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sometimes a "no" is a "not right now"

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Happy Thursday 📰 On Monday, I spoke with someone who had reached out to me about paying their bills for them each month. It was just an informational phone call, no pricing was discussed, but I could tell she was hesitant to move forward. I sent her a thank you email that day. This is her reply (and yes, she misspelled my name). Most people who do things the old school way are harder to convince to change. They're comfortable with what works. And I'm a big proponent of doing what works for you. This isn't a business, it's someone's personal finances, and if they like writing checks for their bills each month, there's not a lot I can say to change their mind. Is it wise to start setting up the ability to pay online in the event something happens that makes it difficult for her to write and sign checks? Yes. But she's not there yet. And that's ok. Sometimes as a freelancer, I have to think of a "no" as a "not right now". I know othe...
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use common sense

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Happy Tuesday 📰 If you're looking for a job, you've undoubtedly come across a post like this one. This person gives no information about the job. Nothing. Now, I realize this is most likely a very small company (based on where I saw this post) and they probably don't know how to advertise for a job, so I messaged this person asking just two questions: • Are you hiring full or part time? • Are you hiring an employee or independent contractor? (not that I expect them to know the difference) I've yet to hear back, which makes me think it's a scam, or the person conducting the job search can't be bothered. Either way, I'm glad I didn't hand over a resume and portfolio just because the ad asked for it. Job seekers, please be careful when applying for a job. I know it's tough out there - believe me, I'm in it with you, but there's no way I'm sending my resume to someone who can't answer a couple of basic questions. Everyone has to d...
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remember to move

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#MerryMonday  📰 When I was working in an office, I sat in my chair (and not a great one) ALL DAY LONG. One job, I had so many Teams meetings that the only time I got up was to go to the bathroom, go to get water, go to pick up lunch, or go to the conference room for an in-person meeting. Other than arriving to and leaving the office (and the examples I listed), I felt like I was chained to my chair. And believe me, my back suffered because of it. So this is your friendly reminder to get up and move throughout the day. Your body will thank you. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles
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it's ok to set boundaries

Happy Thursday 📰 The hardest part of freelancing (for me) is turning down a potential client. I work REALLY HARD to try to meet them half way but I've learned walking away is sometimes necessary: ➡️ Think my fees are too high? I wish you luck in finding someone who can do it as well as I can but for less money... ➡️ Can't decide what you actually need help with? Let me know when you figure it out... ➡️ Think you can do it better/faster than I can? Be my guest... ➡️ Your previous person only charged $x? Go back to them... ➡️ Expect me to be available whenever you want? Here's my on-call fee... It's definitely been hard but I realized if I don't set boundaries, a potential client can start out with unreal expectations. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles
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love happy clients

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Happy Wednesday 📰 Happiness 🙂 is a cat 🐈 client adding more visits to an upcoming job 🙃 #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #CatSitting #CatSitter #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles
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OOO ✈️

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Happy Friday 📰 Today I'm traveling to visit family for 4 days ✈️ 🚫 I didn't have to look at my calendar to see if it's a *busy season* 🚫 I didn't have to request time off 🚫 I didn't have to get permission from a manager 🚫 I didn't have to do my work in advance 🚫 I didn't have to get someone to cover my absence ✅️ I just had to book it I won't lie, freelancing has had its challenges. But the freedom it's given me has been immeasurable ⚖️ Have a great weekend. As with my previous trips, I won't be checking my notifications or messages until I return. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles #WorkLifeBalance
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scam alert

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Happy Thursday 📰 There's been an uptick in scammers on LinkedIn so I want to remind job seekers to be vigilant, especially when someone you don't know reaches directly out to you. One thing that's worked for me is asking for a job description. I've sent this message several times to *recruiters* who have cold-called messaged me. It's not foolproof but so far, it has stopped the conversation as none of the recruiters has had the nerve to reply to this message. As job seekers, we have to protect ourselves. I have a resume that has my LinkedIn profile link as my only contact information on it (no email address or phone number). It's not the resume I typically submit but if I have any doubts about the requester's validity, I send it. They've already contacted me on LinkedIn, there's no reason to give them my email address as well until I know they're legit. Another concerning thing I've seen is posts telling people to drop their email addres...
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