20 Nov 09 5 Places to Look for Freelancing Gigs

Until now, the world economy had been suffering from one of the worst financial crises we ever faced. Companies were getting bankrupt, employees were getting fired, and those who were lucky to survive were facing salary cut. Such was the situation. Nothing looked promising, but there was one thing that was on the rise. It was outsourcing business.

Outsourcing the job to the independent freelancers worldwide was on the rise, and it continues to gain momentum, as companies have seen that they can get good quality work at a fraction of cost that they paid to full-time writers. This was one good thing that came out of the recession. People, despite having all the required skills, were not getting any job, therefore, they turned to freelancing.

If you are late to join and do not know where to start then this article is going to help you start your freelancing career. In this article, I will tell you about places where you can look for freelance gigs.

1. Online freelance exchange: Freelance exchanges (or freelance boards) such as Elance, Guru, oDesk, Lime Exchange, GetAFreelancer, etc., work as intermediaries. It provide platform for buyers to post jobs, and service providers to look for job based on their ability. A freelance exchange is a good place to start with, as the payment is more or less guaranteed on the work secured from these boards, and for that they charge commission.
2. Blog Job Board: Blogs like Problogger has a dedicated section where companies post freelance gigs.
3. Freelance forums: There are many freelance forums where new freelance gigs are posted every day, you should register to one or two of them and start visiting regularly.
4. Craigslist: Use the keyword search tool of craigslist to look for local or global freelance gigs. You will find a lot of work listed here.
5. Twitter: Of course twitter. This micro-blogging platform provides a potent search tool for freelance gigs as well. Like Craigslist, freelance gigs are getting posted on twitter, every hour.

I know many people who have benefited from the place I have talked about above. Just do a preliminary research before committing to anyone of them.

Tags: Blogging, Business Outsourcing, Craigslist, Financial Crises, Fraction, Freelance Gigs, Freelancers, Full Time, Guru, Intermediaries, Keyword Search Tool, Lime, Momentum, Quality Work, Recession, Salary, Service Providers, Time Writers, Twitter, World Economy

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11 Aug 09 7 Personal Finance Tips for Switching Job

There is a common belief that, if you stick in a company for long, you are crippling your chances of getting a rewarding career. You may get the promotion, but the raise that accompanies the promotion is never decent; hence, one should switch the job as soon as a better opportunity peeps round the corner. In this article, I am not contesting this assumption; all I am doing is telling you what all to consider when you think about changing your job.

Do not get tempted by the shine of a dollar

Higher salary is worth the chase but, not at the cost of quality of work. Do not run after higher salary alone; consider factors like quality of work, work environment, future prospect, career growth, and available opportunity to learn before hopping from one job to another.

A perfect shot requires a perfect timing

If you are expecting a raise in salary after the annual appraisal in March, then wait till you get the hike. This is wise because, the salary you will get after the hike will become a new bottom-line from which you can negotiate even higher salary in the new job.

Do not settle for suitable-for-all CTC (cost to company)

CTC is a misleading term, so, do not forget to ask about the salary breakup, and when you find yourself stuck in the situation where two companies are offering same CTC, go for the one which gives more cash in hand. Always remember, you can negotiate the salary breakup of CTC; why not exercise the option?

Respect the notice period

Notice period is not just one of those laws that mean nothing. Do not take notice period lightly. Companies do sue their employees and seek compensation, which usually is higher than what an employee is paid in a month, if someone leaves the job without serving notice.

Tax Issues

I know, tax is a dreaded word, but one still needs to think about it. Get all your tax deduction papers and other related documents from your previous employer before switching your job.

Insurance coverage

If you were given medical, travel, or any other insurance by your previous employer, make sure, you get it from the new company as well. This will save you a good some of money, which otherwise will go to pay yearly premium.

Employee stoke ownership plan

You should ask your company, if you can encash the stock that you were given as a reward for your continuous hard work or long stay. You should also negotiate stock options in the new company.

Tags: Assumption, Belief That, Bottom Line, Career Growth, Chase, Cost Of Quality, Finance Job, Future Prospect, Insurance Coverage, Misleading Term, New Job, Notice Period, Perfect Shot, Perfect Timing, Personal Finance Tips, Rewarding Career, Salary, Serving Notice, Tax Deduction, Work Environment

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08 Aug 09 Keep Your Personal And Professional Lives Seperate

One of the keys to being successful at work is remaining stress free. One of the keys to staying stress free is being able to relax, and a good way of being able to relax at work, is knowing how to separate your work life from your home life. Too often, especially in the corporate world, your personal life can be completely devoured by your professional life, becoming a never ending battle that can leave you incredibly stressed, and underperforming in both halves of your existence. Knowing how to wind down and keep the office located strictly in the office is one of the most important tenants in life.

What you need to do first is define your personal life in general. Everyone is going to have a different opinion on what work means to them. If you find yourself more career oriented, in which climbing the business ladder and increasing your salary are the most important things to you, then you’ll have to account for having less personal life in favor of more time to work. Whereas just making a comfortable amount of money that allows you to pursue your interests is more the style where your personal life needs to be protected from your professional.

Make daily lists of what you’ve completed and what you haven’t completed at work that day. This way you can target the problems that you’ll need to work through the next day, thereby getting them out of your way so that you don’t have to be forced to think about those problems long after you leave work. Organizing yourself will allow you to leave your plan for working through your job related problems at work, so that you don’t need to be considering those things long after you’ve left the office.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t have time to complete a project. If you’re more personal life oriented, don’t feel guilty if there are times you could stay later at work to complete something, but you’d rather be spending time with your family. As long as it’s not something that affects your job performance on the whole, it’s okay to put something on hold in favor of your personal life, and you shouldn’t feel guilty just because you want to pursue your own interests over your work interests.

Finally, just make sure you always make time for your private life. Some days you can lose yourself in your job, counteract this by putting in time on you daily calendar for yourself. Whether it’s seeing a movie you’ve been waiting for after work, or going on a date, or just spending time with your family, mark it off on your calendar so that you’re aware of what you want to be doing. Always make time for yourself, because work isn’t everything in life, and even if you need to mark that on your calendar, just don’t forget the fact.

Tags: Amount Of Money, Existence, Important Things, Job Related, Ladder, Personal Life, Professional Life, Professional Lives, Relax, Salary, Spending Time With Your Family

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20 Nov 09 5 Places to Look for Freelancing Gigs

11 Aug 09 7 Personal Finance Tips for Switching Job

Do not get tempted by the shine of a dollar

A perfect shot requires a perfect timing

Do not settle for suitable-for-all CTC (cost to company)

Respect the notice period

Tax Issues

Insurance coverage

Employee stoke ownership plan

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