Job Search, Promotion, and Career Clarity: The Mid-Career GPS Podcast

Send us a textI met Alethea Felton in the summer of 2010. She was working as an instructional coach for the District of Columbia Public Schools, and I had started as a professional development specialist assigned to work with her and her school. We worked together for a year before I moved on to a position at the state superintendent’s office, but we kept in touch. As we saw each other through various stages of our personal and professional lives, I was honored when she reached out to me one day and asked me if I would be her coach to help her navigate her mid-career journey. In this client success story, you’ll hear Alethea Felton’s career journey, which saw her retire from a 20-year career in education, and what led her to explore different career options, which ultimately led to her finding that job she loves. Connect with Alethea Felton: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn Support the showReady 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. Connect with John on LinkedIn here.Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here. Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching. Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.

Send us a textAs I toast a significant birthday milestone this week, I'm revealing the often-unspoken realities of mid-career navigation and age bias. While illegal, it's likely that you will encounter various career situations where your age will be judged and valued. Additionally, you will face age bias at every stage in your career. But how you face it and communicate your value will make all the difference. In this episode, I'll share some strategies and tips to help you tackle the challenge of presenting your age as a wealth of experience as the asset it truly is. I'll be sharing insights on how to approach interviews with confidence, ensuring that your career's later years are as rewarding as possible. Age is just a number. And how you SHOW UP matters. Support the showReady 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. Connect with John on LinkedIn here.Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here. Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching. Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.

Send us a textIf you believe you’ve been wrongfully terminated, what do you do? As you process the events that led to your termination and the tremendous emotions you’re feeling, you need a plan to move forward. And you need support and clarity. Today, I’m joined by Sheryl Scott. We discuss what to do if you believe you’ve been wrongfully terminated and what you should consider if you are ready to go out on your own and explore the self-employment route. Sheryl Scott is an independent Legal Shield associate who protects and empowers families, entrepreneurs, and small businesses with affordable legal services and identity theft protection in Canada and the United States. She and I emphasize the importance of fit within a company culture and remind listeners that a wrongful termination lawsuit rarely leads back to the same job.Additionally, we discuss self-employment and mid-career shifts and what you should consider if you decide that going the entrepreneurial route is your next best move. Connect with Sheryl Scott: Website | Facebook | LinkedIn Support the showReady 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. Connect with John on LinkedIn here.Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here. Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching. Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.

Send us a textWe all have a past! Some of it you are proud of, and some of it, well….come on, we all have something we regret or wish we could have done over again. But in this episode, I want to explore how much of your past you are bringing into your job search/leadership. Trauma is real.Successes are amazing. And your past doesn’t define you. In this episode, I’ll teach you a powerful self-coaching strategy that will help you get better at telling your story and why your past is something you learn from and shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about. And when you implement this strategy, you’ll transform your storytelling and you’ll build Your Mid-Career GPS to find that job you love. Support the showReady 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. Connect with John on LinkedIn here.Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here. Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching. Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.

Send us a textJosef Stetter changed careers nine times and jobs 18 times before he found his dream job. Today, he is known as a career coach extraordinaire who has helped over 11,000 people land their dream job using his unique S.I.G.H. method and helping his clients stand out from their competition by asking questions such as "So what?" and "Who cares?" Josef and I discuss the power of specificity and the art of quantifying your career wins as we discuss the pitfalls of generic job boards and the impact of industry-specific keywords, including a great tip to leverage the Indeed algorithm and your resume. Diving into the nuances of job searching, we reveal how harnessing your passion and unique skills, such as expertise in regulatory compliance, can give you a competitive edge in the job market.Your interview could be the moment that defines your career trajectory, and in this episode, we dissect the art of making a memorable impression. Nine words can set the stage for a powerful dialogue with potential employers, emphasizing pride, significance, and impact. Josef shares his most memorable success story, helping someone land their dream job in less than two days. Connect with Josef: The Celebrate Group | Website | LinkedInSupport the showReady 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. Connect with John on LinkedIn here.Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here. Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching. Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.

Send us a textHave you ever struggled with the silence that follows a job interview? You're not alone, and I'm here to explore why that void exists. In this episode, I'll help you navigate the perplexing world of job interview feedback—or the noticeable absence of it. We're taking a hard look at why your inbox stays empty after you've poured your heart into an interview and why the real message often lies in the outcome itself—a job offer or the lack thereof. As a seasoned career coach and a former hiring manager, I peel back the layers of legal concerns, fairness in hiring, and the expectations that candidates should recalibrate when it comes to feedback.Now, let's talk tactics. When the response you crave isn't forthcoming, I share strategic ways to elicit constructive criticism, and the art of framing questions that can coax valuable insights from even the tightest-lipped employers. Plus, I'll recount a telling tale from my own experience on an interview panel, throwing light on how subjective this whole process can be, and how minor slip-ups may not necessarily seal your fate. So, if you're ready to shift your perspective and leverage every post-interview scenario to your advantage—regardless of how much (or how little) feedback you receive—this is the conversation you need to hear.Support the showReady 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. Connect with John on LinkedIn here.Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here. Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching. Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.

Send us a textHave you ever considered reshaping your career path but felt unsure about how to translate your experience to new opportunities? If you are looking to make a career pivot and want to know how you can transfer those skills, it must start with you knowing why those skills are needed and confidently communicating why they are valuable to your current or future employer. If you can’t confidently sell yourself, how are you going to get companies and their hiring managers more interested in you? This is one of the reasons why I asked Lisa Friscia to join me on the podcast today. Lisa has successfully pivoted several times in her career, and she pivoted into these roles after a successful career as a history teacher and educational administrator. The conversation takes a deep dive into the valuable competencies that educators bring to the corporate table—strategic planning, data analysis, and more—and how these can be your ticket to new professional opportunities. In this episode, Lisa and I talk about how you need to approach your transferrable skills differently through backwards planning, as well as why it’s imperative you know your content and skills, and where they are valued in your current or future organization’s leadership pipeline. Connect with Lisa FrisciaLinkedIn | WebsiteSupport the showReady 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. Connect with John on LinkedIn here.Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here. Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching. Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.

Send us a textSome managers have told you that you need to work on your soft skills, while others have told you that they are great and valued. Are you the calming presence at work? Are you known for flying off of the handle? Have you been told you are abrupt or aggressive? How can you make your soft skills more tangible and results-based so that you can share them on your resume or LinkedIn profile, especially when you are networking or interviewing? In this episode, I'm going to help you turn those soft skills into fantastic, tangible skills that your organization wants and value, so you can leverage them at your next job interview or promotion conversation. Support the showReady 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. Connect with John on LinkedIn here.Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here. Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching. Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.

Send us a textA few years into my business, I hired a business coach for public speaking. I learned a lot and often served as a reference for this coach. One day, I received a call from my guest today, Rhonda Sher. She was considering hiring this coach and wanted to know more about my experiences. When I asked her what she did for a living, she told me that she optimized LinkedIn profiles for small business owners and service providers. I was immediately interested and asked her to tell me more.By the end of that call, I hired Rhonda to completely overhaul and optimize my LinkedIn profile. And we’ve stayed colleagues and cherished connections ever since. I was honored when Rhonda agreed to review the LinkedIn section of my book Your Mid-Career GPS – Four Steps to Figuring Out What’s Next. I’m excited to bring you my conversation with LinkedIn expert and your connections consultant, Rhonda Sher, who is here to talk to you about what you need to be doing on LinkedIn to grow your network, make better professional connections, and where you can be adding more professional value on LinkedIn. Plus, Rhonda shares one of her favorite tips, and mine too, you will not want to miss. Our journey with Rhonda doesn't just shine a spotlight on your "About" section; it's a comprehensive blueprint for being seen and heard in a crowded online space. Discover how a tailored LinkedIn banner can become your branding powerhouse and why updating your profile with fresh recommendations is a game-changer for career advancement. Check out Rhonda's Perfect Your Profile Bootcamp on March 12-15 by visiting https://perfectyourprofile.com. Connect with Rhonda: LinkedIn | Website Support the showReady 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. Connect with John on LinkedIn here.Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here. Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching. Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.

Learn how mid-career professionals can improve their networking game with simple strategies to build authentic connections. Emphasizing quality over quantity, the podcast discusses the importance of intentional networking for career growth and offers actionable steps to develop an effective networking strategy for professional advancement.