A stronger nibble
This week, I started my morning with a recruiter request a call to discuss a role I applied for… checks notes… four weeks ago.
Last week, I got a call with a recruiter, but that was because a role I applied for via LinkedIn turned out to be a contract role at Microsoft and they’d been so swamped with submissions, they closed it quickly. That call was with the agency that had advertised the role to discuss what kinds of roles might be good in case another match arrived.
So this week is already a step-up from last week.
A calling card
I designed a card last week to use while out at networking events. This is the print-ready artwork (reduced for the blog), including a “bleed area” so the color can go to the edge. The content will occupy a greater portion of the square footage when printed.
It’s through my favorite place when I need simple print jobs at a good price: PrintRunner. But what I’m really proud of is the short, memorable URL I was able to lock down for it… Greg Talks Tech. For the time being, it redirects to my portfolio page, but I might turn it into its own brand.
This could take a while
There’s a story getting highlighted on LinkedIn today about how it’s taking job hunters longer to find a job. It cites a 36% uptick in people out of work 3.5-6 months between April 2022 and December 2022.
Honestly, this is the first time in 7 years that I’ll have a job hunt go longer than 6 weeks from starting the hunt to starting a new role. I’m 5 weeks in on the current one and this is my first strong nibble (a bite is an interview, getting hooked is an offer). That said, the first three weeks were the week before Christmas through the week after the new year, so I’m not sure if I should count them.
What I’m up to this week
This week, in my non “job hunt” time, I’m studying Python (programming language) and DaVinci Resolve (free, pro-grade video editing software), and I’m working on my portfolio to make it more attractive and show off my work in a better light. Right now it’s just a rough list of content, but I want to make it look more intentional and professional.
And the side hustle(s)…
I’m working on a project called Skill Boost dot Tech. I just picked up the domain this weekend (along with gregtalks.tech) and got a Hugo site up and running on GitHub pages with the custom domain and the default content of a theme I’ve just begun to edit.
I offered to help people skill up in a post on LinkedIn and got some interest. I originally envisioned a 1:1 consultation, so I could recommend resources I honestly believed would suit their personality and goals. Then I wondered how I could convert that 1:1 consultation to a 1:many algorithm.
I’m planning it as an open source project under a CC-BY-NC-SA license so others can help and everyone can benefit.
This week, I’ll start working on the decision trees to determine how finely I can slice and dice the goals and starting points.
I’m also working on rebooting Seattle CoderDojo, but I need to be more communicative with the volunteers and get a bit more aggressive on hunting down the location for our first meetup (targeted for April).