I came to my appointment with Manuela one Saturday afternoon mid-winter for help with my resume.
Having recently received multiple rejections, I was a real a nervous Nellie. To start off the appointment she suggested I relax. Then she asked me to talk about my current job. After listening compassionately, she offered some suggestions for how to remedy my problems at my workplace. Then she turned to my resume and confirming my fears (and the reason I was there), said “It needs some work.” She asked a few clarifying questions about my experiences and shared with me what she saw as my strengths.
At that moment, 40 minutes into our appointment I started to cry. I was crying because she was providing validation of who I am and what I have to offer that I didn’t believe mattered. I left her office that day with a clear understanding about what I needed to do to properly sell myself with my resume and the support to follow through with it.
Looking back, I see that I was suffering from a fear of asserting myself as the valuable employee that I am. Without the ability to sell myself I was languishing on just the hopes that someone might discover me someday and offer me a position. Manuela at the Women’s Center helped me take my future into my own hands and succeed. This is not trivial assistance. It is life changing. This week I accepted a position at MSU that really suits me. I’m thrilled to once again be working among peers in an environment where I’ll be challenged and where I can flourish. I have an opportunity that will open so many doors and where I am back on my rightful course. I am a highly educated professional who has a formidable network of supportive friends and family. But I was languishing and I needed help. The help I got from the Women’s Center with my job search was completely unlike help I’ve gotten before. It was much, much better.
Originally posted Spring 2008.