Where did Aloha Resume come from? Like many things that fall into the category of "necessity is the mother of invention," Aloha Resume was born from needed tools and services that did not exist anywhere else.
When I lost my job, I was upset. As a loyal employee for 13 years, I couldn't believe they were laying me off with only a few months' notice. (Hey, in reality, a few months was very generous compared to many of you who are reading this who got let go out of the blue with no notice.)
When I started my job search, I was full of hope, figuring I could find a new job quickly with all of my experience. After applying for 100s of jobs, that hope quickly faded the longer I searched. I learned that about 50% of the jobs I applied for would simply not reply to my applications and ghost me. Then came the other 45% that rejected me. It was hard to stay positive when, every morning, I'd check my inbox and find more rejection letters … not that anyone wants them anyway. Frankly, I was flirting with depression.
Vicious Cycle
This made me desperate, and I didn't realize it until I was tracking my applications and finding I was applying for jobs that were way below my pay grade and ones that, if I got an offer, I would probably refuse anyway. I was overqualified for many of them or applying for jobs way outside of my skill set, which was perhaps why they rejected me. But no matter the reason for the rejection, it still stung to see that they had dismissed me, if they even had the respect to not ghost me altogether.
I realized this was quite a vicious cycle, not one I wanted to be stuck in. If I applied for these lesser-desired jobs and was rejected, I would get desperate and apply for more 'bad' jobs! Tracking my mood and the number of jobs I had applied for, as well as the quality of these, made me realize this was happening. It was really easy to get depressed and upset when I didn't get any return on all my efforts.
I am Amazing and Very Talented. AI told me so.
On a particularly dark day, after receiving several rejection letters, I experimented with using AI to analyze job descriptions. After working with AI for a while and feeding it my resume, unprompted, AI started to spit out a very flattering commentary about my resume. It said I was good and would be a valuable asset to any company. WHAT? My sarcastic nature scoffed that even AI was blowing sunshine at me. But… sigh… I needed to hear that kind word right then…. Even if it was from a computer.
Eureka!
This got me thinking. What if a resume platform could be a source of uplifting encouragement and provide cutting-edge AI features to create exceptional resumes and cover letters that get you hired?
And so, about seven months later, Aloha Resume was born.
Our mission statement:
Aloha Resume is committed to being the best platform for generating tailored resumes and cover letters, empowering individuals to achieve their career goals with confidence and resilience while holistically supporting their mental well-being throughout job searches and career transitions.
I never want our platform to blow sunshine or be overly optimistic, but when job searching and the uncertainty of the future, especially the financial future, are at the forefront of your mind if you don't have encouragement or any kind of positivity, sometimes you have nothing. We are here to care about your mental well-being through your job search.
Yes, Mental Well-being is a Thing
While for many people of my generation (generation X) or the baby boomers, mental well-being is not talked about and is borderline taboo, it is still an essential part of our lives, and that is why a little encouragement is necessary: keep morale up as best you can. Just like it can't rain forever. As my friend Brad Paisley sings in the movie Cars, "Behind the clouds, the sun is shining…Good times or bad times, neither one lasts, but thinking that your luck won't ever change is like thinking it won't ever stop once it starts to rain."
So here's to the sunshine!
Mark W. Breneman - Aloha Resume Owner