Work from Home

The Online Telecommuter’s Portfolio—What’s In Yours?

2006-09-26T11:44:00.000-05:00

By: Sylvie Charrier

Working from home is more than resumes and cover letters. You need to have a professional portfolio if you want to be successful. A portfolio shows prospective clients that you’ve got the “right stuff.” Without it, you’re just another faceless name on a piece of paper. When you learn how to create your first portfolio, you are taking the first step toward growing your career toward success. Let’s get you on your way, shall we?

The most important thing you can do to create a professional image for yourself is to create a portfolio online. Without it, you'll just be sending resumes and employers don't respond as well to resumes as they do to a great portfolio. It really doesn't matter what kind of job you are looking for: If you don't have a portfolio as proof of what you can do, it will be much more difficult to rise above your peers and land a great contract! Portfolios are not just for artists and web designers. Anyone who really wants to work from home should consider putting up their portfolio online.

Let's face it...resumes are boring. Endlessly droning on about past employment and skills is enough to make employers hate reading resumes. But, if you have a nice website with high-quality graphics that portray you as a real professional, employers are more likely to sit up and pay attention to who you are and what you do.

Don't worry! Even if you don't have any previous client projects to display, you can create a wonderful portfolio online.

So, now that we've established that you need a portfolio, what can you do if you don't have any previous client projects to show off? Having a portfolio if you have no experience is the most important thing you can do! Think about it! If your resume is skimpy on experience and you have no projects completed for pay, then how on earth are you going to compete with all those others with tons of experience and a thick portfolio? The answer is simple: dummy it up!

That’s right—get very creative and think up all kinds of dummy samples. Do your best work and show off the skills you've got! Show your entire range of skills in the form of "Examples Only" samples. You aren't lying to your future customers: you are showing them examples of what you are capable of. Employers are typically more interested in what you are able to do for them, as opposed to what you've done for others, so it is important to show them what you can do in the form of dummy brochures, logos, transcription samples, research spreadsheets and other types of samples relevant to the job you're looking for.

When an employer can see what you’re capable of, as well as your commitment to doing whatever it takes to get the job, you’ll find that you’ll be able to quickly replace that dummy data with all the work that you’re getting!

Once you have samples to show off, it's time to create your own online portfolio. There are a few ways you can do this, depending on how you want to put it all together. You can create your own website or post your portfolio on a career builder website. But, perhaps the easiest way to publish your portfolio is to use a professional online service that allows you to host your portfolio online with no need to learn html. This is the most recommended way to do it, especially if the cost for doing it is very low.

No matter how you do it, getting your portfolio online is a must for the would-be telecommuter. By showing the world what you have to offer, you are taking your destiny into your own hands and making the first step toward turning your work-at-home dreams into a reality.

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This article is excerpted from “You Can Work in Your PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com =============================================

Turning What You Love to Do into a Home-based Business

2006-09-23T13:09:00.000-05:00

By: Sylvie Charrier

Do you want to learn the biggest secret that all great telecommuters know and the main reason they are employed full time from home?

The secret is simply that if you want to work from home, you have to change your mindset and realize that you are in control of whether or not you are going to have a job you love. Once you realize that you are the only one who can make the necessary changes in your life, you are giving yourself permission to imagine what it would feel like to have a work-at-home job that you absolutely love.

Let’s explore what makes you tick and what you love to do. See, if you are going to work from home, you might as well do something that you love to do. There's no point in spending time doing what you hate doing or you'll be miserable every day you're doing it. So, let's go about finding out what you love to do so you can find joy in your work!

List Your Hobbies
To discover what you love to do, begin by listing everything that you love to do in your spare time. If you have a passion for cat grooming, put it on your list. If you drool over building birdhouses, put that on the list. Don't dismiss it just because you think it has nothing to do with telecommuting. You may find yourself surprised how even the most peculiar hobby can be turned into a successful home business.

List Your Skills
Now, you need to list your skills. This list should include all the things that you do really well, whether or not you like doing it. Be very precise.

Now that you have your raw list of skills, let's start flexing our creative muscles. To discover your ideal job, you’re going to have to start thinking like a business consultant—you know, those well-paid executives who are paid to come up with creative ideas for other companies to implement. It’s time for you to start being your own business consultant and come up with your own creative niche in your telecommuting career.

Invent Your Own Career
What you need to do is take a few steps outside yourself. Pretend that you are a well-paid executive business consultant that needs to figure out what you do best. Review your two lists very carefully and let your creativity tell you what your perfect career choice may be.

If your favorite hobby is antique furniture refinishing it might not seem like there would be a telecommuting career hidden in there. But, if we look closer, we'll see that there is any number of possible home-based careers that can take advantage of your knowledge of antique furniture. For example,

If one of your skills was writing, you could write a How To Guide on refinishing antiques and sell it as an eBook. You could also write a How To Guide on finding great deals on old antiques and how to spot an authentic antique under years and layers of old paint. If you were an excellent researcher, you could freelance your research skills to antique stores. You could contact antique shops and offer your services as a researcher to locate rare pieces for them to purchase. If you were tech savvy, you could create a series of web templates specifically geared towards antique shops and give them away to antique stores. Of course, you would also offer to modify any template of their choice and maintain their site, for a fee. If you were good at organizing parties and events, you could organize an antique show and involve many of the stores and shops in your area. You could set up a trade show where antiques were showcased and all the stores who want to participate would pay a fee to have their booth at the show.

As you can see, even a seemingly obscure hobby like antiquing can be turned into a work-at-home job when you align your loves with your skills. Are you starting to get the idea now? If so, turn on that little light bulb blinking above your head and get started imagining how you can turn what you love into a thriving and satisfying home-based business.

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This article is excerpted from “You Can Work in Your PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com =============================================

Why Do You Telecommute? Comparing 6 Lousy and 6 Great Reasons for Working at Home

2006-09-20T06:39:00.000-05:00

By: Sylvie Charrier

Did you know that many people have lousy reasons for wanting to work from home? Believe it or not, these same people are often the ones who fail as telecommuters. If you want to work from home, have you assessed whether your reasons are lousy or great? If not, take a few moments to see some of the most typical Lousy versus Great Reasons for Working from Home and then decide if you’re on the right track or not.

Lousy Reason #1: I want to stay home with my children.

Great Reason #1: I want to be able to be more reliable and work harder for my employer. I have children, so I am realistic enough to realize that working from home late at night, on weekends, and during holidays will make me a more efficient worker than if I had to miss work because of my children. By staying at home to work, I can make up for lost productivity by working off-shifts.

Lousy Reason #2: I don't like to commute.

Great Reason #2: I would rather spend an extra 1-2 hours a day working, rather than waste time in traffic. During a typical commute to work, a lot of quality work time gets wasted sitting in traffic, when my time would be better spent doing extra work and meeting tight deadlines.

Lousy Reason #3: I want to make my own hours and work when I feel like it.

Great Reason #3: Standard office hours tend to restrict me. My skills are best utilized outside of the ordinary workday and I am most efficient and focused when I have the freedom to work longer hours than the standard office setting allows.

Lousy Reason #4: I hate working with other people.

Great Reason #4: My personal preference when working is to focus on the task at hand. I find the office setting to be too inefficient for me to truly work to my employer's advantage.

When co-workers spend time chatting and socializing, it interferes with my ability to concentrate and work to my best ability. Although I enjoy socializing, I would prefer to choose my own social situations and leave my friendships outside of the work environment. This, to me, is the best situation for the employers whom I work with, as I am only billing for time spent physically working on tasks, rather than being paid for time spent around the office.

Lousy Reason #5: I want to make a lot of money.

Great Reason #5: I prefer to be compensated for the value of the work I do, rather than restricted to working an 8-hour day. In order for me to truly explore all my talents and expand my financial status, I recognize that I will need to work on many different projects and work with many different clients. This is my best possible opportunity to expand my skills and explore all the different career paths I would like to pursue.

Lousy Reason #6: I don't want to work for a dumb boss.

Great Reason #6: In today's tough economy, working for a single employer is not as secure as it once was believed.

Providing my specialized skills to a number of clients at a time allows me to enjoy greater financial stability, because I am less concerned about losing any one particular job.

I do recognize, however, that each of my clients are my bosses. I simply choose to work for many bosses, rather than just one.

Although I have my own business and can choose my clients, I recognize the importance of treating each of my clients with the utmost professionalism and courtesy. This is critical to my success as an independent contractor.

Once you have taken a look at your reasons for becoming a telecommuter, you can better determine whether you’re in it for the right reasons. Some people just aren’t made for working from home. There’s no shame in that reality, but it’s best to find that out before you cause yourself all kinds of anguish and heartache. Good luck in whatever you choose to do from wherever you choose to do it!

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This article is excerpted from “You Can Work in Your PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com =============================================

Work-at-Home Done Right: You Need a Website!

2006-09-18T18:17:00.000-05:00

By: Sylvie Charrier

Does this sound familiar? You’ve set up your home office and you’re ready to start telecommuting. You’ve gone through your checklist: you have fancy business cards, a good computer, sharpened #2 pencils, but it feels like you’re forgetting something. Do you have your website up and running?

“My website?! I’m supposed to have a website? Uh oh.”

For many telecommuters, having a website is the difference between feast and famine, projects galore and idly twiddling your thumbs in front of game of computer solitaire. If you want to be a success, it is vitally important to have a professional website—a good-looking, informative site that represents your skills, talents, and showcases your service offerings.

If the idea of creating a website makes you break out into a cold sweat, don’t worry. The truth of the matter is, whether you make it yourself or have a professional take charge, creating your website can be a fun and satisfying experience. Before you start stressing about it, let’s take a look at how easy a website can be by reviewing the basic elements your site will need to catapult your home-business into the black.

The first step you'll need to take is to either design your site layout or purchase a professional template at a very low cost. The Web is filled with reasonably priced templates and services. Let your fingers do the walking and you’ll quickly find that a template or web designer is much more affordable than you might have feared. With template or designer in hand, you’ll like want to include the following pages on your site:

Home: This is your home page or the main leading page of your site. You should include a couple of brief paragraphs about you and focus on making this an introduction of who you are and what you do.

Services: This page will be another doorway page that links to each of your service offerings. On this page, you will briefly describe and link to each of your service offerings. For many in the telecommuting world, your Services page is the heart of your website. For that reason, you’ll want to think about including answers to the following types of questions on your Services page:

What benefit will this service provide to your customer?

Why would they need this service?

Why hire you to do it instead of getting someone who is already on staff to do it?

Do you have client testimonials to make your service more appealing to your prospective customers?

Do you have a price list for your services displayed? No one likes to hunt for prices, so be clear about how much you charge for your services.

Resume: This page will feature your resume in web format. You should also upload your resume in plain ASCII text format and Word format so your prospective employer can download it.

Contact: This page will provide your contact information. If you are uncomfortable about giving out your address online, no problem! Listing just your city, state, telephone number, and email address will do the trick.

Products: This section is optional and only applies if you sell products. If you do, then use a Products section to feature whatever products you sell. Use the doorway page method for best results.

Congratulations! You’ve just finished creating your first website. You have just also just guaranteed yourself a greater chance for telecommuting success! However, simply having a website is not enough to assure yourself of success. In addition to your hard work and dedication to the client, you’ll now need to start promoting your site to the world. Take it one step at a time and you’ll find your dot com success in time at all!

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This article is excerpted from “You Can Work in Your PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com =============================================

Marketing Your Work-at-Home Website in 4 Simple Steps

2006-09-17T14:13:00.000-05:00

By: Sylvie Charrier

Attention fellow telecommuters: If you thought just having a professional website was enough to land you more business than you could handle, think again. Just having a website is pointless if you don't let people know you exist. That’s right: you need to market your site. But, don’t worry; you won’t have to spend your hard earned of dollars on advertising. Believe it or not, there are simple, little-known, and—best of all—free techniques you can start using today to effectively market your website to your target audience. See instant results in your home-based business and discover how easy advertising can be with these top 4 ideas for marketing your work-at-home website.

Market your site using search engines

Everyone wants to be at the top of the search engine rankings, right? And, everyone wants to know the tricks that will get them there. The down side is that no one seems to agree with what works for every search engine. It can be downright confusing! To give yourself and your site a fighting chance, you’ll need to design for success.

Make It Relevant! Start by designing your site correctly. Use your most important keywords—the ones that best describe your products and services—repeatedly throughout your site. This helps search engines determine the relevancy of your site when someone is searching.

Meta Tag It! Use proper meta tags within your code. Meta tags are snippets of HTML code that “talk” to search engines and tell them what kind of content you have on your site. The better you can talk to the search engines with your meta tags, the better chance of a higher listing you’ll have.
Submit It! Submit your site URL to the top search engines on the Web. Don’t get fooled into paying for a service to submit for you. Manually submit your site to the most used search engines (e.g., Yahoo, Google, Excite, and Lycos). Be patient. Search engines can take up to 4 months to list your site. If you want immediate results, keep reading…

Pay Per Click It! While not free, Pay Per Click advertising is the most effective way to get your site to the top of the search engine list in a matter of minutes. With Pay Per Click companies, such as Overture and Google Ads, your site’s ad shows up whenever someone searches on the keywords you’ve chosen. If they click on your ad, you pay the company a few cents per click and you're all set. Instant top listings in the search engines! You can’t beat it!

Market your site using discussion boards

Discussion boards are online groups where people who enjoy the same things get together and talk about them. Topics are unlimited! To market your site on discussion boards, start by visiting boards that relate to your business. Take a front seat as you learn about your colleagues and customers. And, when you’re ready to jump into the conversation, share your thoughts with the board.

How does this help promote your site? By simply adding a "Signature Line” (or "Sig") at the end of your postings, you will be able to advertise your site and what you do. A Sig is simply your name plus a little tagline about who you are and how you can be contacted (e.g., via your website).

Discussions boards and Sigs are the perfect place to get the word out about what you do without spending a dime.

Market your site using reciprocal link exchanges

Reciprocal link exchanges are a wonderful way to generate a lot of traffic for your site, but most importantly, increase your rankings in major search engines.

Reciprocal linking is the internet's version of "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours." The idea behind it is that you have a website about a specific topic and on your website you provide a list of complementary or similar sites that you enjoy. In return for driving traffic to their sites, you ask those sites to display your link. The more websites show your links, the more likely that search engines will place your listing towards the top because your site is popular. Win-win!

Market your site using articles

This technique can place your name and website in places all around the web for years to come. And, it couldn’t be simpler to get started. All you have to do is write short informational articles, between 500-750 words, on relevant topics to your business. Articles should be helpful to your readers and not blatant advertisements for your business. Submit the articles to the many free article posting sites (like www.goarticles.com) and give the right for anybody to post your article anywhere they please as long as they keep your byline (or Sig) in tact. Then watch your articles spread across the internet like wildfire. Interested parties (read “prospective buyers”) will see your articles and expertise and will flock to your website to learn more about you and the services you offer.

No matter how you go about it, marketing your website does not need to cost an arm and a leg. In fact, with just these simple 4 techniques you can begin marketing your products and services like a pro and watch your sales increase with every passing day!

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This article is excerpted from “You Can Work in Your PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com =============================================

How You Can Work from Home without a Computer

2006-09-15T06:45:00.000-05:00

By: Sylvie Charrier

When I broke on to the telecommuting scene, I was just that…broke! Life had dealt me some tough cards: I was divorced, on welfare, and had three small children to support. Believe me, telecommuting wasn’t a choice, it was my only hope. If I worked away from home, the day care expenses alone would have run me into the poorhouse. I didn’t even have a computer, but I knew I had to make money from home and I had to figure out a way to do it fast. Frankly, I was totally overwhelmed.

But, wait a minute; I’m not here to share my sob story. I am here today to share my success story and insider’s tips to help you take that next big step toward controlling your financial future. We all experience hard times in our lives; times when it feels like the whole world is trying to knock us down. You know what I’m talking about, right? Each of us has our own personal success stories as to how we got out of that tight jam. I am here today to let you know how anybody—even a simple gal like myself—can take the cards life deals us and turn them into a winning hand time and time again. And, yes, that means that you can do it, too!

And, what’s more, you can do it without a fancy degree, without getting suckered into the latest “work-at-home” scams, and—yes—without even having a computer of your own. There are so many great opportunities out there for you. Hopefully, with a little help and a little chutzpah, you’ll be sure to turn the next hard hand life deals you into a winner!

When I first started looking for ways to work from home, I decided not to focus on what I didn’t have. I chose instead to take a look at what I did have. I was a hard worker. I was creative. I was committed to doing excellent work. Little did I know at the time, but these were the very traits that every telecommuter needs to possess to be successful.

Here’s how I put these traits to work for me and how you can do the same:

Stay Committed. Looking for a telecommuting job can be frustrating. When it feels like you have to do it all on your own, it can be really daunting. To avoid being totally overwhelmed, I decided to set smaller daily and weekly goals for myself. In time, my persistence paid off and I started making more money than I ever imagined possible. Many people give up quickly. Set goals for yourself and stick to them. If you stick it out, the jobs will come. Persistence is the name of the game.

Never Pay. There are many work-at-home sites on the Web that ask you to pay for jobs. Before you plunk down your precious cash, think about this: Can you imagine walking into a job interview and being asked to pay $25 just to be interviewed? Of course not! The rules that apply in the “real” world also apply in the work-at-home world. Never pay for a job. Remember, you are the one looking to get paid, not to pay somebody else. At all costs, trust your instincts and never ever pay for a job!

Be Creative. When I started my business, all I had to my name was a telephone and a typewriter with a sticky E. I assessed what I was good at doing and realized that I loved talking to people. So, I picked up my phone book and started calling companies in all kinds of fields. I offered my services to them as a leads generator. I agreed to be paid only for the calls I made that led to a lead for their salesman to close. I started making money immediately. That is to say, get creative. Assess your strengths and brainstorm ways you can make these strengths work for you. Even your phone can be turned into a business!

No Computer Required. In today’s Web world, it seems like everybody has a computer. But, do you know what? You don’t need a computer to be successful in your home-based business. It’s true. When I started out, I decided to make my simple typewriter work for me. I went to my local university and posted flyers advertising term paper writing services. I would work with students “scribbles, notes, textbooks, scratchpads” and type up their reports. Believe it or not, I made $10,000 in two months! Computers are so reasonably priced these days, so there’s no excuse—buy yourself a basic model and get typing today!

Believe me, there are real home-based jobs out there today. The simple truth of the matter is: What will separate you from the pack and allow you to begin your successful journey toward financial independence and lifelong satisfaction is hard work. Assess your strengths. Be creative. Trust your instincts. Stay committed and work hard. The future is yours. Are you ready?

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This article is excerpted from “You Can Work in Your PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com ===============================================

Telecommuters Listen Up: How to Create the Perfect Work At Home Resume

2006-09-14T11:41:00.000-05:00

By: Sylvie Charrier

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Learn the tips to write the perfect work-at-home resume. Did you know that your resume for home-based jobs must be completely different than a resume you would use for an onsite job? Your resume for a telecommuting job has to be your main sales pitch. It says everything the employer needs to know to hire you, so having a professional image is very important. You may never have the chance to sell yourself in person with an interview, so you need to make your first impression a good one!

The standard resume has a goal of landing you an interview, while the telecommuter's resume has the goal of landing you the job. You need to include more information in a compact format that sums up your most important assets and employment history. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to include in your resume if you want to start working from home.

Objective This section provides a one paragraph overview of what you want in a job and what you can offer the employer. This is the first thing an employer will read, so make it snappy and exciting! Be sure to omit the typical "I want to work from home so I can be with my kids" paragraph that some people think are a good idea. There are some very good reasons to avoid these statements like the plague! You need to focus on the highlights of your skills, rather than focusing on your desired location.

Overview or Summary This section should be a bulleted section which briefly outlines your relevant skills.

Keywords One of the most important parts of a successful telecommuter's resume is the keywords section. Many large employers have a resume scanning program which scans in your resume without anyone ever actually reading it. Create a section called Technical Experience or Skills and make a list of every software program you have ever worked with, including those freeware programs you downloaded and played with.

Employment History The most common section of any resume is the employment history section. This is where you have the chance to say where you worked and what you did there. The common format employers are used to seeing is the chronological format, with the most recent position listed first. Feel free to be excited about your experience. Use a lot of action words to describe what you did and how you contributed to the success of the company you worked with.

Education Outline your educational background here and provide an overview of what you enjoyed most about the courses you took.

Interests This section is completely optional. In this section, try and make a note about interests that relate to your work. Some employers are looking for what kinds of things you do outside of work, but try to stay focused on things that relate to what you do, like reading or research on the web.

Once you have your resume completed, you’ll need to save it in a variety of formats.
You will need a formatted resume, preferably created in Microsoft Word (the most common word processing application) to send as an attachment only if the employer has specified it. You will also need this to apply by mail or fax. If you are looking for more than one type of job description, be prepared with different resumes for different occasions. Your resume should focus on the type of job you are applying to.

You will need an ASCII text resume to paste into an email or online application. If you rely only on your Word-formatted resume, employers may never read it. Some email programs will automatically delete any attachments, so avoid sending your resume as an attachment if you can.

You should also have an online resume that is created with meta tags firmly established. Some employers and recruiters search the web for skilled personnel who have their resume posted, so make sure yours can be found online!
There are many telecommuting positions out there if you know where to look, but professional image to the employer. Don't forget the importance of a good cover letter and have a few different ones ready to send out to land the telecommuting job of your dreams!

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This article is excerpted from “You Can Work in Your PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com ===============================================

The Art of the Cover Letter: Writing the Perfect Telecommuter’s Letter

2006-09-10T07:13:00.000-05:00

By: Sylvie Charrier

Cover letters are a critical ingredient commonly missing in most telecommuters' applications. Creating a great telecommuting cover letter is immensely important to your potential for getting the job! It is the very first thing a prospective employer sees when you send in your resume and, without a great cover letter, you may as well not bother applying for any job.

However, you can't just write any old cover letter like you would for an onsite job. You need to include very pertinent information when you are applying for an offsite job. Beyond the basics of every good cover letter, let's look at some of the specifics that are involved in writing the perfect telecommuter’s cover letter.

To Cover or Not to Cover? Always include a cover letter. Even if the posting didn’t ask for a cover letter, it is best practice to always include one. Many employers have been known to use this small thing as a test that weeds out the unprofessional applicants. All professionals automatically know that a cover letter is critically important and worth the extra time invested.

"To Whom It May Concern" Is a No-No. When addressing the recipient of your telecommuting cover letter never write “To Whom It May Concern.” For the most part, jobs you find online (as opposed to jobs you find in your local newspaper), will include the name of the person you are supposed to send your application to. If this information is not included, it’s time to do some research. Find out who is in charge of human resources and address it to that person. You will most likely find the name of their HR Manager listed on the company website. When you are inserting a name like this, make sure you address your cover letter to "Dear Mr. Doe or Mr. Doe's assistant." This way, you cover your bases if the person reviewing the application is different from the Mr. Doe you located on their website. If you don't find a name, only then use Dear Recruiter, Dear Hiring Manager, or Dear Sir/Madam.

Where Did You Hear about Us? In the first paragraph of your letter be sure to let your reader know where you heard about the position to which you are applying. Many times a company will be advertising in numerous places for numerous telecommuting jobs; by including this information right up front you will help direct your letter to the right place should there be any confusion.

Drop Names! As an independent contractor, you will definitely grow your business much faster if your own customers are willing to vouch for you and make recommendations about their business associates that may be hiring. When you have satisfied customers, don't be afraid to ask them if they can think of any of their business associates that may need your services. If they say "yes," then make sure you get the name of the person they have in mind and send a cover letter to their associate, mentioning the name of your customer.

Sell, Sell, Sell…Yourself! Before you begin writing your cover letter, you need to take a few moments to research the company and what it does, think about how you will be able to fit in to their company, and point to specific experience you have that pertain to this particular job description. This is your only chance to make a fabulous impression! Remember, you aren't trying to see if you want to work for the company. You have already decided this when you decided to apply for the position. You are trying to prove that the company will find you indispensable! So, make sure you really go above and beyond the norm to impress this employer in this paragraph.

Close in Style. The close of your letter is as important as the opening. It’s important that you close confidently and with style. Be sure to let your reader know what your desired outcome of your application is (e.g., an interview, a meeting, a chance to talk to decision makers). The closing is your chance to leave a positive parting impression, so be sure to thank the reader for his or her time and to sign off graciously.

If you take the fundamentals of quality cover letter writing and add in these telecommuting tips and tricks, you’ll quickly find that your applications are getting noticed and the jobs are rolling in more and more abundantly. Writing the perfect telecommuter cover letter takes practice, but—in time—you’ll master the art and have more business than you ever imagined possible.

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This article is excerpted from “You Can Work in Your PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com =============================================

3 Steps to a Better Career:

2006-09-09T13:29:00.000-05:00

Finding Your True Talents to Work from Home for Life

By: Sylvie Charrier

Did you know that you have an untapped source of revenue at your very fingertips? It’s true, but there’s no need to look too far for it because that source of revenue is you! If you’re ready to uncover the hidden skills inside you and leave the rat race of work-at-home job boards behind, then you’re definitely in the right place.

The key to your success as a telecommuter is that you need to understand how very easy it can be to become full-time employed from home without having to fight the masses of other work-at-home wannabes. The key is in coming to the right employers with a pre-packaged set of very specific services to offer based upon your core strengths and skills. Instead of waiting for jobs to pop up on the internet, where you'll have to compete with thousands of other jobseekers just to get the job, you need to understand that to become a truly professional contractor, you can bring your set of skills to the hiring table to create your own jobs! When you know what to say to employers and how to offer your defined services in answer to their needs, you can begin writing your own ticket.

When thinking about your core strengths and skills. Additionally, you need to think about very specific applications for the skills you already have and not the vague and generalized lists of skills that are so often placed on resumes. Your goal is threefold:

1. Create a list of your most specific skills. Assess your core strengths. What do you do really well? In previous jobs, what do employers count on you for time and time again? What kind of jobs really inspire you and get you motivated to give your best? Be sure to think through all of your abilities and list them all no matter whether you think it relevant or not at this point.

2. Connect your specific skills to pre-planned services. To begin writing your own ticket, you will need to create an inventory of services that you can provide to customers. Rather than responding to their job ads, you can go to a business and present your specific services. Soon enough, businesses will be coming to you rather than the other way around. Believe it or not, when you tie your core strengths to specialized services, you become an incredibly hot commodity. No longer are you competing with the countless masses scurrying around for the work-at-home scraps, you’ve become a legitimate business in yourself.

3. Locate the right customers who want your services. This step is definitely the key that brings it all together: you must find clients who need your services (whether they know they need them at this point or not). If you’re wondering how to go about doing this, the answer is simple: Research and trial-and-error!

Once you’ve created your specific set of services, it’s time to research any and all of the potential clients within your field of expertise and/or who might need your service. Once you’ve found your demographic, it’s time to convince these businesses how working with you can benefit them.

For example, if you have a strong skill set as a desktop publisher and you’ve designed a host of services that help small businesses create a more professional image (e.g., through letterhead, fliers, signage, advertisements), then you can begin by simply targeting small businesses in your community. If you have a pre-packaged proposal that lays out the benefits of improved marketing and presentation materials to small businesses, samples of your work, a pricing plan, and an implementation strategy, you can quickly convince many small business owners right in your own community that they need you and your services.

It takes hard work, preparation, and courage, but—if you really apply your strengths with what you love to do—you can create a business for yourself that allows you to serve others while helping yourself build your own dreams. What are you waiting for? Your success begins today!

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This article is excerpted from “You Can Work in Your PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com ==============================================