Hello friendly faces! It’s that time of the week! We’re back with a new CNSM Meet a Mom spotlight brought to you in part by Mary Gifford of Gifford Law. This week’s Meet a Mom interview is Anna Kate Anderson, Evanston mom and founder of Anna Kate Anderson executive resumé and outplacement whose niche career is helping you with your career.
Anna Kate specializes in helping you make the most of your career documents and…. your LinkedIn profile. When asked what advice she’d have for those looking to reinvent themselves, Anna Kate says without a doubt it’s all about networking. “Break it into doable chunks – reach out to 1-2 people each day, ask for connections to leaders who are doing the work you want to do, or in roles you’d like to explore, even at the executive level, and ask for a 15 minute conversation to learn more.” There’s more great advice below served on a tidy little platter just for you. Welcome, Anna!
Hi Anna! Please introduce yourself.
I’m Anna Kate Anderson, I’m from North Carolina and have lived in Evanston for 20 years since graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill. I love the Midwest – to me the winters are easier to manage than the NC summers! But we love to get back to the NC beach each year.
You’re a mama! Tell us about your sweet kiddo.
I have one son who is seven and loves all things superhero – Marvel especially. We’re also reading a lot of Captain Underpants these days. I have one sister and didn’t grow up around boys so having a son is an amazing wild ride.
What are one or two fun facts to know about you?
I graduated from the Second City’s Improv program and I participated in the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day ‘pageant’ when I first moved here – only because 1st prize was a free trip to Ireland. Even with my double first name, I didn’t make it through the first round, but it was fun. 😊
What are your favorite North Shore local places to spend with your family?
We love the Evanston beaches and are so glad they reopened the dog beach! When my son was younger we loved the Kohl Children’s Museum, and we’re thrilled to be back at the movies as well. The Grove in Glenview is fun even in the winter – I love seeing the reptiles. Walker Bros is a favorite – as it is for so many! We also love driving up Sheridan and exploring other burbs.
What gets you through a tough day?
Copious amounts of coffee and 90s alternative rock from my middle school days.
Ha! I love that response! Please introduce your executive resumé and outplacement business!
This is my fifth year running my executive resume and outplacement business. I work with executives, mostly mid to late-career women, to help them make big changes, whether that’s finding a new exciting role, pivoting careers, or securing a promotion to the C-suite. I’m a writer first and have a Master’s in literature from Northwestern University. While I occasionally have admin help, my business is just me – unlike other resume services that employ sub-contracted writers – I work closely with my clients to understand their strengths and expertise to help them get that ideal role where they are highly valued.
What did you do before this and what was the impetus behind starting this new business?
I worked in higher education both at Northwestern and UIC for 12 years, running academic programs. I always helped friends and family with their resumes and they were always successful – so a colleague suggested I start writing resumes as a business. I worked closely with an executive resume writer as her editor to learn more, and then built my own process and branched off. I absolutely love helping women boost their confidence for the job search.
I also secured a certification in LinkedIn because it’s absolutely a requirement for the job search now. There are over 1M recruiters on LinkedIn, and it’s vital that you have the right headline and keywords in order to be found for searches for the roles you want. Many of my clients are recruited via LinkedIn after my updates.
When clients come to you what can they expect? What is the process like?
I have a very personalized process. I don’t churn out resumes – I work with about 50 clients a year – and my favorite part is delving deep to understand what makes people tick, how to differentiate them as leaders, and how to best position them in the market. I do this all with a very short written intake (6 or 7 questions compared to most resume writer questionnaires that are 30 or more.) 92% of my clients move on or are promoted within 4 months, and 90% have zero edits to my initial resume and LinkedIn documents. 80% of my clients are executives and most of those are women.
What are two pieces of advice you would give your best friend looking to reinvent him or herself?
- Do the internal work first. What do you love about your current role? What would you change? How do you want to spend your day? Leading a team? As an independent contributor? In meetings? Working from home? Traveling? What kind of company do you want to work for? Do you want to move up the ladder or pivot? Answering these questions first will enable you to update your resume with the critical info that will help you land a role that’s a great fit.
- Network. It’s so much easier to find a role through networking rather than applying online. But I know people feel like it’s hard work. Break it into doable chunks – reach out to 1-2 people each day, ask for connections to leaders who are doing the work you want to do, or in roles you’d like to explore, even at the executive level, and ask for a 15 minute conversation to learn more. You’ll be surprised at how many people are willing to give you time and how this can inform your job search.
What’s on the horizon for your business?
Last year I worked with a company to provide outplacement services to employees affected by layoffs. I loved working with this group to help them move on quickly. Not only does it help the individuals, but it helps the company by ensuring that their remaining staff know they are valued, and keeps people from leaving negative reviews online – shoring up the brand during tough times. I’m continuing to help businesses affected by layoffs. With me, companies know they’re getting a proven provider and because of my low overhead my services often come in well under the larger outplacement company proposals.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
The clients I work with have already done the work to move on to the next step, but have trouble or lack the time to adequately describe and convey their leadership and expertise. My favorite part of my work is the confidence boost that 100% of my clients get after working with me. For many, seeing their accomplishments and value they bring to the table in black and white is all they needed to secure a promotion or salary raise, or seek out a better role.
How do our readers learn more about working with you?
I’d love to connect with you on LinkedIn (be sure to check out the recommendations at the bottom of my page) https://www.linkedin.com/in/annakateanderson/
And you can book a free intro call with me here: https://calendly.com/annakateanderson/15min
About Our Meet a Mom Sponsor
A very heartfelt thank you to CNSMoms’ Meet a Mom sponsor, Lake Forest mom of three and owner of Gifford Law, a solo Estate Planning Firm (wills and trusts). Mary, we appreciate your support of local moms in our North Shore communities! Learn more about Mary by visiting her Meet a Mom spotlight here! Contact Mary directly here: [email protected].
