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I set a goal to get back to life, to the industry, so I'll write down everything I notice that raises questions here.
I'm doing this as a personal challenge to get back the urge to write on social media and ask for support ❤️ + 🐐
Today I was browsing a job board and noticed something I keep running into when looking for projects: "𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 '𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥' 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥! 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯."
And I keep wondering: does a written phrase really show a designer's motivation to potential clients?
If anything, it demotivates me to respond to a listing like that. I get filled with this strange, uneasy feeling.
Is this a filter for attentiveness, or just a game of obedience? Curious what you think.
I think it's mainly to test attentiveness. A lot of people use templates or apply without really reading the details, so this helps identify the people who actually took the time to read the post carefully.
I'm not sure about this, because I think it's pretty easy to add a code word to a template, unless you're a super lazy freelancer who doesn't even read the job post before applying 😊
Saw those too, I asked one of them, and they told, they get bunch of unrelated, template like proposals, so that's why they just has to put it, so they can be sure at least freelancer read full description. It is sad, but they don't have other choice either😐
It's true that freelancers sometimes don't put much effort into applications, but I think the problem is that they send so many every day, and when most potential clients don’t even open them, it becomes really demotivating.
That obedience filter framing really lands, it tests compliance more than actual motivation. I've seen those instructions used just to cut down volume, but it still feels a little degrading from the applicant side. Do you skip listings with tricks like that now, or still make your case anyway?
I'm skipping it for now because I don't feel comfortable with it. I have a feeling that I wouldn't have much synergy with clients like these, but maybe I'm wrong! The thing is, I don't really have the courage to test this theory yet.
Have you had any experience working with clients like this?
I have, and honestly the synergy either clicks on the first call or it never really does, no matter how hard you try to force it. If the discomfort is about values rather than skill fit, that's worth listening to. If it's more nerves about being untested in that niche, one small...
I agree with you
I also experience discomfort with these types of job postings. I think it’s more about obedience. They are not hiring for your professional perspective, but for your ability to follow rules
I think so too, so I don’t really want to press the play button. It feels like clients like this aren’t interested in your creativity or experience. They already have a plan, and they just need someone to execute it. Sounds scary to me 😥
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🤖 Taking 3 automation projects at a symbolic price this month
I'm a junior AI automation engineer building in n8n and Make. I'm growing my portfolio, so for the next few projects you pay a small fee and get a working automation plus a short handoff doc.
What I've already shipped:
A Google Maps review analysis for Yabko, a Ukrainian electronics retailer: 5,744 reviews across 132 stores, classified by topic and store with AI, ready for their marketing team
A paid Telegram bot for D&D groups: attendance checks and session reminders, running live in n8n
A merged PR in an open-source AI companion project (digital-companion-core)
Good fit if you have:
A repetitive task between Google Sheets, Gmail, Telegram, a CRM or forms
Leads or reviews you want sorted by AI instead of by hand
A small bot idea you never got around to building
Not sure it's worth it? Send me the task, I'll build a quick demo first so you can see it works before paying anything.
Portfolio: https://github.com/RimmaMaevaL
Business name: Little Light Portraits, a family and newborn photographer in Malmö, Sweden.
Problem: Meera runs a one-woman studio, and almost every lead arrives as an Instagram DM from a follower or a friend of a past client. Each one asks the same four things: how much, when are you free, what are the themes, and what should we wear. She answered each by hand, mostly in the evenings and at weekends when she's also shooting. That time came straight out of shooting and editing.
What I built: One link in Meera's Instagram bio opens a single booking page. Clients pick a session, tap a real date and time, and pay a deposit. Reminders and a waitlist run automatically, so no-shows get refilled. Her dashboard shows everything in one place.
Result: Meera no longer answers booking DMs, and her time goes back to shooting and editing.
