How did you get here, Akshay?

Last year, a college student named Alexa quietly asked me this question after a jobs panel discussion at NYU. And no, she wasn’t asking me about whether I took the subway or a cab. She meant this: how did you go from a corporate career in travel and hospitality to helping professionals as a career coach?

But before I give you the short version of what I told her, I want to ask you the same question: How did you get here? 

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to make an important career change, you too have been on a journey. As a job seeker, it’s easy to feel like what you’ve done so far is not enough. But I’m on a mission to change your mind. 

Whether it’s your first job out of college or your big, hairy dream job, my work is helping you leverage the skills and experience you already have so you can go after what you really want. 

I believe you deserve a lot more than cheerleading. That’s why my coaching programs focus on giving you the confidence and the professional assets you need to create a winning job application.

I created the Ultimate Career Accelerator coaching program to help professionals develop a career plan to attract their dream job with or without a list of accomplishments, fancy awards, special connections, or an expensive degree.This process has worked for me and hundreds of others, and I know it will work for you too.

So, what did I tell Alexa? 

The truth is I never set out to be a career coach. After working in global branding and going back to school to earn a degree in hospitality, I saw myself on a steady corporate trajectory. The only problem was I was living in New York City and my hard-earned paycheck wasn’t going far enough. 

So I found a way to double my income by refining my resume and going after a more personally and financially rewarding job. The more I talked about what I’d done, the more business groups and universities wanted me to explain how I did it. And the more talks I gave, the more college students and professionals wanted to work with me. Soon, I wasn’t the only one career-building. My clients were landing interviews and getting started in industries they’d always dreamed about. 

Seeing my clients succeed made me very, very happy. Simply put, I was completely hooked…hooked on happy clients and success stories. 

And that’s the short version of how I got here.

You don’t have to go it alone.

Dreaming big and going for it is exhilarating. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. It can be very stressful too.

I know all about the weight of a job search and the way the overwhelm bleeds into your relationships and other areas of your life. I know how the uncertainty can keep you up at night. But here’s some good news.

• You don’t have to struggle through the job process and send your resume out like a message in a bottle.

• When you learn how to present your skills and abilities the right way, you can submit your application with confidence and sleep like a baby.

If you’re ready for your next career step or to go after what you really want, I am honored to be your guide. Let’s do this!