A couple of weeks ago I sent my resume on a cake to Nike. Yes, an edible resume on top of a cake. Nike was having a huge celebration for JDI day (Just Do It day). LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick + Other Megastars were at the event. I had done some research and found a division within Nike called Valiant Labs which is a startup incubator for Nike ideas. They are not currently hiring for any positions on that team, but I wanted to find some way for the team to know who I was. What better way than to send a cake to a big party. I was brainstorming with my former colleague Trent Gander. When he said, “Karly do better, this is a creative place, show up in a creative way!” He was right. And then the brainstorming began. How could I get an edible resume on top of a cake delivered to a party (I wasn’t invited to), to THE team I wanted it to go to, from North Carolina all the way to Beaverton, Oregon. I found Albertsons Grocery Store made cakes with edible picture images on top and we all know Instacart delivers (longer story there, but for the sake of time I got it to work). The best part of this story is Denise Baldwin. Denise was the Instacart driver that day and I am so grateful she was. I knew navigating Nike’s large campus was a feat, but combine a giant party with tons of people on top of that adds another layer of complexity to this delivery. I talked to Denise on the phone and she said to me, “Karly I know this is important to you, and I will do whatever IT takes to get this cake to where it needs to be.” When Denise was asked to leave the cake on the table at the front desk she said, “no, I need to see this go in their hands. I promised Karly I would get this cake to the right person.” Denise navigated the Nike campus, all while having a sleeping child in one arm and a ½ sheet cake in the other. Regardless if I get a job at Nike, the best thing to hear that day was Denise saying, “You have inspired me. This was meant to be. I am a mom and I am tired of doing Instacart. I know I have more abilities and qualifications to get something better. I'm so glad this worked for the both of us.” Delivering the cake that day inspired one person. And maybe this post will inspire more. Helping people realize their potential is what I love to do. At the end of the day it’s not about the cake at all. It is about making things happen and taking a chance outside of the box. Denise did it. She did whatever it took to help me get that cake to Nike. And that is what I do. This is why I am different than the pack. Because whatever IT is, I get IT done. #resume #resumecake (p.s. Thank you so much everyone for your kind words! We are so appreciative for all the support. We are actively looking for our next job Denise Baldwin Trent Gander It is going to be next to impossible to see all these amazing comments about jobs. So if you have open positions for either of us please send us a personal message!)
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