Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Valerie Martinelli . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Valerie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
I didn’t create VMC to be just another Coaching and Consulting business. When I originally started VMC 7 years ago, I was only working with women. I have always wanted to create more opportunities in the workplace and I have always wanted to create more equality for women. But we can’t get there without the men in our lives. We need their support as well and we need this to become a shared, equal world where paternity leave is as common as maternity leave. When I started this company, I was just coming from my own career crisis and knew I wasn’t headed in the right direction unless I took drastic action.
This mission is so meaningful to me because I understand how personal it is and what it feels like to be miserable in a job, turned down for raises, and not appreciated for your efforts. It is so important to find work that is meaningful, fulfilling and achieves your career goals.
I want VMC to fulfill it’s mission of helping professionals achieve their career goals and earn a salary we are worth in order to create more equality and bring us closer towards financial and professional parity.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am the CEO & Owner of Valerie Martinelli Consulting, LLC in which I am a Job Search and Career Expert, Resume Writer, and Personal Branding Professional. I specialize in helping mid-level and senior-level job seekers and career changers land jobs, and raises, and find their dream careers. I have helped many candidates find the right career in less time & negotiate job offers, resulting in salary increases of $15K- $60K+, and positively impacting their career trajectories and earnings potential.
I began this work because I was also at a crossroads in my career and facing what felt like a crisis. I was so unhappy and knew that I could be doing more. So, I decided that it was time to give this business a “go”. I was already writing resumes on the side and seeing much success. You will probably hear me tell the story of a friend who used my resume to get into graduate school- twice! That was when I realized that I needed to start monetizing my skills because I had a passion, I just needed to turn into a business.
Before the business, I worked in a non-profit as a Director. I have a Master of Public Administration degree from Post University, an MBA Certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Connecticut.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I have pivoted in my career a few times- and in my business. once I think that pivots give us new things to learn and grow from.
My first career pivot came immediately after my college graduation in post-9/11 times. During that time, I immediately couldn’t enter my career in my field of study. Instead, I took an administrative/ operations role, which I stayed in for 7.5 years. This role actually taught me quite a bit because this was where I learned about hiring, screening candidates, reading resumes, and business functions, such as marketing and account management.
I eventually ended up going back to school for my MPA and this is where I made another pivot- back into my field of study and became a Director of a non-profit. However, after having been in the business arena for so much of my career already, I found that I didn’t love the non-profit world.
By this time, I was already writing resumes and made my third- and current pivot- and started VMC in 2016. When I initially started the business, I was only working with women until around 2019-2020, then I began to work with men as well. That pivot has been permanent because it positively impacted the business and my clients.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
My side hustle did turn into my full-time business and career.
I got started with this side hustle when I was working in an administrative/ operations role. I was learning HR in that role and began to apply it in resume writing and saw my clients reaping the benefits. Once I decided that I was done with the non-profit world, I knew that this was where I belonged. It was an easy (and scary!) decision for me because it felt right and I knew that I would continue to help many, many others in their professional journeys.
It has scaled up to where it is today through a lot of referrals, social media, PR, and just doing good work for clients. Some of the key milestones include when the business was awarded the first CIOReview Most Promising Leadership Development Training/ Coaching Companies in 2019- and again in 2021. In 2022, the business was awarded the Brainz Magazine Crea Global Award. In February 2023, I became an International Bestselling Author when the anthology “Ready, Connect, Grow” was published.
I knew at those points that I had created something worthy and beneficial.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://askvmc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askvmc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AskVMC/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/askvmc/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@askvmc
Image Credits
CIOReview, Leadership Development Special, December 23, 2019