Info

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

Repurpose Your Career podcast brought to you by Career Pivot is a podcast for those of us in the 2nd half of life to come together to discuss how repurpose our careers for the 21st century.  Come listen to career experts give you proven strategies, listen to people like you tell their stories about how they repurposed their careers and finally get your questions answered.   Your host, Marc Miller, has made six career pivots over the last 30 years. He understands this is not about jumping out of the frying pan into a fire but rather to create a plan where you make clear actionable steps or pivots to a better future career. 
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
Repurpose Your Career | Career Pivot | Careers for the 2nd Half of Life | Career Change | Baby Boomer
2023
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October


All Episodes
Archives
Now displaying: August, 2017
Aug 28, 2017

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

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

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

Key Takeaways:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com/episode-43

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

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

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

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

Website: RyanRhoten.com

Twitter: @RyanRhoten

Instagram: @RyanRhoten

Google: Ryan Rhoten

LinkedIn: Ryan Rhoten

Book: CareerKredBook.com

StoryBrand

The Brand New You Show

GlassDoor

Darren Rowse

BlogChat

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

Aug 21, 2017

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

 

Key Takeaways:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

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

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

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

The Podcast Movement Conference

The Brand New You Show with Ryan Rhoten

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

Tile App

Wall Street Journal

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

Birkman Method Personality Assessment

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

Necessary Endings, by Dr. Henry Cloud

CareerPivot.com Episode-42

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

 

Aug 14, 2017

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

 

Key Takeaways:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

CareerPivot.com/blog

Marc@CareerPivot.com

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

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

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

CareerPivot.com/episode-41

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

MBTI

Disc Profile

Kolbe Index

Strengths Finder 2.0

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

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

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

 

Aug 7, 2017

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

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

 

Key Takeaways:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

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

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

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

IBM

Lucent

THEA Test

Austin Community College

Akins High School

TAKS test

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

CareerPivot.com Episode 40

 

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

1