Emily Mucken’s Post

I used to know what to post on LinkedIn, and lately I feel less sure. What do you find valuable from LinkedIn? What kinds of posts/content do you like to see? (I like hearing stories, personally. I tend to follow folks who post about their experiences at work, their interview horror stories, advice based on recent experience, etc)

What I didn’t tell y’all on LinkedIn 3 years ago is that I moved out of Seattle. Did anyone else absolutely crash and burn in the pandemmy? I sure did 🙋🏻♀️ I needed to get out and away, and wanted my kids to live near family for a time while we recovered our spirits and mental health. After being over in eastern Washington for the past few years, I’m back in the greater Seattle area and couldn’t be happier to get rained on ☔️ My new-to-me apartment feels so cozy, and the previous tenant left behind googly eyes in unexpected places. I can’t keep up with most DMs on here, I’m sorry! I’ve had a lot going on at work and outside of work. Luckily, almost all good things- just lots of changes and turning pages to new chapters. Kitschy quote time, this one seems apropos: “if you find yourself in the wrong story, leave” (Mo Willems) Writing new stories has taken a LOT of effort, but it supports authenticity and truth and shows me that I respect myself. Onward!

Dear Companies who are still requiring applicants to submit a cover letter: go take a long walk off a short pier 😂

Ever wonder how recruiters search LinkedIn for talent? 🎉 I'll show you, today, on Zoom! Feel free to join my office hours where I'll be talking all things LinkedIn, particularly for job seekers. Joining info below! https://lnkd.in/gG38ay-G

Pull up a chair, new grad friends, and let Grandma (me 👵 ) tell you about graduating college in the "Great Recession" of the 2000's. I had been working retail sales (aka I folded jeans and tee shirts in the mall) while getting my bachelor's degree, with the promise from school counselors that once I got my degree, I would be well on my way to a promising career. Ha. Fast forward to the REAL job market, post-college. Kinda reminds me of today. Way more hopeful grads than lucrative jobs. So I kept working in the mall. I worked a swing shift while I had a new baby, pumping milk for her in a dirty bathroom stall, with my work headset squawking in my ear so that my sales team could ask me for help from the cash register if they needed it. I just kept working, and eventually got an interview for a part-time secretarial job at a local hospital, because I met someone at a BBQ and I told them about how I was looking for a job that aligned with my personal values (selling store credit cards to strangers wasn't it 😅 ). The local hospital got bought up by a health system, and I kept working as hard as I could. Reception desk, scanning files in a supply closet, and at one point data entry (which is disastrous because I have dyscalculia). You'll see that part of my resume under "Talent Acquisition Associate" because that is what they eventually called me; I was moved to HR where I worked the front desk - collecting paper applications, answering multiple phone lines, helping post jobs, making copies of resumes... whatever needed to be done. I'm not sharing this story for attention, I'm sharing it as advice. In these times where there aren't really great jobs to be had for a new grad, my advice is to just choose a job, work really hard at it, keep your eyes out for opportunity, and treat the people around you well. I have seen this open miraculous doors for me, and for others. Don't get too hung up on titles early on. I did, and I was miserable. For a couple of years, I was SO EMBARRASSED to "still" be working in the mall, "only" be a secretary, etc. Honestly, I would go back and do it all over again if I needed to, at 40 years old. I have no shame now. There is no shame in work, no matter what it is. Anywho, I hope this helps a new grad feel a little better today. Many of us didn't start our careers out in FAANG companies doing what we wanted to be doing right away... we started it out slingin' coffees at a stand or wiping down tables. That season won't likely last forever 💓

Hey friends! I'm doing an open-to-all office hours this Friday via Zoom! No strings attached, this is just a casual lunch-time chat where I'll walk through my best insights and tips about leveraging LinkedIn (particularly if you are a passive or active job seeker). 🌟 Details to join are below, looking forward to building community with you 🌟

Android Nerd? Great! We have some of the best and brightest Android Eng. talent here at Reddit, Inc. We also have a senior-level Android SWE role open! Link here to apply directly: https://lnkd.in/gqrSKUbB

Here are 5 tips that helped me rebound after layoff 2 years ago: 1) I posted about my layoff on LinkedIn, but I was very precise about what I was good at, what I was looking for, and where (location) I was open to working ("I'm a senior-level technical and non-technical recruiter, specializing in full-cycle candidate engagement and closing, who ... blah blah blah... located close to Seattle, open to remote, hybrid or onsite within 30 miles of Seattle metro!"). Not "hey everyone, I am looking for something new, if you see anything, let me know!"... that is way too general, so nobody will let you know 😂 everyone is too busy looking out for themselves. 2) I applied for roles "below" my experience level. I got a bunch of action by applying for contract, less-senior, non-senior, etc just to get conversations started and my foot in the door. In fact, originally the role I interviewed with for Reddit was contract, and they ended up being impressed with my interviews and created an FTE, senior role that mapped exactly to what I was looking for. So glad I took that first call and just kept the conversation going. You never know... 3) I applied for jobs in very high volume, and I knew my conversion rates (read on for what this means!). Since most of apps seem to go in a black hole, I looked at my conversion rates of applications to phone screens/interviews/offers and adjusted my application rate up. If it takes 500 applications to get 3 phone interviews, and 3 phone interviews to get 2 final interviews, and 2 final interviews to get to 1 offer, then in order to get 3 offers, 2 of which might be really 💩 , I need to apply to 1500 jobs. 4) I reached out to former colleagues, I reached out to my friends, I let my family know about my search (and had my resume attached to my messages). I asked for referrals to roles I found at their companies. I also tried to ask how they are doing, and what I could do for them, too... and then I (nicely!) followed up with them if I didn't hear back, or if they said they would refer me and forgot. A nice follow-up is appreciated... people get busy! 5) I worked at my job search full-time. There seem to be diminishing returns on efforts after a certain point in a search for many folks? So I made my job search my 8am-5pm full-time job, just like when I was in the office. I did take breaks, but TBH I worked to the point of near-burnout in my job search. But the effort paid off with multiple offers. *I know that the market is even tougher now, and I was lucky to be laid off before the tech market slid as much as it has. I will say, the folks who employ tactic #s 2, 3 & 5 especially seem to rebound quickly, from my experience with coaching job seekers pretty consistently since March of 2020 (for free, and no I am not selling services, sorry!).

I was having a spike of anxiety this morning, but my team mate Jen Jones reminded me that “the body keeps the score” so I searched my memory and… I realized. Two years ago today was the last day I worked at Netflix. I remember that last working day vividly; the next day when I was laid off is a blur. That last working day, I felt this icky cold feeling and had a sweaty and panicky feeling I couldn’t shake, but I didn’t know exactly why. My intuition was going off. Layoffs are psychologically hard, and the impact is lasting. I wasn’t even laid off for very long before I came to Reddit. It’s really stuck with me, though. Just wanted to reach out today and let you know that you’re not alone. So many friends are in the green banner club right now, and when I get on the phone with you, you’re apologizing for your feelings and feeling foolish for “still” searching for a job. Don’t apologize. Actually, the wisest and best thing I heard this week was “never apologize for being human” (thank you, Carla H. McIntosh !). Sending you love today ♥️ (and I hope you land somewhere awesome soon).