Advice helped land desired job

Shortly after consulting with the job search experts, Missy Desgrosellier was hired as a marketing specialist for Northwest Ideal Properties, a Vancouver-based real estate company.

The position involves compiling information packets about the company's projects and designing Web pages, which fills Desgrosellier's goal of finding a marketing job that enables her to use her photography and creative skills.

She said she was able to stand apart from other job-seekers by including a supplemental question-and-answer form that she pieced together based on information she was asked to supply in other job applications. Desgrosellier said she designed the form to give Northwest Ideal Properties a better idea of her personality and of her problem-solving skills. It was well-received in her interview, she said.

During her interview, Desgrosellier was questioned about her photography company. Managers at Northwest Ideal Properties were concerned it would compete for her time.

Desgrosellier said she used the advice she received from Eric Schubert of Express Employment Professionals in Vancouver to address the concerns. She was clear that she only worked at Take 5 on the weekends and explained that it would not interfere with her work week. She followed up by explaining that the work she performed for Take 5 would help her professional career.

"I want to bring all those photography skills into your business," she told the interviewer.

The strategy worked.