Jumpstarting Your Career: An Interview with Joana Donovan
Are you feeling frustrated with the job market and not receiving any calls after sending out your resume? Meet Joana Donovan, the Owner of Propel Resume and Career Services. Joana goes beyond making recommendations for optimizing your resume. She will truly get to know your strengths and partner with you to help you secure that next job you’ve been seeking for months. The work she does is truly transformative.
I asked Joana why someone needs a little help from a professional when it comes to preparing a resume these days. See her video response.
AW: What makes you stand apart from other resume services?
JD: With a typical resume service, you can get lost as no element of personalization is involved. You can spend $75 to $150 with a large resume firm. As a boutique firm, I deeply dive into each job seeker’s background and become their career partner. They have a confidant and guru in their corner to field questions and bounce off ideas. In my personalized approach, I treat people the way I would want to be treated and provide the one-on-one service they deserve. It’s essential to demonstrate professional growth, evolution, and continuous learning on a business and personal level. Could people use AI? Sure. It won’t look, sound, and feel like the individual.
AW: What are some of the ways that you optimize a resume for LinkedIn or other digital platforms?
JD: There are two parts to this process. First, we work on their resumes and build out their professional stories. Once the content is set, we cover the “how to” basics of job searching and how to best showcase oneself on LinkedIn. I do a comprehensive live training session on content building, skills, networking, engagement, and setting up the platform’s backend to ensure hiring managers find them and their career documents.
AW: What common problems or mistakes do you see on people’s original resumes?
JD: First, the verb tense needs to be more consistent. Next, emails could be more professional; some are still college emails. Jobs are not listed chronologically or in an order that makes sense. Some people still list hobbies – it is not necessary.
With new AI innovations like ChatGPT, people think they can use AI to field answers to challenging questions in an interview. AI is not human and, therefore, cannot tell you whether you are hitting the pain points the company is looking for in a new candidate. Interviewing is the art of selling yourself. You cannot use AI for it. AI doesn’t know you and cannot write your professional story.
AW: Tell us about some of your testimonials.
JD: My favorite was a woman who was a bit skeptical at first. When we finished, she wrote a review stating, “OMG! I would hire me!” There are some excellent testimonials on our website: https://propelresume.com/testimonials-1
AW: Tell us about your e-Book.
JD: It’s preparation for creating an elevator pitch. It explores your Value Proposition and helps you identify, “What do you bring to the table?” It analyzes your language and messaging to deliver something that represents you. If you buy nothing else, invest in this step-by-step process. Besides, it’s a steal at only $.99 – https://propelresume.com/services/ols/categories/e-books
AW: At what point did you decide to become a writer, and at what point did you decide to help people with their resumes? What’s your background?
JD: My parents were both from other countries (Brazil and Tunisia), and I learned to speak English from watching Sesame Street as a child. Since I felt like I was operating at a deficit, I always took creative writing classes to improve. In my professional field, I have worked in industries like real estate, finance, manufacturing, sales, and marketing. In 2017, I returned to school and earned my BA in English, specializing in Technical Communications from UCF. My degree in tech comm helps me develop resumes focusing on accessibility, symmetry, design, and the overall reader experience. It is important to give readers a pleasant experience, so they read the entire resume. My work in a call center helped me learn about people and adapt to different cultures. I learned business etiquette and the valuable practice of adaptability. People appreciate that connection, making them feel comfortable speaking with me. I provide a safe space as employment transition is one of the most emotional positive and negative experiences. I also bring my diverse background when understanding someone else’s career journey. It is all part of being their career partner.
AW: What’s the most challenging thing about today’s job market?
JD: There’s so much candidate competition. Many job seekers need to be more flexible in the marketplace (i.e., only wanting remote positions or a particular job title). Covid set a new standard (WFH) that makes people more selective in their next role. As a job seeker, it is vital to put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes. Those professionals are inundated with thousands of applicants and need help weeding through the stack of resumes to find the golden egg. Today, they use ATS Software (Applicant Tracking Software) to vet out qualified candidates by setting up parameters that meet the job opportunity. Resume writers walk a tightrope: write for AI and a human. There is no magic or secret sauce. However, if there is excellent communication between the job seeker and the writer, the writer will capture the essence and experience to handle touchpoints during the application process.
Pro Tip: Prepare your resume to meet both the human eye and AI.
The worst thing you can do is use a template. Buying a template from Etsy or making one on Canva will not help your chances of getting past AI. ATS scanning software has limitations, and the templates are not your friend. Job seekers want the “Easy Button,” but it is not easy. It causes a high rate of rejections. Hiring a seasoned and CERTIFIED resume writer is valuable. Experienced writers spend time getting to know you and your needs. If a writer spends 15 minutes with you, they must learn more to write about you. You always get what you pay for. Invest in your future. Most importantly, it would help if you customized your resume to fit the industry or channel you seek. A resume writer can assist in that process.
AW: What’s your favorite thing about working with your clients?
JD: I work with people from all walks of life. Different experiences, personalities, stations in life – they all vary. I love it.
I worked with a woman Cisco laid off after 25 years of service. She got hired in one week. The CEO called to offer her the job at $10,000 more than she had requested. I love stories that end up like that. I also empower and inspire people with information they did not know about the writing process, digital platforms, and preparing for interviews. Many candidates suffer from imposter syndrome. I help them break through those barriers.
AW: What’s your favorite thing about Wellington?
JD: The sense of community. You can network with the mayor and Michela, the Executive Director of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, at several professional events and/or holiday gatherings. There are so many activities here, and the Village is so supportive of the people of Wellington.
AW: Tell us about how you work with college graduates.
JD: Each student has a different upbringing. I encourage them to think globally about their future and allow a discovery period during job searching or simply reviewing their coursework. Being present with them on weekly check-in meetings is crucial to hold them accountable for job searching, networking, or accepting a job offer. Gen Zers compartmentalize their learning process. They appreciate a “learn and apply” methodology. I will work at their pace and constantly think about inspiring them. I want them to be better versions of themselves. I encourage them to keep a journal of all their accomplishments so that updating their resumes in the future is a breeze. In the future, I will hold group sessions virtually or in-person to train them to build out their resumes and understand the Value Proposition in interviews. Stay tuned. The program is in development right now.
Propel Resume and Career Services
PropelResume.com
Call (561) 291-8832 today!
