There is Value in a Professionally Written Resume

A good friend of mine and I were discussing her job hunt this weekend and it really brought me back to all the job hunting I have done over time. It is definitely not a fun process but if you hang in there and put forth all of your effort it'll pay off. The last time I was job hunting I had updated my resume and felt very good about it but I was embarking on a career shift also. At that time I decided it would be important to bring a resume company in to help me create the best possible resume. I found a great company via Twitter called Resume Express that gave me a free consultation with a lot of feedback on my current resume structure. Their free consultation wowed me and at that time I decided to purchase their service and get help creating a new resume and cover letter that would be fresh and really bring me to the next level. I worked with Alexander who I had found on Twitter. 


My biggest challenge was figuring out how to show people that 7+ years of nonprofit sales and marketing translated perfectly to sales in the for profit industry. Alex gave me some feedback on my current resume and told me about the direction he wanted to take it in. He went a very different direction from what I had, but he really broke down what was important and what would stand out to potential employers. I highly recommend Alex to anyone who is really serious about having a top notch resume. For me being armed with a new resume was power in itself, it was a fresh push that I needed to get back out there and really show people what I could do. 


When it came to Resume Express and working with an online company I was very hestitant and even scared to lose money or not ever get a finished product. Alex was great and walked me through each step. He had things done very quickly and made sure he'd tailor it to what my career goals and passions were.  I would recommend Alex's services to anyone wanting a great professional resume. My biggest concern was the translation of my nonprofit background, but it never was an issue…After seeing the finished product I was more than happy and want to recommend Alex and this company to anyone looking. 


Hopefully this blog will help people choose to put a few dollars into a great company that will help you create the resume you need to get the right jobs!!

Ahh...I've been neglecting my blog...

Ok seriously...the image I choose is so random how could I not pick it ha!

I have spent way too much time away from my blog. I miss it! I have had so much on my mind I haven't been able to focus my energies on it. No more neglecting though hopefully.

So the last few months as everyone knows I was unemployed...and by FEW I mean EIGHT!! Yes, eight whole months. It was pretty crazy but I made it through, thanks to supportive family and friends. I had some great friends that got me out of the house and didn't let me wallow or think about it too much. I do have to say I miss sleeping in but that's about it. I also am not loving public transportation again but I guess that's just part of life.

So as I started to elude to...I GOT A JOB. Finally!! After my job was eliminated in nonprofit it was the perfect time to really take a look at what I wanted in life. I had grown and climbed the nonprofit ladder until I landed myself into a vice president role. It was not fulfilling to me though and financially I never would have had an opportunity to enjoy life and travel or do anything truly extra. I'd be climbing slowly out of college debt forever if I stayed in nonprofit. So with my job ending I took some time to really think hard about what I wanted. I looked at my friends job and career which I had always admired and really wondered...why can't that be me. Well guess what it can be eventually. So I set out to find a job in the .com industry in sales. Not only did I do that but I did it with the fastest growing internet company EVER. Very cool. I'm sure I'll be sharing a lot of stories about my new company. At this time I've had one week of training and all is good. I have a base salary + commission which is totally new to me. I'm excited to take on the challenge of making commission and really performance based money! I've always performed very high but never ever been rewarded for it financially.

Stay turned for more .com work stories!!

Snap out of it...

Since this whole unemployment thing begun I can honestly say I have been in the weirdest head space. I'm happy yet overly stressed. The stress comes from lack of money and the happiness comes from the weight lifted that now I can find a job that could make me happy.

The thing with unemployment is that it's not easy OR excited. It's the same ole thing every single day. I'm not good at living the same life every single day in a Groundhogs Day style manor. The thing that has suffered the worse is my gym habit. I just haven't been in the mood to go at all lately, when in fact that is probably something that would really help the most. I plan to give myself a significant kick in the ass to get me back in the gym ASAP. My good eating habits are still pretty much going strong except I definitely cheat sometimes and that just makes me feel like I've wiped all the good away.

One of the hardest things, outside of going to the gym, is job searching every day. I'd equate it to working in an assembly line. Each day I wake up and go through all the tagged websites and apply to new jobs. I hear back from about 1% of them. So far I have had several interviews but I'm finding that a lot of these jobs are totally taking advantage of the unemployed. They want to pay absolutely unacceptable rates. I'd be better off to stay on unemployment at that rate. Which is what I am doing. I am very confident that the right thing is going to come along a lot sooner than later. I'm getting more interviews and more bites lately. Hoping for the best and avoiding the worst!

Unemployment is no joke

Wow so it has been FIVE months since I have had a job. I am not gonna lie this is the hardest time in my life. I have been unemployed before but this is huge because my loans have to be paid. No deferment or forbearance left to use. I have bills and expenses that do not understand or take a break for my unemployment.

I have said this before, my job being eliminated from the school was a good thing. Sounds weird, but it really was. I was miserable under the new management, because they were purposely trying to drive people out. Constant 8-5 negativity believe it or not is still worse than unemployment. It also gave me the push I need to figure out what I really want to do professionally and take the huge leap. Problem is that that leap is not easy nor is it definite. I cannot just jump into this new industry and say hire me. Believe me, I have been trying for the past several months. I have given it the most effort the past two to three months but still that is way too long to not be getting positive results. I have had a few interviews. Some of which just were not right for me or not enough money.

I am dying to break into the digital technology and media industry but it is so damn hard. I do not know how to kick a door open and get my foot into the right place. I am putting my resume out everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE. I found a few new sites to job hunt on this week and thats helping some. I need an ego boost because this really is giving me a pretty severe shot to the ego. Its hard to have had so much success professionally and than just fall off the map completely. From Vice President to unemployed is not the direction I have been killing myself for the past six years to take. I'm ready for positivity in my life and a great 2011. I sure hope its on its way very soon!! 

Myth Busting: Online classes are NOT easy!!

I cannot tell you how many times I have read or heard that online classes are easy. So NOT true!! In fact I'd say it is much harder than regular classes on campus. I have done both so I have the inside track. I got my Bachelors in the classroom and am getting my Masters online.

In a classroom you have the benefit of listening to your teacher teach you the important topics, reading is secondary, teachers have office hours, study groups with classmates and typically there are study guides to help you review. In the world of online learning you don't ever hear your teacher teach, you teach yourself by reading. So far I have had 3-4 books to read per class which is a lot in just 8 weeks. Online you don't have study groups to benefit from. You have weekly papers and daily discussion forums. There are a lot of points and you've got to do everything well to succeed. You have to be so self disciplined and dedicated to wanting to succeed.

I have successfully completed semester 1 with a 4.0 to show for it. I'm very excited about that. I enjoy online learning because you have opportunities to learn through your classmates experiences. Each week you must participate in discussion forums Monday thru Thursday. In those discussions everyone relates the learning to their real life which makes what we read that much more useful.

I would highly recommend online learning to people who can focus on their own. You have to be self sufficient and be able to self motivate. It is not cheap so make sure it is for you.

I got in!!

I got accepted to Bay Path Colleges graduate program today. It's in Maryland, but I'll be completing the coursework online. They have an excellent program and I'm very excited to start. I'll be working on my Masters of Science in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy!!

The wait, thinking happy thoughts.

Its final, I officially finished all my graduate school admissions requirements. I normally would never talk about this because of the chance of not getting in. At this point if I don't get in I think I'm ok with it. It'd be happening for a reason. I feel like this is the determining factor to let me know if nonprofit is what ill always be doing. If not maybe ill go get a MBA, who knows. I can truthfully say for once my whole life isn't planned out and things will just fall how they should once I find out the answer. I'm almost 27 and I stress WAY too much for someone any age. I know my career is in helping the youth of the future. I didn't grow up rich, nor did I grow up poor. I grew up taken care of and happy. I am from a middle of nowhere country town in Ohio and I never had to worry about the things the kids today do. I feel sorry that they have to be a part of the negativity that the world puts out. I want to run an organization that can help pull kids out of the negative worlds that so many slip into. I won't talk too much about it because it's a unique idea and I don't want to lose it to another. Anyhow, I'm thinking happy thoughts. My future is bright, this degree won't determine my success it may just lead me to success down a certain path over another.