When Robyn first immigrated to the United States from Sydney, Australia, she had her heart set on getting into the film industry. She got her start working on movies being filmed in Texas and Arizona and later arrived in Los Angeles in 1994. Over the years, Robyn worked her way up from a scenic painter to production designer, designing five feature films as the head of the art department.
After a car accident kept her from being able to work, followed by the birth of her daughter, Robyn decided to take some time to concentrate on writing and parenting. However, with her husband’s involvement in entertainment, she was never very far removed from the industry.
She recalls her husband, a sound mixing teacher at a film school, bringing his students’ resumes home for her to review. “He told me, ‘They’re asking me about their resumes. Have a look at these.’ And I said, ‘Oh, no. These are terrible.’” As a former department head, she was especially familiar with what a standard resume should look like in her industry and noticed the students’ resumes more closely resembled ones meant for office jobs. “These kids were getting bad advice,” she continues. After recognizing a particular need for guidance, she took it upon herself to fill the gap and lend her industry expertise to her husband’s students. What began as Robyn offering advice on how to create a proper resume for the film industry soon grew into her very own resume-writing business.
“I just love writing resumes. I seem to have a talent for it,” she explains.
Flash forward to a little over a year and a half ago when Robyn found herself attending a screening of Good Fortune, a documentary about her late father-in-law’s friend, John Paul DeJoria. The film followed DeJoria’s personal journey and philanthropic efforts, including his involvement with Chrysalis. After the organization’s feature caught Robyn’s attention, she spoke with DeJoria about her new business. “He encouraged me to come and volunteer, so I filled out an application the next day!”
Today, Robyn spends each Wednesday afternoon at Chrysalis’ Santa Monica center drafting resumes, conducting practice interviews, and assisting clients with online job applications. Robyn finds that giving clients useful tools and guidance helps them feel confident about their resumes and work experience, which they can take with them to job interviews. Allowing them to view their own qualities in a positive light has made a world of difference for her clients. “A resume is a tool to get you an interview — you get the job!”
“It seems like I often get to work with the clients whose resumes are most complex,” she shares. As someone who has grown in her career and experienced challenges that affected her ability to work, she looks forward to working with clients who may have had a difficult employment background. Robyn welcomes the challenge though, noting that the chance to learn something new from every client is one of her favorite parts of the role. “I never tire of learning about different industries and kinds of jobs that are outside of my experience. I love learning the different jargon that is constantly improving my resume writing skills. I’ve met so many interesting people!”
Always ready to be of help, Robyn also volunteered at Chrysalis’ Women’s Empowerment Conference earlier this April. With her experience from her service with the Women’s Empowerment Program in her back pocket, she was the perfect table discussion lead. “It was worth being part of and networking with other women who support the organization.”
“Women benefit professionally and personally from being part of a community of other women who can mentor and support each other,” Robyn explains when asked about her key takeaways from the conference. “The clients realized there are more women-centered resources than they may know and were encouraged to take part in them.”