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

Karriema, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later?

Absolutely. I wish I started my business much sooner. In my head, I always believed I needed to have this perfect business plan and execution strategy for my business to be successful. Instead of trying to be perfect, I needed to simply start and commit to growing and improving, because the truth is…that’s how being a business owner works. You try and try again, learning and growing from your mistakes. I launched my business in the thick of the pandemic in 2020 when I had time to sit at home and develop a plan that I was ready to implement. I could have done this sooner. I should have started sooner. Starting sooner would have meant I tackled imposter syndrome and entered a space where I was talented and had already experienced many successes. My business may have been celebrating 10 years in existence if I started sooner.

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?

My name is Karriema, and I’m a strategic communicator and career strategist. I help millennials secure the bag in their career pursuits through my business, Resume Bae. I’m so much more than a resume writer. I’m also a creative problem solver. My clients come to me looking for promotions, careers that make them happy, better work/life balance, more time with their families, etc. For some of my clients, I just need to revamp or rebrand their resume to help achieve their goal(s). For others, it’s LinkedIn, social media, personal/professional branding, etc. My products and services include new resumes, resume revamps, resume critiques, cover letters, LinkedIn optimization, salary negotiation, and professional bios.

What sets me apart from others is my authenticity. I start earning and building trust from the first interaction with clients. I care about their goals and want to support them along their journey to success. I value honesty and genuine connections. If I can help you, I’m all in. And if I can’t help or may not be the right fit, I will be transparent in communicating that. I take pride in hearing my clients say “you’re just like what I see on your website and social media.”

I’m most proud of the fact that since 2020, I’ve helped clients secure over $1.6 million in total compensation increases. We’re talking salary increases, bonuses, stock options, and other benefits. And that number keeps growing – it’s my motivation to continue serving my clients.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

This should be good considering I like to call myself “the professional career pivoter.” Pivoting careers is actually how I got into resume writing. I’ve had to rebrand myself on paper to market my transferable skills and adaptability. In August 2008, I moved to Charleston, SC to start my career in project management as an analyst. This was the beginning of many more career pivots to come. From 2008 to today, I’ve pivoted from project management to cyber security compliance to information technology to facilities management to now working in supply chain. Because I’m so comfortable with change, I embrace the opportunities to channel that energy to improve and revamp my business. I’ve rebranded Resume Bae once, and it really helped with my brand clarity and to reach my ideal client.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Booked and busy can lead to burnout! That’s the lesson I learned the hard way. I had to unlearn “booked and busy” and learn “booked and balanced.” For me, “booked and balanced” means self-care, establishing office hours, outsourcing when necessary, and saying NO. When I reached the point of being beyond burned out, stressed, and overcommitted, I knew something had to change. I had to learn how to be the person that asks for help versus being the person who takes on way more than they can handle.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.iamresumebae.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamresumebae/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamresumebae

Image Credits
Denise Benson Photography