Linda 🌻

Company : “Hey we’re bringing everyone back to office you get pizza parties and snacks.”

Employee: “But we prefer remote and flexible work and not having to commute 1-2 hours every single day.”

I remember a company I worked at that forced every employee back to office 5 days a week. It was especially difficult for full time parents as they relied on the flexibility for childcare.

The company’s justification was renting out a bigger headquarter that had a basketball court, gym, and that they would pay for better food and snacks.

Me : “I can buy and throw my own pizza party because remote work gives me so much time and money back” 🤷‍♀️

There’s no office perk that outweighs remote work 👩‍💻🍕

#remotework

I don’t feel qualified to be here.

Amazon is one of the toughest and hardest jobs I’ve had in my career.

All of the people that are on my team have 5-10 years of experiences and I have barely 3.

I feel out of place, lost, confused, and the imposter syndrome is kicking in big time.

What’s on my resume doesn’t necessarily help me here, but all I’ve got is a positive attitude, the willingness to learn, and be adaptable.

Having a kind team and coworkers who helped take me under to patiently train me, teach me, and encourage me that they all started where I was too and it takes time but I’ll get there.

I don’t know if it’ll get easier but I know I’ll get better.

If this has taught me anything is that 90% of jobs can be taught and that most candidates can do the job if given the opportunity.

The resume with the experiences doesn’t matter as much as who the candidate is, off paper.

If you weren’t ready you wouldn’t be given the opportunity to begin with.

Remember growth happens when you do things that you aren’t qualified to do, that are outside of your comfort zone, and that push and challenge you 🚀

I worked as a cashier at Wholefoods before I landed my first job in recruiting.

I had been unemployed for 5 months and my savings were being drained.

No company would take me because I was either under-qualified or over-qualified.

Wholefoods gave me a chance when no one else did and they set realistic expectations.

They knew this was a temporary job for me and supported my schedule to allow me to interview for other companies.

When I gave my two weeks, everyone cheered me on.

To the companies who give a chance on overqualified candidates or giving them a temporary position to make ends meet, you’re the real heroes ❤️

I once interviewed for a company who told me they really wanted me to join their team. Then I didn’t hear from them for 2 weeks after the second round. I got a phone call randomly and before I could even say anything, “Just want to make sure you are still committed to us before we proceed further.”

I set them straight and said, “You went dark on me and took two weeks to get back to me. I am not desperate to chase after you. Respect goes both ways.”

The hiring manager went silent for a minute and when he spoke he said, “I’m sorry, I dropped the ball and I promise I will do better. We can get you to the final round as soon as this week.”

I declined because I didn’t appreciate the arrogance. I didn’t appreciate the disrespect. I didn’t appreciate the games. I didn’t appreciate the fact that they wanted me to beg them for a job. I want to work for a company that will have mutual respect for me as I do for them.

The level of effort should be the same on both sides. 🤝

The most necessary work requirement is not salary, perks, or office parties.

It’s a kind manager.

The saying where people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad leaders is true.

They leave bad cultures that affect their mental health.

They leave cultures that make them relieved on Fridays and scared on Sundays.

I used to leave my former companies not because of pay or the work. It was because of the culture and leadership and how my mental health was never supported.

Now I’m the #1 fan of Lockheed Martin where I get 4 day work weeks, remote work, kind leaders, no micromanaging, and supportive environment that puts employees mental health first.

Great cultures start and end with great leaders 🌟

Hire the underdog.

Anyone can be taught the skills, but hire for attitude and potential instead.

There’s this misconception that the experience that someone has on their resume will determine who they are, but potential is found and developed along the way.

All the jobs I got hired for required some form of experience and if I didn’t have the hiring managers that chose to give me a chance based on me as a person vs what I had on my resume I wouldn’t be where I am.

As a previous recruiter, I’ve seen so many candidates that didn’t match the job description go on to become managers and advance in their field all because they were said yes to.

The underdog hires are hungry for the opportunity and have so much potential to exceed in the role.

There is no candidate that can’t be taught.

Hire the underdog, they won’t let you down.

I recently saw a Tik Tok where a girl was crying in her car because a recruiter shamed her for not having experience for an entry level role.

This girl had been out of college for 2 years, but has not been able to find a job in her field because of the market, entry level roles requiring 3-5 years of experience, and not having any experience.

I used to be in her exact same spot. I didn't have a degree and it made it 10x harder as well. I was just a nanny and a cashier and every job that was entry level required 3-5 years of experience, a Bachelors or a Masters, yet said we will train.

If I was lucky enough to get an interview I was often confused when the job description clearly stated no experience needed, we will train yet the hiring team would list my gaps, my lack of degree, and lack of experience as a problem and also go with someone that had 5 years of experience.

I was thankful to eventually meet recruiters and hiring managers who chose to break away from the status quo and give non-traditional applicants a chance. Hiring managers that saw my potential instead of lacks on a resume was how I ended up in corporate as a recruiter.

As a recruiter of 2 years now, I work on a lot of entry level roles and I'm very grateful when I have hiring managers that stick to the belief that entry level is ZERO years of experience.

It is not anyone's fault they cannot get a job, lack experience, or don't have the necessary skillsets. If you are hiring for an entry level role, every candidate should be considered qualified as that is how everyone starts out.

The people in hiring roles right now was once the candidate knocking on doors wanting someone to see the potential they will have in the future.

Be that person. Give someone a chance today 🚀

I never forgot a hiring manager I interviewed with. When I had done the initial screening with the recruiter, she had told me, you are most definitely going to get the job. The hiring manager was similar to you in the sense he had no experience and didn't have a college degree.

I went into the interview excited, but the hiring manager didn't give me a chance at all. He just immediately started to list everything I was missing.

“No degree, gaps, no relevant experience. Sorry I see you as a liability.“

And it was for an entry level role.

However a different manager, same company different department was willing to hear me out. She didn't ask me to explain myself. Didn't ask me where I came from. Didn't ask me why I left my past jobs. Instead she asked me, “Why didn't you advance in the interviews with other hiring managers.“

I told her they told me I didn't have what it took. She looked at my resume and then looked at me and told me, “I don't judge people for what's on paper, it's who they are as a person and the potential they have to be that counts.“

She gave me the job on the spot and I signed the offer within the few hours.

That hiring manager set the example and skyrocketed my career into recruiting.

All it takes is one person and she was that one for me 🚀

25 Today❤️🌻✨

I never thought I would make it past 20 to be honest let alone 25, but here we are.

I’ll never forget sitting in my therapist’s office at the age of 19 telling them that I just wish I could die, that the world would be better off without me. The amount of pain I was in at that time was insufferable.

I never thought someone like me could ever make it. But life has a way of working out, when you least expect it.

Flash forward 5 years, I accomplished everything I could possibly dream of.

🌻I grew my LinkedIn to 500k.

✨I got into corporate recruiting without a degree at Lockheed Martin.

☀️I landed multiple brand deals and speaking engagements.

💛I launched my mental health brand Creatively Quiet.

🌟I traveled and had so many amazing adventures.

🌼I stayed sober for 1 year from self-harm.

🌙And I met my lifelong friends who became family.

I’m thankful I held on because I would’ve missed out on all the amazing things life truly had to offer.

I’m so grateful for another year and I promised myself the impact I am going to make moving forward is to keep creating a space where mental health is loud and for people to never feel that they are alone.

I hope for those who are struggling that you know you matter and that the world needs your light ✨

There is so much love, joy, and adventures for you to experience, you just don’t know it yet💛

Thank you LinkedIn community for giving me space to have a voice and to show up as all of me. You truly made this birthday so memorable🎂

Here’s to 25 and for all the amazing adventures to come. It truly is just the beginning :) 🚀

_____________


There’s so much waiting for you, don’t give up. Therapy helped me survive and become the person I am today. And sometimes having support goes a long way, you can sign up and get 20% off here: betterhelp.com/linda

#betterhelppartner #ad #mentalhealth

It’s ok to change careers and roles no matter how old you are.

I was a nanny for 5 years. I was a cashier for 5 months. I was a banker for 6 months. And now I’ve been a recruiter for almost 2 years.

A lot of people think that you have to be limited to only one thing in life, but even the sky has no limit. Your potential isn’t tied in what you do for a living everyday, but rather in the choices you allow yourself to have.

I’ve quit jobs after short periods of time because I felt unfulfilled and most hiring managers didn’t take me seriously and said I needed to stay in a career for at least 5 years to be successful.

I’m thankful I didn’t listen to them because choosing to stay stagnant is a choice because uncomfortability is always harder, but offers more rewards.

I feel grateful to partner with companies like
Notion, who give creatives a single space to think, write, and plan all in one. It has different templates for organizing, customizing, and creating all in one.

You can find a link to my Notion template for 30+ job boards and websites ranging from remote work, tech roles, and various others here: https://ntn.so/LindaJobs

Pivoting was the best thing I ever did because it led me to multiple job increases, new skill sets, flexible work, and opportunities and experiences I never would have had if I stayed.

I hope you all “Pivot” and never stop until you find what makes you the happiest. Don’t settle because the opportunities are endless.

#notionpartner #sponsored

Good leaders trust🤝 they don’t micromanage🔎🔍

My manager told our entire team on the first day, “We hired you because we trust you to do the job. It doesn’t serve anyone to have to constantly look over your shoulder.”

My first corporate role I worked in office and everyone was expected to show up at a certain time, had to do 3 checkins a day with their lead to make sure they were working, and to have to be visible and watched.

And that caused so much fear and stress across the entire team. No one felt like they belonged.

Even though it is the first week here, my manager has already shown that he hired the right people because he trusts them.

It was so nice to hear that we make our schedules because we are an adult. All that matters is that we get our work done.

If you trust someone you’ll let them be, otherwise they are not the right person for your team 🤝

Having a bed is my proudest accomplishment 🛌 \n\nBefore this, I was sleeping on an air mattress, couch, and in my car most days. \n\nI was living with an abusive alcoholic dad who threw things at me, verbally abused me on a daily basis, and made me terrified to even breathe. \n\nI was always worried that I couldn't afford to move out or make it on my own, but that's what happens when you live in a toxic environment, it was hard to have a positive mindset. It makes you feel that you are incapable, unworthy, or undeserving of anything good. \n\nI worked really hard to build my business on top of my full time job and even though I was successful externally, I was scared to leave. \n\nAnd then one day, enough was finally enough. That it doesn't matter if it is your family. I didn't deserve all of that abuse. I'm a person, not a punching bag. I wanted to be free. \n\nSo when my parents were both at work, I packed up all my stuff and booked a one way ticket to Austin, changed all my information, and I never looked back. \n\nIt's been 1 year now in my new apartment and home. No one throws things at me. No one raises their voice or calls me names. And no one makes me feel unsafe. \n\nIt's true what they say that your environment makes a difference. Not having to be hyperalert, anxious, or fearful everyday makes me happier and has allowed me to become the best version of myself. \n\nNew job. Great friends. New adventures. \n\nNo person or environment is worth your mental health or peace.\n\nYou can't heal in the same environment that made you sick in the first place.\n\nI love my life now. I worked hard to get here and I don't take any moment for granted 🩵

Imagine going through multiple rounds of interviews not to hear anything back 👻

A few months ago I applied for a role that I really wanted and I went through with a 1 hour interview.

They told me that they value applicants and regardless of the result they would let me know.

Weeks went by and silence. Someone else that I knew worked there told me that the position had been filled.

I lost all respect for the team and company.

My current recruiter who helped submit me through multiple positions always gave me feedback whether it was positive or negative news.

I worked with her for months before I landed Amazon.

She was transparent, respectful, and empathetic and we built a very strong relationship because of that.

Candidates aren’t hurt by feedback or a rejection as much as they are by ghosting or no response.

Any news is better than no news 📰

Did anyone ever tell you rabbits 🐇 are my favorite animal because I sure love to job hop :)

When I left my job at the bank I had nothing lined up because it was destroying my mental health and they wouldn’t let me take time off to interview anywhere. So I quit and took a job at WholeFoods to make ends meet so I could have flexibility elsewhere.

Then when I got my first job as a recruiter, within 3 months I was given an offer somewhere else for twice the pay and remote but turned it down because a coworker told me it looks bad to leave a job less than a year.

I ended up staying there a year and it destroyed my mental health and when I left they trashed me to the team.

Then I got my current job and came with it remote work, flexibility, a $30k salary increase, and my mental health has never been better.

Job hopping doesn’t just advance your salary, it advances lots of areas in your life.

Don’t ever settle 🚀

New year, same mental health status ✨

The last month you see everyone talking about their vision boards, goals they have for the year, how they are waking up at 5am and hustling, work hard play hard mentality.

Social media does not ever show the behind the scenes.

The “real“ person behind the camera.

This is me, someone who struggles with depression and anxiety.

I took almost the entire month of January off because my mental health was at its lowest.

It's not how I imagined starting the new year but I've accepted it is what it is.

Feeling behind.

Feeling lost.

Tearing up paper so I don't self harm.

Can't even get out of bed most days.

Externally my house manifested how I felt internally.

And someone who has OCD and needs to have everything in its place, it caused me to feel a lot of shame.

But anyone who struggles with depression knows that it is not easy to do just the “simple“ things like clean your room or even get dressed.

Mental health affects so many people silently, but it's by being loud and vocal about it that the stigma can be changed.

Just a human figuring out that existing is enough :)

#mentalhealth

Remote work is more about than not having to sit in traffic 2 hours a day.

Remote work is giving time back to what is most important-your relationships.

With remote work it has allowed to be able to be productive from anywhere in the world and still get everything done with flexibility.

I used to the be the person who would work 60-80 hour weeks in an office and would be afraid to make time off and I missed out on a lot in my personal life especially when it came to my relationships.

Now there’s a balance and remote work has given me that 🚀

Especially being able to take a 4am flight with Jean Kang to fly to Seattle this weekend to spend time with my favorite person Travis Chen :)

Remote work 🧑‍💻 is transformative and offers so many benefits. Theres no going back🌟

#remotework

Failure is a part of success.

Not a lot of people talk about their failures, which leads people to assume they skipped it and went straight to success.

I may be working as a recruiter in corporate now with a consistent salary, but it wasn’t always that simple.

My home life was very dysfunctional growing up.

My mom kept my Social Security Card and Birth Certificate hostage. She wouldn’t let me have a bank account, a debit card, get a regular job, or drive at times.

I would be able to secure nannying jobs and housekeeping jobs on the side and would work for 5-10 families a week, 12 hour shifts, and my pay was always cut.

I would come home exhausted and my drunk dad would accuse me of going out to parties or having relationships with men when that wasn’t the case.

Since I wasn’t allowed to have a bank account, I had to find creative ways to hide my money in my room, and most of the time when I was at work, my dad would ransack my room and take what I earned to buy alcohol.

It wasn’t until 21 that I took control of my life and went behind my mom’s back and interviewed for Bank of America and then was able to get ahold of my documents to get the job. After that I had to move out, so be it.

When I took control of my life, everything seemed to fall into place despite multiple years feeling like a failure.

Anyone who thinks that success comes without failure, it’s a shattered reality. You have to fail in order to succeed ⚡️