How To Stand Apart As A Virtual Job Applicant

A job with a home-based call center or other virtual employer is an enviable position. It’s important to realize that a desire and ability to work from home is NOT considered a skill by potential employers. Home-based employers are looking for good workers that fit their company’s ideals, values, and goals. Make sure that your resume focuses on the characteristics your potential employer is looking for. When writing your resume and interacting with your potential employer, keep the following traits in mind:

Home based workers need to be able to work independently.

Independence is important because when working at home a person has nobody watching them and making sure they are getting their work done. Independence is more than working alone in an office – it’s about problem solving, the ability to think on your feet, and the ability to deal with an irate customer or confused prospect. Most of your calls will be friendly, but the ones that aren’t are the ones that make or break a company. After all, it takes a lot more effort to find a new customer than keep a regular one.

You have excellent communication skills – make sure you use them.

As a virtual employee, you won’t have the luxury of face-to-face interaction. When communicating with your potential employer, make sure that you are professional in every manner. Emails, online applications, and telephone conversations should reflect your personality and enthusiasm for the position you are applying for. Your resume should also focus on these skills.

Problem-solving skills are a key ingredient of home-based work.

Home-based workers have to be able to think on their feet and provide reasonable solutions or answers to questions. You should be able to improvise without going outside of company policies. When applying for a job, ask yourself - What are the customers' expectations? What issues and opportunities will these calls focus on? What specific backgrounds are necessary to speak with these customers? When you write your resume and have deal with any follow-up communications, keep these questions in mind. If they aren’t addressed in the company’s website, consider asking the recruiter when they contact you for an interview.

Show your loyalty and commitment to the employer, not just the job.

Potential employers want to know that you are familiar with what they do, and how they want to do it. As a virtual worker, you will need to be trusted with the company’s image. This means that you should agree with the goals and values of the company and show that you have their mission in mind. Homeshoring companies want their recruits to act as true extensions of their brand. Before applying for a job, take some time to become familiar with the company and their clients, so that you can properly understand the image they want to project to their customers. It will make all the difference if the question, “Do you know what we do and who we work for?” comes up in the interview. (Although it may not be asked so bluntly – your recruiter is looking for an eager, educated individual that took the time to learn all they could to make sure that they are a perfect match for the company.)

Show that you can meet deadlines, pay attention, and follow directions.

If the website says, “no phone calls,” then don’t call. The same goes for emails. It may be perfectly reasonable to shoot off an email to the HR people. “I was just wondering how long your backlog currently is?” Just don’t have hurt feelings if you get no response. After the interview, they may ask you to send them follow-up questions if you have any. This is the perfect time to ask questions about clients, pay rates, and other important job factors. If you are assigned an online task, let them know when you will be able to do it. They may ask you to do it immediately, which means that you’ll need to set aside extra time for the job interview. Be flexible and communicate clearly if you have some sort of obligation during the interview process that will prevent you from completing something on time.

Be yourself. Show your personality.

If you are good with people and enjoy talking, then go ahead and use those persuasive skills in your interactions with the employer – just don’t be excessive when it comes to talk time. If they ask you about your experience with their company or within a certain industry, go ahead and tell them. (For example, if you received a generous bouquet of roses from 1-800-FLOWERS from your boyfriend who proposed, and you accepted, then let them know that’s your experience.) Also, of course, mention any specific experience you have in the industry they serve.

Get familiar with essential work-at-home technology.

You should know how to work with a laptop, printer, and fax machine, for starters. This means that you should also be able to troubleshoot when something goes wrong with your equipment. If not, take a look through your user manuals and learn what to do when things don’t work the right way. As a virtual worker, you should also have knowledge of basic internet security - such as virus protection, firewalls, and spy removal software. You’ll want to set it up to automatically update when you are not at work.

About the author: Melissa Brewer is the proud author of The Little White eBook of Homeshoring Jobs, (http://crysbooth.lwebook.hop.clickbank.net/) a 212 page eBook profiling 178 companies that hire home-based agents for their virtual call centers. She can be reached at littlewhiteebook@gmail.com

How To Plan For Success

by John Colanzi

Marketers come online and they're in such a hurry to
make money, they neglect one of the most essential
ingredients to success.

They don't take the time to put together their battle
plan. They know where they want to go, but they never
sit down and map out how they're going to get there.

They're like ships without a crew. They're tossed to
and fro and have no idea why.

If you're serious about your business, you need a plan.

Your business should be planned like a well thought out
battle. If you haven't got your plan in place you'll
suffer casualties.

You won't suffer loss of life, but you will suffer
losses of:

* Money

* Time

* Opportunity


Just as the well honed warrior prepares for all possible
occurrences, you must be prepared to last through the
slow times, and be just as prepared to capitalize on the
times when it appears you can do no wrong.

The first step on your march to the flag is to decide
who you are. In the immortal words of Shakespeare, "In
brief sir, study that which you most affect".

Know your strengths and know your weaknesses. You'll
never be truly successful until you've first made an
inventory of your-self. You can study all the "How-To's"
and you may even make money, but to be truly be successful
you must have your "Why-To's" in place.

Once you've decided who you are and listed your
strengths and weaknesses, the next step is to determine
how much money you have for your war chest.

Only use money you can afford to lose. As any
professional trader or championship gambler will tell
you, "Scared money never wins!"

Don't mortgage your house or max-out your credit cards
because you've got the million dollar sure-fire winner.

You'll be so busy worrying, you won't be able to think
clearly.

Take money you won't miss and test-test-test. Your
thinking will be much clearer and when your testing
finally hits on a winning formula you'll be ready to
capitalize.

When you've got your winning formula, you should pyramid
your profits to expand your business. A minimum of 50%
of your profits should go back into your business in the
first 6 months.

If you're only using money you can live comfortably
without, you should place 100% back into marketing,
you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the fruits of your
labors!

The final step in your battle plan is to keep a log book.

Just as generals study battles from the past and chess
players study strategies from the old masters, you must
begin your own manual.

Don't rely on your memory!!

In your manual keep every advertising campaign you've
waged. Be as detailed as possible. List what has worked
and what hasn't.

Key your ads to determine where your profits are coming
from.

Test media used, actual ads and sells letters, etc.
Sculpt your business. If your business is based on
profits, the best way to insure profits is the same way
you'd carve an elephant out of granite.

"Remove everything that's not an elephant!"

In your business remove everything that isn't profitable.

Be ruthless with that chisel.

Don't marry any method of promotion, or any one
opportunity.

If you do you'll spend time chasing losses, instead of
accumulating profits.

Put some thought and effort into your plan and you'll
be a step ahead of the competition.

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Copyright (c) John Colanzi.

John Colanzi uses the Plug-In Profit Site
to earn multiple streams of income from
home on the Internet. What about you?...
http://www.getresponse.com/t/243219/

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