Erin Kennedy

Professional Resume Services, Inc.

Since 2001, we have offered our clients a high-touch service with our certified, award-winning, executive resume writers. Our certified writers and editors make sure your documents are crisp, current, and error-free. 

Our team consists of award-winning, multi-certified writers, editors, career/job search/interview coaches, and administrative support. We collaborate with you on branding, resume focus, and industry trends. Your resume will meet ATS standards, as well. 

★ SUCCESSES ★

✔ Selected as one of Forbes "Top 100 Websites for Your Career".
✔ Hired and developed a team of certified executive resume writers, career coaches, proofreaders, admin support, and LinkedIn developers to meet the demands of a 500% business increase.
✔ Awarded the resume writing partnership with The Wall Street Journal (FINS Resume Service)--chosen over a dozen other companies.
✔ Industry expert and resume writing partner for over 1200 professional associations' career centers.
✔ Landed several dozen partnerships and contracts, generating increased revenue, and cultivating lasting business relationships.
✔ Consistent "Top Career Website" in Twitter groups and online forums.
✔ Develop and maintain a strong repeat/referral business with a high rate of job search success.
✔ Active blogger and contributor to multiple career websites. Conducted résumé writing workshops for corporate layoffs.
✔ We are Recruiter Approved!

CEO | Executive Resume Writer | LinkedIn Profiles |  C-Suite, Boards, EVP, SVP | Branding | 

Served as a mentor, business strategist, and trainer for resume writers and small businesses both through CDI (Career Directors International) and Professional Resume Services. 
Provided business development strategies for resume writers, career coaches, and business owners in the career industry. 

★ SUCCESSES ★

Coached business owners through the in's and out's of business and touched on what challenges to expect. Watched their businesses successfully grow and expand. Topics included:

✔ Start-Up Basics
✔ Business Planning & Long-Term Goals
✔ Certifications & Professional Development
✔ Strategy & Scaling
✔ Hiring Subcontractors & Staffing
✔ Marketing, Advertising, Media & more

Executive Resume Writer for C-suite, President, VP, SVP  | Career Strategist | LinkedIn Profiles 

Chosen out of 50+ candidates to train under the top executive resume writing firm in the industry. Gained invaluable, hands-on training in strategy, content creation, keywords, advanced formatting, client interviews, coaching, and more.

★ SUCCESSES ★

✔ Carved out specialties in a variety of areas in the executive realm including: finance/banking, healthcare, IT, educators, business development, sales/marketing, venture capital/private equity, HR, federal and military-to-civilian, and so much more. 
✔ Worked with clients all over the world learning the differences in resumes across the globe.
✔ Won the Best Executive Resume Writer Award and voted Best Resume Writer several times over. 

Extensive experience as an Executive Resume Writer, Executive LinkedIn Profile Writer, LinkedIn Profile Developer, CEO Executive Resume Writer, CIO/CTO/CISO Executive Resume Writer, CFO Executive Resume Writer, Executive Cover Letters, Executive Biographies, Director and VP Executive Resume Writer.

Executive Resume Writer | LinkedIn Profile Writer 

Forbes Coaches Council

An invitation-only organization for successful business and career coaches specializing in business services, networking, thought leadership, and mentorship.

Official Member | Executive Resume Writer | Resume Writing Expert | LinkedIn Profile Expert

North Oakland Career Center

Began resume writing career at this federally funded job search and assistance center. Case managed and facilitated the “Work First!” (formerly Welfare-to-Work) program in Northeast Oakland County. Provided clients with employability training including role-play, interviewing techniques, résumé writing, networking, application forms, job search, empowerment guidance, and career assessment. Complied with state and federal employment regulations and funding requirements. 

★ SUCCESSES ★

✔Fostered a strong resume writing referral base that led to the highest number of resume rewrites in the region. 
✔Piloted the wildly successful “Dress to Impress” clothing closet for low-income men and women. Networked with local businesses and community leaders to donate appropriate business attire.
✔ Coordinated the “Summer Youth” program that put low-income and adjudicated youth in employment for the summer while learning new job skills.

Career Coach |  Resume Writer | Executive Resume Writer | Job Search Coach

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 that my three passions of helping people, writing, and talking would eventually be my career, I wouldn't have believed you. I was hell-bent on working in a human resources office of an automotive company (I’m from Michigan—Motor City!).  

But life had different plans for me. 

It took me a bit to get here but eventually, I did (I post a lot here about my detours!).🛣️

For the last 20 years, we’ve helped 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 land the roles they wanted in the companies they chose. 

We can do the same for you.

We offer a high-touch service and work with you one-on-one throughout the process as your thought partner and career strategist. 

My team of 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱, 𝗧.𝗢.𝗥.𝗜. 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 create career documents for clients seeking opportunities from $150K+ to $1M+, from mid-level to c-level executives for just about every industry. 

We have 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 on staff to help you navigate LinkedIn’s ever-changing landscape through coaching and hands-on LI exploration.

I’m proud to say I've assembled a select team of writers, editors, and LinkedIn experts that are truly the "𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁". As the top writers and consultants in the industry, they create power-packed documents and profiles that will make you say, "WOW!! Is this really me? I'd hire me!"

▶️ 𝗪𝗘 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥:

✔ Executive Resumes & Cover Letters
✔ VP, Director, Senior Mgr, and Professional Resumes 
✔ Resumes for CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, CTO, CMO, "CXO", CSO, and C-Suite
✔ Board Resumes
✔ LinkedIn Profile Writing, Strategy, & Coaching 
✔ Brand Strategy
✔ Graphic and Networking Resumes
✔ Job Search, Interview, & Career Coaching 
✔ Executive Recruiter Resume Distribution
✔ VC/PE Resume Distribution 
✔ We are Recruiter Approved!

▶️  𝗠𝗬 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗦

➖ Nationally Certified Online Profile Expert (NCOPE)
➖ Master Career Director (MCD)
➖ Certified Resume Analyst (CRA)
➖ Certified Master Resume Writer (CMRW)
➖ Certified Executive Resume Writer (CERW)
➖ Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)
➖ Certified Empowerment & Motivational Coach (CEMC)
➖ Member: CTL, CDI, NRWA, Forbes Council
➖ Former Board Member, NRWA: Experienced Business Owner, East
➖ Certification Committee, Career Directors International (CDI)
➖ TORI Judge, multiple TORI nominations and wins (CDI)
➖ 20+ years in the career industry
➖ BS,Human Resources

Call now: 810-664-1933
Or schedule your appointment at: https://www.exclusive-executive-resumes.com

CEO | Executive Resume Writer | LinkedIn Profile |  C-Suite, Boards, EVP, SVP | Branding | 

Erin  Kennedy

I'll admit, at first, I was way too nervous to show up. 

Back when I first joined LinkedIn, I did nothing more than lurk.

I didn't know anyone, save for a handful of colleagues in my industry whom I had gotten to know over the years. 

So, when I finally decided to put some effort into LinkedIn, one of the first people to extend a hand of friendship was my next guest, Jeff Young.

If you haven't heard of Jeff, well, I'd be shocked. 

Jeff Young is one of those rare LinkedIn experts who doesn’t just use the platform--he understands it at a level most people never will. 

Known as “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗚𝘂𝗿𝘂,” Jeff has helped thousands of professionals worldwide transform how they show up, connect, and build real traction on the platform. 

He’s mastered LinkedIn’s hidden features, its evolving algorithm, and the mindset shifts job seekers and leaders need to stand out in a noisy digital world. 

In our conversation, Jeff breaks down his signature “𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗣’𝘀” 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵--  Profile, People, and Participate--which has become a trusted roadmap for anyone looking to elevate their presence. 

He shares 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 executives can put into play immediately, from untapped profile sections to engagement habits that actually move the needle. 

If you’ve ever wondered how to 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 without feeling pushy or performative, Jeff is the guide you want in your corner. This episode is packed with the kind of actionable wisdom that helps leaders get seen, get remembered, and get results.

**Links to the podcast and the video in the comments.

Erin  Kennedy, MCD, CERW, CRA, CERM, CMRW, CEMC

“Describe a time when...” 
or
“Share an example of a situation where...”

We’ve all heard these types of behavioral approach questions in an interview. 

I'm sure you've been asked one, if not both, of these.

So, what should your answer be?😳

S.T.A.R. 

⭐️ Situation - Task - Action - Results

S- describe the event or Situation

T- talk about the Task, discussing the challenges

A- describe the Actions you took to overcome the problems, focusing on the skills you used without stating them specifically

R- close with the Results of your efforts

Keep your response to three minutes or less, focusing on the traits the job you are applying for demands.

Have questions about how to use the STAR formula? Shoot me a DM. We can help!

////

Freelance Cake

Freelancers want to grow, but with so many things competing for your attention, focusing is a struggle.

Marketing? Messaging? Offers? Pricing? Systems?

Once you pick the next thing to fix or build, you have to find the time to actually do it. (Client projects have a way of monopolizing our attention.)

The Freelance Cake Community helps advanced freelancers stay focused and prioritize their own biz dev in 3 specific ways:

1. Access to high-caliber people, ideas, and advice—behind a paywall

This barrier to entry ensures that you get solid advice quickly when you have issues, as well as encouragement and good ideas from a cross-disciplinary gathering of folks at your level.

2. Smaller group with narrow focus

We talk a lot about the Big Three: marketing, sales, and systems. Why? We need the first two to grow our businesses, and we need the third to enjoy our lives outside of work.

3. Emphasis on honesty and psychological safety

Working remotely and solo can be isolating and lonely. Our 9-to-5 friends don’t understand the challenges we face building our businesses. We want freelance friends who do.

The Freelance Cake Community connects you with like-minded people and provides the structure and tools you need to execute.

It’s for you if you want to keep growing without burning out.

Each week, we do coworking sessions. Each month, we also do Office Hours for questions and Hot Seat Sessions for live coaching around more acute problems and opportunities.

We also have a theme each month. For example, January 2025’s focus was a Rejection Challenge, which helped members reach out to 100 new prospects without worrying about rejection because rejection was the goal. It. Was. Amazing. 

There’s other really valuable stuff that members get, including access to the Resource Library and Business Redesign playbooks.

So you make measurable progress on your top priorities and build the business you really want for $79 per month.

Visit freelancecake.com/community to apply.

Freelance Cake Community

You know how freelance income can be unpredictable? You’re either in a feast or a famine. You’re either too busy and stressed, or you don’t have enough work and money coming in. 

Many freelancers resign themselves to riding the rollercoaster. “That’s just the way this business is,” they say with a sigh. 

If that answer isn’t good enough for you, then you’re my kind of people. 

I don’t mind the occasional roller coaster, but we don’t catch what we don’t pursue. 

I show ambitious freelancers how to become smooth operators. The right levers, habits, and beliefs help you accomplish the following with less time and effort wasted:

✅  Zeroing in on what makes you special
✅  Doubling-down in the work that brings you joy
✅  Charging more, more confidently

Really, making great money as a freelancer comes down to CLARITY, CONSISTENCY, and FOCUS. 

How consistent are you with your marketing and follow-up?

We can’t outperform our habits, and I have helped dozens of freelancers log their first-biggest-best evers by teaching them what six-figure freelancers already know and do. 

The first time I cracked six figures I did it the WRONG WAY—by feeding more and more hours into the machine. 

After recovering from burnout, I did it again the RIGHT WAY—by collecting what I call “repeatable, transferable advantages” and using them. 

With the right levers a little effort produces outsized results. 

A Nice Niche is one such lever. A positioning cheat code and juicy offers are two mores. 

You can make the freelance game easier on yourself. But you have to first believe the roller coaster isn’t the only option. 

📞 Schedule a 20-minute call with me today. Let’s chat about what you want. 

Email me at hello@freelancecake.com with the subject line “advantages” or DM me here on LinkedIn. ⬆

1-on-1 Business Coaching for Advanced Freelancers

Outfit

Fractional CMO

Balernum

What is your brand and brand strategy?

We all have brands we love and loathe, ones we find irresistible and irritating.

Yet, when it comes time to create our own, most DTC and e-commerce founders struggle to straighten out the many tangles of problem and solution, values and culture, where you’ve come from and where you’re going.

It’s no surprise that an Olympic champion turned consultant once confided to me: “I have my MBA, and I still don't know how to build my brand."

Good news: The branding process can be fun and deeply moving.

I watched one founder teary-eyed and excited as he reconnected with their company’s deeper purpose. 

And another client told me later he had closed over $1m in new business because he could finally communicate his team’s full value.

In practical terms, here’s what we do together:

✅  Define your brand’s 7 essential parts 
✅  Pinpoint the small commitments you must make to grow it
✅  Decide in advance how you’ll protect your brand’s integrity

Then, we put all that clarity into a handy guide. 

You’ll use the guide to steer your design, messaging, and hiring.

You’ll show it to potential hires and ask, “Is this something you want to be a part of?”

You’ll use it to get everyone on the same page and stay consistent. 

Brands derive their power from simplicity and consistency, and you build your brand the same way you build your reputation: by showing up in the same way.

Do you want help with that? 

📞 Schedule a 20-minute call with me today. Let’s chat about what you want. 

Email me at austin@balernum.com with the subject line “brand development” or DM me here on LinkedIn. ⬆

Fractional CMO & Brand Strategist

Moxie

Canvas / ShopCanvas.co

Wunderbar LLC

Wunderbar LLC helps businesses grow and make problems go away. To that end, we help clients gain clarity, set direction, and identify next steps. We then use blogging and content marketing to get our clients more customers. Right now, we work primarily with SaaS companies, tech firms, and consultants.

http://wunderbarworks.com/

Founder & Lead Consultant

Closeup.fm

Closeup.fm helps artists, influencers, and brands reward their most loyal fans and make more money in the process. Think MailChimp meets text messaging meets Taylor Swift baking cookies for her superfans.

Co-Founder & COO

Bright Newt

Ridiculous photo apps. Addictive games. High-quality source codes. Fun.

Founder

Morris Creative Group

· Copywriting and editing
· Account support and management
· Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, Digg, Technorati, et al)  
· Publication relations

Writer | Social Media

University of Tennessee

• Taught two First-Year Composition 101 courses in the Fall and two First-Year Composition 102 courses in the Spring that explored rhetoric, the writing process, and research 
• Managed a variety of responsibilities from choosing curriculum and generating syllabi to developing assignment sequences and submitting grades

Graduate Teaching Associate

Every advanced freelancer I talk to wants the same thing…

Growth.

They want to keep growing their income without more stress, long hours, or burnout.

Of course, growth is never just about more money. What’s the point of the surplus if you’re too busy to enjoy it?

It’s really about creating more freedom and options.

These seasoned, focused pros want to build a strategic, future-proof business where they’re highly sought after and delivering maximum value to clients at a premium price.

They want to systematize everything to minimize work time and maximize personal time. 

The trouble is, the more driven you are, the more susceptible you are to maxing out the hours you can work.

Talented solopreneurs run into roadblocks:

- Being overcommitted and unfocused
- Overthinking & second-guessing
- Overwhelm

Eventually, you’re just over, over, over it, you know?

Symptoms like unpredictable income, complexity, and burnout have the same root cause:

**Weak or nonexistent systems and processes.**

Therein lies your opportunity:

1. Get clear on the life you want and the business that can get you there.
2. Position yourself as the obvious choice for dream clients.
3. Create juicy offers tied to their desired outcomes.
4. Build a system for getting predictable leads.
5. Give clients what they want and need.

Once you get all the pieces working together, you start earning more while working less. You’re on your way to having a $300K Flywheel. You 

That’s what happened to me. After I taking a more methodical and process-oriented approach to growth, I cracked $300,000 for the first time.

But again, it’s not about the money. It’s about the freedom and options.

Because I had time to focus on my own passion projects, I finished and published my book, Free Money. I improved my health.

My wife and I started traveling more with our kids.

What I’ve learned over 15+ years of freelancing is that advanced freelancers don’t have unique problems. But they do have unique situations.

Do you want help building the lifestyle you really want and the strategic, future-proof business that supports it?

Apply to join the private Freelance Cake community: https://bit.ly/FreelanceCakeCommunityLI.

It’s for advanced freelancers focused on strategic growth through strong systems and processes.

Austin L. Church

Serious question: If the LinkedIn algorithm were a real person, who would it be?

During yesterday’s group coaching session, I said Ben Affleck. Has done some good work but has made some mistakes recently. 

I was told Ben (may I call you Ben?) wasn’t irritating enough. 

Lauren McGill said her eleventh grade Biology teacher. Weird and nerdy. Mixed feelings about him but you need him to like you if you want an A. 

I need answers please. 

Bonus points if you tell me what you’d say or do to this real person right away.

Founder of Freelance Cake — Coaching, coworking, and community for advanced freelancers who want the growth without the burnout | Details in About ↓

By the time I reach mid-November each year, I feel pulled in two directions: Should I unplug in December or hustle to tie up loose ends?

That predictable tension eventually led to “December Zero,” a simple practice that seems obvious now:

- Identify all open projects, loose ends, and sources of heartburn.
- Ask, “What must be true in order for me to end the year with a quiet mind?”
- Do a focused two-week sprint in the first half of December.

Instead of ignoring the low-grade stress humming in the background, I use this exercise to turn it into a magnifying lens.

Stress, show me what to focus on. Show me what to do, delete, or defer.

It’s imperfect because, let’s be honest, there’s always more work to be done.

However, the intentional acts of mental decluttering and making conscious decisions about each task do give me more of the space, lightness, and quietude I want as the year comes to a close. 

While I’m with my family, my mind isn’t jerked back to what’s unfinished because I've cut loose the sandbags.

And when January rolls around it feels like a clean slate, not Month 13.

I’m doing my December Zero practice on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 11:00am ET. It takes about 45 minutes.

Want to join me?

This is part of a two-workshop sprint I’m doing in partnership with Lettuce Financial. The second workshop is on December 4 (2026 Year in Preview).

Use code Lettuce to drop the price from $79 to $33.

Here’s the sign-up link: https://luma.com/s1h2vf01.

…

Will you be doing any year-end strategic planning, and if so, what’s your favorite question to ask?

Gaining momentum feels easier around the right people. Consistency is easier, too. Why is that?

One reason is that some of us are hesitant to try something until we see it working for someone else. 

Maybe you had that one crazy friend who always volunteered to try this could-be-stupid thing first: skipping class, going blond, cliff jumping. 

When you see her head break the surface of the lake, you exhale in relief and then you throw yourself off. 

When we're younger, it's easier to find the mix of pre-validated courage, inspiration, camaraderie, and good mischief because it's part of the groups we find ourselves in, like schools, teams, and camps.

When we're older, we have to seek it out. We have to deliberately surround ourselves with people who remind us to take risks.

Another reason is simply knowledge and ideas. 

The right people know how to remove our roadblocks:

- I'm a member of Jay Clouse's Creator Science Lab community. 
- I'm a member of a mastermind group.
- I'm a member of the Freelance Cake Community.

If you want to give yourself another advantage, join a paid, private community.

Check out the most recent episode of the Freelance Cake podcast where I go in-depth on this. 

Have a listen, and if you're game, tell me what risk you need to take next.

A new Freelance Cake podcast episode just dropped. In it, I make a case for community as an advantage for advanced freelancers. Research backs it up —

Open article: the splash zone effect by Austin L. Church • 3 min read

January used to feel like Month 13 to me. I'd try to remember where I'd left off before Christmas and then tie up loose ends as quickly as possible.

That meant the implementation of any strategic planning I'd done in December got pushed to late in the month. I didn't like that. 

A couple of years ago, I decided to try something new: a simple year-end business decluttering exercise. It worked!

By "worked" I mean that I had less rattling around in my gourd during the second half of December and I felt more momentum going into January.

Check out this week's LinkedIn newsletter. 

In it, I share the step-by-step process I follow and my GSheet template, which you can copy.

Perhaps my weird brain can help yours this year. I hope so.

As much as I love my work, I don’t like how it can bleed into the rest of my life, especially during the holidays. Those of us who are self-employed d

Open article: year-end business decluttering by Austin L. Church • 2 min read

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The Battle

Erin Kennedy

Austin L. Church

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The Battle

Erin Kennedy

Austin L. Church

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Erin Kennedy's LinkedIn Performance

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