In this episode, Marc discusses goals for 2017. He wrote about this very subject in a blog post last year. Listen in for goals that last all the way through 2017!
Key Takeaways:
[1:22] The idea for this post came from a podcast by Pat Flynn where he interviewed Michael Hyatt, author of Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want. The topic was goals. How bold of a goal do you want to set — in the comfort zone, the discomfort zone (the home of bold goals), or the delusional zone?
[3:17] Michael Hyatt suggests going right up to the delusional zone, and then backing off. Marc, in his goals, is pushing himself out of his comfort zone.
[3:34] Marc gives five areas in which to set bold goals. Finances (debt, retirement, earnings, or charity), Relationships (spouse, parent, child, or friends), Career (promotion, big project, or starting a business), Lifestyle (Camper, condo, getting children off payroll, or travel), Health (weight, blood pressure, diet, or exercise).
[6:45] Michael Hyatt mentions three Rs of goal-setting: Recommit, Revise, and Remove. Mid-year you will want to look at your goals again, and adjust them as needed..
[7:15] Marc always asks, should he tell anyone his goals? Does he want someone to hold him accountable to them? Personally, for Marc, telling someone provides personal initiative for him to execute on the goals.
[7:38] Marc tells his goals for 2017. Financial: Stop drawing from IRAs and be fully supported by the business within the year. Relationships: Work on spousal relationship and develop new friendships in support of their goal to move overseas. Career: build a supportive membership community. Lifestyle: prepare to move, maybe to Ecuador.
[10:21] Ecuador seems to have a lower cost of healthcare, and Marc’s insurance premiums and deductible are very high. Marc’s idea is to simplify. Health: Marc had high blood pressure. With diet and exercise, it is now pre-hypertensive, and he wants to bring it back to normal this year.
[11:15] Marc wants to challenge you to look at these five areas: Finances, Relationships, Career, Lifestyle, and Health, and sit down to work out your goals for the year, and also to make a calendar entry for early July, to look at the goals again, and recommit, revise, or remove, as appropriate to the need.
[12:00] Marc wants you to ask, are you going into your discomfort zone, and how are you going to measure the results? Think about it!
[12:25] If you are considering retiring overseas, Marc heard the Money Matters podcast mention the RetiredBrains.com website. They rank countries in eight categories. Ecuador was No. 1, Panama was No. 2, and Mexico was No. 3. International Living magazine has similar ratings, but puts Mexico at No.1, for the exchange rate.
[13:07] Marc and his wife are looking to live where they will be stretched culturally, live a simpler life, and have good, affordable healthcare.
[14:12] To submit any questions you’d like Marc to answer on this podcast, go to CareerPivot.com, click on the Contact Me link, and type it in. Marc will run a Q&A session every month!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Careerpivot.com
"5 Bold Goals to Establish for the Coming Year," blog by Marc Miller
Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want,
by Michael Hyatt
RetiredBrains.com Retiring Abroad page
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In this episode, Marc shares the chapter, “Next Up: The Second Half of Life,” the opening chapter 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, 2017.
Key Takeaways:
[1:42] After he wrote the first edition of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers, Marc was contacted by Baby Boomers who had lost their retirements in the crash. They either couldn’t, or wouldn’t, go back to their old jobs. Marc expected those clients. But he also got contacts from others, disillusioned in their 30s and 40s.
[3:11] Since Marc’s first book came out, the economic and technological climates have changed. With more change on the horizon, it’s difficult to confidently make choices for the second half of life. Gartner predicts that by 2025, a third of jobs will be taken over by robots, smart machines, or software.
[4:11] BYU research shows more people live alone than ever. Loneliness and isolation are a health risk as significant as smoking and obesity. Social media can lead to isolation and depression. Studies show that people who passively use social sites feel more alone, and missing out, than those who actively engage, or don’t engage at all.
[5:12] The Conference Board reports 48% of people are satisfied with their jobs, vs. 61% in 1987. Gallup reports 30% of employees are engaged with their jobs, while 50% are disengaged, and 17% are actively disengaged. Many are feeling lost and uncertain of their future, each generation being impacted according to their upbringing.
[5:59] For Generation X, born 1965 to 1980, a successful career is a good life. These are largely the latchkey children. They delayed marriage for career, and once having achieved careers, are disillusioned. They are technologically behind the Millennials.
[7:05] Gen Xers see Millennials choose careers for passion, embrace entrepreneurship and eschew material possessions in favor of experience, and they wonder, should I take that route? One client is a Gen Xer who saved money for decades. She took a short sabbatical in Southeast Asia. She saw poor but happy people. She had not been happy.
[7:48] A career pivot, whether alone, or in a family, is challenging. The 50s used to be the peak earning years — not necessarily, anymore. With children, changing careers at this point may threaten financially security, which may be unwelcome. Starting a relationship at this point may be even harder. Gen Xers need to earn a living.
[8:33] Baby Boomers thought they would already be retired, but are not prepared. This age group commits suicide at twice the rate they used to, and they feel the world has changed so much, they don’t know how they fit in it. No one wants to hire them. They are seen as being slow to adapt. It takes effort to connect Boomers to Millennials.
[11:20] Look forward. Which tasks will still require the human touches of empathy and creativity? Robot journalists now write stories and commercial content. Almost anything you want done, can be done by self-service or a mobile app, and Millennials prefer it that way, even calling for a self-driving car instead of owning a car.
[12:46] Social and professional networks are the most important piece of any career change — people you know, in the field or company where you want to work, or who know them. LinkedIn and Facebook’s Professional pages capitalize on human networks. Mark Granovetter said recommendations by people you know slightly, still carry weight.
[14:15] You may have people you knew 20 years ago, who think well of you, and are in completely knew industries, that could be vital to your networks. To make a change, it takes, connections, supporters — a tribe, to help you transition. New tech grants access to information about who might be members of that tribe who could help you.
[14:53] You are the most important person to know. What are your talents? What makes you love one job more than another? Which environments put you in the zone? Can you commute? What kind of office do you like? What kind of team is best for you? What challenges you? What bores you? What salary do you need? It takes time to work it out.
[17:44] Action steps: Are you successful in your career, and still not happy? Reflect on how you got there. Assess whether your job can be replaced by a robot. Have you had weak ties assist you in your career? Reflect back on when and where. We will use this later. Weak ties are probably one of the most important concepts for your career pivot.
Mentioned in This Episode:
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
"The Strength of Weak Ties," Paper by Mark S. Granovetter
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In this episode, Marc interviews his good friend, Vicki McCullough. Vicki has more than 20 years of corporate experience in marketing, communications, sales, and account management. She is the Founder and President of Sequitur Marketing, a marketing consulting business she launched in 2013. Sequitur Marketing focuses on working with professional and consulting services firms to help them budget their resources, including time and energy. It’s logical marketing steps that generate desired results. Vicki is also the part-time Executive Director of Metropolitan Breakfast Club. She is also an active community supporter, enjoys working with nonprofit boards, committees, and volunteer efforts. Vicki is a very resilient, but reluctant, solopreneur, a story that will probably be played out over and over again by Baby Boomers who move into entrepreneurship in the second half of life. Marc and Vicki discuss several topics, including Vicki’s background and experience, how it took years to decide to start on her own, what she has learned as a solopreneur, and how she keeps her job interesting.
Key Takeaways:
[2:16] Vicki received a BS in education. She soon learned that she enjoyed being in school, but not teaching school. She went back for her MBA, and entered the business world. Her corporate career spanned 30 years. She is now a marketing consultant.
[3:35] Vicki and Sequitur Marketing work mostly with professional services firms to help them logically evaluate and improve their marketing strategy, to grow their business.
[4:38] Vicki first thought of going on her own when she learned in her MBA classes that it really is possible to start one’s own business. Over the years, during layoffs, she freelanced, but kept going back to corporate work.
[6:25] Overall, Vicki’s work experience in the corporate world was good. She learned a lot, and got on a really good track for marketing, managing direct reports, budgeting and related business activities. She didn’t feel pushed to turn away from that. She enjoyed belonging to a team.
[7:32] The last layoff was harder on Vicki than earlier ones. The job had had some challenges, and it had not been as satisfying. She started out diligently looking for that new place to land, but the search didn’t feel the same. It didn’t feel productive. At some point, she told herself, this is the time to go on her own.
[8:57] It is important to focus, and find your own marketing space. It can be difficult to do. At the first, Vicki took a variety of clients, but now she focuses on professional and consulting services firms, including engineers, architects, attorneys, and CPAs.
[9:54] Vicki also has taken on a paid, part-time role with the Metropolitan Breakfast Club in Austin, a weekly networking organization. After many years as a member, she was asked by the board to become the Executive Director, when the position opened. She finds personal reward in this new challenge that balances nicely with her consulting.
[12:48] Vicki had to relearn what she helps her clients learn: there are so many things to do in a business, you can’t do them all at once. So prioritize, outsource what you can, and let go of what doesn’t work, move on, and tackle the next task.
[13:38] Marc has seen people get started, but get stuck. Marc’s coach, Sherry Lowry, told him she always tried to change her business 15-20% every year, to keep it fresh. Marc sees that Vicki has found her niche, where she is comfortable, and her clients are comfortable with her.
[15:13] Vicki would have gotten her focus, and her target market earlier, if she had had the knowledge to do so. Vicki is a little risk-averse, and starting out on her own was a bold move for her. She would like to be a little bolder.
[16:11] Marc says one of the key pieces is to learn that when you don’t have it all figured out, you still go and get started. In this series of stories, the common theme is first, getting the nudge to do something, but not doing it; second, getting a kick to get started; and third, finding unexpected challenges, but adapting, and keeping on going.
[19:46] Marc’s points: 1) Vicki was a reluctant entrepreneur, who would have rather found a job. 2) She did not wait to find the full business model before she started. 3) She encountered a lot of obstacles in business and personal life. 4) She added variety to her business to keep it interesting. 5) Listen to Episodes 3, and 7, for others’ stories.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Email: Vicki@SequiturMarketing.com
Website: SequiturMarketing.com
Sequitur Marketing Phone: (512) 771-3969
Website: SherryLowry.com
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In this episode, Marc interviews Roger Whitney, the Retirement Answer Man. He believes you can create a great life that balances living well today and living well tomorrow, by having the right little conversations about money. Over the last 25 years, he has worked directly with clients on his journey, and shares the wisdom he’s learned, on his weekly podcast, The Retirement Answer Man, and his blog, at RogerWhitney.com. Marc just reviewed Roger’s upcoming book, Thrive Outside the Lines: How to Create Your Retirement Masterpiece. Marc and Kerry discuss several topics, including Roger’s financial planning practice, how Roger started his weekly podcast, and recommendations for Baby Boomers to realize they will be working longer and cutting back a little.
Key Takeaways:
[2:09] Roger is a practicing financial planner. Roger loves what works, over theory. His podcast reflects issues he helps clients handle every day. He started the podcast as a teaching show, to help him organize his own thoughts, and to help listeners. He loves it.
[4:56] Baby Boomers are living older than any past generation, and are a lot more active. Their retirement needs are different than the needs of their parents. The old advice was about saving and investing, and it is insufficient for 20 years of retirement.
[6:52] Roger teaches that instead of a retirement date, ease into a relationship with retirement, where you work a job with fewer hours, allowing you the time to do things you want to do, with a modest income.
[8:01] If a person has a lump sum pension, they are suddenly responsible for managing their money without a weekly check, and it makes them uncomfortable.
[9:37] At the end of your earnings career, you become susceptible to marketing methods of fear and short-term promises.
[12:23] When making retirement decisions, we have to balance between quality of life today, and having enough money for quality of life tomorrow. You’re never perfectly balanced. The best balance maximizes the life we have today, and hope for tomorrow.
[15:08] Fidelity says a married couple of 65 needs to budget $260K to spend on healthcare. You need to invest in your health.
[15:51] Roger’s goal with the book is to help people understand what they’re facing, as they’re approaching living more independently. If you’re willing to move outside the lines, you can really thrive, by working part time, investing in your health, and rethinking how you manage risk in your investments. It follows how Roger counsels his clients.
[17:40] Baby Boomers do not have enough savings. Start being intentional about what you’re trying to accomplish. Accept that you’re going to work longer, not in the office, but doing something you actually enjoy. Create a life where you don’t retire.
[21:41] Old dogs can learn new tricks. We have a lot of options, we just have to be willing to explore them.
[23:55] When we’re dealing with tough stuff, there’s comfort to know that we’re normal, and there’s power in getting around people who are figuring it out along with you. You can get out of it. You’re not alone. There are solutions. Our problems are not unique.
[25:31] Marc really wants you to think about the concept of life maximization. What are you giving up today for a future that may not exist? Marc also reminds you to listen to the expert series of interviews, including Episode 2 with Chris Farrell and Episode 6 with Kerry Hannon.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Website: RogerWhitney.com
Upcoming Book: Thrive Outside the Lines: How to Create Your Retirement Masterpiece, by Roger Whitney
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In this episode, Marc answers Baby Boomer job search questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. Listen in for ideas to go forward!
Key Takeaways:
[1:14] Elizabeth worked environmental engineering for years, and has switched to marketing, where she enjoys learning a lot, and getting out and making deals.
[2:26] Q1: I am a former CMO for a healthcare marketing company. I have been out of work for one year and I am looking at both finding a new marketing position and starting a new business. Do you have any advice about how to make a transition?
[2:49] A1: This person is very highly compensated, in the financial side of the industry, and is in their mid-fifties. It is not surprising they have been out of work so long. They should start a consulting business as an LLC. and ‘date” companies for a job. Companies hire consultants before employees.
[5:23] To start a business, buy an existing business through a good business broker, buy a franchise, through either EntrepreneurSource or FranNet, or start a business by working with your local Small Business Development Center, a free service of the SBA. This may be short-term, dating to join a firm, or for a long-term business.
[10:10] Q2: Hiring management is looking for younger and cheaper. How can we Baby Boomers get around that? My experience is in nonprofit management. I have had multiple interviews but never landed an offer. What do you think?
[10:32] A2: One of the key issues is to prove your value. You get interviews. Think of yourself as a negotiator, landing the best deal. What are the pain points? Ask probing questions. See the blog posts, “Probing for Pain Points in an Interview,” and “Questions That Power The Negotiator Job Search.” Get them to open up, so you can sell yourself.
[15:23] Q3: How do I explain the time gap between leaving my last job, and looking for work after dealing with cancer?
[15:34] A: Gaps between jobs are not really critical. In this listener’s case, the cancer was years ago, but might return. The listener does not need to disclose this now, but if an offer is made, should consider their health at that time, if it will affect job performance.
[19:27] Marc’s program Leap to Success, at LaunchpadJobClub.com, does short-term projects for nonprofits, primarily for project managers, technical and marketing people, to show that you’ve actually done real work.This year they will do close to $1M for nonprofits.
[20:06] Keep your skills up-to-date between jobs. Don’t let yourself get stale. Do relevant volunteer technical work.
[22:16] 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
EntrepreneurSource.com
"Probing for Pain Points in an Interview"
"Questions That Power The Negotiator Job Search"
LaunchpadJobClub.com Leap to Success Program
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Take a moment -- go to iTunes, Stitcher, or GooglePlay. Give this podcast a review and subscribe!
In this episode, Marc shares the chapter, “Do You Suffer from MSU Disorder? The Grave Temptation to Make Stuff Up,” from his upcoming book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide to the Second Half of Life.
Key Takeaways:
[1:44] Bill writes for a major financial company. He said his dream job is to write for The Economist. How did he know? What did he know about the company? All he knew was the content they produced. He was making stuff up, to fill in the blanks of his knowledge.
[3:30] Judith Glaser says, “The stories we make up have significant impact on our careers.” MSU can cause you to go after jobs that would make you miserable, or prevent you from pursuing a great job, out of fear. It can cause people to lose confidence in you, if you present as fact things you have just assumed to be true.
[4:28] It’s perfectly human to MSU, when the information is not there, but when it comes to your career, don’t do it! We cause ourselves pain by ‘awfulizing’ situations.
[5:03] Rhoda, a former CEO, had applied for a job as a COO of a national association. She was excited about the job, and felt like the feeling was mutual. When she didn’t hear back, though, she looked at their website and saw something she misunderstood, and began to panic. Marc suggested she call the company. When she did, she got the facts.
[6:13] Marcos was in a long negotiation with a prospective employer. Every question Marcos had took a long time to get resolution. Every time, his anxiety increased. He was in a panic. Marc encouraged him to call the recruiter (who had been absent with a very ill mother). Eventually Marcos did get the job.
[7:24] Susan started a new job with a major drug company, and knocked the ball out of the park. They loved her. But when her division announced a 200 headcount reduction, she went into panic mode. One day later, she learned she was to lead a highly-prized project. She had ignored every sign that she was highly-valued. She just MSU.
[8:17] Sally works from home. She meets with her boss to show him her activities, and he criticizes the list abusively. This has been their pattern for years. Marc suggested that the next time, she go without a list. Her boss had not asked for one. Although she MSU and became fearful beforehand, he took notes on her activities, without a problem.
[10:48] Take a mental bookmark of all the times you have panicked about something, and it turned out you were wrong. Think back to all the times you have awfulized something. Someone didn’t call within a given window that you made up, and you assumed something terrible had happened, or was about to happen, that was false.
[11:41] The best thing to do is to realize that you don’t know what’s happening. Make reasonable efforts to get answers, and breathe through the moment. You don’t know, and that’s OK.
[12:08] Stop drop, and roll. Don’t panic. Mary has a boss who is rude on the phone. She let her boss’ call go to voicemail while she was in a meeting, then texted to see how she could help her. It was simply to let her know that her boss was on her way.
[14:09] Manage communications. Nancy’s boss said she was not easy to work for. Nancy dreamed up awful situations that caused her to panic. She avoided her boss. Marc suggested having a weekly planning meeting. It turned out her boss was just moody.
[16:48] Describe situations where you made stuff up. Write out the story you dreamed up. How did it compare to the facts? Have you tried to create a stop, drop, and roll process? I now find myself catching myself when I start to MSU!
Mentioned in This Episode:
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, available in early 2017
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In this episode, Marc interviews Mike O’Krent. Mike O’Krent, Founder of LifeStories Alive, LLC, specializes in making personal history videos for families that value their heritage. They create family heirlooms in video — digitally mastered records of life stories with personal accounts, photos, and mementos of family history. Marc has known Mike for about 10 years, and it has been fascinating, watching him grow his very unique business. Marc and Mike often hang out at the same coffee shop, so they see each other fairly frequently. Marc and Mike discuss several topics, including what Mike did in the first half of life, why he quit without a plan, the life-changing experience of interviewing Holocaust, or Shoah, survivors, and, the nudge from a business coach that set him on the second half of life. Listen in to get inspiration for your own career pivot.
Key Takeaways:
[2:15] In the first half of life, Mike was in floor coverings, in his grandfather’s business. He started his own carpeting business, but sold it in ‘04, without an idea what to do next.
[3:06] In the early days, Mike and his grandfather went to markets in Chicago and Dallas, where 200 carpet mills vied for their business. By the time Mike sold his business, there were three carpet mills left. The competition, and the fun, had gone.
[4:39] In 1995, Mike was volunteering with the Jewish Federation of San Antonio, visiting schools and teaching about the Holocaust. Steven Spielberg was filming Schindler’s List, in Poland, and survivors were coming up and saying they have a story they want to tell.
[5:04] Spielberg started The Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. He set a goal of capturing 50,000 survivors’ stories, and ended up with 52,000, in 39 languages.
[5:30] The foundation asked the Jewish Federation of San Antonio if they had someone to volunteer for training to interview local survivors. Mike jumped at the chance. He interviewed survivors from ‘96 to 2000 — one of the most fascinating periods of his life.
[6:14] So, Mike had the process, and he loved the interviews, but then they were over in 2000. When he sold his carpeting business, he went to Administaff and worked, until he realized the corporate world was not for him. He still had no plan.
[8:41] Through his wife, Mike found a good business coach, who gave him an exercise: make a list of everything you’ve done, that 1) you liked and 2) you thought you did well. Exclude activities that don’t meet both tests. The next week Mike read it to the coach.
[9:51] The coach picked up on Mike’s excitement over the Holocaust interviews, and asked him to talk about it. When Mike finished raving, the coach asked, can you make a business doing something like that? The lightbulb went on, and Mike was on his way.
[11:59] Mike got his first client, Bill, through his wife. Bill was a bank officer with a corporate background. Mike did his video for free, as a test. When he saw it, Bill called his connections; said, “You need to do business with Mike,” and gave him the phone!
[14:54] Besides personal life stories, Mike has done documentaries for businesses and nonprofits. These stories pull in customers, or donations, with their emotional appeal.
[18:43] Mike does only the interview. Videography, sound, editing are hired out to professionals, so Mike can listen solely to the interviewee, with no distractions.
[20:04] Marc wants solopreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to realize they don’t have to do it all. Let the experts make you look good. Marketing can be outsourced, too.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Email: MOKrent@LifeStoriesAlive.com
Website: Life Stories Alive
Phone (512) 431-8166
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In this episode, Marc interviews Kerry Hannon, a nationally-recognized expert on career transitions, personal finance, and retirement. She is a frequent radio and TV commentator, and a sought-after keynote speaker at conferences across the country. Kerry is currently a columnist, and regular contributor to the New York Times. She is AARP’s jobs expert and Great Jobs columnist. Kerry is also a contributing editor and Second Verse columnist at Forbes, and the PBS NextAvenue.org expert and columnist on personal finance and careers. She is a contributing writer for Money Magazine. Kerry is the author of 10 books. Marc and Kerry discuss several topics, including ageism and how to shift around it, the power of purpose over paycheck, and the preparation it takes to shift a career without driving into disappointment or disaster.
Key Takeaways:
[3:32] What are the biggest challenges for job-seekers over 50? What employer concerns do they need to combat?
[6:12] If you haven’t done a resume in 20 years, you have a whole new set of skills you need to ramp up for yourself, to prepare for an interview. You need to learn to “brag.”
[7:42] Kerry traveled for three years researching her book What’s Next? She found people who had great conviction and courage to make dramatic shifts with meaning.
[8:35] We reach a stage in our lives when initial goals have been met, there have been losses or health problems, and we ask what we should be doing with our life.
[10:28] Nothing is forever. People who have made career shifts may choose to change again after five or seven years.
[13:55] Find ways to get lean and mean. If you’re financially fit, possibilities open for you to try new things, to take on jobs at a lower salary, and shift into new areas of work.
[14:47] People who have successfully changed careers may prepare for years to move into their new line of work, including adjusting their spending to a stricter budget.
[16:13] Kerry strongly recommends physical fitness. Walk a mile or two regularly. Eat nutritiously. When you’re fit, you bring positivity. You show that you’re up to the job.
[17:45] Spiritual fitness is also important. Find a place to center yourself, de-stress, and focus, so you can prepare to move down this path. It will help you.
[19:00] Shift slowly. Prepare for a change. Look where you want to shift. Network with people doing those jobs. Ask how they got there, how they do their jobs, what they love about it. People love to talk about themselves and their work.
[20:00] Find out if you need additional skills or certifications to qualify for the work. Get those before shifting. Moonlight a job before you shift into it, so you are not surprised.
[26:10] Kerry shifted from full-time columnist to book author and career expert when she found she had achieved everything she wanted, and was miserable. So she carved out her own new path. She is always learning something new, and working harder than ever.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Contact Kerry: Kerry@KerryHannon.com
Website: Kerry Hannon
Twitter: @KerryHannon
Read Kerry at PBS Next Avenue
What's Next? Follow Your Passion and Find Your Dream Job, by Kerry Hannon
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In this episode, Marc answers employment pivot questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. Listen in for ideas to go forward!
Key Takeaways:
[1:07] Elizabeth introduces herself and her background, including a career pivot she is executing. Elizabeth presents questions for Marc.
[2:14] Q1: A 68-year-old facing forced retirement has skill in journalism, IT, and pharmacy tech, and also has health and mobility problems, but wants to keep working part-time from home. Any ideas, Marc?
[3:21] A1: Focus on health first. Then look into freelance writing. Build a portfolio by pitching to write guest blogs on blogs and sites that interest you.
[5:25] Once you have a portfolio of work, ask a website to hire you at low cost, to get some street cred. When people see you have done work with good ratings, you can look at Upwork.com for freelance opportunities.
[6:13] A second opportunity is at Flexjobs.com.They have a variety of flexible and remote opportunities, for a small monthly subscription fee.
[7:53] Q2: I was fired with cause by a previous employer. I have since worked at a campus Starbucks, which is seasonally closed. What should I do now?
[8:21] A2: When fired with cause, immediately register with a temp agency, and get an assignment. When that assignment comes to a close, you are eligible for unemployment benefits based on the last nine months, so don’t wait too long.
[10:11] Also apply for food stamps while you are unemployed.
[13:00] Q3: A company with an online employment application had required fields for date of high school graduation, current salary, and disabilities (including diabetes). Are those questions legal to ask? How should I respond?
[14:17] A: Those are all illegal questions, which are now commonly asked. You can report them to the EEOC, and not get that job, or you can overlook them and apply.
[16:58] To submit your question, go to CareerPivot.com, click Contact Me, and type it in. Marc will award you a $25 Amazon gift card if he uses your question on the podcast!
[17:35] (Elizabeth starts working on her question!)
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
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In this episode, Marc shares the chapter, “Career Failures, and How to Recover from Them,” from his upcoming book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide to the Second Half of Life.
Key Takeaways:
[1:35] Is failure an option? If you’re like most people, it’s inevitable, and essential. If you are unwilling to fail, you are unlikely to venture into anything very impressive.
[2:50] Failure 1: Marc was ‘seduced’ by a former manager to leave a job at IBM, and join her at IBM Consulting. Why was it one of the biggest mistakes of his career?
[6:17] Failure 2: Taking his ‘dream job.’ Marc went to teach Math in an inner-city high school. He was not prepared to teach kids whose problems reached far beyond his ability to help them.
[9:33] Failure 3: ‘I can make this work!’ Marc took a job that was not optimal, working in fundraising for a non-profit that was not aligned with his goals, just before a major downturn in the economy.
[11:56] Failure’s upside: Marc is happy he took all three jobs. He learned a tremendous amount about consulting, public education, and non-profits. He also learned a lot about himself.
[12:47] Rules of Reinvention: Have a Plan B. Be prepared to pull the plug on the reinvention project.
[13:05] You might have three or five goals you’re working on, in terms of finances, skills learned, or happiness. Give yourself short windows to achieve these.
[13:33] Make sure the work you’re doing is something from which you could pivot into something else.
[14:57] Take stock of your choices and actions from your past, and what you can take away that will make tomorrow’s choices and actions better.
[18:21] If you have a laptop, an Internet connection, and some hustle, you can start a business right now, with no money down.
[20:06] Have a plan, have a way to gauge whether it’s working, and jump ship when it isn’t. If you planned it right, another ship will come along, soon enough.
[20:25] Questions on this chapter: Have you failed, and hung on too long? What did you learn from that experience? Does that experience deter you from taking a risk?
Mentioned in This Episode:
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, available in early 2017
www.Flexjobs.com/blog/post/webinar-career-failures-future-success/
Take a moment -- go to iTunes. Give this podcast a review!
This podcast is where those of us in the second half of life come together to discuss how to repurpose our careers for the 21st Century. Come listen to career experts give you proven strategies, listen to people like you tell their stories on how they repurposed their careers, and finally, get your questions answered. Your host, Marc Miller, has made six career pivots over the last 30 years. He understands this is not about jumping out of the frying pan into a fire, but rather, to create a plan where you make clear, actionable steps, or pivots, to a better future career. Are you ready to repurpose your career? Let’s get started!
In this episode, Marc interviews Dr. Joel Dobbs. Dr. Dobbs is an experienced life sciences executive, with over thirty years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He has served in a variety of senior leadership roles in information technology, as well as general management, clinical research, regulatory affairs, post-marketing surveillance, academia, and consulting. Dr. Dobbs has served as a member of top-tier executive teams of dynamic organizations, in startup, rapid-growth, turn-around, merger, integration, and change phases.
He currently serves as the Executive-in-Residence at the University of Alabama Birmingham's Colatt School of Business, where he also directs the school's office of innovation and entrepreneurship, teaches, and works with entrepreneurs within the UAB environment and the greater Birmingham business community to help them develop and grow their business. He is also the CEO of the Compass Talent Management Group, LLC, a consulting firm that assists organizations with the identification and development of key talent with designing organization strategies and structures to maximize their ability to compete in the business world of today and tomorrow. Marc and Joel discuss several topics, including Joel’s intentionally varied first half of his life, some of the triggers that started his pursuit of goals for the second half of his life, and how giving back through mentoring, from his extensive experience, is so gratifying.
Key Takeaways:
[2:52] Joel majored in Chemistry, went to pharmacy school, and got a doctorate. He followed a purposefully varied career path, until he retired five years ago.
[8:03] Today Joel is a business school professor at UAB Colatt School of Business.He also runs a leadership consulting business, teaching from the multitude of mistakes he has made over the first half of his life. He finds it tremendously gratifying.
[9:35] In his late 40s, Joel started considering his life’s impact. Around 50, he read Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance, by Bob Buford, and it set his path.
[11:28] Halftime is a period to ask: how do I turn the second half of my life into one that leverages my success, but focuses on significance?
[12:00] Joel began really thinking about what did he want to do next? Was his ladder of success leaning against the wrong building?
[14:25] What did Joel think about his company’s offer of a voluntary retirement?
[16:59] What areas of focus did Joel put in his plan for the second half of his life?
[22:40] Marc comments on how Joel drove his career agenda. He knew when to move on, and he left, always with the goal in mind.
[23:35] If you know what you want to do, and you're able to answer that question clearly, concisely, and decisively, you'd be surprised how often you get to do that.
[24:13] Spend time thinking about the perfect life and writing it down. That very act sensitizes you to opportunity.
[24:22] When Joel checked his perfect life list after years, how much had he achieved?
[26:22] Intentional achievement takes clarity. Usually, clarity does not come overnight.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
LinkedIn: Joel H. Dobbs
Email: Joel.Dobbs@iCloud.com
Website: The Compass Talent Management Group
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey
Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance, by Bob Buford
Take a moment -- go to iTunes. Give this podcast a review!
In this episode, Marc interviews Chris Farrell, Senior Economics Contributor at Marketplace, American Public Media’s nationally syndicated public radio business and economics program. He is the economics commentator for Minnesota Public Radio, and host of its series, Conversations on the Creative Economy. An award winning journalist, Chris is a columnist for Next Avenue, and the Star Tribune, and a contributor to the New York Times. His most recent book is Unretirement: How Baby Boomers Are Changing the Way We Think About Work, Community, and the Good Life. Marc and Chris discuss several topics, including the ageing of the population, and why that’s not such a bad thing; aspects of entrepreneurship; and that living longer, means working longer.
Key Takeaways:
[2:14] For 25 years the personal finance conversation has been on saving for retirement, and the ageing of the Baby Boomers. The economy conversation has been demographics -- the ageing of the population.
[2:41] Both conversations were negative -- Baby Boomers weren’t saving enough to support themselves in retirement; and there will be too many elders supported by too few young people, and that will undermine the economy.
[3:15] There is a whole body of economic work that says this negative view probably isn’t right. Unretirement was written to give this perspective a voice.
[6:03] As an entrepreneur, you control your hours. You are the boss. You make less money. Benefits are more expensive. Yet, all the surveys show that the self-employed and the small entrepreneur are happier than their peers of the same age.
[6:20] Marc cites The End of Jobs, by Taylor Pearson. Written for Millennials, it’s an important book for Baby Boomers, who face the same life and job questions.
[9:17] Pat Flynn’s book, Will it Fly? helps guide entrepreneurs on how to test markets for their products and services.
[10:25] Some Boomers may consider the nonprofit sector. Volunteering is a good way to find if you are interested in that cause, and if you want to work for that organization. Inside the organization you’ll hear about job openings, and you can network.
[14:43] Unretirement is based on the idea that we are going to work longer. What are the personal finance implications of working longer?
[17:08] If you combine working longer with a natural frugality -- having more experiences, like eating out, and getting fewer things, like new cars -- your finances will be pretty good.
[19:23] One problem with planning to work into your 70s is that your own health, or the health of your spouse, or a parent, may prevent you from continuing the same hours. Entrepreneurship may be an answer.
[23:42] Some companies have made adjustments to the ageing workforce. They have strong incentive to keep skilled manufacturing employees on the payroll longer.
[26:35] When transitioning, look for people of your demographic. Where are they working?
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Contact Chris: CFarrell@MPR.org
Listen to Chris on MPR
Read Chris at nextavenue.org
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey
The End of Jobs: Money, Meaning and Freedom Without the 9-to-5, by Taylor Pearson
Take a moment -- go to iTunes. Give this podcast a review!
This podcast is where those of us in the second half of life come together to discuss how to repurpose our careers for the 21st Century. Come listen to career experts give you proven strategies, listen to people like you tell their stories on how they repurposed their careers, and finally, get your questions answered. Your host, Marc Miller, has made six career pivots over the last 30 years. He understands this is not about jumping out of the frying pan into a fire, but rather, to create a plan where you make clear, actionable steps, or pivots, to a better future career. Are you ready to repurpose your career? Let’s get started!
In this episode, Marc introduces the podcast, defines some terms he uses, and tells how the episodes will run. Finally, Marc outlines the episode topics for November through January.
[1:44] The easiest way to explain the second half of life is by defining the first half of life. In the first half of life, we: are born, grow up, get educated, start our career, get married, have kids, get a mortgage.
[2:05] At some point in time — it could be in our 40’s, 50’s or 60’s — our career means something different to us and our focus changes.
[2:18] Marc’s change of focus occurred in his mid-forties. After working at IBM for 22 years, he left, to join a successful engineering startup.
[2:32] Marc received a retention bonus that allowed him to pay off his mortgage and finance his son’s college education. He also experienced two pivotal events: a serious bicycle accident, and the death of his mother. His focus changed.
[3:47] For you, it might be when your child leaves, or you pay off the mortgage, or you plateau in your career and you want a change.
[4:09] What it is to repurpose your career? Changing careers by half-steps, and repurposing skills learned in one career, to a different, but related, career that involves some of the same skills.
[5:02] Marc explores the journey he took to develop this podcast with input from the Career Pivot community.
[6:33] Marc outlines and describes the four weekly show formats: Expert Interviews, Interviews with people who have successfully repurposed their careers, and Chapter Reviews of Marc’s upcoming book, Repurpose Your Career.
[8:46] Upcoming episodes in November include interviews with author Chris Farrell, and Joel Dobbs (who repurposed his career), a book chapter preview, and Mailbag.
[9:52] Episodes coming up in December include interviews with author Kerry Hannon, and entrepreneur Mike O’Krent, a book chapter preview, and Mailbag.
[11:06] Episodes coming up in January include interviews with author Taylor Pearson and entrepreneur Vicki McCullough, a book chapter preview, and Mailbag.
Contact Marc: Contact Marcm
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers, by Marc Miller
The End of Jobs: Money, Meaning and Freedom Without the 9-to-5, by Taylor Pearson