Job Hunting Chronicles

Happy Thursday 📰 If today's calendar quote looks familiar, it should. It was on a different page-a-day calendar that I posted yesterday. Sometimes, you need the message more than once. Job seekers, maybe this is your sign to go after what you're passionate about instead of just a job... #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Wednesday 📰 "Follow what you are genuinely passionate about and let that guide you to your destination." If you're looking for a job right now, this advice is worth trying. What have you got to lose by going after what you're passionate about? True, it might not work out. But...it might lead you to your dream job. The real question is, do you have the guts to try? #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

Today's job search PSA 📰 If you're looking for a job right now, you've probably been on the receiving end of an unsolicited email like this one. Always check who the email is actually from before doing anything else. You're welcome. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #RemoteWork #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Tuesday 📰 I know one bad experience shouldn't speak for an entire population, but this morning I had yet another recruiter miss our scheduled Teams call 💻 • No text 📲 to tell me something came up • No email 📨 to say they needed to reschedule • No phone call ☎️ to apologize Just silence 😶 while I waited... And people wonder why cat 🐈 sitting is my favorite job 🤔 If you're a recruiter or hiring manager and have scheduled 📅 a call or meeting with a candidate, please have the decency to cancel 🚫 it if you're not going to show up. The world 🌍 can be a pretty small place and while I usually don't publicly shame anyone, you can bet your salary💲that I'll mention you by name to friends, family, and colleagues looking for a job. It only takes a few seconds 🧭 to send a quick text 📲 or email 📨 but it can save your reputation forever. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicle...

#MerryMonday  📰 I love getting texts like this 🥰. She's a new client but I can tell she's going to be a pleasure to work with. For those looking for a job, remember it's ok to think outside the box 📦 #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Friday ✨️ If you're looking for a job (or even if you aren't), maybe it's time to go after your dreams. It's ok to change careers, do something totally different. Is there something you truly love doing that could bring in some money? If so, this is your sign to explore it. Have a great weekend! #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Thursday 📖  Today is #WorldBookDay and these are some of the books I've read* on freelancing. I'd love some recommendations. Have you read any books that have been helpful in your freelancing career?  *or they're in my TBR pile  #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Tuesday 📰 Has anyone received this kind of notification? I'm wondering why if a hiring manager thinks I'm qualified for a position they're hiring for and wants me to apply, why didn't they just send me a message (or comment on one of my posts if they weren't able to message me) instead of clicking some button that sends me this message? This seems kind of lazy and puts all the work on me (and let's be honest, job seekers are already doing a lot of work that's leading to nothing so I'm wondering, is this even worth my time?). Is this the kind of manager I'd want to work for? Probably not... #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

#MerryMonday  📰 If you know me well, you know I love my page-a-day 📅 calendars. They are the pictures 🌄 to my daily "good morning" 👋 posts, and they are the papers I use to write ✍️ down my daily gratitude 🙏 entries each night 🌃. Buying them is one of my favorite shopping 🛍 days of the year. So when I saw 👀 today's page on my Friends calendar, I knew it was the perfect illustration 🎨 to a recent interview I had. I asked what the company did to ensure that employees didn't get burned 🔥 out. Clearly, that caught them off guard 😯 so I reworded it and asked the broader work/life balance ⚖️ question. I might as well have asked if they were serial killers because no one could actually answer the question 🤷. I wasn't looking for a 5 point plan 📑, just something that showed the company cared about their employees as people. My mistake 🤦🏼‍♀️ Recruiters, hiring managers and companies, remember that you're being interviewed, too. It's a 2 way street...

Happy Friday 🤍 Follow your dreams ✨️ #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Wednesday ☀️ This view centers me and even though it's nothing spectacular, I do love it. And I needed it after what I've been dealing with... I had to finally pull the plug on a job where the interview kept getting rescheduled...at the last minute. Once is not great but it is understandable. Twice is questionable. After that, it's clear it's not a priority for them. And if I'm treated like this at the interview stage, how would I be treated as an employee? I shudder to think what that workplace is like. Somehow we've gotten to a place where candidates should be *grateful* just for the chance to interview. How about you being grateful I was even considering working for you? Yes, the balance of power is tipped in your favor but that doesn't mean it's ok for you to expect me to jump through hoops. Whether you meant to or not, you sent a message loud and clear. Job seekers (well, everyone really), it's ok to remove yourself from a situation or...

Happy Tuesday 📰 It's not even 4:30 and I locked the deadbolt on my front door. I do that to tell my brain I'm officially done with the outside world today. Some days (like today) end earlier than others. It's taken decades but I've finally learned to set (and respect) my boundaries. Have you? #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

#MerryMonday  📰 This morning, a former coworker texted me asking if I knew of anyone who could help get a kitten out of the bottom of a car. I texted back a name and number of someone I know of who traps cats (feral, stray, dumped, etc.) with the warning that I wasn't sure if the number was current. A few minutes later, he thanked me and said the number was current and she was on her way. The reason I wasn't sure if the number was current is because a year and a half ago, someone asked if I would help this person with their social media. I reached out to her but never heard back. Since it was going to be a pro bono job, I wasn't too disappointed. Most people probably would have deleted her number but I still had it because of the unanswered text. My point? Just because she didn't reply to me doesn't mean she isn't good at what she does. I bear no ill will towards her and am thankful I was able to play a small part in a kitten's rescue. Remember, just be...

Happy Sunday 👋 After the disappointment 🫤 I posted about on Friday (an interview canceled 🚫 a couple of hours 🕑 before it was supposed to start), I closed the loop 💬 on that job, but I won't be surprised if I hear from that recruiter once my trip is over. The question is, will I still be open to the position? Gut feeling: no ❌️ Disappointments are a part of life. I've moved on and declared that it's a read-and-watch-the-Dodgers kind of day 📖 ⚾️ It's ok to wallow 😮‍💨 just don't stay stuck in that mindset for too long. #SundayFunday #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Friday 🤍 For those wondering what the job search is like right now, this is a good example. A recruiter recently reached out to me about a position they're trying to fill for their client. We spoke a couple of times before an interview with the client was scheduled. In one of our conversations, I was asked if I had any travel plans coming up (which, now that I think about it, I probably shouldn't have answered). I was honest and mentioned a short trip in mid-May to Texas for a family reunion. This morning (the day of the interview), I received this email telling me my interview was canceled but if I could change my trip, the recruiter would "be happy to let my client know and see if we can get you scheduled again for an interview". It ended with, "Please let me know how you'd like to proceed". I don't even know how to respond to this. First of all, my trip is 4 weeks away. I've yet to hear of anyone start a job within that time frame (fr...

Happy Thursday 🤍 Thursday is currently one of my favorite days of the week because most Thursdays, I have a weekly 🗓 book 📖 club meeting on Zoom 💻 I've posted before that job seekers shouldn't 🚫 spend all their time looking 👀 for jobs to apply to, everyone needs some balance ⚖️, some downtime 🧘🏼‍♀️ What are you doing for yourself today 🤔 #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Wednesday 🤍 I recently received this unsolicited email from a headhunter in New York (I'm in California). Fine, a lot of people work remotely so *maybe* it's a legitimate person. But there are red flags in this email and some job seekers may fall for them, so I'm sharing them as a PSA: ° the email is totally unsolicited ° the email doesn't mention how they came across my experience (as far as I know, my resume hasn't been public on any job boards for 15+ years, so either he's using a very old resume of mine or someone I've submitted my current resume to has sold it) ° there's no information about the job, just the title (shortlist of duties and pay are two things I'd expect to be told upfront)  ° it's referring me to a link for more details including CUSTOMIZING MY RESUME for the position - this should stop everyone from continuing ° the cities these positions are located in are HOURS away from me, so unless they're remote roles ...

Happy Tuesday 💙 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

Merry Monday  🤍 Happiness 🙃 is a cat 🐈‍⬛ client booking 🗓 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 💡 jobs while you look for your next full-time role, don't let the talking heads 🙇🏼‍♀️ on LinkedIn tell you differently. You are the only one walking in your shoes🩴 #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Thursday 🤍 On other social media platforms, I usually remind everyone that it's #ThankfulThursday because I've learned that gratitude 🙌 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 🔁 client. Every regular client started out with one booking... Whether you're looking 👀 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 🤔 #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #JobHuntingChronicles