Using LinkedIn — A Must for Freelancers

from FreelanceSwitch - The Freelance Blog by FreelanceSwitch.com

Sometimes freelancers don't use career tools because they think that these resources are only geared for job-hunters and corporate ladder-climbers. But some career tools are just too good to pass up, and I think LinkedIn Recommendations is one of them.

LinkedIn lets colleagues leave a positive review about you, and vice versa, which looks wonderful on your profile—but the benefits go beyond that. In the freelance business, testimonials are gold because it shows the depth of your capabilities and lends credibility to your name, too. If you have not done so already, it's time to start using this powerful tool to help boost your image and even get gigs.

Build your network, and then get friendly.

Once you create a free profile, you can use the search tool to find old associates and even search by company for people you used to know. The sky is the limit; add as many people as you know because a profitable networking connection can be anywhere—as can a good recommendation.

Specify your connection.

When you recommend someone (it's easy, just click "Recommend This Person" at the top right side of their profile) you'll need to say how you know the person. That's why it is important to have your profile completed; it will ask you which job you held when you interacted with the person, which is great if they forget how they know you.

Request a recommendation.

There's nothing wrong with messaging someone to ask if they can recommend your work. However, the key is to only message them once about it and not repeatedly ask—and of course, to be polite about it. It is okay if you're not in the position to recommend someone and you ask them anyway, but I try to ask people that I think will offer a mutual arrangement. (Honestly, I haven't had to request recommendations because so many people simply reciprocate once you endorse their work.)

Write a testimonial.

When you want to write a commendation, try to do it from a "good karma" kind of place; that is, don't get mad if you don't get an endorsement in return. It's important to pick people you truly believe in and write a useful review for them. Try to go beyond "She's very nice," or "He's very organized," and get into detail a bit.

For example, talk about a sales presentation you collaborated on and note that it produced a 50 percent increase in profits. This is just an example, but you get the point. The more of a customized feel, the better, I think. Remember: When someone else is looking at this person to hire or retain their services, they'll want to hear a bit about what makes them stand out; so be sure to keep that in mind as you write—just as you'd want them to do for you.

Get testimonials from unexpected sources.

LinkedIn provides a platform to get recommendations from those that may not otherwise give you one. Why? Because when you give a glowing review to someone, they're likely to pay you back. No amount of email messages asking, "Can you endorse me?" can do that. That's why I always take time to recommend someone I think deserves a pat on the back. That's also why you should be adding all of your clients on an evolving basis—you can build relations and possibly get a testimonial in the meantime, as well as possible future referrals.

The power of copy/paste.

Once you get a testimonial, it is a fantastic idea to copy and paste it onto your website or portfolio. This way, people that don't see your LinkedIn profile can still see what others say about you. (Likewise, include a link to your LinkedIn profile on your website or at your portfolio. Many people also put it in their email signatures.) I try to only use relevant recommendations elsewhere. Also, you may feel comfortable letting that person know you are using their words elsewhere, which is something to consider before getting copy- and paste-happy.

"But I work solo. I shouldn't have to network with anyone."

So what if you don't have much of a network and think this tool is pointless? I assure you, it's not. Even if you don't have a lot of acquaintances or colleagues starting out as a freelancer, you will have a place for them to find you—and you to collect their information—once the projects roll in and your network grows. (I always recommend that college students create a profile while they are still in school so they can keep tabs on professors and fellow students when everyone scatters after graduation.)

If you're past the entry-level stage, keeping track of old colleagues and friends also provides that "you never know" networking possibility—as in, you never know if a former associate will need your services or refer you to someone who does. And yes, you can use them to glean recommendations!

Once you get into your career and start hopping around among others—especially like freelancers bounce around—you'll be able to have one central place for all of your contacts. Then you can start mining recommendations, and the benefits of those are endless.

Kristen Fischer is a copywriter and author from New Jersey. Visit her on LinkedIn here.

Create a Log to Keep Track of Your Job Search [Job Search]

from Lifehacker by The How-To Geek

If you've submitted more resumes to more places than you can possibly remember, it's time to start keeping a log of where and when you've applied to each job.

Keeping a log is simple enough—you can create a spreadsheet with a list of the jobs you've applied for, the contact name, when you submitted your resume, whether you've followed up yet or not, and even the web site. Once you've put together your nicely organized list, you will be able to more easily tell when you should follow up with another email, or give them a call.

If you don't want to create the spreadsheet yourself, Microsoft has a handy template that you can use—Excel 2007 users can simply use the New Workbook option, type in "job search" into the templates search box, and download the template right there—otherwise you can download the template from the Microsoft Office site.

While you're at it, make sure to check out our top 10 tools for landing a better job, learn how much money you should ask for, and check out a few tips for negotiating your salary more effectively.

Got any tips for your fellow readers on how you are keeping tabs on your own job search? Share them in the comments.

Job Search Log [Microsoft Office Online via Lyte Byte]

10 Answers You Should Know Before Your Job Interview

from Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life by DLM Writers

With the competition keener than ever and the economy in a slump, you need to prepare for your job interview thoroughly. It's no longer enough to offer a firm handshake to your interviewer, make eye contact, and nod pleasantly now and then. You need to prepare a dynamic application letter and resume. You need to research the company. And you need to present a confident image and develop the ability to answer tough questions on the spot.

Although no one can predict the questions your potential employer will ask, you can think about how you'd answer some of the commonly asked ones. Here are ten questions for you to consider and a few hints about how to answer them:

1. Tell me about yourself.
   Chances are the employer doesn't want to know how much you weighed when you were born, when you learned to tie your shoes, or how much you had to drink last night. He or she wants to know how you would fit into the company and what your relevant job experience is. You might answer by asking the interviewer what he'd like to know. Or you might talk about your education, the fact that you're a team player, or whatever you think might be important to this particular company.


2. Why should we hire you?
   Even though five people may be waiting outside, you need to sound confident, calm, and capable. Explain how your experience has prepared you for the job. Emphasize the qualities you think the employer is looking for, such as your outstanding work ethic or the fact that you're a fast learner.
   


3. What is your worst characteristic?
   Some human resource specialists suggest that you make a virtue sound like a flaw. "I tend to be a perfectionist," or, "Everyone says I work too hard." But others say these answers have become clichés. Mention a minor flaw, such as, "I think I'm too outspoken at times, but I'm working on it."


4. Where do you want to be five years from now?
   Let the interviewer know you're looking for job stability and that you aren't planning to use this job as a temporary stopping point in your quest for a better position. You
   could say, "I'd like to be employed in a small company like this one, where I can learn,
   contribute, and advance."
   


5. Why did you leave your last job?
   Never put your former employer or your co-workers in a negative light. Don't blame them for your departure. Give a positive reason, such as you left to take advantage of another opportunity that was better suited to your skills.
   


6. Tell me about a problem you had in your life and how you solved it.
   Be prepared with a short answer that shows you're resourceful. "I really wanted to go to a private university, but my parents didn't have the money. I went to a community college for two years, worked part time and saved my money so I could attend the last two years at the college of my choice."


7. Have you had difficulties getting along with supervisors or co-workers?
   You'd have to be a saint to have had no problems with the people you worked with. You might answer, "Nothing major. I try to get along with everyone."


8. How do you deal with stress on the job?
   The employer wants to know if you're going to run out the door when things get stressful. Ask yourself if you thrive on working with deadlines or if you need creative time to function more effectively. Think about how you handle stress and be honest. "I focus on the work I'm doing," or, "I make time to work out at the gym."


9. What salary do you want for this job?
   Rather than stating a definite figure, tell the interviewer you'd expect to get somewhere in the standard range paid for this position.


10. Do you have questions for me?
    Always have a few questions. They show that you researched the company. Ask about a
    current issue the company is working on or how their recent layoff in another department
    affected company morale.
    

Remember-- the job interview is a two-way discovery process. By doing your homework and answering interview questions intelligently, you're striving to prove you're the person for the job On the other hand, you need to decide--sometimes in the midst of the questions---if the position you're applying for is what you want to do and if the company is where you want to spend most of your time for the next few (at least) years.

Written on 6/2/2009 by Mary Ann Gauthier. Mary Ann is a writer and an adjunct instructor of English in a private college. She helps her business students with job application letters, resumes, and interview questions and is working on a book on the therapeutic aspects of journaling.

Photo Credit:  slushpup

Facebook Offers Vanity Addresses

from WebWorkerDaily by Charles Hamilton

Written by Charles Hamilton.

Facebook users have probably seen the notices that from 9:01 pm Pacific Time tonight, the site will offer personalized addresses, like this:

http://www.facebook.com/your.name.here

If you have a fairly common name and want a vanity URL, it would be a good idea to get in early. Not everyone is eligible, however. Anyone who has just joined the site will be required to wait until June 28 to sign up for a custom address.

Organizations with Facebook Pages will be able to register a vanity URL only if their page was live on May 31 and had more than 1,000 fans at that time. Others will also need to wait until June 28. Trademark owners can prevent others from registering a protected name, however.

Such sites as LinkedIn, Twitter and MySpace have offered custom addresses for some time. With Facebook growing 8 percent in May, it seemed inevitable that Facebook would join the party.

Will you and your web clients be staying up late tonight to register a vanity URL at Facebook?

Are You Doing Business In The Cloud?

by Thursday Bram

All of my email addresses are directed to my Gmail account. Most of the documents I need on a daily basis are on Google Docs. I've been slowly moving towards living in the cloud. In a way, this has been very good for me: I can access just about everything I want, whether I'm in my office, at someone else's office, a friend's house or anywhere else with an internet connection. But there are downsides. If something happens to one of the services I use, I'm up the proverbial creek — and the same is true if something happens to my internet connection.

Business In The Cloud

Keeping personal data in the cloud is one thing, but uploading the information you rely on to earn a living is an entirely different matter. The benefits are huge. Just the ability to pull up files while visiting a client's office can make the difference in landing an account. But risks go hand in hand with those benefits — the likelihood of something happening to your data in the cloud is about on par whether it's personal or work-related, but the consequences can be far more complicated.

So far, it's been difficult to determine whether the risks outweigh the gains. Working from the cloud can be incredible: with just a netbook, you can often access everything you need for a project from half way around the globe. A business will to upload files to the cloud can make it much easier to work with telecommuting employees, along with clients who may need easy access to information. It doesn't hurt that many online applications come with a price tag that makes the cost of the software many companies currently rely on absolutely laughable.

Personally, I've found that moving my own work into the cloud has made a major difference in my ability to work on projects. I can work just as easily from a coffee shop as from my office. There were no barriers to me moving my work into online applications, though: if I had needed a supervisor to sign off on my choice of applications and whether they were online, getting to the point that I am now might have been almost impossible.

Getting The Okay

Depending on who you work for, moving into the cloud may not be a simple matter. If you're self-employed, you must reassure yourself that your information will be safe in the online applications you plan to use. That sort of reassurance can include:

• Security: If you're placing any sort of sensitive material online — financial information or files your competitors would be very interested in looking at — you'll want to double check that each application you use has sufficient security measures in place to protect your data.
• Backups: In the event that something happens to your data online, you'll want to make sure that you have a backup in place — even if that means manually downloading your data on a regular basis. Remember, not even Gmail works perfectly every day.
• Contingency Plan: Making sure that you have access to your information goes beyond creating a backup. If you're planning a presentation that relies on a file you've saved to an online application, for instance, have a contingency plan in place in case you don't have internet access or you're not on a computer with the right software to use it.

All that is necessary just to make sure that you're able to work in the cloud effectively. If you're adding an employer to the equation, though, things get more complicated. At a bare minimum, you'll have to convince your supervisor that your idea to work in the cloud is not only effective but will clearly help the company.

When it comes to working in the cloud, the "better to beg forgiveness than ask permission" approach seldom works. If you're thinking of taking even a small amount of your employer's information into the cloud, I'd recommend against it. Some employees sign contracts specifically stating that they will not share information with a third party — which can include Google Docs. Others get issued a company handbook stating essentially the same thing. That means uploading information to the cloud could constitute a firing offense if something goes wrong.

That doesn't mean that you can't convince your higher ups to move into the cloud, though: it just means that you're going to need to be able to reassure them on issues like security and backups before you even think of uploading one file.

Are You In The Cloud?

Have you already moved into the cloud? If so, it would be great if you'd be willing to share in the comments how you addressed the issues that go with keeping important information in the cloud. Personally, I stick with a handful of trusted sites, and I still have a few pieces of information I don't put into the cloud. For instance, I keep my financial records on just one computer in my office.

I do know some people who simply aren't interested in moving any of their work into the cloud, for one reason or another. If you fall into this category, it would be great if you'd share your comments on why, as well. Is it due to one of the concerns I listed above, or another issue altogether?

How to Ask for Work Without Looking Desperate

from FreelanceSwitch - The Freelance Blog by FreelanceSwitch.com

A recent thread on a forum I follow centered on how to ask for referrals to new clients. Some posters mentioned that they are reluctant to ask their existing clients for referrals because they don't want their clients to know if they're struggling. And they don't want to ask other freelancers, because they don't want their competition to think they're weak. I admit that I sometimes grapple with these concerns, but existing clients and fellow freelancers can be great resources for referrals.

Here's how to make the ask without making yourself look desperate:

Choose the right time and place.

Several months ago I attended a potluck dinner where one of the other guests mentioned that she designs and sells jewelry. Before I knew it, she'd poured hundreds of little beaded necklaces on the living room floor and asked if anyone was interested in buying. From one creative to another, my heart went out to her, but I didn't come to the dinner to buy jewelry. Several of the other guests felt uncomfortable with her unexpected sales pitch, and she didn't sell anything that night. Perhaps if we'd seen her jewelry on Etsy or gone to a craft fair, things might have worked out differently. Instead of cornering someone at a social gathering and giving them the hard sell, ask for their card and follow-up in a more appropriate time and place.

Be proactive.

Don't just tap into your network when you need new clients. If you see an ad for a fashion blogger and think it might interest one of your freelance pals, send her an email. If you hear that a client you've worked with just got engaged, drop her a line to congratulate her. If you read an interesting article about social media trends, forward it to your friend the web consultant with a short note. No need to mention your needs or availability in every correspondence. Make this about them. You can ask for favors later once you've built some goodwill. In fact, sometimes just reaching out will result in unsolicited leads.

Don't settle.

If you're really hurting for work, you might be tempted to make broad, sweeping statements like, "I'll do anything! I can code or write or even water your plants." Resist this urge. I sometimes update my LinkedIn status to things like "researching socially conscious marketing companies" or "on the lookout for women-owned businesses that need a freelance copywriter." Isn't that simply broadcasting desperation? One forum member asked me. I don't think so, because I'm not begging for any old copywriting project. I'm looking for something specific, and if that resonates with someone in my network, great. If not, no harm done. I also mix up my status with updates on new projects or travel plans, so people in my network know I'm not constantly looking for work.

Give them an out.

You don't want to bog down your request with too many phrases like "hope this isn't too much to ask" or "I know you're really busy," but remember that no one is obligated to help you. They might choose to help you out, but don't make it awkward for a colleague or client if they dodge your request. Maybe they are really busy or can't think of any colleagues who need your services.

Show some gratitude.

Whenever someone offers a lead, even if it doesn't pan out, be sure to thank them. I appreciate creative thank you's when I do a favor for another freelancer, and I'm sure clients appreciate it, too. For instance, one writer sent me a jpeg of a cake as a sign of her gratitude when I helped her break into a new market, another sent an ecard. In addition to thanking the other person, you might offer to return the favor. A willingness to reciprocate ensures that others will want to help you grow your business now and in the future.

8 Tools to Find Someone Online

 

by Thursday Bram via [lifehacker.com]

Finding a way to contact someone has gotten a lot easier: just type their name into Google and follow a few links. For many people, you'll quickly find a profile on Facebook, a blog or even an email address you can use to get in touch. But a Google search doesn't turn up good results for everyone. Maybe the person you're trying to reach has a fairly common name. You may need a tool a little better than a simple Google search to find him.

1. 123people

123people provides a good start when you're looking for someone online. You can type in just a first name and a last name and get pictures, phone numbers, email addresses, Amazon wishlists, websites, documents and more. It turns up a lot of search results for relatively common names — or names that refer to someone famous in addition to the person you're looking for. The only drawback to so much information is that it can take a little while to search through it all and find the specific person you're searching for.

2. Pipl

Pipl is a free search tool, although it brings in results from several other sites which do charge for access to particular records. Between those various sources, Pipl turns up a good number addresses and phone numbers, along with links to public records, online mentions and other useful pieces of information. Particularly helpful is Pipl's ability to search withing a specific city, state or zip code. If you know the geographic location of the person in question, you'll be able to narrow down search results to that area.

3. YoName

If you're confident the person you want to find has a profile on some social networking site, a good search tool is YoName. The site searches across a whole list of different social networking sites, from big names like MySpace to less common options like Webshots. The results can take a little time to look through, but the process is made easier by the fact that they're laid out in a table — you can browse through it quickly.

4. Zoom Info

Zoom Info is particularly useful if you're looking to connect with someone at their job. Search results include job titles and employers, along with locations. The site offers a 'contact this person' button, but requires you to sign up for a free trial in order to use it. After the free trial, using that button and some of the site's other features cost $99 per month. If you're willing to do a little more legwork by calling up the company listed and seeing if you can ask for a direct number or email address, you can generally skip paying that fee.

5. Jobster

Jobster's main focus is searching for jobs, but it also offers a tool to search for individuals. In most cases, it's used for employers and recruiters looking for leads — but it can offer up some contact information that can help your search. A few other job sites offer a similar opportunity, as well.

6. Inmate Search

Unfortunately, you may find yourself in need of Inmate Search — while the site isn't pretty, it includes a list of contact information for each state's system for finding inmates, as well as the federal system. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of options for searching all states at once, but if you know the state the person you're looking for might be incarcerated in, you can speed up the search process.

7. Intelius

To access most of the information available through Intelius, you'll be asked to pay a fee. The site offers everything from phone numbers to complete background checks and actually can have useful information. I have purchased information from Intelius in the past and it did lead me to exactly the person I was looking for. However, I know the price tag (often starting around $40) can be off-putting, especially if you're only casually searching or if you need to find information on a long list of people.

8. Zaba Search

I know many people who swear by Zaba Search when it comes to searching public records for free. I've had minimal luck on it myself, but if you're having some difficulty, it may be worth a try. The reverse phone look on Zaba Search is particularly problematic — the site actually uses Intelius to look up phone numbers, which charges for the information.

Other Options

There are more than a few other options for searching for people out there. These eight are just options I've actually used in the past. There are also a lot of specialized search tools, like if you're trying to find a person's criminal record or you want to look for someone who works for the US government. You can also check social networking sites individually — most search tools that cover social media focus on larger sites, and ignore the smaller ones, along with forums and message boards. Unfortunately, there's still not a particularly good tool for searching such sites — even if you're willing to pay. You're left with essentially searching those sites by hand.

The drawback to the options listed above is that they all primarily focus on the U.S. I've had little luck finding resources for international searches. If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments.

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Thursday Bram blogs about a variety of topics, from personal finance to small business. She is the author of an upcoming book on the tools and tricks you need to build a career you can take with you during long-term travel. More information about Thursday and her book, Working Your Way Around the World, is available on her personal site, ThursdayBram.com.