Do you want a legitimate work at home job?

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

If you’re looking to work from home, here are two great resources for work at home jobs

If I asked for a dollar for every time I was asked “do you know where I could find a work at home job” I’d give up my day job in a flash.

Then I met Leah Gibbs, and that put paid to my little money making idea.

Leah runs two sites, both hosting legitimate work at home jobs.

Take a look at Lifestyle Careers which has part-time jobs, work at home jobs and jobs offering flexibility. Then there’s Work at Home Mums. Leah’s built a community and a resource of legitimate work at home job opportunities.

There are really some great benefits to working from home, but it’s not for everyone.

So I am going to cover things you’ll need to think about, if you’re thinking about a work from home job.

Should you do a work at home job?

If you do want to work at home then there are a whole host of things to think about. I’m speaking from experience here as I work at home a lot.

The perks are terrific.

Take summer for example. It’s been scorching in Sydney so I decided to take a swim in the pool every time my attention wavered.

I can set my own time and my own pace, and work to that.

The non perks are, for me at least, that it takes discipline and confidence to stop working. Running my own company it’s hard to shake the feeling that my current customer is my last customer, even if I am frantically busy.

The other thing I’ve found is that as soon as you say you are working from home, friends and family who are working from work, seem to think that it is down time for you.

I’ve offended quite a few people when I’ve said I’m not up for a chat. My home time is working time. I get paid for the hours I work. There’s no down time on company time for me.

Then there’s social time.

Apparently you need a lot of it to stop you going nuts. Read this study from Gallup that suggests that people need up to six hours a day of social time. You can kiss that goodbye if you work at home alone.

While Gallup suggest social media can help with that, I have my doubts. Tweets can’t make up for real conversation, as amusing as it might be to exchange weather reports from sunny Sydney to colder places around the globe.

The last thing to think about when you work at home for yourself, is that you always need to be “on” and prepared to talk about yourself. If you’re like me you need help with that, so I suggest you try myPitch.

We  developed this app to help you come up with a compelling way to answer that tricky question “what do you do?”

Check it out. It’s only 99 cents. I’d really love to get your feedback.

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Will your recruitment consultant work hard for you, if you are registered with other agencies?

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

Q&A: Recruitment Consultants

I received these questions on my blog.

I thought I would answer with a post.

They’re good questions.

“Hi Karalyn,

I have now registered with several recruitment agencies when applying for positions advertised on the Seek website.

I have two questions please, I have heard that if you register with many recruitment agencies, and these recruitment agencies are aware of this fact, they don’t work as hard for you. Is this true?

Secondly, I have done skill testing in Microsoft applications such as Excel and Word, as well as Data Entry and typing tests, with the first recruitment agency I registered with. Is it above board to offer these test results to other recruitment agencies, to avoid the necessity of repeating them?

Thanks for your help!”

OK, here goes.

A recruitment agency will work had for you if you have skills in demand (that they can place), or are immediately up for a job they have on their books.

If you have registered with many other recruitment agencies, and are about to sign for a job, then the consultant may leave it there with you, and wish you luck.

Good recruitment consultants will ask you qualifying questions about what you’ve been up to in your job hunt so far, other recruitment agencies you are registered with, and how serious you are about securing another role.

If you’re a “gun” applicant a recruiter may ask you to work with them exclusively for a time. You should think carefully about this – for many reasons.

If you are not so hot as a candidate, or it is unlikely that the agency will be able to place you, a good recruitment consultant would encourage you to look elsewhere and make some recommendations about who may be better placed to help.

When I worked in recruitment I would consider how many places a candidate had registered with as an indicator of how keen they were to move, or even how bad they were as an applicant – it really depended on the scenario.

As a candidate you have every right to ask the recruitment consultant for some honesty in the process.

If you’ve registered with a few agencies, and worry about how that may impact your relationship with a consultant, there’s nothing wrong with the question

“Are you likely to be able to place me?” If their answer is yes, you can tell the consultant that you are happy to work with just them for a while.

Two provisos apply to this answer.

* This scenario applies for more junior candidates. If you’re at the executive level your relationship with a recruitment agency will be different.

** I use the qualifying term “good” recruitment consultant. If you are with a bad or an inexperienced consultant, all bets are off.

On your second question on testing – you can always offer to show your results. Some recruitment agencies use the same testing systems.

Some don’t.

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Two more embarrassing things about blogging

by K B , updated on February 1, 2011

Last week I wrote a post about how blogging can help your career. Last night I was going back through some old posts and thought, “oh-dear”. So I have to add points 4 and 5 to the ledger on the down side.

4. Your writing style will change

Some of my old posts are cringe-worthy. The content is there, but the expression is a bit clumsy. I’m tempted to move into “how-to mode” here on how to improve this, but I seriously think it just comes with practice and time. Plus picking up tips from other blogs you enjoy.

5. People are not always positive. In fact, some can and will say nasty things

I got really excited when a comment landed on the first post I wrote. But it turned out to be someone pointing out a typo.Then someone else commented and the two of them competed publicly to find as many typos as they could. I took the posts down and did a complete re-write. That was all I could do.

I’ve also written a post in another forum where the commenting crowd turned to attack me – big time! That hurt for two days. (If you’d like to see me punched up publicly visit the Punch) Then I moved on. I can’t put a positive spin on that feeling. Ultimately, I guess, it’s for the readers who decide whom they’ll support.

I have to say though, that the support for InterviewIQ has inspired me. I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to this blog over the past year.

You’ve helped in more ways than you know.

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Is LinkedIn insincere?

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

This comment popped up on my blog yesterday. I think it’s a great observation.

“What I really don’t understand is how people can just outright lie on their profiles and experience or blend short term failures in jobs like amalgamating dates.

Also there are so many creamy sweet comments but no criticisms, unlike real life.

Is LinkedIn a sincere place?”

So is LinkedIn insincere?

Yes. Somewhat. But you’d expect it to be.

For job hunters, the purpose of a LinkedIn profile is to get you an interview. Not much different from a resume. So of course you want to highlight the best bits about you. That’s what everyone does.

However, good recruiters and headhunters can see through a lot of waffle that goes on a LinkedIn profile.

Take for example your recommendations  If a friend writes your recommendation then that’s pretty obvious. As are the recommendations your team may write for you. If the language in your recommendations is not as glowing as the superlatives in your profile then that looks a little odd as well. I’ve looked at fabulous profiles, then I’ve looked at the person’s  recommendations, and when they do not quite match, I go hmmm.

The other thing to think about, is that your LinkedIn profile shows who you are, so much more than you know. A good recruiter will know that if you started at position “a”, then in five years if you have the skill set they want, you should be at “b”. You can’t really hide too much of that on your profile, without outright lying.

As for number of recommendations you have, I would rather see a whole heap of recommendations, than just one or two. Even if there is a lot of gushing. To me it shows you take networking seriously. And that you care about what goes up online.

In a way LinkedIn keeps people honest. It’s public. If you stretch the truth too much, then your managers, colleagues and customers will know how you are describing yourself. And you may just end up looking like a bit of a goose.

Make that an insincere goose.

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Weasel words in LinkedIn profiles

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

If you read my rants regularly you’ll know that I am always alert for good weasel words. Then, the other day, I stumbled across this.

One of my articles had made it into the weasel word forum.

How excited was I?  Fame at last! Woo Hoo! (OK – I’m easily excited).

This brings me to my next point – weasel words in LinkedIn profiles.

Please don’t copy your position description into your LinkedIn profile.

Don’t copy slabs of text from your company’s website either.

I know that you need to use the language that your audience relates to, and sadly we all seem to relate to jargon.

However jargon makes you sound like the next person, and the next person, then the person after that. It’s colorless and quite often meaningless.

If you’re lost for words here, think about why you are proud of what you do, and how you would describe what you do to your grandparents – without patronising them, of course.

 

 

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How to create a killer LinkedIn profile

by K B , updated on January 27, 2011

Learn how to optimize your LinkedIn profile!

If you’re tired of reading what I write on LinkedIn, come and hear me talk LinkedIn instead. I promise you, I’ll sound so much better if you have a drink in your hand.

For anyone in Sydney, from 6pm Tuesday February 8, I’ll be speaking at the Supper Club in Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. Here are all the exciting details. I’ll be covering what it takes to make your profile jump out at head-hunters and clients.

Come say hi, learn something new, have a drink or two and meet some fabulous Social Media Women.

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