To be honest I've always felt a tad intimidated by LinkedIn(LI). I saw it as a platform full of 'proper professional' people, all highly qualified sitting at the top of the corporate ladder. CEOs, CMOs, COOs, CFOs (yes I did just Google those acronyms!) all playing various important roles in the world of business.
As you can tell by the fact that I had to research those acronyms I am not what you would class as a business person. In fact the closest I come to that description is in my role of buying imported natural Midge Repellent and selling it locally to tourists and residents. Annually we have a stall at the local Highland Games where I get to practice my tabletop displays and general sales patter.
Back to LinkedIn.
Recently while looking for work I decided to give LI another go after all what's the worst that can happen?
Well well I was pleasantly surprised. I created a profile and started looking for people I knew. To be honest I hadn't read any guides to LI and wasn't sure how it worked. I decided that although I may not be an executive or manager I would stick around and see what other people were posting.
A chap called Andrew MacAskill was live, answering members questions about finding work, writing CVs and dealing with interviews via Zoom etc. I was drawn to his energy and enthusiasm. I watched for a while and then posted a question. Nothing spectacular but was amazed to hear Andrew answer little 'ole me. I took his advice and made a point of being better prepared for the live next week.
Having attended several of these lives I have now built up my number of connections and have daily interaction with other LI members.
It has amazed at just how 'human' LI is. Maybe it's due to the vast number of people looking for employment? Maybe the pandemic is bringing out our community spirit by way of supporting one another? Who knows?
There is one ironic event I must mention. Just moments before I sat at my desk to type this blog I saw a post from someone talking about how some members are complaining that LinkedIn is fast becoming a cross between Facebook and Instagram. There was I thinking I had finally entered the world of Grown Ups and was recognised as an equal even though my current place of work is the local public conveniences (albeit with an envied view).
Oh well, maybe I should get back to FB ?
No! I have come to like it on LI, the support, inspiration and advice fits me well just now. I may not be able to offer business advice but I know how to care for people and see sharing my blogs as a way of doing this. Feedback on my videos shows that my sense of humour can brighten peoples day and that warms my heart. Writing ' The Peculiarities of a Public Loo Cleaner' demonstrated my sense of humour and the importance of achievements however simple. In fact here it is for your perusal......
A Saddler or an Author were a couple of the careers I told my school careers advisor I would be happy to be in as I approached adulthood. Never at any point did I visualise myself cleaning public lavvies as a way to top up the bank balance. Lock down has caused many a rethink and many a P45 to be handed out. I, like many others have found myself looking for employment during this uncertain time and am now fortunate enough to have found it. It may not have been on the list of dream jobs but it has given me a sense of purpose and strangely enough a sense of pride too. I clean public toilets in my local area of Arisaig. One set of WC's is in the village of Arisaig itself and a sparkly new set of composting loos are alongside the beautiful Traigh Beach that looks out over the Islands of Eigg and Rum. So what wonders can I regale you with so far? Well today I share a sense of achievement. Why? You may ask. Our new composting toilets have hand sanitiser dispensers in them and seeing as I hadn't yet had to refill them I was a tad unsure as to how to remove the refillable section without snapping any small, delicate plastic parts off. I had Googled how to perform the task at hand to no avail. However, determined not to be beaten by this Krypton Factor issue that stood before me I finally found a wee latch that released the whole inner unit freely into my hands. Woohoo. Is it mad that I felt a sense of achievement? Another dilemma that busied itself in my mind was the that of an overly long apron I had to wear. I'm only a shorty at 5ft 3 so I found the waist ties were around my hips thus restricting the movement of my overalls. Gosh I paint a pretty picture! Anyway back to the apron. Out came the sewing machine and up came the waistline of the apron. A key ring was added to the waist ties so I could clip my bunch of keys somewhere safe as I jangled around like a Screw in Prisoner Cell block H. Needless to say I am now very happy with my apron and expect Designer clothing companies to be knocking at my door very soon. So tell me.... What have you achieved today? #employment #recruitment #jobsatisfaction #jobs #income #challenges #lifestyle #reallife #employed #gratitude
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