3 unexpected ways to take advantage of a difficult economy to create your successful career

May 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Has abandoned his hopes for the professional who wants to change until the economy is better? While it is true that fewer companies are hiring now, you have some advantages in the beginning of the transition, now that you do not realize.

There is always a positive side, so read on and cheer!

1. Use the longest time to get clear on what you want. When jobs are abundant may be tempting to take a similar job elsewhere that does not provide enough real change to be truly successful, only to look for something else after a year or two.

Even if you do not expect that your move in the next month, start researching what you really want to do, it will bring all to yourself, find meaning and stay with the long term.

2. Build your network and experience as a volunteer. There may be fewer job offers, but organizations still need good people to stay afloat. This can be a good time to put your foot in the door in a field where no direct experience. planning skills, writing, public relations, fundraising, project management, business or event, and other skills are necessary in a multitude of organizations.

If you want to work for the environment, the arts, research, community services and many other areas, may be able to gain valuable experience and connections as a volunteer – then a candidate “in house” when a job that would open for you!

3. Go solo! If you can not find a job, start doing what I want anyway, on a smaller scale. Start a blog or website, put the voice and charge a competitive rate. If you have a passion for something, you’re probably right! As you gain experience you can find opportunities as a freelancer or consultant who would not be open permanently. You may like it so much you’ll need to “shift” when you thought you were alone in a test drive!

More importantly, do not be discouraged. If you become open to the possibility that just might find. It’s always too early to give up what you love. What you got to lose?

Filed Under: Freelancer advice tips

5 Tips for an enterprising mother – mother as freelancer

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Being a mother is no easy task.Sometimes – to be mother is as same as to be freelancer. And while it manages to be a business can become a hell if they do not follow some guidelines to organize their lives as entrepreneurs.

If you’re a mom, you have a business, and your child does not yet know just wipe ass, you might think that we can manage a successful business is complicated. Sure you have friends who have a successful business, and live happily with their families. Staying on top in family life, social life and the life of entrepreneur is not impossible, just need to follow these five tips.

1. Setting priorities

Being a mother is to know to make decisions and set priorities. It is not unlike a business empredender to take decisions and set priorities. Each decision-in any of the two areas, must be taken in relation to our priorities.

If you have not thought about it, now is the time. For example, is important for you to accompany your child to school? If so, the meetings early in the morning will be discarded. At first these little decisions appear to limit their options, but they will allow them to discover others.

Setting priorities will guide day to day decisions made as “mother-entrepreneur” and help them develop a working method.

2. Communication and limits

This point is to communicate and set limits with your spouse, children, employees and anyone who may be affected by the dedication to your business (especially if your office is inside the house).

Be sure to make clear what it is for his office and what not. Communicate their meetings, what time are and if other arrangements need to be managed (a nanny or mobility, for example).

If you do not plan to work on weekends (because that set as a priority) that their customers know. If your customers are informed, respect their decisions. If not, you probably do not want to work with them.

3. Modernization

Mobile telephony is changing the way we do business. If you want to launch your company, you will need to buy a “smartphone.” Immediate access to their email and other information available on the Internet will increase its efficiency in managing their business.

These new technologies will help them better manage their time. They can use Google tools to manage their email, contacts, calendar and documents. GPS functions not to be missed and will always arrive at meetings. Communication tools such as Skype will be useful to talk with customers and colleagues, locally or internationally, at no cost.

4. The office: a machine productivity

Rule: If you are not comfortable in your office, do not work well. If you hate your workspace, migrate to other areas of the house.

For starters, they have to avoid the clutter of documents, get a filing cabinet and a shelf where they can keep all your papers. Note that your computer has a good performance, and do regular maintenance. And get a comfortable chair to endure several hours sitting at work.

5. Regenerate

If you are passionate about what they do, it will be easy to be absorbed by your business, all day, seven days a week. Do not forget to take time for you to get distracted doing something they like.

As usual mom take jobs and commit to help the family. But do not forget they need to take a break, so do not hesitate to go out with friends for coffee or a drink from time to time. Come out with your partner, will be massage, or a movie, or Register at the gym. No matter what business is, what matters is to help renew your energy and focus back to their main tasks.

Filed Under: Jobs

Top 10 reasons to become a freelancer

May 21, 2010 By 2 Comments

Do you find freelance right in that crossroads where you have to decide what direction your life takes job? On the one hand you have a steady job, on the other hand, some freelance work, but not enough to say “I can live it.” What to do?

Nor should we forget the pros and cons of each type of work, stability, holidays, time, pressure, travel or the comfort of home, etc. Perhaps these 10 reasons to help you decide, or perhaps strengthen a decision.

10 reasons to become a freelancer :

10th: To say goodbye once and for all of these co-workers so badly that you fall.

9th: To not hear your boss again wonder why you take so long to go to the bathroom or smoke a cigarette.

8: To manage the schedules to your whim.

7: To avoid having to re-invent the “routine of the sick” to miss a day of work.

6: To make your own decisions.

5: For the only time you’ll be in a cubicle is when you go to the bathroom at a bar.

4: Because I can not stand the ignorance of your bosses or colleagues.

3rd: For being freelance, going to work means walking from your bed to the PC.

2: Because you can have a proper balance for work and your personal life.

1: Because your boss charges $ 200 an hour for your work, but you will pay only $ 20.

Filed Under: Freelancer advice tips, Freelancer job news

How to be effective in the art design of freelance work – mini guide

May 21, 2010 By 1 Comment

For a long time since we read people and it is true that miss their saqui comment on the blog and that makes me really want to write a few lines today.

In this case I want to share with you something that for me was and remains an excellent guide for those who for some reason or other work at home either full time or part time (for having a steady job separately)

Is to work as a freelancer, is working alone and it is here where the effort, desire, willpower, success or failure is directly reflected itself at the end of each negotiation, each product sold or simply each things that make us who we can meet (or not) what we are aiming.

This guide is several years older than the badge, and wrote a person has long admired by the punch that puts you in everything you do.
Leo Prieto back in 2005 counts as were his first steps with the beginning of everything that is part of today I think is rather interesting and serves as an excellent kick to begin with you, order you and be happy working on what you like as you wanted to.

Here 14 recommendations to be considered to be a good freelancer

1. Discipline:
This is by far the most important point. The main error is messy freelancers simply because they can. Work from 1-4 am and after 2 to 5 pm the next day. That will end up killing faster than the cigarette. Do yourself a schedule, 10-6 PM or 2-10 PM. The thing is to have a dedicated time to work, so that the end of day you still have time to get together with friends, going to movies, etc. I recognize that this is the most difficult for me.
2. No work all day:
Remember you now live in your office. It is very likely that your hobby is your job now, so do not worry if you end up working all day. I usually work from 10 AM to 6 PM, but there are days I can stay working until 2 AM. If this happens, put a limit (I would personally max 3 nights a week until 2 AM). Become a schedule! (See Item 1: Discipline)
March. Do not work in your pajamas:
Try to arm yourself an office environment. I do not mean to put a soundtrack of ringing phones, or people typing. I mean I do not work in your pajamas (Mental Note) Take a shower and dress yourself well, not the diver who has used all week. Become a space where you can concentrate to work. I live with my girlfriend, Dana, and I’ve gone so far as to say that for 10 AM to 6 PM and 00 AM to 02 AM (some days are long) I’m in “the office” so you do not tell me “do not wash your the dishes “although technically that less than 10 meters from the dishwasher. I’m not, I’m in the office.
4. Talk to your Mom or girlfriend / or (Bride / or Arg)
Very serious. You live with your mother, let him understand that you need concentration, which is not interrupt you during your working hours. Same if you live with your girlfriend or boyfriend. Ask him understanding and support, since it is the only way to then have time to share. If you’re interrupted every so often, you end demorandote 10 hours to do something that could have delayed three hours, not to mention that you’re done frustrated by distractions.
5. Lock yourself:
If you have the chance or possibility of having a space of your house or apartment where you can lock and disconnected from the rest, take it. Now that I’m in the living room, I have to shut the two doors leading to living so I will not be interrupted. I admit not having chosen the best place, but I prefer a slight distraction post-6 pm (when Dana comes from the U), over 333 buses passing outside my window.
6. Do not forget the phone:
Personally I hate the phone. I feel that the e-mail address is incredibly more efficient, since it does not force you to devote yourself to one thing while doing so. However, I echo the comments that I read about the importance of not throwing the phone. Most of the time is much faster than sending a mail. Use it, returned calls promptly. The same with the e-mail. One of the things that held me is how quickly you answer the e-mails. If I celebrate it, is because there must be common.
7. Charging a fair price:
There will always be someone who can charge more for less than you. Do not try to be cheaper just to stay with that customer. The truth is that if the client wants to hire you are looking for the cheaper option, surely going to be a nasty project. The customer will want exigirte all you can so you are paying, so diligent in setting clear limits and alert you if you leave the plan, you’re going to charge you overtime. Do not be afraid to charge a silver and always speaks in the first meetings. Unless you are starting, do not work for free. I work for free my first two years are nearly complete, for anyone needing a website, the end result was that I already had the experience and background necessary to start charging. Today I have a figure “floor” which is not under me, and I is that when I ask “how much it costs to make a website with you?” I would respond “from (insert magic number).”
8. Deadlines Realistic:
Do not say “tomorrow” unless it’s something in your head will take a maximum of three hours (and have no meetings or other pending projects.) The projects often are delayed three times over budget. So if you can make a website in 1 week and notice within three weeks. The reason is that if you promise to three weeks and you end up delaying one, the customer will be happy and will recommend to friends. On the contrary, if you say 1 week and do you take 3 …
9. Record Everything:
I have had to be in many meetings where service providers fail to take note and you just respond with “I have very good memory, do not worry.” The truth is that I am personally fascinated with lists (like this) because they are guides that help you set you goals. No matter how small they are. If the meeting had 10 points, from “larger degree in two pixels”, once you’re in your house to meet the points, you feel that this move – and best of all, you are doing what was agreed in meeting / email / phone call.
10. Taxes? Isapre – Salud Institution? (It would be like the social welfare in Arg)
Remember that you are now an office. If you can, get a timer to help you manage your taxes and manage your sales / expenses / investment. Also do not forget health. Try to collect enough to have a good health plan. Remember that pierce the costs to the customer. If you need an 8 Mbps connection to work as you require, charged that. Cobra everything.
11. Never designed to earn a Tender:
If you are asked to send a quote / chart proposed budget including my advice is to never do it. In the best case you lost a lot of hours that you never pay, in the worst ideas magically appear in your final project proposal – even if you were the winning bidder. I quit years ago, and never brought me problems.
12. Stay Busy:
If you suddenly see that your customers will have slowed (and who have not responded with the approval of the proposal, because they hope to send you the content, etc), check out more you can do. There is always something outstanding, a touch to your website, these shirts (shirts) you always say you will do but do not even know how much it costs them, go for a walk, bicycling, etc..
13. THE COMPUTER AWAY!
If you do not worry, you’ll spend all day, every day, at home. Whenever I’m cloudy with some project (can not be good to be watching the same thing for 5 hours straight), I got on the bike, or take a walk for 45 minutes and when I’ve been thinking about what I did, my eyes ( and my mind) I can usually be resumed and re-face the project with new eyes. Also serves (if such a hurry) stand from the chair, give a turn for the kitchen and look at things from another point of view (literally, stand in the back of the room, looking from a corner, etc).
14. Do not forget why you do it:
Most people taking the freelance route, is to achieve independence. Do not forget this date free time. Do not work weekends, do not work 18 hours a day (Mental Note.) Otherwise, in the end, the work they did because they loved, it starts to become something you do not love.

I think it’s more than that as they should (or should) take things so that you function as it should someone want to have your own business and if you really are able to work independently.
I hope you liked it that I have long ago as spiritual guide for each project that puts me in the head and would not stop sharing with you

Filed Under: Freelancer advice tips, Job advice

Top 10 Most Searched freelancer Skills for Web Development

May 21, 2010 By 1 Comment

In a time of economic crisis, web developers and freelancers everywhere have started nail biting. However, no matter how much the economy worsens, there will always be work in certain fields of web development are booming.

As moderator of the forum Freelance Switch work, there are certain types of jobs that are constantly in demand. Here are the 10 skills that are or will be most in demand for developers. If you are competent in these skills, you’re in a great position to find work and withstand any economic downturn.

1. Knowledge of a Framework

It appears that the frameworks will become the next fashionable thing. With the meteoric rise to fame on Rails, Django, and other MVC frameworks, developers have learned that they can build websites much faster with the help of these tools. The frameworks will help to shorten most of the repetitive tasks that normally require custom programming. Having the knowledge of the best frameworks (Rails, Django, CakePHP, Symfony, and several others) can give you a whole new dimension to your skill set.

ruby on rails

2. Widget Development

Widgets have changed the way web development is done in recent years. With the advent of widgets, data have become more portable, interactive and, more importantly, viral. In almost all plans for web home pages is the widgets include one or two at some point, mainly because it helps increase their audience and has more eyes to its content.

The development of widgets requires knowledge of Javascript and / or flash, not to mention the regular language knowledge which is built on site.

Designers and developers can always find work by creating or customizing a CMS theme. As the popularity of CMS such as WordPress or Drupal has grown over recent years, so too has the demand for the creation of themes for these softwares.

CMS theme creation

Many people use CMS to enhance their personal websites or business, so this work will always exist. A decent web site needs a unique and usable design that reflects well the brand behind it.

4. CMS customization and plugin development

CMS are great because they give the site owners with little technical expertise the ability to change aspects of your site on the fly with the help of modules. While most CMS platforms have a long list of modules that provide many personal and business sites need more, and custom modules or plugins are the right solution.

Developers can be successful businesses with only the CMS development and customization. Here are some (and are by no means all) of the best platforms to reach CMS could require the development of plug-in and other customizations:

* ExpressionEngine
* WordPress
* Drupal
* MovableType
Joomla

5. PSD to XHTML Services

Another of the most popular skills needed is to convert Photoshop files (PSD) to XHTML files for use in templates. Because designers do not always know how to convert a Photoshop layout template files, a CSS and XHTML ninja can always find work. Due to the variety of browsers in common use now and cumbersome differences in how sites renderer, you want to be a web developer who can build sites that look the same on any browser. This kind of service “design code” is the most wanted of all.

6. Creating plugins in javascript

Very similar to the rise of the CMS and MVC frameworks, frameworks in JavaScript are equally popular. These Javascript frameworks are built with the ability to add custom functionality in modules. If you’re a developer who knows how to build custom modules Javascript frameworks like jQuery or Dojo, you’ll have plenty of work available. Here are some of the most popular JavaScript frameworks that might need to handle.

* JQuery
* Scriptaculous
* Dojo
* MooTools

7. Applications for Facebook / MySpace

Facebook and MySpace have opened their platforms to give developers API access, and demand for social networking applications has been enormous since then. A whole new industry for web development flourished from the overnight, and hundreds of applications now being added every day. It was discovered that the application platform of social media is very viral and potentially very lucrative.

facebook

Some of these applications are built to earn money or to advertise brands, but finally the very successful applications can be viral and if done properly. A strong developer can get a decent income by creating applications for Facebook and MySpace.

Social networks like Facebook require you to learn their own language syntax, such as FBML (Facebook Markup Language) and that this ability has a small learning curve.

August. IPhone Applications

As another group of skills specific to a platform, build applications for iPhone can be very profitable, and very similar to what happens with social media applications, is a great skill for any developer to learn. Make an iPhone application to be accepted into the Apple platform is an excellent opportunity to generate much money or get lots of downloads.

This is something great for developers, because companies are beginning to see the value of developing technologies for iPhone and other mobiles, and consequently will be expecting more and more applications developed in future.

apple iphone

9. Integration with e-commerce

Business web sites will always need integration with electronic commerce. Essentially, if you take a language or framework (PHP or Rails) and merge it with a payment gateway (such as PayPal or Authorize.net), you’ll be fine. I’m predicting that we will see more pay services to free services supported by ads being developed in the near future, as less money is being delivered to the home page.

As the economy turns sour advertising industry begins to tighten a bit, websites that use a revenue model based on subscriptions will start to become more common. Having the knowledge to achieve integration with online banking services like PayPal and Google Checkout will be a great skill to have.

10. Knowledge of Flash and ActionScript

The flash animation can do a lot for a website. Flash can be used to create videos, browsing interesting, entertaining animated sequences, widgets, and many other useful things on the Internet. Flash technology can add a very professional dimension to any website, and websites big corporations always pay for their sites from being professional, responsible and often animated Flash interfaces to display their products. With the searchers working in ways that allow Flash to communicate better with them, this is a skill that is sure to flourish as technology advances browsers.

Conclusions

Learning frameworks is one of the best ways to increase your skill set and your potential job as a freelancer. Whether it is a Javascript framework, CMS or MVC framework, taking the time to learn a new skill can be a tremendous benefit to find work. In addition, owners of web sites pay much money for a development in which to make money, because they see it as an expense which regrets, but as an investment in future earnings. Services such as integration with e-commerce, create applications for iPhone and flash knowledge will also be much needed skills, and people always pay for those skills.

Filed Under: Freelancer advice tips, Web Design tips

Top skills of successful freelancers

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Whether you want to jump into the world of freelancing as if we are seriously considering mounting a small start-up, we need to master a set of basic skills are not learned in textbooks.

Only experience will make us realize that in addition to being really good in our area of expertise, we will be good accountants know how to manage and direct a project and even learn how to deal with defaults and arrears. We show some features that you promote.

Will be the own your own business

The first thing to consider is to take the leap into freelancing means in practice, become the master of your own business, with everything that implies.

From now on all the responsibility will fall on your shoulders which means you’ll be directly responsible for your successes and your failures. On the one hand you have the opportunity to grow and manage your business as you have always wanted, but on the other will have to face new responsibilities for which you might not be prepared.

Remember that as a freelance away the barrier between boss and employee. You are your boss but you are your own employee. Once you assume that this is going to be so, you’re almost ready to leap.

Accounting

As already mentioned in other articles of this series, one of the less grateful task to which all must face is freelance accounting and financial management of your new business.

Although much of this “dirty work” you can put in the hands of an agency, do not be rid of having to record every expenditure you make, manage and sort your bills, learn about where and how you can deduct, keep buying all the tickets, etc. . It’s boring and sometimes frustrating but it is a task which depends on the viability of your new business.

Unpaid claim

As we have indicated in many articles and news, one of the main problems facing SMEs and the Spanish autonomous is the high delinquency of companies and public administrations.

Sooner or later you will notice that some customers take longer than expected payment, and gradually you will become obliged to call that person every week claiming unpaid bills or sending e-mails ” intimidating.

As in the previous case, if things start to go you can always very well without the services of a professional do it for you but … that there is always thankless task.

Human Resources Division

A successful business or enterprise is characterized, among other things, that care about the welfare of their employees. Facilitate the reconciliation of personal and professional life, offer social benefits, more flexible working hours, etc.

In this case you should keep in mind that you are the only human resource of your company, and that is no reason to give up what we indicated in the preceding paragraph. First, you need to know to balance your personal time and your time working, making it very clear from the beginning where are the boundaries.

Among many other things besides worrying you to maintain a productive work space, monitor your health with annual checkups, to socialize with other freelancers and clients, etc.

Project Manager

Whatever your main skills, it is critical that you are able to manage and run a project properly. You will learn to plan, establish a timing and realistic delivery dates, control and balance the workload, etc.

Fortunately today the self-employed and freelancers have a large number of tools that can help to do so. Task managers, planners, calendars, GTD methods, etc. any such program can help bring order to our projects.

Filed Under: Freelancer advice tips
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