Hi all. I'm sharing my story with the LinkedIn community. As embarrassed as I am posting this, I’m hopeful this ends up in front of the right people. I am a solo mom to a 4-year-old autistic son desperately seeking full time work so we do not become homeless again. I’ve worked in Trust & Safety for 5 years now. I also have over 15 years of customer service experience,and over 10 years of management experience. I've managed a team of 15 content moderators to reduce toxic content, created and delivered training protocols, and worked cross-functionally to develop strategies for automating content removal. I’ve worked in T&S to help develop safer AI conversations and images. Currently, I manage a team of 10 social media consumer care agents and perform QA for 25 frontline email agents, ensuring they provide the best customer service. Despite applying to numerous T&S positions, the responses have been disheartening. I’ve faced rejections for being overqualified in some roles and competing with seemingly better-suited candidates. I’m even getting denied for minimum wage customer service roles. What gives?! This struggle isn’t just about career aspirations—it’s about survival. In April, my son and I unexpectedly became homeless. I believed I would secure a better-paying job by June, allowing me to save up for an apartment before the new school year in September. But here we are in July, and the clock is ticking. The financial strain is looming over me, and the pressure to find a safe home with good special needs programs for my son is overwhelming. Adding to the turmoil, a trusted recruiter led me on for months, only to block me, leaving me back at square one. Yet, I'm ready to give 200% to any opportunity, bringing loyalty, hard work, and a readiness to learn and grow. I’m scared and desperate to provide stability for my son. I can work any shift, any time zone, weekends, and up to 100 hours a week. I’m dedicated, empathetic, and ready to be the best employee a company could ask for. I love Trust & Safety, but I'm open to any role where I might be a good fit. I just need someone to see me and take that shot with me. Is there a secret to this? Something that I’m missing? Please let me know. I’m open to any feedback. Thank you for any support or guidance you can offer. #opentowork #JobSeeking #TrustAndSafety #ContentModeration #CustomerService #CustomerExperience #JobSearch #Hiring #Recruitment #JobOpportunity #CareerTransition #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #DigitalMarketing #TeamManagement #contentmanagement #AI #SafetyFirst
Fri 7/19/24 update: Nothing. I had 2 “pre” interviews this week. One is for a position that may or may not become available in the next few weeks to months. The other is a position that as of right now the CEO wants hybrid and I’m not close enough to a location. I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that my son and I will be homeless again in September. I’m now shifting focus to trying to pay off some of my Klarna balance so I can use their payment plan option for AirBnbs in September so we don’t have to sleep in our car. I’m really sad. And I’m really anxious. And I feel really hopeless. All the love in the comments, the shares, the messages of support and… nothing. I know that everyone else is struggling and that I can’t take it personally, but it really does feel like I’ll never be good enough. All I want is my “fairytale” moment where someone finally realizes how great of an employee I am and how much of an asset I would be for their company. I will continue to pray, but my faith is broken.
Thank you to everyone who continues to share, comment and message me. You guys are truly amazing! I just applied to my dream job at Pinterest 🤞🏻Do I have anyone in my network that works at Pinterest? I’d love to be able to just get my resume seen by the recruiter.
I can’t believe how much exposure this post has gotten. I would’ve never in my wildest dreams thought that you guys could make miracles happen but here we are! Thank you all again for being so kind and helpful. I’m still trying to get back to each and every one of you so please be patient with me. Here is my update: No interviews yet, a few prospects and a whole bunch of amazing humans who are in my corner getting my resume in front of hiring managers. For everybody offering me money, please understand that I appreciate the offer SO much but I cannot accept any money from any of you. It would not be fair when there are people currently wondering when their next meal will be or when they’ll be able to find a safe place to sleep next. I have credit cards. I will figure out the credit card debt later on. Consider donating to shelters in your area or buy a meal for someone on the street who may be hungry. That would mean more to me than accepting any of your hard earned money. 🩵
Friday 7/26/23 update: Nothing just rejections. No leads. Nothing. I was able to secure some temp work starting in a few weeks but it pays so low it’s not enough to afford rent, even combined with my other low paying job. I don’t really know where to go from here. I guess I might as well just give up.
Friday 7/12 update: I want to thank you all again for keeping this going! I’m trying to stay positive that something will come along. Apparently LinkedIn can’t handle me responding back to all comments/reacting to them all without glitching on both my phone and laptop. I’m trying to get through all of them. As of right now, I have not landed any interviews. I’m a little discouraged just because the clock is ticking and interviews these days take weeks to months to complete. Time is not on my side, especially when I need to save almost 10k just for a deposit on an apartment for September 1st 🫠 If anyone has any leads, openings that I may be a fit for, suggestions or even the winning lottery numbers… feel free to message me directly. I will have an easier time seeing messages. I’m also going back and forth on if I should remove the photo of my son and I associated with this post. I’ve received a few disturbing messages from men making very s*xual comments/suggestions. Please do better. I posted looking for a job. Not a man. Thank you.
For everyone who wanted to donate or help support in some way… I am so close to possibly being able to secure a place to live by 9/1. I need help. Thank you. GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/a634b231 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/27YGBVG6ZGCO1 Venmo: @courtneyleighx3
Courtney Leigh! I am seeing this because Erica (Stimac) Gabel liked your post (the power of the algorithm). We are hiring for a slew of Trust and Safety positions at HopSkipDrive. Take a look at the open roles and pls send me a DM if I can help
I’m commenting so my network of more than 5k sees this and someone has the perfect role for you. I’d also encourage you to connect and register with the Mom Project. If there is anyone in my network with whom you wish to directly connect, DM me and I’ll make introductions. You are brave and talented. The Mom Project
Keep going. You will find the right fit, but dont compromise your work / life balance. For example, you are willing to 100 hours a week. Why? It looks like you have good work experience and that is a lot of hours, and doesn’t give much time for basic needs like grocery shopping, eating, home care, exercise (I’m sure you have more to fill in the blank).
Thank you all for your kind words, messages, help, support and guidance! I am trying to get back to each and every one of you! I didn’t expect my post to generate this much engagement so to say I’m overwhelmed would be an understatement. Please don’t take my silence as rudeness. I’m trying my best to get back to each and every one of you. Your kindness is seen and I appreciate it more than you all will ever know. Thank you again!