You blew me away when I shared that I was leaving my dream job earlier this year. Your encouragement, kindness, and words of wisdom took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting such an outpouring of support, which just made me realize how all of us are incapable of seeing ourselves as other people see us. I am deeply grateful to you for shining your light on me. And now that I’ve had three months to refocus my professional ambition, I am here again to humbly ask you to help me find my next dream job.
Applying for jobs is a lonely, exhausting experience. As suspected, I have not been lucky with job application portals or AI resume scanners. With a communications career spanning 20 years – including PR, media (print and television), technology, professional sports, and nonprofit – I’ve worn many hats. AI bots looking for correct keywords – as opposed to understanding your actual ability to do the job – are working against me.
Which is why I’m here today to ask for your help. And I believe you’re still reading because you genuinely like helping people. Today, I hope that lucky someone is me.
My career ambitions
Before I dive in – let me just acknowledge the awkwardness. This feels like I am writing a professional dating profile. Must offer these benefits and interesting work challenges while accepting that I can’t operate a coffee machine. Dogs onsite are a bonus.
In all seriousness, as I think about my next role, I am equally interested in either:
- A full-time (or ¾ time) communications role on a senior leadership team (i.e. Director/VP of Communications) with influence on org-wide initiatives, important decisions, and strategic direction.
- A consultant position for an existing firm working on interesting projects for values-aligned clients where my experience will add value and further their communications’ footprint.
I love working in smaller companies, or on nimble teams, where I can see the impact of my work. I am most effective when I understand the big picture and can create a plan to achieve the overall goal while also playing a role in the plan’s execution. Ideally, I would like to re-engage with the for-profit sector, however I would consider a senior level role at a well established nonprofit. I am open to temporary, permanent, or project-based work that’s remote, hybrid, or in-person (in the greater Seattle area).
How I can add value
My biggest passion is building transparent communications that engage and empower. I have deep experience in relationship building, mentorship, change advocacy and implementation, and project management. I approach all of my work through a lens of building trust and gaining loyalty through transparent, engaging communications.
My superpowers:
- Designing communications strategy to grow brand awareness, empower stakeholders, and foster change.
- Creating scalable processes and feedback systems to support sustainable growth.
- Managing people and projects with an eye for professional growth and organizational efficiency.
In my 11-years at The Mountaineers, I developed our overall communications strategy to further our mission, vision, and values with the ultimate goal of growing membership. I served on the Leadership Team, reported to the CEO, and was responsible for a $1M annual budget. I oversaw a staff of 10 as well as a team of freelancers. During my tenure, membership grew from a stagnant 10k people a year to a thriving, vibrant 16k+. My role required collaboration across departments to create internal and external communications strategies. I built our brand voice with an intentional focus on equity and transparency. I managed our communications through the pandemic and in the midst of a high-profile lawsuit. As a senior leader, I attended all board meetings and facilitated committees, board retreats, and strategic planning processes. I launched and oversaw our systematic and cultural work to foster belonging and inclusion, striving to challenge systemic barriers and change the narrative around who belongs in the outdoors.
Throughout my career I’ve gained fluency in earned and paid media, website and search engine optimization (SEO) best practices, analyzing engagement metrics, and data-driven decision making. I have been accused of being ‘color-coded post-it level’ organized – a badge I wear with honor. The Oxford comma will always have me as a fierce advocate. I am most proud of the accolades I’ve consistently received from my staff, who enjoyed the longest tenure and most internal promotions of any team. I believe that the best bosses create opportunities, empower innovation, and step aside to watch the magic happen – what fun is work without a sprinkling of magic?
Other areas of experience include:
- Crisis communications
- Customer relationship management (CRM) implementation
- Human resources
- Nonprofit board governance
- Public speaking/event emcee
- Survey building and analysis
- Video production
- Website and SEO best practices
Help me find my next dream job
Right now I’m focused on finding a senior level or consulting-based role at a values-aligned company. I will continue to search, apply, and reach out to connections as opportunities arise, but as we know, it takes a village. I would be so grateful if you could help by facilitating introductions, sending job opportunities, and flagging companies that I should keep my eye on (I do have a Company Wish List; yes, it’s color-coded).
In the meantime, if you have any communications-adjacent projects that I might help you with as an individual consultant, please get in touch. I’d love to help you elevate your communications, strategic innovation, or organizational leadership! I’m a wicked fast copywriter/editor too.
- Email me: [email protected]
- Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinaciari/
- Read more about my experience in 11 Lessons from My Dream Job on my website
Thank you for reading and for being in my corner. I cannot WAIT to hear from you.
