In this episode of “People in Transition”, we discuss what really happens inside the hiring process — and how understanding it can help you land your next role faster, smarter, and with far more confidence.

My guest is Dan Waskow, founder of OnPoint Job Search Solutions. With more than 20 years as a corporate recruiter for organizations like Dell Technologies, Fidelity Investments, Credit Suisse, Accenture, NASDAQ, and Madison Square Garden, to name a few — plus over a decade as a job search coach — Dan has seen the hiring process from every angle.

He knows exactly what recruiters look for… and why strong candidates often get overlooked.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• Why you’re not hearing back
• Why interviews stall
• Or how to position yourself strategically instead of emotionally

This conversation is for you.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why recruiters don’t “connect the dots” for you — and how to clearly translate your background so they instantly see the fit.

• The truth about the job market — there’s no “good” or “bad” time to search, only busier and slower cycles. The candidates who consistently build relationships always win.

• The two pillars of a successful job search: Marketing and Storytelling. Master how you present your value and how you tell your career story, and everything changes.

• Resume strategy that actually works. Clean formatting. No colors. No text boxes. No graphics. Make it easy for both humans and systems to read.

• How informational interviews and virtual coffee chats create momentum. They’re not just conversations — they’re relationship builders that open real doors.

What an episode. Dan brings clarity, strategy, and straight talk to a process that often feels confusing and frustrating.

To learn more about him and his coaching services, visit myjobsearchadvisor.com.

🎁 Bonus for listeners: If you sign up for one of Dan’s coaching packages by the end of March, 2026, and mention you heard him on “People in Transition”, you’ll receive 15% off.

And if you found this conversation valuable, please share this episode with your friends, colleagues, and anyone in your network who may be navigating a career move. A simple share could make a meaningful difference for someone in transition.

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Welcome to another episode of People in Transition. I’m your host, Bob Gerst.

Today’s conversation is especially relevant for anyone who appears successful on paper—but feels burned out, unsettled, or quietly questioning what’s next.

My guest is Mallory Byers. Mallory spent nearly a decade as a top-performing sales recruiter at Salesforce, where she helped highly driven professionals secure roles at the highest levels. She understood the hiring process inside and out—and by all external measures, she was thriving.

Yet along the way, Mallory began to notice something that fundamentally changed the direction of her work. Even the most capable and accomplished people weren’t stuck because they lacked strategy. They were stuck because deeper forces were at play: long-standing patterns, chronic nervous system overload, and a version of confidence built entirely on performance.

Today, Mallory is a Career Breakthrough and Empowerment Coach who supports high achievers navigating career transitions, burnout, or layoffs. Her work goes far beyond résumés and interviews. She helps clients strengthen the person behind the strategy—by rebuilding self-trust, regulating the nervous system, and untangling subconscious patterns such as people-pleasing, perfectionism, and over-functioning.

Through her signature one-on-one program, The Inner CEO, Mallory helps clients stop outsourcing their worth to job titles and start leading their careers with grounded authority. As she teaches, you are the CEO of your life and your career.

If you’re in a season of transition—or sensing that the next chapter of your career requires a different version of you—this conversation will resonate deeply.

Topics We Discuss in This Episode Include:

• How tying your identity to your job impacts your career—and how to navigate that shift
• What it means to operate from survival mode, and how people-pleasing reinforces it
• Where imposter syndrome shows up and how it quietly influences decisions
• The connection between perfectionism, overthinking, freezing action, scarcity thinking, and a dysregulated nervous system
• How the inner critic drives overwork during a job search—and how to stay grounded without letting others dictate your direction
• Why layoffs are such a disorienting experience, and why “staying in your lane” may not lead to fulfillment or success
• Why you don’t solve issues of the mind with the mind—how working with the body changes the job search process
• What it truly means to take ownership of your career and embody your “Inner CEO”

This is a powerful and insightful episode, and there is so much to take away from Mallory’s perspective.

To learn more about Mallory Byers, connect with her on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachmallorybyers/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mallory-byers-coaching/

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This week on "People in Transition", I had the pleasure of speaking with Rachel Spekman, a career strategist, therapist, and founder of Made for More Coach. Rachel brings a rare and powerful blend of experience—having spent years in corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit work before navigating multiple career transitions of her own into mental health and career strategy. You can learn more about Rachel and her work on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelspekman.

Rachel helps high-performing professionals who feel stuck in high-paid but soul-sucking roles reconnect with their values, strengths, and sense of purpose—without ignoring the realities of money, market demand, and impact. As a trained therapist who deeply understands corporate pressure, burnout, and identity loss during transitions, she fills a critical gap between traditional career coaching and emotional well-being.

In our conversation, Rachel and I explored what really shows up during a job or career transition—mentally, emotionally, and physically—and how job seekers can move from being passive candidates to confident experts. This episode is packed with practical insights, mindset shifts, and strategies for anyone navigating change, questioning their next move, or trying to align impact, income, and fulfillment.

Some of the Topics We Discussed in This Episode

• Somatic symptoms job seekers experience and how to recognize and cope with the physical signals of career stress and misalignment
• Using your feelings toward community, contribution, and problem-solving as guidance in your job search
• Impact vs. income: understanding what you can do, what the market needs, and where tension naturally shows up
• Positioning yourself as the expert, not a passive candidate waiting to be chosen
• The role of confidence in your job search and practical ways to build and display it
• What an internal resume audit is and how it improves both job search results and long-term job satisfaction

Also, go to her website, where there is a free training to support your job search - https://www.rachelspekman.com/

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Stephanie Cordes knows what it means to chase success—and then intentionally redefine it. After spending more than twenty years building a strong corporate career in healthcare leadership, she made a bold pivot and now helps others take ownership of their careers on their own terms. As a Career Ownership Coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source, Stephanie creates a safe, no-pressure space for professionals to explore what they truly want next—whether that’s flexibility, control, additional income, or a complete career reinvention.

In this episode of “People in Transition”, host Bob Gerst and Stephanie dive into the real emotions and practical realities behind career decisions. They unpack why reassessing your goals is essential, how unmet needs can cloud your ability to identify what you actually want, and why money often represents much more than a paycheck. Stephanie introduces the idea of a personal “North Star”—a clear framework built around income, lifestyle, wealth, and equity—to guide smarter, calmer decision-making.

This conversation is grounded, honest, and empowering. Transition doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful—and clarity is often the most powerful first step. If you’re feeling stuck, restless, or quietly questioning what’s next, this episode will help you slow down the noise and move forward with intention.
For more information from Stephanie, visit her web site: https://scordes.esourcecoach.com/contact/

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My guest today is Merry Korn, author of Fired to Inspired, a powerful teaching memoir that chronicles an extraordinary journey from professional setback to purpose-driven success. Merry’s story begins with being fired—a moment many job seekers fear most—but instead of letting that moment define her, she used it as the starting point for reinvention.

What followed was not a polished overnight success, but a real, unvarnished transformation. Through strategic pivots, hard-earned lessons, and persistence, Merry went on to build a social enterprise that now employs more than 1,300 people across 30 states, giving hiring priority to individuals facing the greatest barriers to work. Her journey is a roadmap for anyone who has ever felt defeated by a career setback and wondered whether their lowest moment could become their greatest opportunity.

Merry’s perspective is deeply rooted in resilience. Her role model is her mother, a Holocaust survivor, who taught her the meaning of perseverance and never giving up. That lesson shows up throughout Merry’s work and is especially relevant for job seekers who may feel discouraged, fearful, or worn down by a prolonged search. In a time of economic uncertainty and career disruption, her story offers both hope and practical guidance for building something meaningful out of adversity.

Key Themes We Explore in This Episode

In our conversation, Merry shares insights and tools that are immediately applicable for anyone in transition, including:

• Turning setbacks into setups for success and reframing career disappointments as opportunities for clarity and growth
• The power of informational interviews—what they are, how to use them, and why they are one of the most effective job-search strategies
• Using available resources such as coaches, books, and LinkedIn to build momentum and expand opportunity
• Staying physically strong during your job search, and how physical health directly impacts emotional resilience and mental well-being
• Overcoming fear and uncertainty, with the reminder that this season will end
• Finding purpose before accepting your next role, and why not jumping at the first offer, can lead to a more fulfilling career

Call to Action

If you’re in the middle of a job search—or know one is coming—this episode is for you. Listen with intention, take notes, and choose one idea from this conversation that you can act on this week. Share this episode with someone who needs encouragement, and subscribe to People in Transition for more conversations designed to help you move forward with confidence, clarity, and purpose.

This is Bob Gerst, and this episode is about turning transition into transformation.

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Ever look at your life and think, “How did I end up here… and why doesn’t this feel the way success should?”
If that question feels uncomfortably familiar, this episode of “People in Transition” is one you’ll want to hear.

My guest, Jake Kennington, knows what it’s like to build a career that looks enviable on paper while feeling disconnected on the inside. As a licensed Structural Engineer, he spent more than a decade designing $100M buildings, leading high-pressure projects, and stacking up the achievements people associate with success. But privately, his health was slipping, his relationships were stretched thin, and he began questioning whether the life he was building was actually the life he wanted.

Becoming a husband and father of four brought that reality into sharper focus—and ultimately pushed him to redefine success, rebuild his habits, and realign his life around what matters most. Today, through his work at Actively Human, Jake helps mid-career professionals do the same: reconnect with who they really are, create space for what they care about, and build lives that feel as fulfilling on the inside as they look on the outside.

In our conversation, Jake and I explore:

• The moment he asked himself, “Is this it?”—and why that question is worth paying attention to
• How identifying who you are not can open the door to who you truly are
• Why defining your own meaning of success becomes a powerful compass
• Subtle early signs of misalignment—especially in your health and relationships
• The value of owning your morning for yourself, not your inbox
• Why slowing down (and sometimes even disrupting what you’ve built) can be the path to clarity and joy

If you want to learn more about Jake and Actively Human, visit his profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakekennington/

Or visit his website at activelyhuman.com

Listen to Jake’s recording here—and take the first step toward a life that finally feels aligned.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to go deeper on these topics, grab a free resource called The Own Your Life Playbook here: activelyhuman.com/#playbook

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This week on "People in Transition", our guest is Jack Calhoun—an inspiring guide for anyone exploring what comes after a successful first career. As the founder of Encore Career Lab, Jack helps high-achieving professionals design meaningful “second acts” that blend purpose, flexibility, and fulfillment. His passion comes from experience: after leading Capital Directions, LLC from $50 million to over $1.5 billion in assets under management, Jack sold the firm in his early 50s—and quickly discovered how little guidance there was for life after career success. That realization became his mission: to help others bridge the gap between retirement planning and life planning.

During our conversation, Jack shared powerful insights and practical guidance for listeners thinking about their next chapter, including:

• Redefining identity: How to deal with the loss of identity that often comes when stepping away from a long career.
• Rethinking retirement: Why the traditional idea of “retirement at 65” no longer fits our longer, healthier lives—and what sustainable reinvention really looks like.
• Evolving goals: How success, satisfaction, and fulfillment shift as we enter the third phase of our lives—and how to measure meaning, not just achievement.
• Giving back wisely: The role of volunteering in encore careers, and why it won't fill the void where "work" used to be.
• Real-life transformations: Inspiring stories of people who discovered unexpected “callings” far different from their earlier careers.
• Sharing hard-earned wisdom: How to recognize and use the insights you wish you’d known 30 years ago to help others—and yourself—today.

If you’ve ever wondered, “What’s next for me?”—this episode is a must-listen. Jack’s perspective will leave you inspired to see the years ahead not as a winding down, but as a powerful new beginning. Tune in to hear how you can transform experience into impact and uncertainty into opportunity. To connect directly with Jack or learn more about Encore Career Lab, visit encorecareerlab.com or email Jack at jack(at)encorecareerlab.com.

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