Being Relevant is More Important than Your Experience with Fawn Germer [Podcast]

Podcast #215 – Marc Interviews Fawn Germer author of Coming Back: How to Win the Job You Want When You’ve Lost the Job You Need

Description:

This week I interview Fawn Germer. Let me read you her official Bio:

“Fawn Germer is the irreverent, beloved best-selling author of nine books including the Oprah book, Hard Won Wisdom. She has been a keynote speaker for more than 80 Fortune 500 companies and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize four times for her work as an investigative reporter. Fawn’s first book was rejected by every major publisher in the United States, but Fawn would not give up until it was the No. 1 nonfiction bestseller that Oprah loved.

Her newest book, Coming Back was released by St. Martin’s Press in January 2021. The book shows how to turbocharge your career by changing the way you change. Fawn is an inspiring storyteller and life adventurer. She’s learned plenty the hard way and is as authentic as they come. She interviewed hundreds of the most accomplished leaders of our times, including famous CEOs, prime ministers, presidents, Nobel Peace Prize winners, scientists, Academy Award winners, and many other trailblazers who revealed that success is born in risk, and power comes from consciously disabling your doubt and self-esteem issues.”

This episode is sponsored by Career Pivot. Check out the Career Pivot Community. Make sure and pick up my latest book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life Third Edition.

Now on to the podcast…

Coming Back: How to Win the Job You Want When You’ve Lost the Job You Need

Experience is dead. Hiring managers do not care that you are the best candidate for today but they want to the best candidate for the job in 5 or 10 years. You have to stay relevant. If you are waiting for your company to train you, you are already irrelevant. You need to follow the trends in your industry.

Framing Yourself Around Your Relevancy

You need to have the insatiable curiosity to want to consume information about your industry. Fawn suggests your track the WSJ, HBR, and other periodicals. Once you spot a trend you can jump over to Coursera.org or EDX.org where you can take courses from top-flight universities for free. You can pay to get a certificate but just take the classes for the learning. Fawn mentions an Oxford University study that stated that 47% of jobs will be eliminated by technology in the next 10 years. Do not have to be a programmer but you have to understand how the technology works. Do not be a resister to change. How to Teach Blockchain to a 5-Year-Old.

You Have Attained the Knowledge so What’s Next?

You network like crazy. Companies do discriminate. They will assume that if you are older you are not tech agile and have stopped learning. Do not add someone to your network and then immediately ask for something. Build the relationships. Be clear on what you need. Make sure you know what skills are needed and go out a get those skills. You do not need to be an expert. Ask for what you want and do not behave vulnerably even if you are. You have to take the risk and bet on yourself. You need to listen and follow up. See and hear the messages you are getting from the universe. Doug Stevenson’s Story Theater Method – Strategic Storytelling in Business

Closing Advice

Take the next step. Careers are never a straight line. Do not measure yourself when things were easy. Measure yourself based on who you became when things were tough. Just take the next step, and then the next, and then the next.

Publisher landing page: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/coming-back/

Publisher website: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250271655

Website: https://fawngermer.com/
Facebook.com/fawn.germer
Instagram: @fawn.germer
Twitter: @FawnGermer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fawngermer/

Recharge Your Career During Covid and Take the Next Step