I recently had the pleasure of working with a resume client named Holly. I say pleasure because I believe that every one of my clients teaches me something of value. Holly is a Sales and Business Development Director working in the IT software/solution management industry.
I encouraged her (as I do all of my resume clients) to take a no-holds-barred attitude about letting me know what her greatest accomplishments have been in her career thus far. Most people have difficulty “bragging” about their accomplishments. Part of my job is to find out what is truly unique about each client – what sets them apart from other applicants who have similar qualifications, experience, attributes, etc. so that I can bring these unique qualities to the forefront when writing their resume. She explained to me that one of the greatest things that she has been able to do throughout her career is to find key accounts all from the comfort of her desk. She has amazed her supervisors and co-workers by generating business, even during a long-term illness when she had to work from home. She has been extremely successful in acquiring new business while others who use similar approaches, struggle to gain accounts.
When I asked her what was the secret to her success, she told me it is the ability to reach others through her networks and to contact them directly to tell them about what her company has to offer. As a former recruiter who has had to make countless cold calls, I was fascinated by her high success rate. “Didn’t you have difficulty getting through gatekeepers and reaching executives at such high levels?” I asked her. “Of course,” she replied, “but instead of letting it defeat me, it made me more firmly resolved to get through to some key player in the company. If I couldn’t reach the person I was trying to contact, I found another way into the company; either to eventually get through to them or to find and reach someone else within the company.”
It’s easy to see why Holly is so successful at her job. Instead of allowing potential mountains to get in her way, she finds an alternate route; either by getting around the mountain or through it, but inevitably she successfully reaches the other side. Her success can be an example for all of us – and especially for those who are going through the job search. When faced with challenges in work and in life, don’t give up or give in, instead follow Holly’s example and find another way around the problem.
