Are you tired of sending out job applications and hearing nothing back? Wondering if you’re overqualified or not qualified enough? If you’re a mid-career professional struggling in today’s competitive and employer-driven job market, this episode is for you.
In this episode of The Mid-Career GPS Podcast, I’m answering some of the most common and most frustrating questions I hear from clients in their 30s, 40s, and 50s navigating a job search or career transition.
You’ll learn how to position yourself for roles you may not meet every qualification for, how to communicate leadership even if you don’t have a management title, and how to know when it’s really time to leave a job that’s no longer working. We’ll also talk about the emotional toll of job searching and how to maintain confidence, even when the rejections pile up.
If you’re ready to make a strategic shift and get results in your job search, this episode offers practical, proven advice to help you regain control and take your next best step forward.
Key Topics Covered:
- ✅ How to stand out in a competitive job market by communicating your value and overcoming common hiring objections
- ✅ Why you don’t need to meet 100% of job qualifications and how to know which jobs are worth applying for
- ✅ Practical strategies for showcasing leadership when you’re not in a formal leadership role
- ✅ The right time to leave a job and how to evaluate the risks and rewards
- ✅ Tools to manage rejection, track your progress, and stay confident during your search
- ✅ How to pivot industries at mid-career by telling a compelling, transferable career story
Resources Mentioned:
Free Download
Why Your Mid-Career Job Search Isn’t Working and What to Do About It
This free guide will help you rethink your job search strategy, boost your confidence, and start getting better results faster. Visit https://johnneral.com/resources to download it.
Next Week’s Episode Preview:
Don’t miss a special episode where a former client shares their inspiring job search success story, i
Ready to give your career the jumpstart it needs to whatever is next? Schedule a $197 Career/Leadership Strategy Session. Click here to learn more about how this transformative strategy session will help you.
Visit https://johnneral.com/resources to:
- Subscribe to my free leadership and career newsletter
- Get The Mid-Career Promotion Blueprint to help you figure out whatever is next for you and your career
- Join The Mid-Career GPS Membership Community.
Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts here.
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Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here.
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Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
John Neral (00:00):
Today I'm doing something different.
Over the years, whether it'sthrough coaching, speaking or
conversations with mid-careerprofessionals like you, I hear a
lot of recurring questionsabout job searching,
interviewing and navigatingcareer transitions.
So in this episode, I'm sharingsome of the most common and
(00:22):
relatable questions careerprofessionals like you are
asking right now.
Currently, this is anemployer's job market and,
admittedly, it's frustrating,but it's not impossible.
So in this episode, I'll giveyou practical strategies and
insights to help you moveforward with more clarity and
greater confidence.
(00:43):
So if you've ever wondered howto stand out in a competitive
job market when it's really timeto leave a role, or how to make
a career pivot at mid-careerwithout starting over, my
friends, you're in the rightplace.
Let's get started.
Hello, my friends, this is theMid-Career GPS Podcast and I'm
(01:13):
your host, John Neral.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a career they
love, or love the one they have,using my proven four-step
formula.
This episode If you go to mywebsite, johnnarrellcom, forward
slash resources, you will finda brand new free guide called
Why Your Mid-Career Job SearchIsn't Working and What to Do
About It.
all about the questions I mostoften get, but if you're really
frustrated with this job searchright now, or even with this job
market, I've got something tohelp you.
(01:34):
This free guide is not justanother downloadable.
This is a proven tacticaltoolkit to help you diagnose and
(01:56):
pinpoint exactly what's notworking in your job search and
figure out the next steps toimprove it.
So go visit https://johnneral.
com/resources to check out allof my resources there, including
this free guide.
Okay, let's get right into it.
So one of the questions I'mmost often asked is this John,
(02:20):
I've been applying for jobs formonths and am barely getting
interviews.
As a mid-career professional,how do I stand out when it feels
like employers just wantyounger or cheaper candidates?
Well, that's understandableRight now, as we're seeing
companies look at budgets andtry to figure out cost savings,
(02:40):
and look at their FTEs, theirfull-time employees, and look at
those staffing numbers.
Yeah, companies might belooking for younger or less
expensive talent, but here'swhat I want to offer you.
Where's the objection?
Where is the objectionspecifically to hiring you?
Is it something with your skillset?
(03:03):
Are you maybe applying forpositions that are just simply
out of your salary range?
But where are you notcommunicating your value to the
hiring manager, recruiter or HRprofessional?
Something in your story ismissing here.
I want to offer you that, whilein some cases it may be that,
(03:25):
yeah, they're just looking forsomeone who they can bring in at
a lower salary, oftentimes it'snot always the case.
There may be something in howyou are branding yourself or
delivering your message,communicating your story, that
you're not sharing enough aboutthese impactful results that are
really going to get theminterested in who you are and
what you do.
(03:45):
So when I hear a question likethis, I offer my clients.
This is an opportunity for themto tap into their mindset.
In other words, the more valueI provide, the more value you
are going to make or savebecause you're bringing someone
experienced like me into yourorganization.
Somewhere there's an objection,it's your job as the candidate
(04:10):
to figure that out.
Call it out, talk about it andsee why you're the better
solution.
Okay, all right.
Next question I am torn betweenstaying in my current role,
where I feel stuck but secure,or taking a risk, and looking
for something new.
How do I know when it's reallytime to leave my job?
(04:32):
This is a great question andadmittedly, it is a hard one,
especially in this job marketright now.
That is, without question, anemployer's job market.
That means they control more ofthe cards.
They're able to take longer interms of making hiring decisions
.
They know that there aren't asmany jobs out there as there
(04:56):
used to be, so they're going tobe a little bit more selective.
But if you're thinking aboutleaving your current role, this
is where something like this isoften addressed in the coaching
relationship, because this ispersonal.
In a coaching relationship, wewould end up exploring what are
the pros and cons for youstaying in your job versus
(05:18):
leaving your job, and also wetake a look at what are the
risks and rewards.
Now I will offer you that'ssomething you can do on your own
.
You can talk about it withclose family members, support
systems, peers, colleagues, heck, you could even dump it all
into ChatGPT and see what itspits out for you.
(05:38):
But ChatGPT is not going togive you the aha.
It's not going to give you theinsight where, as a coach, is
going to be able to really helpyou unpack those decisions, to
feel and know what truly is thebest option for you.
As a coach, I never tell myclients what to do, especially
(06:00):
when it comes to big lifedecisions like this.
That's for you to decide.
It's my job as a coach to askyou all the questions.
Have you explore all theavenues and opportunities that
are there so you can make thebest decision for you?
But if you're thinking aboutleaving your job, understandably
it's going to take up a lot ofthought and reflection on your
(06:21):
part to make that decision.
Okay, next question Every jobposting seems to ask for skills
that I don't have.
How can I position mytransferable skills and
experience without feeling likeI'm not qualified?
Here's what I want to offer you.
If you are looking at a jobposting and you believe you
(06:43):
fulfill 100% of the requirements, you are probably overqualified
for that job and are not goingto get an interview.
Remember that a job postingessentially is a laundry list of
things that the company islooking for in their ideal
candidate.
They are not expecting someoneto come in and be able to do all
(07:04):
of those things withoutstanding or excellent
proficiency.
What I would suggest is figureout where the line is in terms
of how strongly you believe youmeet the criteria for the job
and when you don't.
So let's say, for example,there are 10 bullet points in
(07:25):
the job posting.
Okay, you go through them andyou feel like you can
confidently perform 80% of them.
Is it worth it for you applyingfor the job?
That depends on your barometerabout when you are willing to
invest the time, effort andenergy in applying for that job.
Some people I work with we seta very strict criteria of a 90%
(07:49):
match.
Others might be 60%.
It just depends on theirindividual situation and what
they're looking at.
But keep in mind, if you can doeverything in that job posting
with excellent proficiency, morethan likely you are
overqualified for that jobposting with excellent
proficiency, more than likelyyou are overqualified for that
job in my opinion and myexpertise.
Okay, all right, let's see I'mgoing down my list here.
(08:15):
Okay, interviewers keep askingme about leadership experience,
but I've mostly been anindividual contributor.
How do I confidently talk aboutleadership when I don't manage
a team?
This question has been comingup a lot lately, and so when you
(08:38):
think about your career path,if you're thinking about taking
that next step and you want toelevate into that next role and
that next role may be you havingdirect reports and you have
supervisory experience or dutiesand responsibilities here you
(08:58):
need to be able to find whereyou are demonstrating examples
of leadership and where you areinfluencing without authority.
Think about this when are youleading inside and outside of
work?
Leadership experience doesn'thave to be solely contained to
(09:19):
what you do inside thatorganization with your church
and you're leading a particularfundraiser.
There can be plenty of examplesyou can provide about your
leadership, but when you do,this is an opportunity for you
(09:40):
to be strategic.
It's your job to tell the storyabout where you're connecting
the dots between how you lead,why it's important, why it
matters and what were theresults.
This is a chance for you to tapinto prior experiences and use
(10:01):
those experiences to create yourleadership narrative.
When you may not have directleadership experience at work,
the other thing I would offeryou is find ways to lead at work
.
Increase your visibility on aproject, take responsibility.
Have somebody delegate somethings to you that you can
demonstrate your leadership.
(10:23):
The last thing is you should beprepared for a question about
who you are as a leader.
Are as a leader and I will tellyou.
In this job market right now,how you answer this question is
more important than ever.
Hiring managers and recruitersdon't want to hear things like
(10:48):
I'm a very caring andheart-centered leader.
I'm an empathetic leader whocares deeply about my team.
That stuff, yes, it matters,don't get me wrong, but you need
to be able to give examples ofyour leadership that are
impactful, results-driven.
So, for example, you might saysomething like I'm an empathetic
(11:11):
and heart-centered leader, andwhat that means is that when I'm
having to deliver feedback andeven difficult feedback to
colleagues or people whom I workwith, I do it from an
empathetic or heart-centeredplace because I want what's best
for them, and here's how Ideliver that feedback.
That can be a much betterexample of you demonstrating
(11:36):
your leadership values, asopposed to simply putting them
out there and expecting them tounderstand what it is that you
mean.
Always command your narrative.
You're the one that's tellingit.
That's why these interviews canbe difficult or tricky, because
you're not doing a solid job ofcommunicating your story in a
(11:56):
way that's keeping peopleinterested in who you are and
what you do.
Oh, this next question, myfriends, I get this one a lot.
All right, this one might bereally familiar to you.
Here we go.
This job search process feels sodiscouraging at this stage in
(12:17):
my career.
How do I keep my confidence upwhen rejections are piling up?
Like I said earlier, this jobmarket is tough, but it is not
impossible.
And, admittedly, if you arecurrently unemployed, at
mid-career, or your company hasgone through a restructuring,
they've had some economicdifficulties, there's been
(12:39):
layoffs or cuts and you now findyourself in a position you
never, ever thought you would bein.
This, my friend, is a lesson inresiliency and perseverance.
This job market is not for theweak.
It is vulnerable, it isgut-wrenching, it is hard.
So how do you keep yourconfidence up?
(13:02):
Track your data, track yourdata.
By that I mean okay.
So build your job searchstrategy.
Where are you looking forpositions?
How much are you networking?
What kind of positions are youapplying for?
How are you asking your networkto help and support you?
And then you are going to askyourself these powerful
(13:27):
reflection questions what'sworking, what's not working?
What are you learning?
What do you need to dodifferently?
And those questions, personally, are very near and dear to my
(13:47):
heart, because not only are theyquestions that I've asked
myself when I was going throughmy career transition, but
they're also things to this dayI still ask myself in growing my
coaching business right.
I always ask myself what'sworking, what's not?
What am I learning?
What can I be doing differently?
They're the same questions,because when we have data to
track those results, we then canlook at that data and go oh,
(14:11):
you know what?
I haven't networked withanybody in three weeks.
I wonder if that has anythingto do why I'm not getting any
leads or information about jobs.
Maybe you haven't invitedanybody to an informational
interview or talked to somebodyabout their work experiences or
how they navigated this part oftheir career, navigated this
(14:34):
part of their career and,understandably, while applying
for positions are taxing and, attimes, painful.
There are people out there whoare getting jobs by applying
online because they know how tonavigate and work the system.
Hint, you will hear more aboutthat next week.
So what's working?
What's not?
What are you learning?
(14:54):
What do you need to dodifferently?
And then there's this Is ittime for you to tag and hire a
coach?
Find a coach who you can hire,meaning you're going to pay for
them.
You're going to pay for theirservices and expertise to help
you navigate not just thetechnical aspect of the job
(15:17):
search, but also help you withyour mindset, your attitude,
your energy when you are goingthrough this job search and it's
not easy.
Look, I would love foreverybody to hit apply on the
first job that they see and boom, they get a position, or they
reach out to someone in theirnetwork and they're hired within
(15:39):
three days.
That's not this job market.
This job market is not for thefaint of heart.
You need to be tough and let metell you this there are days
when it is okay to not be.
And let me tell you this thereare days when it is okay to not
be.
It is okay to be ticked off andpissed off and upset and angry
(16:00):
and frustrated because you'renot getting the results you want
.
You cannot overlook thosethings.
Those things may happen.
I want to just brush it off.
We have to acknowledge and ownwhere we are and how we're
feeling, but that it's also thebattle cry for what you need to
be doing differently to get theresults you want.
(16:25):
Okay, here is the last question,john.
I want to transition into acompletely different industry,
but I'm worried that recruiterswon't take me seriously.
How do I make a pivot atmid-career without starting over
, wanting to work in a differentline of work, a different
(16:58):
industry or organization, andyou might want to leverage some
skills into this particular newrole?
Well, in this job market rightnow, companies are wanting
people who are skilled up andready to go.
So here's the question whyshould someone hire you?
If you're looking to make apivot into a completely
(17:18):
different industry, why wouldsomeone hire you?
What do they gain by bringingyou on?
It is your opportunity and,more importantly I will say, it
is your responsibility to make acredible case about
transitioning with the skillsyou have and know what might be
(17:41):
in your way for making such atransition.
I often coach my clients onhelping them paint a picture of
why their narrative needs toaddress all of the things that
they're going to be doing well,things that they're going to
have to transfer or leveragepast experiences into this new
(18:03):
role, as well as overcome anyobjections that the hiring
manager may have.
This is where conductinginformational interviews can be
your friend, because you couldbe conducting informational
interviews with people aboutmaking a successful career pivot
or career transition in thisregard.
How did they do it?
(18:24):
What did they learn?
What would they have donedifferently?
But again, simply saying, oh,I'm a hard worker, I'll learn,
I'll skill up real quickly,that's not going to do it.
That's not going to do it.
You need to be able tocommunicate where your skills
are transferable andtranslatable for you to be in
(18:46):
this new role.
That's where you need a plan.
That's where your mid-careerGPS can come into play very
easily and then, once you havethat plan, execute on it
accordingly.
I hope these questions werehelpful.
Hopefully they tapped into someof the things that you've been
experiencing as well and gaveyou some insight or motivation
(19:09):
into how you're navigating thisjob market and this part of your
career journey.
Now, obviously, if there isanything I can do to help you,
I'd be honored.
So there's a few opportunities.
One go check out the resourcespage on my website.
It is johnnerrellcom forwardslash resources.
(19:30):
There are free resources there,such as my twice weekly
leadership and career newsletter.
There is that free guide, whichis why your mid-career job
search isn't working and what todo about it, and there's this
podcast all free.
And then there are some what wecall low ticket offers that are
there.
So I have an interviewpreparation course that is there
(19:53):
currently for $27.
There is a masterclass calledthe Mid-Career Promotion
Blueprint.
It is a 70 minute masterclassfor $37 to help you navigate
your next step in your careerhow to figure out how to
strategically position yourselfif you're going for that
internal promotion or the thingsthat you can be saying or doing
(20:16):
to make you an even morequalified candidate when you're
looking to step out of yourorganization and into a new one.
There's a career clarity coursethere, and then, of course,
there is the mid-career GPSmembership community that you
can join per month or annuallyto come in and get direct
support from me inside thecommunity.
(20:37):
I'm also available for privateone-on-one coaching, and all of
that starts off with aleadership and career strategy
session.
If you are interested in that,all you need to do is find me.
You can message me on LinkedInor you can email me at
john@johnneral.
com, and I will share details onhow to book that leadership and
career strategy session.
(20:57):
So stay tuned, because nextweek I'm going to interview a
former client of mine who sharedhis powerful job search and
career transition story with mefor all of you in this very
difficult job market, and he'sgoing to share with you what
(21:19):
worked and what didn't, and howlong it took and how frustrating
it was, but also some reallygood things on the other side of
it as well.
So I'm honored that I got thechance to interview him.
You will get that episode nextweek and that'll drop the day
after Labor Day.
So if you are traveling for theLabor Day holiday, please,
(21:41):
please, please, be careful.
Be kind to everybody whenyou're traveling.
Be kind when you're on the roador you're in the skies or on
the rails, whatever it might be.
Be kind to one another.
That's so important right nowand I'll be back with you next
week as we kick off September.
So until then, my friends,remember this you will build
(22:02):
your mid-career GPS one mile orone step at a time, and how you
show up matters.
Make it a great rest of yourday.
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
(22:23):
Podcasts.
Visit johnnarrellcom 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
social at John Narrow Coaching.
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
(22:44):
Until then, take care andremember how we show up matters.
Thank you.
Today I'm doing something different.
Over the years, whether it'sthrough coaching, speaking or
conversations with mid-careerprofessionals like you, I hear a
lot of recurring questionsabout job searching,
interviewing and navigatingcareer transitions.
So in this episode, I'm sharingsome of the most common and
(00:22):
relatable questions careerprofessionals like you are
asking right now.
Currently, this is anemployer's job market and,
admittedly, it's frustrating,but it's not impossible.
So in this episode, I'll giveyou practical strategies and
insights to help you moveforward with more clarity and
greater confidence.
(00:43):
So if you've ever wondered howto stand out in a competitive
job market when it's really timeto leave a role, or how to make
a career pivot at mid-careerwithout starting over, my
friends, you're in the rightplace.
Let's get started.
Hello, my friends, this is theMid-Career GPS Podcast and I'm
(01:13):
your host, John Neral.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a career they
love, or love the one they have,using my proven four-step
formula.
This episode If you go to mywebsite, johnnarrellcom, forward
slash resources, you will finda brand new free guide called
Why Your Mid-Career Job SearchIsn't Working and What to Do
About It.
all about the questions I mostoften get, but if you're really
frustrated with this job searchright now, or even with this job
market, I've got something tohelp you.
(01:34):
This free guide is not justanother downloadable.
This is a proven tacticaltoolkit to help you diagnose and
(01:56):
pinpoint exactly what's notworking in your job search and
figure out the next steps toimprove it.
So go visit https://johnneral.
com/resources to check out allof my resources there, including
this free guide.
Okay, let's get right into it.
So one of the questions I'mmost often asked is this John,
(02:20):
I've been applying for jobs formonths and am barely getting
interviews.
As a mid-career professional,how do I stand out when it feels
like employers just wantyounger or cheaper candidates?
Well, that's understandableRight now, as we're seeing
companies look at budgets andtry to figure out cost savings,
(02:40):
and look at their FTEs, theirfull-time employees, and look at
those staffing numbers.
Yeah, companies might belooking for younger or less
expensive talent, but here'swhat I want to offer you.
Where's the objection?
Where is the objectionspecifically to hiring you?
Is it something with your skillset?
(03:03):
Are you maybe applying forpositions that are just simply
out of your salary range?
But where are you notcommunicating your value to the
hiring manager, recruiter or HRprofessional?
Something in your story ismissing here.
I want to offer you that, whilein some cases it may be that,
(03:25):
yeah, they're just looking forsomeone who they can bring in at
a lower salary, oftentimes it'snot always the case.
There may be something in howyou are branding yourself or
delivering your message,communicating your story, that
you're not sharing enough aboutthese impactful results that are
really going to get theminterested in who you are and
what you do.
(03:45):
So when I hear a question likethis, I offer my clients.
This is an opportunity for themto tap into their mindset.
In other words, the more valueI provide, the more value you
are going to make or savebecause you're bringing someone
experienced like me into yourorganization.
Somewhere there's an objection,it's your job as the candidate
(04:10):
to figure that out.
Call it out, talk about it andsee why you're the better
solution.
Okay, all right.
Next question I am torn betweenstaying in my current role,
where I feel stuck but secure,or taking a risk, and looking
for something new.
How do I know when it's reallytime to leave my job?
(04:32):
This is a great question andadmittedly, it is a hard one,
especially in this job marketright now.
That is, without question, anemployer's job market.
That means they control more ofthe cards.
They're able to take longer interms of making hiring decisions
.
They know that there aren't asmany jobs out there as there
(04:56):
used to be, so they're going tobe a little bit more selective.
But if you're thinking aboutleaving your current role, this
is where something like this isoften addressed in the coaching
relationship, because this ispersonal.
In a coaching relationship, wewould end up exploring what are
the pros and cons for youstaying in your job versus
(05:18):
leaving your job, and also wetake a look at what are the
risks and rewards.
Now I will offer you that'ssomething you can do on your own
.
You can talk about it withclose family members, support
systems, peers, colleagues, heck, you could even dump it all
into ChatGPT and see what itspits out for you.
(05:38):
But ChatGPT is not going togive you the aha.
It's not going to give you theinsight where, as a coach, is
going to be able to really helpyou unpack those decisions, to
feel and know what truly is thebest option for you.
As a coach, I never tell myclients what to do, especially
(06:00):
when it comes to big lifedecisions like this.
That's for you to decide.
It's my job as a coach to askyou all the questions.
Have you explore all theavenues and opportunities that
are there so you can make thebest decision for you?
But if you're thinking aboutleaving your job, understandably
it's going to take up a lot ofthought and reflection on your
(06:21):
part to make that decision.
Okay, next question Every jobposting seems to ask for skills
that I don't have.
How can I position mytransferable skills and
experience without feeling likeI'm not qualified?
Here's what I want to offer you.
If you are looking at a jobposting and you believe you
(06:43):
fulfill 100% of the requirements, you are probably overqualified
for that job and are not goingto get an interview.
Remember that a job postingessentially is a laundry list of
things that the company islooking for in their ideal
candidate.
They are not expecting someoneto come in and be able to do all
(07:04):
of those things withoutstanding or excellent
proficiency.
What I would suggest is figureout where the line is in terms
of how strongly you believe youmeet the criteria for the job
and when you don't.
So let's say, for example,there are 10 bullet points in
(07:25):
the job posting.
Okay, you go through them andyou feel like you can
confidently perform 80% of them.
Is it worth it for you applyingfor the job?
That depends on your barometerabout when you are willing to
invest the time, effort andenergy in applying for that job.
Some people I work with we seta very strict criteria of a 90%
(07:49):
match.
Others might be 60%.
It just depends on theirindividual situation and what
they're looking at.
But keep in mind, if you can doeverything in that job posting
with excellent proficiency, morethan likely you are
overqualified for that jobposting with excellent
proficiency, more than likelyyou are overqualified for that
job in my opinion and myexpertise.
Okay, all right, let's see I'mgoing down my list here.
(08:15):
Okay, interviewers keep askingme about leadership experience,
but I've mostly been anindividual contributor.
How do I confidently talk aboutleadership when I don't manage
a team?
This question has been comingup a lot lately, and so when you
(08:38):
think about your career path,if you're thinking about taking
that next step and you want toelevate into that next role and
that next role may be you havingdirect reports and you have
supervisory experience or dutiesand responsibilities here you
(08:58):
need to be able to find whereyou are demonstrating examples
of leadership and where you areinfluencing without authority.
Think about this when are youleading inside and outside of
work?
Leadership experience doesn'thave to be solely contained to
(09:19):
what you do inside thatorganization with your church
and you're leading a particularfundraiser.
There can be plenty of examplesyou can provide about your
leadership, but when you do,this is an opportunity for you
(09:40):
to be strategic.
It's your job to tell the storyabout where you're connecting
the dots between how you lead,why it's important, why it
matters and what were theresults.
This is a chance for you to tapinto prior experiences and use
(10:01):
those experiences to create yourleadership narrative.
When you may not have directleadership experience at work,
the other thing I would offeryou is find ways to lead at work
.
Increase your visibility on aproject, take responsibility.
Have somebody delegate somethings to you that you can
demonstrate your leadership.
(10:23):
The last thing is you should beprepared for a question about
who you are as a leader.
Are as a leader and I will tellyou.
In this job market right now,how you answer this question is
more important than ever.
Hiring managers and recruitersdon't want to hear things like
(10:48):
I'm a very caring andheart-centered leader.
I'm an empathetic leader whocares deeply about my team.
That stuff, yes, it matters,don't get me wrong, but you need
to be able to give examples ofyour leadership that are
impactful, results-driven.
So, for example, you might saysomething like I'm an empathetic
(11:11):
and heart-centered leader, andwhat that means is that when I'm
having to deliver feedback andeven difficult feedback to
colleagues or people whom I workwith, I do it from an
empathetic or heart-centeredplace because I want what's best
for them, and here's how Ideliver that feedback.
That can be a much betterexample of you demonstrating
(11:36):
your leadership values, asopposed to simply putting them
out there and expecting them tounderstand what it is that you
mean.
Always command your narrative.
You're the one that's tellingit.
That's why these interviews canbe difficult or tricky, because
you're not doing a solid job ofcommunicating your story in a
(11:56):
way that's keeping peopleinterested in who you are and
what you do.
Oh, this next question, myfriends, I get this one a lot.
All right, this one might bereally familiar to you.
Here we go.
This job search process feels sodiscouraging at this stage in
(12:17):
my career.
How do I keep my confidence upwhen rejections are piling up?
Like I said earlier, this jobmarket is tough, but it is not
impossible.
And, admittedly, if you arecurrently unemployed, at
mid-career, or your company hasgone through a restructuring,
they've had some economicdifficulties, there's been
(12:39):
layoffs or cuts and you now findyourself in a position you
never, ever thought you would bein.
This, my friend, is a lesson inresiliency and perseverance.
This job market is not for theweak.
It is vulnerable, it isgut-wrenching, it is hard.
So how do you keep yourconfidence up?
(13:02):
Track your data, track yourdata.
By that I mean okay.
So build your job searchstrategy.
Where are you looking forpositions?
How much are you networking?
What kind of positions are youapplying for?
How are you asking your networkto help and support you?
And then you are going to askyourself these powerful
(13:27):
reflection questions what'sworking, what's not working?
What are you learning?
What do you need to dodifferently?
And those questions, personally, are very near and dear to my
(13:47):
heart, because not only are theyquestions that I've asked
myself when I was going throughmy career transition, but
they're also things to this dayI still ask myself in growing my
coaching business right.
I always ask myself what'sworking, what's not?
What am I learning?
What can I be doing differently?
They're the same questions,because when we have data to
track those results, we then canlook at that data and go oh,
(14:11):
you know what?
I haven't networked withanybody in three weeks.
I wonder if that has anythingto do why I'm not getting any
leads or information about jobs.
Maybe you haven't invitedanybody to an informational
interview or talked to somebodyabout their work experiences or
how they navigated this part oftheir career, navigated this
(14:34):
part of their career and,understandably, while applying
for positions are taxing and, attimes, painful.
There are people out there whoare getting jobs by applying
online because they know how tonavigate and work the system.
Hint, you will hear more aboutthat next week.
So what's working?
What's not?
What are you learning?
(14:54):
What do you need to dodifferently?
And then there's this Is ittime for you to tag and hire a
coach?
Find a coach who you can hire,meaning you're going to pay for
them.
You're going to pay for theirservices and expertise to help
you navigate not just thetechnical aspect of the job
(15:17):
search, but also help you withyour mindset, your attitude,
your energy when you are goingthrough this job search and it's
not easy.
Look, I would love foreverybody to hit apply on the
first job that they see and boom, they get a position, or they
reach out to someone in theirnetwork and they're hired within
(15:39):
three days.
That's not this job market.
This job market is not for thefaint of heart.
You need to be tough and let metell you this there are days
when it is okay to not be.
And let me tell you this thereare days when it is okay to not
be.
It is okay to be ticked off andpissed off and upset and angry
(16:00):
and frustrated because you'renot getting the results you want
.
You cannot overlook thosethings.
Those things may happen.
I want to just brush it off.
We have to acknowledge and ownwhere we are and how we're
feeling, but that it's also thebattle cry for what you need to
be doing differently to get theresults you want.
(16:25):
Okay, here is the last question,john.
I want to transition into acompletely different industry,
but I'm worried that recruiterswon't take me seriously.
How do I make a pivot atmid-career without starting over
, wanting to work in a differentline of work, a different
(16:58):
industry or organization, andyou might want to leverage some
skills into this particular newrole?
Well, in this job market rightnow, companies are wanting
people who are skilled up andready to go.
So here's the question whyshould someone hire you?
If you're looking to make apivot into a completely
(17:18):
different industry, why wouldsomeone hire you?
What do they gain by bringingyou on?
It is your opportunity and,more importantly I will say, it
is your responsibility to make acredible case about
transitioning with the skillsyou have and know what might be
(17:41):
in your way for making such atransition.
I often coach my clients onhelping them paint a picture of
why their narrative needs toaddress all of the things that
they're going to be doing well,things that they're going to
have to transfer or leveragepast experiences into this new
(18:03):
role, as well as overcome anyobjections that the hiring
manager may have.
This is where conductinginformational interviews can be
your friend, because you couldbe conducting informational
interviews with people aboutmaking a successful career pivot
or career transition in thisregard.
How did they do it?
(18:24):
What did they learn?
What would they have donedifferently?
But again, simply saying, oh,I'm a hard worker, I'll learn,
I'll skill up real quickly,that's not going to do it.
That's not going to do it.
You need to be able tocommunicate where your skills
are transferable andtranslatable for you to be in
(18:46):
this new role.
That's where you need a plan.
That's where your mid-careerGPS can come into play very
easily and then, once you havethat plan, execute on it
accordingly.
I hope these questions werehelpful.
Hopefully they tapped into someof the things that you've been
experiencing as well and gaveyou some insight or motivation
(19:09):
into how you're navigating thisjob market and this part of your
career journey.
Now, obviously, if there isanything I can do to help you,
I'd be honored.
So there's a few opportunities.
One go check out the resourcespage on my website.
It is johnnerrellcom forwardslash resources.
(19:30):
There are free resources there,such as my twice weekly
leadership and career newsletter.
There is that free guide, whichis why your mid-career job
search isn't working and what todo about it, and there's this
podcast all free.
And then there are some what wecall low ticket offers that are
there.
So I have an interviewpreparation course that is there
(19:53):
currently for $27.
There is a masterclass calledthe Mid-Career Promotion
Blueprint.
It is a 70 minute masterclassfor $37 to help you navigate
your next step in your careerhow to figure out how to
strategically position yourselfif you're going for that
internal promotion or the thingsthat you can be saying or doing
(20:16):
to make you an even morequalified candidate when you're
looking to step out of yourorganization and into a new one.
There's a career clarity coursethere, and then, of course,
there is the mid-career GPSmembership community that you
can join per month or annuallyto come in and get direct
support from me inside thecommunity.
(20:37):
I'm also available for privateone-on-one coaching, and all of
that starts off with aleadership and career strategy
session.
If you are interested in that,all you need to do is find me.
You can message me on LinkedInor you can email me at
john@johnneral.
com, and I will share details onhow to book that leadership and
career strategy session.
(20:57):
So stay tuned, because nextweek I'm going to interview a
former client of mine who sharedhis powerful job search and
career transition story with mefor all of you in this very
difficult job market, and he'sgoing to share with you what
(21:19):
worked and what didn't, and howlong it took and how frustrating
it was, but also some reallygood things on the other side of
it as well.
So I'm honored that I got thechance to interview him.
You will get that episode nextweek and that'll drop the day
after Labor Day.
So if you are traveling for theLabor Day holiday, please,
(21:41):
please, please, be careful.
Be kind to everybody whenyou're traveling.
Be kind when you're on the roador you're in the skies or on
the rails, whatever it might be.
Be kind to one another.
That's so important right nowand I'll be back with you next
week as we kick off September.
So until then, my friends,remember this you will build
(22:02):
your mid-career GPS one mile orone step at a time, and how you
show up matters.
Make it a great rest of yourday.
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
(22:23):
Podcasts.
Visit johnnarrellcom 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
social at John Narrow Coaching.
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
(22:44):
Until then, take care andremember how we show up matters.
Thank you.
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