

People in Transition
Bob Gerst
"People in Transition" is your ultimate guide to navigating life's major career changes with confidence and excitement! Whether you're a student landing your first job, a professional between gigs, an aspiring entrepreneur ready to start your own business, or someone preparing for a well-earned retirement, we've got you covered. Each episode offers unique insights and practical tips from people who have successfully walked these paths themselves as well as helped many others in their journey. Join us for an inspiring and entertaining journey through the many transitions of life!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 11, 2022 • 31min
69. Gina Riley - Career Coach and Talent Selection Consultant
Gina Riley is a career coach, a talent selection and interview skills trainer, and an executive search consultant. As the creator of her Career Velocity coaching program, she uses her executive search experience to the benefit of her clients, sharing the best tips and tricks from a stand-out resume and LinkedIn profile to networking, marketing, and interviewing practice and the creation of a thought leadership plan. She Transforms her clients' approach to their career development and helps them build a sustainable process to last their entire career. To find out more about the Career Velocity System: www.ginarileyconsulting.comDuring our recording, Gina shared many great ideas on job transition, including:· The person you are networking with ultimately must know, like and trust you for them to be an effective advocate for you.· One of the building blocks for an effective career is to have layers of experiences – which means that job changes are not always bad.· When answering interview question – think SOAR (e.g., situation, obstacles, action, and results).· Rambling on and on can be a real problem in any interview.· We each own our career and the planning process it takes to be successful in it.· Do you know what your “awesome sauce” is and how to communicate it?Gina is smart, caring and so full of energy. You will really enjoy listening to her and hearing all the great recruiting and career tips she shares. Send us a text

Nov 27, 2022 • 31min
68. Donna Star - Executive Coach, Business Consultant, Writer
Donna Star spent 30 incredible years in Corporate America, and then she took the leap to entrepreneurship. She is now an Executive Coach, Business Consultant, and Writer who leverages her extensive experience to help companies and individuals maximize their potential. Currently, her work centers around working with professionals who are dealing with work transitions - promotions, job changes, corporate politics, and everything that comes with managing a career and a life. The transformations she has seen with her clients are powerful and humbling. Donna shared with us some of the points she discusses with her clients including:· Always remember, if someone would ask you for help in their networking, you would support them, don’t think you cannot ask others for their help.· Bringing your negative thoughts and attitude into an interview does not help you, you need to deal with these emotions, or your job search will be more challenging.· We discussed the ‘great resignation’ which for many has evolved into the ‘great regret’ and what that means for job seekers.· Remember, it is ok to acknowledge you have feelings during your job search process.· Sometimes you may need to step away from your job search to regroup and energize yourself.Donna is thoughtful, action packed and willing to share what she has learned – sometimes the hard way. I think you will want to listen to this episode a couple of times to get all the nuggets she shares – oh and share this with a friend – they will thank you for it.Send us a text

Nov 13, 2022 • 33min
67. Adrian Choo - The Career Strategist
Adrian Choo has helped thousands of clients successfully achieve Career Clarity™ with his holistic approach to their Careers through a proprietary framework and deep understanding of Career Dynamics™. He has been a C-suite Headhunter with Top Global Search Firms for more than a decade, published several books, and has a regular show on National Radio, "Happy @ Work with Adrian The Career Strategist" on One FM 913 every Thursday Morning that is in to its Third year! Adrian loves helpings people at their Career Crossroads, or those who just need a new perspective on their Career Challenges.Some of the key take-aways from our discussion with Adrian include:· The reasons why resume don’t “hit the mark” include:o Too longo Not updatedo Bad English or grammaro Gaps in experience not explained· The hiring manager is trying to answer these questions during interview, and you should make it easy for them to understand your answers:o Who are you?o Why should I hire you?o Will you fit into our team/company?· It is critical the candidate is authentic in their responses – don’t try to be someone you think the hiring manager wants to talk with – you need to be you.· It is ok, in fact a good idea, to ask the hiring manager at the end of an interview what are the next steps.· The best time to start being ready for your job change is today – even if you are not looking – because to wait until you must change jobs is starting way behind.Adrian has so much recruiting experience, insights into the hiring process, and firsthand experience in dealing with the hiring manager. You are going to want to listen to this episode again and again. And as always, I would love your comments on our discussion – and please share this with others. Thanks!Send us a text

Oct 30, 2022 • 34min
66. Tracy Hooper - The Confidence Project, Author and Executive Advisor
Tracy Hooper is the Founder of The Confidence Project. She leads dynamic presentations for high-achieving employee groups of any size. Tracy has been a TV news reporter, anchor, producer, and voice-over professional. Tracy’s aim is to cultivate a culture where people elevate their presence, communicate with clarity, and work together better. As a result of working with Tracy people often share that they have more control over how they present themselves, more impact with the people they interact with, more trust in their communications, and more influence with the people they serve. Tracy is the author of The NEW Hello. It addresses the challenges and opportunities of meeting, greeting, and communicating with confidence in The New World of Work. Her follow-on book, The NOW Hello has just been published and is available on Amazon. In this episode, Tracy discussed several key points including: · Three keys for all job seekers:o Words have impacto Practice makes progresso Trust yourself· The power of pause in your presentation/speaking· Why do filler and hedge words negatively impact your brand· How to use the right words in your speaking and not sound too formal or stiff Tracy is smart, funny, and caring. Her down-to-earth advice will help you in your job search, in your job and for your life in general. I know you will enjoy this recording and will want to share it with your friends. Send us a text

Oct 16, 2022 • 33min
65. Mike Thomson- Recruiter, Marketer and Entrepreneur
Mike Thomson has been in the recruitment agency industry for thirteen years, he launched Spark at the end of 2021 with the goal to change how everyone attracts top talent. Hiring is uninspiring, generic, faceless, and lacks personality but not anymore. He is an entrepreneur, matchmaker, sales professional, storyteller, father, athlete and optimistically curious about people. For more information on Mike, go to his web site https://www.sparkrecruiting.ca/ In this episode, Mike shared his thoughts on the future of recruiting, including:· To help you make your resume standout, make sure you are describing the impact your work had on the company and keep it simple for the reader.· Remember that social media sites are used by hiring managers, so you want to be your authentic self but be professional.· One of his favorite questions for a candidate to ask of hiring manager is, “what did you see in me that made you interested to talk with me?” Gives you great insight about what is important for the role and the candidate can really play to this area.· The perfect answer to interview questions is your answer – you must be you and authentic.· Mike shared why he thinks the recruiting process can be FUN for the candidate.· His 3 things he tells his clients who are changing jobs to do starting Monday are: Update your LinkedIn page Think about what you liked about your past jobs/bosses – this will give you a map for places to look for your next job Take ownership of your job search – you are unique – this change gives you options for your future. Mike is a great businessman, recruiter, marketer, and career coach – a rare combination that really makes the advice he shares so special and important. I know you will want to share this with others who will want to jump start their job search and create opportunities for their future. Enjoy!Send us a text

Oct 2, 2022 • 27min
64. Rupert French - Job search specialist and author, helping job seekers rebuild confidence
Rupert French was teaching in a country school 40 years ago when he discovered that one third of the students leaving the school would be facing long-term unemployment. In response to this, he helped to establish a community support for unemployed youth. Ten years later, he transitioned to career and job search coaching and training.Impressed with the writings of William Bridges, and borrowing methods from sports psychology, he encourages job seekers to see themselves as self-employed, the CEO of You & Co, and to adopt business strategies to market their services to prospective employers.The revised edition of How to Get a Good Job After 50 takes the job seeker step-by-step through this process. It is his 4th book on effective job search strategies. Link to purchase How to Get a Good Job After 50 go tohttps://geni.us/HowToGetAGoodJobSome key points we discussed during our episode are:· Concerns employers have regarding older applicants and why they are false.· Why and how do you want to write your own job search mission statement.· Why you should think of your resume as a business proposal.· Networking made easy.· Some practical steps to help you stay positive during your search.Rupert has a wealth of knowledge and experience that he shares easily and, in a fun/interesting manner. I know you will be like me and want to go back and listen to him again – please share him with others – love to hear your comments on this episode. Thank you!Send us a text

Sep 18, 2022 • 35min
63. Neha Ratnakar - Global Learning and OD and Talent Development expert
When Neha Lagoo Ratnakar was in school, she wanted to be a postwoman, then a librarian and then a doctor. After a failed attempt at the entrance test and a stint with Clinical Psychology. She found her true calling in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Her first job was in Training and Organizational Development, and she realized that there was a better way to onboard and train executives beyond a traditional classroom (and don't even get her started on sterile classroom team building sessions). In her next role with a retail chain, she storified onboarding and gamified product knowledge sessions. She was floored by the response and thought this could be the next big thing! Life took her to 8 different countries in the next 12 years, waking her inner entrepreneur. In addition to earning her MBA, she also designed websites, blogged, volunteered, and even made Henna. Then motherhood happened and, as a mompreneur, she turned to her original calling of Industrial Psychology, experimenting with treasure hunt style games in various corporate settings and even family gatherings. These days she works with global teams at IMA, which is a Finance non-profit to help make sure their educational offerings are meeting the diverse needs of almost 140,000 members around the world. Her book, Back on your Feet, is for all of those job seekers who need help in finding a path forward.Some of the key take a ways from our discussion include:· “If you self-reject and don’t even try, your failure rate is 100%” – and what can you do about this.· Some ideas on LinkedIn update to consider.· How the wrong introduction of yourself, by your partner, on social media or your own, can sabotage your brand.· What is your career portfolio and how do you use it in your search?· What is strategic volunteering and how can it help you in finding a job?Neha is smart, creative, and giving of her thoughts and experiences. I know you will enjoy listening to her ideas and will be able to put into practice next week, several of her suggestions. Enjoy!Send us a text

Sep 4, 2022 • 33min
62. Ben Wiant - Empowering You to Master the Modern Job Search
Ben Wiant works with professionals in career transition to define, own, and confidently communicate their professional value and narrative. He helps them create and implement effective job search strategies to overcome the complexity of the modern job search using The 3 Doors Job Search – a foundational model he created to strategically access new career opportunities. As a former recruiter, Ben knows what happens behind closed doors in the hiring process – he has reviewed over 175,000 resumes, formally interviewed 2,000+ candidates, and worked with 100s of hiring managers. Ben earned a master’s degree in Instructional Systems Design from Florida State University. He also holds graduate level certifications in Human Performance Technology, Program Evaluation, and Human Resource Development. Ben is active in the Raleigh-Durham, NC job seeker community as a guest speaker and presenter and for the past 7 years has paid-it-forward as a facilitator at a weekly job seeker support group. For more information on Ben, go to his website www.the3doors.com. During our discussion, Ben provided many tips and ideas on being a better and more effective candidate, including: · Unless you are in a design focused industry, use a standard resume format, but most important is that the content of your resume must tell the story of how you solve companies’ problems.· We discussed how you can access the “front, side, and back doors” as a multi-faceted approach to increase your chances of success in your job search.· Executive search and recruiting firms work for the company and not you as the candidate but it is a great idea to be sure you are in their database so if they have an appropriate position, you are on their list of people to follow-up with.· Often candidates are their own worst critic; they should “flip their scripts” to be positive, believe in themselves, and know that they are worthy.· Ben explained the difference between general networking, targeted networking, and strategic networking – each has a role/purpose – but the strategic networking will have greatest positive impact on your job search and future career potential.· During your search, remember it is important to know your values, stay professional, and take any negative feedback in stride as a learning opportunity. If you get ghosted, know it is more about them than about you. Ben has so much real-world job transition experience, we could have gone on for so much longer. This episode provides insights you can put in action today to help you move closer to your next great job opportunity. Listen to it a couple of times – share with your friends – leave me comments on your thoughts/reactions – ENJOY!Send us a text

Aug 21, 2022 • 31min
61. Michael Yinger -COO/Co-Founder at Resume Sieve and Talent Acquisition expert
Michael Yinger is a seasoned senior executive with experience creating, building, and managing organizations and providing strategic advice via Board of Directors membership both in the US and internationally. Over the course of his career, Mr. Yinger has delivered positive results (sales growth of 10-20% in a down market), dealt with senior level clients (CxO level), and established efficient organizations and partnerships in several different industries, within startups and established companies. Currently, he is Co-Founder and COO of Resume Sieve. “The Sieve™ is a cloud-based AI driven platform designed to help the recruiting and hiring community take the guesswork out of evaluating and ranking resumes against the required and preferred skills for the job.” During our 30 minutes together, Michael shared many tips and ideas on how to find your next great job, including: · Provided guidelines on how to make your resume ATS compliant.· Key mistakes he has seen in resumes like, leaving things off that should be included. editing mistakes, and not tailoring resume for the position you are applying for.· On your resume and all social media platforms, it is best that you speak to the results you achieved, this is what recruiters are looking for.· More jobs are posted at the end of the week so you should schedule your time then as you will find the opportunities listed greatest at that time.· It is best that you set small goals for yourself, daily and weekly, and work to accomplish these goals, this should ultimately lead you to finding your next great job opportunity, but that is really the result of achieving the daily/weekly goals.· In you search, it is important that you always remain honest (with self and others) and be persistent (job search is hard and it takes determination). Michael is a seasoned business professional that understands recruiting and hiring process. He was very candid and transparent in his comments. If you are looking to help make your job search, go faster with more positive results, Michael can assist you. As always, please share this episode with a friend and leave me any comments or questions you might have. Thanks!Send us a text

Aug 7, 2022 • 34min
60. Michael Levitt - Chief Burnout Officer-Founder of Breakfast Leadership Network
Michael Levitt has seen and done it all! He is the founder and Chief Burnout Officer of The Breakfast Leadership Network, a San Diego based burnout media firm. He is an in-person and Certified Virtual Speaker, a Certified NLP and CBT Therapist, and is one of the world's leading authorities in burnout recovery and prevention. In addition, he is a Fortune 500 consultant, #1 bestselling author, and host of the Breakfast Leadership Show, a top 200 podcast on iTunes. Michael was a former Healthcare executive, CIO, and CFO overseeing $ 2 Billion budgets. On this episode of “People in Transition”, Michael shared several important ideas to support you in your job search, including:· Effective networking is about you giving as much as receiving· Be confident, energized and an attitude of “I can do it” in your interview – you must believe in yourself before the recruiter believes in you· We are often our own worst critic, need to stop beating ourselves up and keep our energy flowing· Burn out can happen in your job search – you need to pace yourself, eat/drink healthy and remember it is OK to do things that you enjoyMichael had so many other practical and actionable ideas to help you jump start your job search. I know you are going to want to listen to this episode several times to get all the information out of it. If you have a question on his material, or any other job transition questions/comments – please share them with me. For more information on Michael, go to:website: https://BreakfastLeadership.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bfastleadership/Hire Michael to speak at your event: https://www.breakfastleadership.com/speaking I hope you enjoy this recording as much as I did!Send us a text