either of those attributes.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Mike’s email: MPM660@gmail.com
DartDrones on Shark Tank Article on TechCrunch
Mike Martin's post about driving on the Houston Metro Line
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Amy Blankson is Marc’s guest in this episode. Amy has become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between positive psychology and technology. She is the only person to be named a point of light by two presidents, President George Bush, Sr., and President Bill Clinton, for creating a movement to activate positive cultural change. A sought-after speaker and consultant, Amy has now worked with organizations like Google, NASA, The U.S. Army, and the XPRIZE Foundation, to help foster a sense of well-being in the digital era. Amy received her BA from Harvard, and MBA from Yale School of Management. Most recently she was a featured professor at Oprah’s Happiness course. Amy is the co-author, with Shawn Achor, of award-winning children’s book, Ripple’s Effect, and the mother of three girls who remind her on a daily basis why it’s so important to create a happier future for all.
Marc and Amy discuss Amy’s family background in psychology, positive psychology, and happiness, and focus on her new book, The Future of Happiness, 5 Modern Strategies for Balancing Productivity and Well-Being in the Digital Era. They cover several questions about the effects of technology today, near future, and the three personas related to technology.
Listen in for tips on making technology a positive tool for good in your life.
Key Takeaways:
[3:09] Amy recalls a childhood scuffle, in which her brother, Shawn Achor, to forestall her imminent outraged outburst, convinced her she was a unicorn. By diverting her attention from his injustice, he turned her anger into awe. Amy was raised in a family of psychologists, and is anxious to share what she has learned about happiness.
[4:43] Amy starts her book with three questions: Where are we heading? Would we be better off without tech? What will happiness look like? Amy explains why she chose those questions. Her book came out of her experiences with her company, Goodthink, a positive psychology consulting firm.
[6:43] When Pandora’s box was opened, evil and pestilence were released, and the one thing left in the bottom of the box was hope. We have some really powerful tools that have been unleashed. Things can be used for bad or for good. As a society, we need to think about how can we use technology to its best and highest purposes.
[7:55] Technology helps us live longer; it can supply 3D printed organs to replace failing ones. Children born without a hand can have a 3D printed one within a week for under $30.00. Technology helps us manage our finances, and frees us up for more quality family time.
[8:19] We also have technology that is so distracting that the human attention span has dropped below that of a goldfish, to under 8 seconds. What do we do about that now, to change the trajectory for the future, so our technology is not distracting but propels us forward?
[10:02] Research shows that happiness and technology can be balanced. Technology is only a means to the end. We have to train the operators to use things better. Amy refers to the when, where, why, and how of using technology. It depends on intentionality.
[11:05] Are you using technology to connect, or to journal, or are you using it to check out, so you don’t have to talk to your spouse? Start your day by writing down your tech intention. You are 42% more likely to achieve your written goals. Be accountable to your intentions. The technology will not do that for you.
[13:04] What about solitaire on your iPad! Check your time. Don’t fall off the “happiness cliff.” Games can turn from a diversion into a fixation. Some games and puzzles, like Sudoku, can help prevent dementia.
[15:49] Who are the embracers, the accepters, and the resisters? Amy says that people define themselves by their attitude toward technology. When you embrace your persona, you can set your course how you will make technology work for you. You may like some technology, such as medical equipment, but not smart phones.
[18:34] Amy is doing some original research around the connection between your tech persona, and some of the stressors that you feel. What does she find about resisters and stress? To reduce stress, try to see technology more as a challenge than a threat.
[19:47] Tunnel vision and confirmation bias can lead you astray, when you are first introduced to a new technology. Amy says a positive and engaged brain activates dopamine in your system, and activates the learning centers in your brain, which enables you to see new possibilities. Keep an open mind, and it will be easier to use.
[21:30] Tech is not a toxin, it is a tool we need to learn to wield effectively. Research shows that a tech detox does not bring happiness. If you keep setting happiness at the end of an event, you eventually push it over the cognitive horizon. Approach technology with happiness and a growth mindset, and that will mold how you use the technology.
[24:11] Amy discusses the positive use of Fitbit and other wellness tools, and relates them to her father’s medical concerns. Technology can be used as tools for happiness for years to come. They will become more user-friendly in years to come.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Twitter: @AmyBlankson
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey (April 17, 2017)
Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
In this episode, Marc discusses what you repurpose when you make a career pivot, and he examines the pivots of three clients to illustrate what he means. Marc starts by reading a review on iTunes, and then discusses the three career pivot examples. More information about each client example will be found in Episodes #020, #024, and #028.
Key Takeaways:
[:56] Marc takes this episode to examine the components of a career pivot, and what you are repurposing. He does this by reviewing the late-career pivots of three clients.
[1:15] Marc thanks everyone who has left a review on iTunes of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. On this episode he reads a listener review from iTunes user Unpobregato, who calls the podcast a lifeline. You can read the review on iTunes.
[2:26] In preparing a career pivot, you have two things you can repurpose: your existing skills, or your industry knowledge. The examples on this episode did one or the other. [3:01] Example 1: Elizabeth Rabaey was interviewed in Episode #020. Elizabeth went from environmental engineering air and water permitting, to marketing in a mining construction equipment company, making multiple pivots.
[3:21] Example 2: Mike Martin is on Marc’s blog. In Mike’s first pivot, he went from industrial sales to driving trains for the Houston Metro Line, and being a trainer for them, as they launched the Red Line.
[3:45] Example 3: Jennifer will be on a future podcast. Jennifer went from handling sponsorships for live sporting events for a major broadcaster, to a project manager for an agency that deals with curly hair, and has moved from broadcast to digital media.
[4:36] Episode #020 is Elizabeth’s story. Elizabeth had a political science and journalism degree, and went to an engineering firm. She was detail-oriented. Years later, she wanted something different. Elizabeth left, but returned to do business development and marketing, which were new skills for her. She repurposed her industry knowledge.
[5:57] Marketing for them was painful, but Elizabeth gained valuable skills. A few months ago, she took a job with a mining equipment company. She now coordinates marketing events and conferences, and writes social media. She got the job because she knew equipment. What she’s doing now is not at all what she did before.
[6:58] Mike will be on Episode #024. Mike spent many years in industrial sales. After a layoff, he wandered around, considering teaching. He had an associate’s degree in aviation technology. He could have gone back for a bachelor's degree in aviation. He is a pilot. With some thought, he decided to apply to drive trains.
[8:09] Houston Metro Authority was rolling out their Red Line. Mike’s pilot skills and mindset made him a good candidate to drive a train. He tested the line, and also trained other drivers. Mike repurposed his existing skills. However, the commute was hard, and after a couple of years, he came back to Austin to train drone pilots.
[9:48] Jennifer will be on Episode #028. Jennifer is a Gen Xer. She spent 20 years at a major broadcast company. She handled the NBA, NASCAR, and everyone loved her job. She, however, hated it; especially dealing with sponsors. She got laid off, moved to Austin, and met Marc, and he evaluated her.
[11:15] She had very good project management abilities, especially to manage creatives. She landed at a digital media company, dealing with curly hair. She repurposed her project management skills, and being able to deal with creatives. She started as a contractor, part-time. She “dated” to get the job.
[13:14] Elizabeth repurposed her industry knowledge, to get a job to learn knew skills. Jennifer repurposed her project management skills, to learn digital media. Both of these will likely continue to transition. Mike repurposed his skills to get jobs where he learned new knowledge. He made two pivots, to driving trains, and being a drone pilot.
Mentioned in This Episode:
CareerPivot.com/episode-22
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
In this episode, Marc shares the chapter, “To Get What You Need You Must Know What You Need” from his upcoming book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, currently available for pre-order in March, and available on Amazon, in April, 2017.
Key Takeaways:
[:57] Marc starts this episode by thanking you listeners for your reviews. Repurpose Your Career now has a Five Star rating! Marc shares one review, and will share one review per episode, for the next few weeks. If you haven’t left your review, Marc has instructions for how to do it, linked below.
[2:50] If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there. When you’re tired of wandering, figure out what you want to be. What do you want out of life, and what role does your job play in that? It’s not just about pay, perqs, or a nice boss, but about your underlying needs that you may never recognize. Take an assessment to see.
[3:40] Marc tells how one woman was surprised at her need for status — to be aligned with key decision makers. When she didn’t have that, she felt frustrated. Many need to be in charge of their own schedules. Not getting what you need isn’t always as obvious as having an abusive boss or poor working conditions, but it can frustrate you.
[4:32] Rewards — One of the top reasons we change jobs is because we don’t feel valued. Most people want and need to feel rewarded for doing good work. Marc explores the various forms rewards can take. Marc learned he needs a pat on the back from his customers. When he was a high school math teacher, that was not to be had!
[5:50] Marc had a client who was increasingly depressed, because he praised others often, and he expected his boss to tell him when he was doing well. When he heard nothing, he feared he was in trouble, about to be fired, or not thought of highly. (He was excelling.) Marc suggested he talk to his boss, who was glad to know of his concern.
[6:47] Most managers want to know how to manage better, and they really can’t figure out all their different employees feedback styles. Some clients don’t push for compensation, and this can lead to pay inequity.
[7:10] Marc’s client’s boss gave bonuses, but not raises. Marc’s client wanted an increased paycheck! Some are best rewarded with time off. Others crave challenging projects; the chance to learn new skills. For some in nonprofits, or the military, the best reward is a mission that resonates with them. What kinds of rewards do you need?
[7:47] Freedom — The ability to take a two-hour client lunch without explaining it to anybody, go to a doctor’s appointment, or take a Friday afternoon off, and make it up Saturday morning. Or, freedom to use your imagination in creating products and solutions, or freedom to wear jeans, or work from home, or to speak your mind.
[8:15] Marc categorizes three freedoms: freedom from micromanagement, freedom to be creative and individualistic in your approach, and freedom from structure and rules. Most professionals want the freedom to do their job, and let everyone else get out of the way, as long as their results meet or exceed expectations.
[8:59] Freedom is increasingly important to employees. New, flatter hierarchies make it possible for employees to design their own jobs, as long as the work gets done. If you could create your own job description, in terms of freedom, what would it include?
[9:17] Respect and emotional support — Everybody needs to be respected. Everyone has different expectations and needs for communication with others. How do we select the job with the emotional support that suits us? Strategic networking is one tool to use to experience different work environments.
[10:37] Variety — One of the key happiness factors at work is how much variety you have. Marc tells of a woman who almost took a job with none of the features she wanted, and some she did not want. Marc asked her, did she really want that job? She did not. She changed her focus. Another client always needed chaos to clean up.
[15:47] Do you want a lot of variety? Look at these questions: Are you more or less productive when you have lots of things going on? At what point does multi-tasking become stressful to you? What happens when you are interrupted frequently? Think about the perfect culture for you, based on your positive experiences. Ask for that.
[17:14] Action Steps: Reflect back to the job that made you feel most rewarded. What did you receive that made you feel good? Write down what you need, including intangibles like freedom, respect, physical activity, and variety. Write down the kind of culture you prefer to work in: small or large company, established, or startup.
[17:45] Highlights to consider: Did you see yourself in that chapter? Work through the Action Steps. You will find it worthwhile. Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Audible.com Get a free audiobook download and free 30-day trial.
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller with Susan Lahey, available in the middle of April, 2017
Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
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 on many innovative engineering projects. During the last three years, 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. Recently Elizebeth found a new job working for an international company as a marketing coordinator. She provides her marketing, content development, and social media support for the North American division of her company, that sells equipment, products and services to the mining industry. She’s taken multiple steps, and in each one along the way, she’s learned something, and gained new skills. Marc and Elizabeth discuss several topics, including why she initiated her career pivots, where they took her, what she learned along the way, how long it took, and how she finally landed a position that meets her needs.
Key Takeaways:
[3:06] Elizabeth talks about working with Marc for five years to pivot her career journey. It takes longer than you might think to make major changes.
[4:15] Elizabeth’s first half of life included working for a year in St. Paul, MN, after college. Weather 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.
[4:53] Elizabeth had wonderful opportunities, 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.
[6:07] One day, Elizabeth felt that she wanted more, and she opened the door to looking for a different opportunity. 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 travel or volunteer activities.
[7:05] Where did Elizabeth start looking for direction? Where did she meet Marc Miller, and how did he catch her attention?
[8:14] 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 many of Marc’s clients.
[11:17] What did Elizabeth do to improve her networking skills? She has three opening questions to get the 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.
[13:43] Elizabeth talks about her job pivots. The first pivot came by way of a network contact at a bigger firm, where she got a job, and learned marketing and project management. How did she go back to her former firm, and what did she learn this time? Why did Elizabeth find it hard to market for engineers, and to guide them in marketing?
[20:20] How did Elizabeth find her current position? 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?
[22:57] 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 it is a good place for her to be.
[24:51] One skill Elizabeth has now that was not in her dreams of five years ago: her application 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. Elizabeth has learned to be a creative.
[30:44] Marc’s notes: It took a long time for Elizabeth to leave the environmental engineering world. She needed to maintain an income. It had to be done incrementally. Getting out would not be quick or easy. She nudged the firm forward in marketing for three years as she grew. She was very persistent, but leaned on a lot of people to help.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Elizabeth on LinkedIn: Elizabeth Rabaey
Elizabeth on Twitter: @2ndAct4Me
Jean LeFebvre, Panacheimages.com
Vicki McCullough, Sequitur Marketing
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John Tarnoff is Marc’s guest in this episode. John is a reinvention career coach, speaker and author who helps his fellow baby boomers transition to meaningful and sustainable careers beyond traditional retirement. Fired 39% of the time in his colorful career as a Los Angeles-based film producer, studio executive, and tech entrepreneur, he currently co-runs a graduate management program for a top university. In 2012, he developed the Boomer Reinvention Coaching Program, to help his generation stay active, engaged, relevant, and solvent. He is the author of Boomer Reinvention: How to Create Your Dream Career Over 50.
Marc and John discuss the twists in John’s career, before he pivoted to career coach and author. They share experiences and give advice to Baby Boomers looking to prepare for or to find a job for the second half of life. Listen in for an enthusiastic boost!
Key Takeaways:
[1:49] People ask John why he wrote this book! John is a guy who’s been fired a lot. He came late to the game, as part of a significant reinvention that happened the year he lost a business, at age 50.
[2:46] A former film studio production executive, he founded a tech company that failed when the bubble burst in 2001. He didn’t want to go back to the studios, and had no idea what to do. He felt there was something out there; he would have to figure out what! He went back to school for a psychology degree, to find tools for his next career.
[4:02] He went back to the industry in a different capacity, at Dreamworks Animation, with a focus on people. That led to his reinvention practice. He knew he couldn’t afford to retire, and that he was not alone. The economy was not going to come back. John wanted to help his generation lift themselves up by their bootstraps.
[6:17] Going back to school to figure out who you are is a job skill that is new in this generation. Mindfulness training and personal growth are looked at as business tools. In a fast-paced world, we need to be lifelong learners.
[8:43] The primary goal of the book is empowerment. John wants his readers to know that this is something they can do. Reinvention is within your reach. There are tools you can use. John provides steps and strategies, with a package of options to use.
[11:46] John turned the tables on a client by asking if they were applying their advice for their customers to themselves. Apply the principles you use in your business, on yourself. Your new career is likely unknown to you, because you’re not thinking of how to port your abilities into a new career. Expand your reach horizontally.
[16:15] How long did it take Marc to get past the panic of not having a paycheck? It’s scary when you realize you are cut off from a paycheck, and you think you will never work again. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” — Winston Churchill.
[17:29] There’s no time like today to start going, especially if you are still employed. Now is the time to start thinking about this eventual pivot, this reinvention, to that next second act career. Few have enough to retire.
[18:02] Episode 3, Joel Dobbs; Ep. 7, Mike O’Krent; and Ep. 11, Vicki McCullough are interviews with people who have successfully pivoted. Each one started with an idea, but didn’t proceed, then got an extra push from a second event, and finally, found that it turned out differently than they planned, so they had to adapt to the flow.
[19:27] John presents a five-part methodology in the book. These steps help you create the future by reconciling the past, and putting it to rest to go forward. The paradigm shift is that the job is already inside you. John walks through the steps. The steps involve introspection, writing, and external input from others. This job will be your last big shot.
[25:32] It’s all about the network. It’s really all about developing relationships with people. Online, LinkedIn are great ways to do this, when added to your ‘in real life’ relationships, where you meet people. 85% of jobs are filled through referrals.
[26:52] This is achievable. Start now. There is so much support out there for you, if you are thinking about changing your career around. Be proud of who you are and how old you are. Play down the age bias. Be proud of your experience, but be humble and open to new ways of doing things, to becoming part of a multi-generation job force.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Website: JohnTarnoff.com
Website: Boomer Reinvention
Twitter: @JohnTarnoff
Boomer Reinvention: How to Create Your Dream Career Over 50, by John Tarnoff
For other episodes in the Pivot Interviews Series, listen to Episode 3, Episode 7, and Episode 11.
Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
In this episode, Marc answers Baby Boomer job search questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. Listen, to pivot your career in the second half of life!
Key Takeaways:
[1:55] Elizabeth is a marketing coordinator for a company selling mining equipment. It is a new job for her, and she is enjoying learning new things. She will discuss her career pivots in a later episode.
[3:09] Q1: My two friends and I are 60+ years old. We live in expensive cities where homeownership is daunting. I moved to Seattle expecting to stay, but now I’m willing to move just about anywhere for worthwhile nonprofit work. Where should I look?
[3:55] A1: This person in their late 60s moved to Seattle to find worthwhile work, without really understanding the location. After two years of being unemployed, the goal is to teach ESL. Some states require certification, others go by ability. Marc suggests finding two locations, network, and ask about requirements, and work to qualify there.
[6:07] Nonprofits want to know who you are. If you don’t have experience, they may want you to volunteer first. Figure out what the demand is where you want to live. Talk to people at each location to get an idea of the market conditions for ESL teachers.
[8:35] Audibel is offering a free audiobook download, with a free 30-day trial. Marc recommends the book, Necessary Ending, by Dr. Henry Cloud. Go to AudibelTrial.com/RepurposeYourCareer for your free audiobook.
[9:20] Q2: I have had two interviews in a year. I have redesigned my resume, and I still get turned down for interviews. If this is age discrimination, how can I get around it?
[9:51] A2: As someone over 50, your next job will not come from applying for an interview. It will come from a relationship. Find someone at your target company, reach out, and connect. The hiring authority wants risk mitigation. Hiring from an internal referral is good.
[11:38] Search for weak ties — people you knew 15-20 years ago who like your experience. They will know people you don’t know.
[15:02] Q3: I’m working through depression. Part of the depression is not knowing what I am passionate about. What do you think?
[15:17] A: There are two issues: the depression, and thinking you have to know what you are passionate about. Marc’s most popular post is, “What if I’m not Passionate About Anything?”.You may be a multipotentialite. You have very broad interests, and you love to learn. You may get bored easily. Your depression may hold you back.
[20:39] Up to 20% of listeners may not have one passion. We’re not all wired the same..
[22:09] To submit any questions you’d like Marc to answer on this podcast, go to CareerPivot.com, click Contact Me, and type it in. Marc will run a Q&A session like this every month!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Careerpivot.com
AudibleTrial.com/RepurposeYourCareer/
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
In this episode, Marc shares the chapter, “When Clouds Part: Moments of Clarity,” from his upcoming book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide to the Second Half of Life, scheduled to be available for pre-order in March, and available on Amazon, in April, 2017.
Key Takeaways:
[2:03] Sam was in his late 50s when he was laid off for the second time. He went on walkabout for a month. In that time, he had a moment of clarity. He realized he didn’t need a lot. All he needed was food, drink, a place to sleep, and a place to work out.
[3:19] In moments of clarity, distractions vanish away in the face of something life-altering: illness, death, divorce, layoff, disaster, an inheritance, or an opportunity. Suddenly, the way you were living doesn’t make sense. It may touch on your career.
[4:20] You might realize you went into a career under pressure, or that you are stopped in your career path. Because of a change, filters that prevented you from seeing things as they are have come down, and you have an opportunity to learn more about yourself.
[4:57] You learn what’s really important to you at those times. The problem is, those filters go back up quickly. If you don’t act in that moment of clarity, or set a change in place, you will go on as you were, with a nagging sense of a missed opportunity.
[5:25] Marc talks about his own walkabout in his 20s. Spending only $500.00 in a month made him realize he needed a lot less than he thought. It also was when he met his wife of 30 years. Marc mentions other moments of clarity around his family, health, and job.
[6:43] In a disability period after an accident, Marc found peace. His returning to work, when IBM was near bankruptcy, gave him purpose to change his career to preserve his contentment, rather than adopt the panic of his colleagues.
[7:46] Marc’s moment of clarity helped his career pivot to teaching high school. What Marc learned in his moment of clarity no longer had a front seat in his awareness, but it was still there. Marc asks clients to look back for moments of clarity, and chronicle them.
[8:27] Fill out a history of each job from its start to end. Note circumstances, duties, challenges, what you learned, how you felt, what you liked and didn’t like about your role, the team and management, the environment, and the conditions of your exit. Do this for every position you’ve ever had, and you will see a pattern.
[10:16] Career Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting a different outcome each time. In Sam’s case, he decided to look for another job, and take a couple of years to plan to pivot with his spouse to a more modest lifestyle.
[10:49] You’re likely to have a moment of clarity after reflecting back on your life and your career. You’re likely to see patterns and missed opportunities that have brought you to where you are today. What do you want to do, from today on?
[11:10] Action Steps: Retrace moments when you suddenly saw life differently, after a hardship, or a happy event. Write down what you learned, whether you followed the lessons, or ignored them, and the results. Retrace your job history. What did you learn about yourself and your needs from each job? Moments of clarity are, oh so valuable!
[11:45] Highlights to consider: (1) Marc’s bicycle accident, as related in episode 016, gave him clarity for his life. (2) Marc hated programming eight hours a day with a coding pad for IBM. When he followed his boss to a different position, he found he had made the same mistake. Looking back at his career changes, he sees several relapses.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Audible.com Get a free audiobook download and free 30-day trial.
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide to the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller with Susan Lahey, available in early 2017
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers, by Marc Miller with Susan Lahey
Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
In this episode, Marc explores the twists and turns in his career that led him to make a career pivot and to launch the CareerPivot brand, website, and blog. He talks about writing his books, and he makes an important CareerPivot announcement for listeners and clients. Listen in to learn more of the CareerPivot story.
Key Takeaways:
[:55] February 13, 2107 is the 5th Anniversary of CareerPivot, so Marc has a special episode for you! This episode will have three segments: about Marc, about the evolution of CareerPivot, and finally, what to expect from CareerPivot, coming soon!
[1:33] Marc was born in New York and raised in New Jersey. His parents advised him to go to college, although he had a learning disability. He graduated from Northwestern in engineering, in under four years, and went to work for IBM in Austin, for 22 years.
[2:08] He worked in word processor software, system assurance, mechanical design, technology transfer, and then he injured his back in December 1992.
[3:19] Marc’s injury required three months off work. At the same time, IBM went through a near-bankruptcy. On April 1, he came back to chaos in his department. He was offered a job at an IBM briefing center, doing product disclosures for IBM’s top customers. He enjoyed being exposed to all kinds of customers and industries.
[3:55] In the late ‘90s Marc followed his manager into IBM Global Services, as a consultant, and it was his first career failure. His only client was EZCorp Pawn Shops. Episode 4 of this podcast tells more about that experience.
[4:24] Marc went back into marketing, and by 2000, he left IBM. He went to work for a successful tech start up, and had a moment of clarity on July 11, 2002, when he had a head-on collision with a car, on his bicycle. He was in the trauma center for five days. In months he flew to China, and landed in the midst of the SARS epidemic.
[5:14] The following year he laid himself off, and taught high school math for two years. He learned it was not for him, so he resigned. For the first time, he felt lost. He went to a non-profit, the Jewish Community Center, and lasted a year. He returned to what was comfortable, a tech startup, Lifesize. That was a mistake, and he retired in three years.
[7:15] In 2006 after teaching high school, Marc had found Launchpad Job Club, a nonprofit weekly networking community. Marc went to his first meeting and saw lots of people that looked like him. That is where the seed of CareerPivot was planted in his mind. He still went on to his two final jobs, before CareerPivot became a reality.
[9:58] In June of 2011, Marc launched a blog, My Career for My Life. In 2012, Marc launched the CareerPivot.com brand and website. He spent the year finding his voice. In 2013 Marc and Susan Lahey published, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers. The book came from Marc’s blog, a whitepaper, and Susan.
[11:05] Marc started CareerPivot for clients in Austin, Texas. He has since had clients in Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. Skype gives him a global reach.
[11:54] Where do we go next? The second edition of Repurpose Your Career is coming out on April 15, shifting to the concept of second half of life. At some point, midway in our life, things change.
[13:01] CareerPivot will launch a membership site, mid-year. Marc invites you to take a survey to provide input. Just send Marc an email. This site will have a modest monthly fee. Early members will be eligible for a very inexpensive life membership. His goal is to create a community where people can access advice, training, and community.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Do Not Retire Even if You Can: A Baby Boomer Manifesto, by Mark Miller and Susan Lahey
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide to the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller with Susan Lahey, available in April 2017
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers, by Marc Miller with Susan Lahey
Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
In this episode, Marc interviews Thom SInger. Thom has worked in sales, marketing, and business development roles for Fortune 500 companies, law firms, and entrepreneurial ventures. He is now a professional master of ceremonies, motivational keynote speaker, and the author of 12 books on the power of business development, networking, entrepreneurship, legal marketing, and presentation skills, while also serving as the host of the popular Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do podcast. He regularly speaks at business and association conferences across the United States and beyond, and has presented to over 600 audiences during his career as a speaker. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and their two highly-spirited daughters. Marc and Thom discuss several topics, including Thom’s start in business, discovering his untapped talent, his interest in preparing for a job pivot, and the push that kicked him out of the corporate nest into a career he had dreamed about, and prepared for, for years.
Key Takeaways:
[2:30] Thom sold advertising, computer training programs, and financial printing, which led to employment in marketing with two large law firms, a bank, and a consulting firm.
[3:15] Most of Thom’s income comes from presenting and speaking at conventions and conferences of 200 to 1,000 people, as the MC, or as the opening keynote speaker.
[4:32] Thom reveals the steps he followed to transition from marketing to being a successful public speaker. Why did he choose that career, and how did he pivot?
[7:00] Thom spoke at events for years, improving his skill and gaining confidence. He wondered where the people were who made money speaking. He found the National Speakers’ Association, and attended their local and national meetings, interviewing all the speakers he could, to learn the business model of regular people who spoke.
[8:08] Thom decided he wanted to do it, so he wrote a book, created a website, and started speaking for free! He spoke at meetings of the Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary Clubs, and anyone who would let him, for exposure.
[8:36] Thom had planned to go full-time by 2011, but on April 1, 2009, at the bottom of the recession, he was laid off. There were no jobs in his marketing field. He jumped into speaking. He had already been earning about $20K on the side, speaking and training. How did recession conditions allow Thom to jumpstart his speaking career?
[11:27] Thom planned to earn 50% of his income from training law firms, and 50% from association conferences. In the recession, law firms stopped training, but associations still held meetings. He lowered his rates to fit conditions, and got jobs, but not the money he had hoped. For 3½ years he went into debt, and it took 3½ years to get out.
[14:55] Thom found that a keynote speaker is not one thing. 25 speakers have 25 very different business operations, topics, and deliveries. Thom’s message was network, brand, and community engagement. At one conference Q&A for his keynote talk, it was clear he had transformed the culture of the event for the next few days, as a catalyst.
[16:35] Thom took the moniker The Conference Catalyst, not for a business name, but as he is known. Others have copied it, but the name is his. He says you have to listen, and you must stand out. Thom advises to find a twist on what you do, that is uniquely you. Thom has a signature story, only true for him. You try things, to find what works.
[19:42] April 1 is Thom’s eighth anniversary. He keeps raising the bar of success, but he is doing what he loves, and making his living in a crowded field. It’s a learned skill. Thom has given over 600 professional speeches, and he can inspire an audience. He sought the CSP certification, and is one of only 800 professional speakers who have it.
[22:21] Looking back, Thom doesn’t see much he could have done differently to succeed in speaking. He had to learn what he didn’t know, and he had to work at it. He only would change this: to invest more on his website, and less on PR and marketing. His advice is to be around, and make friends with, people doing what you want to do.
[27:45] Marc’s notes: Thom was already sidestepping towards his new career; Thom planned his career pivot, but the layoff was the kick in the pants; Thom adapted to conditions. This fits the pivot pattern: Thom had a plan to act, but didn’t; there was an event to trigger action; things did not turn out as expected, but he was willing to adapt.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Website: ThomSinger.com
Podcast: Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do
Career pivot interviews: episodes 3, 7, and 11
Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.
In this episode, Marc interviews Taylor Pearson, entrepreneur, and author of The End of Jobs: Money, Meaning and Freedom Without the 9-to-5. Inc. Magazine just rated The End of Jobs as one of the Top Three ‘Start Your Own Business’ books of 2015, and a ‘Top 25 Business Book’ of 2015. It has sold tens of thousands of copies, and it has been translated into Chinese (simple and complex), Japanese, Korean, and Thai. A Wall Street Journal bestselling author and entrepreneur James Altucher, said of it, “Entrepreneurship is not a choice you can make at your leisure. You have to jump on the train, or lose your chance. Now is the time, and Taylor’s book describes exactly how to do it.” His work has been featured in media outlets, including Business Insider, Inc., and Entrepreneur. A former Brazilian Super Bowl Champion (It’s not what you think!), Taylor has lived in Tennessee, Alabama, Argentina, Brazil, Viet Nam, Thailand, San Diego, Texas, and currently, in New York.
Marc and Taylor discuss how Taylor wrote an important book on online entrepreneurism, what he means by the end of jobs, and how your job will change. They discuss the vital importance of learning new skills — not by paying for them, but by earning them through experience. New skills bring new earning opportunities, and new markets to grow for your future.
Key Takeaways:
[2:40] Taylor is from Memphis, Tenn. He attended a small college in Birmingham Ala., studying History and Spanish. He worked as a medical interpreter, and taught English in Brazil. He started listening to podcasts on entrepreneurship, and online businesses. He returned to Memphis, and started working at an online marketing agency.
[4:00] At the agency, he did SEO and project management, managing fulfillment and clients. He moved to manage an e-commerce organization in San Diego, working with a web marketing team based in Southeast Asia. He moved there, to run the team. The owner also ran a community for online entrepreneurs. This was a new exposure for him.
[5:40] Taylor published The End of Jobs about the new life script the Internet enabled. He borrowed the title from, "The End of History?" a 1989 essay by Francis Fukuyama, who proposed there were no remaining viable competitors to liberal democracy. Taylor proposes the institution of traditional jobs will end, much as communism will end.
[7:48] Taylor had attended a conference of the community of entrepreneurs, held in Bangkok, Thailand. At a breakfast, the discussion was how to explain the new career path of online international entrepreneurism. Taylor moved the conversation into a book intended for Millennials. He is pleased to learn that Baby Boomers take to it as well.
[9:34] Marc is working with a client now, looking for a problem for him to solve. The goal is to start a business. Some Boomers are, of necessity, entrepreneurs, with too little saved to retire, and no job offers. Two thirds of all small businesses are owned by Baby Boomers, and they’re ready to sell but not to retire. So, they start a new business.
[11:16] Taylor’s book cites three reasons he believes we are at peak jobs: communications technology, the rise of machines, and the abundance of credentialization. As an example of tech, this podcast is held over free Skype, recorded inexpensively, and will be uploaded for anyone in the world to hear. Compare to radio.
[12:34] There have been huge decreases in cost to talking with people around the world, creating global access to the labor market. Companies no longer need to hire locally. All that’s required is an Internet connection. Vietnamese programmers fluent in English are excited to work for $1K a month. Their grandparents worked in rice paddies.
[15:11] We underestimate how quickly jobs are being outsourced or automated. Not only manufacturing jobs, but now knowledge work is being performed by AI. An AT&T study in the early 80’s proposed 100 thousand cell phone users in 2000, not the 100 million that really used cell phones in 2000.
[17:58] We’ve stopped thinking of higher education as an investment, and started thinking of it as a must-have. But, for two decades, the salary value of the degree has been going down across every industry, while the cost of it has been going up. The lines have crossed for a lot of professions, such as JDs and MBAs.
[20:33] Taylor discusses the concepts of Mediocristan, and Extremistan. Most people heightwise, financially, etc., live in Mediocristan. Outliers — the very short, the very tall, the very poor, the very wealthy — live in Extremistan. Most people work in Mediocristan, they don’t improve skills, don’t work on side projects, and get laid off — and it’s too late.
[24:43] Costs and risks to entrepreneurism are much, much lower than they were five years ago. Playing it safe is the new risky. Taylor talks about stair-stepping to entrepreneurship. Chinese companies will take purchase orders for $5K, if you want to sell physical products. Start to experiment, and learn inexpensively.
[27:13] Taylor talks about Rob Walling, who was in a C-level position at a construction company, and started side projects, like an ebook with plans for a duck boat. That taught him about SEO, Wordpress, and managing customer support. The more he learned, the bigger his ideas, and using cash flow, he bought a software firm and more.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Email: Taylor@TaylorPearson.me
Website: TaylorPearson.me
Twitter: @TaylorPearsonMe
The End of Jobs: Money, Meaning and Freedom Without the 9-to-5, by Taylor Pearson
The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott
For other episodes in the Experts Series, listen to Episode 2, Episode 6, and Episode 10.
Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.