Job Hunting Chronicles

Happy Friday 📰  If you know me well, you know I'm a big believer in the gratitude jar. I've kept one for years and I credit it with helping me see the good in my life, even if I'm in a season of want. I'm working 2 freelance jobs right now and then I'm scheduled to start a W-2 job in just over a week. So maybe ~ just maybe ~ my season of want is coming to an end. I certainly hope so... Today's calendar page offers a place to write your own gratitude list for the month of July. Whatever season you're currently in, I hope you find something to be thankful for. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles #gratitude #DailyGratitude #GratitudeJar

Happy Wednesday 📰  I'm seeing a lot of job seekers on LinkedIn posting about recruiter scams they fell for or almost fell for. I think it's great that people are sharing to warn others, I really do. The more people talk about it, the better prepared others can be when deciding whether or not to proceed when approached by one of these "recruiters". But I've noticed something - almost everyone posting about scam recruiters or resume writers has one thing in common: they have the "open to work" banner on their profile. That is like chum to a shark (it's Shark 🦈 Week, I had to toss that in 😂).  For those who don't know, there is a place in your profile where you can let recruiters know that you're open to work without using the public banner on your profile. Legitimate recruiters pay for LinkedIn Recruiter (I'm not sure if that's the name of it) and can search for candidates who have indicated that they are open to work. LinkedIn Recru...

Happy Tuesday 📰  Job seekers, this is a reminder to be cautious when a *recruiter* reaches out to you. I recently had one that seemed legitimate but something just didn't sit right with me. They were being evasive to questions that I shouldn't have had to ask, so I opted to do a little digging. I went to the hiring company's website and couldn't find the job they were recruiting for. I did, however, find an HR contact and a person with the title who the job reported to. I emailed both explaining that a recruiter had reached out to me and while I would 100% respect their hiring process, I was trying to verify if the job/recruiter was legitimate. The HR person emailed me back (thank you!) indicating that they had no such opening and they did their own recruiting. In short, they were not working with any outside recruiters. If you think something's off, stop. I got lucky in that the *recruiter* mentioned the company they were supposedly working for, most don't giv...

#MerryMonday  📰 I was supposed to have an interview with HR this morning at 8:00. I received this email about 10 minutes before the interview was supposed to start 🙄 I get that things come up, but this is the third time this interview has been postponed and honestly, if it's this hard to get through the first interview, what would working there be like? I haven't replied yet but I'm leaning towards the "thanks but no thanks" route... #JobHuntingChronicles #KnowYourWorth

Happy Thursday 📰 Success looks different for everyone. If you're looking for a job right now, success may seem far off. Keep going. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Wednesday 📰 I've mentioned that someone in my family has been trolling my job search lately and she ramped it up yesterday via text with what I call a "but apology". You know what I'm talking about, "I'm sorry, but...". They start to apologize then add "but" and proceed to state their opinion as to why they really shouldn't apologize because they're right. It's not an apology at all and everyone knows it. I've been told by several people that I should just block this particular family member, not only on Facebook but in my phone as well. Truth be told, I'd have every right to do that but at this point, I'm just trying to ignore her. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ok with what she's doing, and despite my trying to let them roll off my back, her words do hurt. My instinct is to defend myself and list everything I've done to try to find a job: outline every job I've applied for, give her my list o...

#MerryMonday 📰 I have someone trolling me in my job search. First it was a 6 a.m. text on a holiday weekend, then it was a comment on one of my Facebook posts (that had nothing to do with my job search, freelancing, or cat sitting). I'm trying to turn the other cheek but it's hard because this person is in my family and obviously there's a different dynamic in play... It's impossible to get some people to understand just how tough this job market is, more so if they haven't had to look for a job in decades. If you know someone looking for a job, please don't offer unsolicited advice. Don't ask "have you tried this?" or tell them to "get a job". If asked, by all means give your best advice (maybe qualified with "it's been x number of years since I've looked for a job but..."), otherwise stay quiet. Job seekers, are you being trolled by someone you know? How do you handle it? #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Thursday 📰  I took this picture on my walk this morning. A walk I went on after a virtual interview was postponed. Again. No reason was given and at this point, I don't even really care why. It's hard for others to understand why I'm more interested in freelance work as opposed to getting "a real job", but this morning is a big reason why. Postponed interviews, canceled interviews, being ghosted after multiple interviews, roles being advertised again - these are just a few of the things job seekers are constantly dealing with. At least with freelancing things seem to go at a decent pace. You apply, you get a call/message/email, you meet (oftentimes virtually), you get hired or you don't. You're not subjected to an antiquated hiring process that takes weeks or even months to get through. Unfortunately I don't have enough freelance work so I continue to apply to full-time jobs as well. Something has to work out, right? Eventually... #freelancer #F...

Happy Wednesday 📰  These are a couple of the most recent books I've read on job hunting. I'm Gen X so I'm not sure if it's good news or bad news that I've already been doing most of what these books suggest and am still looking... Obviously, no one has all the secrets to getting hired and people can really only speak for themselves on what works and what doesn't, what's liked and what's not (for every "do this" post by a recruiter or hiring manager, I usually see at least one post stating "don't do this", it's definitely confusing). As job seekers, it's up to us to be our authentic selves and do what's comfortable for us. Getting advice is fine but in the end, we're the ones applying for the jobs and sitting through the interviews, if we act like someone we're not, we're not being fair to ourselves or employers. Hang in there job seekers. May better days be ahead for all of us. #JobHuntingChronicles ...

Happy Tuesday 📰 Recently I've had two friends send me information on potential jobs. Unfortunately neither one panned out but I do appreciate them thinking of me. Be open to possibilities, you never know where your next job may come from. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles

#MerryMonday  📰 This text is how my holiday weekend started. I was up because I had cat sitting jobs over the holiday but still, did this need to be sent at 6:00 a.m.? No, it did not. If you're looking for a job, hang in there. If you know someone looking for a job, please don't be this person. There's nothing helpful about this text. At all. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles

#MerryMonday  📰 OOO June has been a busy month 🗓 for freelancing and I have a few days before my 4th of July 🇺🇲 cat sitting jobs 🐈 start so I'm taking them off to enjoy some me time 🏖 The best part? 🚫 I don't have to request time off 🚫 I don't have to get permission from a manager 🚫 I don't have to do my work in advance 🚫 I don't have to get someone to cover my absence ✅️ I just get to do it Having that freedom never gets old. See you on the other side of the holiday 🎉 (picture taken on my walk yesterday) #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Friday 📰 I really like today's calendar message because I think a lot of us looking for a job need this reminder: until it's in writing, it's not real. And if a company keeps making excuses for why they haven't gotten back to you, that's a red flag and it's time to move on (imo). I've seen a few posts this week where OP's have claimed employers said one thing then did the opposite, or said a written offer was coming by a certain day and time only to not receive it, or after verbally being told they'd be moving on to the next round, never hearing from them. I get it, it's tough. But if this is how a company is treating you when theoretically they should be trying to convince you to work for them (shocking take I know, but I firmly believe the interview process is a two way street), do you really want to work there? Job seekers, pay attention to how you're being treated during the interview process, more often than not t...

#MerryMonday  🎉 Today is my birthday and the start of a new decade (I'm Gen X so it's a BIG one). I have to say, a decade ago I didn't see myself where I currently am - looking for work and having metaphorical doors slammed in my face. I know I've faced age discrimination ("you're overqualified"), and I've lost opportunities because I haven't used Xero (please, I'm Gen X, I can learn any software). But the biggest issue is actually one I've brought on myself, I've set boundaries and they're non-negotiable. Maybe it's because I've spent my entire career being paid a salary for working 40 hours a week but actually working 50, 60, sometimes 70 hours a week. A quick calculation tells me I've worked over 15,000 unpaid hours in my career. That's the equivalent of working for over 7 years for free and you know what? I'm done doing that. Unfortunately that doesn't land well with recruiters, hiring managers and b...

Happy Friday 📰 Late last night, I received an email from a recruiter who had submitted my resume to one of her clients. The email was cryptic ("I'd like to talk to you tomorrow") so I replied with when I would be available to talk. She called this morning, apologizing for the short, ominous email but felt it was important to talk to me. The role is on hold because of an emergency with the client. Unfortunately there is no time frame for when the search will continue or even IF it will continue. I said I understood and thanked her for letting me know.  Truth be told, I would have absolutely been fine with an email (or text) telling me that but I appreciate this recruiter doing what so few are doing these days: calling me to explain that it's not me, just circumstances out of our control. I'm finishing the second of two jobs today and then I'm taking a well-deserved break - from work and the job search. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #R...

Happy Wednesday 📰  Sometimes something tells you to stay away from a company and you're not sure why. I've been seeing a local company continually advertise for some openings in accounting and while they all *looked* like jobs I'm more than qualified for and would excel at, something kept stopping me from applying. I couldn't put my finger on it, I just never could get myself to hit "submit"... Recently, I saw a post from someone I'm not directly connected with on LinkedIn but I used to work with. They work at the company that I keep seeing jobs for and it hit me like a ton of bricks - I've been being protected from having to deal with this person again and I didn't even know it. Listen to that small voice inside that tells you to stop, it knows something you don't. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Tuesday 📰  This morning I received a rejection email. The funny part is that it's for a job I applied to last year so I kind of figured that I hadn't been chosen to move forward 😂 I guess better late than never, right? #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Sunday 📰 This is one of the (many) problems with the job search today - I keep getting alerts for this job. Nothing in my background indicates that I am qualified to be a Secret Service Special Agent, nor have I ever applied to this type of job... If you're looking for a job right now, I feel your pain. I really do. #JobHuntingChronicles

Happy Wednesday 📰 I had someone on another platform reach out to me 📨 about doing some bookkeeping 💻 for them. After a couple of messages 💬 back and forth, they asked if I would consider a trade of services 🤔 I get you have to shoot your shot 🏀 but really? Freelancers, have you had this proposition? Did you accept it? I'm not saying it's inherently bad but to me, the services need to be fairly equal in value for it to work. #freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles #KnowYourWorth

Happy Tuesday 📰  A former coworker reached out to me about his job search, asking "is it really this hard? What am I doing wrong?". I get it, it's frustrating. Between scam recruiters, ghost jobs, being expected to update your resume for every job you apply for (I personally don't do that), and being ghosted after an interview, the job search can be depressing. A lot of work with little reward. I don't have the answers but I know for me, it's important to set boundaries. Right now, I'm in the middle of a 12 day cat sitting job with a second 9 day job starting today, so I use the morning hours for my job search then I'll be done with it for the day. Of course, I'll check my email later in the afternoon to see if anything has come up but I won't actively be in job search mode then. It works for me. I job search in the morning, go to my cat sitting jobs in the early afternoon, then relax in the late afternoon/evening. Being *on* 24/7/365 is somet...