SECURE the Job Journey - Day 2
Plan for the Day
Fill out at least 10 applications in the spready.
For each job title and company, find people on linkedin to connect and talk with to gain more insight.
Find 5 cool adaptive reuse projects in Atlanta, find the folks running it, and reach out to them on LinkedIn to learn more about their work
Follow up with warm leads, specifically people I have previously interviewed with (even if I didn't get the job), and folks I have messaged with on LinkedIn
What I Actually Executed
I executed Tasks 1, 2, and 4. I was able to fill out 11 job applications from listings. I also reached out to a good amount of people connected to the company and job titles I applied to. I would say that I reached out to about 15 people.
I went through old Linkedin messages and just hit up people that I remember having great convo with. I also went down old emails and dusted them things off to rekindle old conversations.
Pro Tip: Sort all your emails where you are talking with recruiters, hiring managers, and people in your network into one Job Hunting folder. Even if you didn't get a job, you can always have them to easily find if you ever find yourself in the job hunting streets and need to circle the block just to see what’s good.
Results/Updates
I haven’t gotten any hits back yet, but I’m assuming that’s because this is just the beginning. Today, I put a lot out there in different ways in terms of applications and my resume, so I KNOW things are cooking.
Reflection
I’m just throwing jollof rice at the wall to see what will stick. I refuse to get discouraged. This is only Day 2 AND this is a Sunday so I’m not expecting folks to get back to me. Today I had a come-to-Jesus moment. I used my budget spready to look at the scary numbers and ACTUALLY figure out how much money I need to be bringing in monthly just to survive. Yes, I want to love what I do, but in these inflation days I need to be paid WELL. After getting that monthly number, I used a tax calculator to figure out what my salary would need to look like before taxes to get me to what I need monthly after the government gets her guap. It’s a pretty BIIIIIIIG number… well at least for me.
Looking at the number made me realize that it’s time for me to start being brave and going for those higher paying jobs.
I’m qualified AF!!
I can’t afford to be taking peanuts & garri when I’m looking to live a jollof rice & chicken kind of life. I need more to survive. I had to look myself in the mirror and prepare myself to actually have the audacity to negotiate a higher salary when the time comes. I gotta learn how to talk my SH*T
For sooooo long I have been so THIRSTY to just get hired that I would just take jobs paying me in crumbs thinking I can rub crumbs together and produce a full meal. I can no longer afford financially, physically, and emotionally to juggle low paying jobs to build the salary that I need. It’s possible to find ONE job to give me what I need to survive and then some. I know it’s possible and it WILL BE my reality.
Saying that to myself makes me feel hopeful and powerful. I’m actually getting excited about what the future holds. The job market is rough like some sand paper, but I have always been able to weather the storm. It’s a bit nerve-racking to be back here (not even gonna lie), but I am going to focus on what I can control: being consistent with keeping to my daily job hunting tasks. At least I know God will honor my works. He sees me.
