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

Repurpose Your Career podcast brought to you by Career Pivot is a podcast for those of us in the 2nd half of life to come together to discuss how repurpose our careers for the 21st century.  Come listen to career experts give you proven strategies, listen to people like you tell their stories about how they repurposed their careers and finally get your questions answered.   Your host, Marc Miller, has made six career pivots over the last 30 years. He understands this is not about jumping out of the frying pan into a fire but rather to create a plan where you make clear actionable steps or pivots to a better future career. 
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Now displaying: August, 2018
Aug 27, 2018

In Part 1 of this series, Marc covers the first half of the first feedback session with Sarah for her personality assessment.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:35] Marc welcomes you to Episode 93 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.
[1:48] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls.

[1:53] Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[2:12] The next two weeks, Marc will present the next career pivot evaluation series with “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” Sarah (not her real name) is employed, a closet creative, and a structured anarchist. Her personality is quite interesting. Marc has seen all aspects of her personality in other clients, but not in this combination.

[2:37] This week, Marc will play the first half of the first feedback session and next week, Marc will play the second half. Then Marc will take a break with a Q&A episode and maybe an interview before concluding the series “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?”.

You will find all of the reports for this episode at https://careerpivot.com/sara

[2:57] Marc welcomes Sarah to the podcast and invites Sarah to give her background for the audience.

[3:13] Sarah is a group leader in marketing communications. She manages the company’s advertising and promotion process. She works closely with marketing managers, sales training managers, and account reps in the field to create and distribute collateral that helps sell products and services to customers.

[3:49] Sarah is a creative and her current role does not allow her to use as much creativity as she would like. She feels frustrated.

[4:08] Sarah looks at the signature summary for the Birkman Assessment. Marc explains the two numbers for each component. ‘The usual’ is how Sarah described herself; ‘your needs’ is how Sarah wants to be treated in that same area.
[4:33] A big gap between the numbers means you don’t behave the way you want to be treated. It often indicates you are not treated as you want to be. A narrow gap very often means a blind spot. Marc says the science of the assessment is that how you describe other people is actually how you want to be treated.

[5:07] In components where the numbers are close to equal, that means Sarah believes she is just like everybody else. Marc says, we know that’s not true. Marc notes Sarah has some very low, low scores. He says this session will be very informative for Sarah.

[5:28] Next is the Birkman Interests, showing what you are interested in, not necessarily what you are good at doing. Things that you are really interested in, make you happy and give you energy when you do them. Things that are really low, you may be able to do them, but when you do them too much, they drain you.

[5:56] Sarah is very low in numerical, which does not surprise her. She is also introverted according to the Birkman map.

[6:19] On the signature report, page 13, Sarah has a 99 rating for artistic. Anything over 90 is something you have to have in your life. Sarah started her career as a floral designer. She loves art projects, gardening, and making things around her pretty and interesting to look at. She loves working with her hands.

[7:10] This doesn’t play out at Sarah’s work, which is a point of increasing frustration. However, there is a lot of creation going on, but in her role, she supports other people’s projects. She doesn’t like being in the role of an order taker. She has been doing it for 10 years. She does decorate her cubicle.

[8:57] Marc finds people who have high creative interests go into the corporate world and don’t get to fulfill those, and then, what happens is, the life gets sucked out of them.

[9:16] Sarah is rated 95 literary. Sarah loves to read. She got into communication from writing and editing. One of her first roles out of college was writing and editing corporate publications and she misses that. Sarah reads business publications and fiction, especially forensic novels.

[10:59] Sarah reads for enjoyment, relaxation, and education. She reads before she goes to bed. It’s undisturbed time.

[12:09] Marc gives Sarah a suggestion. When Sarah goes into a soul-sucking meeting, or all-day events, that she take 15-minute reading breaks and schedule them into her day. This comes from a book, Quiet, by Susan Cain. It’s about introversion. She talks about restorative niches. Highly creative people should schedule them into their day.

[13:01] Marc has a former client who knows to take her drawing pad out two or three times a day. It makes her feel good and re-energizes her. Sarah should schedule reading breaks into her day.

[13:22] Sarah is rated 94 musical. She used to play musical instruments at school. She listens to music in the home, usually letting her husband select it. In the car, she listens to podcasts. Marc suggests Sarah should get her phone out and turn on her tunes when she is at a point where she feels exhausted.

[14:46] Sarah’s artistic, literary, and musical interests don’t get fulfilled at work. Marc suggests that she needs to insert those interests into work.
[15:26] Marc encourages Sarah to take the Start a Blog Course by ProBlogger. Several people in Marc’s online community are going through the course. Marc says Sarah should go write.

[16:02] Technical is the next area. Sarah is moderately high in outdoor and scientific. She likes to research. Sarah is low persuasive, which rules out selling her ideas. Sarah is low in administrative. She doesn’t like rules unless they are hers. Sarah is low in numerical. She doesn’t enjoy spreadsheets, but she can understand them.

[17:11] Sarah is low in social services, which is not unusual for highly creative people. Sarah questions the administrative and social services scores. She is good at system tracking, record keeping and categorizing for her job. Marc agrees she can do it, but it sucks the life out of her when she has to do too much of it.

[18:08] We learn the skills our employer demands of us. We get good at them and may enjoy them, but they are tied to our low interests. When we overuse them, we get burnt out. Marc talks about being a phenomenally good public speaker as an introvert. It sucks the life out of him, though.

[19:19] You have to differentiate between the things you are good at and that may bring you some comfort, and the things you are actually interested in doing.

[19:35] Next Marc and Sarah look at the behaviors matrix. The behaviors are broken into three areas: interpersonal, organizational, and time management/planning. Marc comments that for someone with such creative interests, Sarah is pretty comfortable with ambiguity. Sarah agrees. Marc points out that is unusual for creative people.

[20:51] Marc directs Sarah to the signature report, page 20. There are three bars on the page: usual behavior, needs, and what happens when you don’t get treated the way she wants to be treated. Sarah’s numbers are 6, 31, and 31. The medians in the population are 25, 50, and 50.

[21:43] Marc asks Sarah to read about dealing one-on-one. Sarah is direct and straightforward, with objectivity and frankness. She is unevasive, matter-of-fact, frank, and open. Sarah agrees. She has learned the value of directness over time in the business world. She prefers to work with men.

[23:50] Sarah’s needs are that she is most comfortable when others are frank and direct toward her. When being praised, she needs to feel that the compliment is genuine and free of sentiment. Sarah agrees. Sarah gets highly impatient when others ramble or evade. It is tiring for her to interact with shy people.

[25:19] Sarah’s causes of stress and her stress reactions are that in the presence of shyness or evasiveness, she is likely to feel uncomfortable. She does not respond well to subtlety from others, sometimes making it difficult to recognize their personal needs and feelings. She reacts with reduced concern, detachment, and tactlessness.

[26:03] Marc says not to be surprised if she thinks of a tactless statement without saying it. Sarah replies, “All the time!” Sarah husband is also very direct. Stress reactions are more likely to be acted out with our family than at work. We are more comfortable with our family and we know they won’t beat us up.

[27:04] On page 17, Sarah’s social energy rating for dealing one-on-many is shown. Sarah’s generally pleasant and outgoing manner makes her at ease in group activities. Her warm and accepting attitude helps her meet people easily. Her usual behavior is sociable, at ease in groups and communicative. Sarah is 84. The median is 75.

[27:50] Sarah is pretty social. She does well at networking events. Sarah’s needs: the comfort she displays in social settings conceals her underlying need for considerable time by herself or in the company of one or two significant individuals. Sarah is a closet introvert who has learned to behave like an extrovert. She has a people threshold.

[30:03] Sarah likes being around people. She’s good at it. But it sucks the life out of her.

[30:54] Marc tells Sarah she’s not getting energy from people, they are pulling it out of her. She just has a large reservoir to pull from and like adrenalin, it wears off. Marc suggests that Sarah bring her books and music when she has to be around people a lot and periodically take downtime during the day.

[31:30] Marc had a client who had to present six times in two days at a conference. Marc advised him to take a book and go read in his room for 45 minutes between each presentation. At the end of two days, he actually wasn’t exhausted.

[32:04] Sarah’s causes of stress: Continuous pressure to be in social or group sessions can upset her sense of well-being. Without sufficient time to herself, she is likely to become withdrawn, possibly to a surprising extent.

[32:45] If the purpose of being with people is a real purpose, Sarah is less likely to feel stress. Getting together for small talk makes her skin crawl. Sarah’s stress reactions are withdrawal, tendency to ignore groups, and becoming impatient. Sarah sees herself.

[33:42] Page 23 shows Sarah’s incentives: A predominantly idealistic person, Sarah values cooperative effort and concepts of trust, loyalty, and team spirit. Sarah can think and reason in terms of intangible benefits and prefers to minimize face-to-face, competitive rivalry. Sarah’s behaviors are trustful, loyal, and service-oriented.

[34:23] Sarah is a team player. Sarah’s needs: a certain amount of competition and some assurance concerning her personal advancement. While Sarah values team effort, it is good for her to receive recognition for individual effort.

[34:45] By nature, Sarah does not consider herself competitive. Sarah’s causes of stress: Her respectful attitude complicates matters when in face-to-face conflict since her feelings and opinions are stronger than they appear to be. People who are opportunistic or unrealistic can be a source of discomfort.

[35:52] Sarah is far less competitive than expected for someone who is as direct as she is. Sarah’s stress reactions: becoming distrustful, becoming impractical (idealistic).

[36:39] People who are highly artistic tend to be stealth competitors. Sarah is a really good team player. She has learned this behavior to get ahead in business.

[37:46] Page 19 shows Sarah’s emotional energy. She prefers to balance between cautious detachment and sincere emotional involvement. She avoids excessive emotionalism and complete detachment. Sarah agrees. Her usual behaviors: objective, yet sympathetic, warm, yet practical. Sarah is at 37. Median is at 25.

[39:08] Sarah’s needs: Sarah needs a similar balance in her surroundings. She is at her best in the presence of people who combine logic and practicality with a certain amount of sympathy and understanding for personal feelings.

[39:26] Sarah feels suffocated and gets impatient with people who are really emotional and she gets angry and disappointed with people who don’t care about her needs. Both extremes bother her.

[40:15] Marc refers back to an episode with “Tim,” who was angry when his boss came to his father’s wake but didn’t say a word after that. Emotionally cold people annoy Sarah.

[40:49] Sarah’s causes of stress: extremes in others are likely to put pressure on her own moderation. Too much emotionalism from others can add to her tension, while she may tend to magnify her own problems when others are too detached. Sarah’s stress reactions: dejection, becoming too impersonal, loss of optimism. Sarah agrees.

[41:23] Marc will work with Sarah to help her spot her own stress reactions. If she can spot them, she can do something about them, early.

[42:59] Check back next week, when Marc finishes the first feedback session in the “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” series.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Sara’s Reports

Careerpivot.com

Birkman Assessments

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

“FREE Ultimate Guide to Start a Blog Course” by ProBlogger

 

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

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

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-93 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes

To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android

Careerpivot.com

Aug 20, 2018

Dr. Dawn Marie Graham, Ph.D. is one of the nation’s leading career coaches. She is the career director for the MBA program for executives at the Wharton School, where she counsels business leaders on making strategic career choices. A licensed psychologist and former corporate recruiter, Dr. Dawn Graham hosts the SiriusXM Radio’s popular weekly call-in show, Career Talk and is a regular contributor to Forbes.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:33] Marc welcomes you to Episode 92 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.
[1:45] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls.

[1:50] Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[2:09] Next week, Marc will start the next career pivot evaluation series with “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” Sarah (not her real name) is employed, a closet creative, and a structured anarchist. Her personality is quite interesting. Marc has seen all aspects of her personality in other clients, but not in this combination.

[2:34] This week, Marc will interview Dawn Graham, author of Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers — and Seize Success. Marc reads Dr. Graham’s bio.

[3:20] Marc welcomes Dr. Dawn Graham to the podcast. Members of Marc’s online community had recommended her book to Marc and he invited her to the podcast. A lot of what Marc read in the book is pretty closely aligned to his own thoughts.

[3:40] Dawn wrote the book because the traditional career ladder has gone away. No longer do people start out in a career and retire from that career. It’s an exciting time. Dawn covers some of the reasons people find themselves ready to switch.

[4:19] No one has a background in the new hybrid jobs, so transferable skills are critical, such as strategic thinking, working with customers, building relationships, and being innovative.

[4:46] The timing has never been so ripe to move into these different opportunities. The challenge is that the hiring process has not caught up with the new jobs. AI Algorithms to match skill sets to jobs are biased toward traditional candidates. They look for the right titles or years of experience in a very specific area.

[5:24] Job seekers are more excited than ever to do different things, but the market is not in a position to see the career switchers because they’re not getting through the applicant tracking systems or other online technology.

[5:40] The book, Switchers, helps people bypass the technology and get in front of the decision makers. Marc always tells people their next job is going to come from a relationship, not a tracking system.

[6:05] In a tracking system, you are an unknown, competing with people who are known, either through a referral or as an internal candidate or a boomerang employee. Most people (70% or 80%) get their job through networking. The conversations of daily life, or knowing someone, can introduce you to information about your perfect opening.

[6:59] Marc recently posted about the five things you will never know about the hiring process at your target company.

[7:30] There are lots of obstacles between the online job searcher and the decision maker at the target company that the applicant does not even realize. When a job posting comes out, you don’t even know if the company has a pre-identified internal candidate but are just following procedures or if it’s an obsolete posting or a scam.

[8:22] Provided the job posting is real, an applicant system will kick you out if your resume is not formatted in the way it’s used to reading. You may be thinking you’re a perfect match but your application has not gone to the hiring manager.

[8:47] Between the time you applied and the application got to the hiring manager, someone internal may have referred another candidate who has leapfrogged the system and already in the second interview with the hiring manager.

[9:03] Applying online is really a risk. Marc gives a case study.

[9:44] The hiring manager is often not skilled in the hiring process. They have a full-time job in another department and are only called on to manage hiring a couple of times a year. Oftentimes, job descriptions are not written in a way that aligns with performance measures. The whole process has a lot of places where it can fall apart before you even get in the door.

[10:13] If you get a referral from someone inside the company who knows the culture, knows what’s going on in the company, puts your resume in front of somebody, and actually connects you to that person, you will likely get a phone call so you can prove yourself.

[10:38] Dawn includes psychological principles in the book important for understanding the process. A lot of the hiring process is about psychology. It’s important to know what’s happening in the mind of the hirer. They will make the decision emotionally and then justify it with data. You want to understand that so you can build a strategy.

[11:49] Hiring managers are concerned about losses. Loss aversion is common to all humans. You are angrier about a loss than happy about a gain. As a switcher, the hiring manager sees you as a risk. You haven’t done this job before. So you have to come up with a strategy to put their mind at ease.

[12:34] The job search process is a game of elimination, not of selection. There are hundreds of applicants. Hiring managers look for red flags, including being a switcher, a job hopper, or going to an unfavored school. It can be silly things. They want easy outs to narrow down the pile. You can put together a strategy to end up in the final round.

[13:36] For applicants over 50, one of the key things is getting over the fact that they’re older. Hiring managers are looking for easy outs, even if they don’t know they’re being biased. No job descriptions ask for 30+ years of experience. Do not give that number away early. Don’t show the year of your degree. List experience back only 20 years.

[14:51] With your age-free materials, work on getting a referral. A lot of bias can be overcome with a strong referral. A referral is somebody trusted by the hiring manager to put applicants before them that fit with the culture and fits the approach the team takes and gives them an endorsement. Now the hiring manager has to prove them wrong.

[15:43] The safest candidate you can hire is an internal hire. The second safest candidate is an external candidate with an employee referral. Marc thinks that the safe candidates make up 80% to 90% of all hiring, so, go get the referral.

[16:00] Dawn talks about how to build a network. As an introvert, Dawn has constantly worked on expanding her network. One easy step is to make sure your spouse, children, neighbor, and people where you attend services all know, in a sentence or two, very clearly the value you add in the professional world.

[17:05] If the people who care about you most and support you are able to do this, they can be your ambassadors to share your information with others and bring opportunities to your attention. They can’t do this if they can’t explain to others what you do. Make sure the people closest to you know clearly what you do.

[17:36] Marc and Dawn discuss strong ties and weak ties. One overlooked weak tie is your children’s friends’ parents. They may have a completely different network. When Marc went to teach high school, his most powerful connector was his chiropractor.

[18:05] Your chiropractor, dentist, hairdresser, etc., see a lot of people from a lot of areas. They could tell you of opportunities or even introduce you to somebody who could open the door to new opportunities. Don’t discount any connection.

[18:52] Don’t overlook dormant contacts you may have lost touch with. Old neighbors, old co-workers, old roommates — there are so many places where we’ve crossed paths with people that we can reconnect with, even on social media. Rebuilding a trusted relationship tends to be pretty quick.

[19:44] Marc gives a case study of an introverted sales guy in the packaged food industry. Marc told him to reach out to everyone he had worked with in the last 20 years. He got a job as an account manager from somebody he had worked with 15 years earlier.

[20:55] Dawn comments on why people are hesitant to reach out. They know it makes sense, and they don’t have challenges speaking to people, but when they look for employment, they feel vulnerable asking for help. They can ask for a restaurant referral but are nervous to ask about a job referral.
[21:46] Be curious. Don’t start talking about a job. Ask how they are doing and what they are up to after these years. Talk about mutual friends. Re-establish your connection. When you meet, then you can talk about your situation and they will want to do what they can to help you. Ask for advice, insights, and recommendations (AIR).

[22:37] Whether are not you are promoting your brand, people brand you by how they observe you and your behaviors. Be conscious of the perceptions people have of you. Understand your audience in a job search and how your accomplishments and strengths can start to solve their problems. Make that your brand.

[24:14] Your brand needs to be in light of what your audience is looking for. There are also intangibles, such as likability. It is critical to your brand.

[24:30] If you’re a likable person, you can get away with a lot more inside your organization than if you’re not. Venture capitalists are going to be more likely to invest in your new business if you’re likable than if you’re not. People are looking for likability as part of your brand. Put your phone away in a conversation. Take time to ask questions.

[25:08] Following through on your commitments is critical as well.

[25:24] There is a chapter in the book about fairness. Dawn talks about it. A lot of people who are unsuccessful in switching careers have been chasing fairness instead of reality. Don’t take unfairness personally. Learn the rules and play within them. Create a strategy to get around bias. Don’t get stuck in the applicant tracking system.

[27:06] When you get hired as a switcher, somebody with the traditional background is going to say that’s not fair. It’s not a level playing field so you have to learn to get around the situations that can bog you down to get the advantage.

[27:41] Marc notes that older workers are scared of rejection, or they don’t want to brag so they don’t put themselves out there as they must. He refers to Alexander Buschek’s journey to rebrand himself into a digital transformation thought leader in Episode 72. Marc told Alexander over and over again to be bold.

[28:22] Each time Alexander took a little step forward, he got positive feedback. Marc kept pushing him. Now he speaks all over Europe at conferences. He is the digital transformation guy.

[28:50] Chances are, if you’re worried that you’re bragging, you’re probably not. If you are going to be humble, remember that the guy behind you will not, so you will lose out. There are ways to advocate for yourself that don’t feel as though you’re bragging. Dawn recommends talking about how you were rewarded or recruited, in terms of others.

[29:45] It may be tempting to speak in terms of “we” and “our team.” That tends to masks your contribution. People know you were on a team but talk about the things you did. Use “glide” questions by stating an accomplishment and asking how that might work relevant to what the company is doing.

[30:57] Dawn gives her connection info. Marc thanks Dawn for being on the podcast.

[31:49] Dawn has a very similar view on changing careers as Marc has. Marc suggests you pick up her book and give it a read.

[33:07] Check back next week, when Marc will start the next career pivot evaluation series with “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?”

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers — and Seize Success,
by Dawn Graham

“5 Things You Will Never Know About the Hiring Process,” by Mark Miller

CareerPivot.com/Episode-72 Alexander Buschek

Dr. Dawn Graham on LinkedIn

DrDawnOnCareers.com

SiriusXM Channel 132 “Career Talk”

Dr. Dawn on Careers on iTunes

 

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

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

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-92 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes

To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android

Careerpivot.com

Aug 13, 2018

Marc shares with the audience more about his upcoming move to Mexico including a big announcement on how the move is progressing.

Key Takeaways:

[2:12] Marc welcomes you to Episode 91 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people.

[2:49] Next week, Marc will interview Dawn Graham, author of Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers — and Seize Success. Dr. Dawn Marie Graham, Ph.D. is one of the nation’s leading career coaches. She is the career director for the MBA program for executives at the Wharton School, where she counsels business leaders.

[3:11] A licensed psychologist and former corporate recruiter, Dr. Dawn Graham hosts the SiriusXM Radio’s popular weekly call-in show, Career Talk and is a regular contributor to Forbes.

[3:26] This week, Marc will be talking about the first six weeks of his family’s transition to being temporary expats in Mexico. This is a three-to-four month visit. This episode is a follow-on to Episode 86 where Marc discussed their drive from Austin to Ajijic, Mexico.

[3:44] The Millers arrived in Ajijic on a Saturday late in June and Marc’s first challenge was getting all the technology to work.

[3:53] The WiFi in the Airbnb they rented wasn’t very good. It is through TelMex, the incumbent landline carrier. They provide ADSL service but the connection is shared between two houses and the cable router is in the other house, so coverage is poor. Marc bought a WiFi extender and an Ethernet cable at Steren (like Radio Shack).

[6:05] The second problem is that the cell phone service is not very good. They get 3G data. Marc was getting a low signal for a while, but it has gotten stronger.

[6:51] The next step was to find stores. They found a small “dollar store” and bought a slow cooker, a blender, a racket-sized electric insect swatter, and household items. The store opened the insect swatter package and slow cooker to make sure they worked when they bought them. They later bought a bug zapper from Steren.

[8:10] Next, Marc found a gym. He chose Zona Gym, a basic gym for 550 pesos for two months or about $12 a month. He also bought a cat tree from a man at a Bazaar who makes them custom for 1200 pesos ($60). It would have been more than $200 at home.

[9:28] Mrs. Miller set a Saturday appointment for an endocrinologist through the Quality Care Clinic about three weeks before the trip. At the appointment, the doctor spent two hours with her looking at her history, then set up an appointment for a hematologist, two days later on Monday. The endocrinologist appointment was 700 pesos or about $35.

[11:06] On Monday, Mrs. Miller met with the hematologist for an hour. The cost was also about $35. Mrs. Miller, a former nurse, was thrilled with the care from both doctors.

[11:28] After about three weeks, the Millers were fairly settled in. Marc was running his Career Pivot Community Mastermind calls. One night, during a seasonal storm, the Internet connection failed. So he ran the call off his iPhone 3G network without video. Marc was getting about 1Mb/s upload speeds, which is low for video.

[12:31] Marc talks about Chicklet, the street dog in the neighborhood. He was an abandoned dog. Marc started leaving food for him. He was getting fed by a lot of people. Finally, an expat family took him in, so he has a home. Ajijic has plenty of street dogs and some roof dogs! You may hear some of them in the podcast.

[14:52] There is a lot of construction in Ajijic. The housing market is hot, mostly due to the number of expats moving in, both renters and buyers. Marc says some buy within three days. This caused Marc to accelerate their search for a rental property.

[15:20] Marc’s original plan was to arrange a rental now for January when they would return to Mexico. The rental market is too hot for that. Big Announcement: Marc is about to sign a lease for a two-bedroom, two-bath casita a block from the main plaza in Ajijic.

[15:55] It will be $950 a month, which is $200 to $300 more than Marc was planning to spend. It is new construction and part of a gentrification development in the middle of town. Marc renewed their membership at Lake Chapala Society. A volunteer there, Marguerita, is a real estate agent. She gave Marc some leads on apartments.

[16:35] Marc also talked to their neighbor Lori, a real estate agent. Marc learned that you have to move quickly to get a rental. They also looked on some Facebook groups. They first looked at a unit in La Floresta, a neighborhood built in the 50s and 60s. There are a lot of four to five bedroom homes built for Guadalajarans for vacation homes.

[17:48] Then, they looked at a property in Riberas but there was no internet installed. Marc didn’t want to take the chance that they couldn’t get a good installation there. After looking at a couple more places, they found the casita that they chose to rent. Marc lists the deposits they need to put on the rental. Marc found cats are a problem in renting.

[20:05] The casita has secure off-street parking and a private courtyard. There are about $4,000 in deposits due up front. Marc doesn’t have a bank account in Ajijic so he is pulling 7,000 pesos at a time from ATMs. That’s $390. It’s an all cash society.

[20:53] The next steps are to finalize the lease. They plan to move in on September 3. Marc needs to get a lawyer to review the lease and talk about immigration status. After that step, Marc needs legal advice on taxes and running his business from Mexico.

[21:29] Marc has located a health insurance broker. Marc completely expects his ACA plan to blow up next year. Marc and his wife are currently paying $1,358 a month for a $10,000 deductible policy. Next is an appointment to get their teeth cleaned.

[22:06] Marc needs to locate a property manager in Austin for their home there. As Marc accelerates his plans to rent, he has time set apart to buy some things for the rental, including a much larger cat tree.

[22:51] The last thing is to find a new gym because they will be two or three miles from Zona, which is walking distance from his Airbnb. Marc has not put 20 miles on his car since they arrived in Ajijic.
[23:14] They take the bus everywhere. They took the bus one weekend to Jocotepec on the western end of Lake Chapala. They took the bus another weekend to San Juan Cosalá also on the lake. Next weekend, they will take the car into Guadalajara.

[23:37] Mrs. Miller needed her Birkenstock boots repaired. Marc tells how they found Umberto, a shoe repairman, through the Gringos Ajijic & Lakeside Facebook group. It was 300 pesos ($15) to put new soles and heels on them, made out of tire tread, in a week. Umberto is also the lead singer at the Chili Fest. Everyone loves him.

[25:40] Facebook is the place to go to find different people’s experiences.

[26:11] Marc will be in the unit one month, pay the electric bill, then drive back to Austin for a period to get the condo ready to rent.

[26:37] Marc has figured out that what they are going to save on health insurance will fully pay for their housing expenses in Mexico. At the same time, Marc expects that renting out their Austin condo will also almost cover their housing expense.

[27:01] The housing in Ajijic is 30% to 40% higher than Marc thought it would be. The market is exploding.

[27:11] All the rental units they looked at are fully furnished.

[27:29] Marc had thought they would start renting in early January, but it was just not possible. No matter how well they had planned, they have had to adjust plans as they learned more.

[27:49] They also met the man who makes the cat trees. Ignacio (Nacio for short) is a 75-year-old retired Mexican general manager. He is going to build a six-foot-tall that will be weather resistant for outside use.

[28:07] In a couple of weeks, Marc will start the next career pivot evaluation series with “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” Sarah (not her real name) is employed, a closet creative, and a structured anarchist. He personality is quite interesting. Marc has seen all aspects of her personality in other clients, but not in the same person.

[29:42] Check back next week, when Marc will be interviewing Dawn Graham, author of Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers — and Seize Success.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers — and Seize Success,
by Dawn Graham

TelMex

Steren

Radio Shack

Walmart Mexico

Airbnb

Zona Fitness Club in Mexico

Quality Care Clinic Chapala

iPhone

3G Wireless

Zoom.us

Lake Chapala Society

La Floresta

Riberas del Pilar

Jocotepec

San Juan Cosalá

Guadalajara

Gringos Ajijic & Lakeside

Birkenstock

 

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

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

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-91 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes

To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android

Careerpivot.com

Aug 6, 2018

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

 

Key Takeaways:

[:59] Marc welcomes you to Episode 90 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Marc started this podcast the last week of October 2016. He never expected to reach Episode 90, nor to get the positive reception he’s received from many of the episodes. Marc wants to do something special for Episode 100!

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

[1:58] Marc reads a couple of iTunes reviews. Adine1965 started a new job search and found Career Pivot. “I don’t miss a single episode. With Marc’s help and insight, I’m starting to reframe the next steps in my career and tell my story in a new and better way.”

[2:29] Mark Anthony Dyson says, “Engaging and informative. Big fan of this podcast as Marc takes us through many phases of the over-40 journey. Listen to his shows on moving to another country! … Marc will say he’s a recovering engineer only to let you know he is analytically inclined with a propensity to give you the truth with no chaser!”

[3:04] Mark Anthony Dyson will be back to help Marc with another Q&A session in the next month or so.

[3:11] Marc has added links to the Career Pivot podcast for Podbean, Overcast and TuneIn so there are all kinds of places you can get this podcast.

[3:21] Next week, Marc will be talking about his family’s next steps in moving to Mexico. Marc is recording this episode about six weeks into his current visit and he has a major announcement for listeners. He wants you to hear why the family is accelerating the process and the choices they are making.

[3:42] This week, Marc presents part four of “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” Juan is in his mid-fifties, a former school teacher, technology trainer, adjunct professor, and a multipotentialite. Juan is trying to figure out what is next.

[3:59] If you have not listened to the first three parts of this series, please stop now and listen to Episode 83, Episode 84, and Episode 88. Find the reports used in this series at CareerPivot.com/Juan. You may pause the episode now to download the reports.

[4:31] Juan was calling in from a hotel in Central America, so the audio is less than optimal.

[4:43] Marc welcomes Juan to the third feedback session. Juan has been doing some homework. His assignment was to review three problems he solved at work and three problems he solved in his personal life to study his thought process. He comments on the insights he received from the reports. Juan deliberates over decisions and takes time when he can.

[7:00] Juan says that under stress he will make a quick decision. He uses the example of his divorce as a quicker decision. On the job front, he makes sure he has a gig lined up before he leaves a job.

[8:25] Marc and Juan look at the stress report. There are three sections in it. The sections are interpersonal relationships, schedules and details, and decision-making. The first page covers what you can do when you are under stress to get out of stress.

[9:11] The interpersonal section shows Juan’s needs in self-consciousness and dealing with people. Juan likes to be respected and is an introvert. Juan reads a list of 10 needs that likely relate to him personally.

[10:10] Juan needs respected titles and status, personalized benefits, criticism balanced by praise, genuine pats on the back, close individual ties, freedom from group pressures, special time to be alone, time to be quiet and think, individualized benefits, and a few close one-on-one friends. Juan picks the top four of this list. They all fit.

[11:15] Each section contains 10 needs. Juan will consider them all and synthesize them down to his 10 most important needs. Then Juan will write a probing open-ended question for each need. Juan needs to know how to figure out if he will get them. He needs to know what to listen for.

[11:55] At the bottom of the page are things Juan can do to avoid stress in these areas. Spend time with a special person, keep a list of your recent successes, do things you feel good about, have for casual exchanges with superiors, set aside quiet time, protect yourself from interruptions. Allocate one weekend a month for your significant other.

[13:07] Prepare for holidays or hectic social periods by spending more time alone. Juan really relates to this one. Juan is already doing some of these. Marc relates to spending time alone as well, especially during the holidays. Marc doesn’t go to holiday parties.

[14:45] On page 5 is the topic of managing needs for insistence and restlessness. Insistence is your need to have rules and structure. Juan is relatively high in insistence. Restlessness is your need for variety. Juan is average in restlessness. Juan needs the following items.

[15:14] Organizational support, detailed instructions, steady, predictable income, clearly defined responsibilities, specific rules and policies, novelty and change in your day, frequent shifts in your activities, an independent work role, varied or complex work activities, and changes in the group or the scenery.

[15:45] Novelty, an independent role, clearly defined responsibilities, changes in group or scenery stand out the most for Juan. The steady predictable income is what kept him on as a teacher, but he didn’t feel professionally respected.

[16:42] Juan’s need for variety and for rules and structure contrast each other.

[16:52] Juan reads tips to build resistance and avoid stress in these areas. Identify an important recurring task you do well and schedule time for that task at the beginning of a work period or cycle, schedule important tasks in a way that allows for interruptions but protects the important tasks. Establish your schedule in writing.

[17:24] Set aside time every day to organize your thoughts and plan your day or to review the day’s progress and plan the next day. Build up a stockpile of small worthwhile projects to work on when you need a break from a boring task.

[17:41] Develop schedules and time management habits that allow you to routinely work on or monitor several tasks every day. Keep variety and a sense of newness in your hobbies and social life. Avoid taking on home projects that will require you to do essentially the same tasks every day and night for months on end.

[18:07] Marc stresses that Juan should pay attention to keeping variety and a sense of newness in his hobbies and social life. You can find enjoyment and a needed break in hobbies. Juan is spending time keeping on top of technology changes to keep current. His stockpile of small worthwhile projects is technology projects.

[19:23] Juan keeps a variety and sense of newness by traveling, meeting new people and attending conferences. Juan agrees that he needs new challenging projects at home. Juan enjoys diving into ambiguity in his freelance and consulting work and seeing what’s new.

[20:30] The next area is managing needs for physical energy and thought. A minimum of prolonged activity, stimulation of new ideas, friendly, low-key surroundings, time for reflection, unhurried work conditions, time to think decisions through, support from others on decisions, opportunities to talk out worries, and offers of assistance and help.

[21:08] The last is cautious decision-making by others. Juan relates to the stimulation of new ideas, friendly, low-key surroundings, unhurried work conditions, support from others in decisions. Juan notes he is relocating out of state to a new low-key surrounding with minimal pressure. He does not want to work in a factory.

[22:03] Juan wants support from others on decisions. He likes Marc’s writings, the community forum, Career Pivot. He appreciates the offers of assistance from others on the community forum. Juan looks to others who have made cautious decisions who have been inspirational in Juan’s pivoting.

[22:38] To build resistance and avoid stress, Juan should plan schedules and projects taking time to stop and think about where he has been and where he is going, give more time to abstract or philosophical thought activities, and avoid taking on too many projects or social obligations when work is hectic.

[23:03] Juan should develop a relaxing, low-key hobby or recreation and make use of the curative powers of this activity often. Build life goals and important plans carefully with thorough discussion from those close to him and advice from knowledgeable advisors.

[23:24] Juan should develop close relations with patient and effective advisors who will reflect on his ideas with him and help him think carefully about important issues. Juan should keep abreast of major developments in his work area so he is ready to deal with issues they arise and have a good idea of where to go for assistance and information.

[23:47] Juan should remind those close to him that he needs careful preparation before making a decision and elicit their support in developing several options to consider.

[24:00] Juan is giving more time to philosophical thought and activities, such as exercise, yoga, meditation, healthy eating, avoiding things that would threaten his health. Juan is avoiding taking on too many projects as he has overwhelmed himself in the past. Juan is building life goals, working with Marc and others.

[24:58] As technology in business is changing, Juan is staying abreast of issues like AI and how his field is affected. Juan says the report gives him a map to follow.

[25:53] Marc assigns homework to Juan. Synthesize the 30 needs down to 10. Read a blog post Marc will send him about how to write open-ended questions; develop an open-ended question for each of the 10 needs and then know what he is listening for.

[26:18] Marc assigns Juan to approach three people from his personal life and three people from his work life and ask them to give him three to five phrases that describe him. Marc expects there will be a difference between the people who know him from work and the people who know him more socially. Juan needs to look for the difference.

[27:07] Juan shares with the audience that he is relocating abroad. He is inspired by Marc and Mrs. Miller and their experiences as well as the experiences of other friends who have moved to new areas. Juan is looking for a low-key, low-stress area to refresh and recharge. With no dependents and no home, it is easy for him to move.

[28:28] Juan notes the impending healthcare disaster in the U.S. Juan sees a new future in San Jose, Costa Rica. He has met people from all over who expatriate there. He feels like he is in a new Paradise.

[29:48] Marc thanks Juan for participating in this series and says people have told him how it has resonated with them. Juan thanks Marc for changing his life.

[31:02] Marc says Juan is in the process of making some major decisions and working through the Career Pivot evaluation has been a real help to him. Juan was in the initial cohort of the Career Pivot Community website.

[32:17] In a couple of weeks, Marc will be starting the next series, with “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” Sarah (not her real name) is employed, a closet creative, and a structured anarchist. Sarah’s personality is quite interesting.

[33:08] Check back next week, when Marc will be talking about their next steps in moving to Mexico. There will be a major announcement you will want to hear. Marc wants you to hear the reasons they are accelerating the process and the choices they are making.

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

CareerPivot.com/Episode-83 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 1”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-84 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 2”

CareerPivot.com/Episode-88 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 3”

Reports used in the Feedback Session with Juan Doe

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

 

Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.

 

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

 

CareerPivot.com/Episode-90 Show Notes for this episode.

Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

 

Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

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

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

To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes

To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android

Careerpivot.com

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