Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jennifer Holtz, Owner of Second Wind Career Strategies, located in Washington, DC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Finding a job isn’t easy. Not in today’s market. Gone are the days when you could simply send a resume to a job posting and expect to hear back a few days later for an interview. Don’t get me wrong. It can happen. But it is rare. The market is more saturated than ever, with talented and qualified individuals seeking their next position. "How can you stand out?" - I have spent countless hours scouring job search sites, writing cover letters, and applying online, and that approach no longer works.
"What if you could be more efficient in your search with a higher response rate? What if you had a brand new, legitimate way to market yourself and be top of mind when a unique opportunity arises? What if you could create that opportunity?" You have unique qualities and strengths that will make you an asset in your next position. Let’s find them and make them jump off the page. And, if you don’t have the oomph to wow hiring managers, we can fix that too.
Finding your next position takes a Second Wind. It takes the know-how to navigate a competitive job market through professional branding and networking. Don’t waste another minute struggling with your job search and making less than you are worth. Let me help you show hiring managers why they should hire you!
I help recent graduates, professionals, and executives.
Tell us about yourself
As someone who has supported hundreds of professionals and students looking for positions across the country, I have been through the job search countless times. I’ve scheduled more networking meetings in a single day, stood outside the Cannon Caucus room during freshman orientation to land a position on Capitol Hill, and joined more than seven professional and alumni organizations in a single summer. With a BA, MA, MSc, and JD, I interned every semester and worked every summer. Finding those positions required countless hours of networking, identifying professional groups to join, and sending resumes.
These efforts occurred in various economic climates, most recently in 2008, when I graduated from law school in a recession. I would schedule coffees, lunches, and drinks throughout the day, every day, to meet people, learn about them and their career paths, and get introduced to their friends and co-workers with similar interests.
Man Struggling With Job Hunt On His Phone. The hard work paid off, leading to jobs as a subject matter expert for a big four management consulting firm, a senior policy advisor at the GS-15 level with a cabinet-level agency, a senior associate at a big law firm, Acting Division Chief and Deputy Division Chief with an independent agency, and now Vice President, Regulatory Affairs for a consulting firm. Throughout my education, I used my networking skills to land internships at leading tech and telecom trade associations and companies.
Over time, my friends and colleagues would ask me how to network and market themselves in such a competitive environment. Over time, I would get questions from friends and coworkers about how to network and market themselves in such a cutthroat climate. Then I began assisting alumni and current students with comparable job search difficulties by editing their resumes, revising their cover letters, creating networking emails for strangers, and instructing them on how to network and make enduring professional connections.
My tailored action plans and tried-and-true methods have helped clients develop and pitch the most vital versions of themselves, find their next position, advance their careers, and increase their income through my work with hundreds of students and professionals. Given the positive feedback, client success, increased demand, and genuine satisfaction from helping others, I launched Second Wind Career Strategies.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Seeing my clients land fantastic careers and gaining customers through recommendations, trustworthiness, and word-of-mouth are some of the accomplishments I have as a business owner.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is marketing and pricing.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don’t wait until you have your logo, business name, or website. Just start.
- Have confidence in yourself. Trust yourself.
- Enjoy every minute!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://findyoursecondwind.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferholtz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferholtz/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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