Did I just go viral on LinkedIn?

Last week, I posted on LinkedIn that I left my job and shared the kind of opportunities I was looking for.

I expected this post to get a good amount of attention, but what I didn’t expect was it to get 54K impressions  and reach over 30K people 🤯.

The thing was… I’d been wanting to write this post for awhile. 

But each week, I kept delaying… telling myself I’d write it next week. A week would pass by, and I still wouldn’t start.

I was scared what people would think, specifically my old coworkers and the people I didn’t talk to before I left.

I was scared of looking scattered, specifically the people I reached out to previously about product marketing jobs. My post explicitly didn’t talk about that. Was I changing my mind?

I was scared to put myself out there.

This is not meant to be a #humblebrag. It’s just to show you—and remind myself—that putting yourself out there can lead to unexpected results.

You don’t have to do this through a big announcement on LinkedIn. You can attract aligned opportunities in small ways, too. If you’re interested, keep reading👇️ 

Get clarity on what you’re looking for

This is probably the hardest part.

“I know I don’t want to be [insert job title], but what do I do instead?”

This requires looking inward and understanding yourself really well. Questions to start with:

• What do you want your lifestyle to look like?

• What do your friends, colleagues, and family members say you’re really good at?

• What feels easy that’s hard for others?

• If you were to look back at your life, what do you want to be known for?

Okay, super nebulous ext-essential questions but the point is to understand what you like, don’t like, and start testing out some alternate career options for yourself and see how they fit.

Reach out to your network

Start with friendlies. Your old manager that you had a good relationship with. A friend who is in the industry you’re curious about.

Make a goal each week to reach out to a few people in your network. If you’re reading this thinking, “Ugh but I hate networking”, I love this reframe: You don’t need to know your destination yet. You’re simply asking for directions.

Oh and at the end of each convo, remember to ask them who else you should talk to.

Surround yourself with people who have been there, done that

Personally, I think this is super important.

Let’s say your current network is all people that are in the tech industry, but you’re specifically looking to get into real estate. Attend meetups, reach out to real estate professionals, and surround yourself with people who have been through the same journey you’re going on.

When I was looking to purchase an Airbnb, I literally started messaging people on the Airbnb app who were hosts in the area. No shame!

What are you working on right now that you’re afraid to share with others? Putting yourself out there could lead to unexpected results.

Talk soon,
Maggie

Feeling [inspired] ✨ 

Last week, there was a Women in Innovation workshop where we talked about designing for feminine spaces and discussed topics like the rising need for third spaces after the pandemic and what “femininity” even means. Met some awesome, new people.

Feeling [creative] 🎨 

Celebrated my 31st birthday with two of my friends who also have birthdays the day before and after mine! It was so much fun, and I got to go on a baking frenzy where I baked a few beautiful cakes I am pretty proud of. Yum!

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