Posts

it's ok to walk away from an opportunity

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Happy Tuesday πŸ’™ I took this picture as I pulled into my driveway after getting home from an interview for a freelance job. You can be as prepared as you possibly can be and still not get the job. And that's ok because in this particular instance, the job scope is "still being developed". I can't speak for other freelancers but in my experience, those words are usually code for "we have no idea what we actually need". Job seekers, it's ok to walk away from an opportunity if it doesn't feel right. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

I love clients who plan ahead

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Merry Monday  πŸ€ Happiness πŸ™ƒ is a cat 🐈‍⬛ client booking πŸ—“ me for 9 days in June. I love clients who plan ahead, it makes saying yes so much easier 😻 Job seekers, it's ok to take on unconventional πŸ’‘ jobs while you look for your next full-time role, don't let the talking heads πŸ™‡πŸΌ‍♀️ on LinkedIn tell you differently. You are the only one walking in your shoes🩴 #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

gratitude in the job search

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Happy Thursday 🀍 On other social media platforms, I usually remind everyone that it's #ThankfulThursday because I've learned that gratitude πŸ™Œ really does hold some power. Could things be better? Of course they could, but they could also be worse, so I choose to focus on the good. Right now, the good for me is scheduling another cat 🐈‍⬛ sitting job. I love being able to say yes to a new client because they may end up becoming a regular πŸ” client. Every regular client started out with one booking... Whether you're looking πŸ‘€ for a job because you're unemployed or you have a job you're looking to leave, I hope you take a minute 🧭 to find the good in where you are right now. It may not seem like it, but it's probably trying to teach you something. The question is, are you able to recognize it πŸ€” #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

post #50 - back to the job search after taking a break while at a cat sitting gig

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#MerryMonday  πŸ’š I'm back home 🏑 after my second extended-overnight πŸ‘ cat 🐈‍⬛ sitting job. I decided I was going to stay off LinkedIn while I was away and I'm glad I did. The terrible advice, the guarantees of getting you an interview if you buy someone's resume services, the fake recruiters looking for prey - all of this (and more) greeted me as I opened the LinkedIn app on my phoneπŸ“±this morning. I probably had to scroll past 20 posts before I saw anything worth reading. And if you're a job seeker, that's a problem. Of course, not everyone on LinkedIn is looking for a job but a lot are, and if they're being scammed, lured or otherwise negatively engaged, they're unlikely to trust anything they see here. Job seekers, I know it's hard right now. As someone who is looking for both freelance and full-time jobs, I feel your pain. Try to stay above the LI noise. I love today's calendar suggestion and hope recruiters and hiring managers follow it: ...

post #49 - Have a cat? Ask me, maybe I'll travel to you to watch him/her 😺

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Happy Tuesday πŸ“° I'm going out of town tomorrow ✈️ for a cat 🐈‍⬛ sitting job and this is the extent of my packing πŸ‘ so far - my walking shoes πŸ‘Ÿ. I guess I should add some clothes πŸ‘•πŸ‘–πŸ§¦ I get comments and messages from people asking me why I post about cat sitting, some have even said that it makes me look unprofessional and that boggles my mind 😡‍πŸ’« Here's the thing: this job market sucks for a lot of people right now - especially a Gen X-er like me, so I'm doing what I can to hold onto to my home 🏑. If you see that as unprofessional, I'm guessing you have a full-time job πŸ€” I don't hold on to comments like that but I know some job seekers do, so I post about cat sitting to let others know there's nothing wrong with doing something unconventional (especially if you love it) to help make ends meet. No one is in your shoes πŸ₯Ώ So job seekers, find something you can do while you're looking πŸ‘€ for your next job and just do it: ° Like driving πŸš—? Sign up wit...

post #48 - treat others how you'd like to be treated

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#MerryMonday  πŸ“° Against my better judgment, last week I accepted an interview for 9:00 this morning πŸ•˜ I say against my better judgment because on Wednesday, I'm going out of town ✈️ for basically the rest of the month, and while it is for a freelance job (cat 🐈‍⬛ sitting), I'm not planning on doing much networking πŸ“² while I'm away. Yes, I will be checking my emails πŸ“§ but I'm not going to be in full job search mode. I'm not going to be on LinkedIn much and I'm not going to be applying to jobs during this time. I'm using this out of town job as a bit of a break from the job search. So I was hesitant to take an interview πŸ“… this morning knowing that I wasn't going to be available much for the rest of the month. Of course, I was going to mention this in the interview so the recruiter didn't think I was ghosting πŸ‘» her afterwards, and of course, if the interview went so well I was fast-tracked ⏱️ to another one, I would be more incline...

post #47 - take no news as a "no" and move on

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Happy Friday 🚧 We're on day 5 of the repaving of the streets in my complex 🏒 and it looks like they are right on schedule πŸ—“ I mentioned I was going to use this week to go through messages and emails πŸ“§ as well as follow up ☎️ with some people who had reached out to me. The good news is I am caught up on messages and emails, the bad news is it's clear I've been ghosted πŸ‘» by several recruiters. My list πŸ“œ of these so-called professionals has surpassed the 50 name mark. These are all recruiters who reached out to me about a position - I didn't initiate contact with any of them. I've spoken πŸ“± multiple times with some of them, had back and forth emails πŸ“§ with others, interviewed πŸ–₯ with a few of them, and am waiting on job descriptions πŸ“„ from others. The inability to close the loop by these people is frustrating 🀦🏼‍♀️, and having some of them reach πŸ“² back out to me about a different position (while ignoring the fact that they've previously gho...