How to Prepare, Get Fit, and Purposefully Shift into New Careers with Kerry Hannon [Podcast]

Episode 6 – How to Prepare, Get Fit, and Purposefully Shift into New Careers with Kerry Hannon

Kerry Hannon

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.