Words by Marléna Ahearn
Photos by Julia Merrell

Amanda Falzone, owner of You’re Hired Rochester, had to learn the hard way how to find success. When she moved back to Rochester after college, Amanda quite literally applied for thousands of jobs.

After a few years of moving job to job, then being laid off, she felt she failed and had to figure out her purpose. Her next power move happened when she was invited to speak on a panel as a career expert, where she was asked if she did resume consulting. She didn’t, but said ‘yes, of course.’ From there she started helping people rework their resumes, and launched into career and resume consulting. That was the day she created You’re Hired Rochester (YHR).

“I created 'You’re Hired Rochester' because I saw from my own experience I never had a career mentor. I never found someone who would sit down and speak the truth to me,” says Amanda.

Her relentless pursuit of a career that she loved and search for who she was made her an expert at finding jobs and landing interviews. The experiences she gained are what make her a tough and honest resource for the Rochester community. Here are five of Career Consultant Amanda Falzone’s most helpful tips on how to build your career.

1. Focus on You

Ask yourself: Who are you now? Who do you want to be? Where do you want to go? Find a way to trust yourself, that you’re making a good decision, and that you have what it takes.

2. Don’t Get Too Comfortable

You might find yourself in a position that feels comfortable. Resist! Force yourself to grow and take risks—even if it feels scary. You’ll never know who you can be if you stay in one place forever. “I want to give people the confidence or the push to get to that next level. It doesn’t have to be leaving their job, it could be asking for a promotion, or seeing what they want and really going for it.”

3. Get A Resume

Whether you start from a bulleted list of your experience, or seek out the help of an expert, make sure your resume speaks to who you are and what you have to offer. Get many people to read it over for mistakes.

4. Be Self Aware

“I think you have to be very self aware when you’re looking to not find a job, but find a career.” If you need a job, find one. If you’re looking for a career, you need to be self aware of who you are, what you can handle, and what you want. If you know you are not micro-manageable, keep that in mind. If you know the culture at your last job was terrible, you should remember culture is super important to me.

5. Research Everything

Know the company. Amanda urges you to read about the employees on LinkedIn, see if there are articles on the company, and research the competitors. That will not only put you ahead of other people interviewing, but it will also allow you to make a very informed decision. “Being over prepared is so much better than just going to a job posting site, typing in ‘admin,’ and just applying.”