September 25, 2024 • 22 mins
Ever wondered how astrology and tarot cards could guide you toward your dream job? On this week's Zoomers to Boomers Business Show, we sit down with Keith Anderson, the visionary founder of Career Alchemy. Keith's extraordinary journey from educator to top-tier positions at Google, Uber, and Meta takes a fascinating turn as he reveals how a life-changing hospital stay led him to explore unconventional methods for career guidance through https://keithand.co/. Discover how these intuitive practices helped him find clarity and purpose, which he now shares with clients in their career transitions. I also share my shift from a 16-year teaching career to the media industry, and how Keith's unique approach resonated with my path.
Hypnosis in career coaching—fact or fiction? We demystify this transformative tool, revealing its power to reprogram limiting beliefs and insecurities. Listen to the compelling story of Kathy, a paralegal who transitioned to a more fulfilling career using hypnosis, and learn how it can help you too. For those grappling with career uncertainty, we provide practical advice and a complimentary consultation. Remember, kindness is the greatest uniter, whether you're a Zoomer, Boomer, or somewhere in between. Join us next Wednesday for more thought-provoking discussions on the Zoomers to Boomers Business Show.
Website: https://keithand.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithand
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@careeralchemist
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@career-alchemy-coaching
Be sure to visit BizRadio.US to discover hundreds more engaging conversations, local events and more.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Hank (00:10):
This is the Zoomers to Boomers Business Show, and
you're listening to bizradiousall entrepreneurs all the time.
Welcome everyone, I'm Hank Eder, also known as Hank the PR Guy,
host of the Zoomers to BoomersBusiness Show, the show formerly
known as the Home BusinessSuccess Show.
(00:32):
You are listening to bizradiousall entrepreneurs all the time.
Our guest today, keith Anderson, is the founder of Career
Alchemy, where he helpsprofessionals transition into
careers that truly resonate withtheir values and purpose, using
unconventional, intuitiveapproaches.
(00:55):
A former educator turnedlearning and development leader
at companies like Google, Uberand Meta, keith now combines his
experience in corporateleadership with a passion for
guiding others throughmeaningful career
transformations.
Known for his unique blend ofstrategic action, intuition and
(01:16):
grit, keith empowers his clientsto find clarity, embrace their
uniqueness and confidentlynavigate the evolving job
landscape.
Welcome to the show, keith.
Keith (01:28):
Great.
Thank you so much, Hank.
I'm excited to be here.
Hank (01:30):
Well, you're welcome.
You're welcome To begin.
Would you please tell us a bitabout what you do?
Keith (01:35):
Sure.
So I help people who feel stuckin a career that doesn't
resonate with who they truly are, in a career that doesn't
resonate with who they truly are, and what I would say is it's
the universe telling you a signright, and with that, where are
you going to go?
You need to find a bit ofdirection, right, and that's
where I am.
I'm here to help you find thatdirection.
(01:57):
So when we work together, youwill gain intuitive insight on
where you're going, and thenyou'll be able to take strategic
job search action, to take thedirection and the clarity you
have and really put it intoaction and land the career that
truly resonates with who you are, it seems to me that there's
(02:18):
other steps I mean that yourclients take.
Hank (02:22):
It's not your everyday kind of career counseling that
they're about to encounter whenthey get in with you.
Before we get into that, wouldyou please share your journey
from being an educator tobecoming a leader at top tech
companies and what reallyinspired you to start Career
Alchemy?
Keith (02:40):
Sure.
So I knew early on in my life,when I was young, that I was
driven towards being a teacher.
I went to college, I became ateacher and I realized that it
wasn't what I thought it was.
So I spent many, many yearsabout eight years teaching from
(03:02):
high school, then teaching at acommunity college and
universities, and I never reallytruly identified with the
direction that I was going in.
So at one point I was in thehospital.
I had a pneumonia and I calledthe school that I was working at
(03:24):
and I told them I'm in thehospital, right, and basically
they gaslit me, right.
They're like oh well, you knowI feel bad, but you know your
students depend on you.
It's final time.
What are they going to do ifyou're not there, right?
And that's when I said this isit.
I need to get out of this,right.
At the same time, there weresigns that I was noticing around
(03:46):
me of intuitive aspects, right,and I decided to explore it
more.
At the time I wasn't verywoo-woo and I didn't really know
what it was, but I'm like youknow, I'm really lost.
I was lost, right.
So I didn't really know thedirection to go down.
So I started exploring thesethings like tarot cards and
(04:06):
astrology and intuitiondevelopment, and from there I
got clarity on where I was meantto be and throughout a year and
a half later I really hunkereddown and focused on my career
approach and then I moved intomy first job out of teaching to
a web developer role at Google.
(04:27):
Then from there I moved intoleadership positions at Meta, at
DoorDash and at Calibrate right.
So where I am now is I realizedthat this has been such a great
experience for me and I want tohelp other people be able to
find the career clarity and moveinto what really situates for
(04:47):
them Right.
So that's where my directionhas been personally and yeah, I
just love helping people findthat same intuition, grit and
direction to make their dreamsreality, even if they're not
sure what those dreams are yetRight.
We co-create that together.
You know I can resonate withwhat you're saying about not to
make their dreams reality, evenif they're not sure what those
dreams are yet right.
We co-create that together.
Hank (05:06):
You know I can resonate with what you're saying about
not feeling in the right placeand not resonating with being a
teacher, because I actuallyspent 16 years teaching public
schools, 13 of them in SouthFlorida and three in Western
North Carolina, in a reallyrural county.
But by the time I left teaching,not only was I feeling out of
(05:29):
sorts with it, but it wasgetting to the point where I was
leaving at the end of each daythinking, you know, I'm really
not allowed to strangle a few ofthese kids, but you know how
much I'd really like to I mean,we're talking about eighth
graders, you know.
So they really can get underyour skin.
Yeah, so I moved out of thatand went back to my roots, which
(05:49):
was all of the related mediathings that I do, and built this
business basically from theground up.
That being said, you mentionedsome unconventional approaches a
few minutes ago.
Yeah, would you tell us how youwork with your clients using
some of these unconventionalapproaches a few minutes ago?
Yeah, would you tell us how youwork with your clients using
some of these unconventionalapproaches?
Keith (06:09):
Yeah, definitely so.
As I mentioned in my journey,what really helped me get
crystal clear on where I wasgoing and then navigate the
winding road of actually gettingthere, I used unconventional
messages, as I meant of actuallygetting the hair I used
unconventional messages, as Imeant unconventional Methods,
(06:30):
maybe.
Methods yeah, that'sunconventional methods that
really helped me acceleratewhere I was going.
So I integrated astrology and Iactually became a certified
astrologer in Vedic astrologyand I use that to help clients
tap into what the stars aresaying, to use that as just
another clue, another breadcrumbin how they can find this
(06:52):
clarity.
The same thing with tarot cards.
That's become a big part of mypractice where again, it's just
these are just more breadcrumbsto bring you where you're at.
So none of it is set in stone,meaning like everything that's
in the stars is just guidancefor you and what.
(07:12):
When we work together, a lot ofwhat comes out starts with
these unconventional approachesand it brings back memories from
people's childhood and theirsubconscious areas where there
are things that they haven'teven thought of in years, right,
or things that they've beenreally drawn to but haven't
(07:35):
taken the leap or explored itmore.
That that starts coming intotheir consciousness and starts
to be something where theyrealize, huh, this might be a
path that could really lead mesomewhere, even if it's
something very different thanwhat I'm doing.
So that is more on finding theclarity there.
But then even in theaction-taking, the strategic
(08:00):
action-taking in your career.
Times have changed now.
With AI, the job market haschanged completely and with that
, people are using the same oldtechniques, like applying to
tons of jobs online, and they'renot hearing back from
recruiters, they're not hearingback from hiring managers, so
(08:21):
these old conventionalapproaches aren't working
anymore.
So there are things that I workwith my clients on, for example
, making really authenticconnections through video, right
as one example.
That helps draw in hiringmanagers and recruiters to get
them to quickly reallyunderstand who you are and
(08:43):
resonate with you and have thatconnection where they want to
reach out and resonate with youand have that connection where
they want to reach out and workwith you, right, um, so yeah,
that's what I'm talking aboutwith unconventional techniques,
things that make you stand outabove the crowd, so you're not
just blindly following whateveryone else is doing.
Hank (09:00):
Would you say that in this day and age, um recruiters
actually will they stand up?
And will they sit up, maybe,and take notice if a potential
applicant sends them a video?
Is that something that's really?
It's more prevalent now.
Keith (09:19):
So, no, it's not as prevalent.
I would say some things thatwork with this are A you can try
to send via LinkedIn.
Sometimes that works, sometimesit doesn't.
B there are ways where you canfind email addresses of the
recruiters and hiring managersinside the business so you can
(09:42):
send the video there.
Additionally, one thing that'sworked really well is, on your
resume, including a QR code tothe video and that directs them
to the video on their phone,right?
So then you know it brings outthe curiosity, right, because
they're already there, right Inthat six to eight seconds where
(10:04):
they are trying to evaluatewhether you'd be a good fit, to
eight seconds where they aretrying to evaluate whether you'd
be a good fit, and it justtakes you that next step forward
that all the other applicantsthey don't have or they aren't
using.
So, yeah, that's the approachthat we usually take.
Hank (10:17):
I think that's quite innovative.
So then that QR code could beon the resume, whether the
resume was sent through email,electronically, or whether the
company wanted a paper resumeAlthough I don't know these days
who still really wants paperresumes, because you know it's a
big pile of papers.
Keith (10:36):
Yeah, exactly, it's all online now usually.
Hank (10:39):
Yeah, well, you know, speaking of going back to
unconventional methods, in aconversation we had recently you
told me you also use hypnosiswith your clients.
Now it's funny because a lot ofus, you know, we've seen all
these movies over the years andwhat they call hypnosis.
One that I can think of is aWoody Allen movie called the
(11:01):
Curse of the Jade Scorpion,where they used hypnosis in kind
of dubious ways.
And then, of course, we've gotthe old vampire movies where
it's like look into my eyes, youknow, but tell us a little bit
about what hypnosis really isand how that helps your clients.
Keith (11:18):
Yeah, definitely.
So there is a stigma aroundhypnosis.
I think I remember when I wasgrowing up, what I associated
hypnosis was is these shows inLas Vegas where they were
hypnotized people and they wouldbark like dogs and, you know,
quack like chickens, right, orlike ducks.
(11:40):
And that's not the approachthat I take.
Approach that I take and reallyhypnosis is something used to
tap into the subconscious andreprogram some of those beliefs
that you have that you might noteven be conscious of.
For example, many times whenwe're growing up, we go through
(12:03):
school and we are incentivizedto get good grades, to get A's,
to follow the rules, right, tofollow what society is saying,
right To be a doctor, to be ateacher, these noble careers.
But a lot of times this is notwhat resonates with people
actually, but they don't knowthat there's just all of these
(12:26):
pre-programming means, um, thathave really defined what your
reality is.
So, um, what we do is kind oftap in the layer below that,
using hypnosis to reallytransform that and really
explore a bit more.
Additionally, we use hypnosisto really pre uh to uh,
reprogram your, your thoughts onlack of confidence, on second
(12:51):
guessing yourself, oninsecurities that you have right
and believe it or not, withhypnosis, just with a few
sessions, you can have dramaticchanges to how you're
approaching your job search andhow you're presenting yourself
in a professional manner.
Hank (13:09):
Well, that's certainly a positive use of it and you know,
people just don't understand.
And one thing I've learnedabout hypnosis not that I've
been hypnotized, but I've spokento people over time and it's
the misnomer that people thinkthey could be made to do
something that they wouldn'tnormally do.
But I've found out that that'sreally not what it's about at
all and something that'sdiametrically opposed to your
(13:32):
belief systems and your ethics.
You're really not going to beconvinced to do that through
hypnosis sessions.
But you know, one thing youbrought up made me think about
this.
I was the offspring offirst-generation Americans.
They were Jewish immigrants.
Their parents were Jewishimmigrants from Russia and
(13:55):
Ukraine, where the pogroms weregoing on and persecution and all
this kind of stuff.
So I was the first one in myfamily really that got any kind
of education.
My brothers both dropped out ofhigh school.
My father dropped out of highschool.
So I went for an education.
But as I was growing up, youknow they had their Jewish
American dream of my son, thelawyer.
(14:17):
You know they always encouragedme you'll grow up, you'll be a
lawyer, you'll make a reallygood living, you know, you'll
provide for your family, etcetera, et cetera.
But it wasn't until I wasactually a junior in college.
I mean, I was studyingjournalism, but I still had this
notion in the back of my headthat I would go on to get a law
(14:39):
degree and maybe I would becomea media lawyer.
You know, because newspapers,television stations, stuff like
that really need lawyers.
Lawyer, you know, becausenewspapers, television stations,
stuff like that really needlawyers.
So I was thinking that would bea career path for me.
But I was a junior in collegewhen I came to the realization I
call it a blinding flash of theobvious.
This was my mother's vision forme.
This was never my own.
(15:00):
I really never wanted to be alawyer, and that was very
liberating when I figured thatout.
Yeah, so so yes, Exactly andsorry.
Keith (15:11):
One last thing Exactly Right, and I would say as a
junior in college, you've yougot this epiphany really early
on, right, where you were ableto make that shift and pivot
before you went into somethingthat didn't really resonate with
your soul and where you aremeant to be right.
(15:32):
The purpose of life is to behappy.
Essentially, that's a quotefrom the Dalai Lama.
So if you're doing somethingthat makes you sad, depressed,
out of alignment with yourhappiness, that's not the path
for you happiness.
Hank (15:46):
That's not the path for you, that's true.
But you know, to be honest,even though I made that epiphany
, I still ended up falling intothings that weren't in alignment
with my sole purpose.
That didn't make me happy and,having been brought up with the
boomer mentality that you go,you get a job, you stay in that
job, you know, you stick with itfor years and maybe you'll get
(16:07):
a good pension and all that kindof stuff, so I had to break
free of all of that as well.
You know time is flying.
It's amazing how fast it'sgoing by.
Would you please give me anexample of a success story where
a client has made a dramaticcareer shift using your methods?
Keith (16:25):
Yeah for sure.
So let me explain a client whoI worked with recently.
Her name's Kathy and she hadbeen following all quote unquote
the steps, right.
So she went to school for that,she became a paralegal and she
(16:53):
had multiple jobs as a paralegal.
But at first she was reallyengaged, she was really focused
and had a lot of career claritywhen she started, right, and she
loved it.
But after two years, threeyears, four years, up to 10
years, she realized this is notthe path for her anymore, right?
(17:14):
So she came to me at a placewhere she had had like really
clear clarity before, but shewas out of alignment and she
knew that.
So, working together, we wereable to, we were able to find
the skills and experience shehas, that she's really
interested and engaged with, andbring that into this new career
(17:37):
path.
You know some other things.
Speaking of limiting beliefs,some of the limiting beliefs she
had is, in order for her totransition to a career, she
needed to get another degreeright, or she needed to learn
more, or she doesn't have enoughexperience.
She doesn't know how to speak alanguage, all of these things
and to be really, to be reallyfrank, hank, they get programmed
(18:02):
in us right, where we don'trealize our excuses and then
become limiting beliefs.
So I, with that, you, that wereally talk through what her
skills are, that she canleverage.
That makes her unique for thisnew field, which was user
experience research.
So, working in corporatesettings, mostly tech companies
(18:26):
and, yeah, we worked together toalign what she had into this
new path.
And then, what are, what arethe things that really made her
unique Right?
And that paralegal point, wherethe specific words you use
right are so important to thedirection you go.
That was a really unique valueadd in the user experience
(18:49):
research space.
That was a really unique valueadd in the user experience
research space.
So that is how she was able tocommunicate her value in a way
that spoke to hiring managersand recruiters.
So some things that I helped herwork on were developing a story
.
People relate with you when youhave a story that relates to
them, right.
(19:09):
In addition to that, like whenpeople go through your LinkedIn,
or at the time when people aregoing through her LinkedIn,
she's just talking about herexperience.
Right, I have 10 yearsexperience as a paralegal.
I've done this, I've done this,I've done this.
But, to be honest, people go toyour LinkedIn because they want
to know how you can help them.
(19:30):
Right.
So you need to say what theirpain point is, what their
problem is, and then how you canhelp them and fix that right
With your unique methods.
Right.
And then from there go into anapproach or how you've done this
before and how you're an expertin this area.
And there are many ways, eventhough you're transitioning
(19:50):
careers, where you cancommunicate your value and the
impact you've made in differentways than in that traditional
job track that other peoplemight be following.
So it's through theseinnovative ways and also
incorporating this video methodthat I mentioned earlier about
(20:11):
recording personalized messagesfor the hiring manager, for the
recruiter, and linking that onyour resume.
Those are the things that builta warm connection with people
before she even had theinterview right.
So, moving from there, she wasable then to land the interview.
When she started working at thejob, her hiring manager said it
(20:35):
was an easy hiring choice.
She was by far the number onecandidate for this user
experience role and, yeah, nowshe's working in a wonderful.
She's now a user experienceresearch manager.
It's funny how the stars alignand really you navigate through
all these paths and you end upin the place that's really meant
(20:58):
for you if you put in the workand energy to get there.
Hank (21:01):
Right.
So, as you mentioned earlier,all these trends, these
guidelines, these things fallinto place and it leads to the
direction.
You know it's amazing, butwe're out of time, so I'd like
to ask if you can tell usbriefly what is the best way
that our listeners can get intouch with you if they'd like to
learn more about ways you mightbe able to help them in their
(21:23):
career search.
Keith (21:25):
Sure.
So if you're at a place rightnow where you have maybe a
little idea of where you'regoing, what your interests are,
but you're just uncertain andthere are many different paths
that you're exploring and you'rethinking about but you can't
really kind of figure it out,it's kind of like you have a
bunch of puzzle pieces butyou're not sure how to put it
together.
(21:45):
You, if you're in this boat,you're in the boat with like a
lot of my most of my clients,right?
So if, when you're ready, hopon my calendar and we'll
schedule a free uh sorry, acomplimentary call, um, and you
can go to my website to do thisat career alchemy dot online.
(22:06):
So yeah, I'm looking forward tospeaking with you listeners and
really getting to know aboutwhere you're at and your
experience.
Hank (22:17):
Well, thank you for being here with us today, Keith, and
to our listeners, join us nextWednesday on the Zoomers to
Boomers Business Show right hereon bizradious.
Whether you're a Zoomer, aBoomer or somewhere in between,
as you go about your day to day,I want to remind you to
practice kindness.
It's the greatest uniter thisworld has ever known.
(22:39):
We'll see you again next week.
This is Hank Eder, wishing allof you a fabulous, productive
and successful day.
This is the Zoomers to Boomers Business Show, and
you're listening to bizradiousall entrepreneurs all the time.
Welcome everyone, I'm Hank Eder, also known as Hank the PR Guy,
host of the Zoomers to BoomersBusiness Show, the show formerly
known as the Home BusinessSuccess Show.
(00:32):
You are listening to bizradiousall entrepreneurs all the time.
Our guest today, keith Anderson, is the founder of Career
Alchemy, where he helpsprofessionals transition into
careers that truly resonate withtheir values and purpose, using
unconventional, intuitiveapproaches.
(00:55):
A former educator turnedlearning and development leader
at companies like Google, Uberand Meta, keith now combines his
experience in corporateleadership with a passion for
guiding others throughmeaningful career
transformations.
Known for his unique blend ofstrategic action, intuition and
(01:16):
grit, keith empowers his clientsto find clarity, embrace their
uniqueness and confidentlynavigate the evolving job
landscape.
Welcome to the show, keith.
Keith (01:28):
Great.
Thank you so much, Hank.
I'm excited to be here.
Hank (01:30):
Well, you're welcome.
You're welcome To begin.
Would you please tell us a bitabout what you do?
Keith (01:35):
Sure.
So I help people who feel stuckin a career that doesn't
resonate with who they truly are, in a career that doesn't
resonate with who they truly are, and what I would say is it's
the universe telling you a signright, and with that, where are
you going to go?
You need to find a bit ofdirection, right, and that's
where I am.
I'm here to help you find thatdirection.
(01:57):
So when we work together, youwill gain intuitive insight on
where you're going, and thenyou'll be able to take strategic
job search action, to take thedirection and the clarity you
have and really put it intoaction and land the career that
truly resonates with who you are, it seems to me that there's
(02:18):
other steps I mean that yourclients take.
Hank (02:22):
It's not your everyday kind of career counseling that
they're about to encounter whenthey get in with you.
Before we get into that, wouldyou please share your journey
from being an educator tobecoming a leader at top tech
companies and what reallyinspired you to start Career
Alchemy?
Keith (02:40):
Sure.
So I knew early on in my life,when I was young, that I was
driven towards being a teacher.
I went to college, I became ateacher and I realized that it
wasn't what I thought it was.
So I spent many, many yearsabout eight years teaching from
(03:02):
high school, then teaching at acommunity college and
universities, and I never reallytruly identified with the
direction that I was going in.
So at one point I was in thehospital.
I had a pneumonia and I calledthe school that I was working at
(03:24):
and I told them I'm in thehospital, right, and basically
they gaslit me, right.
They're like oh well, you knowI feel bad, but you know your
students depend on you.
It's final time.
What are they going to do ifyou're not there, right?
And that's when I said this isit.
I need to get out of this,right.
At the same time, there weresigns that I was noticing around
(03:46):
me of intuitive aspects, right,and I decided to explore it
more.
At the time I wasn't verywoo-woo and I didn't really know
what it was, but I'm like youknow, I'm really lost.
I was lost, right.
So I didn't really know thedirection to go down.
So I started exploring thesethings like tarot cards and
(04:06):
astrology and intuitiondevelopment, and from there I
got clarity on where I was meantto be and throughout a year and
a half later I really hunkereddown and focused on my career
approach and then I moved intomy first job out of teaching to
a web developer role at Google.
(04:27):
Then from there I moved intoleadership positions at Meta, at
DoorDash and at Calibrate right.
So where I am now is I realizedthat this has been such a great
experience for me and I want tohelp other people be able to
find the career clarity and moveinto what really situates for
(04:47):
them Right.
So that's where my directionhas been personally and yeah, I
just love helping people findthat same intuition, grit and
direction to make their dreamsreality, even if they're not
sure what those dreams are yetRight.
We co-create that together.
You know I can resonate withwhat you're saying about not to
make their dreams reality, evenif they're not sure what those
dreams are yet right.
We co-create that together.
Hank (05:06):
You know I can resonate with what you're saying about
not feeling in the right placeand not resonating with being a
teacher, because I actuallyspent 16 years teaching public
schools, 13 of them in SouthFlorida and three in Western
North Carolina, in a reallyrural county.
But by the time I left teaching,not only was I feeling out of
(05:29):
sorts with it, but it wasgetting to the point where I was
leaving at the end of each daythinking, you know, I'm really
not allowed to strangle a few ofthese kids, but you know how
much I'd really like to I mean,we're talking about eighth
graders, you know.
So they really can get underyour skin.
Yeah, so I moved out of thatand went back to my roots, which
(05:49):
was all of the related mediathings that I do, and built this
business basically from theground up.
That being said, you mentionedsome unconventional approaches a
few minutes ago.
Yeah, would you tell us how youwork with your clients using
some of these unconventionalapproaches a few minutes ago?
Yeah, would you tell us how youwork with your clients using
some of these unconventionalapproaches?
Keith (06:09):
Yeah, definitely so.
As I mentioned in my journey,what really helped me get
crystal clear on where I wasgoing and then navigate the
winding road of actually gettingthere, I used unconventional
messages, as I meant of actuallygetting the hair I used
unconventional messages, as Imeant unconventional Methods,
(06:30):
maybe.
Methods yeah, that'sunconventional methods that
really helped me acceleratewhere I was going.
So I integrated astrology and Iactually became a certified
astrologer in Vedic astrologyand I use that to help clients
tap into what the stars aresaying, to use that as just
another clue, another breadcrumbin how they can find this
(06:52):
clarity.
The same thing with tarot cards.
That's become a big part of mypractice where again, it's just
these are just more breadcrumbsto bring you where you're at.
So none of it is set in stone,meaning like everything that's
in the stars is just guidancefor you and what.
(07:12):
When we work together, a lot ofwhat comes out starts with
these unconventional approachesand it brings back memories from
people's childhood and theirsubconscious areas where there
are things that they haven'teven thought of in years, right,
or things that they've beenreally drawn to but haven't
(07:35):
taken the leap or explored itmore.
That that starts coming intotheir consciousness and starts
to be something where theyrealize, huh, this might be a
path that could really lead mesomewhere, even if it's
something very different thanwhat I'm doing.
So that is more on finding theclarity there.
But then even in theaction-taking, the strategic
(08:00):
action-taking in your career.
Times have changed now.
With AI, the job market haschanged completely and with that
, people are using the same oldtechniques, like applying to
tons of jobs online, and they'renot hearing back from
recruiters, they're not hearingback from hiring managers, so
(08:21):
these old conventionalapproaches aren't working
anymore.
So there are things that I workwith my clients on, for example
, making really authenticconnections through video, right
as one example.
That helps draw in hiringmanagers and recruiters to get
them to quickly reallyunderstand who you are and
(08:43):
resonate with you and have thatconnection where they want to
reach out and resonate with youand have that connection where
they want to reach out and workwith you, right, um, so yeah,
that's what I'm talking aboutwith unconventional techniques,
things that make you stand outabove the crowd, so you're not
just blindly following whateveryone else is doing.
Hank (09:00):
Would you say that in this day and age, um recruiters
actually will they stand up?
And will they sit up, maybe,and take notice if a potential
applicant sends them a video?
Is that something that's really?
It's more prevalent now.
Keith (09:19):
So, no, it's not as prevalent.
I would say some things thatwork with this are A you can try
to send via LinkedIn.
Sometimes that works, sometimesit doesn't.
B there are ways where you canfind email addresses of the
recruiters and hiring managersinside the business so you can
(09:42):
send the video there.
Additionally, one thing that'sworked really well is, on your
resume, including a QR code tothe video and that directs them
to the video on their phone,right?
So then you know it brings outthe curiosity, right, because
they're already there, right Inthat six to eight seconds where
(10:04):
they are trying to evaluatewhether you'd be a good fit, to
eight seconds where they aretrying to evaluate whether you'd
be a good fit, and it justtakes you that next step forward
that all the other applicantsthey don't have or they aren't
using.
So, yeah, that's the approachthat we usually take.
Hank (10:17):
I think that's quite innovative.
So then that QR code could beon the resume, whether the
resume was sent through email,electronically, or whether the
company wanted a paper resumeAlthough I don't know these days
who still really wants paperresumes, because you know it's a
big pile of papers.
Keith (10:36):
Yeah, exactly, it's all online now usually.
Hank (10:39):
Yeah, well, you know, speaking of going back to
unconventional methods, in aconversation we had recently you
told me you also use hypnosiswith your clients.
Now it's funny because a lot ofus, you know, we've seen all
these movies over the years andwhat they call hypnosis.
One that I can think of is aWoody Allen movie called the
(11:01):
Curse of the Jade Scorpion,where they used hypnosis in kind
of dubious ways.
And then, of course, we've gotthe old vampire movies where
it's like look into my eyes, youknow, but tell us a little bit
about what hypnosis really isand how that helps your clients.
Keith (11:18):
Yeah, definitely.
So there is a stigma aroundhypnosis.
I think I remember when I wasgrowing up, what I associated
hypnosis was is these shows inLas Vegas where they were
hypnotized people and they wouldbark like dogs and, you know,
quack like chickens, right, orlike ducks.
(11:40):
And that's not the approachthat I take.
Approach that I take and reallyhypnosis is something used to
tap into the subconscious andreprogram some of those beliefs
that you have that you might noteven be conscious of.
For example, many times whenwe're growing up, we go through
(12:03):
school and we are incentivizedto get good grades, to get A's,
to follow the rules, right, tofollow what society is saying,
right To be a doctor, to be ateacher, these noble careers.
But a lot of times this is notwhat resonates with people
actually, but they don't knowthat there's just all of these
(12:26):
pre-programming means, um, thathave really defined what your
reality is.
So, um, what we do is kind oftap in the layer below that,
using hypnosis to reallytransform that and really
explore a bit more.
Additionally, we use hypnosisto really pre uh to uh,
reprogram your, your thoughts onlack of confidence, on second
(12:51):
guessing yourself, oninsecurities that you have right
and believe it or not, withhypnosis, just with a few
sessions, you can have dramaticchanges to how you're
approaching your job search andhow you're presenting yourself
in a professional manner.
Hank (13:09):
Well, that's certainly a positive use of it and you know,
people just don't understand.
And one thing I've learnedabout hypnosis not that I've
been hypnotized, but I've spokento people over time and it's
the misnomer that people thinkthey could be made to do
something that they wouldn'tnormally do.
But I've found out that that'sreally not what it's about at
all and something that'sdiametrically opposed to your
(13:32):
belief systems and your ethics.
You're really not going to beconvinced to do that through
hypnosis sessions.
But you know, one thing youbrought up made me think about
this.
I was the offspring offirst-generation Americans.
They were Jewish immigrants.
Their parents were Jewishimmigrants from Russia and
(13:55):
Ukraine, where the pogroms weregoing on and persecution and all
this kind of stuff.
So I was the first one in myfamily really that got any kind
of education.
My brothers both dropped out ofhigh school.
My father dropped out of highschool.
So I went for an education.
But as I was growing up, youknow they had their Jewish
American dream of my son, thelawyer.
(14:17):
You know they always encouragedme you'll grow up, you'll be a
lawyer, you'll make a reallygood living, you know, you'll
provide for your family, etcetera, et cetera.
But it wasn't until I wasactually a junior in college.
I mean, I was studyingjournalism, but I still had this
notion in the back of my headthat I would go on to get a law
(14:39):
degree and maybe I would becomea media lawyer.
You know, because newspapers,television stations, stuff like
that really need lawyers.
Lawyer, you know, becausenewspapers, television stations,
stuff like that really needlawyers.
So I was thinking that would bea career path for me.
But I was a junior in collegewhen I came to the realization I
call it a blinding flash of theobvious.
This was my mother's vision forme.
This was never my own.
(15:00):
I really never wanted to be alawyer, and that was very
liberating when I figured thatout.
Yeah, so so yes, Exactly andsorry.
Keith (15:11):
One last thing Exactly Right, and I would say as a
junior in college, you've yougot this epiphany really early
on, right, where you were ableto make that shift and pivot
before you went into somethingthat didn't really resonate with
your soul and where you aremeant to be right.
(15:32):
The purpose of life is to behappy.
Essentially, that's a quotefrom the Dalai Lama.
So if you're doing somethingthat makes you sad, depressed,
out of alignment with yourhappiness, that's not the path
for you happiness.
Hank (15:46):
That's not the path for you, that's true.
But you know, to be honest,even though I made that epiphany
, I still ended up falling intothings that weren't in alignment
with my sole purpose.
That didn't make me happy and,having been brought up with the
boomer mentality that you go,you get a job, you stay in that
job, you know, you stick with itfor years and maybe you'll get
(16:07):
a good pension and all that kindof stuff, so I had to break
free of all of that as well.
You know time is flying.
It's amazing how fast it'sgoing by.
Would you please give me anexample of a success story where
a client has made a dramaticcareer shift using your methods?
Keith (16:25):
Yeah for sure.
So let me explain a client whoI worked with recently.
Her name's Kathy and she hadbeen following all quote unquote
the steps, right.
So she went to school for that,she became a paralegal and she
(16:53):
had multiple jobs as a paralegal.
But at first she was reallyengaged, she was really focused
and had a lot of career claritywhen she started, right, and she
loved it.
But after two years, threeyears, four years, up to 10
years, she realized this is notthe path for her anymore, right?
(17:14):
So she came to me at a placewhere she had had like really
clear clarity before, but shewas out of alignment and she
knew that.
So, working together, we wereable to, we were able to find
the skills and experience shehas, that she's really
interested and engaged with, andbring that into this new career
(17:37):
path.
You know some other things.
Speaking of limiting beliefs,some of the limiting beliefs she
had is, in order for her totransition to a career, she
needed to get another degreeright, or she needed to learn
more, or she doesn't have enoughexperience.
She doesn't know how to speak alanguage, all of these things
and to be really, to be reallyfrank, hank, they get programmed
(18:02):
in us right, where we don'trealize our excuses and then
become limiting beliefs.
So I, with that, you, that wereally talk through what her
skills are, that she canleverage.
That makes her unique for thisnew field, which was user
experience research.
So, working in corporatesettings, mostly tech companies
(18:26):
and, yeah, we worked together toalign what she had into this
new path.
And then, what are, what arethe things that really made her
unique Right?
And that paralegal point, wherethe specific words you use
right are so important to thedirection you go.
That was a really unique valueadd in the user experience
(18:49):
research space.
That was a really unique valueadd in the user experience
research space.
So that is how she was able tocommunicate her value in a way
that spoke to hiring managersand recruiters.
So some things that I helped herwork on were developing a story
.
People relate with you when youhave a story that relates to
them, right.
(19:09):
In addition to that, like whenpeople go through your LinkedIn,
or at the time when people aregoing through her LinkedIn,
she's just talking about herexperience.
Right, I have 10 yearsexperience as a paralegal.
I've done this, I've done this,I've done this.
But, to be honest, people go toyour LinkedIn because they want
to know how you can help them.
(19:30):
Right.
So you need to say what theirpain point is, what their
problem is, and then how you canhelp them and fix that right
With your unique methods.
Right.
And then from there go into anapproach or how you've done this
before and how you're an expertin this area.
And there are many ways, eventhough you're transitioning
(19:50):
careers, where you cancommunicate your value and the
impact you've made in differentways than in that traditional
job track that other peoplemight be following.
So it's through theseinnovative ways and also
incorporating this video methodthat I mentioned earlier about
(20:11):
recording personalized messagesfor the hiring manager, for the
recruiter, and linking that onyour resume.
Those are the things that builta warm connection with people
before she even had theinterview right.
So, moving from there, she wasable then to land the interview.
When she started working at thejob, her hiring manager said it
(20:35):
was an easy hiring choice.
She was by far the number onecandidate for this user
experience role and, yeah, nowshe's working in a wonderful.
She's now a user experienceresearch manager.
It's funny how the stars alignand really you navigate through
all these paths and you end upin the place that's really meant
(20:58):
for you if you put in the workand energy to get there.
Hank (21:01):
Right.
So, as you mentioned earlier,all these trends, these
guidelines, these things fallinto place and it leads to the
direction.
You know it's amazing, butwe're out of time, so I'd like
to ask if you can tell usbriefly what is the best way
that our listeners can get intouch with you if they'd like to
learn more about ways you mightbe able to help them in their
(21:23):
career search.
Keith (21:25):
Sure.
So if you're at a place rightnow where you have maybe a
little idea of where you'regoing, what your interests are,
but you're just uncertain andthere are many different paths
that you're exploring and you'rethinking about but you can't
really kind of figure it out,it's kind of like you have a
bunch of puzzle pieces butyou're not sure how to put it
together.
(21:45):
You, if you're in this boat,you're in the boat with like a
lot of my most of my clients,right?
So if, when you're ready, hopon my calendar and we'll
schedule a free uh sorry, acomplimentary call, um, and you
can go to my website to do thisat career alchemy dot online.
(22:06):
So yeah, I'm looking forward tospeaking with you listeners and
really getting to know aboutwhere you're at and your
experience.
Hank (22:17):
Well, thank you for being here with us today, Keith, and
to our listeners, join us nextWednesday on the Zoomers to
Boomers Business Show right hereon bizradious.
Whether you're a Zoomer, aBoomer or somewhere in between,
as you go about your day to day,I want to remind you to
practice kindness.
It's the greatest uniter thisworld has ever known.
(22:39):
We'll see you again next week.
This is Hank Eder, wishing allof you a fabulous, productive
and successful day.
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