Friday, October 29, 2010

I Work From Home Too!

If you are under the assumption that all I do is sit here and create blogs, (okay so I have three now) then you are wrong!  Like you, I also have to work even though I technically should be retired. There is no way that I can make ends meet without creating some income to meet my expenses!  One of the companies I am working for is Text Broker, where you write for companies that need short articles created. If you enjoy writing, you might try this. I can tell you right now there are numerous categories to choose from and various subject matters. I enjoy picking topics that are challenging, so consequently I take time to research the subject before I start writing. Now granted, this does slow down the number of articles I can create in a given period, but I also know that what I do produce will be truthful and accurate, which I am sure the client appreciates.

If you are a beginning writer for the Internet, this is a great company to get started with. Both the company and the client have the opportunity to rate your work. You have the ability to increase your ratings by producing good work, which in turn will increase your pay rate. Clients who like your work are able to create direct orders, which mean that you are the only author offered the assignment and you are paid more for the assignment.

Several other companies offer opportunities to write for the Internet, which I have listed on prior posts. Men, seem to do very well writing for such companies as ehow.com, giving tips on how to troubleshoot problems with things such as cars, the household plumbing or the furnace that refuses to work properly. They also do well on teaching others how to set up financial planning, purchasing stocks or opinions about politics. Women who write for ehow,enjoy writing about a wide variety of subjects dealing with homemaking, such as how to can, sewing, gardening or creating craft items.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

A New Week Renew Your Vigor

Okay, so last week was a drag!  You sent out 50 resumes, didn't get a single call back. The job boards on the Internet are looking mighty skimpy right along with your bank account!  You are beginning to panic because there just doesn't seem to be anything out there and each week that goes by you are thinking how much longer can I hold on!  The hamburgers and hot dogs are now being downsized to macaroni and cheese and poor man's spaghetti (that's made without meat in case you've never had it up until now) and hopefully there is enough in the cupboards to hold you till the next unemployment check comes in!

Before things get any worse, if you haven't looked over to the right side of this blog and taken advantage of the resources listed there, SHAME ON YOU!  Start going down the list and get signed up at some of those places, use some of the search engines to put in new resumes and conduct job searches. Read some of the work at home material that is available over there. Believe me, trust me, you really and truly can find some decent places to work listed there. Many of them won't cost you a dime, others will only ask you for money to conduct background checks as the final step in the hiring process.

Each day this week, promise yourself you are going to send out no less than 20 resumes each day, that you are going to call at least 5 personal friends daily that you know and ask if they happen to know of any positions that might be available. Sign up with a Temporary Employment Agency, contact someone from your business contacts (such as your insurance agent, the coach of your son's football league,the pastor at your church, your dentist) and ask them if they might know of someone who would be looking to hire someone with your qualifications.

Expand your employment search area. Start looking at cities 25-50 even 100 miles away from where you are now. Research the largest employers within that city and send out resumes to them.


If you are thinking of working for an Internet Call Center, This Plantronics Noise Canceling Headset is an excellent buy.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

What Does Your Credit Report Look Like?

When was the last time that you got a copy of your credit report? Are you aware that you are entitled to one free credit report per year? You might mark your calendar to get a copy every year on your birthday, just like you do for your yearly physical exam with the doctor.

This is one thing that we often forget about and you really do need to take advantage of this every year; especially now in today's very unstable credit environment and it also impacts your job search as well.

When I went hunting for new car insurance this summer, I called several local agencies as well as conducted an online search where you can get quotes from several companies all at the same time. Little did I know that each one of those inquiries would show up on my credit report. How did I find out about this?  Well when I received my new insurance policy, there was included a note that said the information on my credit report was used in determining the rates I would be charged on my coverage. I was told by the credit bureau when I called, that those inquiries should not affect my insurance rating. This was a red flag to me that something was wrong, so I sent for a copy of my report.

Several days later I received it in the mail. Upon checking my report, there was an address listed there of a place I've never lived, an alternate spelling on my last name and  several credit entries that are not mine and have less than stellar ratings. I called the credit bureau immediately to discuss this with them and advised them of the incorrect information. They said they would check everything out and send me a copy of their corrected findings. They also agreed to check a rating that was given on one of my own accounts that was inaccurate.

Did you know that most prospective employers check your credit report and many also do a criminal background check ? If you are job hunting I would suggest that you get a copy of your credit report and your criminal background report. Review them so you don’t have any nasty surprises and are able to correct any errors quickly.

Employers  feel that how you handle your credit obligations is an indicator as to how good of an employee you are going to be. With so many people unemployed for a lengthy period of time,struggling to make ends meet on just their unemployment benefits, many have gotten behind on their obligations. Under normal circumstances they handled their finances responsibly.  I personally hope that prospective employers are taking our unusual high unemployment rates and length of time being unemployed into consideration when reviewing a prospective applicant. It would be a shame for them to turn down a candidate who would be a fantastic employee if they did not consider that credit report.

If you are receiving multiple turn-downs for open positions, maybe it is time to be doing a follow-up call to the company and ask to speak to the person who interviewed you. Explain to them that you would really like more information as to why they felt you were not qualified for the position. Ask what do they feel you need to strengthen in your qualifications in order for have a position with their company. Come right out and ask them if they pulled credit and criminal background checks on you and if so, was there information in those files that contributed to their decision not to hire you. Most companies have a written policy that obligates them to advise you of derogatory information received in a credit report and some also require them to tell you if they also found something in a criminal report.

Once you know what is in both your credit report and your criminal report ahead of time, you can address potential problems that might arise during the initial interview process and help you get that second interview and be hired.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

More new ways to job search

If you are looking for a job, you are more and more aware that the newspapers, especially on line, are now affiliating themselves with some of the larger on-line job websites, such as Jobs.com and Monster.com rather than listing jobs in the classified section. Businesses are being inundated with resumes and their own personnel departments are unable to handle the volume of screening efficiently.

It used to be, that if you went to a recruiter to assist you in locating a position, anyone in mid-management or above could count on the company picking up the fee from the agency. With 1 out of 4 people now unemployed, it is becoming more and more difficult to have the company pick up the entire cost.  If you are lucky, you can get them to split the cost with you and then have a written agreement, that after you are employed with them for a year, they will reimburse the half that you paid upon your year review date.

One thing that you can do is begin using the white business pages of your telephone book. I suggest this rather than using the yellow pages, because not all companies take out a yellow page ad. Locate companies that either you know or think could use your skills.  Make a list of these companies, along with their address and phone numbers. Now go to the internet and see if they have a website. If they do, search under careers or jobs to see what openings they have listed.  Even if a position is not listed, but it is a company that would hire for your job description, send them a resume.

If you are thinking of moving away from the city where you now reside, go to the Internet and do a search on the cities you are thinking of moving to. Profiles of the cities are listed and the largest employers in the city are included. You can also go to their Chamber of Commerce listings and look under the membership column for even more companies. You can also go to the whitepages.com website, do a business listing search using a category name.

Granted, doing searches like this will take time, but it is well worth the effort. You can become better acquainted with different areas of the country that may or actually may not be a better location for you to consider moving to. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence once you begin doing the research.

I used to tell people, when I was doing personnel placement as a profession, that looking for a job is like having one. You have to put in the effort of looking for work, putting out the resumes, be creative in your job search.  It is an 8 hr job 5 days a week to find a position.  It was then back in the 1980’s and it is even more so nowadays.

In today’s job market, it is the blue-collar workers and the white-collar management sector as well. Even CEO’s, or as I like to call them “the gray flannel suits” are also out there looking. No one has been immune to this depression and many people are going to be unemployed for a long time. There is a lot of competition out there and you are going to have to do everything you can think of to make yourself stand out from the crowd.

One thing you will need to remember while you are out there on your search, is that not only the value of houses has decreased a good $20,000-$40,000 but so have the wages that are being offered to those looking for a job. Yes, you many have been making $125,000 at the job that you held for 10 years before you were laid off, but do not expect to come back into the workforce with a new company for that figure.
Check out payscale.com or homefair.com, both of them have excellent salary calculators and relocation cost of living calculators for you to use.   Be prepared to be shocked! I know I was!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Wild Wacky Ways To Promote Yourself

Unemployment continues to climb and with each passing week that you are out of work, it becomes harder and harder to find a new job. It is expected that an additional 12,000 people will soon be joining you on the streets as the stimulus money that was used to create jobs in the private sector runs out.  Employers will no longer want to continue keeping those workers on their payroll if the government is no longer picking up the tab for their salaries.

So now you have even more people, out there competing and you have not had a single bite on your applications and each passing week you are becoming more frantic about finding a position. So what are you going to do now? Have you posted your resume on every job board on the internet that you can think of? If not, get busy and do so. Are you using your social media sites to their full capacity?  If you have a Face Book account but don't have a My Space or Linkedin account be sure to set one up. Post your resumes on your My Space and on your Linkedin account.

You can also create a blog and post your resume, set up several at different blogging websites. There are also places where you can create a free website, go ahead and take advantage of those locations.

Are you using your networking resources?  Old classmates that you have stayed in touch with or have reconnected with through Face Book, My Space or Linkedin? Have you thought of asking other professionals that you know who might possibly know someone else that could create a lead?  This would include ex-coworkers, others at competitor companies that you know in the same industry that you were in before being laid off, your minister, your dentist, your doctor, your insurance man and your neighbors. Spread the word to everyone you know that you are searching for a new job.

If you were in any type of management or executive position prior to being laid off, contact a "head hunter" personnel agency. Let them know right up front that you will not pay their fee to find you a job, that a company worth working for will be willing to pick up the tab to get someone with your skills. Oh believe me, they will try to get you to agree to pay either all or part of the fee, but tell them absolutely not. Stroke their ego, tell them if they are good at their job, then they know the company will pay!

If you attended or graduated from college, go see their alumni department for some assistance and leads. Ask someone to look over your resume and cover letter and make suggestions on how you might improve both for today's job market.

If you are just answering classified ads or sending out letters of inquiry for a position, you are losing out on the chance to be seen by a prospective employer.  Get off the couch and go after that job you want!

Get dressed up in your interviewing clothes, grab your portfolio, fill your briefcase with resumes and put on your walking shoes. Make a list of companies in your city where you feel that your qualifications can be utilized. Map out your route and hit the trail!  Start out early in the morning, say around 8:30AM and plan to keep going to different locations up until 11:30AM. Take a lunch break and then hit the trail again from 1:30PM to 3:30 or 4:00PM at the latest. Do this on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Mondays and Fridays are terrible to try and get anyone to speak with you!  Don't just "drop off " your resume, ask to speak to someone in the Personnel Department. Let them know you are looking for work and ASK if they presently have or anticipate having any positions available that can use your background. Summarize your best skills to tell them about and ask them to accept your resume for consideration when they do have positions become available.

Get really inventive and creative like some of those on Wall Street when they got laid off. They made "sandwich boards" with a summarized resume written on it and stating that they were looking for work. At this point, you need to do whatever you can to get an interview!