August 5, 2025 • 24 mins
Are you tempted by the bold career promises flooding your social media feed like “land your dream job in 30 days” or “double your income using AI”?
For mid-career professionals navigating job dissatisfaction, these flashy shortcuts can feel like a lifeline. But the truth? Real career growth isn’t about gimmicks. It’s about strategy, self-awareness, and intentional planning.
In this episode of The Mid-Career GPS Podcast, host John Neral breaks down the dangers of one-size-fits-all job search solutions and why they often fail professionals with 15–25 years of experience.
You’ll learn:
- Why plug-and-play templates and AI-generated shortcuts don’t serve mid-level professionals
- The three red flags to watch for in career marketing and online job search tools
- What a realistic timeline looks like for a mid-career job search (Hint: It’s 3–6 months, not 30 days.)
- Why your 30s and 40s are critical wealth-building years and how your next career move can set the foundation for future success
- How to use John’s Four F Framework (Fit, Function, Finance, Forward) to gain clarity and make confident career decisions
- What to look for in a career coach or program when you’re ready to move beyond band-aid solutions
This episode is a must-listen if you’re tired of career advice that doesn’t speak to your stage of life, values, and leadership responsibilities. You deserve more than a quick fix. You deserve a strategy tailored to your goals and your experience.
Resources Mentioned:
- Free Guide: Why Your Mid-Career Job Search Isn’t Working (And What to Do About It)
- Coaching Options: Email John directly at john@johnneral.com
Thank you for listening to The Mid-Career GPS Podcast.
Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts here.
Visit https://johnneral.com/resources for free and low-ticket resources, including how to join The Mid-Career GPS Membership Community.
Visit https://johnneral.com to join The Mid-Career GPS Newsletter, a free, twice-weekly career and leadership resource for mid-career professionals.
Connect with John on LinkedIn here.
Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here.
Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching.
Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you've ever scrawled past an ad that says
land your dream job in 30 daysor double your salary using AI,
you are not alone and you'redefinitely not crazy for feeling
tempted when you're stuck,frustrated and feeling
undervalued in your job orcareer.
Those quick fixes yeah, theysound really appealing, but
(00:24):
here's the truth Career growthand I'm talking real career
growth Takes more than aplug-and-play template or some
type of AI-generated magic.
In today's episode, I willbreak down for you why
mid-career professionals need tobe especially cautious of these
(00:45):
flashing online promises.
I'll walk you through the redflags, what actually works for
mid-career professionals and howto make smarter, more strategic
moves that lead to lastingimpact.
My friends, this is yourreminder that your career is not
a quick fix.
It is an investment and youdeserve far better than
(01:09):
shortcuts.
Let's get started.
Hello, my friends, this is theMid-Career GPS Podcast and I'm
your host, john Nerrell.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a career they
(01:30):
love, or love the one they have,using my proven four-step
formula.
So crazy to me how we can soeasily get bombarded and we can
have the algorithm fill ourfeeds with things that we might
(01:52):
have clicked on once, be itabout getting a job promotion or
increasing your salary,negotiating a better job offer,
or you click on one GoldenRetriever video and, the next
thing you know, your whole feedis flooded with them.
Okay, here's what I wanted youto know right off from the start
(02:13):
.
These ads are designed totrigger an emotional response
and if you're unhappy orunsatisfied in your career, you
are desperate for change.
But there is a rise in onlinepromises.
It is a tremendous marketingtool Land a six-figure job in 30
(02:36):
days.
Use AI to double your salary.
This hack got me a job atGoogle, whatever it might be.
But when you're frustrated,what do you want?
You want fast relief, and sothese promises, which may or may
not be true, trigger thatemotional response for you to
(02:56):
think okay, this might actuallywork Well, will it?
I think there are a few redflags you need to be paying
attention to, and they're onesthat I have seen as I've been
digging into this a little bit.
So here's number one.
Number one red flag is to beaware of these one-size-fits-all
(03:17):
promises.
If you think that there is atemplated AI resume or a generic
cover letter that's going to bethe be-all and end-all for you
and your job search, I want tooffer you is not going to help
you stand out.
Your story, your goals, yourcareer path are unique to you,
(03:46):
and that means you have to bethe one telling the story.
Now, can you use a tool to helpyou tell that story?
Absolutely, should you be usinga tool to help you tell that
story?
I'm going to offer you more thanlikely probably yes right now
in this job market, but it ismore important than ever to
(04:11):
recognize that a plug and playadvice does not work to your
advantage when you are atmid-career, especially when you
are managing leadership,personal values, financial
responsibilities and looking tomake a bigger impact and do more
(04:31):
things.
That's where you have to tellyour story and that's where AI
cannot do it to the best of yourability.
To the best of your ability.
Now, certainly in this jobmarket and in this landscape, we
know that, be it ChatGPT or anyof the other AI tools that are
(04:54):
out there, it's all abouthelping you save time and get
better results.
I want you to remember that AIis a tool, it is not a strategy.
To remember that AI is a tool,it is not a strategy.
I look at AI much like I look atusing Microsoft Office.
It helps me, whether in Word,excel, powerpoint, whatever it
(05:15):
might be.
It is there to assist me andmake my job easier.
I still have to do some of thework.
Okay, I don't have to build thesoftware program to do it, but
I am responsible for what I putinto it.
When you're using AI, especiallyif you are trying to figure out
what is next in your career,keep in mind that you are
(05:39):
positioning yourself for impactbased on your results.
You are not positioningyourself based on output.
In other words, if you're nottelling your story that is from
a very results-focused mindsetand perspective, about here's
what I've done and here were theresults that I got, and here's
(06:01):
why you should care about thisIf you're writing a resume that
is nothing more of I did this, Idid this, I did this and it
sounds like a job description.
That is not what a mid-careerresume should be, nor should it
be your LinkedIn profile.
Okay, additionally, ai and Iwant to just credit my dear
(06:21):
coach, colleague and friend,susan on this one, because we
were talking the other day andwhat she said about AI was so
spot on.
What she said was AI cannot andwill not be able to give you
the aha.
The aha is that insight.
(06:42):
The aha is that insight.
It is that revelation or thatlight bulb moment that goes off
over your head.
That truly happens when you aredoing intentional career
reflection and you arestrategically positioning
yourself in the market.
If you want to leverage AI, useit in a very smart and strategic
(07:06):
way.
Do not use it with recklessabandon and dependency to think
that, okay, I'm going to goahead and put my resume in AI
and I'm going to put the jobposting in here and I'm going to
tell it to optimize it andeverything's going to be great
and I'm just going to go aheadand submit that.
Okay, great, and I'm just goingto go ahead and submit that.
(07:28):
Okay, because what I know and Iknow this from talking with my
colleagues in the recruiting andhiring spaces is that as AI
gets more sophisticated andpeople are using it more and
more the people who are actuallyreviewing the resumes what's
also happening is they'regetting better at detecting who
is using it and just taking itfor what it spits out.
And so if there's a suspicion,or a flag, if you will that goes
(07:55):
up and thinking like, I'm notso sure they really used AI in
the best way here that mayactually go against you in terms
of getting called or invited infor an interview.
So again, ai is a tool.
But the third red flag I wantyou to know about is that if
you're hearing about unrealistictimelines or exaggerated income
(08:18):
claims in some of thesemarketing, be careful and do
your research.
Okay, I saw one the other dayit said double your salary in
your research.
Okay, I saw one the other dayit said double your salary in
six weeks.
Okay, could you do that?
Sure, all, right Now, if you'reat a job, say, making $20,000,
it is far easier to land a jobwhere you're gonna make $40,000
(08:42):
versus making a job where you're, say, making $150,000 and then
trying to make $300,000.
Okay, so be careful in terms ofwhat those particular claims
actually mean Right now in thisjob market.
What I am seeing with workingwith my own clients and in
talking with other mid-careerprofessionals and colleagues
(09:05):
that are in this space, is that,realistically, you're looking
three to six months Three to sixmonths between when you
actually start looking for a jobto when you start.
The sweet spot seems to bearound five months.
But depending on how selective,how particular, the type of
industry you are in and what theforecast is for that industry.
(09:28):
It may take you longer and,additionally, you have to look
at factors such as howaggressive are you going to be
in your job search?
How valuable is your network?
So there's a lot of things herethat, yes, you have some
control over in terms of you howquickly you may find a job, but
(09:52):
the reality is there are waytoo many factors to consider and
so, realistically, you arelooking at that three to six
month time frame.
Okay, now, in my work, when Ihelp people build a mid-career
GPS, my work is based off of thehundreds of people whom I have
(10:14):
helped over the years.
Okay, and right now, you mayhave seen an ad for me, or you
may have seen something in mynewsletter, or you may have seen
something posted on LinkedInabout it, but I have a new free
guide or free lead magnet,whatever you want to call.
(10:34):
It is called why yourMid-Career Job Search Isn't
Working and what to Do About itthe four-step framework to build
a smarter, faster and moreconfident career move.
This is based off of what Iknow.
It is based off of what I know,what is working and what has
worked with my clients and ifyou're new to me, if you're
(10:57):
listening to this episode forthe first time or you've been
listening for a while and youwant to get this resource, it's
free.
All you have to do is go to mywebsite, johnnerrellcom, click
on the Resources tab and rightthere at the top, you will see
this PDF guide and you get it,and it downloads right away, and
, as a bonus, you automaticallyget entered into my email
(11:21):
newsletter community that Icurrently send twice a week.
Okay, but this is the thing thatin my work and in my space
where I'm helping mid-careerprofessionals, you must be more
strategic than what you're being, and being more strategic means
about being more creative,intentional, thought-provoking,
(11:47):
memorable, and you've got tofind a way to stand out, and
you've got to find a way tostand out.
Plugging your stuff into AI isnot going to make you stand out.
It might give you an idea,though, and that's where it's
different.
It might help you get an ideathat you hadn't thought about or
(12:13):
considered.
There's a great AI tool that Iuse called Notebook LM, and I
recently did a presentation fora group of interns where we
talked about optimizing yourLinkedIn profile, and I showed
them this AI tool where you canuse Notebook LM to upload a PDF
of your LinkedIn profile and itwill generate an audio review.
And so we get this AI-generatedperson, if you will, kind of
(12:42):
talking about you as if theywere interviewing you.
And my friend, rhonda Scherr,who's an amazing LinkedIn expert
, showed me this tool months agoand it's so much fun.
But when you get past thenovelty of it, what I encourage
my clients to think about andlisten for is is the audio
review?
Is the tool picking up onsomething you hadn't considered
(13:04):
sharing or discussing?
So here's what I know actuallyworks at mid-career and I know
this because I eat, live andbreathe this every single day
with the work that I do with myclients and being in this space.
You need two things.
One, you need self-reflection,to know what it is you want to
(13:29):
do, and that self-reflectiondrives to career clarity.
The career clarity is far morethan knowing.
Well, this is what I'm good atand this is what I ideally want
to do.
I coach my clients on what Icall my 4F framework.
The 4F framework is fit,function, finance and forward,
(13:54):
and you can go to my website,johnnarrellcom.
Forward slash resources and getthe mid-career promotion
blueprint Okay, but theself-reflection and the career
clarity.
To dig deeply into these fourthings that I guide you through
is all about helping youstrategically position yourself
(14:18):
on LinkedIn, on your resume,when you are networking and when
you get to that job interview.
Having the career clarity aboutknowing where you are most
valuable and how you are goingto help an organization.
Is all about value-drivenoutreach and not spamming people
(14:42):
or using some tool to generatean AI message that they are just
going to gloss over and neverread.
And that is where the power ofcoaching comes in.
Coaching is personalized.
It is specific to exactly whatit is that you need.
(15:05):
When you listen to the beginningof this podcast, when I get
through the introduction and Isay to you I help people find a
career they love or love the onethey have, I can't tell you how
many times people come to mefor coaching and they think
they're going to leave their joband they end up staying.
They find a way to make theirsituation better, more
(15:27):
manageable, because leaving ajob isn't always the solution.
This is where coaching ispersonal and AI can't do that.
You might think AI can do that,but it can't.
And how do I know that?
Because I've tried it.
I have tried it around somethings related to business
(15:48):
coaching and it doesn't work.
It's why I hire a businesscoach.
It's why I have my own coachfor certain things, because I
need that personal interaction.
I want that personalinteraction.
If you think of AI as being onthe surface, the interactions
(16:11):
and relationships you have, theworking relationships that you
build when you hire a coach.
You have a mentor, you have asponsor, whomever that might be.
That is an opportunity for thatcoach to listen, customize and
strategically plan with youabout what you wanna do for the
(16:34):
the long term and not go afterthe shortcut.
Okay, so if you're looking athiring a career coach, look for
process, don't look for promises.
Yeah, promises are a part of it.
You know what I tell people whoare curious about hiring me.
(16:55):
I say, look, I can't promiseyou you're going to get a job.
I can't.
I'm not there with you whenyou're actually interviewing.
Here's what I can promise you,and I list those things out.
Okay, ask if that coach orservice provider is speaking to
your career stage and challengesand they get to know exactly
(17:17):
your pain point.
Or are they just offering somekind of mass market fluff?
And lastly, does that coachemphasize effort, partnership,
clarity and confidence?
Or are they just promising youresults without any proven track
(17:39):
record of getting there?
That's why when people hire meas their coach or they come into
the mid-career GPS membershipcommunity, they're getting
strategies and processes thatare customized and
individualized to exactly whatit is they need to get them
there.
Because here's the thing Atmid-career, let's say, you're
(18:04):
between the ages of 35 and 50.
Okay, okay, you are in what Ilike to call your career and
wealth building years.
You are setting yourself up toreap the benefits in your 50s
and your 60s of all the workthat you have done leading up to
(18:26):
that point.
You've had the career, you'vehad the promotions, you've had
the success and you are lookingto leverage those and continue
those as you move throughmid-career and ultimately into
retirement.
Your career is not some kind ofgimmick.
(18:47):
Your career is about your brand, your reputation, your
livelihood, your leadership and,most importantly, my friends.
Your career is about yourlegacy.
What is the legacy you want toleave on this earth, within your
organization, with your team,your clients, the people you
(19:10):
work with day in and day out?
Mid-career is an opportunityfor you to invest in sustainable
progress and not silver bullets.
(19:30):
Look, the goal here isn't justto find another job.
That can be part of it.
You might be really unhappy inyour job situation and be like,
damn it, I just got to get a newjob.
Okay.
The goal isn't just to findanother job.
The goal is to build the rightone, is to find the job that
leads to the career that givesyou more clarity, more purpose
(19:54):
and more confidence.
That you get to wake up in themorning and be very excited
about going to work every day.
That you are excited about thework you get to do and the
impact you get to make.
And look, I'm not talking thatthis is every day.
You wake up feeling like that,but the days that you do far
outweigh the ones that you don't.
(20:15):
Mid-career is hard.
It is challenging.
It is why I do the work that Ido, because I never want another
mid-career professional to feellike they are struggling or
they are undervalued orunderutilized, like I did at
times when I was a mid-careerprofessional, undervalued or
underutilized, like I did attimes when I was a mid-career
(20:36):
professional.
Mid-career is one of the bestand most dynamic times in your
career.
Look, I couldn't be doing whatI'm doing now if I didn't have
the experiences I had atmid-career.
I want the same for you.
So look, if you are interestedand you wanna stop looking for
quick fixes and you wanna getstarted with some real traction
(20:59):
and momentum to help you.
Here's the first step Go to mywebsite, johnnerrellcom, click
on the resources tab and get myfree guide why your mid-career
job search isn't working andwhat to do about it.
Let's start there and then fromthere we'll continue to email
(21:22):
and you'll gain some moreinsights and I'll ask you some
questions and we'll figure outwhat the next step's gonna be.
And then, if you're interested,I've got a couple options.
I've got a career options.
I've got a career community.
It's called the Mid-Career GPSMembership Community.
You can come into that, okay,or you can inquire about hiring
me for one-on-one coaching.
(21:43):
But right now it is let's see,I'm recording this on the 31st
of July, so right now it is what?
August 5th Okay, that's thedate when this episode drops is
August 5th.
You are hitting the biggesttime right now that 2025 is
(22:06):
going to have, because from hereuntil Thanksgiving is going to
be the push, because you and Iboth know you get to the
holidays If you don't have a job, you'd be like I'll just wait
till the new year.
You can still find a jobbetween Thanksgiving and New
Year's, but you're not going tobe as motivated to do it.
Now is the time to capitalizeon you.
(22:27):
It is time to invest in whatyou do and the impact you want
to make, and I can help you dothat.
So if you want to know more, goto my website, johnnerrellcom.
Click on the resources tab,download that free guide, or you
can email me at john atjohnnerrellcom, and we can talk
(22:49):
about what one-on-one coachingor coming into the membership
community might look like.
As I say at the end of everysingle episode, it's this you
will build your mid-career GPSone mile or one step at a time,
and how you show up matters.
Now's your chance to show up.
(23:09):
Show up for you and invest inyour career.
Take the time and don't lookfor the quick fixes, but find
the things that actually work.
And, my friends, I will be backwith you next week.
Take care of yourself.
We'll talk soon.
(23:33):
Thank you for listening to theMid-Career GPS podcast.
Make sure to follow on yourfavorite listening platform and,
if you have a moment, I'd loveto hear your comments on Apple
podcasts.
Visit johnnerrellcom for moreinformation about how I can help
you build your mid-career GPSor how I can help you and your
organization with your nextworkshop or public speaking
event.
Don't forget to connect with meon LinkedIn and follow me on
(23:56):
social at John Darrell Coaching.
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
Until then, take care andremember how we show up matters.
Thank you.
If you've ever scrawled past an ad that says
land your dream job in 30 daysor double your salary using AI,
you are not alone and you'redefinitely not crazy for feeling
tempted when you're stuck,frustrated and feeling
undervalued in your job orcareer.
Those quick fixes yeah, theysound really appealing, but
(00:24):
here's the truth Career growthand I'm talking real career
growth Takes more than aplug-and-play template or some
type of AI-generated magic.
In today's episode, I willbreak down for you why
mid-career professionals need tobe especially cautious of these
(00:45):
flashing online promises.
I'll walk you through the redflags, what actually works for
mid-career professionals and howto make smarter, more strategic
moves that lead to lastingimpact.
My friends, this is yourreminder that your career is not
a quick fix.
It is an investment and youdeserve far better than
(01:09):
shortcuts.
Let's get started.
Hello, my friends, this is theMid-Career GPS Podcast and I'm
your host, john Nerrell.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a career they
(01:30):
love, or love the one they have,using my proven four-step
formula.
So crazy to me how we can soeasily get bombarded and we can
have the algorithm fill ourfeeds with things that we might
(01:52):
have clicked on once, be itabout getting a job promotion or
increasing your salary,negotiating a better job offer,
or you click on one GoldenRetriever video and, the next
thing you know, your whole feedis flooded with them.
Okay, here's what I wanted youto know right off from the start
(02:13):
.
These ads are designed totrigger an emotional response
and if you're unhappy orunsatisfied in your career, you
are desperate for change.
But there is a rise in onlinepromises.
It is a tremendous marketingtool Land a six-figure job in 30
(02:36):
days.
Use AI to double your salary.
This hack got me a job atGoogle, whatever it might be.
But when you're frustrated,what do you want?
You want fast relief, and sothese promises, which may or may
not be true, trigger thatemotional response for you to
(02:56):
think okay, this might actuallywork Well, will it?
I think there are a few redflags you need to be paying
attention to, and they're onesthat I have seen as I've been
digging into this a little bit.
So here's number one.
Number one red flag is to beaware of these one-size-fits-all
(03:17):
promises.
If you think that there is atemplated AI resume or a generic
cover letter that's going to bethe be-all and end-all for you
and your job search, I want tooffer you is not going to help
you stand out.
Your story, your goals, yourcareer path are unique to you,
(03:46):
and that means you have to bethe one telling the story.
Now, can you use a tool to helpyou tell that story?
Absolutely, should you be usinga tool to help you tell that
story?
I'm going to offer you more thanlikely probably yes right now
in this job market, but it ismore important than ever to
(04:11):
recognize that a plug and playadvice does not work to your
advantage when you are atmid-career, especially when you
are managing leadership,personal values, financial
responsibilities and looking tomake a bigger impact and do more
(04:31):
things.
That's where you have to tellyour story and that's where AI
cannot do it to the best of yourability.
To the best of your ability.
Now, certainly in this jobmarket and in this landscape, we
know that, be it ChatGPT or anyof the other AI tools that are
(04:54):
out there, it's all abouthelping you save time and get
better results.
I want you to remember that AIis a tool, it is not a strategy.
To remember that AI is a tool,it is not a strategy.
I look at AI much like I look atusing Microsoft Office.
It helps me, whether in Word,excel, powerpoint, whatever it
(05:15):
might be.
It is there to assist me andmake my job easier.
I still have to do some of thework.
Okay, I don't have to build thesoftware program to do it, but
I am responsible for what I putinto it.
When you're using AI, especiallyif you are trying to figure out
what is next in your career,keep in mind that you are
(05:39):
positioning yourself for impactbased on your results.
You are not positioningyourself based on output.
In other words, if you're nottelling your story that is from
a very results-focused mindsetand perspective, about here's
what I've done and here were theresults that I got, and here's
(06:01):
why you should care about thisIf you're writing a resume that
is nothing more of I did this, Idid this, I did this and it
sounds like a job description.
That is not what a mid-careerresume should be, nor should it
be your LinkedIn profile.
Okay, additionally, ai and Iwant to just credit my dear
(06:21):
coach, colleague and friend,susan on this one, because we
were talking the other day andwhat she said about AI was so
spot on.
What she said was AI cannot andwill not be able to give you
the aha.
The aha is that insight.
(06:42):
The aha is that insight.
It is that revelation or thatlight bulb moment that goes off
over your head.
That truly happens when you aredoing intentional career
reflection and you arestrategically positioning
yourself in the market.
If you want to leverage AI, useit in a very smart and strategic
(07:06):
way.
Do not use it with recklessabandon and dependency to think
that, okay, I'm going to goahead and put my resume in AI
and I'm going to put the jobposting in here and I'm going to
tell it to optimize it andeverything's going to be great
and I'm just going to go aheadand submit that.
Okay, great, and I'm just goingto go ahead and submit that.
(07:28):
Okay, because what I know and Iknow this from talking with my
colleagues in the recruiting andhiring spaces is that as AI
gets more sophisticated andpeople are using it more and
more the people who are actuallyreviewing the resumes what's
also happening is they'regetting better at detecting who
is using it and just taking itfor what it spits out.
And so if there's a suspicion,or a flag, if you will that goes
(07:55):
up and thinking like, I'm notso sure they really used AI in
the best way here that mayactually go against you in terms
of getting called or invited infor an interview.
So again, ai is a tool.
But the third red flag I wantyou to know about is that if
you're hearing about unrealistictimelines or exaggerated income
(08:18):
claims in some of thesemarketing, be careful and do
your research.
Okay, I saw one the other dayit said double your salary in
your research.
Okay, I saw one the other dayit said double your salary in
six weeks.
Okay, could you do that?
Sure, all, right Now, if you'reat a job, say, making $20,000,
it is far easier to land a jobwhere you're gonna make $40,000
(08:42):
versus making a job where you're, say, making $150,000 and then
trying to make $300,000.
Okay, so be careful in terms ofwhat those particular claims
actually mean Right now in thisjob market.
What I am seeing with workingwith my own clients and in
talking with other mid-careerprofessionals and colleagues
(09:05):
that are in this space, is that,realistically, you're looking
three to six months Three to sixmonths between when you
actually start looking for a jobto when you start.
The sweet spot seems to bearound five months.
But depending on how selective,how particular, the type of
industry you are in and what theforecast is for that industry.
(09:28):
It may take you longer and,additionally, you have to look
at factors such as howaggressive are you going to be
in your job search?
How valuable is your network?
So there's a lot of things herethat, yes, you have some
control over in terms of you howquickly you may find a job, but
(09:52):
the reality is there are waytoo many factors to consider and
so, realistically, you arelooking at that three to six
month time frame.
Okay, now, in my work, when Ihelp people build a mid-career
GPS, my work is based off of thehundreds of people whom I have
(10:14):
helped over the years.
Okay, and right now, you mayhave seen an ad for me, or you
may have seen something in mynewsletter, or you may have seen
something posted on LinkedInabout it, but I have a new free
guide or free lead magnet,whatever you want to call.
(10:34):
It is called why yourMid-Career Job Search Isn't
Working and what to Do About itthe four-step framework to build
a smarter, faster and moreconfident career move.
This is based off of what Iknow.
It is based off of what I know,what is working and what has
worked with my clients and ifyou're new to me, if you're
(10:57):
listening to this episode forthe first time or you've been
listening for a while and youwant to get this resource, it's
free.
All you have to do is go to mywebsite, johnnerrellcom, click
on the Resources tab and rightthere at the top, you will see
this PDF guide and you get it,and it downloads right away, and
, as a bonus, you automaticallyget entered into my email
(11:21):
newsletter community that Icurrently send twice a week.
Okay, but this is the thing thatin my work and in my space
where I'm helping mid-careerprofessionals, you must be more
strategic than what you're being, and being more strategic means
about being more creative,intentional, thought-provoking,
(11:47):
memorable, and you've got tofind a way to stand out, and
you've got to find a way tostand out.
Plugging your stuff into AI isnot going to make you stand out.
It might give you an idea,though, and that's where it's
different.
It might help you get an ideathat you hadn't thought about or
(12:13):
considered.
There's a great AI tool that Iuse called Notebook LM, and I
recently did a presentation fora group of interns where we
talked about optimizing yourLinkedIn profile, and I showed
them this AI tool where you canuse Notebook LM to upload a PDF
of your LinkedIn profile and itwill generate an audio review.
And so we get this AI-generatedperson, if you will, kind of
(12:42):
talking about you as if theywere interviewing you.
And my friend, rhonda Scherr,who's an amazing LinkedIn expert
, showed me this tool months agoand it's so much fun.
But when you get past thenovelty of it, what I encourage
my clients to think about andlisten for is is the audio
review?
Is the tool picking up onsomething you hadn't considered
(13:04):
sharing or discussing?
So here's what I know actuallyworks at mid-career and I know
this because I eat, live andbreathe this every single day
with the work that I do with myclients and being in this space.
You need two things.
One, you need self-reflection,to know what it is you want to
(13:29):
do, and that self-reflectiondrives to career clarity.
The career clarity is far morethan knowing.
Well, this is what I'm good atand this is what I ideally want
to do.
I coach my clients on what Icall my 4F framework.
The 4F framework is fit,function, finance and forward,
(13:54):
and you can go to my website,johnnarrellcom.
Forward slash resources and getthe mid-career promotion
blueprint Okay, but theself-reflection and the career
clarity.
To dig deeply into these fourthings that I guide you through
is all about helping youstrategically position yourself
(14:18):
on LinkedIn, on your resume,when you are networking and when
you get to that job interview.
Having the career clarity aboutknowing where you are most
valuable and how you are goingto help an organization.
Is all about value-drivenoutreach and not spamming people
(14:42):
or using some tool to generatean AI message that they are just
going to gloss over and neverread.
And that is where the power ofcoaching comes in.
Coaching is personalized.
It is specific to exactly whatit is that you need.
(15:05):
When you listen to the beginningof this podcast, when I get
through the introduction and Isay to you I help people find a
career they love or love the onethey have, I can't tell you how
many times people come to mefor coaching and they think
they're going to leave their joband they end up staying.
They find a way to make theirsituation better, more
(15:27):
manageable, because leaving ajob isn't always the solution.
This is where coaching ispersonal and AI can't do that.
You might think AI can do that,but it can't.
And how do I know that?
Because I've tried it.
I have tried it around somethings related to business
(15:48):
coaching and it doesn't work.
It's why I hire a businesscoach.
It's why I have my own coachfor certain things, because I
need that personal interaction.
I want that personalinteraction.
If you think of AI as being onthe surface, the interactions
(16:11):
and relationships you have, theworking relationships that you
build when you hire a coach.
You have a mentor, you have asponsor, whomever that might be.
That is an opportunity for thatcoach to listen, customize and
strategically plan with youabout what you wanna do for the
(16:34):
the long term and not go afterthe shortcut.
Okay, so if you're looking athiring a career coach, look for
process, don't look for promises.
Yeah, promises are a part of it.
You know what I tell people whoare curious about hiring me.
(16:55):
I say, look, I can't promiseyou you're going to get a job.
I can't.
I'm not there with you whenyou're actually interviewing.
Here's what I can promise you,and I list those things out.
Okay, ask if that coach orservice provider is speaking to
your career stage and challengesand they get to know exactly
(17:17):
your pain point.
Or are they just offering somekind of mass market fluff?
And lastly, does that coachemphasize effort, partnership,
clarity and confidence?
Or are they just promising youresults without any proven track
(17:39):
record of getting there?
That's why when people hire meas their coach or they come into
the mid-career GPS membershipcommunity, they're getting
strategies and processes thatare customized and
individualized to exactly whatit is they need to get them
there.
Because here's the thing Atmid-career, let's say, you're
(18:04):
between the ages of 35 and 50.
Okay, okay, you are in what Ilike to call your career and
wealth building years.
You are setting yourself up toreap the benefits in your 50s
and your 60s of all the workthat you have done leading up to
(18:26):
that point.
You've had the career, you'vehad the promotions, you've had
the success and you are lookingto leverage those and continue
those as you move throughmid-career and ultimately into
retirement.
Your career is not some kind ofgimmick.
(18:47):
Your career is about your brand, your reputation, your
livelihood, your leadership and,most importantly, my friends.
Your career is about yourlegacy.
What is the legacy you want toleave on this earth, within your
organization, with your team,your clients, the people you
(19:10):
work with day in and day out?
Mid-career is an opportunityfor you to invest in sustainable
progress and not silver bullets.
(19:30):
Look, the goal here isn't justto find another job.
That can be part of it.
You might be really unhappy inyour job situation and be like,
damn it, I just got to get a newjob.
Okay.
The goal isn't just to findanother job.
The goal is to build the rightone, is to find the job that
leads to the career that givesyou more clarity, more purpose
(19:54):
and more confidence.
That you get to wake up in themorning and be very excited
about going to work every day.
That you are excited about thework you get to do and the
impact you get to make.
And look, I'm not talking thatthis is every day.
You wake up feeling like that,but the days that you do far
outweigh the ones that you don't.
(20:15):
Mid-career is hard.
It is challenging.
It is why I do the work that Ido, because I never want another
mid-career professional to feellike they are struggling or
they are undervalued orunderutilized, like I did at
times when I was a mid-careerprofessional, undervalued or
underutilized, like I did attimes when I was a mid-career
(20:36):
professional.
Mid-career is one of the bestand most dynamic times in your
career.
Look, I couldn't be doing whatI'm doing now if I didn't have
the experiences I had atmid-career.
I want the same for you.
So look, if you are interestedand you wanna stop looking for
quick fixes and you wanna getstarted with some real traction
(20:59):
and momentum to help you.
Here's the first step Go to mywebsite, johnnerrellcom, click
on the resources tab and get myfree guide why your mid-career
job search isn't working andwhat to do about it.
Let's start there and then fromthere we'll continue to email
(21:22):
and you'll gain some moreinsights and I'll ask you some
questions and we'll figure outwhat the next step's gonna be.
And then, if you're interested,I've got a couple options.
I've got a career options.
I've got a career community.
It's called the Mid-Career GPSMembership Community.
You can come into that, okay,or you can inquire about hiring
me for one-on-one coaching.
(21:43):
But right now it is let's see,I'm recording this on the 31st
of July, so right now it is what?
August 5th Okay, that's thedate when this episode drops is
August 5th.
You are hitting the biggesttime right now that 2025 is
(22:06):
going to have, because from hereuntil Thanksgiving is going to
be the push, because you and Iboth know you get to the
holidays If you don't have a job, you'd be like I'll just wait
till the new year.
You can still find a jobbetween Thanksgiving and New
Year's, but you're not going tobe as motivated to do it.
Now is the time to capitalizeon you.
(22:27):
It is time to invest in whatyou do and the impact you want
to make, and I can help you dothat.
So if you want to know more, goto my website, johnnerrellcom.
Click on the resources tab,download that free guide, or you
can email me at john atjohnnerrellcom, and we can talk
(22:49):
about what one-on-one coachingor coming into the membership
community might look like.
As I say at the end of everysingle episode, it's this you
will build your mid-career GPSone mile or one step at a time,
and how you show up matters.
Now's your chance to show up.
(23:09):
Show up for you and invest inyour career.
Take the time and don't lookfor the quick fixes, but find
the things that actually work.
And, my friends, I will be backwith you next week.
Take care of yourself.
We'll talk soon.
(23:33):
Thank you for listening to theMid-Career GPS podcast.
Make sure to follow on yourfavorite listening platform and,
if you have a moment, I'd loveto hear your comments on Apple
podcasts.
Visit johnnerrellcom for moreinformation about how I can help
you build your mid-career GPSor how I can help you and your
organization with your nextworkshop or public speaking
event.
Don't forget to connect with meon LinkedIn and follow me on
(23:56):
social at John Darrell Coaching.
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
Until then, take care andremember how we show up matters.
Thank you.
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