Community Highlights: Meet Khyneesha Edwards of Resumes By Neesha

I’m a Kansas City-based graphic designer. I work full time for an agency, I freelance part-time, and I also own and operate Resumes By Neesha.

Resumes By Neesha is a full-service personal branding consulting service. I design, copy edit, and distribute resumes, cover letters, business cards and other personal branding materials for professionals of various ages, backgrounds and industries. I also offer free career development worksheets, office supplies and my published career workbook, The Road to Employment Workbook.

I first thought of the idea for Resumes By Neesha while I was in my junior year of undergrad at Stephens College. I had just completed a project where I had to create a personal logo, business card and resume. I loved the way my branding materials turned out, and I got great feedback from my instructor and peers.

I created a few resumes for friends and family as favors, and I loved the process so much that I wanted to do it for others. The summer before my senior year, at 21 years old, I launched Resumes By Neesha. Since then, I’ve worked with college students, young professionals and even baby boomers looking to take their careers to a different level.

What drove me in the beginning was just showing people that their resume didn’t have to be boring and ugly. Now, it goes even further than aesthetics. I love being able to build and restore confidence in my clients by providing them with well-written, well-designed resumes. Seeing them believe in themselves, get the jobs they’ve dreamed of and reach levels they never even thought of – that’s what fills my cup every time.

It’s been a pretty smooth road, which I’m extremely grateful for, though I might be saying that because I’m an eternal optimist, and definitely a “glass half-full,” type of gal.

I didn’t have a blueprint for starting this business, so everything I’ve put into place felt like blazing new trails for me. Those trails weren’t always clear-cut and without hurdles, but there have been none big enough to stop me thus far.

I operate Resumes By Neesha part-time, which works with my full-time work schedule. Most of my clients have been through word of mouth, so it always feels like a treat when I get to work with someone new or catch up with a returning client.

But every day isn’t smooth-sailing. There are moments when social media marketing feels like a burden. There are times when I send emails for collaboration opportunities and get no response. There are moments when editing my website feels like a chore. I know what it feels like to be ghosted by potential clients. But through all of the hurdles, I just try to keep building and reminding myself of what I’m doing this for. The livelihood and success of my clients. Making a difference in my community and beyond.

As I expand the business, I’m ready to face the challenge of maintaining my online presence, finding new ways to serve my clients, expanding my product line, and getting Resumes By Neesha in front of even more individuals, businesses and organizations who could benefit from what I have to offer. I have no doubt that though hurdles may reveal themselves, I can overcome them every time.

I think what sets me apart from other resume consulting services is how accessible I try to make my services and how personal I try to make the experience. I’m committed to being adaptable and providing a unique experience for each client. I’ve worked with people in various industries, including marketing, social work, healthcare, photography, equestrian, film, fashion, diversity, equity and inclusion, and more.

I love diving deep into research about each client’s industry and challenging myself to meet their design and written copy needs. I love being able to meet my clients where they are – no matter if they’ve got no experience and are looking for their first big opportunity, or if they’ve got years of experience and just need to remember it all and put it on paper. It feels good to know my clients walk away from their experience with me confident and ready to go out and do the thing – to get the job.

I try to keep my rates affordable for college students and seasoned professionals alike, and I offer a variety of package options to cater to various client needs. I find so much joy in that initial call with a client and helping them feel comfortable sharing their past experiences, current situation and future goals with me. I literally do a happy dance after each call!

One of my greatest accomplishments thus far has been The Road to Employment Workbook, which I conceptualized, designed, wrote, edited and self-published. I created the book to help guide my clients at every stage in their career journey. I based the content on recurring issues I saw my clients having, and I even tapped into what I personally felt like I needed in my own job search process.

For example, that feeling when you can’t remember your email and password to your 20th job application. When you’re leaving an interview and feeling like you might be the perfect candidate for the company, but feeling empowered enough to unapologetically say that they may not be the right company for you. When you’re trying to figure out what the heck you even want from your career. I want my readers to know that they can claim anything they want for themselves during their job search. I want them to know that it’s not all about impressing potential employers. It’s about making a feel-good life decision for YOU.

It feels good to have managed every step of the way in bringing The Road To Employment Workbook to life, and I can’t wait to see its continued success.

I don’t really consider luck a factor in my life or business. I think luck implies that you’re sitting back while life happens, and by chance, things are working one way or another Though life has definitely happened to me, the way in which I respond has been with nothing less than intention and purpose.

I don’t have the prettiest story, and in fact, I feel like there were several cards against me even getting to the point where I’m at now in life. I’ve been in foster care. I was adopted. I’m a first-generation college graduate. I lost my dad in my late teens and my mom in my early twenties. I’ve endured so many other hurdles in life that certainly didn’t make me feel too “lucky.” Statistically, I’m not supposed to be where I am today. I attribute my continued momentum and success in life to my faith in God, my parents taking a chance on me and adopting me, and the core part of me that ever since I was a little girl knew I wanted more. I always knew that I wanted to succeed despite my circumstances.

In my younger years, I didn’t have a name for being intentional. I just knew that meeting my goals and reaching certain levels was really important to me. In elementary school, nothing less than perfect attendance was an option. I still have the awards certificates to prove it. In high school, I had important dates for each of the 5-6 colleges I’d applied to color-coded on a huge desk calendar so I didn’t miss a thing. I didn’t have everything figured out, but I knew I was going and it’d work itself out. In college, I made such an impact on my peers that I was chosen to join my institution’s secret senior honor society. That came after 4 years of being intentional about the woman I want to be, while simultaneously encouraging and supporting my peers along their journeys, too.

I guess I had a good understanding of what success could look like, and from there I was always trying to do the “right thing,” to reach that success. In my adulthood, I’ve honed in on what intentionality looks and feels like. Beyond doing “the right thing,” now I make an even deeper effort to consistently do what feels right for ME. And taking that route leads me to just what I need more often than not.

• The Road to Employment Workbook – $20
• Resume, cover letter and business card services start at $60