About

Ebony Tara Scurry MS OD/SHR, CCMC Career Architect

"[Ebony Tara Scurry] has emerged as an expert in the job woes of the darker set." - Washington City Paper click here for article

Meaning

In Theosophy, an eidolon is the “astral double of a living being”, it’s ghost, an astral projection or double of a living being. Professionals within the Dark Cultures and Alternative Lifestyle scene often take on “double lives” in many ways because the risk of not reaching their career potential (due to stereotypes etc.)  is often deemed as too high when compared with “going undercover” at work.

Mission

The Mission of Eidolon Career Solutions is to provide career management coaching, education, and resources to assist and benefit professionals within dark cultures and alternative lifestyles.

Vision

To be the premier resource for individuals within dark cultures and alternative lifestyles for achieving work-life harmony by assisting them in leveraging their assets and living their values.

Latest News

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About Ebony Tara Scurry

Ebony Tara Scurry entered the human resources profession with her first internship in 2002. Since then, she has completed PhD level research within the Gothic community focusing on Goths, diversity issues, and what it means for members of sub-cultures in the workplace ( Howard University , PhD credits in Sociology 2006).

She’s assisted numerous people with career management both within the private and public sector. Serving as a HR Generalist she’s reviewed resumes, interviewed candidates, and discussed them with hiring managers. She’s worked individually and on teams to facilitate organizational and individual change. Ebony has also coached, counseled, and trained individuals as a Human Capital Specialist within the federal government.

As a Career Architect at Eidolon Career Solutions, she believes career management is not about not being a passive bystander to your career. Destiny is not a thing to be waited for; it's a thing to be achieved.

Credentials

• Masters of Science, Organization Development & Strategic Human Resources, John Hopkins University Carey Business School
• Bachelors Sociology, minor Law & Society, Sweet Briar College
• PhD graduate credits in Sociology, Howard University
• Certified Career Management Coach (CCMC), Career Coach Academy
• Certified Federal Job Search Trainer (CFJST), Federal Career Training Institute
• Certified Professional in Managing Workplace Conflict, Mediation Training Institute International
• Successfully Passed the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Certification Exam 01-31-08
• Career Planning & Talent Management Certificate, American Society for Training & Development
• Training Certificate, American Society for Training & Development
• Human Resources Generalist Certificate, Society for Human Resource Management, Seminar Series
• Certificate of Specialization: Implementation Management, Society for Human Resource Management Academy
• Facilitating Organizational Change Certificate, American Society for Training & Development
• Numerous other related conferences, training, and workshops
• In Process: Currently in the midst of completing the requirements & training to be Certified in the Golden Personality Type Profiler™ Assessment

Professional Memberships:

• Society for Human Resources Management
• American Society for Training & Development
• Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches
• Career Management Alliance

Hobbies & Personal Interests: Creative writing (writes under the pen name E. Tara Scurry), reading, collecting mineral stones and sculptured glass, snowboarding, Pescetarianism, Sociology.

My Story

It all started out my freshman year in college. I was ambitious, motivated, and impatient to succeed. I wanted to succeed right now! Once the homework, term papers, and presentations starting rolling in, I calmed down a bit and began to pace myself. I decided that I wanted to finish college early because so I could still go on to graduate without having to be in school “forever”. This meant taking classes year round including extra classes during the regular school year. If I wanted to get into a “good” graduate program, I’d also have to fit internships in there somewhere. At this point I was particularly interested in Employment Law and hadn’t decided if I’d pursue that through law school or graduate school for human resource management. It wasn’t until later as excelled in my major, Sociology that I discovered Organization Development and incorporated that into my career goals. 

In order to get good internships, I needed a good resume. I began diligently attending every Career Services workshop my college had to offer. Because my college only had 750 students at that time, it wasn’t unusual for me to be the only student attending the event or ‘training’. This allowed me a significant amount of one-on-one time with the Career Services staff and their guest presenters. I was so diligent in attending their events and absorbing everything they had to offer that the Director of Career Services affectionately called me his ‘poster child’. When it came to finding my first internship, my resume, cover letter, and interview skills were sparkling. I actually couldn’t find the exact type of internship I wanted, so using the skills I learned, I was able to contact the organization of my choice and convinced the director to created an internship for me. I completed this customized internship and received college credit. Mission accomplished.

The next summer I completed a law internship in Washington DC where I focused on employment law litigation and class action lawsuits. I actually enjoyed it very much, but when compared to HR, it was a bit more intense than I preferred, so instead of interning in law again the next year, I completed another HR internship. All the while I’m in and out of my college's career services center, gobbling up their resources and educating myself. Whenever I’d return home from break and I heard the word ‘resume’, my ears would perk up and I’d say, “Resume? Cover letter? Interview? I know how to do that!” and began coaching them over the phone and fixing up their documents via email. Eventually my friends began recommending me to their friends and despite enjoying it, I got so overwhelmed that I founded my business and started charging for my time.

As I became more versed in the Career Management field, it became clear to me that there was a huge gap in assistance for ambitious, professionals within the alternative community. Everyone else had a coach they could go to. There’s coaching for women, Christian coaching, everything coaching, but I didn’t find anyone who was out there coaching those within the scene. Thing is, not just anyone can or should do it either. Some of the basic resume and career tips apply to anyone, but there are so many other issues at play for the alternative individual within their workplace that the average coach may not be able to wrap their head around, much less be comfortable with the lifestyle and experiences of the individual. I don’t think most career coaches would turn away a client who reveals being alternative, but they would most likely not be able to incorporate the whole person, lifestyle and all into the coaching. If you solicit other coaches you’re lucky enough not to hear, “You’re Goth? You’re a Transsexual? Uh, I don’t help you people. As a matter of fact, I hope you don’t get a job and that you go to Hell where you came from.” Any coach worth their salt, particularly credentialed coaches aren’t going to be so overtly rude to you.

Most coaches have no problem sticking with their niche and comfort zones and will tell you politely that they will not work with you. As a matter of fact, many coaches will provide a free consultation to see if you both share a good vibe or not before moving forward. Still, on the other hand, you might hear, “You’re Goth? That’s okay, I don’t have a problem with that. Career coaching is the same for everyone.” Let me tell you, from my experience, it’s not. The alternative community has unique needs and different experiences than everyone else. They need exclusive and specialized attention and expertise.

It’s not the clothes, or music, or even the action of going to the club or main hang-out. It’s the philosophy, mindset, perception and way of being and introspecting with ourselves and interacting with others that separates the alternative individual from everyone else. The above are just a few ways some chose to express their philosophy and way of living.

Bruce Lee said it best: "Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it."

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