Podcasts Archives - Career Pivot

“Career Mistakes: Failure is a Great Option” – A Chapter from “Repurpose Your Career” by Marc Miller [Podcast]

September 19, 2017 by Stephanie Brodt Leave a Comment

Episode 46 – Marc reads the chapter, “Career Mistakes: Failure is a Great Option.”

Description:

In this episode, Marc shares the chapter, “Career Mistakes: Failure is a Great Option,” from his upcoming audiobook, “Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life.”

Key Takeaways:

[3:11] Failure is a great option if you are not running a life-or-death mission. If you’re like most people, it’s inevitable and essential. You don’t learn unless you fail. If you are unwilling to fail, you are unlikely to venture into anything very impressive.
[4:41] Mistake 1: Marc was ‘seduced’ by a former manager to leave an easy job at IBM, and join her at IBM Global Services. Why was it one of the biggest mistakes of his career? He should have done his own research about the job. It wasn’t for him, and it led him to unhappiness. So he quit.
[7:42] Mistake 2: Taking his ‘dream job.’ Most of us take a dream job, without ever investigating what it actually entails. Marc went to teach Math in an inner-city high school. He had a lot of experience writing curriculum to teach engineers. He was not prepared to teach kids whose problems reached far beyond his ability to help them.

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[10:59] Mistake 3: ‘I can make this work!’ Marc took a job that was not optimal, working in fundraising for a non-profit that was not aligned with his goals, just before a major downturn in the economy. He lasted a year, but he could not make it work.
[12:57] Failure’s upside: Marc is happy he took all three jobs. He learned a tremendous amount about consulting, public education, and non-profits. He also learned a lot about himself.
[13:19] Very few of us just hop from one career, into the perfect one, without some experimentation. Marc tells about Dave, a client who pivoted through several jobs before landing where he was happy.
[14:32] Failing, experimenting, and reinventing can be an adventure, but you need your infrastructure in place. Marc has come up with a plan to help you do this to prepare for your career pivot.
[14:47] Rules of Reinvention: Have a Plan B. Be prepared to pull the plug on the reinvention project. Have a clear timeline and metrics to determine your success.
[14:59] You might have three or five goals you’re working on, in terms of finances, skills learned, or happiness. Give yourself short windows to achieve these and evaluate them.
[15:22] Make sure the work you’re doing is something from which you could pivot into something else. Don’t fall away from your skillset without building anything you could use in your next job if this one doesn’t work out.
[15:36] Keep your network fresh even as you’re working in a new job or industry.
[15:41] Marc reviews when he had a Plan B (at IBM), and when he had no Plan B (at the high school). He planned his withdrawal from the nonprofit, which gave him time to find multiple Plan Bs.
[16:28] Think through your Plan B carefully. If a job becomes a trap, you need a way to escape it.
[17:06] Learn from your mistakes. The way you turn a mistake into something good is by learning from the experience. Marc learned a ton from his mistakes — what he needed and what he did not want to have.
[18:29] Failure is an option, but fail fast. Don’t be too risk averse, but be resilient.
[19:57] If you have a laptop, an Internet connection, and some hustle, you can start a business right now, with no money down. You won’t need a loan. Marc has written two books without a publisher and created a website that garners over 10,000 visitors a month without a major capital investment. He has created a highly-recognizable brand.
[21:22] In two of Marc’s three mistakes, he failed fast. That greatly eased his recovery. He was able to get back on track without being separated from his job skills. Don’t cling to a mistake just because it took you so long to make it.
[21:54] If you’re not failing, you’re not growing, but you have to be doing both. Have a plan, have a way to gauge whether it’s working, and jump ship when it isn’t. If you planned it right, another ship will come along, soon enough.
[22:13] Action Steps: Reflect on a career failure. Write down how you recovered. Reflect on what you could have done differently. Did you take risks, and if you did not, do you have regrets about that?

Mentioned in This Episode:

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

CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources

Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc answers your questions every month.

Marc@CareerPivot.com

Twitter: @CareerPivot

LinkedIn: Marc Miller

Facebook: Career Pivot

CareerPivot.com Episode-46

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

Watch for news of the membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him develop the content.

Marc Miller

Be sure to check out the Career Pivot Client Testimonials Page

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

Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast

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

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Check out my latest book which is available on Amazon.com!

Repurpose Your Career - A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life

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Determination, Education, and Presentation Gets the Job After 60+ [Podcast]

September 12, 2017 by Stephanie Brodt Leave a Comment

Episode 45 – Marc Miller interviews Stan Siranovich on his long search for full-time employment.

Description:

In this episode, Marc interviews Stan Siranovich. Stan is closer to 70 than 60. Stan has reinvented himself twice in the last 15 years, this time it was as a big data guy. Stan recently landed full-time employment for the first time in about 15 years. He is just two to three months into the new job, so anything could happen, but his story may be inspiring to all of you who thought you might never go back to work again. He has landed as a Senior Data Analyst, where he typically had to compete against 20-somethings to get the job. Stan is working hard at the new job with a small startup. It’s a new environment for him, but he is learning and adapting. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Listen in to learn how to educate yourself online for the position you desire.

Key Takeaways:

[3:44] Marc introduces Stan Siranovich, closer to 70 than to 60. Stan is a scientist who has been doing data science since long before “Al Gore invented the internet.” Stan studied data science in undergraduate and graduate work.
[4:13] In the first half of life Stan did polymer research and development and technical marketing for large chemical corporations. Most of his career was with Bayer Corporation, but he also worked for some years at Mobil Oil, and also at Cargill, and AkzoNobel.

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[4:41] Stan started in analytical chemistry, moved into product development, then into polymer synthesis. He began at Mobil, was recruited by Cargill, and then was recruited by Bayer. Soon after arriving at Bayer, they had a massive structural change.
[5:27] Stan was given two options: research or technical marketing. He chose technical marketing, from his customer-facing days at Cargill, and he liked it. He also did applications development, and product development for a while. Then he hit the speaking circuit when the company entered the wood coatings market as a supplier.
[6:02] There was another downsize. The Pittsburgh campus went from about 2,200 employees to about 800. Stan went off on his own and bought a franchise. He liked running a business but missed the research and development. In 2000 he sold it, after about a year.
[6:56] After selling the franchise, Stan worked contract jobs, and was recruited by AkzoNobel. He moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where he was the technical marketing manager for Coatings/Resins in North America. It was a $60 million product line with 170 products in 20 categories. In 2001, profits lagged, and they sold the business.
[7:34] Stan worked some temp and contract jobs, then went to Sullivan University to become a Certified Microsoft Network Engineer. While in school he was hired in the IT Security department of Yum! Brands until 2008 when 600 were laid off in Louisville.
[8:45] Stan worked some more contract jobs until late 2012, then he formed Crucial Connections, LLC, and did consulting and contract work through the business. Stan says it was a tough business without having a multinational name behind him.
[9:44] Stan had to draw down on savings to survive. He decided to look into big data. He had been working with computers since running ‘PV = nRT’ equations as an undergraduate. At Bayer, he had done statistical experimental design using JMP statistical software from SAS.
[10:56] To get himself up-to-date, Stan did a lot of self-education. He already had a BS in Chemistry and an MBA with concentrations in Finance and Management Information Systems. Besides his Microsoft Engineer certification from Sullivan, he took a series of certification tests from Microsoft. and several certification tests from CompTIA.
[11:54] Stan took courses from Coursera, Lynda.com, Springboard, Sharp Sight Labs, and Udemy for his online education. Stan spent small amounts on the training. Some courses are $10.00, some are $100 to a few hundred dollars. He prefers shorter skills courses, as he already had studied theory. Stan works now in JMP, Tableau, and R.
[13:52] Stan started working with Marc over a year ago. Stan was struggling with recruiters. Marc told him to be more proactive. Stan did presentations anywhere that would have him, and a lot of networking. One of his presentations is on YouTube. These presentations gave Stan exposure to the data science community in a three-state area.
[15:10] Stan showed that he knew his stuff. It was the only way to get by recruiters. If the gatekeepers can’t check off enough boxes on their list, you don’t make the first cut.
[15:39] Stan was hired in July. A recruiter from V-Soft emailed him. Stan had worked with V-Soft for seven years, but nothing had come of it. From the email to the first day of work at the client was eight days.
[17:44] Marc wants everyone to understand this: When you are going through this kind of job search, you have no control over the timing.
[18:02] The last time Stan was a full-time employee was years earlier. He has been contracting since that time, until this job. It feels good to have a regular paycheck.
[19:09] Stan is one of Marc’s poster children. The big challenge was to keep Stan positive and moving forward. Stan got frustrated dealing with recruiters. It took a long time. If Stan could talk to himself two years ago, he would say, keep putting one foot in front of the other. Do what you need to do. Educate yourself. Get out. Meet people.
[21:36] Marc’s final thoughts: Are you inspired by Stan’s story? I hope it would inspire you to be resilient and stick with it. Stan does not give up.

Mentioned in This Episode:

CareerPivot.com/blog

Marc@CareerPivot.com

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

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

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

CareerPivot.com/episode-45

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

Watch for news of the membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him develop the content.

Email: PittsburghStan@gmail.com

Email: Stan@CrucialConnection.com

Certified Microsoft Network Engineer

Sullivan University

Yum! Brands

SAS

CompTIA Certifications

Marc Miller

Be sure to check out the Career Pivot Client Testimonials Page

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

Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast

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

————————————————

Check out my latest book which is available on Amazon.com!

Repurpose Your Career - A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life

————————————————

Check out the BoomerJobTips Page for the latest curated content relating to baby boomers or join us on the BoomerJobTips LinkedIn Group

Labor Day Announcement [Podcast]

September 5, 2017 by Stephanie Brodt Leave a Comment

Episode 44 – Marc gives shoutouts and makes a special announcement.

Description: For the U.S. Labor Day holiday, Marc provides a brief episode for shout outs and an announcement of a special series of four podcasts for October, where he will take a client through his assessment process, to know themselves, before committing to a new position. Marc refers listeners to Episode 041, “What Is Your Personal Operating System?” Listen in for what to expect in this special series.

Key Takeaways:

[:56] This episode is releasing on the U.S. Labor Day holiday, so Marc is keeping it short. Marc gives a shout-out to Podfly Productions, LLC, and those who help produce this podcast: Eric Begay, Ryan Morrison, and Tim McGowan. These folks edit the podcast, create the show notes, and make sure it’s on iTunes.
[1:24] Marc gives a shout-out to his virtual assistant, Stephanie Brodt, who creates the podcast post, the Boomer Job Tips post, Marc’s Career Insights email, and a lot of other stuff, to make all of this work.

Download Link | iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play

[1:38] Marc announces that starting on the first Monday of October, he will be podcasting a four-part series, called, “Can Tim Repurpose His Career?”
[1:48] Episode 41 was the chapter, “What Is Your Personal Operating System?” from Marc’s upcoming audio book, Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life. In Episode 41, Marc describes the process he uses to help his clients understand themselves. Marc will take Tim (not his real name) through this process.
[2:05] Tim is a 50-year-old male who has been stair-stepping himself out of his current career. He has been building a business on the side. Tim was laid off from his regular paycheck last month, and now has the “kick in the butt” to complete his career pivot. Listen to this case study of what it takes to “know thyself.”
[2:25] Marc’s final thoughts: See episode show notes at CareerPivot.com/episode-44. Go to CareerPivot.com to subscribe and get updates to this podcast and all the other happenings at CareerPivot.com. Subscribe to the CareerPivot Blog, and receive the CareerPivot Insights email every Sunday, with a link to this podcast.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com/episode-44

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

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

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

Marc Miller

Be sure to check out the Career Pivot Client Testimonials Page

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

Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast

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

————————————————

Check out my latest book which is available on Amazon.com!

Repurpose Your Career - A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life

————————————————

Check out the BoomerJobTips Page for the latest curated content relating to baby boomers or join us on the BoomerJobTips LinkedIn Group

Brand Yourself for CareerKred With Ryan Rhoten [Podcast]

August 29, 2017 by Stephanie Brodt Leave a Comment

Episode 43 – Ryan Rhoten describes the path to establishing credibility in your area of expertise in today’s changing career landscape.

Description:

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

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

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

Key Takeaways:

[2:41] Ryan has been figuring out his career like the rest of us. He mentions some inciting incidents that led him to explore the impact of career credibility on new roles.
[3:56] Ryan believed he was on a well-defined career path. He applied for a specific promotion that had been assured to him. After a leadership change, he didn’t get the position. First, he blamed leadership. Then he started examining himself. He listened to a lot of podcasts. He heard the words, “personal branding,” and they hit home at once.

Download Link | iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play

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

[7:50] Ryan continued researching branding for employment. He learned skills. He started The Brand New You Show podcast, to interview intelligent, career-minded folks, and he learned the importance of understanding what your brand is and using today’s technology to leverage your brand. You can set yourself up to be found by recruiters.
[8:48] Ryan has to push himself to ask people to talk to him on his show because he is naturally shy. But the worst they can tell you is, “no.” Ryan got a lot of no’s and learned a lot about himself. He also learned a lot from his guests. The knowledge he gained was the beginning of his book. He knew he had to share it with everybody else.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mentioned in This Episode:

Careerpivot.com/episode-43

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

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

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

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

Website: RyanRhoten.com

Twitter: @RyanRhoten

Instagram: @RyanRhoten

Google: Ryan Rhoten

LinkedIn: Ryan Rhoten

Book: CareerKredBook.com

StoryBrand

The Brand New You Show

GlassDoor

Darren Rowse

BlogChat

Marc Miller

Be sure to check out the Career Pivot Client Testimonials Page

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

Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast

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

————————————————

Check out my latest book which is available on Amazon.com!

Repurpose Your Career - A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life

————————————————

Check out the BoomerJobTips Page for the latest curated content relating to baby boomers or join us on the BoomerJobTips LinkedIn Group

Ryan Rhoten of The Brand New You Show Interviews Marc Miller [Podcast]

August 22, 2017 by Stephanie Brodt Leave a Comment

Episode 42 – Subtitle: Marc guests on The Brand New You Show, where Ryan Rhoten interviews him. The next episode of Repurpose Your Career will be Marc’s interview of Ryan Rhoten!

Description:

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

Key Takeaways:

[3:55] Ryan introduces Marc, and Marc answers the vacation question.
[4:43] Ryan asks Marc about happiness and contentment in a career. Marc contrasts the Boomer career and retirement situation with the generation before. Ryan contrasts that with Gen Xers and Millennials.People will have to work years longer than expected.
[6:59] The Millennials are echo Boomers, doing the things Boomers wish they had done. They are more attuned to purpose than to money. Marc sees that as a change for the better in the workplace. Millennial influence added to technology is opening up work from home opportunities. Marc talks about creative destruction by tech, and the iPhone.

Download Link | iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play

[9:16] Marc can completely manage his finances on his phone, find his keys and all kinds of ways that smartphones have changed things. Look at how automation will affect your career. It’s in journalism, and it will be in all industries.
[10:44] Ryan talks about upcoming employability scores, that will not measure soft skills. Marc notes that one large consulting firm interviews by Skype, and then analyzes the video recordings of the candidates by software, to determine who will advance to a personal interview.
[12:07] We get to a point in our career when we start to question our choices and ask what’s next? That is a time to consider career reinvention. Marc talks to clients about knowing themselves. Most of us adopt an expected persona because we are paid better for it. It may not be authentic. Marc is an introvert who had to play an extrovert.
[14:44] Many people outside of work are different people. People who are not aligned properly with a position burn out, when they could do better in another role. Ryan suggests assessments to his clients. Marc discusses the Birkman Method. It tells you about your behaviors, and about how you want to be treated. Marc talks specifics.
[16:54] Marc talks about structured anarchists, who want to fix chaos, but are misplaced into orderly environments, that frustrate them. Marc talks about stealth competitors, who act sweet because it is expected, but inwardly resent the success of assertive people. The Birkman method helps people see these personal dichotomies, to manage them.
[19:30] It’s hard to take assessment career advice at face value because careers are changing too quickly. Marc uses it to help people understand the reasons behind the best of times and the worst of times in their careers. It is for those with 20+ years of experience. It gives a decision-making style. Marc contrasts global and linear thinkers.
[21:50] Birkman Method helps identify your Personal Operating System. The stress report gives you your top 40 needs. Marc asks clients to synthesize those to 10, and then write an open-ended question for each of those needs. Marc talks about his own needs, and what kinds of environments and managers would not satisfy his needs.
[23:00] Many people may not realize about themselves that they have an optimum work environment that helps them be most productive. Marc explains why he switched email systems. His days got better when he turned off notifications. Ryan comments on the importance of being self-aware, to make career decisions.
[24:48] There is no such thing as a dream job. They all have pluses and minuses. We all make stuff up. Go in with your eyes open, look at the facts, and recognize every job has its ups and downs. Author Susan Cain recommends restorative niches, to take breaks that work for your interests. Marc takes his phone calls in the backyard, watching trees.
[27:43] Ryan’s restorative niches are alone time he schedules throughout the day, not to be crushed by all the activity. He notices a huge change in his productivity when he takes his breaks. Marc tells about a sales rep couple — one an introvert, and one extrovert — and how they dealt with sales conferences.
[29:20] Ryan asks about ‘awfulizing.’ Marc tells about an applicant who made stuff up, rather than following up with the company where she applied. Marc says come up with a stop, drop, and roll procedure, to cope with anxiety. Marc cites Dr. Henry Cloud, on wise people, stupid people, and evil people. Marc gives examples. Buffer yourself from evil.
[34:07] Marc describes strategic networking, finding the exact people you need to meet. He gives client examples that work. To vet the company, you ask people who work at your target job, and also people who left, about the conditions there.
[38:01] Marc describes the dreaded question: Why do you want to leave your current job? Answer positively, and deflect. Pivot back to a question about where you want to go. If you are leaving a toxic environment, you don’t want them to dig into it.
[42:38] Marc describes the Repurpose Your Career podcast, and the common themes of those he has interviewed about their career pivots.
[46:03] Marc’s final thoughts: Look at yourself. Make sure you really know who you are. Get out of your own head. Work with a coach, spouse, or friend.