Chan with a Plan

How to get unstuck in your career, give yourself a fresh start and start living the life you want

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Andrew Waddell, The Midlife Coach that helps men struggling with midlife and provides guidance to discover the life they want to live and how to live it. Andrew discusses how men can feel stuck in their careers midlife but also how there is hope to overcome this obstacle and live their life on their terms. 
 
QUOTES
“I mean, for me, midlife crisis is sort of immediately a derogatory term, right? It's like society has kind of positioned the midlife crisis, especially for men, or something slightly ridiculous is a sign of sort of male immaturity. It's a sign of kind of men being sort of led by their testosterone. And as a result of which it actually creates an environment in which men can't admit to feeling vulnerable.” – Andrew Waddell
“I think a lot more people in their 20s now are working on self exploration. I think my generation didn't do that. Because we had no guidance from our own fathers in that space. It wasn't something our fathers did. So there was no kind of path for men to kind of explore themselves in a more meaningful way.” – Andrew Waddell
“It's this idea that I think about most jobs, especially in the corporate world, that there are a box. And that box is very well defined in terms of job description, in terms of the skills and the capabilities and the qualifications, you need to be in that box. Most of ourselves fits in that box, you know, maybe a large amount of capabilities and skills. But for most people, not all of themselves fits in that box.” – Andrew Waddell
 
TIMESTAMPS
[01:29] It’s not midlife crisis
[04:14] Planning for your mid-career in your 20’s
[06:25] Living fully and taking risks
[08:32] Losing your sense of self and getting it back
[10:42] Common fears in terms of taking action
[12:51] Pushback from those closest to you when you make a change
[14:24] What gets in the way of men asking for help?
[17:23] Advice for people who have been laid off
[20:25] Sometimes it’s better to get shoved off than leap off the proverbial cliff
[21:21] Looking back at Andrew’s career
[26:45] Separating yourself from the weight of pleasing your parents 
[32:49] Advice for those in their 20’s to avoid the mid-life transition
[36:13] Impulsive decisions that come from the midlife-transition
[42:07] Andrew’s big learning lesson
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Andrew Waddell Social Media:LinkedIn
Website
Chan With A Plan
Max Chan on Social Media

The 1 skill you need to increase your job security during the recession

EPISODE SUMMARY
Max discusses the 1 skill you need to have, to increase your job security during the recession. Based on this past week's episode with Roman Prokopchuk, career learning lessons from the 2008 recession to help you recession proof your career.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:52] Being recession proof in your career.
[01:18] Forced changes happen. Be adaptable.
[01:43] Becoming a valuable asset on your team
[02:08] Max’s example of being adaptable
[03:22] Popular career fields in demand right now are…
[03:42] The two mindsets when it comes to a recession
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Max Chan on Social Media

Career learning lessons from the 2008 recession to help you recession proof your career

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Roman Prokopchuk Founder of Nova Zora Digital, and podcast host of the Digital Savage Experience. In this conversation, Roman discusses lessons he learned during the 2008 recession that will help others prepare for what many experts are predicted the next big recession. 
 
QUOTES
“For me, I didn't really have a choice. So, I took advantage of the opportunity. Ask yourself, ‘If you get an opportunity in a completely different field, and it potentially can lead to something else are you going to take it?’ My recommendation would be take it because you don't know where it could lead you.” – Roman Prokopchuk
“All the ups and downs and getting to wherever you want to get, so if you're doing it that way, and you're getting value out of the process and the journey, and it's actually rewarding.” – Roman Prokopchuk 
“Maybe they don't give you an opportunity, but at least you can pick their brain, maybe even ask them, has this ever happened to you? What do you recommend, for me, what would be the best thing? So, taking opportunities like that, there's a lot of things you can do for free, it just takes you time to find them.” – Roman Prokopchuk
 
TIMESTAMPS
[01:39] Roman’s story
[05:48] Signs of the 2008 recession
[06:41] How the recession affected friends and family
[09:46] More millionaires are made during economic hardships
[13:20] Businesses and their plans to weather recessions
[18:09] Testing business ideas before pulling the plug
[19:41] Future proofing yourself and being adaptable
[25:42] Deciding which direction to take when things get rough
[30:12] Learning lessons through the recession and how he might’ve handled it differently
[33:41] Dealing with being fired
[36:41] Advice on learning a new skill
[45:08] If the recession in 2008 hadn’t have happened would you have followed a different path?
[47:57] Lessons for economic hardships
[52:20] Roman’s big career challenge and how he overcame it
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Roman Prokopchuk Social Media:LinkedIn
Instagram
Chan With A Plan
Max Chan on Social Media

Why most people aren’t serious about making a career change

EPISODE SUMMARY
Max discusses why people like the idea of making a career change, but not a lot of people are actually serious in doing the work to actually make it happen. Based on this past week's episode with Natalie Murphy on how to get your 1st Customer Success Manager job in Tech.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:41] What making a career change actually takes
[01:06] Figuring out your personal brand
[02:46] What your profile says about you
[04:36] Summary
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Max Chan on Social Media

How to get your 1st Customer Success Manager Job in Tech

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Natalie Murphy, who successfully transitioned from a Recruiter Role to her 1st Customer Success Manager Role in Tech. She provides job search tips from her days as a recruiter and also provides insights and strategies on how she was able to make the pivot to a Customer Success Management position, so you can do the same as well in your career.
 
QUOTES
“I love understanding the mind. I love understanding interpersonal relationships, human interactions, human behavior, and recruiting as a sales job. The great and not great thing about recruiting is that your product is a person, so it can talk back to you. And it can also say no.” – Natalie Murphy
“I know that in the digital age, a lot of us are used to texting or sending you know, messages or emails. But having a simple professional voicemail, just stating your name, when you'll get back to them, making sure that you're smiling while you're speaking. Because it makes a really big difference.” – Natalie Murphy
“If you can put some sort of hook in a cover letter. That's awesome. If you have something that's very copy and paste generic, it doesn't stand out and not really worthwhile, just kind of extra space, it could kind of dissuade a recruiter or hiring manager.” – Natalie Murphy
 
TIMESTAMPS
[01:29] Natalie’s story
[06:44] Common mistakes by job applicants
[11:23] Resume mistakes you don’t want to make
[13:46] The great cover letter debate
[18:00] Mindset shift from being a recruiter compared to being a hiring manager
[23:24] Moving from New York to Colorado
[27:29] Finding a job before you move 
[32:01] Transparency laws
[36:01] Making the career shift and determining factors
[44:38] Challenges as a customer success manager 
[45:47] Average day as a customer success manager
[49:07] Advice if you want to get into customer success management
[59:16] Natalie’s big challenge and how she overcame it
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Natalie Murphy Social Media:
LinkedIn
Chan With A Plan
Max Chan on Social Media

5 job search tips for recent grads to get your 1st job

EPISODE SUMMARY
Max highlights learning lessons that he gained in his very 1st job search right after graduating University/College. Based on this past week's episode with Angelina Spadaro on how to get your 1st job in Corporate America as a New Immigrant.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[01:02] Lesson 1: Why you might not get feedback
[01:35] Lesson 2: Don’t stick to a script for answers
[02:25] Lesson 3: No second chances
[03:43] Lesson 4: Why your commute matters
[05:20] Lesson 5: Being yourself matters most
[06:31] Summary
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Max Chan on Social Media

How to get your 1st job in Corporate America as a New Immigrant

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Angelina Spadaro, Founder of CAN.Link.People and has over 15 years of HR experience including reviewing over 70,000 resumes and interviewing thousands of candidates. In this conversation, Angelina discusses helping new immigrants land jobs in North America. She uses her experiences being an immigrant and working in her corporate positions to help other immigrants land their 1st job in their field in North America.
 
QUOTES
“I think the idea is just really to build relationship. And you know, use your community as well. So for example, go on some Facebook group, like I know a lot of French people, they have like French groups, and they can support each other.” – Angelina Spadaro
“Then the other thing is the resume, you know, first of all, the legal requirements are very different. So for example, in France, you are allowed to have your birthday, your picture, your marital status, how many kids you have, but in Canada, legally speaking, you should not have that on your resume. So that's the first step.” – Angelina Spadaro
“But I think in other countries, it's just a conversation. And if the conversation goes, well, you're hired. And so I think that's one of the big things, but also, for anyone who comes, you know, to a new country, the English may not be their first language. And it's an extra layer of stress and going to an interview is already stressful.” – Angelina Spadaro
 
TIMESTAMPS
[04:56] Angelina’s story
[08:56] Job search process differences between countries
[15:17] French resumes unique structure and information
[20:46] Interview preparation for immigrants
[23:55] Interview feedback when you didn’t get the job
[27:50] Applying to jobs on your own vs using an agency
[31:32] What is ghosting and does it happen? 
[36:43] Other advice for immigrants looking to work in Canada or the USA
[41:49] Steps to take tomorrow to change the outlook of your job search
[44:40] Angelina’s big challenge and how she overcame it
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Angelina Spadaro Social Media:LinkedIn
Instagram
Can.Link.People
Chan With A Plan
Max Chan on Social Media

3 interview mistakes that cost you the job

EPISODE SUMMARY
Max highlights 3 common communication mistakes that professionals make in the interview that cost them the job. Based on this past week's episode with Tracy Hooper on how to improve your communication skills for career advancement
 
TIMESTAMPS
[00:58] Why you need to stop rambling
[01:41] Make sure your answers are relevant and connected to your experiences
[02:40] Don’t talk negative during an interview
[03:51] Summary
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Max Chan on Social Media