25 Jun 10 Freelance Writing and Work hours

This is one of the most common questions asked by freelance writing aspirants. They want to know if a freelance writer has to work from morning till evening, or just couple of hours a day will be sufficient. Another thing that bothers them in this regard is when one should write? These are valid questions, and need proper consideration before you embark on the freelance writing ship.

When to work?

There is no definite answer to this question as one can work whenever one wants as long as one meets the given deadline. I know many freelance writers that write in the morning, right after they wake up. Upon asking, they told me that writing in the morning is more fun as the mind is fresh and ideas keep coming.

I also know freelance writers who work in the deep darkness of the night. They feel they can produce good quality work in the night as there is seldom any distraction at that hour; no phone calls, no people coming over to meet, and kids and wives remain asleep then.

There are freelance writers who want to work during the day because for them working regular hours – from 9 or 10 in the morning till 5 or 6 in the evening – and maintaining a fix work schedule is important. They feel by working a regular hour they can take time out for family.

There are people who say they do not have any fix timing. They can work randomly at any hour without compromising the deadline or quality of the work to be delivered. They believe that the “hour of the day has no effect on their output”.

All of the people I talked to are excellent writers, and they produce excellent output for their clients. In the light of discussions I had, I believe working hour is not important. What is important is the quality of the output and timeliness of delivery. I must mention here that I do not endorse “working random hours” , as it affects the quality of output.

How long one has to work?

This depends where you are in your career and what your financial goal is. If you are starting out then you have to work long hours to meet your financial obligations, but if you are a veteran then you can work just for 3-4 hours and meet your financial goal, provided it is not very lofty.

I know people who worked for 15 to 16 hours (even more) when they started out, but as they gained experience and got good paying clients they reduced the number of working hours.

If you are starting out as a freelance writer then expect to work for more than 12 hours in a day, but as the time will pass you can reduce this to 4 to 6 hours a day.

Tags: Career, Darkness, Definite Answer, Distraction, Financial Goal, Freelance Work, Freelance Writer, Freelance Writers, Freelance Writing, Proper Consideration, Quality Work, Random, Regard, Timeliness, Valid Questions

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06 Feb 10 A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – VII

You have tried everything from being cool to begin smart to playing your age to hiding it. You even tried offering discounts and accepting cuts, but have you tried your connections?

Yes, I am taking about connections. Personal connections. If you do not believe it works then come over and see what I have to show to you. In this article, you will see how connection plays a role in getting you the job you deserve, and almost the pay you deserve—well, almost because you may have to give in for pay cut. So, let’s get started.

Give everything

Are you wondering how this topic made it connection part of the series? Well, it shouldn’t but I am mentioning it near the top of this post because giving your 100% is required. It is not an option, not anymore; you have to do it. Give everything you got to convince employer of your eligibility, and your connections of your suitability for the job you are asking recommendation. Do not hold anything back.

Use your personal connection

Back in your youth when you were working, you worked with many individuals: you worked for some people, you worked with some people, and some people worked for you. If you are not D.B. Ross who intimidated everyone working with him, I am pretty darn sure that you got some connections that are still in the business. Ask them for help. They certainly will help you out. You can even ask people whom you knew but never worked with for leads and job interviews. It will go a long way.

Talk to your ex-employers

Ex-employers are the people whom you worked for in the heyday of your career. These people knew you will go places, and these people will understand that you have lost a job not because of your ability—because they have witnessed your work themselves—but because of something else. They will pop their hands out and pull you onboard. They will do it even if you were not such an extraordinary employee. They will do it just because they have known you for so many years, and they believe that you will not let them down.

These three tips will play a critical role in getting you the job you need.

Tags: Career, Heyday, Job Guide, Job Help, Job Interviews, Job Search, Leads, Lost, Personal Connection, Personal Connections, Plays, Ross, Search People, Smart, Suitability

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22 Dec 09 Handling The Hobby Section Of Your Resume

The hobbies section of your resume can be a tricky one. Because the main importance and the way you are being judged is resume wording and style, hobbies should be handled carefully. While most people will be scared off adding a hobby section to their resume, you really shouldn’t be. As long as you know what to write, the hobby section can be another way to sell yourself. Another great little window into why you’d be a better employee than the other applicants as it were.

You should absolutely use your hobbies to illustrate skills that you have that can come in handy on the job. So only use hobbies that apply to your career, so to speak. If you play videogames a lot, you’re going to have trouble making that one come through, so an employer gains more interest in you. So stay away from hobbies like that, and stick to outgoing proactive hobbies. Anything that gets you out, as a positive force, and that likely showcases your leadership or problem solving abilities.

Remember to keep your hobbies job related, otherwise you’re just wasting space and an employer’s time, with content that doesn’t matter to them. The idea of this section is to help them learn about you, and why you would be a fantastic employee. So limit your hobbies to 2-3, so that you have a short but informative section. This is just a little place to sell yourself, don’t drone on for too long.

That can’t be stressed enough, you absolutely don’t want a large hobby section. Otherwise the rest of your resume will look worse off because of your hobbies. Also, never let your hobbies section be the reason your resume spills over to a second page. You want to keep your resume at page length, and if you can’t do that with a hobbies section, it’s better to go without.

Tags: Career, Drone, Handy, Hobbies, Hobby Section, Informative Section, Job Related, Leadership, Reason, Resume, Showcases

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25 Jun 10 Freelance Writing and Work hours

When to work?

How long one has to work?

06 Feb 10 A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – VII

Give everything

Use your personal connection

Talk to your ex-employers

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