Episode #96 – Marc Miller Explains Why He Has Pulled the Plug and Made the Move.

Description:

In this episode, Marc explores healthcare, insurance, automobiles, shipping food supplements, house rentals, the internet, visas, public transportation, and downsizing. He explains his plans for the next year while continuing to run his businesses from Ajijic.

Key Takeaways:

[1:22] Marc welcomes you to Episode 96 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[1:34] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. The more people you share it with, the more he can help. 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.

[2:03] Last week, Marc answered LinkedIn questions with his ‘partner-in-crime,’ Mark Anthony Dyson.

[2:10] Next week Marc will return to the career pivot evaluation series “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?” for Part 3 of four parts.

[2:16] In this podcast episode, Marc will be discussing a variety of issues around their final decision to make the move to Mexico. This will include things like healthcare, health insurance, automobile insurance, automobiles, shipping food supplements and medications from the U.S. to Mexico. You can’t get everything in Mexico.

Now on to the podcast…

Download Link | iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Podcast | Podbean | TuneIn | Overcast

[2:38] Marc will talk about leasing property in Mexico, and their move. Finally, Marc will talk about shopping to set up their house. Don’t plan on bringing your “stuff” from the U.S. Just get rid of it and buy used or new stuff in Mexico.

[2:58] Marc and his wife made the decision in the last two weeks to “push the button” and sign a lease on a two-bedroom, two-bath Casita in central Ajijic, Mexico. The number one factor in making this move is the absurd behavior of the U.S. Government and the healthcare and health insurance industries.

[3:18] Marc wrote about this in a post called “The Looming Healthcare Insurance Catastrophe for Baby Boomers.” Marc’s prediction about rates has come true. Marc’s health insurance provider has asked the Texas Insurance Board for a 34% rate increase in 2019. Marc already pays $1,358 per month premium for a $10,000 deductible policy.

[3:50] In two-and-a-half months in Mexico, Marc’s wife has seen an endocrinologist, a hematologist, a dermatologist, had blood work done and had her teeth cleaned. Overall they have paid about $150 in fees. She has been treated by doctors with credentials from top universities. The three doctors spent a total of four hours with Marc’s wife.

[4:19] Mrs. Miller’s blood was drawn at a local clinic but for about 200 pesos ($10.00) more, the nurse would have come to their house. The Millers have researched a variety of health insurance policies and a worldwide policy, excluding the U.S., with a $2,500 individual deductible, will cost them a little less than $2,000 per year.

[4:43] If Marc stayed in the U.S., health insurance for him and his wife would have cost $2,000 per month. They could take a worldwide policy that includes the U.S., with a $5,000 individual deductible for something less than $4,000 per year.

[5:01] The world-wide policies don’t cover pre-existing conditions but Marc’s wife’s out-of-pocket expenses have been very low.

[5:15] Marc talks about a couple near them in Mexico who are both enrolled in Medicare. They don’t carry coverage in Mexico, and for anything major they go to the U.S. Another senior covered by Medicare returned to the U.S. when he had a heart attack.

[5:43] Another senior in their Introduction to Spanish class came down with pneumonia. She was admitted to the top cardiac hospital in Guadalajara and for two nights her total cost was $1,500. She was thrilled with the treatment and the care. The doctor even made a house call to check in on her.

[6:14] Marc and his wife are in Mexico for the health insurance and healthcare. Then they had to face questions about bringing their car into Mexico. Mexico does not want your American car there. Marc put up a blog post about it last week and talked about Visa levels. On a temporary visa, you can bring a U.S.-plated care into Mexico temporarily.

[7:04] You cannot sell your American car in Mexico. After four years you have to take it back to the U.S. and dispose of it. Mexico wants residents to buy Mexican cars. With duties and taxes, cars are more expensive in Mexico.

[7:21] Marc has not investigated all the aspects of car insurance in Mexico. In an accident, you need to call your insurance agent first, and then the police.

[7:40] Mrs. Miller takes certain food supplements and a thyroid medication that she cannot get in Mexico. She is a Genesis Pure distributor and uses the products. Genesis Pure does not ship to Mexico. There are shipping companies in Mexico to facilitate that with an address in Laredo, Texas where you ship your products.

[8:16] The products are taken through customs by the company, duty is paid, the products are taken out of the box, reboxed and shipped to the company’s address in Ajijic. Where it is picked up and the customer pays for the shipping and the duty on the products. Just ship small amounts at a time, as the reboxing is not careful or gentle.

[9:36] When the Millers go back to the U.S. in October, they will bring as much of the supplements with them as they can when they drive back. On every trip back to the States, they will bring more.

[9:52] The next issue is renting property in Mexico. Many people just buy. Marc is not planning to do that. You pay cash to buy property in Mexico. There are no mortgages. Everyone has recommended to the Millers to rent. They are in their fourth location in the area. They decided they wanted to be in the center of Ajijic.

[10:33] Marc’s original plans were to come down in June for three months, then again in September, for three months, and arrange for a long-term rental property in January. That would not work. The rental market in Ajijic is so tight that rental agents are asking people for more properties to rent. People are moving from both Canada and the U.S.

[11:12] At least a third of the expats are Canadian. The high season is October through March.

[11:27] There are two ways to acquire rental property. One is through a rental agency and the other is from an individual. Individuals rent by word of mouth. Marc didn’t have the connections, so they contacted a couple of Realtors® and with their direction, connected to three or four services. They ended up choosing Access Lake Chapala.

[12:41] Julio was their agent. It is important to understand what comes with the rental, and what the costs are. Some expats want to rent a property that is fully furnished and where everything is paid for.

[13:17] Water is included in the rental. It is usually paid annually. The water flows from the city to an underground cistern on the property. Then a pump moves it to a rooftop cistern. This provides the water pressure to the home. No one drinks the water, though it is potable. Marc gets a 5-gallon jug of drinking water delivered for 20 pesos.

[14:24] Taxes are also included in the rental. Then there are the internet, gas, and electricity. A poll and air conditioning take a lot of electricity so it can run high. April and May are the hottest months. Otherwise, you don’t use air conditioning.

[14:56] Marc looked at several places where the internet was not installed. The incumbent carrier is TelMex. It is ADSL. There is no guarantee you can get a line at a specific property. Marc turned down a property because the internet was not installed.

[15:34] Marc was advised over and over again, if the internet was not installed and where you could test it, not to rent that property.

[15:46] The lease looks very different from a lease in the U.S. It is in Spanish. An unofficial English translation is provided on the back, but Marc found a local expat attorney, Spencer McMullen, to go over the lease for him. In Mexico, the landlord does not have to fix any problems on the property if they don’t affect health and safety.

[16:44] Most Gringo landlords don’t play those games. Written into Marc’s lease is a clause that if the repair costs less than 900 pesos ($45-$50), Marc is responsible, and if it costs more, the landlord is responsible. The landlord is Mexican and has a very good reputation. He manufactures furniture and fully furnished the casita with nice furniture.

[17:28] The Millers found the casita right in the center of Ajijic. It is going to be noisy, particularly around the holidays. Some of the expats head to Puerto Vallarta for the holiday season. The Millers will head back to Austin in early October and not return to Mexico until mid-November, so they will miss the Day of the Dead, November 2nd.

[18:05] Marc will empty their condo, saving only a few keepsake pieces from his parents. You don’t want to ship furniture to Mexico. As it goes through customs it is not treated with care. Also, American appliances do not fare well with Mexican power surges.

[19:14] Appliances in Mexico are really cheap and don’t last through too many power surges. Marc will bring a VitaMix with him and leave it unplugged most of the time.

[19:38] Ajijic is a very transient community. There are a lot of second-hand stores where items are inexpensive. Juan, the landlord gave some basic Kitchen cookware. They are buying utensils, a cutting board, and large knives for fruits and vegetables. They picked up coat racks and hat racks and custom cat trees at bazaars.

[21:03] People find it hard to give up their stuff when they move but it is best. The Millers only live in a 1,000 sq. ft. condo in Austin, so they’ve already downsized once. They are not attached to a lot of their stuff. Marc has his mother’s urn. They don’t have a place to bury her. Marc does not know if he will bring the urn to Mexico.

[21:36] Marc wrote in the recent blog post about the visa needed to bring a car to Mexico. Marc will get a permanent visa so he can get a bank account. Mrs. Miller will get either a tourist or a temporary visa so she can keep the car. Marc is thinking about getting rid of the car on the next trip back to the U.S. and not have a car in Ajijic.

[22:43] Public transportation on the north shore of Lake Chapala is very inexpensive. It’s very easy to get around. Buses run all the time for seven to nine pesos (35 to 50 cents).

[23:15] The point is to live like a local and not like a tourist. There are a lot of gringos who don’t assimilate. They drive everywhere and keep to themselves. Marc has a 71-year-old neighbor from Dallas who has no car and walks everywhere. He has lost five inches in 18 months! It is also easy to eat healthy in Ajijic.

[24:08] Marc has been getting lots of positive feedback about both the blog posts and podcast episodes. Reach out to Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com, or leave a comment at CareerPivot.com/Episode-96/ with any questions.

[25:56] Click back next week, when Marc will continue with “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?”

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

“The Looming Healthcare and Insurance Catastrophe for Baby Boomers.”

“How to Move Abroad and Take Your Job With You – Part V”

Genesis Pure

Access Lake Chapala

TelMex

Spencer McMullen Chapala Law

 

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 the direction of this endeavor. Marc is in the middle of 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-96 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

Be sure to check out the Career Pivot Client Testimonials Page

Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above.

Like What You Read? Join Career Pivot

Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast

When you subscribe to this blog you get full access to Career Pivot’s Whitepaper Library

Do You Need Help With ...

Job Search	Career Pivot/Change	Career Success	Careers in the 2nd Half of Life
Social Media	Multi-Generational Workplace	Networking	Entrepreneurship

Episode #95 – Marc Miller welcomes Mark Anthony Dyson of The Voice of Job Seekers podcast to help answer job search LinkedIn questions from listeners in the 2nd half of life.

Description

In this episode, Marc and Mark address questions about network size, how to use LinkedIn to get your best results, how to grow your LinkedIn network productively, and upgrading to the premium version of LinkedIn.

Key Takeaways:

[1:14] Marc welcomes you to Episode 95 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[1:27] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. 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.

[1:50] Last week, Marc presented Part 2 of the career pivot evaluation series “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?” Marc is taking a two-week break from the Sara series.

[1:59] Next week Marc will report in after having made his final decision for the next year on staying in Mexico.

[2:08] When this episode airs, this week’s blog post will be about the business side of moving to Mexico. Next week’s podcast will be about navigating the move. Marc has already moved into a two-bedroom, two-bath Casita in the heart of Ajijic, Mexico. He will be talking about the issues of the move, the visas, and much more.

[2:30] The move was really not that complicated but there are a lot of details.

[2:36] This week, Marc will be answering LinkedIn questions with his ‘partner-in-crime,’ Mark Anthony Dyson.

Now on to the podcast…

Download Link | iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Podbean | TuneIn | Overcast 

[2:43] Related to moving to Mexico, the power went out in the entire area around the house Marc and his wife have been staying in. Marc had to go to a local coffee house where he had better cell service to record this audio Skype call. It was pretty noisy but Marc edited the sound somewhat to make the episode easy to listen to.

[3:07] One of the things Marc discusses in this week’s blog post is issues with telecommunication. You always have to have a backup plan. The intros and outros of this episode are being recorded in a makeshift studio in the casita that Marc and his wife just moved into. Marc uses padding to cover hard-surfaced walls in a closet.

[3:58] Marc welcomes Mark Anthony Dyson to help answer listener questions.

[4:35] Mark sent Marc a question about LinkedIn, leading Marc to chose to do a Q&A session on LinkedIn questions.

[4:49] Q1: My title is Senior Project Manager but I am also a business analyst and provide data analysis for a variety of projects. I get calls from recruiters for Project Management positions. I would rather do the business and data analysis work. What should I do to make myself a magnet for the kinds of opportunities I would prefer?

[5:24] A1: Job titles are nebulous and many people wear multiple hats. There are two ways to handle this in LinkedIn. The first option is, in your current job title, put your official job title. Then put a vertical bar and start listing out all the job titles that are valid for what you do today, each separated by a vertical bar.

[6:28] The second way to handle this is the way Marc handles his current job titles. Marc has three jobs: CareerPivot, The Repurpose Your Career podcast, and his volunteer position on the board at LaunchPad Job Club. All have a current job title, and so all the titles he lists there go up to the present.

[7:03] Recruiters search primarily on the current job title and on keywords. If you want to be found as a business analyst, you need to have business analyst in your current job title, otherwise, no one is going to find you for that.

[7:28] Mark was talking to Bob McIntosh of LinkedIn about algorithms. Getting engagement regarding the things you want to do is a great way to get someone to look at your profile. For business analysts and data analysts, join groups and discussions in those areas to show your interest and expertise so people will go to your profile.

[8:32] Mark says people will put things in their profile but get no attention because they don’t engage or are not active in in some way. Another things to do to get more attention from the LinkedIn algorithms is to endorse people in your area of expertise. Also, you can ask people to give you a recommendation.

[9:19] Look at the panel where it says “People also viewed,” to get an idea of if you are listed with the people who have those same job titles.

[9:38] Mark suggests Googling the job title you want to be known for is an updated, current title that people are actually looking for. Do a search in quotes, “LinkedIn.com job title” to see what comes up.

[11:13] You can use keywords in your summary associated with quantifiable results.

[11:36] Marc says job titles people search on aren’t necessarily the titles you are using. Marc used to be a training manager, but now people search for learning & development instead, for that job. Make sure you are using the job titles people are looking for.

[12:17] If you want to get more visibility, go look at the LinkedIn profiles of people who are doing the job you want to do. See if they look back at your profile. Also, look at the profiles of recruiters at companies where you might want to work and see if they look back.

[12:55] Once someone has looked at your LinkedIn profile, send them a connection request. You will be a known quantity to them as they’ve already looked at your profile.

[13:15] LinkedIn shows you who has viewed your profile. You can see how you were found. You can tweak the keywords to influence how you get found. You can also do things external to LinkedIn by writing blogs and content you can then insert into your feed and share them for people to connect to you. You can put them under publications.

[15:55] Q2: I am trying to understand if my network of 8,000 on LinkedIn is any better than someone that has 500. I know you use the networking science in your profile and I want to connect and follow you to see what you think and what I can learn.

[16:16] A2: This is obviously a connection request for Mark Anthony Dyson. Mark says he doesn’t know where the networking science thing came from but he has written articles and had podcast episodes regarding networking.

[16:38] For some jobs with really unique niches, you might need less than 500 connections to have an impact on your career and to have it impact on others, depending on your other activity.

[17:00] The more connections you have, the more visibility you have. When you share an article, whether your own content or content from others, you will get more likes with 8,000 connections than with 500. What really matters to you is if you’re having career connections. Those 500 may be very concentrated and strategic connections.

[17:52] If your goal is visibility, the 8000 is definitely better than 500. If you are looking to advance your career or have many more engaging conversations about your career, then the 500 might be even better. It depends what your goal is.

[18:34] Marc write a blog post on how many connects is enough connections. Marc has a client who wanted to get into pharmacogenomics — a very small niche. When they took the keywords associated with that, there were only about 1,000 on LinkedIn who had those terms in their profile. Connecting to 200 of the key people would be enough.

[19:26] If you were a general Java programmer who just wanted to focus on the Chicago market, probably a network of 500 to 1,000 would be enough, as long as you have the right people.

[19:50] If you are like Mark or Marc, a consultant dealing with a broad market of a lot of people, then the more, the merrier. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. A large network of people outside your niche doesn’t get you a job in your niche field. Mark advises you to be active and engaged, whatever size of network fits you.

[22:41] When Mark gets a connection request with no note on it, he wonders how he can teach them the right protocol if they are connected to him. There are some who don’t know the best way to connect. Mark doesn’t connect with people looking to sell to him.

[24:07] Marc also says it depends. First he looks at the profile. If there is no picture or very few connections, the answer is no. He ignores it. If it’s a Russian model, he ignores it. Marc gets a lot of young people from India and Pakistan. He tries to determine validity through the profile.

[24:55] If Marc accepts, he immediately responds with a LinkedIn message, “I just accepted your LinkedIn connection request. How did you find me?” The idea is to find out how people learn about him, but also to get people to engage with him.

[25:32] Some will say LinkedIn recommended Marc, others will say they found him in an article. 70 to 80% will respond. Marc gets 30 to 50 requests a week so he waits until he has 10 to 15 connection requests, then he can copy and paste his message.

[26:06] If people respond, they usually respond within a couple of hours.

[26:21] Mark is fascinated by the amount of people who work in the career space who say that they’re LinkedIn trainers and gurus, who don’t write a note with a connection request. They are teaching people their behavior. Writing a note is elementary. They should practice that courtesy and promote it.

[27:26] Marc has been getting requests from folks selling leads systems to coaches. He ignores those requests. Marc gets approached 30 to 40 times a week by people who want to write blog posts for him. All the emails look alike.

[28:07] Mark says if the message starts with the generic ‘Hi,’ and no name, he will answer back, “Hi, you wouldn’t be a fit. Good luck in finding an opportunity.” He has that in Evernote so he can just copy and paste it.

[28:37] Those who talk about Mark’s specific podcast episodes, or comment on an article Mark wrote, get his attention. Most people who don’t include a note are looking for Mark to do something for them, such as having them on the podcast. Mark does not connect with them.

[29:24] Marc just received a pitch to be on the podcast from someone who listened to the last podcast and wrote an iTunes review about what he heard on the podcast. Marc responded back and asked if he could have a copy of the author’s last book.

[30:02] There is no one set rule how to approach someone, but you do have to have some discernment whether somebody’s going to be a good or fruitful connection. Mark is not impressed by numbers. He is impressed by someone who engages and uses their network to provide value as well as to ask for help once in a while.

[31:07] Mark says, think about how you want to be contacted and be engaged with, and that’s it.

[31:22] Q3: I’m looking for a job and have the free version of LinkedIn. Is it worth the money for me to upgrade?

[31:30] A3: Marc and Mark both get this question a lot. Marc’s version is a base business premium membership he bought in 2015. That version is no longer available. For Marc, it is $250 a year. He sees who looked at his profile. He gets worthwhile business insights.

[32:16] Where Marc sees people running into trouble with the free version is the limited number of searches they can do. However, searching in Google is a workaround. The hidden gem in LinkedIn Premium is in having access to LinkedIn Learning. There is a lot of good valuable content in LinkedIn Learning. Usually they will give you 30 days free.

[33:32] Mark was never interested in the business account. You don’t need a Premium Account to get a job using LinkedIn. Once you have a job, there is content available with a Premium Account that is nowhere else, such as LinkedIn Learning. However, you could find certain YouTube videos that are just as valuable.

[34:21] Mark tried the Premium and really didn’t see, as far as finding a job goes, that you need more than a free version. If you are running a business, there is some value to getting the LinkedIn Premium. For sales there is some value in the Premium. For Mark’s own business, he does not see the business case for that fee, yet.

[35:08] Nobody is saying, unless they engage with me on LinkedIn, I won’t talk to them. At the same time, there may be ways to have a larger reach with other people who are on LinkedIn Premium. Some may be having their company pay for their LinkedIn Premium Account. The free is enough to find a job in most cases.

[35:58] Marc keeps getting invited to Sales Navigator and other offers, but for what he is paying he has all he needs now. The packages can be thousands of dollars a year. Marc is not interested. Marc comments on LinkedIn operating under Microsoft.

[38:56] Click back next week, when Marc will be telling the story of moving into a new casita in the heart of Ajijic, Mexico.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

LinkedIn

Bob McIntosh on LinkedIn

Evernote

Microsoft

The Voice of Jobseekers

The Voice of Jobseekers on iTunes, Stitcher, and most of the podcatchers, even
the Spotify app and iHeartradio.

 

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 the direction of this endeavor. Marc has started 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-95 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

Be sure to check out the Career Pivot Client Testimonials Page

Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above.

Like What You Read? Join Career Pivot

Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast

When you subscribe to this blog you get full access to Career Pivot’s Whitepaper Library

Do You Need Help With ...

Job Search	Career Pivot/Change	Career Success	Careers in the 2nd Half of Life
Social Media	Multi-Generational Workplace	Networking	Entrepreneurship

Episode #94 – Marc works with “Sara,” (not her real name) to pivot her career, in the second of a series of four episodes featuring “Sara.”

Description:

In Part 2 of this series, Marc covers the second half of the first feedback session with Sara for her personality assessment.

Key Takeaways:

[1:24] Marc welcomes you to Episode 94 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[1:36] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. 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.

[2:02] Last week, Marc presented Part 1 of the career pivot evaluation series “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?” Sara (not her real name) is employed, a closet creative, and a structured anarchist. Sara likes rules, as long as they’re hers.

[2:29] This week, Marc will play Part 2, the second half of Sara’s first feedback session. If you have not listened to Episode 93, Marc suggests you stop here and go listen to Episode 93, first. You will find all of the reports for this episode at Careerpivot.com/sara

[3:11] Next week Marc will work with his good friend Mark Anthony Dyson on a Q&A session to answer your LinkedIn questions.

Now on to the podcast…

Download Link | iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Podbean | TuneIn | Overcast 

[3:23] Sara turns to the organizational portion of the assessment. First is insistence — Sara’s approach to detail, structure, follow-through, and routine. Sara’s usual behaviors are a definite preference to work from a plan, attend to detail, anticipate difficulties and plan for contingencies — systematic, procedural, and concerned with detail.

[4:07] Sara agrees that she is very much a process person.

[4:26] Sara’s strengths are maximized to the extent that her plan is of her own making. Although she will put systems and procedures in place, she needs occasional opportunities to bend her own rules. Sara is comfortable with bringing order to chaos.

[4:59] Sara can fix a situation and bring order to it. After she has done so, she has been asked to stay and run the system. Her real objective is to go into chaos and fix it, not to maintain the process after it’s fixed. Sara is at her best when she walks into chaos.

[5:58] Sara describes how she would react to a process that is highly regulated. She would work the process and document very carefully her suggestions for improvements. She is not comfortable with strict prescriptiveness in processes.

[7:50] The rules need to be Sara’s rules or at least have flexibility. Sara agrees that is key.

[8:11] Marc will assign homework to Sara to reread the organizational pages about four or five of her behaviors and then think about a time where she got angry. Her orderliness is misinterpreted from time to time by others who don’t realize Sara is at her best in chaos.

[8:52] Sara reads her causes of stress. Since she tries to put first things first, she logically emphasizes systems and control. External interference in her plan can frustrate and distract her. She may overreact to pressures that threaten her personal freedom. Sara likes doing things her way and she is good at it.

[9:27] Sara’s stress reactions: overgeneralizing, neglect of order and systems, weakened follow-through. When Sara can’t get her way, at some point she loses interest and just goes through the motions.

[10:02] Sara turns to the assertiveness section. This is her tendency to speak up and express opinions hopefully and forcefully. Sara deals with people best on the basis of discussion and suggestion. When giving directions to others, Sara has the asset of asking rather than telling. Sara comes across as pleasant and easygoing.

[10:34] Sara’s usual behaviors: pleasant, agreeable, self-directive. This goes with Sara’s incentives score. Sara is a good team player.

[10:47] Sara’s needs: for highest productivity, Sara needs a peaceful environment. She responds best to people who involve her in the decision-making process, rather than ordering her to follow other people’s instructions. Sara doesn’t want a boss. She wants a team around her. She wants to be asked to do things. Sara is an asker, not a teller.

[12:16] Sara avoids interacting with dictators.

[13:20] Sara’s causes of stress: direct confrontations are likely to make Sara uncomfortable, especially when they become personal or emotional. Sara may feel intimidated by highly authoritarian people.

[13:32] Sara’s stress reactions: resistance to others’ directions, difficulty speaking up, avoidance of open disagreement. Sara does not relate to being easily intimidated but she sees some of these stress behaviors in herself.

[14:20] Sara’s team is incredibly important to her. Marc recommends to Sara that when moving somewhere she should do research on the working environment and what the team looks like.

[14:46] Sara turns to the last part of the organizational section, restlessness — how Sara prefers to focus attention or change focus and seek varied activities.

[15:05] Sara is able to resist distractions and concentrate on the subject at hand with greater than average intensity. Sara can also “compartmentalize’ when there is a need to give attention to different activities in close succession.

[15:24] Sara’s usual behaviors: concentrative, thorough, and purposeful. Sara knows how to focus. Sara is the polar opposite of most creatives Marc deals with. They want to do something new every 15 minutes. That drives Sara crazy but she works with people like that.

[16:05] Sara’s needs: It is preferable that Sara be given advance warning of any change that significantly affects her life or work, and that she be provided the opportunity to express her input and ideas concerning such change. Don’t mess with Sara’s schedule or interrupt her. Sara has to watch rigidity in her scheduling to be approachable.

[17:29] Marc, like Sara, has to find ways to minimize his distractions so he can stay focused. He gives the example of a person answering email and doing simple tasks in an open office and finding a conference room to do tasks which require concentration.

[19:01] Sara’s causes of stress: frequent interruptions can be a burden to Sara’s thoroughness. Changes which are imposed on her, with little or none of her input, may create resistance within her. It’s very important for Sara to stay informed. Marc recalls his last boss, who shared no information.

[20:13] Sara’s stress reactions: resisting change, over-concentration, and reduced perspective. Sara reflects on how these describe her. She likes Marc’s suggestion from the previous episode to take work breaks and read something for personal enjoyment. If she doesn’t break away periodically, from her focus, her quality of work suffers.

[21:26] Marc reminds Sara that the things that really interest her are not the things she does at work. She needs to fit them into small breaks in her day. A lifetime of doing work that doesn’t bring you joy is exhausting.

[23:35] Sara turns to the physical energy section. Sara’s high energy level affords her the considerable assets of vigorous and persuasive reasoning and a generally forceful and enthusiastic approach to everything she does. Sara finds it easy to be physically active on a regular basis.

[24:07] Sara’s usual behavior: enthusiastic, energetic, and forceful. Sara goes and goes.

[24:18] Sara’s needs: Sara prefers to be in control regarding the spending of her energies. It is best when her environment neither places the demands of a heavy schedule upon her nor emphasizes thought and reflection to the exclusion of personal action. Sara’s behavior rating is 76 against the median rating of 75, so she is normal.

[24:46] Sara’s need is a little bit below usual, which indicates she wants a little bit more control over how hard she physically works and control over her schedule, more than people probably understand about her.

[25:08] Sara’s causes of stress: external demands on her energies, either physical or mental, are likely to be frustrating to her. When she is denied the opportunity to balance planning with action, her naturally high energy level may result in unexpected fatigue.

[25:26] Sara’s stress reactions: edginess and feeling fatigued. Sara definitely feels this way at home. She wants to do things around the home on her own terms. Marc reviews some of Sara’s characteristics with her. She is really good at fixing things and creating processes when she can set her own terms. She is a cooperative team player.

[26:48] Sara turns to the thought section — Sara’s decision making process and concern for consequences in making the right decision. This regards big decisions. Marc finds Sara’s scores to be really unusual for a creative person. Marc sees it as one of Sara’s superpowers.

[27:14] Sara is generally decisive, able to quickly formulate her answers and make decisions without undue delay. Her ability to grasp relevant issues and form quick judgments allows her to be direct and to the point. Sara’s usual behavior: matter-of-fact, decisive, and direct.

[27:40] Marc points out what is unusual in this description for a creative person. Usually, creatives see every shade of gray and can’t make a big decision.

[27:52] Sara’s needs: Sara feels that she doesn’t need to be given a lot of time to make decisions, especially those that are usual and routine. However, the time she needs to make a decision will increase as the issues become complicated or unusual. Sara likes to see things in black and white. It didn’t take Sara long to buy a new car.

[28:50] Marc tells of a couple with ‘needs’ scores of 1 and 99. The wife wanted to buy a cell phone in one afternoon. Her husband wanted three weeks to compare plans and phones. Sara is closer to the wife’s score.

[29:34] Sara’s causes of stress: since Sara likes to make decisions rapidly and dispassionately, ambiguity can frustrate her at times. She may be inclined to be impetuous, overlooking points of detail. Marc tells about a past client who, like Sara, was really good at getting people together in a room and coming up with a decision.

[30:35] Marc calls that a superpower. He wants Sara to think about how that applies to her. Organization, creativity, and being a good decision-maker tie together into making good quick decisions. Sara likes to think things through early, and likes to research before making a decision but does not get into analysis paralysis.

[32:12] Sara’s stress reactions: over-definite thinking, becoming impulsive, snap decisions. In other words, when stressed, Sara spends less time and effort thinking through the decision.

[33:02] Marc will pick out four or five behaviors, and ask Sara to think about times when she got angry, and see if she can find the triggers based on her behaviors, needs, and causes of stress. Sara should think about the worst times in her career.

[33:32] Marc also wants Sara to look at her 27 usual behaviors in the report and pick out 8-15 of them she fully identifies with. Her next assignment will be to turn those into ‘Sara talk,’ and the assignment after that will be to turn that into a speaking narrative. This will be her authentic language to use when someone asks her to tell them about herself.

[35:14] Marc invites you to think about your own odd combinations of behaviors which are your superpowers, and why they are superpowers.

[36:42] Check back next week, when Marc will be working with his good friend, Mark Anthony Dyson and they will be answering your LinkedIn questions.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com

CareerPivot.com/Episode-93

Sara’s Reports

Marc Miller on LinkedIn

Birkman Assessments

StrengthsFinder (now Gallup CliftonStrengths)

 

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 the direction of this endeavor. Marc has started 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-94 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

Be sure to check out the Career Pivot Client Testimonials Page

Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above.

Like What You Read? Join Career Pivot

Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast

When you subscribe to this blog you get full access to Career Pivot’s Whitepaper Library

Do You Need Help With ...

Job Search	Career Pivot/Change	Career Success	Careers in the 2nd Half of Life
Social Media	Multi-Generational Workplace	Networking	Entrepreneurship