My Story
It started with a dream many years ago, and solidified when I experienced the best feeling of all, when a client called me in tears (of joy), thanking me for having helped secure a dream job. There were ups and downs, but I always knew that I could become the successful Career Coach I am today. Here’s how it all started:
My Vision: Becoming India’s Best Career Coach
I knew, at that point, that I wanted to devote my life to helping people - young and old, senior and junior, across all industries - achieve their career aspirations. I still remember how clear my goal was, even though I had no idea how I would achieve it. It wasn’t easy.
My Story
It started with a dream many years ago, and solidified when I experienced the best feeling of all, when a client called me in tears (of joy), thanking me for having helped secure a dream job. There were ups and downs, but I always knew that I could become the successful Career Coach I am today. Here’s how it all started:
My Vision: Becoming India’s Best Career Coach
I knew, at that point, that I wanted to devote my life to helping people - young and old, senior and junior, across all industries - achieve their career aspirations. I still remember how clear my goal was, even though I had no idea how I would achieve it. It wasn’t easy.
Pursuing my Passion
“Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life.”
College was always a carefree time. At least, till the final year. I remember those days so vividly,
sitting in tiny rooms with four of my friends, all of us worrying about whether we’d get placed, and how
we’d fill an entire one page resume with our achievements. This lasted till, one day, one of my friends
said: “Derin, you write really well, can you help me with this resume submission?” Of course, since we
were in college, the deadline had already passed, but I had written my first resume, and I felt real
fulfillment.
A few months down the line, my friends hugged me in joy: all of them had landed their dream jobs, and
all their resumes had been “Directed and Produced” by me. A fire had been ignited inside me; I had found
my vocation.
The Challenges
The first big obstacle to my vision came in the form of family trouble: during the last phase of my undergraduate studies, my father lost his job, and I had to take on the role of breadwinner for my family. I didn't hesitate for a second, of course: I am where I am because of them. But it did mean that I had to restructure my plan to become a career coach without losing sight of the goal. What followed was possibly the busiest period of my life!
The First Step
I tackled my ambitious task - to climb the mountain of becoming a respected Career Coach - in stages. As my family’s breadwinner, I started off in various tech support jobs, and I achieved success in Concentrix, where I was even offered an early promotion. In parallel, I was also putting myself through a Master’s degree: I earned theoretical and practical knowledge at the same time. I could have become one of the youngest trainers in the company, and climbed even higher up the corporate ladder. But my sights were set on my goal. I made the hard decision to resign and follow my dreams.
Putting it all Together:
Career
Desire
The first big step was to put up impressive numbers. Over the following years, I spent
countless hours talking to freshers and CMOs, mastering the nuances of resumes for
different industry sectors and major countries, and truly understanding the meaning of
helping everyone in their chosen career path. In addition to real life experience, I
acquired formal certifications as well; today, I am an NSDA-certified Career Coach and a
CCSP-licensed Career Services Provider.
I am most proud that I have been able to break down something that sounds scary to most
people (Land That Dream Job) to a logical sequence of actions (craft a compelling
resume, optimize your LinkedIn profile, write a professional cover letter, go through
several rounds of mock interviews with experienced facilitators). The journey of a
thousand miles starts with a single step, and I have mapped out all the steps on the
road to career success.
My Typical Day and Work Ethic
The life of an entrepreneur is never
easy, and I'm
not sure what a weekend is any more. Still, I wouldn't have it any other way! I try to split my
time between client service and upskilling. I personally work with some of our most senior
C-Suite executives on their career growth trajectory, while still counseling recent college
graduates on the best professional options. In a fast-changing professional landscape, I stay in
touch with the latest trends through my participation in career forums and my networks with
senior HR leaders. I know what companies look for.
Something that I always do on a weekly, if not daily, basis is to check in with my mentors and
close professional well wishers. I am always filled with gratitude to them, and to my family and
friends, for the success I have had. Without them, there is no way I would be here today. I’m
also a very big self care advocate; I practice physical and mental wellness so that I can give
120% of myself to transform my clients’ careers.
The Sweet Taste of Success
I have been so busy helping the business leaders of today and tomorrow make the right career moves, that I don’t always get to stop and smell the roses. I am proud of my achievements as a Career Coach:
- The number of people that I’ve helped achieve their career goals is now in the four digits, and I’m super happy about the diversity in their profiles.
- I’ve written and optimized thousands of resume pages, totalling hundreds of thousands of well-chosen words, for clients in India, the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, the Middle East, Africa, and Singapore).
- Along the way, I’ve become a professional branding expert, guiding hundreds and hundreds of clients in crafting their LinkedIn profiles, and dramatically increasing the probability that recruiters will discover them.