Kerry O'Connor-Kunsch, Ccmc, Cprw Email & Phone Number

Triangle, North Carolina, United States

In 2020, following my kids' diagnosis, I began to seriously consider the additional challenges that individuals with ADHD face in managing their energy well enough to sustain their careers. I thought ahead to my kids’ futures and wondered if they would one day struggle with career burnout like I did. The deep ache I felt in my heart when contemplating this was the catalyst I needed to make a change. I soon enrolled in formal training programs in career and ADHD coaching. So, in 2022, I officially relaunched my business to support the particular career challenges of the ADHD community. In essence, I created the support and frameworks that I wished I had in my early career. Today, I'm so grateful for all of my experiences, because it led me to the place I am today. I am now deeply connected to the work of helping ADHDers achieve their own definition of career success.

Brooklyn, Ny

In the fall of 2017, I formally launched my own resume writing shop focused on helping others articulate their (often complicated) career narratives. I discovered how much I loved the challenge of writing resumes for frequent job changers, career pivoters, and those returning to work after long absences and found myself gravitating toward these projects. My favorite part of resume writing: When my clients landed their dream jobs.My least favorite part of resume writing: When many of them come back a year or so later saying that their “dream job” actually turned out to be a poor fit. I slowly started to lose my connection to simply writing resumes and felt more drawn to coaching my clients to find the right fit for their current situation. But to be honest, I was afraid of "starting over" again.

Greater New York City Area

Recognizing my need to heal from the exhaustion from my prior position, I was determined to find meaningful work with clear-cut responsibilities and firm deadlines. This position really aligned with my personal belief that ALL kids have the ability to succeed in their lives and careers - as long as they have access to the tools and people they need to get there. Over two years, I reviewed thousands of applications for teaching positions, weighing candidates’ qualifications and skills to make recommendations for top recruits. I am proud to have advanced the mission of providing quality educators for all NYC and Newark students, especially those in underserved communities. However, screening resumes at a high volume eventually proved difficult for my ADHD brain. Whereas my previous position was overstimulating, this job became quite monotonous. But the result was the same: burnout.

New York, Ny

Brought on board during the peak of unemployment in 2010, I was originally hired as an executive resume writer. However, during training, I was tasked with addressing resume customer complaints and wound up developing into the role of operations assistant, supporting a team of 70+ resume writers. Not surprisingly (given how quickly the resume department had scaled up to meet the demand for resume writing), I quickly discovered that the content produced by our 70+ resume writers was rather inconsistent. To fix this problem, I received training from industry-leading resume experts. I then set out to write our department’s resume and cover letter best practices and create a stylebook to ensure quality and consistency. I also researched the “must-have” skills and experience for each job function and industry. Based on this data, I started to develop a core competency and keyword list for writers to build the most targeted resumes.However, over the course of an exciting few months, this project became increasingly taxing on the energy my brain needed to attend to daily customer complaints in a timely manner. I found myself staying in the office late into the night more often than not. And after one year of employment, I completely burned out.

Greater New York City Area

Honestly, I initially accepted this job as a low-pressure position to allow myself time to recover from college burnout and figure out my next steps. However, it unexpectedly turned out to be a foundational experience for my long-term career.My passion for helping others reach their professional goals really grew during my time at Kaplan. Always looking for the best practices for client success, I signed on as a tutor with Kaplan due to their reputation as the industry-leading experts in the SAT and ACT tests, backed by a robust research program.But what I loved most about this job was the coaching aspect of tutoring - Whenever my students got discouraged or lost steam, I asked them to remind me of their goals, motivating them to buy back into the process. I also tackled performance anxiety by redirecting my students’ attention to their growth and successes.Using Kaplan’s proven methods and my unique coach approach, I brought out each student’s highest potential for success. My students saw consistent and measurable progress, averaging an increase of 240 points per exam section!

Greater New York City Area

One of my fondest memories of my college days was going to my job at the Writing Center every day. As tutors, we helped students focus on “higher order concerns,” and first ask “what is the goal of the assignment?” before delving into the grammar and mechanics of the paper they were working on. My prioritization for “higher order concerns” is crucial to my success as an ADHD career strategist today.

Completed Coursework, Adhd Coaching

Completed foundational ADHD Coaching coursework: Simply ADHD (21 hours) and Personal Transformation (32 hours).

Bachelor Of Arts, English & Art History

Exchange Student, English & History Of Art