Cheri Lynne Venegas
Cheri Lynne, the Executive Resume Writing Director of Opti/Write helps job seekers from all over the world stand out among a crowd of qualified applicants and get hired for the jobs they desire. She specializes in writing the resumes and LinkedIn profiles of people from the C-Suite and Executive Management.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
Before I started Opti/Write, I was a marketing and sales professional for large national and multinational companies. I helped recognizable brands succeed in the market. Now, I use my marketing perspective to ensure jobseekers stand out among a crowd of qualified applicants and get hired for the jobs they desire.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business /initiative? What motivated you within to say YES, go for it!”
The idea of changing my life started when I lost one of my sons. He was born sick and 3 months later he passed. This shook me to my core and made me take a good look at my life and how I’m spending it. I thought about what’s really important and I realized that my family is number one. I spend maybe 70-80% of my time at work and for what? My main objective was to beat competition. That’s it! Is that worth spending 70-80% of my life on? And so, I spent a long time knowing that I needed a change, but not really knowing how. Up until that point, I spent my whole adult life in corporate. What do I do? I ran around like a headless chicken trying to figure things out.
Finally, late in 2019, things finally seemed to line up. My husband retired from his 10-year job to transfer to a “better” job. After a few months, he was made redundant. He received a sum of money, and we started a business! But, we were 1st time business owners. The pandemic struck and the business quickly failed.
From then on, I knew that I wanted to work from home. I called Liselle, a distant cousin of mine, who worked at home full time. She’s been a resume writer for a while and was looking to start her own firm. She encouraged me to be her co-founder. I thought, well, why not? I know I’m a good writer, there’s not much capital, and to be honest, I didn’t have any other bright ideas. So, I dove head first into it, really did my best to learn everything there is to learn, and invested time and effort perfecting the craft. Soon, the clients came…and came… and came, and there was no turning back!
Tell us something about your initiative or current role. What is it about, and what impact are you trying to make?
Opti/Write helps individuals and teams succeed in job hunting, thought leadership, and online prospecting. Our goal: make clients stand out from competition.
There are two main divisions:
- For Jobseekers: Opti/Write provides jobseekers with hire-worthy and ATS-friendly (Applicant Tracking Software) resumes, LinkedIn profiles that rank high on search results, and all the necessary tools a client needs to land an interview.
- For Business: Opti/Write helps business owners and teams establish credibility, build following, gain crucial business connections, and connect with clients.
Opti/Write impacts those that struggle to market themselves well:
- Executives who want to build credibility online, want to get on a board, or want to transition to another industry. Jobseekers who are having a hard time getting interviews, are too modest, or have no idea where to start (good examples are those that have been stuck in one company for several years, mothers that took time off, or entrepreneurs wanting to go back to corporate, or people from the military who want to transition to corporate).
- Entrepreneurs/CEOs who want to establish credibility, build following, gain crucial business connections, and connect with clients.
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
I feel successful when a client refers me and when they say the following (taken from actual conversations/testimonials):
– “I have a newfound appreciation of myself.”
– “Hi Cheri! I landed a new job and start in two weeks. Nice bump in salary, nice bonus, and stock options!”
– “I was so pleased with the result! She was able to communicate my strengths and what I’ve achieved so far in my career better than I ever could. I told her when I read her work that I would hire me if I saw my resume!”
– from a Meta recruiter to one of my clients: “Your resume is super impressive! One of the best I’ve seen in fact. I am looking forward to having you considered for some opportunities and I hope I have more to share soon!”
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I want to see a world where we don’t even have to talk about women empowerment because it’s already a known and accepted fact.
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women leadership today?
I’ve been part of many highly successful women-led organizations. Opti/Write is led by 2 strong women. I feel like women can be very successful, if given the chance.
What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
#1: Don’t be afraid to try something new.
#2: You don’t need to know everything before diving into it. Dive into whatever you want to do, and you’ll learn quickly along the way.
#3: Invest in yourself. Take away the mindset of saying “it can’t be done.” Do you research, educate yourself, and talk to people. You’ll soon realize that the biggest hindrance to your success is your own limited imagination.
#4: Don’t let anything stop you, no matter what anyone says.