For many entrepreneurs, starting their own business is a dream. How did Shaunee Lynch begin her business? It was literally in a dream.

Recently, the creator of Vitae Visual spoke with the PW Perspective on how she took job hunting to a new level.

“I used to work for a staffing agency and I was the branch manager,” said Lynch. “I had a client that needed a branch secretary, and I had about 300 resumes that I had to go through in a short amount of time. So I went home that night and I dreamt these resumes were talking to me. I could hear their voices and I could see the people on the resume talking. I’m thinking it was just stress [laughs], but three nights later I dreamt it again, but I was behind the camera. So I wrote it down on paper and that’s what it became, digital resumes.”

How do these digital resumes work?

“It’s not just people standing in one place and talking about their resumes; it’s really about your life. Those things you can’t see on a resume, we capture those on a video.”

Lynch’s experience has prepared her for this moment. She worked in Human Resources for over twenty years, particularly in the political arena. She discusses how minorities, particularly African Americans, run into roadblocks because of cultural associations on their resume.

“Their names get discriminated against them, or their address because it’s on the other side of the tracks,” she says. “Even where they get their degree, if it came from an HBCU, or from a community college, that those in hiring positions will not allow them to go to the next level.”

“But those are real people, and they have validated skills, and to me that’s what you should hire on, the building on the character and essence of people. Our vitae visuals capture those things you can’t see on the resume, because we want them to see the entire person.”

How did Vitae Visual go from a dream to actuality?

“After I had those dreams, I checked to see if this was already being done. No one was doing it, so I got my trademark two and a half years ago, but it scared me to take this chance, because I was comfortable doing HR. I didn’t realize how unhappy in my office job I was until I was doing this.”

She started Vitae Visual a few years ago, and as with many entrepreneurs who had to navigate through the pandemic, it was a time to pivot.

“When Covid hit, I was working in Stafford County, and they put me in a supervisor’s position after the previous one had to leave, but not with the same pay. I said to myself, ‘it was now or never’.”

“I turned down the contract, and then put together Vitae Visual, and now we became approved to be an Amazon vendor just a few weeks ago.”

She discusses the process to becoming an Amazon vendor. “They have a Black business program where I could send the application, but they denied not once me, but twice.”

“A year later, this African American man calls me and says, ‘I was perusing through, and I really like what you have. I don’t know where we can fit it, but we’re going to try to fit it somewhere. He calls me back and wants to schedule a meeting. I didn’t want to go because I thought ‘I’m just going to get denied again.” They found a category for me, and I went through the process as an officially recognized Black Owned Business.”

For those who are interested in creating a digital resume, how does it work?

“There are two ways to do that,” she says. “The standard Vitae Visual allows you to upload five different clips, from location, the do’s and don’ts of recording. Our videographer takes those clips and creates a Vitae Visual. It needs to be something that recruiters will watch.”

“Once we get about 200 vitae visuals recorded, we’ll create a database where we can have companies subscribe to get access to those resumes. It will be where they can access this database with the click of a button. We have two companies that will work with us. The platinum version is a hands-on approach where we will visit you in the DMV and write up the script and do the recording. We have videographers from Baltimore to Richmond. It also allows for one hour counseling and gives you a concept on what you want to do with your career.”

Not only will Vitae Visual become an Amazon vendor, they have now worked with Virginia State University. “We focus on college partnerships, because the career services departments are a template kind of service, where they just give you a simple template. It’s important to note that about 70% of students who graduate go into a job that has nothing to do with their degree. No one tells them how to take the next step. Usually, by the time you get to that position, you’re in your thirties.”

The process to working with Virginia State University was an interesting one. “I met their hospitality department, who works with a third party. They serve so many restaurants in the area. I contacted them to ask if they could add this as a service. I spoke to Edie Freeman, the people who wanted to be a subscriber so they could use a database to hire people for their restaurant. She referred me to VSU, and each student we record will say three great things they learned at the school. It’s great marketing for the school and helps the students market themselves. The student will pay installments to have our services, and the schools can pay a portion of it as well through an endowment. It opens the door for the school to be promoted, and we have an open door to the students.”

Since starting Vitae Visual, what’s the most outlandish request she’s ever received?

“Many people in the tech industry, they’re not as social. What we do is take what they like and go from there. There was one individual who was an engineer, and we really had little to work with, but we found out he liked golf. So, we did a video from the golf course, and he became a whole other person! Even when there weren’t great shots, we used voiceovers to record his narration as he was walking through the course. So even for the ones that aren’t social, we will make it work.”

She recalls how creating the digital resumes has helped African American job seekers break through the barriers, particularly in one instance.

“I would say that there was a girl named Angela, and she was a Black female who was a chemistry major and wanted to be a teacher at a prestigious private school. As soon as we did her Vitae Visual, she got so many offers. I think she wasn’t getting the offers because her resume had a lot of African American associations. Upon further research, we found that they only had 2 or 3 African American teachers when that had over 100 in total. She got an interview as if they never got her resume.”

“Everything I do, I have to have a purpose. When I look back at how it started, I asked myself what I went through personally in these experiences. I was on those panel boards making hiring decisions, or because of my name, wondering if that’s why I didn’t get the job. I look at it this way: our resumes is a direct connection to our quality of life, and when it’s getting thrown away because of a name, there’s no oversight as to keep employers from doing that. So, let’s create a way to establish a connection with that human being.”

As Vitae Visual opens doors, she reflects on the takeaways of being an entrepreneur.

“I have taken that it’s needed. Not just for HBCUs or African American students, but for the LGBTQIA+ community. I had a nephew who went through an interview, and at the end of the interview they asked about his lifestyle. Having a Vitae Visual shows the employer what they are getting. I know I am blessed,and it is needed. It shows that people are needed, they just need the opportunity to show it.”

To find out more about Vitae Visual, visit their website.