My father was a boxer. He died when I was two. But boxing was always a part of my life and Mohammed Ali was my idol; like the father I never got to know.

My mother never talked or shared about my father's boxing career. But she always let us watch Mohammed Ali's fights or called us to watch when he interviewed or appeared on television. I'm still mesmerized by his charisma, quick wit, activism, big heart, and being unashamedly Black. When I was seven, my mom made a telethon donation because Ali was taking calls and knew how much I wanted to do my Ali and Howard Cosell impression for him (I didn't get to speak to him by the way. But the story was worth the donation).

I've never stopped following Mr. Ali or thinking of him as a father-figure. So his passing, for me, is deeply personal. And my respect and love for the man and his legend will never die.
​God brought home a true Champion. And my dad has a new sparring partner in heaven.

​Love, peace and light Mr. Ali. May your spirit, numerous gifts and lessons
you've given us live on forever. 🐝

Yolanda M. Owens is an author chick who's fluent in humor and employer dating issues. Her book How to Score a Date with your Potential Employer parallels job searching with dating from the lens of a corporate recruiter.

5 Things Recruiters Look for in a Resume
By Yolanda M. Owens

Have Recruiters Seeing STARS!
You've heard people say that when they met that special someone, they saw fireworks. Well, when a potential employer reads your resume, they should see S.T.A.R.S. (Simple; Truthful; Assertive; Results-driven; Swagger). 

A resume should be intriguing and informative, alluring yet accurate, should tell a story, but leave room for conversation and the reader wanting more. So how do you accomplish this without sounding cliche, self-absorbed, or like you're trying to hard? Follow the S.T.A.R.S. guide below and win the attention of recruiters who will be screening your resumes.

Simple = Skip the fancy formatting! Recruiters respect the fact that you're innovative and have a knack for clipart and textbox formatting. But at the end of the day, just keep it simple, sunshine! Be more graphic about the skills and deliverables you have to offer than showing off your flair for
clip art.

Truthful = Make your resume sound interesting but keep it accurate. In other words, save the embellishments for your outfits. Most companies conduct background checks on your resume information, so that little white lie could banish you to the unemployment line.

Assertive = Don't be afraid to toot your own horn! That's why they call the resume a brag sheet. It's an opportunity to show what you've accomplished. But keep it professional and relevant to the position(s) you're applying for. You don't need to list every accomplishment you've made since your third grade spelling B! 

Results-Driven = Focus on your deliverables and quantify them. This will make you stand out among the competition. Anyone can say they make widgets. But if you say you made widgets 25% more efficiently while saving the company $10k in production costs, you'll get more attention.

Swagger = Having swagger means taking that extra step to tactfully get someone's attention and getting them to want to know more about you. This means showing you put some thought and effort into your resume before dispatching it. A well-crafted, thoughtful resume is the first step in demonstrating that you've got game.

How to Get Out of an Employer Dating Slump
By Yolanda M. Owens

Dear How to Score a Date with Your Potential Employer,
I've been looking for a job for almost 6 months and haven't landed anything yet. I've posted almost 400 resumes to various job boards and still nothing. Help!  --R.A., Washington, DC

First let me say that I admire your tenacity and congratulate you on sticking with it!  It's easy to get discouraged when you don't get attention from employers right away.  But don't take your employer "dating" hat out of the ring just yet! You see, finding a job is an investment; and with any investment, you need to diversify.  You can't "date" an employer by simply posting your profile on job boards or blind contacting employers through social media. It takes more than 140 characters and some emoticons to start a relationship. So here are a few tips to amp up your job search:

Patience is a virtue. The reality is job seeking doesn’t happen overnight. Your ego and patience will have its fair share of blisters from pounding the pavement and you’re going to make a few trips around the employment search block before landing a position.  Employers will take their time in getting back to you, making decisions on where they want the relationship to go…You may find yourself involved with an all talk, no action employer or employers you just don’t have
chemistry with.  In the midst of it all, build your professional network and learn from your mistakes and successes throughout the process.  The right opportunity will come along, and your patience will be virtuously rewarded.

Hang with people who are already in a relationship. Your single friends (aka those also swimming in the job market pool with you) are your competition.  So find happier ponds to swim in by keeping in contact with friends who have jobs at companies you’d consider working for.  They’re in a better position to provide you information on current openings, names of hiring managers, and can refer you for positions through employee referral programs.  Visit sites like http://www.bettergrind.com that help you find a job where friends work.

Make yourself uncomfortable.  Stop relying solely on job boards to look for positions.  In order to find where the jobs are, you need to give a little face time. Get out and mingle.  Go outside your comfort zone of people, places and things you typically do and take plenty of business cards with you.  Contact individuals from your alumni association, be a plus-one at a company sponsored event, attend a professional networking happy hour...Unexpected things come from unexpected places so expect the unexpected and see what opportunities follow when you dare to stray from the path.  You’ll have more possibilities when you let yourself go outside the box.

Have a "pre-date" through an informational interview.  Instead of blindly contacting someone to ask them for a job, stroke their ego and build a rapport before asking them for an official "date".  Send an email or message via LinkedIn (if you don't have a LinkedIn account I STRONGLY suggest you get one!) telling the individual that you're interested in their field, company, project, etc. and would love to schedule an informational interview to discuss their involvement.  Never send your resume with your initial request.  Give the individual an opportunity to respond first so your first impression isn't tainted by looking presumptuous or
opportunistic. If you feel the need to include some professional info about yourself,  be subtle and add a link to your LinkedIn profile to your email signature. Once you've established a relationship, then you can talk about your interest in working for the company and how that individual can help you make it happen.

Mind your manners. No matter the outcome of any job search situation, always remember to follow up with a thank you.  Common courtesy goes a long way. So while you may not have landed the opportunity you applied for, taking the time to say "thank you" at the end of any job search contact could keep you top-of-mind for the next opportunity that crosses that person's desk.

Yolanda M. Owens is an author chick who's fluent in humor and employer dating issues. Her book How to Score a Date with your Potential Employer parallels job searching with dating from the lens of a corporate recruiter.

Yolanda M. Owens is an author chick who's fluent in humor and employer dating issues. Her book How to Score a Date with your Potential Employer parallels job searching with dating from the lens of a corporate recruiter.