Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kristi Meenan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kristi , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I have always loved to write. My first writing “gig” was in the 2nd grade. I was named Editor of the first school newspaper. Years later I pursued a Journalism degree at Texas A&M, dabbled in print, television production and then accepted a job as On-Air talent at a classic rock radio station. If you follow me, you know my insane love of music.

After graduation, I moved to Dallas and went to work for a few well-known companies. I got married, had two amazing kids and spent time doing the mom thing. Like many other moms, the time finally came when I was ready to re-enter the workplace and build my credentials. But I felt lost.

Unsure of where I belonged, I jumped in and out of a variety of roles. Each attempt at happiness resulted in failure. I was stuck. At the persuasion of some close friends, I decided to get back to my roots and pursue a position doing what I always loved – Marketing and Writing.

But here is what I learned. Those industries had changed. The technology had changed. And I was older. Much older.

I tried for over a year to land a job. Any job. My resume was jam-packed with tons of experience – only to find out later that was part of the problem. I had applied to over 100 positions, scheduled less than five interviews, and had zero offers. I was overlooked for positions I was completely qualified for. It made no sense.

Frustrated and confused, I decided to take back control and find out what was really going on. I made appointments with top recruiters, headhunters, resume writers and job placement agencies to get their input. I wanted answers.

What was I doing wrong?

What was wrong with my resume?

Was age my problem?

Let me tell you – I got an earful. But what I learned … made sense.

There is a strategy to getting your resume to the top of the pile. There is a strategy to tap into the hidden job market. There are ways you can partner with your professional network and get them working FOR YOU.

And the biggest secret I learned? The power of keywords and the Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

So here I am, equipped with the valuable knowledge you need, backed by the support of the PARWCC and ready to share.

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 background and context?

I help job seekers navigate the murky waters of finding their next big opportunity–by creating ATS friendly resumes that get in front of recruiters. Recruiters love my resumes because I make it easy for them to quickly say yes or no to applicants.
Clients love my process because I do all the heavy lifting for them…so they can focus on networking and applying to jobs.

When I was in the midst of my own job search journey, I found so much conflicting information. Many days I found myself in tears thinking, “if someone would just tell me what to do, I’d do it in a heartbeat!”

Once I figured out what I was doing wrong and learned what I SHOULD be doing–I realized there was a huge need for this information. Hmmm.

Testing the waters, I began to write resumes for friends and family. I began to coach on best practices for an efficient and productive job search. My clients experienced terrific results.

I proceeded to get my certification and market myself through the use of value-packed video content teaching jobseekers what they should and should NOT be doing. Ironically, 3 months later the world shut down because of COVID.

Nonetheless I stayed the course and continued to market myself and services through social media. I mean, what else was anyone doing while we were on lock-down?

Fast forward to today — I have a steady flow of clients and have expanded my business to include three additional writers on my team. Grateful and blessed.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

So many things to talk about here.
1) Don’t show up perfect. That is unattainable AND unrelatable.
2) Be consistent. Show up regularly–however that looks for you.
3) Just because people don’t “comment” on your posts or content, doesn’t mean they aren’t watching. THEY ARE!
4) Give away knowledge. Educate. For free. That’s right. By doing this, you are demonstrating your expertise AND building relationships.
5) Be prepared to open yourself up — meaning go Public. This was a tough one for me. I fought it. It didn’t work. Once I went Public, friends started referring friends, and so on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wewriteitnow.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ktmeenan/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristimeenan/