In the past, I've worked in an international executive search and placement firm. I love making a difference in people's
lives by enabling them to find work that they enjoy and will help them maintain (or improve) their ability to provide for
their families. Plus, I really like a lot of different industries, so I was able to work in almost ALL of them
without having to get degrees, certifications, and licenses just to get started. :) My main focus was generally security/defense
and people with security clearances, though.
Today, I work as an Employment Representative for a community-based nonprofit organization that serves individuals with
disabilities. These are primarily developmental disabilities and mental health issues, though there are some with a variety
of secondary circumstances that are also addressed in their day programs and/or vocational services. I do career planning
and vocational counseling, job development, supported employment case management, and company networking within the local
business community. It's a busy job, but it's wonderful to help people achieve goals and be a valuable part of their
communities through employment.
I wrote a book on job interviewing tips, titled
Cool Off the Hot Seat! Tips to Ace Your Job Interview.
Hot
Seat was released by Writers-Exchange e-Publishing in October 2003, and is
available for purchase here. I wrote it prior to beginning work at the recruiting/staffing firm. After I started there, however, I added
quite a bit to the book, including how to use search/placement firms like the one I worked with, being interviewed
in different types of media, and some good mental strategies to lessen anxiety and increase the odds of having a great meeting
(interview).
Other writing experiences have led me to do editing, proofreading, writing articles and columns, and some creativie writing
such as fiction and poetry. Some of my achievements in this area include being an assistant editor at Claws in Creativity
(e-zine based on creativity for writers), Women on Writing.com, and I've done articles, poetry, and reviews for CiC
as well as a number of other online publiations.
At the moment, I'm continuing my freelance audiobook technical editing, working towards finishing my next level of ministerial
training with the Sacred Well Congregation, and maintaining my regular job/schoolwork/family obligations. Much of my time
now is spent following my dreams and working in vocational assessment/evaluation/counseling, and ramping up the new quarterly
e-zine for the Sacred Well Congregation. I'm also pursuing graduate work in counseling and vocational psychology, with plans
to do research and open a private consulting practice specializing on vocational counseling/planning through personality type
and person-environment studies.
No matter what direction my career(s) take me though, I'm a firm believer in being able to work out of the home if the
need and/or desire is present. To that end, I'm also an independent marketing representative for Outsource 2000.
Please click on the banner below to learn more about OS2K's work at home resources, job boards, and medical/dental benefits
for homeworkers, and sign up today to get started! :)
