Best of Today: 9/8/2010

I had the idea to do blog posts for each day that are kind of like "Google News" -- they give you a brief summary & a link to some of the best "found" content I came across today.

Here's today's top 5 + 1 bonus:

• Annemarie Cross blog post: Find yourself spying on your competitors? Have you fallen into the competitor comparison trap?
• Melissa Cooley blog post: How to deal with good friends that send you bad job listings.
• Tim's Strategy article: How to promote a conversational job interview.
• Barbara Safani
  
  blog post: Functional Resumes Should Be Renamed Dysfunctional Resumes
• >ResumeBear blog post (good "101" for new resume writers): Optimize Your Resume: Write a Convincing Summary
• BONUS: Blog post by Career Alley: Restarting Your Job Search When All Else Fails – Vol 1

>Let me know what you think about this blog post ... and whether you'd like to see more of this...

Survey: Affiliate Marketing

What if you could add revenue each year to your business with very little work? That's the promise of affiliate marketing. I'm doing a free teleseminar for Maria Hebda's "Career Experts Online" series on the topic on Sept. 22. Will you take 2 minutes and help me by answering a few questions in my survey?


I'll be compiling the survey results this weekend, so *do it now!!!*

Take the survey here. (Nine short questions; average response time is just under 4 minutes, according to QuestionPro, the fabulous online survey software program I use to manage my surveys. And no, QuestionPro does not currently offer an affiliate commission.)


Thanks to those who have already responded to my plea (via e-mail, Facebook, and/or Twitter)  to take the survey.

Legitimate Work-at-Home Opportunities to Recommend to Clients

In researching this issue for a client, I came across some *legitimate* work-at-home opportunities for folks. (Updated 8/17/16)

These include:
Alorica (formerly West)
SYKES (formerly Alpine Access)
Telereach
Enterprise Rent-a-Car 

As with any other job opportunity, remind your clients to investigate the position thoroughly ...

There is also a discussion board for West folks on the Work-at-Home forum.

The blog on Work at Home Moms has a state-by-state listing. Here's Nebraska's.

Xerox has made a serious commitment to allowing about 10% of its workforce to work from home. Check out available positions here.

Also check out Amazon's work-from-home jobs. Some of them are seasonal.

Also, if you are a resume writer who is looking for work at home (subcontract) opportunities, purchase my "Making Money as a Resume Subcontractor" Special Report. It lists several dozen subcontracting opportunities, including qualifications, type of work performed/specialties, turnaround times -- and, for many contracting firms, pay.

What's Next?

There are a couple of natural, built-in times each year for resume writers to re-evaluate themselves. And re-evaluation of yourself and your professional life/business are essential. The first is New Year's. Just as our clients make New Year's resolutions, so should resume writers. You already know how important goal-setting is to your personal and professional development, so I won't harp on it.

The second is the Fourth of July holiday. Coming mid-year, this is an ideal opportunity to you to evaluate your progress thus far ... and to take another look at those New Year's resolutions.

The third is the Labor Day holiday. Summer is ending, and you get that last chance to re-evaluate your progress and chart a plan to meet your goals for the year. That's what I'm doing this weekend, and I came across a great list of questions from branding expert William Arruda in the Reach Personal Branding newsletter. (Sign up for your free subscription on their website.)

Here are the three questions he advises you answer:

• What's my next move for my career?
• Which of my greatest strengths is most differentiating for me, and how can I integrate that strength into everything I do every day?
• What one energy-zapping activity can I stop doing when I return to work?

All great questions -- and ones that I advise that you take just a few moments to consider.