For as long as I can remember, I’ve been passionate about helping others.
In college, I enjoyed helping people with their finances. After college, my focus shifted to help people find jobs.
I was fortunate to land a recruiting job at an IT Staffing Agency in San Jose straight out of college.
While the job itself was not great, the experience I gained was priceless.
I quickly discovered that recruiting was not the best way to “help people find jobs”. Instead, it was a great way to “help companies fill positions.”
My heart was not in it. Rather than working for the job seeker directly, I spent most of my time catering towards hiring managers needs.
This was not what I had in mind. So I quit!
Shortly after quitting, I embarked on my entrepreneurial journey. This journey is what led to the creation of Find My Profession.
How I became a master resume writer
I knew that in order to help people find jobs, I needed to start with the basics.
Resume writing seemed to be a logical first step. After all, I had just spent half my days as a recruiter reading through hundreds of resumes.
Some looked great. Others looked not-so-great. I knew a sharp looking resume could make or break a job seekers chances of getting hired.
So, the training began. I eagerly reviewed resume samples from dozens of different sites. I created folders on my desktop with good resumes and bad resumes.
In a matter of weeks, I had an excellent idea of how I wanted the resumes I create to look. And what things I wanted to avoid.
I continued my research by reading through dozens of articles written by certified professional resume experts. I learned how to format the resume, how to optimize a resume for ATS, how to dig deep with a client to gain pertinent information, and so much more.
It finally became time to put my research and training to the test. It was time to write a resume for an actual paying client.
So, I placed a few Google Ads online and within a week, I had my first client.
I remember spending countless hours on this resume. Looking back, I charged way too little and I invested way too much time. But I don’t regret a thing. That is all part of the learning process.
Resume after resume I grew in confidence and in knowledge. There was no amount of training or research that would have fully prepared me for resume writing.
I learned more from the hands-on practical work than reading through articles online. So, I continued to write resumes.
Five years later, Mike Podesto and the Find My Profession team have written thousands of resumes for nearly every career-level, industry, and profession.
I’m glad that I did not spend years preparing to write resumes. Instead, I dove headfirst and gained invaluable experience working directly with my clients.
How I became a CEO & Founder
The path to becoming a CEO & Founder is a little bit more straightforward. Above, I mentioned a passion for helping people find jobs. I also mentioned disliking my recruiting career.
The options for helping people find jobs outside of recruiting is pretty limited. Hence, starting my own business.
It took a little while to get up and running. I had to design a website, study to become a subject matter expert, and create services that I could sell.
I did not quit my day job until about a year after starting Find My Profession.
I can still remember quitting my full-time job like it was yesterday.
I was living in San Francisco at the time, working for a SaaS startup in sales. I went into a conference room and called my dad.
I said “Hey dad! I think I am going to quit this job to focus on my business full-time. That would mean I can no longer afford rent in San Francisco and would need to move home temporarily.”
Reluctantly, he agreed. And so the journey began…
Within a couple of months, I had moved into an apartment with a friend of mine.
It was not easy going from a six-figure position to barely making minimum wage. But I’m very grateful for the challenge.
This was the start of my entrepreneurial journey. Fast forward five years to today, and it hasn’t gotten any easier.
Being a Founder & CEO is a huge responsibility, especially for a 20-something-year-old.
I’m proud to say, that through blood, sweat, and tears, I (Mike Podesto) have become a Master Resume Writer and proud Founder of one of the highest rated resume writing and career coaching companies.
If I can do it, anyone can do it. Just remember to follow your passion and never give up!