Jobs Online E-Course Day One Hello {!firstname}, Thank you for signing up for the FREE Jobs Online E-Course. You will receive one course instructional article each day for the next five days that will cover searching for jobs, avoiding scams, applying for jobs, and successfully working at home. Work-At-Home Jobs Search in an Hour a Day Searching for a job is full-time work. If you are working full-time but still want to obtain a telecommuting job, finding the time to search and apply for work can be difficult. Making the time to do the work necessary is essential in achieving success and not very hard if you get organized and develop an effective system. Below you will find some tips that will help you make the most of your search in as little time as possible. Once you locate a job, you need to submit a resume or fill-out an online application (even if the announcement doesn't ask for a resume, send something that details your skills and experience. Don't just send, "I'm interested in this job."). This can take a great deal of time particularly if you don't have a ready-made resume or stock answers to common questions. Therefore the first step in conducting a work-at-home job search is to prepare a resume. The resume you make at this point should be generic, outlining all your skills and experience. If you know the different types of jobs you plan to apply to, you should make a general resume for each job type. As you find jobs, you should open your resume document and change it to fit the specific job to which you plan to apply. Many companies will not accept attachments so it's best to create a simple resume without fancy fonts or formats. That way you can copy and paste it into your email or the online submission form that asks for resumes. Create a generic introduction or cover that will be the opening of your emailed resume (always paste resumes in the email unless told to attach it). Bookmark all the job search sites you plan to use. I suggest making a folder of job sites and putting all your job resource URL's into that folder. This will make loading the sites much faster and easier. The Jobs Online Toolkit lists hundreds of job resources you can use [ your Jobs Online URL ] Sign-up for email notifications or work-at-home newsletters that provide you with job announcements. If you can, set up an email folder specifically for your job announcements. That way if you want to go back and review a job announcement you can easily find it in your "Jobs" folder instead of scrolling through all your old email. Another idea is to obtain an account at Gmail or some other free email site specifically to use in your job search. Conducting the Job Search The easiest way to search and apply for the most jobs in a single sitting is to have everything you need readily available. To start, open all possible file documents such your resume, introduction or cover letter, and stock application answers. Check your email for new job announcements from job sites or newsletters. If you find a job that interests you, print it out for your records. Also send this email to your "Job" folder. Beware of scams. Make sure any job you find in your email is in fact a job. The Jobs Online Toolkit offers details on how to weed out the scams. Search the job search sites you have bookmarked. I generally use "telecommute" and "work at home" as my search words. Apply to jobs you find in your search just as you did with your emailed jobs. Some job search sites do allow you to have your resume posted and you can send it with a click of a button. Be careful when posting your resume as scammers are known to contact people through online resumes. Don't put any information on your posted resume that could be used to steal your identity (ie your Social Securtiy number) Once you get used the system above, you should be able to send off several resumes in an hour, assuming you find work to which you want to apply. There are many great search sites and hundreds of jobs. Through consistent effort you will find announcements. Through a systematic approach to applying for work, you will find a job. Don't forget that the Jobs Online Toolkit [ your Jobs Online URL ] offers details on finding work-at-home jobs including a list of over 300 companies that are frequently hiring. Jobs Online E-Course Day 2 Hi {!firstname}, Welcome to the second day of Jobs Online E- Course. Today we will be covering how and where to look for work-at-home jobs. I receive e-mails frequently asking, "I have been looking for a work-at-home job for months, but all I find are scams. Do people really work at home in a job?" The answer is yes; people do work-at-home in a job. The key to finding legitimate work is: 1) Treating your job search like any other job search. You don't sign-up to work at home. You need to look for jobs you are qualified to do. And, you need to submit a quality resume or application that shows you are the best person for the job. 2) You need to know where and how to search. You won't find legitimate jobs by typing "work at home" in a search engine or reading "work at home" ads in the classifieds. You can find web sites that list work-at-home job announcements in the Work-At-Home Job links section of this site and at the end of this article. 3) You need to put time and effort into getting a work-at-home job. Some things you need to do are: search daily; have a resume and cover letter already prepared; follow the ad's directions for applying; and be sure that every thing you submit to a potential employer looks professional. Just to show you that work-at-home jobs are not difficult to find, I have provided a list of a few jobs I recently found using resources in the Jobs Online Toolkit. [ your Jobs Online URL ] Virtual Assistants Transcription Medical Transcription Freelance Transcribers Administrative Assistant Customer Service Bookkeeper Teacher Paralegal The sites I used to find these jobs are from both paid and free job search sites. Now when I say paid, I don't mean I paid to get hired. What I paid for was access to a website that listed work-at- home jobs. These websites do the hard work for us...they search the net and compile legitimate jobs in one place. To compensate for their time and effort, they charge for access to the database. You don't have to use a paid data base. There are free options for finding jobs. But if you are serious about finding a work at home job, I would recommend using at least one of the paid databases. It will save you much time. Let me reiterate here that I'm not saying you should spend money to get hired. Anyone charging money so you can work for them is not giving you a job. But, in any job search, even a traditional one, expenses can be incurred whether its for help on creating a resume, buying a newspaper for the classified ads, or paying to access a legitimate job database. The Jobs Online Toolkist list hundreds of job resources...most of which are free. [ your Jobs Online URL ] Jobs Online E-course Day 3 Welcome to the third day of Jobs Online E- Course. Today we will be covering how to avoid work-at-home job scams. Please note that the rules below ONLY apply to work-at-home jobs and NOT business opportunities. You can expect to make some sort of investment in starting a business. But, legitimate employers NEVER charge to hire you! Top Tip-Offs to Work-At-Home Job Scams 1) The job ad asks for money. Clever ads try to hide the cost by saying its to determine if you are serious about the job or to process your application. The truth is legitimate employers never charge to hire you. 2) The website is hosted on a free site. Most "jobs" advertised using free website hosting such as Angelfire, Tripod, and Homestead are promoting business opportunities or schemes that are not likely to be jobs. It's my belief that if a company can't afford to host its site with a paid host provider, it can't afford to hire you. 3) You can't determine the nature of the job from the ad or web site. These ads are full of hype about income possibilities doing a job that requires little more than nothing. But they never tell you what the job actually involves. These ads are usually over-priced "systems" and other unproven schemes. 4) All you have to do is sign up. Did you ever just sign up for a traditional job? Work-at-home employers are no different from other employers. They want qualified candidates from whom they usually request a resume or application. 5) "Add your name to the bottom and request report number 4". There are many variations of this work-at-home scheme but any email or web site you visit that tells you to add your name to a list is promoting a glorified chain letter. 6) It "guarantees" an income. This is only acceptable if its offering a salary or wage. But in most cases any "job" that uses the words "guaranteed income" is not legit. 7) It asks you to use your personal bank account to do business. You could lose a fortune in this fake check scam. 8) No skills or experience are necessary. There are very few jobs that require no skills or experience. Even retail jobs require a friendly personality and the ability to work with the public. All employers want quality employees and usually have some sort of requirement for the job. Don't lose your money or your dream of working at home to scammers and schemers. As you look for a legitimate work-at-home job protect yourself by being wary of job ads that include any of the above warning signals of a scam. You can learn more about protecting yourself against scams as well as find 100's of legitimate job resources in the Jobs Online Toolkit [your Jobs Online URL] Jobs Online E-Course Day 4 Welcome to the fourth day of Jobs At Home Jobs E- Course. Today we will be covering how to apply to work-at-home jobs. I can't tell you how many times I have seen emails that simply say, "I'd like this job." In an early course I told you that a work-at-home job search must be handled in the same professional manner as any other job search. Below you will find some resume do's and don't's for applying to work-at-home jobs. CYBER RESUMES Do: 1. Follow the job announcement's instructions for applying to the job. 2. Limit your resume to 1 page. 3. Use 12-pt font size. 4. Avoid fancy style fonts and formats. Not all computers can accurately decipher special fonts and formatting (bold, italics). 5. Include your full name, address, telephone number and e-mail in all documents. 6. In your resume, outline relevant work experience using your most recent occupation first. 7. Proofread, proofread, and proofread your resume and letter of introduction (cover letter) again. Don't: 1. List skills or experience that is unrelated to the position offered in your resume or cover letter. 2. Exaggerate or falsify anything. 3. Give personal information such as marital status, age, etc. 4. Have any grammar or typographical errors. 5. Use a personal or buddy-like tone in your cover letter. 6. Send bulk, generic resumes and cover letters. 7. Send your resume as an attachment unless you are told specifically to do so. Most companies delete e-mail with attachments for security purposes. The cover letter and resume are the first and only chance to make an impression. Make sure yours is professional and fits the job to which you are applying. In Jobs Online Toolkit [ your Jobs Online URL] I outline the steps to analyzing a job ad and tailoring your resume and cover letter so that it will have a better chance of make you stand out from the hundreds of other candidates. Jobs Online Toolkit Day 5 Welcome to the fifth and final day of Jobs Online E- Course. Today we will cover the steps needed to balance work and family under one roof. Successfully Working At Home There is no denying that working at home offers flexibility and freedom but its not without its sacrifices or woes. To be successful working at home you need to design your work, your schedule and your activities in a way that works not only for you but for your employer as well. Further, you need to learn to combat loneliness, a lack of motivation and the sense you don't know what is going on at the office. ESTABLISHING A WORK ROUTINE When people think about working at home, work is often the last thing that comes to mind. Sleeping in late, wearing pajamas all day, taking the kids to the park, and other perks of working at home are generally the first things that come to mind. But working at home is only successful if you work. To maximize your work performance as well as to take advantage of the perks of working at home, establishing a work routine is a must. STAYING CONNECTED WITH THE OFFICE Whether you ever worked at the main office or you have never been there, you need to set up a system for staying in touch with your boss. While your boss will want this to keep abreast of your work, it's not just about having a watchdog over your shoulder. By contacting your main office daily, weekly or however you set it up, you can not only keep up with what is happening there (i.e. raises or promotions) but also you can have semi-human contact to help break up the isolation of a home office. MAINTAINING CAREER ADVANCEMENT If you have goals leading you up the ladder of success, having a well drawn up work-at-home agreement as well as a method for keeping your supervisor apprised of your work is of the utmost importance. It isn't unusual for employers to believe telecommuters are less committed to their jobs because they work at home. Further, by not having a daily presence, it is easy for you to be overlooked by managers for promotions or bonuses. Having promotional and financial considerations outlined in your work-at-home agreement can do much to protect your advancing career. For more detailed tips and ideas for making working at home work for you, check out The Jobs Online Toolkit [your Jobs Online URL] I hope you have found the information in this five day e-course helpful in your quest to find a work-at-home job. It outlines all the important information and ideas needed to search for work and avoid scams. For a step-by-step approach to finding a work-at-home job, please check out Jobs Online Toolkit [your Jobs Online URL]. More than a book with information, it tells you specifically what to do and what not to do in your work-at-home job search. It provides 100's of resources to search for work and avoid scams. It goes beyond just supplying a list of job links to include information on deciphering job ads, tailoring your resume to increase your chances of getting the job, how to translate the skills and experiences you have into those needed by work-at-home employers, and much, much more.[ your url]