Learning about various jobs and industries, working with different people and helping them in their job search (which will improve their lives) are the highlights of being a resume consultant. I also enjoy the challenge – whether it’s translating a military career to the civilian workforce; building a resume for a mom returning to work after a long lapse; or working with people making a career transition. The whole process takes me about 5 hours. I schedule a 1-hour consultation with… Show more Learning about various jobs and industries, working with different people and helping them in their job search (which will improve their lives) are the highlights of being a resume consultant. I also enjoy the challenge – whether it’s translating a military career to the civilian workforce; building a resume for a mom returning to work after a long lapse; or working with people making a career transition. The whole process takes me about 5 hours. I schedule a 1-hour consultation with the client and ask him/her lots of questions. I then take that information, along with a “before” resume (if they have one) and other information, and sit down to write a resume from scratch. I always consider the client’s objectives and every resume I create is unique and emphasizes results.A few years ago I also started ghost-writing LinkedIn profiles for clients. I like this even more than resumes because I can infuse the client’s personality into the profile. I wish I could share some samples, but our clients are kept confidential.In 2004 I met Lauren Milligan, the owner and president of ResuMAYDAY, through an online networking group. I never thought I’d ever make a career out of writing resumes, but here I am 12+ years later and still loving it. Show less

Managing the Nease High School Parent Teacher Student Organization is a volunteer role, but I’ve included it because it's like managing a small business. I’ve been President since June 2019 and before that I was the Communications Secretary where I handled social media, weekly newsletter, web site, events and spiritwear. Our annual budget is $35K+. One of my biggest accomplishments was increasing our leadership team from four core parent volunteers to 15+. This has lessened the load for… Show more Managing the Nease High School Parent Teacher Student Organization is a volunteer role, but I’ve included it because it's like managing a small business. I’ve been President since June 2019 and before that I was the Communications Secretary where I handled social media, weekly newsletter, web site, events and spiritwear. Our annual budget is $35K+. One of my biggest accomplishments was increasing our leadership team from four core parent volunteers to 15+. This has lessened the load for each volunteer and enabled us to significantly improve our fundraising efforts and contributions to the school, especially the purchase of needed equipment and various teacher appreciation efforts. My responsibilities include:- Manage and mentor parent volunteers in each of their roles (membership, business partner liaison, social media, web site, teacher appreciation, spiritwear, events and fundraising). - Coordinate with the school Principal and other administrators. - Develop monthly meeting agenda and run meetings.- Recruit parent volunteers to join the leadership team.- Brainstorm ideas and coordinate new fundraisers.One accomplishment is a series of SAT Boot Camp fundraisers that have generated $6,000 for the 2020-21 school year. For several years an English teacher offered SAT test prep to 15-20 students at private homes. I approached him about teaming up with PTSO, making it a fundraiser, increasing our capacity and holding it at school. I developed the pricing model and marketing materials, and then managed the first boot camp from start-to-finish (promoted it, tracked participants, coordinated with the teacher, etc.). The first boot camp was a huge success with 38 students, and we held a second one two months later focused on math; we had 47 students. Now that we’ve created an organizational structure for running these boot camps, the PTSO can fairly easily coordinate them every year and generate extra money to put back into the school. Show less

I fell into this line of work through my cousin and really love it because it uses my organizational, interpersonal and problem-solving skills – and I get to meet a lot of different people! I work as a contractor for about six different transportation or destination management companies, either on my own or in teams of 2-6. It’s contract work, so some weeks are busy and others are slow (during Covid, it was slow the whole time!). When large groups come to Jacksonville, Amelia Island or… Show more I fell into this line of work through my cousin and really love it because it uses my organizational, interpersonal and problem-solving skills – and I get to meet a lot of different people! I work as a contractor for about six different transportation or destination management companies, either on my own or in teams of 2-6. It’s contract work, so some weeks are busy and others are slow (during Covid, it was slow the whole time!). When large groups come to Jacksonville, Amelia Island or Ponte Vedra – for example, a 600-person sales meeting or a 300-person corporate incentive trip – I coordinate the transportation and/or event logistics. Sometimes I work at the airport, tracking flights of incoming travelers, greeting them, coordinating with the bus/limo driver, resolving problems and updating the meeting planner. Other times I serve as the onsite point-of-contact during events at the hotel or event location. Most of my work is local, but one company flew me to San Francisco in the fall of 2019 to help with the week-long National Realtor Association convention. I coordinated transportation for excursions and helped with events.Some of the companies I freelance for are CSI Florida, ETHOS Event Collective (formerly 360 Destination Group), Hello Florida, Destination Staffing and East Coast Transportation. Show less

I’m passionate about playing tennis and have enjoyed coaching young kids in basic tennis skills. For two seasons I coached beginner tennis clinics with Tennis Pro Ed Weiner where I learned how to structure a class, teach fundamentals, lead various drills and ensure safety. We taught students at a weekly after-school program at a private school, Beaches Academy in Jacksonville Beach. In the spring of 2021, we’ll coach another weekly clinic for elementary students and a weekly clinic for middle… Show more I’m passionate about playing tennis and have enjoyed coaching young kids in basic tennis skills. For two seasons I coached beginner tennis clinics with Tennis Pro Ed Weiner where I learned how to structure a class, teach fundamentals, lead various drills and ensure safety. We taught students at a weekly after-school program at a private school, Beaches Academy in Jacksonville Beach. In the spring of 2021, we’ll coach another weekly clinic for elementary students and a weekly clinic for middle school students.In the winter of 2021, I’m coaching students at Ketterlinus Elementary School, a St John County School in St. Augustine. This is through an after-school tennis enrichment program run through PVB Champions and it’s the first time I’m coaching on my own! The goal is to get kids moving, teach them the basics about tennis and get them interested in pursuing tennis further! Show less

This Office Manager job was outside my normal skillset and is a good example of my ability to learn and master new things. I filled in as the Office Manager for a woman who went on maternity leave. The company is NG Wade, a small investment company that owns eight different businesses. I learned how to use QuickBooks and handle Accounts Payable for 80+ different vendors across the eight companies. As I was doing the work, I created a how-to manual for the job, describing details about how each… Show more This Office Manager job was outside my normal skillset and is a good example of my ability to learn and master new things. I filled in as the Office Manager for a woman who went on maternity leave. The company is NG Wade, a small investment company that owns eight different businesses. I learned how to use QuickBooks and handle Accounts Payable for 80+ different vendors across the eight companies. As I was doing the work, I created a how-to manual for the job, describing details about how each vendor was paid for each of the eight companies. I also managed a few small projects and honed by Excel skills. Show less

When I was hired by Aulea Swim Club, it had dwindled to about 60 swimmers and was struggling to handle its administration because of the loss of dedicated volunteers. I was hired to handle enrollment, account management and swim meet registration. Because I was involved in all the details and had the best 360-degree view of the club, I ended up also taking on leadership, organizational and communications roles. I coordinated with parents, coaches, the Board of Directors and volunteers;… Show more When I was hired by Aulea Swim Club, it had dwindled to about 60 swimmers and was struggling to handle its administration because of the loss of dedicated volunteers. I was hired to handle enrollment, account management and swim meet registration. Because I was involved in all the details and had the best 360-degree view of the club, I ended up also taking on leadership, organizational and communications roles. I coordinated with parents, coaches, the Board of Directors and volunteers; recruited parents to organize events or manage necessary functions; created monthly newsletters; sent frequent emails to the club; coordinated home meets; and made sure the club ran smoothly.Aulea hired a full-time head coach in 2014 and he assumed many of my responsibilities including leadership, communication and meet registration. For two years I worked for him and continued to handle enrollment, account management, volunteer coordination and many other miscellaneous roles. When I left Hawaii the club had about 160 swimmers and had significantly improved its competitive ranking within the state.I also led a committee that underwent a “quality” initiative: we wrote the club’s mission statement, vision and various policies and created club processes, all of which earned the club “Level 1” status within USA Swimming.Beyond my part-time paid job, I also volunteered extensively for the club as a lifeguard at practices/meets and timer at meets. For two years I also led a committee to plan and coordinate the club's annual banquet and awards ceremony, a dinner event with as many as 200 attendees. I worked with the banquet facility, handled RSVPs, oversaw the invitations and decorations and managed all the other details involved with an event. I also helped organize home swim meets and oversaw a team that planned an all-day beach family picnic. Show less

I started and ran a business in which I captured personal histories for more than 30 people. Most of my subjects were healthy people in their 70s and 80s, but I also interviewed a 10 year-old-girl and a 45-year old man, both of whom sadly later died of cancer. All the families of the people I interviewed were grateful to get the DVD as a historical memento. For each project, I interview people for about two hours, record it on video, then edit into a DVD. The areas I typically cover… Show more I started and ran a business in which I captured personal histories for more than 30 people. Most of my subjects were healthy people in their 70s and 80s, but I also interviewed a 10 year-old-girl and a 45-year old man, both of whom sadly later died of cancer. All the families of the people I interviewed were grateful to get the DVD as a historical memento. For each project, I interview people for about two hours, record it on video, then edit into a DVD. The areas I typically cover are the subject’s family history (parents and grandparents), childhood and teen years, courtship and marriage, children and grandchildren and many miscellaneous questions. If the subjects are a couple, I interview them separately and then together. I love all the stories, but especially enjoy hearing about how someone met his/her spouse, fought in World War II or immigrated to the United States. I also love hearing about what life was like back in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, e.g., having an “ice man” deliver ice; having the only phone on the block and run to get neighbors who received calls; or gathering around the radio to listen to the Lone Ranger. Even though I’m a writer by trade, when I started my business I opted to record the personal histories on video. There’s nothing like capturing someone’s laugh or a watching couple as they complete each other’s sentences. I taught myself video editing and have improved quite a bit over the years (I use Final Cut on a Mac). Show less

During the dot-com boom I was eager to join the fast-paced, ever-evolving Internet industry. I got a job at a small online learning company called Learning Insights (I was the 8th employee, and we eventually grew to about 25). I managed the development of more than 50 courses including 20 courses written in Japanese. I also wrote content for a few of the courses including a course on sexual harassment awareness that companies used to educate their employees. Using storytelling was one of our… Show more During the dot-com boom I was eager to join the fast-paced, ever-evolving Internet industry. I got a job at a small online learning company called Learning Insights (I was the 8th employee, and we eventually grew to about 25). I managed the development of more than 50 courses including 20 courses written in Japanese. I also wrote content for a few of the courses including a course on sexual harassment awareness that companies used to educate their employees. Using storytelling was one of our big tenets of learning, and I’ve continued to use and create stories in more recent jobs.Perhaps one of the most rewarding projects I led was a company-wide quality initiative. I used Six Sigma quality methods I had learned as a Six Sigma brown belt and led a project that enabled us to better understand customer needs, improve and standardize our process and products, and estimate and track project costs. The improved process and pricing did help, but unfortunately the company went out of business a few years later.It was exciting to be part of a growing company and changing industry and work with a great group of people. Show less

At this small public relations firm, I helped develop corporate brands and integrated communication programs for clients. Most of our clients were in the financial services industry so it was a good fit with my previous background. The most rewarding project was an instructional investor video about stock options that I wrote and oversaw production. The client was the Options Industry Council and the video was distributed to potential investors for at least 10 years. Another noteworthy… Show more At this small public relations firm, I helped develop corporate brands and integrated communication programs for clients. Most of our clients were in the financial services industry so it was a good fit with my previous background. The most rewarding project was an instructional investor video about stock options that I wrote and oversaw production. The client was the Options Industry Council and the video was distributed to potential investors for at least 10 years. Another noteworthy project was when I managed the creation of a children’s book for a start-up children’s furniture company. I hired the author and illustrator, provided creative direction and managed the design and production process. Show less

At GE Capital I had the opportunity to work at two different business units – first Auto Financial Services and then Railcar Services. I launched several new products by developing and managing the execution of integrated marketing communication programs for customers, employees, sales force and media. I was also responsible for employee communications and organized quarterly all-employee meetings. One rewarding part of my job was helping the sales team with on-site logistics for a 100+ person… Show more At GE Capital I had the opportunity to work at two different business units – first Auto Financial Services and then Railcar Services. I launched several new products by developing and managing the execution of integrated marketing communication programs for customers, employees, sales force and media. I was also responsible for employee communications and organized quarterly all-employee meetings. One rewarding part of my job was helping the sales team with on-site logistics for a 100+ person sales meeting in Colorado. Show less

The Chicago options trading division operated fairly independently of its parent company (what was then Swiss Bank Corporation), but we still dealt with the communications folks in Switzerland which gave me a global perspective early in my career. Besides working with a lot of really smart people in a great environment, perhaps the most memorable part of this job was answering the phone from Steve Jobs when he called to talk to my boss.