Soozy G. Miller, Executive Career Coach, Behavioral Analyst & Author
Soozy is an executive career coach, a behaviour analyst, and co-author of the book Business Leadership and Culture. She has been a professional business writer for over 35 years and has coached hundreds of executives worldwide to control their careers.
Her knowledge of executive leadership behaviour patterns, hiring software, the hiring lifecycle, and what the hiring team wants to see ensures a shorter job search, resulting in more and better job offers.
Soozy is a Certified Master Resume Writer, a Certified DISC-Communication & Behavioral Consultant, a Certified DISC Practitioner, a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches (PARW/CC), and a recruiter.
She has been named a Top 10 Communications Coach by Yahoo Finance. She has appeared on numerous radio shows and has been featured on Bloomberg, Yahoo News, MatchWatch, Street Insider, and others.
What do you like about your current role?
I have been an executive career coach for about 8 years. I love every minute of it because my work is a combination of writing/editing and coaching leaders to be better people.
I use DISC assessments in addition to my basic writing to help executives demonstrate their own unique strengths and then, equally as important, how to acknowledge the strengths of others around them who are different than they are.
Executives often have "a-ha" or lightbulb moments with me when they realize that the executive they work with isn't being "weird"; he/she is just different and brings different strengths.
Many executives come to me saying that their resume is awesome, but they're not seeing the attention or the salary offers they deserve. And then, I look at their resume (and LinkedIn profile), and I have to explain why they are not seeing the results they deserve.
Sometimes they come to me after having spent a lot of money on a resume that just doesn't work, and now I have to fix the situation for them.
Most resumes are filled with responsibilities, hard/technical skills, and action statements. Very few job search materials are filled with impact statements and value-add. So I ask: "How did you increase revenue? How did you influence a decision? How did you solve a difficult problem? How did you improve policy?"
These are crucial questions, and the answers are part of how I help executives control their careers.
What are your favourite books?
Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson, What To Say When You Talk To Yourself by Dr Shad Helmstetter and The $100M Offer by Alex Hormozi. These three books got my energy going and explained how to enhance my practice from being an asset to being impactful.
Who do you most admire and why?
I admire people like Steve Jobs and Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Dorothy Vaughan (the ladies portrayed in Hidden Figures). Despite innumerable and impossible setbacks, they persisted. And they improved the world as a result.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
A colleague once said to me: "You are a single mom with two kids. Failure is not an option." I keep that in mind whenever I'm feeling challenged. I have two kids to support, and I love my work. I cannot and will not fail at what I do.
People have asked me why I don't get an office job. This is actually more possible in 2023 because there is more hybrid (office/home) work available now, but before COVID, I couldn't because the few times I tried, something happened at home, and I had to leave.
At one position where I had the option of working in an office, I finally got it decorated after a few months, I sat down at my desk to work, and 5 minutes later, I got a call from the school that my son was sick, so I had to leave. I never tried again.
What motivates or inspires you?
I absolutely adore writing. That is my wheelhouse. Whenever I'm sent a resume, I start to drool because I immediately see how I can improve it and make the executive's life easier.
I am inspired when I see the change in my clients, like when they go from stress to confidence. Before COVID hit, I taught in-person resume writing. One woman came in, and she had driven an hour for the class. She was practically crying; she was so upset. Her resume was about 15 pages, and she wasn't hearing back from any applications. So I went ahead and taught the class.
After class, I saw her in the hallway, and she was smiling ear to ear. She hadn't even applied any of the methodology yet, but I could see that she felt more confident and happier after the class. Her smile is why I do what I do.
What would you like to highlight and share with our audience?
You can control your career until you don't want to work anymore. You can land your dream job with more money than you expected, and then if/when that doesn't go as well as you had hoped, you can have the tools and methodology to land a better opportunity in a shorter time.
All you need is persistence and a great coach! : )