We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marlowe Boyd a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Marlowe thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

The Crafted Pen, formerly known as Writing on Marlee’s Wall, has its humble origins traced back to the cozy confines of my living room couch at the tender age of twenty-two. Even from the doodles of a five-year-old to composing resumes in college, I’ve dedicated my entire life to honing the art of writing, and 10 years specializing in resume crafting and career coaching.

In those early days, there were no intricate systems in place, no assembled teams, and proficiency was still finding its foothold. However, the seed of The Crafted Pen was sown deep within me—a potent force fueled by the fervent desire to bring about meaningful change through my expertise. Amidst working a full-time job, being a mom, crafting resumes, and curating profiles, I also found myself serving as an on-demand inspiration, a beacon for those seeking guidance.

With over a decade of corporate and management expertise, I understand the professional landscape intimately. I gained an intense understanding of organizational pain points from the hiring manager’s perspective, equipping me with out-of-the-box strategies to set my customers apart.

Pain, frustration, financial hardship, surviving domestic violence, and persevering out of homelessness, consequences of poor decisions and broken workforce, were key factors that pushed me past my limits in this profession. I made a promise to help others avoid rock bottom like I did because it was a dark time in my life. Having been in the shoes of everyday people who are struggling to make ends meet, I offer not just expertise but a lived experience, persevering through challenges and paving pathways toward my own success.

The universe conspired to validate the idea that I held the power to transform and impact lives. This revelation marked the turning point, the catalyst that set everything into motion—the inception of The Crafted Pen. More than just a business, it was a realization, a commitment to the profound impact that well-crafted words can have on creating opportunities – The Crafted Pen emerged!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Firstly, I am a single mother of two beautiful children: My daughter, Jade, is 11 years old, and my son, Josiah, is 11 months old – Talk about a huge age gap! My children are my world, my reason for pushing forward everyday, even when the going gets tough! They are my “Why” for existing and everything that follows. They are the sunshine after the rain, the calm in the storm, and my rock! My entire world revolves around creating a life they deserve.

When it comes to writing, I am a wordsmith on a mission to Craft over 300 success stories in 2024! With a background in copyediting and storytelling, my meticulous attention to detail and ability to craft a narrative that resonates with a specific audience is exceptional! Tailoring resumes that stand out and captivate the attention of potential employers is one of my greatest assets!

Possessing an intense passion for the art of literature, storytelling, creative writing, poetry, and spoken word, combined with overcoming adversities of life and this oversaturated job market, I understand how to navigate the challenges job seekers encounter every day. There’s no one else who’s a better fit to craft a life-changing career advancement than someone who’s lived and persevered through the mud – That someone is me, and as the Founder of The Crafted Pen, I am committed to your success. We shoot for the stars, prepared to land on the moon, delivering compelling results and an unforgettable, Crafted experience; one that makes a lasting impact on your future.

For mid to executive-level Office Administrators, Educators, and Healthcare professionals, along with those who are re-entering the workforce after a career hiatus, The Crafted Pen is their Resume Writing and Career Advancement, and Personal Branding Development Partner. At The Crafted Pen, we’re not just crafting resumes; we are crafting success stories! We believe writing transcends a mere profession—it’s a craft; an art; and the key to a better life for the families exceptional professionals that may not know how to showcase their unique value effectively.

The exceptional results we produce, sitting at a 95% client success rate, and the ground-breaking customer service we deliver reflects The Crafted Pen’s mission to make a change and transform the lives of everyday people who are struggling to make ends meet, just existing in the same dead-end job they’ve been stuck at for years. We bridge the gap between mid-level professionals and the role they desire, seamlessly and with intention.

With our strategic approach and innovative I.C.A.N. Career Advancement Process, our clients receive callbacks the very next day after uploading their Crafted Resume to job boards. Moreover, after optimizing their LinkedIn profiles, applying career transition strategies, job search tips, interview best practices, and “out-of-the-box” networking techniques, our clients land interviews, receive promotions, and secure new offers within the first 60 days. We are so confident in our ability to create real career transformations that we will rewrite a resume for FREE if the client doesn’t gain traction within the first 2 months of receiving service. It’s a win-win; our clients begin a journey of financial freedom and we add another success story to the books!

I.C.A.N. Advance My Career Process

I – Identify: Narrow down your desired role, discover your greatest strengths and achievements, identify skill gaps and areas of improvement, and develop your personal brand to set you apart from the competition.

C – Craft: Craft a compelling resume, captivating LinkedIn profile, and out-of-the-box career navigation strategies to maximize your opportunities, knock your interviewer’s socks off, and build a rewarding professional network to discover hidden roles.

A – Apply: Apply for roles with intention and strategy, ensuring the role is aligned with your mission and expertise. Apply coaching tips and techniques to stay on track with your SMART goals and propel you closer to your desired role.

N – Network: Network like a pro to boost your Net Worth on The Crafted Pen’s “Your Crafted Career” Podcast on YouTube. Market yourself to potential recruiters and hiring managers by showcasing your greatest achievements and homing in on your personal brand – the key to setting you apart from everyone else. Bridge the gap between your aspirations and your job offer by networking on a massive scale.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

There are a few things I know about today’s job market:

1.) Over 25,000 families were negatively impacted and stripped of their financial stability at the start of 2024, and a huge percentage of those same individuals are struggling to make ends meet, put food on the table, and at risk of losing their homes – We help keep food on the table for families with our career advancement hacks!

2.) In an oversaturated job market, competition is extremely high! The value of college degrees don’t weigh as heavy, and people are scrambling to fill skill gaps, settling for entry-level positions because opportunities are scarce – We maximize those opportunities!

3.) Crafting an outcome-driven, captivating resume is their first chance to WOW a potential employer and land an interview – ATS Systems increase the chances of being overlooked, so optimizing the resume to its fullest potential is critical – We have the secret sauce!

4.) Sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know, so building a rewarding network and authentic professional connections that will reveal hidden opportunities – We provide the networking blueprint!

5. ) Recruiters are starting to lose their eye for great candidates, so strategize outside of the box. We coach our clients to do everything others ARE doing… AND everything other ARE NOT doing to stand out and make their presence memorable.

6.) Strength is in numbers and quality so we help our clients develop job search discernment, applying to roles and companies wisely, and staying consistent with a daily goals.

I, too, fell victim to the market unexpectedly about four years ago, and I kicked and screamed battling homelessness as a single mom but quickly realized the power I had as I climbed my way out of that dark valley!

I say all this to emphasize how these experiences pushed me to advocate for professionals in this market; to partner with them and bridge the gap.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategies I’ve used to grow my clientele is to always do the following:

1.) Be Relatable, as it builds trust!
2.) Be Likeable, as people buy from who they like!
3.) Be Authentic, as people can read right through bull shit and fluff
4.) Be Realistic, as people can sense when you are just trying to sell them a dream versus actually helping them
5.) Focus on the problem to master the solution because when you are so committed to solving the problem, it’s almost as if you have the antidote or antiviral solution for the broken workforce epidemic. My intense desire to bring about meaningful change inevitably brings the clientele to me because they SEE the results first hand.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecraftedpen.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555245333545
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlowe-boyd-239220228/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CraftedCareer

Image Credits
Marlowe Boyd (Me) JoNetta Neal (Podcast Interviewer) Nicole Fitzgerald (Client) Jade and Josiah (My daughter and son) Jane Doe Resume & Cover Letter (Transitioning Educator)