Dedicating her life to providing first-class support, training, and innovation to career professionals—Marie Zimenoff provides the platform they need to transform lives and change the world.
We spend 90,000 hours on average working during our lifetime.
It’s no surprise—when nearly one-third of our existence is devoted to our careers—that people want to choose a vocation that aligns with their values. In fact, according to a recent study published by the Harvard Business Review, “9 out of 10 people are willing to earn less money to do more meaningful work.”
When what we do for a living has a significant impact on our relationships, mental and physical health, and overall quality of life—at work and after hours—finding meaningful work has huge importance. Career coaches are now more sought-after than ever, with individuals across the globe seeking professional guidance and support that will give them an edge as they pursue their dream jobs.
But who was there to support career coaches? Marie Zimenoff, CEO of Career Thought Leaders, saw the urgent need for a hub where career professionals could find community, continuing education, and a place to stay up to date on the latest career trends. Her passion for counselling and coaching pushed her past her natural reticence. She stepped up to be of service.
Prior to becoming CEO of Career Thought Leaders, a series of serendipitous events led to Zimenoff’s life’s work as a career and leadership development coach and positioned her to take on leadership of a company purpose-built to educate and support careers industry professionals.
Marie Zimenoff first realized the power of counselling and coaching as a teenager when a school counselor found creative solutions to keep her engaged in school. Later, like many college students, she changed her major in the first semester of college, moving from pre-med to psychology. Uncertain of her post-graduation direction, she joined Colorado State University’s Counselling and Career Development program.
When she entered into an internship with career counseling business, she had a lightbulb moment. Attending a resume writing conference, she fell in love with the transformation resume writing had on client’s careers and met the two people from whom she would later acquire her company. When she was passed over for career services roles on campus, she decided to leave the university in 2008 to pursue private practice.
Though Zimenoff’s career path became clearer, yet the route to success was often messy and far from linear. Through her first summer in business, Zimenoff questioned her decision as she struggled to build her practice. That same summer, she was offered a job creating a curriculum for a K-12 school in Bahrain, a small island country in Western Asia. Accepting this opportunity, despite her doubts, rewarded her handsomely. Zimenoff shared, “I identified this as an opportunity for me to learn. I hired a superintendent for the local school district to help me create the curriculum. In the process of working with him, I learned about curriculum design—the same skill I needed to create all the adult training programs I do now with Career Thought Leaders and Resume Writing Academy.”
From here, she dove headfirst into every opportunity, immersing herself in the world of career professionals. Volunteering and becoming the President of multiple associations nurtured the connections and experiences she needed to become a recognized leader in the industry. Each experiential lesson was a gift that prepared her for the CEO role that was coming.
Now, as CEO of the Career Thought Leaders think tank, Marie Zimenoff, understands the transformation that career coaches, career counselors, and resume professionals can bring to clients’ lives. She is dedicated to advocating for this community through Career Thought Leaders (with Resume Writing Academy) annual US and global conferences, extensive virtual programs, and certification trainings that educates professionals worldwide.
It’s clear that Marie Zimenoff boldly looks past risks to find rewards—she did so when assuming ownership of Career Thought Leaders and Resume Writing Academy in 2015, and when acquiring the suite of Reach Personal Branding training and certification programs in 2017. She did so when she brought a new perspective and growth mindset to these companies, promoting inclusiveness towards their competition.
Fuelled by a passion for helping others, Zimenoff bravely pushes past self-doubt and introversion to teach those in the careers profession to do the same through cutting-edge career management, personal and digital branding, job search, resume development, social media, and leadership expertise education.
Her mission is simple: prepare future-forward professionals for the “new and the next” in careers and help them build successful career coaching businesses aligned with their values. Because career coaches and resume writers deserve to enjoy 90,000 hours of meaningful work too.
Visit www.careerthoughtleaders.com to access the global community providing training programs, certifications, high-quality free content, endless resources and support for career professionals.
