If I Had a $1,000,000

Approaching 100,000 followers on LinkedIn has me thinking about a lot of things.

I've literally talked with thousands of you through calls, DMs, and comments in the past 3 years. I've loved getting to know all of you - it's really been a blessing to meet so many wonderful people.

What no one tells you about your audience getting wider is that you hear a lot of stories. I wish I could say the message above is a one-off, but I get messages like it all of the time. I talked this week with a woman who hasn't worked for 2 years after brain surgery and is trying to get back into things. I've become friends with a mom of 4 who is recently widowed and figuring out her next step. I've heard from people balancing caregiving responsibilities with job loss while navigating their own health challenges.

I try to help people however I can, but I keep wondering if it's enough. I write this newsletter each week and I post tips every day on LinkedIn. For years, I took free 15 minute calls from pretty much everyone who asked but finally had to start charging for these calls in January because it was just too much. I have my course to help people at a lower price point. I've given it away to many people when it feels like $29 is more than they can afford.

This job market has been absolutely brutal for so many people. Some of the people I talked with have worked hard their entire lives and never thought it would be this hard to find a job. Others are in jobs that are stable enough but want to work on resumes and LinkedIn just in case they need it. Either way, people are scared.

The jobs report drops today at 8:30am. I was going to wait to send this until those numbers came out, but honestly, I don't know if it really matters what those numbers say anymore. I know that this market is challenging, although I have seen some pick up recently in my practice within the past few months.

Even though this market is challenging, I'm still seeing people land great jobs. The VP who lands a new job with a 40% raise in 4 weeks in this market. The leader who is recruited on LinkedIn for that C-Suite role that they've been looking for. People trust me with their stories and it's a true honor to help people navigate this new world of work.

THANK YOU for being part of this community. I was reluctant to post on LinkedIn for a variety of reasons and I can't thank you enough for the support.

My kids have already told me that we have to get a 100k cake to celebrate getting to 100,000 followers. I guess that's what the Tik Tok creators do. I'll do anything for cake, so that works for me.

Finally, to the person who sent me that message at the top (and to anyone else looking for work right now): I see you. Keep going. This market is hard but you are not done and the right company will appreciate everything that you bring to the table.

Take care of yourself and have a restful weekend -

Colleen

ps: If you've been thinking about working together, I will move to summer hours and less availability in June - I do have a few open spots for May. Here is a link to my service offerings and here is a link to my calendar if you'd like to setup a time to talk.