Today we’d like to introduce you to Nickquolette Barrett.
Nickquolette, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The journey all began in early 2013 with a major reorganization of a company I work for. With this reorganization came an exciting time of change and great internal career opportunities. I felt blessed to have a team to lead through this arduous change. Preparing direct reports, mentees, and even peers for career advancement was nothing new in my career. It was an expectation of my role as a manager in the company. It was something I did as a by-product of my day to day job. It was new for me because I had to prepare a large number of people at one time. And I had to do it quickly in addition to my day to day duties.
I wrote internal résumés and cover letters, conducted mock interviews, and all the things in between to prepare direct reports, mentees, and even peers for promotional opportunities.
At the time, I had 11 direct reports. I promised I would not leave for another opportunity until I made sure they all promoted to new opportunities if they so desired. One did not desire it as she was getting married and relocating to another city. All the rest took me up on it. I’m excited to say, all 10 received promotions! The salary increases ranged from $5,000 to $14,000.
With my entire team promoted, I took on a new team. I helped two new direct reports, a few non-direct reports, and a mentee promote to a management role. All of this, including my 10 team members above, occurred within an eight-month period and while still doing my day to day job. Word spread throughout the department. I began assisting more employees with their quest for promotions and other opportunities. The flood of requests was about to overtake my assigned role. It became overwhelming, so much so, I had to turn people away. But… I simply loved it!
It was not until two of my direct reports approached me and strongly suggested I write résumés as a business. They said people would pay me to write their résumé and they would even hire me if they needed a job outside the company. I listened intently and said ok, I would think about it. I never thought about writing résumés as a business. It was simply what I loved to do – help articulate a person’s career worth in written form and verbally via internet prep. I have always been a good writer but I just never thought about using my writing skills and my love for people development as a business.
Well, I thought and prayed about it. To test the concept, I decided to post the results I achieved on the wonderful world of social media. I talked about the work I did on internal résumés and cover letters, and interview prep and the results I accomplished. To my surprise and delight, former direct reports, mentees, and peers I worked with throughout the company and across the US began to weigh in on how I assisted them in the past. They became my social proof of my ability to write a compelling career story and help others with their careers.
Almost instantly, I began to get inbox requests asking how much would I charge to write their résumé. And as they say, the rest is history or should I say “herstory.” iRock Development Solutions, LLC dba iRock Résumés was born on May 25, 2013.
“iRock Résumés” is a registered trademark.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth ride at all.
Being an entrepreneur is like being on a roller coaster – many ups and downs. But, like most entrepreneurs, the ride is awesome!
Some of the struggles were that I had no idea how to begin a résumé writing and career services business. I saw many courses, webinars, workshops, teaching how to start other types of businesses but not for what I wanted. Therefore I had to learn on my own using various venues.
Another challenge is how to learn to run a company as opposed to working in the company. I found myself spinning my wheels by trying to do it all. I slowly learned I needed help. I hired a VA and have uses contractors to help me with various tasks like social media management, ebook design, and even excel spreadsheets.
The last struggle was trying to understand the financial side of the business. OMG! I learned the good and the not so good thanks to hiring a great accountant to review and manage my books. I’m not a financial gal by any means so I hired the help I needed for that area.
Please tell us about iRock Development Solutions, LLC dba iRock Résumés.
iRock offers and specializes in a range of career services including résumé writing, LinkedIn Branding, Interview Prep, and Career Strategy. I also speak on the same topics.
I am known for my ability to make clients feel confident in their ability to land the job of their dreams and create a career that rocks. I don’t say that just because of my tagline. I say it because it is true. The feedback I often get is how much confidence I instill by simply believing in the client and their abilities. I have the gift of not only writing but also the gift of being able to actively listen to what my clients and help them present it to the job market whether on the job or outside of the company they work for.
What sets me apart is that I do not require lengthy forms for clients to fill out. Instead, I offer a deep consultation to uncover what I need to develop career-ready marketing and branding documents and interview prep sessions. No one has time to fill out forms. That’s what you pay me to do.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Growing up in the hood and being a book nerd. I would go to the library on 35th and Cottage Grove in Chicago and check out the maximum number of books which I believe at that time was about 12. At one time, I read so many books in my age group of 11-12 that the librarian told me I read all the books available at that time. She introduced me to the adult section and sent me home with books she thought were a good fit for me I felt so smart and proud of what I had accomplished. Needless to say, the library staff knew me very well.
Pricing:
- Résumés from $297 – $1497 (Student to Executive)
- LinkedIn Branding from $297 – $1497 (Student to Executive)
- Career Coaching Single Sessions from $247 – $397
- Career Coaching Packages $997 – $1997
- Group Coaching from $147/month to $297/month
- Interview Prep from $347 – $497
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.irockresumes.com/
- Phone: 4696660753
- Email: irock@irockresumes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irockresumes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/irockresumes/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iRockResumes
- Other: http://bit.ly/MyCareerMusings (YouTube Channel)
Image Credit:
Ashley Strong Photography
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