Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Roehm.
Hi Kelly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m not your typical resume writer or career coach. I’m you’re not-so-typical, Dolly Parton-loving, iced-latte-drinking career life cheerleader and advocate. Growing up in a blue-collar home in a white-collar suburb in Dayton, I always felt like I didn’t quite fit into the mold. My parents never climbed a corporate ladder. They worked hard in machine shops, printing presses, and cleaning offices at night to make sure I could go to the best public school district around.
When it came time to go to college, I was the first in my family to do so. I didn’t have a clue about what corporate jobs were, let alone how to prepare for one. I had received the traditional career day advice on “doctors, lawyers, engineers, creatives, and something called accountants.” But that’s where my knowledge of the professional world and my career options ended. I picked a major and rode it out.
After graduation, I still had no idea what I wanted to do. I sold myself on my love of learning, my ability to communicate effectively, problem-solving talent, and my skill in addressing issues where people didn’t feel seen or heard.
Fast forward through my landing in Human Resources and my experiences supporting employees and leaders in their careers. I made the rounds in HR and worked across several industries, but it always seemed like something was missing in the way we approached our work. The people who spoke positively about their success seemed to have it all figured out, while the rest of us bounced and bumped around, fighting imposter syndrome and feeling less than confident about our own capabilities.
I founded The Resume Realist in 2021 to be the career advocate I always wanted but could never find. Real and authentic, unstuffy, and wildly effective coaching that amplified who I wanted to be. That’s the exact vibe I curate in my work with clients and their career lives. We throw out the notion that you have to have it all figured out to take the next step; we dispel the myths that perfect careers exist, and we build personal brands that get noticed. We do all this through our Wins + Successes approach that focuses on our client’s unique strengths, skills, and experiences that together form their “Zone of Brilliance.” When you’re in that zone of brilliance, you shine, you succeed, and you build boundaries to protect it. We believe everyone, regardless of title, income, identity, company, or industry, deserves to shine.
We tell career life stories through enhanced resumes, optimized LinkedIn profiles, professional thought leadership bios, speaking brand kits, personal websites/portfolios, and personal sell sheets. We’re unique in our approach that balances career coaching, personal branding, and impactful design to tell your story in the most impactful and persuasive way. We work with people across all kinds of professions, not just Executives, and we meet you where you are to get you noticed and paid what you deserve.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As small business owners, we wear many hats. From CEO, CFO, HR, Marketing, Sales… it can be overwhelming to prioritize your time and know where to start. Setting a big vision and then breaking that down into daily steps has been important in maintaining my focus and reducing the feeling of overwhelm when it creeps in. It can also be easy to build a silo as a small business owner, but keeping a supportive community that encourages you and challenges you is important to getting unstuck and growing your business. I’m a big believer in having a circle around you that can remind you of what makes you great while also being unafraid to hold you accountable to humility and continuous learning.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We’re a holistic career life branding team focused on balancing impact and design to get killer results for our clients. We work with clients in all kinds of industries and have landed clients in some of the world’s best-known companies.
Resume Writing: Crafting optimized, people-centered resumes that leave a lasting impression and increase callback rates.
LinkedIn Profile Makeovers: Enhancing LinkedIn profiles to maximize visibility and increase views by up to 300%.
Career Mentoring + Advisory: Providing guidance and support to navigate career transitions, thrive in current roles, and overcome challenges like imposter syndrome. Rooted in strengths and design thinking to put you at the center of your career life.
Professional Branding: Creating comprehensive professional branding services, including resumes, LinkedIn profiles, executive biographies, speaker kits, business cards, and portfolios.
What matters most to you?
Work is a significant part of our lives. For most of us, it funds our lives, shapes what we do every day, and consumes a large portion of our time and energy. All of that can feel overwhelming sometimes—you don’t know if you should advocate for a raise, you’re unsure if anyone will hire you, you want to be a manager but can’t seem to get there, you’re stuck in a toxic work culture and need to escape. Having a career life advisor in your corner to unpack it all, remind you of what makes you so good at doing what you do, and co-create your brand to showcase you as the person you want to be is something everyone should experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theresumerealist.com
- Instagram: @theresumerealist
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/resumerealist/
Image Credits
Mavrick Valentine
