Now we want to share some of these career success stories.
Why?
Because they give us hope.
These stories show us that with the right method, mindset, and work ethic, anyone can find their "dream job," one that delivers fulfillment, accomplishment, and growth.
We start our new success story series with Zainab Saiyed, SMB Client Service Specialist at TikTok and proud mother of three.
This is the story of her career journey, and it's only the beginning.
It turns out, I had all the skills and more and just did not know how to formulate that cohesively on paper and market myself.
- Zainab Saiyed
We revised Zainab's resume and helped her get hired at TikTok, so we wanted to follow up to see if she'd share her success story with you, our audience.
💡 Our questions are in italics, followed by her answers 💡
Thanks for reaching out, Ken! I’d be happy to answer some questions and help!
I was born in Fremont, California, and got a BS in community and regional development at UC Davis.
I have always had jobs in which I have been helping or assisting people. Growing up I used to tutor a lot. I thought I was going to be a teacher. Along with tutoring, I worked in retail and had jobs as an office manager and a personal assistant.
For a brief period of my life, I moved to London, UK and started my family and finally moved back to Austin, TX in 2018.
I started as a customer service agent for a local start up called Fetch Package and was able to work my way up to a Team Lead, and then a Customer Experience Manager.
It was really when I first joined TikTok and started scrolling that I came across so many profiles of people saying you don’t have to be stuck in a job where you feel overworked and underpaid, and that there are companies willing to pay a decent sum and provide benefits and a great work life balance.
I never thought I would be able to snag one of these jobs, since I always looked at my resume and said I didn't have what it takes to join a tech company.
It turns out, I had all the skills and more and just did not know how to formulate that cohesively on paper and market myself.
My biggest moment was when I got my revised resume back and had that 1:1 call with my resume reviewer, Alexander. I think he was the push and validation and confidence boost I needed.
What he did with my resume was amazing.
It went from a poorly formatted and structured resume to this professional looking resume that highlighted all my strong points and experience in such an eloquent manner.
I think the resume must have checked all the marks for the recruiter I had at TikTok, as it was concise and tailored for the specific job. I think that was one of the most important things as well.
I won't sugar coat it and say it was just the resume, the tips on going out of my way to connect with them on LinkedIn and really putting myself out there also was a huge factor.
This was also a job I was rejected for multiple times, and every time I got the rejection, I applied again.
Then one day I got called for the lead interview vs the specialist role, and It was the first time a recruiter had reached out from the company to set up a phone screen. I did that and a week later she reached out and said they would not be moving forward. I was definitely upset because I knew I could do the job.
But I remembered the tips I've seen on the Wonsulting's social media to "just ask" and that's exactly what I did.
I reached out to her and said "I know I won't be put forward for the lead role. Is there anyone you can put me in touch with for a screening for the specialist role?"
That's exactly how within a week a was put in touch with the recruiter for the specialist role, did the screening, had back-to-back interviews and was offered a job.
This has to be the best role I have had the privilege of working in. I learn new things every day.
I just want to say it's never too late to start. I chose to start my family first, and I'm a mom of 3 and I just entered my 30s in 2021.
A resume review really helps you in putting the best version of yourself on paper in a light that you may not be able to reflect for yourself.
But it is half the work.
The other half is the hustle they talk about. Really putting yourself out there, using meaningful introductions to make connections on LinkedIn and really marketing yourself.
As an introvert, this was one of the hardest but absolutely best things I have done for myself and I will always say it was Jonathan's TikToks that convinced me I could do this for myself too.
We hope that Zainab's story inspires some of you to aim high and go after a fulfilling career.
We're honored to have contributed to her career success, but like she said, the resume revision was only half of the story.
The other half was her dedication to putting herself out there, asking for what she wanted, and never giving up, even in the face of rejection.
We also offer career consultation services, where you can be coached by current S&P 500 and FAANG employees to help you network and plan your career.
But their time is limited, and they can only help so many people at a time, so for the best chance of getting direct one-on-one guidance asap, contact us today to see who's currently available.
We loved sharing Zainab's story with you, and if you want to see more success stories, stay tuned!
We've got more success story blog posts in the works 😎
Reach us at hello@wonsulting.com, and if you have any questions at all, feel free to contact me on LinkedIn and Instagram. l I love hearing from our audience and helping you however I can, and if you have a good question and it deserves its own blog post, I'll write a post that answers it!
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