Taking Risks to Build Confidence With Guest Jacquelinne Mejia

Today’s guest is Jacquelinne Mejia is the CEO and founder of MyResumeSquad, a career services company specializing in resume reviews, career & interview coaching and as well as learning how to optimize your LinkedIn.

Jacquelinne  shares how taking risks in her career have helped her build her confidence. 

Jacquelinne worked as a journalist and social media producer for national news organizations including Univision, NBC Los Angeles, We are Mitú, and Bese.com. She continues to freelance as an entertainment journalist for UrbanHollywood411.com and social media producer for Hits 92.3 radio station in Atlanta.

EPISODE LINKS

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• Is your career mindset holding you back? Take the Career Mindset Quiz, Today!
• Click Here to learn more about my career coaching services. 

Thank you for listening, please Subscribe and leave a Review, and Follow me via IG @ManifestYourCareer

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Transcript

Norma Reyes: 0:07

Welcome to the manifest your career podcast. I'm your host Dr. Norma Reyes, a Latina career and life coach. With this podcast I help successful women learn how to combine their intuition and logic so that they can manifest their dream career. By listening to my podcast, you'll learn how to go from feeling stuck and lost on what to do next to having the clarity, motivation and strategies to manifest the career of your dreams. Each episode, I'll teach you the skills, strategies and mindset you need girl to get in alignment with your career goals. Now, let's go ahead and get started. Hey, everyone, welcome back. This is Episode 24. And today's guest is Jacqueline mahiya. She is the CEO and founder of my resume squad, a career services company specializing in resume reviews career and interview coaching, as well as learning how to optimize your LinkedIn profile. She is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri Rendon School of Journalism and also received her minor in business. Many of her clients are first gen professionals in the workforce just like you and me, as well as her Jacqueline is so passionate about helping created an easy to navigate career roadmap for her clients. Jacqueline has also worked as a journalist and social media producer for national news organizations including you may be see on NBC Los Angeles, we are made to invest. Or Bessie, I don't know. Please forgive me on that one. She continues to freelance as an entertainment journalist for the urban Hollywood 411 dot com, and social media producer for hits 92.3 radio station in Atlanta. Jacqueline also received professional training as a career counselor at the University of Missouri. I am so happy to have her here. Sorry. Well, thank you for being here with us. Now, can you tell us about your family background? Where did you grow up? And who did you live with?

Unknown: 2:33

Sure. So my family background is I have a mom from Mexico and my dad is from us, Allah Lord. And so my brother and I grew up with them, you know, throughout our whole lives, and my grandparents would also kind of switch off when we were young. My grandma and grandpa from Mexico, they would spend about half the year here and then the other half of the year in Mexico. So it was definitely a multi generational household growing up with my mama Lupin Papa Polly, that was like, live with us at home for about half a year. And I'd say that pretty much happened maybe almost till, like throughout high school until unfortunately, like my grandma died, but she was a huge, huge influence in my life and why I'm doing what I'm doing now. So yeah,

Norma Reyes: 3:30

yeah, that sounds like fun to have her there for you. So when you were young, and people asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, what do you recall telling them?

Unknown: 3:39

Yeah, so in terms of, you know, people asking me when I was young, like, what do you want to be when you grow up? I clearly remember having kind of like, three phases, you know, in my answer, where when I was really young, like probably from five to six around there, I would tell people like, Oh, you know, I'd like to be a doctor or ER doctor, because I love this show back then called 911, where it was like, real life emergency calls and how doctors and EMTs would have to solve that. But then around six, I was like, Oh, that's a lot of blood and you know, stuff I always have to deal with. So that kind of dream of a doctor, like died out. And then when I was, you know, probably around elementary school, I definitely told people like, I would love to go to the Olympics, because I was a competitive figure skater for 10 years when I was a kid. So definitely, you know, wanting to go to the Olympics was, you know, in their, in my answers, and then throughout that whole time, you know, after I was like, Okay, I don't want to be a doctor. I always tell people I wanted to be a writer, so writer, and you know, an Olympic athlete, were there until I was like, maybe, you know, 10 to 12. And then around 12, I decided I wanted to be a journalist. So around that time, that was when September 11 happened, you know, very formative experience for me at that time in middle school. And I was like, Okay, I can see how the power of journalism helps people to understand what was going on in that time. And so from then on, I was like, Okay, I want to be, you know, a journalist and either writing or doing something in multimedia.

Norma Reyes: 5:19

Wow. That's, that's, I love that. I love the different roles and everything. I think I was pretty. I don't know, I don't think I have such clear ideas. At that young. I think it wasn't until much later about 10 that I was like, I want to be a judge. And then I forgot all about that. And I still think like, Man, I wish I could be a judge. But anyway,

Unknown: 5:40

yeah, I feel like most kids, you know, don't have like a super clear idea, which I think that's absolutely normal. like to think, Oh, I think I want to do this, I think I want to do that. I feel like I've kind of in a way even my friends now we joke about it. Like I've always been a little bit type A even when I was like a kid. And so even at like five or six, I would like make lists make like five year goal list. Like what I want to be when I was 25. You know, I love even now making lists. And so I think my type A was already on display. back then.

Norma Reyes: 6:14

Yeah, that is pretty amazing. I don't know any five year old My son is I can't imagine him doing goals yet. So who do you recall as some of your earliest career role models, those that you imagine being like, and what kind of work did they do?

Unknown: 6:30

Yeah, so I think this question, it's, it's great, because there's so many layers of it. So number one, like I always looked up to my parents, you know, they came here as two teams, you know, coming from different countries didn't know the language. And they worked really hard and work their way up and started their own businesses. So I always looked up to my parents, because to me, they really were the embodiment of like, if you work hard, you can attain success. So they were definitely very early on career models. And then I also looked up to Peter Jennings and Jorge Ramos. So they were anchors. Peter Jennings was an anchor for ABC World News tonight. And then hardhead rambles for when ABC on and I watched both of them growing up and just really admired how calm they were delivering the news, especially Peter Jennings, when he literally did not take a break for like 36 hours when September 11 happened. And so those kind of, I guess, four people are early career role models. And then as I mentioned before, I was a competitive figure skater. So in terms of athletic side, I always looked up to Tara Lipinski and Mia Hamm, because I felt like they opened up doors for female athletes, especially me a ham and soccer. And so definitely, like instilled in me, you know, about equality and women's sports and doing what you love and what you can do. And you can do it just as well as you know, a male can. So those are all creator role models. I'd say I had growing up.

Norma Reyes: 8:04

Thank you. It was so clear again. Like, my go, Man, I wish I had I mean, there was people I but I think for me, it's like kind of like passing for me, like the moments in time. But I don't clearly, like have names I could just pull out. But so now please tell us about your educational background. Did you attend college right after high school?

Unknown: 8:27

Yeah. So I think you know, growing up definitely was instilled in me to go to college. For me, it wasn't a question like it was more of, you know, where I was going to go to college. And I actually decided to attend an out of state university. So as I said, You know, I knew I wanted to be a journalist. And that was like a huge guiding point for me in college. And throughout, you know, some serendipitous meetings with people and events, I learned about the University of Missouri and that it was one of the top undergraduate schools for journalism, my family and I went to go visit it when I was a junior in college, and we just absolutely fell in love with the school, the atmosphere, the school spirit is very different than anything you'd find here in California. I'm from California. So, you know, very different, you know, we're not like a huge football state here. But in the Midwest, you know, it's big to do sports. And so just with the school spirit, we really fell in love with it. And then on top of that, you know, it's a world renowned journalism school. And so it all just kind of came together. And I clearly remember, you know, making the decision to to go there. And of course, it was scary because, you know, I'm a first generation student, first person in my family to go to college. Not only that, but then going on out of state college, like literally halfway across the country didn't know anybody. So that definitely was a culture shock and I will never forget going with my dad to summer orientation at the University of Missouri or Mizzou for short. And I never will forget, we were, you know, kind of taking a break in between one of the college orientation sessions, my dad and I went to go get cold stone ice cream. And he's like, so how are you feeling? You know, are you excited, and I was like, I've never seen so many like blond haired, blue eyed people in my life, it was definitely a culture shock. Because, you know, coming from California, you hear the word minority, or you had to check the box of minority or that you're, you know, Latino, Latina on like applications and things like that. But I never grasped the word minority, I didn't feel like one. And I remember talking to my dad, and I was like, you know, I didn't really feel like a minority until I came here. And I understood the root of the word that like, there aren't people that looks like you, you know. So that was definitely a big culture shock for me. But I also feel like it was an extremely formative experience. And like, you know, I think why I'm open to so many things and have from that point on, like, taking so many risks, because I learned how to go somewhere where you don't know anybody, and like, really rely on, you know, what are those little networks that you can make. So I remember, my dad and I went through the new Student Program like list of clubs on campus, and my dad was like, there's a Hispanic American leadership organization, that's what it was called, at the time Halo for short. And so he's like, you should, you know, look into that club and see, you know, maybe people there can become your friends. And so I did, and I went to the orientation for Latino students on campus. And I love the people that I met at Halo, all the upper classmen, they were from all over the country, from Chicago from, you know, Cubans from Miami, just all over the place. And it really felt like a home away from home on this campus. They taught me like about campus, and which you know, which professors were the good ones to get like, which lecture halls to go to, they even went shopping with me when my first winter came around, and I had no idea what like snow gear to get. So you know, things like that, that really made a difference. And I happened to run into a few of the members of the upperclassmen members from Halo on my first day on campus, and they like literally walk me to class. And it was just such a breath of fresh air, like making a community specifically of Latinos, and Latinas in a campus where you are less than 3% of the population. And so to have that club, kind of be my guiding post throughout those four years, like, they gave me the competence to then, you know, apply to jobs on campus and become part of all these organizations that I was a part of on campus. It all really stems from this experience that I had at Halo. And that's what really helped me feel part of the university community when I first got to Mizzou,

Norma Reyes: 13:01

that's awesome. And a great reminder for everyone that is in college, if they're an undergrad, or even if they're not to seek those out. Because if you don't I know for myself, I knew they existed, but I didn't seek them out. I figured I'd be okay. But I probably didn't feel like I had a Latino community in school until about two years later, my first two years, I definitely felt a lot more isolated. And while I only went to school an hour north of San Antonio, it still was a culture shock for me. And I still had that same thing where I was like, well, I am a minority, and it just makes you feel, I don't want to say small, I've kind of felt like I stood out like a sore thumb kind of thing. Like I don't belong here. And so I'm glad that you found your supports very early. And it does make a big difference. Had I found my support earlier, I would have had a different experience. Not that it was bad. But maybe I would have been a little more of a risk taker too.

Unknown: 14:02

Yeah, I so I was going to say I absolutely agree with you about you know, if you can, if you know, for any listeners going to college, I always tell people try to find at least one club that you want to explore and like that will make the university feel so much, you know, in a way smaller, like a community, you know, so, like I said, I was the first one to go to college, in my family and also out of kind of my group of friends and, you know, kind of lead the way for my younger brother too. So, you know, through everything I always tell everyone told my brother like, find at least one club on campus. And so I feel like that's, you know, a piece of advice that I often give incoming college students because it really can make a difference. Yeah,

Norma Reyes: 14:49

I definitely can. So before starting your first full time job, what were some of your career interests then?

Unknown: 15:36

Yeah, so during my time in college, I definitely got to To explore a lot of things. So I was a journalism major and also business minor, because I always knew, you know, I was going to go in media. And then I also knew at some point in my life, I always wanted to start my own business. So to kind of balance both of those, I decided to be a business minor and you know, learn accounting, learn, like what overhead costs are, things like that. So those were definitely my career interests, media, and then also business. And I also worked at the Career Center during college from freshman year to senior year and we had to be trained for close to a year we were trained my freshman year on how to review resumes and, you know, things like that. So, you know, I was bouncing a lot of things while being a student, I was reporting for various news outlets, including being a startup intern at what is now newsy, which is a TV channel. And so it was really cool to literally be one of the first people that helped build that company to what it is now. And then I also worked at the NPR affiliate on campus, I was reporting Business News throughout mid Missouri, and you know, working as an actual journalist while I was a full time student, so you had to work at least 20 to 25 hours a week as an actual journalist for actual outlets. Like I said, NPR, newsy, I also worked for the local affiliate station in St. Louis. So that was part of what's known as a Missouri method at the University of Missouri is you're a full time student. And you're expected to also work as a pretty much part time journalist, you know, an actual news stations across the country. So balancing that while also, you know, doing coursework, and then working at the Career Center. So those were all kind of different career things that I did, I guess, before my first full time job. And then one of also the big internships that I got prior to my senior year. So the summer going into my senior year of college, I landed an internship that summer at what was back then known as to sue that magazine, it was a magazine, based in Los Angeles, part of like the Los Angeles magazine group, and I interned there for about a month and a half, maybe two months, not the full summer, because unfortunately, that summer, the publication decided to shut down this or that and like, laid off its staff and stuff. So unfortunately, that was my first experience with like, learning what a layoff is, and things like that. But you know, I was an intern. But during that time, I got to go to this cool, like, building where this glossy magazine was made, and meet editors and things like that. And so it was, it was a really fun experience, you know, for for being an internship. And you know, how to transcribe interviews instead of interviews for the other reporters and research like events that were happening in town in the Latino community and like, help put it on their calendar. So yeah, those were kind of, I guess, things I could think of that stick out.

Norma Reyes: 18:52

Great. Thank you. And so then once you started your first full time job, how did that change your career interests?

Unknown: 19:01

Yeah, so my very first full time job was at this company called EC Hispanic media, which is a leading bilingual advertising company. So while I was there, you know, kind of gave me a taste of balancing marketing, as well as editorial. So while I was there, I did everything from like marketing the events for the company. So we had different events like the other Los Muertos events, glancing@a.com events, and you know, running the logistics for these events where, you know, hundreds of people would come, I would do the logistics for that with the events team. And then also write copy, sometimes for advertisements in Spanish, or I would have to review like other people's copy. And then I'd also write articles for the keen cnn.com magazine and kind of helped, like, grow their social media presence. So that was my very first job. And I did so many things. Also, sometimes random things that I was asked to do by the CEO, that were also kind of, you know, fun for being a first job. Like, one time, she had a friend that came from Europe with her kids, and they needed someone to like, take them to Six Flags, because they didn't know anyone. And so she's like, oh, you're a very social person. We'll pay for you. And I guess to go to Six Flags, so I invited my brother so like, literally my one day of work was spent at six slides like riding rides and kind of being the chaperone to these two kids that came from Europe. So that was, you know, fun little things that like, you know, I guess not a lot of people get to do that for first job. So definitely learned a lot about the Hispanic market and marketing with them and also did some editorial. And so yeah, that that was like my first job that I did first full time job outside of college. And I was there for two years before I decided to, you know, pursue media and journalism and go into that field.

Norma Reyes: 21:01

Yeah. Well, thank you. That sounds like a really fun experience. And so can you tell us about your networking experiences? Was that something that you learned on your own? Or did you have anybody mentoring you?

Unknown: 21:17

Yeah. So I would say in terms of networking experiences, they have definitely been vital in attaining a lot of the, you know, career opportunities that I've had throughout my life. So for me, networking, in a way comes naturally, because I'm a very social person, I just normally ask people what their names are. And, you know, what do they like to do for fun? Or where do they work. So in terms of the social aspect of like, going up to somebody and starting to talk to them, that's very normal for me, in terms of, I guess, learning networking, I would say, maybe my first experience I can think of came in college, when I was part of the National Association of spanic, journalists, and they sponsored students to go to these big conferences. So I went to my first big conference in Chicago, during the summer, I believe it was after my freshman year, and I would say that was probably like, where I really learned how to hustle and network and like, really kind of talk about yourself and an elevator pitch, because they were, you know, booths and booths of tables of people from Bloomberg News to AP news, and, you know, local stations across the country. And you only have, you know, not even maybe five minutes, you probably have like one to two minutes to talk to these recruiters and talk about yourself. And so you go from booth to booth to booth, and they encourage us to do that throughout the conference. And we can get used to like talking to recruiters and talking to them about our resumes and things like that. So yeah, that was definitely a great experience for me, because I learned how to do that, you know, fairly young, you know, in my after my first year of college, so yeah, networking has been really big, I would say in terms of professionally, one of the biggest networking kind of opportunities I could think of was probably like five to six years ago. Now, I always wanted to work for this publication called me too, we are Me too. It's one of the biggest Latin x publications for millennial and Gen Z readers. And, you know, I would read their website, and I felt like, Oh, I would love to write for them. And I didn't, you know, know how to really, like, reach out to anyone there. So one summer, I saw that the editor in chief at the time was going to be speaking at a conference, and the conference ticket was at the time, you know, pricey. It was like, $200, and, you know, being like a young professional, I was like, Oh, that's a lot of money. But I was like, you know, what, if I get a chance to meet this editor in chief, and like, land, a contributing writer role, that's gonna, you know, obviously pay for itself. So I put on my credit card, and I drove out to the west side, you know, from where I was living in Los Angeles, and I spent like, the, you know, several days for the conference, like waiting for this panel to finally, you know, happens. And so I listened to the panel, and then I made a beeline to the editor in chief after she was done. And after she was done talking to a few people, I was like, Okay, I gotta practice my pitch, like, this is who I am. This is what I've done, you know, and I did, you know, I told her why I wanted to work at me through what was my, you know, journalism and editorial experience up to that point? Why did I feel my writing and my voice, you know, would be good for the platform? And, you know, she was like, yeah, you know, I'd like to bring you in to do like an interview, send me your resume, Here's my card. So she's like, Here's my card, send your resume to me, send me clips that you've done. And then you know, we'll take it from there. And so I did, I did that. And, you know, went through the process of, you know, applying to be a freelance contributor, and I landed the job there. And so, I worked for me through for, like, five or six years, you know, and thankfully had so many awesome opportunities in my journalism career and really was able to build a name and a platform for myself by writing with me through and that all came because of a networking opportunity that like I took the risk. You know, again, like I said, you know, being an out of state student that was a huge risk for me at that time in my life. So you You know, taking the risk of putting a conference ticket on my credit card and driving out and you know, making a pitch to an editor, that doesn't seem as scary when you've already like, you know, moved across the country and done stuff like that. So yeah, I did that. And it worked out for me. And so I always tell people, like, if you have someone that you look up to in your career, or like a mentor that you want to meet, like, just try to see where they're going to be speaking at in terms of panels, or, you know, virtual conferences now, things like that, and try to, you know, network with them, because it really can be a career changing opportunity. Yes,

Norma Reyes: 26:17

I love that taking risk and making your own networking, identity. Definitely something that we can all do a little more of as scary as it may seem. So now, tell me what have been some of your most influential career experiences thus far?

Unknown: 26:36

Yeah, so I would say, I'll try to break it down, maybe into five mini ones to start out. So I would say, my very first influential, like career opportunity would be working@newsy.com. So that was like a full 360 for me in terms of being a college student, because I started out, like I said, when newsy.com was, you know, literally trying to form its team, it was a startup, we had founders that had come from AOL at the time, and at the time, you know, I was in college in like, the mid 2000s, like 2007 to 2011. So back then, hearing someone come from AOL, like that was huge back then, you know, so we were like, Okay, this is neat. We have like, some really great, you know, founders and obviously, they knew what they were doing because now it's it's a, you know, it's a TV channel. So, you know, cross country. So, so yeah, I started I was an intern, you know, working for free. And I worked on the marketing team at that time as a sophomore, and I was actually one of the youngest interns because I could not actually have an internship because I was an underclassmen. And so the university didn't let us do an internship. But the founders of the company were like, We really like you. We like your energy. So we'll like sign paperwork so that you can come intern for us even as a sophomore. So I interned for them in the marketing department and learn like guerilla marketing and tactics like that, you know, to help spread the word of newsy, and then worked my way up to around my junior year, I was writing scripts for the anchors and writing, like the scripts that were used for the video news clips that were put on newsy. And then by the time I was a senior going into my final semester of my senior year, the founders of the company said, you know, you've worked for us for a long time, we've seen your work. And we really, you know, believe that you could lead a team. So they're like, we want to hire you to do everything newsy is doing, but do it in Spanish. So I helped launch this like beta test project called newsy, in espanol. And I had to basically lead a team to do everything that newsy was doing, editing, writing the scripts, learning metadata at that time for YouTube and putting our videos on YouTube. And we had an anchor that she would do all the videos in Spanish. And so I was leading this team at 21. Yeah, so 21, and leading a team of like seven or eight people and you know, having this opportunity to launch something that had never been done before, and show investors basically what music could be in different languages. So that was a huge opportunity for me, and I still talk about it now. And obviously, you know, on this podcast, and even when I'm interviewed by people, I still talk about newsy because that's something I'm very proud of, and to know that even that young people saw, you know, something in me to be a leader. So, you know, it's so important, I think, for employers to elevate talent, even if it's young, you never know what impact that can have on that person. So yeah, that's definitely a very formative experience for me. After that, I would say you know, probably becoming a writer for me through like I said, it's opened up so many doors for me and I love that I got to really become in touch with my Latina side. You know, my mom always jokes that you know, watching all those telenovelas with my with my mama lupa and my family growing up, you know, definitely influenced that and how I wrote for me through and I've gotten to interview celebrities like Diego Luna, some of the creators for Netflix shows I actually went to Vancouver right before the pandemic, I was invited by netflix to go to Vancouver and interview their talent onset from their different shows for me Me too. So that was my first like international press trip, you know, things like that, that me too was able to give me and I just, every time I wrote an article, it was never work, it was so much fun, like doing the research interviewing Latinos or Latinas across the country that were making a difference for their community entrepreneurs, you know, people in executive positions at different companies or interviewing like makeup artists, or fashion designers. You know, it was just so awesome to bring those stories to Latinos. And, you know, also ordinary things happening, like gentrification on kioto, or, you know, a series that I did with my editor on the cultural importance that Afro Latinx brought to Brazilian culture, you know, things like that, that we got to explore that mainstream media wasn't talking about. So I would definitely say that that was a pure highlight working with me through when I got my first like, I would say, my first big break for, you know, in media, I always say my first big break was like working for NBC, Los Angeles. So I got hired around 25. Yeah, when I was 25, I got hired to be NBC, Los Angeles, his first social media producer that they ever had. And it was a year long contract. And I loved it, like it was a year long, but I made friends and still keep in touch now with, you know, my staff that I worked with, they were amazing. We have to cover some big stories that year. You know, unfortunately, things from mass shootings all the way to like the Rio Olympics, it happened to be the year of the Rio Olympics. And I got to do things on social on visually to help. You know, what, what's called the 100 days out, which is 100 days from where the Olympics happen. NBC Universal has a huge push on social media, to get people excited for it. So I got to be part of that and just loved working with the team, NBC, Los Angeles, and Telemundo think what diverse. And so we were all in one big newsroom. And you know, had fun doing that. And from there, when my contract ended, I actually got recruited to go work for a VC on in Miami. And so that's why I moved to Miami for two years I was working with with the VC on and with fusion TV. And that was a really big, professional and personal life change professionally, because I got to work with one of my heroes, you know, one of my career mentors that you asked me earlier, I got to work with Jorge Ramos, and do social media for a show, I got to also meet resident there and do kind of copywriting for big Papi or fees, the Former MLB player, so and got to do really fun stuff on the work side. And then also on the personal side, you know, living in Miami was awesome, I made so many new best friends, I still talk to To this day, I learned salsa dancing, Cuban style, I learned how to make work Bobby bow like coffee, you know, so that was a big experience. And then I would say also, a big career thing for me would be just kind of on the personal side, I did in the last year, you know, check off that dream of owning my own business. And so I started a company called my resume squad where I took the lessons and the training I learned at the University of Missouri Career Center where I worked for four years, and you know, love to interact with clients back then loved hearing client stories, when they would come back and tell me Hey, you're the reason I got into law school or you know, I got that internship that you helped me edit my resume with. And so, you know, took that training and you know, when this global pandemic happened, and unfortunately, millions of people lost jobs. I actually had people in my network reach out to me and say, Hey, I knew that you used to do this in college, my very first client, you know, reached out to me and said, I know that you have experience in this, I just got laid off, can you help me with my resume, I will pay you for your services. And so when that happened, I was like, wow, this can actually be a viable business. People need help. And I know what the skills how to review resumes and review CVS and help people with that, and especially with my editorial background, you know, writing and editing come so naturally to me. And so, yeah, I decided to launch my business and I'm so happy to say, you know, I've had clients since day one. And, you know, people, like my clients have called me or email me saying, like, I got the job, I got the interview, you know, or I learned a whole new career path because of you, you know, because of the career sessions we've had. So it's been such a fulfilling journey in terms of starting my own business and just see like, you know, something that was a dream and then became an idea and then became a reality. Like it's still, you know, still kicking, I celebrated my one year anniversary for my business in April. And so you know, I'm excited for what the next year is going to bring, and what's going to happen even beyond that.

Norma Reyes: 35:54

Congratulations. I'm going to do more about that in a bit. But before we get there, can you tell us about some of the challenges you've had faced and how you overcome them?

Unknown: 36:04

Yeah, so I have definitely faced challenges in my career. And I would say one of the biggest things that has helped me is actually my parents, specifically my mom, she's my best friend, you know, and I would call my parents for everything from encouragement to mentorship to advice. You know, in college, when I was away, I would talk to my parents every day, I'd call them, you know, for different reasons. For my dad, it was kind of more I needed the practical advice. Like I remember, I would say, one of my early like, challenges, I guess, in my career is that when you're a stay at the mercy Missouri journalism school, you have to pick which like, emphasis area you want to do. And I was, you know, deciding should I be a broadcast journalist? Should I be a multimedia journalist and do convergence journalism? Or, you know, what tracks should I do? And I had a little bit of a, you know, existential crisis, because I was like, Oh, my gosh, this is gonna decide what path I'm going to go on, you know, how do I do this. And I, my heart was telling me to do multimedia journalism, because I liked writing, I liked doing stuff digitally, you know, my passion was there. But I was also like, really nervous about it, because we definitely have some tough professors in that specific emphasis area. And like, it's known, there's this one class that was known to like, weed out people, because it was really separated, who really wanted to be addressed and who kind of, you know, didn't have the chops for it, or didn't have the passion for it. So I was really nervous going into that class. And I remember I was like, oh, which one should I do? I don't know, should I keep doing this. And I still remember my dad, you know, call me on the phone again, the practical one. And he was like, jaggy, in the 100. And something years since the Missouri School of Journalism started. He's like, I haven't heard any reports of anybody dying from the journalism school of how hard it is.

Norma Reyes: 38:05

So he's

Unknown: 38:06

like, so he's like, you can do this, you know, pick an emphasis area, and he's like, everything's gonna work out. And he's like, you'll be fine. You know, just work hard, like, study. And that's all he can do. And so I was like, you know, he's right. Like, I can't let the fear of something, keep me from, you know, moving and doing something. So I remember, I took a run down the Katy Trail in mid Missouri and kind of got clarity and was like, Yeah, I can do this. And so I signed up to do convergence journalism. Did that course that was super hard reporting for dado to my friends, and I still talk about it that we were like, We survived, you know. And what was cool is that class was so hard that all of us in the class like in that cohort, we became so close, we still talk to each other now. And our professors said, I purposely make it this difficult, because I want to see who at the end is going to, like we said, We'd be weeded out who really wants to be, you know, in in multimedia journalism, and that, this prepares you for those next courses. And so after that course, because you survive it, we became really close with our professor and like, we even did pub crawls with her, you know, our senior year. So it was it was really awesome, how close we became. So that was like a challenge. I would say early on, in my, like, younger part of my career, I would say the next career challenge that I had was when I was editor in chief of loss up, it was the job that I had, right before I started working at NBC, Los Angeles. And that was very challenging for me for a variety of reasons. Number one, I was a really young, you know, editor in chief, I was 24, at the time when I got the job, and I had to lead people that were literally double my age, you know, or people that were older than me by 10 years. And I was actually one of the youngest people on staff, but I was also at the same time editor in chief. And so that really taught me how to, like, not let age define you. And as long as like you have a vision and you know how to clearly communicate it with your team, and they believe in you, you know, I didn't have people that were older, like questioning me, you know, so that definitely, I had to, you know, come into that type of power. You don't naturally walk in, you know, or I don't know anyone that naturally walks in on day one. It's like, boom, I'm ready to lead. It's like you learn things and I definitely stumbled a few times there and learn some some big workplace things. at that company, unfortunately, that was kind of the first experience of a layoff, I really had as a working professional, as hard as my team and I worked, you know, sometimes things are financially out of your hands, you don't make the, you know, financial budget decisions for a huge company. And so the company said, you know, we understand how hard you've all worked, and we appreciate your work. But financially, this website, it's not making sense for us and our audiences. So we're going to stick to like, our more historical websites. And so yeah, so they did lay off. So that was tough, because, you know, you have to be like, wow, I worked so hard at this, and everything just kind of gets pulled under you with the rug. And again, my mom, you know, always been the eternal optimist was like, Don't worry, something's gonna happen, you know, something better is gonna come, you know, I still remember calling my parents crying. And you know, both of them were like, something better is going to come, you just got to hit the ground running and work, work through it. And so every time there's some kind of setback, I've always had, you know, something kind of there that comes along, you know, after that. So after that, I actually got offers to start freelance writing, that's when I got my freelance job with me too, you know, and I was able to work things out, I also got invited to apply to a position to be a full time marketing manager. But the company like just I could tell it wasn't the right fit. But I also knew they needed someone to help complete the work. So I actually, in a way, learn how to negotiate because I said, You know what, I'm doing freelance work right now. I know, this isn't the right company, for me in terms of like, long term, but I'm like, I also know y'all need somebody like today. So I'm like, Can I negotiate a freelance contract with all of you and work on your teams and what you need until you find a replacement, because I knew that then looking for an employee was going to take a couple months. So I was like, you know, I can offer my services now. And we can part ways when you find somebody. And so they were like, wow, this is actually kind of interesting. We hadn't thought about that. But we do need the help. So they were like, Yeah, let's do a freelance contract for the time being. So we did that. And it was like perfect timing, because I was still looking for jobs. And so when they found somebody, it was perfect timing, because I let them know that I got hired to go work at NBC, Los Angeles. So you know, that was, you know, what I did in between kind of the, those jobs. So that was definitely a challenge, you know, obviously been laid off. But then I learned how to like, pick myself up and like keep hustling, keep working. So I always tell people, like, don't be afraid of the hustle. Like, eventually the universe is going to notice that you're putting in the hustle and putting in the work. And I truly believe that, like, the universe gives back what you put in. And so every time I have found myself at a professional crossroads, or something, you know, even with my own business, sometimes, you know, of course, you get a little bit of that, you know, entrepreneur worry, like, Oh, my gosh, am I gonna have a client? You know, the next week, you know, next month, am I going to get new clients? And it's like, yeah, the work you put in, you know, people hear about you, people refer you and you know, thankfully, I can say I've always had clients every single month since opening my business. So yeah, I'm definitely a believer in hard work. And that hard work, and having a positive outlook. And, like my parents say, believing that better things will come if one door opens, you know, open a window or kick down one of the doors so that you can open it, better things will come. So I let that. You know, I tell that all the time when I do clubhouse talks or panels with people, or even my own clients where if they're currently unemployed, or you know, not looking for new career transition, I always let them know if you do the work if you you know, take freelance opportunities or work contract positions, or take the time to learn new coursework, like all of that is eventually going to come back to you in a good form in one way or another.

Norma Reyes: 44:59

Yeah, definitely always trying to take those risk and looking for those opportunities. Because if you're not willing to keep your eyes open, nothing's going to show up. I love how you just created and created for yourself. Yeah, and having your parents as strong support is so important. And not everyone has that. So if you don't have that, you know, find someone for yourself or be that person for yourself if you're not able to find that. Now tell us just three your top three resume tips.

Unknown: 45:35

Yeah, so I would say definitely in terms of my top three resume Tip number one is always carefully look at the job description. That's definitely number one. It's like really read through the job description, you know, have a notepad next to you write down, what are the duties that they're asking for? What are the job responsibilities you're asking for, and then see how your experience aligns with that. So you know, go down the list of like, okay, they're asking for this, do I have experience doing that, or have I done that before check check, you know, and that really helps write your resume. Also really look through the job description, because I tell my clients, sometimes some companies are sneaky, and they want to see who's detail oriented. So they will put sometimes I've seen it in the middle of a job description, or sometimes in fine print. At the end, they will say, you know, email your resume or email your resume and cover letter to, you know, XYZ person, and like, they put that at the end of the job description or in the middle, because a lot of people are just clicking apply, apply, apply, you know, on these job search websites, like LinkedIn, or indeed, and sometimes some jobs specifically want you to send an email with a cover letter sometimes or just a resume to this specific person. And so I always tell my clients read through the job descriptions, you know, not only to see if you align with the job description, in terms of the responsibilities and duties, but also because you might miss a line where it says to send specifically, you know, sample or cover letter, you know, to a specific person. So number one, read through the job description. Number two, modify your resume to the job that you're applying for, you know, I absolutely understand that, you know, applying to a job, it can be tiring, you know, going through application after application, you know, your, your eyes start to glaze over, and you're, you know, your words are like, Oh, my gosh, I'm looking at the same document, you know, it can all start to jumbled together. But, you know, I like to say, first, apply to the jobs that you want to apply to. So be intentional about the jobs that you want to apply to don't just apply to, you know, the 20 job openings, you see for business development manager, like really see which companies do you want to work for, which you know, does their mission values, you know, work samples align with you. So really be intentional about your job search, and modify your resume to what that job is asking for. So don't just mass send your resume to all these openings, like really modify your resume to that specific job role. And that's going to get you so much more traction. So that's the second tip is to modify your resume to each job. And then third, is look for different ways to highlight your experiences as a holistic job candidate. So a lot of people, you know, they'll just put their professional work experience on a resume. And that's kind of it. But I always tell clients, like you also have experiences outside of your normal nine to five job. That could also be, you know, making you a great candidate in the eyes of a recruiter. So put down volunteer experiences, certifications, if you're like CPR certified, or you're certified in certain courses, or you just completed coursework, you know, on HubSpot or continuing education, like put those certifications on your resume as well in a special certification section. Or you can also add a section for Honors and awards. Like if you got a Customer Service Award, or if you're worded for, you know, volunteer experience or something. Also, volunteer experience can be another section you put on your resume. So again, just to summarize, you know, the top three tips number one is definitely read, read, read that job description, go through every line. Number two is modify your resume for that specific job role, don't mass apply with the same resume. And then number three is to see what other sections you want to put on your resume besides your professional experience section.

Norma Reyes: 49:55

Thank you. Thank you, those are so great. And you actually reminded me of my episode seven, where it's about, should I stop applying for jobs. And that's one of the biggest things that I talked about, about being intentional on the jobs that you're applying to, because you're just wasting all of your energy applying to you know, 2030 jobs a day, but not being intentional, when you can do that intentionally, you know, one or two a day, but really putting all of your energy to, you know, and really, if you're going to put that much energy, you're going to pick the one that is best for you versus the 20 and you're just like I hope somebody calls me.

Unknown: 50:35

Yeah, exactly. Like I absolutely agree with your number of applause. To like one to two a day versus like 20, because your brain just gets in a fog, it's like tired, you know, you might make a misspelling or something, you know, so I also advise clients, like one to two a day is good, you know, look for something in the morning, maybe look for something in the afternoon. And also, it's okay to take a break, if you need to, you know, if you're burned out, because you've been applying for several months, like, take one to two weeks off, like, you know, come back job postings are always going to be there, you know, in terms of like new jobs coming in, I understand that, you know, maybe you didn't apply to something, and you come back and the job postings gone, you know, that, that definitely happens. But I always let people know if that happens. And that wasn't the job meant for you, you know, if it was meant for you, you would apply and it would go your way, you know, but if it's not meant for you, you know, just trust that the universe knows what it's doing. And you know, it closed for a reason, you know, that that application pool? So yeah, I definitely, you know, encourage people to take, you know, even if they need it a whole month, you know, off from job searching, sometimes just to like, see breathe, figure out, you know, is this really the industry, I want to go to maybe that month of you not applying, maybe instead use that time to, you know, do some type of freelance work, or maybe take on some clients so that you can build up your skill set, or maybe use that time instead to like, go take a course get a certification, you know, that you need for your job application. So, I wouldn't say like completely take your foot off the gas pedal completely, where you're just like, Alright, I'm gonna take this month off and completely cruise, like, you know, still kind of do something productive, maybe read some books in the industry, or, or like really get up to date and then industry in terms of, you know, articles or news releases or take a new course, you know, but maybe taking a month off, or a couple weeks off from a job application is kind of that breather that people need sometimes.

Norma Reyes: 52:43

Thank you. Yes. All great tips, was there anything else that you wanted to share with us?

Unknown: 52:49

So I guess in terms of an additional tip that I would give anyone that's looking right now is, you know, hopefully, as you've heard through my story, like networking is super important. And a lot of people, you know, either don't put the time, or maybe they're, you know, maybe they're not, like, naturally, you know, super outgoing people. So networking can be a little bit daunting. So, in that sense, you know, take networking, like virtually, you know, write a little short email template that you can send out to a recruiter or a hiring manager that you're interested in, on LinkedIn, or try to do your homework and find their email address, you know, and just be like, Hey, you know, I saw this job opening on LinkedIn, I'm really interested because of ABC, you know, and I would like to know, if this job is still open, and a lot of times, you know, kind of opening that door with like, Hey, you know, I'm interested This is why is the job so open? If the job is still open, that hiring manager will say, yeah, it's still open, you know, send me your resume, so you can apply You know, I've kind of advise that tip to a lot of people and I've seen it work for people. I've seen it work for myself as well. So yeah, definitely networking in terms of virtually like sending emails. Also, like I said, attend conferences with people or in industries that you want to go into. So yeah, I mean, don't undermine the power of networking, it really can open the door to a new opportunity.

Norma Reyes: 54:26

Yeah, definitely. Well, thank you for that. And now how can they reach you, Jacqueline?

Unknown: 54:32

Yeah, so I can definitely be reached on my Instagram. That's kind of where I give a lot of my tips for resumes, cover letters, things like that. And my handle is my resume squad. So that's the name of my business my resume squad and so they can find me on Instagram and they can also click on my Instagram Lincoln bio to schedule a free 15 minute consultation where I help people you know, figure out where are they currently on their career search or career journey? How can my you know services help them you know, launch that next career move? I'm also on Tick Tock you know, same thing my resume squad on Tick tock, it's my resume squad underscore career tips. And then if they just want to say hi, or you know, take a look at some of the services I offer. It's my resume squad.com and there's you know, drop down menu, you can see my services I offer, resume reviews, and writing and editing also LinkedIn optimism Asians and I also help people with career coaching, that's actually starting to become like my second most popular service after a resume. And you know, CV writing and editing is career coaching to help people, you know, figure out what they want in their next career move if they're currently in a job or field, and they feel like they want to make you know, a switch into something else. I definitely help a lot of people with career transitional career coaching.

Norma Reyes: 56:09

Great, thank you so much. And I will make sure to have all the links in the show notes. Thank you again for your time. I really appreciate it.

Unknown: 56:19

Thank you. It was a pleasure being here, Norma, and I look forward to continuing to hear all of your podcasts and thank you for giving, you know working professionals like me a platform to talk about our stories and, you know, share tips with your audience. Yes, thank

Norma Reyes: 56:34

you. Thank you for listening to the manifest in your career podcast with me, your host Dr. Norma Reyes, a Latina career and life coach.