Meet Yanira Guzman | Executive Coach and Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yanira Guzman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yanira, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
As an Executive Coach who helps Latinas elevate within their career, there is a strong belief held by many that “one must possess a piece of paper (i.e., a degree or a certificate) to “legitimately” demonstrate and claim experience in a certain profession. While this is true for some fields – such as medicine – it is no longer the case for many other professions, such as tech, software development, marketing, philanthropy, etc. What is most important, is one’s ability to communicate their experience and value – by clearly articulating the experience that they already have -with or without the certification – and how it’ll benefit the targeted companies.

So, why does this matter so much to me?

As a previous California public school teacher and one who studied the public education system within the United States during my undergraduate and graduate years, I learned that the public education system was designed to leave and/or deter certain groups of people, specifically people of color, from receiving a higher education, and thus entry into higher paying job roles. As a member of the Latino community – one of the historically excluded communities from higher education – there are many within my generation who were unable to enter specific fields within the workforce because they were denied college preparatory classes and/or college and thus, do not have a degree. Instead they were tracked into vocational or non-college classes, setting them up for lower paying jobs in adulthood. The degree or certificate is not proof of intellectual capacity or smartness, it is merely proof of an educational opportunity that one had. There are many smart, experienced, and talented individuals that are capable of and are doing the most skilled work; they perhaps just need guidance in how to communicate that to potential employers. This is part of the work that I do; I help my clients own their expertise, communicate their value, and increase their income benefiting themselves, their families,and their communities.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started my business in 2008 (during the housing crisis) as a side hustle from my day job as a classroom teacher. During that time, many people lost their jobs and were on the verge of losing their homes. I thought to myself, “How can I help others while also bringing in additional income?” I’ve always been a strong writer – and I posted on Craigslist, “Will write your résumé.” I would meet customers at local coffee shops – hear their professional story – and write their résumé for them. Once written, I’d burn their resume on a CD and mail it to them. My customers would reach back out to me to let me know that they got multiple interviews, and eventually the job! I loved receiving the news. Over the years, I had a family, and while I lessened my marketing to the public, I continued to write résumés for family and friends – where they were getting the same results – significant income increases with their new jobs! Fast forward to 2020, and I decided to launch my business by offering my first offer of resume writing services. Yet, in the 12 years since 2008, I also leveled-up and gained more experience. I pivoted from public education to tech to nonprofit to becoming an elected official to solopreneurship – giving me so much experience that I am able to leverage in helping my clients advance their careers.

How am I different from other Executive Coaches? I center the experience of Latinas in the workforce. I center our cultural backgrounds, our beliefs, our languages, as assets to the global economy. I provide space for those who oftentimes are pushed to the sidelines and/or completely ignored. By acknowledging what we already possess as valuable assets, my clients confidently own their expertise and make great strides in elevating their careers.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Living in the Tri-Valley of the San Francisco East Bay, I’d take my friends to the following places:

Livermore Wine Trolley and go wine tasting among Livermore’s 40+ wineries
Spend a day in Tomales Bay and get some fresh oysters
Hike the beautiful trails of the East Bay parks and visit Little Yosemite (Sunol), Lake Del Valle (Livermore)
Spend a day trying food trucks for an eclectic menu of ethnic foods

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Yes! I have to give so many shoutouts! First and foremost is to my family – the Guzmán family – for supporting me throughout my solopreneurship. To my first business coach, Chandra Brooks, of The Powerhouse Women, for giving me the tough love and push that I needed to make my dreams happen, and to my ride and dies – Erica, Kim, Reggie, Ruby, Angelina – for always keeping it real with me!

Website: https://www.thecareergem.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yg_thecareergem/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yg-thecareergem/

Image Credits
Fidel Gomez