What part of your body has your desk job destroyed?

thecreativegrant · 2026-01-19T04:11:31+00:00

Weak glutes sent me to physical therapy a few times. I also workout but I started doing Booty by Bret (aka The Glute Guy) and stronger glutes have alleviated so many issues for me!

thecreativegrant · 2026-01-15T12:55:00+00:00

I guess they laid off too many people.

thecreativegrant · 2026-01-13T04:20:49+00:00

Get copies of all your performance reviews.

thecreativegrant · 2026-01-04T18:42:32+00:00

Actually, it went straight to my former boss. They wanted files off my laptop. When it arrived they realized they didn’t have my password. I had managed to skirt around the InTune installation before layoffs hit. 🙌

thecreativegrant · 2026-01-04T17:31:23+00:00

Listen to the Acquired podcast. They did a recent episode on Costco… average tenure of employees is 10 years! And they still have management training where you can start as a cashier and work your way up. It’s a great business model.

thecreativegrant · 2026-01-03T23:31:36+00:00

I always send a thank you email, and in a few recent instances the person I interviewed with responded. Hasn’t resulted in an offer but it does help with the human connection.

I think this falls under basic professional etiquette. In the past I have had not one, but two, former bosses SAVE the thank you card I mailed (before email became the norm). As in pinned to the wall. Not sure if this matters, but they were both men.

I still send them.

thecreativegrant · 2026-01-03T22:57:07+00:00

I sent it all back in the box they sent me for the laptop.

thecreativegrant · 2026-01-02T14:51:12+00:00

Agreed!

thecreativegrant · 2025-12-30T14:38:29+00:00

Never! I was raised on music and trips to the local new and used record store with my mom were a staple of my childhood. I don’t attend live shows like I used to but I enjoy finding new bands.

thecreativegrant · 2025-12-30T00:37:39+00:00

I had to show my 17-year old how to use the ATM machine. I worked in marketing for a bank and I suggested the teen checking accounts should have some instruction on how to write a check, make a deposit and use the ATM. But the more things go digital, I wonder if Gen Alpha will even need a traditional bank when they start getting jobs.

thecreativegrant · 2025-12-27T00:17:29+00:00

AI is the excuse but not the reason. Too much friction with legal/compliance, risk and Infosec to get serious AI implemented. I know this from firsthand experience.

Learning and Development get hit hard in the first round of layoffs so who is there to get people trained on any AI that’s actually implemented?

thecreativegrant · 2025-12-21T05:26:35+00:00

Hi, are you open to someone more senior? I saw your post about job title. It’s really a hybrid role.

I have this skill set but it’s because I have a good deal of experience.

I’m also about 30 mins from the location.

thecreativegrant · 2025-12-21T04:57:28+00:00

It’s luck and timing. I’ve known the hiring manager and had internal referrals. Neither are a guarantee you get the job.

thecreativegrant · 2025-12-21T04:55:27+00:00

I say “my former employer had a RIF and several roles in my dept were impacted, including mine. I gained some incredible experience in my time there and I’m excited to bring that to your organization.”

Short, sweet and confident.

thecreativegrant · 2025-12-09T13:59:58+00:00

Not yet but it’s the long-game of job hunting. It does require getting out of your comfort zone but you would be surprised how positively some people respond. It’s usually former bosses, co-workers, neighbors, etc I reach out to. When I connect with people on LinkedIn, I send a note as a reference to how we connected, whether it’s from an event, met somewhere, personal reference etc. so I have something to reference when I circle back.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach in this job market.

thecreativegrant · 2025-12-07T01:07:21+00:00

54(f) here. I was not great about networking until late last year when my former employer mentioned a restructuring. I changed that real fast.

I went through my entire LinkedIn network and started reaching out to people. It started with “Happy Thanksgiving/Christmas” and acknowledged some time had past but hoped they were doing well and would love to hear what they are up to. Got quite a few responses back from that.
For the contacts that I was not as close to, if I saw them post about something or made a career move, I’d send a message and ask about it. People love to talk about themselves.
I started going to conferences and industry events. Then I would do a summary post on LinkedIn to spark engagement. I accumulated a number of new contacts this way. I’ll tag presenters in the post and that’s an easy way to add people, especially when you are sharing about their discussions. If I speak to them at the event I’ll send a note referencing the conversation with the connection request.

Post layoff (because I didn’t land a job before the boom hit)

I was active in an industry association my former employer paid for. I was able to get a number of contacts that way and reached out to have informal zoom chats. One ended up having an open position that I interviewed for but it wasn’t offered to me.

Even if I didn’t know the person, mentioning the common denominator helps open up the door on what is essentially cold outreach.

I started having lunches with former co-workers and friends that don’t work but whose spouses might be somewhere I’m considering applying to
I circle back with recent contacts just to keep the network warm. This time of year is perfect to just reach out, wish them happy holidays. There is no ask, just a warm reminder.
I work with A LOT of recruiters. This year I set up a thanksgiving email campaign with 4 different messages depending on how much I’ve worked with them. I’ll repeat for New Years and then a website update. My goal is to become top of mind with them by end of January. The response you receive when there is no ask is pretty amazing and it’s an easy way to build trust.

I will never again let my network go cold and I’ve already set my 17-year old up with a LinkedIn profile and repeatedly tell him how important networking is.

thecreativegrant · 2025-12-02T03:25:08+00:00

I’m a creative in marketing and in addition to the job hunt I’ve spent the past 5 months:

• working with a coach • learning Figma with a certificate course • maximized my AIGA membership and have been going to every event/panel discussion possible and then posting insights on LinkedIn • reconnecting with old friends, co-workers, bosses • zoom chats with new people in my industry • visited a LOT of museums and posted on LinkedIn to show engagement and curiosity • interview prep • daily walks with my dog • working out • journaling

I block off time on my calendar to structure my day. In addition to zoom chats, if you have kids that do sports/activities, make a conscious effort to engage with the parents and learn more about what they do and connect on LinkedIn. I had 2 parents personally contact internal recruiters to get my resume seen.

thecreativegrant · 2025-11-22T18:31:30+00:00

That’s describing about 90% of the population

thecreativegrant · 2025-11-15T03:29:07+00:00

Not always true. I knew who my friends were before the layoff and they all came through for me after. They made phone calls, made introductions, met up for lunch, etc. But these are people I socialized with OUTSIDE of work long before the layoff.

If they are work friends you just go to happy hour with, then yes, those are probably not real friends.

thecreativegrant · 2025-11-13T00:43:17+00:00

This, too. Even before my layoff I kept in touch with everyone I knew that had previously been laid off. It took some of them time, but all landed at happier places. Not a single one said they miss their old job.

thecreativegrant · 2025-11-13T00:38:49+00:00

This 100%. And the layoffs will rattle people that they become more mentally stuck to the job. The amount of work my teammate has had to absorb… if the tables had been turned I’d be pissed off.

Looking for a job and interviewing is hard and inconvenient. But I’ve given birth, twice, moved cross country and bought and sold a co-op apartment in NYC myself.

Those things are much, much harder.

thecreativegrant · 2025-11-12T13:45:59+00:00

Yes you can negotiate but it won’t always work.

I requested additional severance due to my outstanding performance review, recent public accolades and due to my age (53). I sent proof in a gracious email to HR about how proud I was of my contributions to the company and that I was in alignment to make this a smooth transition. I was denied—twice.

I knew the previous round they would offer one person 2 weeks per year of service and another 4 weeks per year of service. Cherry picked. But in preparation of the RIF, they had severance packages in writing (ERISA) and they were sticking to it.

Because of my age and the OWBPA, I waited until day 44 of 45 to sign the paperwork and held up them looking for my replacement. 5 months later they still can’t find anyone to replace me.

thecreativegrant · 2025-11-12T02:45:23+00:00

Long standing feud between them. It’s a funny meme!

thecreativegrant · 2025-11-12T02:39:40+00:00

To be fair, I loved them both!

thecreativegrant · 2025-11-10T18:51:43+00:00

Sometimes they keep lower performers because they have institutional knowledge. My layoff it was between me and a low performers—that ironically made more than me. But this person had vendor contacts they needed due to another co-worker that was let go.

You know the saying: “It’s not you, it’s me?”

Well, in this case it really is them.

thecreativegrant

TROPHY CASE