Meet Chandlee

 

Like most of the job seekers I work with, the story of my career extends beyond Plan B. The common thread: I've always enjoyed connecting job seekers with opportunity and studying hiring trends.

 

You can check out my full bio over on LinkedIn. (Or this inteview I did with Glassdoor or this one with CNN.) Here's my unofficial bio.

 

First Job in High School: Frame Shop
Cutting glass and metal was not my forte, but I learned that the frame you put around something often helps make the sale. (This also works in job search.)

First Internship: Editing a Phone Book At the end of the summer, my boss was kind enough to point out that the phone book was the Corporate Telecommunications Directory for a Fortune 100. Sounds more impressive, doesn't it? See the value of framing?

First Job Post College: Editing Rocket Science with the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics. I wanted to write books, so I pursued a career in publishing and took the first editorial assistant job I could find, only to discover that attitude was different from altitude. I transferred to another department where I helped organize professional development programs for rocket scientists. I liked it so much I applied to grad school to study career development. Lesson learned: Sometimes the wrong first job can still lead you in the right direction.

After Grad School: Ten years in college career offices + a year as a recruiter
Worked as a career advisor to  students and alumni of Ivy League schools, collaborating with amazing colleagues and visiting very cool employers -- from the Supreme Court and the State Department to the likes of Google, Boeing and Apple. 

Never tired of asking employers what they look for, and worked briefly as a recruiter to get the inside perspective of how hiring works inside companies.

2008: Founded Best Fit Forward after earning certification as a professional resume writer from the Professional Association of Resume Writers (2006).

Launched a full time private practice serving individuals and corporate clients in July 2008.

Got certified as a Career Management Coach in 2010. 
Spent much of the first year learning from my peers, and offered the opportunity to write a book with two of my mentors, Deb Dib (career coach to CEOs) and Susan Whitcomb (author of top-selling book) Resume Magic.

 

The Twitter Job Search Guide was published in March 2010 (JIST 2010).

2008 - 2011: Continue to keep a close ear on understanding job seeker needs and how people hire:

• Since April 2008, I've served as one of the organizers for the NYC Job Seekers Meet-up group of over 1400 job seekers.
• In 2009, I reviewed over 200 resumes from across the U.S. as the only "Resume Specialist" for Microsoft Office Live's 'My Resume Talks" campaign.
• I've am a part-time Community Manager for StartWire, a free service for job seekers founded by recruiting industry veterans. Every week I interview a recruiter for a company with over 1,000 employees. You can see the interviews here.
  
  I also serve as a consultant for colleges, non-profits, and companies on hiring and career management.
  
  Speaking engagements for 2011 include The Career Management Alliance, RiseSmart, The Academies Career BootCamp, Women for Hire, and Career Directors International.

Outside of work, I enjoy listening to -- and telling stories. 

That's my story. How can I help you shape yours?