Found these little guys on my lime tree this morning.

Seven caterpillars. All clustered on the same leaf.

Not scattered across the whole tree hoping for the best.

Not jumping from branch to branch looking for "opportunities."

Just positioned exactly where they need to be.

Getting what they came for.

Most designers I talk to are doing the opposite.

Applying to 50+ companies a month.

Casting nets everywhere.

Hoping something sticks.

But here's what those caterpillars understand that most job seekers don't:

Positioning beats chasing every time.

Those caterpillars didn't randomly land on my lime tree. They found the exact right spot—young leaves, perfect nutrition, ideal conditions. Then they stayed put and got to work.

Career Chasers scatter their energy across every job board, every company, every role that sounds decent.

Career Creators do the opposite.

They identify their dream companies and position themselves strategically.

Then they build relationships instead of sending applications.

I watched a client do this a few weeks ago.

She had no relevant experience in her dream industry.

No case studies that matched what these companies were looking for.

Through traditional job applications, she'd never get past the first screen.

So we did something different.

She researched and shortlisted 3 dream companies.

Found key people at each company on LinkedIn.

Started engaging with their content genuinely—commenting thoughtfully, sharing insights.

Then reached out for coffee chats to learn about the industry.

No agenda. Just curiosity.

Those conversations gave her deep insight into each company's challenges.

She impressed hiring managers with her understanding of their business.

When one company reached out about a role, she was already on their radar.

Even though they were in final stages with another candidate.

But here's the interesting part—through those conversations, she realized the role wasn't actually a good fit.

Too much busy work. Not enough strategy.

She avoided a role that would have been boring anyway.

The caterpillars get it.

Find the right spot. Position yourself there. Get what you came for.

Traditional applications would have filtered her out immediately.

Strategic positioning got her inside access to learn what she actually wanted.

Even when the specific role wasn't right, she built relationships that matter.

That's the difference between chasing jobs and creating opportunities.

Want to learn the exact positioning approach she used? This is what we build in Career Creators—identifying your target companies, engaging strategically, and positioning yourself as someone they can't ignore.

Reply "Position" if you want details.

Joseph

P.S. The caterpillars don't chase every leaf on the tree. They find the perfect one and make it work. Sometimes the best strategy is knowing what you don't want as much as what you do.