11 Work from Home Jobs You Can Do

11 Work from Home Jobs You Can Do Working from home has become a significant part of the 21st-century business world. Even though there are contradictory opinions about the efficiency of employees working remotely, freelance jobs are persistently on the rise. A broad variety of companies are turning to the TRaD (telecommuting, remote, and distributed) model of work, in industries like Computers and IT, healthcare, and finance. In some industries, remote jobs are more easily adaptable due to the different nature of work. However, thanks to the rapid development of technology, telecommuting jobs in education, sales, and customer service are also available. What are the Advantages of Working From Home? Studies have shown that letting employees work from home can also benefit the employers just as much. From increased productivity to money savings, in the long run, both business owners and managers and workers can take advantage of the work-from-home opportunity. Cost efficiency Taking into consideration the fact that employees won’t need to travel to work either by car or public transportation, it is clear that costs can be saved from commuting. Another cost-efficient factor is that no physical space is needed for an office many startups can benefit from hiring remote workers. Flexible working hours Every person is different some like mornings, others are night owls. This is why by giving employees the freedom to choose their working hours, companies are getting more work done. From an employee point of view, a flexible schedule lets them plan their days appropriately. It also allows them to adjust to their families schedules and improve their personal relationships. Comfort The comfort that working from home gives the employee cannot be replaced by any innovative and fashionable working space. Noisy co-workers are often an issue for people who easily get distracted. This is why the quiet home-based office space is a better option for many employees in order to unleash their full potential. Reduced stress levels The feeling of being at home is usually associated with deeper feelings of comfort and tranquillity. This is why when people work from home, they can have reduced stress levels which will contribute to their efficiency as well as their long-term physical and mental health. Less stress also comes from the fact that the boss is not constantly around and annoying colleagues can be avoided. Increased productivity Although some might argue that concentration at home is harder because of the many possible distractions, workplace-related stress turns out to be a bigger enemy of productivity. Increased productivity is, in fact, the potential result of all of the above-mentioned advantages. When employees feel comfortable with their working conditions and can feel in control of their schedules, they can finally focus on the real work. Where to Find a Work-at-home Job? There are a few ways to search for a work-at-home job. Some of them are: Type in a phrase that says “work from home”, “remote”, “telecommuting”, or similar in the search box of familiar job searching platforms. Look at freelance job opportunities in websites like upwork, freelancer, simply hired etc How to Avoid Scammers? Since the Internet is more or less a free space for everyone, the danger of scammers is high. In order for candidates to protect themselves from potential scammers, there are a few things they need to do before applying for a work-at-home job: Familiarize with the most common job scams Read the job offer thoroughly Read more about the company offering the job Don’t pay any fees to get a job Stay away from “quick money” ads. What are the best work-at-home jobs candidates can apply for? What is the average hourly rate for each of these jobs? What are their satisfaction ratings? Find out in the infographic below. About the author:  Andrei Kurtuy  is the co-founder of  Novoresume, an intuitive résumé builder which specializes in helping candidates create professional CV’s to help them find their dream job.

The 9 Best Ways to Hire Excellent Employees

The 9 Best Ways to Hire Excellent Employees Are you looking to add new talents to your firm? Hiring new employees requires more than just reviewing resumes and inviting candidates over for interviews. There are numerous mistakes that the hiring team make that may reduce the effectiveness of the hiring process. In this piece, we will discuss nine ways to improve the hiring procedure to hire excellent employees and retain them. Investing In A Strong Employer Brand According to statistics, more than 80% of specialists are passive candidates. They are not entirely comfortable at their current working positions and are still open to new opportunities. Having a strong employer brand attracts highly qualified candidates and reduces employees’ turnover by 30%. Qualified candidates are likely to apply for a position if the potential employer is actively involved in brand management by responding to reviews, sharing a firm’s culture with the public and updating a company’s profile. Making The Process Short The best candidates are often available in the market for at least ten days. It is essential to make the process quick and efficient when you are targeting a specific candidate. Give feedback to inquiries and concerns immediately to keep them in the know about your recruitment process. Clear Job Descriptions Many firms write shoddy descriptions of requirements and duties. This could alienate qualified employees. There are two ways to approach potential employees; the demands-abilities approach, which emphasizes what the company expects from an applicant, and the needs-supplies approach, which focuses on how a company can serve a candidate. The latter attracts more qualified applicants looking for compassionate working environments. Embrace Social Media Screening And Digital Trends Currently, the job market holds a significant number of millennials. Most millennials relate to digital trends, social media activity and will want to work for firms that keep up with the latest trends. Embracing technology means that you are better placed to utilize social media profiles for candidate search. Social media profiles offer better applicant screening and reveal more details about an individual. As long as you follow the right legal procedure during the screening process, you will have a better picture of the applicant you are interested in when you use social media. Implement A Referral Program Great personalities and professionals are often surrounded by equally or more capable professionals. While many employees are already networking with qualified peers, you may take advantage of the employee referral program enhanced by these networks. By giving incentives and bonuses to referral works, you can spark up motivation and excitement in your organization to bring forward the best talents on board. Personality-Position Fit Besides getting the right skill set, personality should be a checkpoint. Anyone can gain the right set of skills but the right characters cannot be acquired through training. Do the applicant’s personality traits align with the job available? For instance, hiring a nurse requires an individual with deep empathy. You should not hire a qualified individual without the right personality. Pre-employment Assessments Studies show that new employees may exhibit weaknesses as a result of flawed interviews. Most interviewers are too focused on confirming what’s on a candidate’s resume or too pressed for time and eventually ignoring the red flags. It is important to make use of pre-employment assessment tests that are designed to identify the best candidate. Why is this important? Well, most job interview processes focus on making sure that the applicants are technically able to handle the tasks. They often overlook the candidates’ emotional intelligence, motivation, and coachability. Pre-employment assessment helps you identify the right employee based on all the key aspects. Watch Your Firm Reviews Potential employees look for company reviews to obtain accurate information about a company. This includes salary information, work experience, interview tips and reviews from former or current employees. Job seekers will not bother to apply for a company with a bad reputation despite being unemployed. If your company reviews are positive, you will attract a great pull of top candidates. Talk About Your Company Having an active blog talking about your company and other related content will keep potential employees in the loop. You are better placed to hire fans and employees that have shown immense interest in what you do. Portray yourself as more of a friend than just a boss or employer. Your fans will read through your pieces and some with the same vision will want to join your team immediately you put the word out. Hiring today requires more persistence and willingness to work and think beyond the ordinary. Using the recruitment strategies highlighted above will help you hire qualified and passionate employees.   To learn more about the value and importance of pre-employment testing and evaluation,  visit the Berke website.

Introverts Dilemma Charge or Recharge - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Introvert’s Dilemma Charge or Recharge - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Some of my favorite people are introverts. Like me, introverts need a good bit of alone time, which my staff calls my “cone time.” About half the time my nature cries out what Greta Garbo famously drawled (if Germans can drawl), “I want to be alone.” I like cone time, but I can go a few weeks in the glory of high contact environments: conferences, teaching, developing programs with my team, (and shopping pretty much anywhere). The introvert NEEDS alone time, like flowers need the sun. Introversion is not a preference or an affectation. Being a born introvert is a fate, if you will. Maybe a destiny. But, introversion is not a disability. It’s just a fact of life, along with lots of other dimensions in human nature. Sometimes there is just too much noise for anyone to function well. When any employees are over-engaged in the hub-bub, whether or not they are introverts, productivity suffers. You see extraverts losing precious work time when they are driven to gab instead of buckling down. The easily distracted (ADD seems to be way over-used, but you know who I mean), lose focus and working time when they are surrounded by distraction. In other words, everyone has their “thing,” Each of us has a best way of working and it goes downhill from there. Everyone does better with some quiet time away form the madding crowd. So why are introverts an especial problem in the workplace, whether your company is together in one office or distributed in places around the world? Introverts by definition are not at their best when they are with other people. A lot of veteran introverts can use a raft of tricks to get by when they MUST engage, but in general they are depleted by every interaction. It’s a lot like decision fatigue for the rest of the population. No matter who you are, each decision you make during the day depletes your attention and cognitive flexibility for the remaining decisions you’ll face. That’s why one habit of leadership is to not make any decisions except those necessary. Most exceptional leaders eat pretty much the same thing for breakfast every workday, set out their clothes for the week on Sunday night, and have a routine for anything that can be routinized. In other words, to be a highly functional leader, you have to sacrifice the small choices in life to be able to make the great big ones with all your brain power. Introverts cannot easily routinize their introversion. They cannot choose to charge into a crowd and feel alive with the buzz, when their mind needs to be recharged with quiet time. The introversion dilemma stems from our need for everyone to be like everyone. We want everyone to work in teams. We want everyone’s input on a project. And, that’s not simply the fault of management or large organizations, as we seek to develop our human assets. Even introverts often put themselves in positions where too much interaction is demanded and a gregarious personality is essential to a job they sought and landed. When we all get good about being who we are â€" yes: when your personal brand is developed around your authentic qualities as well as your aspirational ones, we will function better as individuals and organizations. As we say in personal branding: be yourself, because everyone else is taken. If introversion is a dimension of your personal brand, let it be. Do you feel being an introvert is getting in your way of a fast-track or successful career? Let me know your story, and I will send back my Tip Sheet for Introverts. Email Nance@NanceRosen.com. Subject line: Introvert.

Life Isnt About Finding Yourself - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Life Isnt About Finding Yourself - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I have several quotations on the wall in my office. One of them is the following: Life isnt about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. (George Bernard Shaw) Why did I select this quote to display to my clients? Because I believe, to be most meaningful, their careers must be created and not simply found through happenstance. One point from which career counseling can start is your values. I find that many people in their 40s and 50s are searching for more meaningfulness in their work trying to elevate their work beyond merely what they are capable of doing and toward work that connects with their higher values. Regardless of how far down your career path your are, its never too late to begin examining your values and considering how you might do work you find more meaningful. To help you begin this process, here are some words that you might associate with things you value. Pick the four phrases that, if more available in your work and career results, you would most desire: Feeling of accomplishment Helping others Solving complex problems Making more money Learning and growing Being acknowledged for contributions Having a comfortable environment Participating with a team Gaining status/title Becoming an expert Increasing job security Controlling daily schedule Using creativity Experiencing change and variety If you had other ideas of phrases that would describe valuable things to have in your career, feel free to list them. I hope that this simple exercise will begin to get you thinking about what you want from your career and work. By identifying things you value (and would value), you can better evaluate your current career path and consider alternatives that will allow you to create a more meaningful path for your future. If I have gotten you interested, then take the next step and conduct some internet searches using the term career values. You should be able to find a variety of exercises and assessments that will continue to expand your thinking and help you identify key values that can guide your future career choices.

Resume Writing Tips On How To Write A Resume Resumemaker

Resume Writing Tips On How To Write A Resume ResumemakerResume writing tips on how to write a resume resume maker should be relevant to the applicant's specific profession. If the resume writer does not know what is in the resume, then it is likely that the resume will be rejected by the employer. It is important to know that the resume also holds vital information about the applicant that is equally important as any job skills.To be successful as a resume writer needs to be knowledgeable of what employers look for in resumes. Often there are people who have experience writing resumes but are not very good at looking for what they need. They make assumptions or just pick things they think they need. It is much better to go through all the information you can on the resume and analyze it for relevance to the job position.There are several resume writing tips on how to write a resume resume maker for the resume writer to make sure they come up with the correct information for the resum e. One of the most important resume writing tips on how to write a resume resume maker is to make sure you list the most important information first. This includes the name of the person, the full name of the position, employer contact information, the address of the job, what the job responsibilities are, and the job function. Then list the relevant educational qualifications in the appropriate areas. List everything for every position that you have worked at and fill in the information that is most important to you.The educational qualifications are the first thing that should be listed first because this is something that is very important to the employer and it is always the top priority to make sure that the person has the correct education for the job. It is also wise to put as much of the educational qualifications as possible in the format of the job, including the grade point average, the percentage of credits the person has completed. This will help if an employer has ques tions about the academic qualifications.You also need to list the credentials, professional experience, work experience, certifications, and the most important of all is the education or training in this area. With this information you should be able to put the most relevant and important information in the beginning of the resume. It is also very important to give the employer reasons for why they should hire the person.Other types of information that should be listed are the job titles, any awards or honors, the year that the job was held, the years of service, when the job was filled, and other duties. When the applicant lists the duty position, it is necessary to specify the job title first before listing the duties. It is also important to provide the date that the job was filled.It is also necessary to include other job details such as when the position was opened, or the last date for open. Some examples of job details that should be listed are the title, department, duties, location, salary, and job responsibilities. Information that should not be included in the resume are details of previous jobs.It is important for a resume resume maker to remember that the resume is a formal document and it is always best to make sure that the information is truthful and accurate. It is important for a resume resume maker to understand the needs of the job search and to make sure that they know what employers need when hiring.

3 Ways to Fail Proof Your Communications

3 Ways to Fail Proof Your Communications Most business communication fails. Survey data consistently shows that about 75% of business presentations are rated as mediocre â€" or worse â€" by their audiences, and more seriously, companies on average rate their sales messaging at a mere 3.9 on a 1-to-10 scale. At both the individual and institutional level, we often have a great story, but we just don’t know how to tell it well. Why? While it’s certainly true that defaulting to mind-numbing slide decks does play its part, the slide deck is not the problem. The real reason is deeper and far more interesting. Tim Pollard is an author and CEO of Oratium, a communications firm helping organizations from Fortune 500 companies to individual law offices hone their presentation and messaging skills. His new book, The Compelling Communicator: Mastering the Art and Science of Exceptional Presentation Design, describes how it’s all about the brain. He says the human brain is wired in very particular ways with respect to how it wants and needs to consume information and these “rules” must be obeyed. Communication fails when it does not align with how the brain works. Communication succeeds when it does. It’s as simple as that. So, how does Tim recommend structuring communications so they align with the way the human brain is wired and will not fail? 1) Build Around Ideas The human brain is reductionist. It operates at the level of ideas. If you walk out of any presentation and later explain it to a friend, you will instinctively boil it down to a few ideas, probably with little or no data. Hence, the single most important thing the communicator must do is to also operate at the level of ideas, giving the audience what their brains want to consume, and will remember. How do you do this? The key lies in understanding how people make decisions. In human beings, action is preceded by belief. This means the most important question in communication design is: “What does my audience need to believe in to take the action I want them to take?” Answer that question and you have your big ideas. 2) Simplify Communications Almost all presenters wildly overestimate the capacity of their audience’s brains. If you imagine the human brain has a total processing power equivalent to the U.S. economy, about $17 trillion, you may be surprised to learn that only about three dollars are allocated to the part of the brain that processes new information. This is why “fire-hosing” never works. You need to fit your argument within your audience’s brain space. There are two ways to do this. The first is the polar opposite of our normal behavior. Instead of packing in everything you can in the name of completeness, pull everything out that you can, while still leaving your argument intact. How? Ask the hard question: “Does my audience need to know this?” If they don’t, take it out. Having managed down quantity, you also need to manage down complexity. Because your audience doesn’t live in the same world you do, it’s far easier to confuse them with “insider” terms and acronyms than you probably realize. Research shows that doctors regularly confuse patients with terms as apparently clear as “hydrate.” The solution is to conduct an intentional simplification round. Take one tour through your material looking only for complexity. You won’t spot it if you are proofing or editing. 3) Logical Narrative Structure Finally, when you read a book, Chapter 6 makes sense because Chapter 5 created the context for it. But read the same book out of sequence, the logical structure is lost, and it will make no sense at all. This is one of the chief causes of communications failure. However solid the content, without a clear structure there’s no context, and context creates comprehension. Curiously, the ancient world provides the tool to create great structure. Early Greek writers would often structure an argument based on the “Natural Question.” If you assume that each point in an argument will raise some thought or question in the audience’s mind, if you answer those questions as they arise, you cannot help but create an audience-centric structure. How? Look at each point you are making and ask, “What question does this raise?” Then answer that question. We recently helped a CEO with an important “change in strategy” presentation to her internal team. The original design placed the new organizational structure late in the presentation. However, we helped her to see that the instant she stated, “We have a new strategy,” the question in the room would be “Yikes do I have a job?” Hence the new organization chart was brought in much earlier to answer that burning question, and a far better structure was created. If you follow these guidelines and build your communication to align with the way the brain works, you will be amazed by the results. Join Dana Manciagli’s Job Search Master Class right now and immediately access the most comprehensive job search system currently available!

20 Job Search Tips for 2012 College Graduates

20 Job Search Tips for 2012 College Graduates 286 Flares 286 Flares I want to tell you about a conversation that I once overheard.  The day was March 15, 2005, my college graduation day.  A roommates dad was talking to my mother and father when I heard him say I wanted to bring a 2X4 (lumber), write LIFE on it, and use it to smack Billy right across his forehead the moment he received his diploma I was certainly too confused and overwhelmed with my current newfound life situation to understand how true that joke actually was.  For many, graduation signals a new life.  For some its a tougher life.  For most (if not all) its the official birth of a professional but only after they do land that first job. When I graduated, the job market was much easier to break into than it is now.  The life 2X4 induces much more pain for graduates these days, so here are 25 Job Search Tips for the current or soon to be 2012 Graduates: 1.  Use Linkedin:  Spend serious time on Linkedin.  Build connections, join groups related to your industry, and apply for jobs through Linkedin.  If you spend 10 hours on Facebook per week, try popping onto Linkedin for 5 hours. 2.  Visit Your School Career Center:  Your career center is not only free, but people there are very helpful.  Take advantage of their tips, advice, and employer connections. 3.  Focus Your Job Search:   Dont apply to everything you see.  Focus your search on one or two specific areas.  Applying to too many jobs is sloppy and employers will take notice. 4.  Practice Interviewing With Friends:  Get a group of 2-3 friends together and meet once a week to practice interview questions.  Critique each other and offer feedback. 5.  Buy Your Interview Clothes Before Graduating:  You might already have nice clothes for an interview, but its always a nice feeling to buy a new suit and feel mentally prepared for something great to happen.  Dont want to get a call on a Tuesday for an interview on Thursday and feel unprepared to look the part. 6.  Have a Plan:  Write out a little job search plan.  List the companies you really want to work for, the geographic locations you like, and pick specific times of the week to designate for the job search. 7.  Dont Have a Plan:  Hey, some people just cant plan, and thats OK.  Just make sure to not lose focus of the one or two areas that youre SURE you want to work in. 8.  Set a Professional Voicemail on Your Phone:  A standard voicemail will work just fine. 9.  Check Your Facebook Privacy Settings:  Turn your wall comments off, disable photo tagging, and set everything to a minimum of Friends of Friends. 10.  Connect With a Mentor:  Mentors come in all stages of life.  Utilize social media to network with someone who is a few years older than you and established in the industry youre pursuing.  Theyll be impressed and excited you have the courage to ask them to be your mentor. 11.  Dont Panic:  Its not the end of the world if you dont have a job lined up 2,3, or even 6 months after graduating.  Just try to fill the time up with volunteer work or a part-time gig. 12.  Join a Young Professionals Group:  Fine a local networking group for young professionals.  Your local chamber of commerce should be able to provide information for you. 13.  Work With a Career Coach:  Its never a bad idea to work with a professional.  A career coach will help you focus and refine your skills.  They can also help you with your job search communications.  You can work with me or comment below if youd like me to refer you to someone. 14.  Connect With Recruiters BEFORE a Career Fair:  Career fairs are a waste of time if you arent already connected with the attending employers.  Connect on the phone, email, or social media before attending. 15.  Dont Get Too High or Too Low:  The hiring process is a roller coaster.  Dont let your emotions get too high or low.  Just ride it out until you receive an offer. 16.  Seriously, Use Linkedin:  The power of Linkedin is unreal.  Heres a beginners guide I created. 17.  Stay Connected With Teachers:  Check in with your favorite teachers after graduating.  They may know of hiring companies. 18.  Avoid Using an Objective Statement:  Save your objective for the cover letter.  If youre applying, then its clear your objective is working for that company. 19.  Dont Get Jealous:  Friends who you thought would NEVER get a job will be handed an awesome position at a great company.  Dont take this to heart, just focus on yourself. 20.  Evolve:  The job search is continuously changing.  What tools and processes work now, might not work in 6 months.  Research continuously, utilize different job search tools, and improve yourself after interviews. Are you feeling ready for the LIFE 2X4 to smack you in the head?  Hope the above job search tips help prepare you for your new professional life. Oh, and congrats to recent graduates and those who will do so in May and June!