Today we are joined by Rhonda Parker

Rhonda has a master’s degree in special education and working towards her doctorate currently in organizational leadership and special education. Rhonda has really focused her whole life on helping and teaching others. She has started the Parker Autism Center and Baking to Impact LLC which is dedicated to hiring and training people with disabilities for jobs and helping their family members. Today’s presentation is focused on writing a successful resume. 

The first thing to do when writing your resume is to sit down and think about your skill sets. Go through each job you have had and think about what skills you’ve learned through each job that you have had. If you have a gap in your resume explain why you’ve been out of the workforce, whether because of taking care of a child or a sick parent, there are skills you learned during that break. Employers are looking at hundreds or thousands of resumes, so what they’re looking for is if you are dependable, have leadership skills, have the ability to adapt, are flexible, and have emotional intelligence where can handle things when under pressure. Important to ask yourself are you looking for a job or career? When looking for a career your mindset will start to change. Important to remember it’s not about what you don’t know it’s about your potential, so join LinkedIn, find a mentor, do some volunteering work. Also, look into college options or training courses. Currently, in Michigan, there’s a new offer where those over the age of twenty-five can go to college for free.

Also please remember that one resume does not fit every job. Need to rework your resume to fit the job description that you’re applying to and really put in keywords that are in the job description. Additionally, do a cover letter. A cover letter is a hello this is me and this is why I’m different from everyone else and why I’m the best fit for the position. The other thing you really need to do is research the companies you are applying to and do some practice interviews with family and friends. It can also be especially helpful to ask friends and family what your skills are as a lot of the time we have such a negative view of ourselves that we miss a lot of the skills we have. 

Rhonda Parker Contact Sites:

• Parker Autism Center