By: Nell Taliercio

Chances are your job search will entail much more than applying for just a couple different jobs. It will be vitally important that you have a tracking system in place. Don’t relay on memory; you’ll need to keep track of which jobs you applied for; if you received a response; and also record all follow up information.

Some people prefer to use a spreadsheet to keep track. Set up the column headings listed above and just be certain to keep it updated. One benefit of using a spreadsheet is that you can easily sort it by different columns. You may want to keep it alphabetized by company name; or by date applied.

Yet others would rather utilize folders within their email program. The only real downside is that you may have to create an email to yourself because some companies have an online form for you use. Send yourself a message that says “I applied to ABC Company today”. If you do send any correspondence via email make sure you BCC yourself so you have an electronic paper trail.

One of the simplest tracking techniques is to create a Word document. Take advantage of the strikethrough option under fonts; or color code pending jobs. Entries could look something like this:

1. ABC Company, abcco.com 6/1/06, from Telecommuting Moms, acknowledgment 6/20/06, still pending.

2. Wally’s Widgets, wallyswidgets.com, 6/1/06, thanks but no thanks 7/02/06

3. Excellent Enterprises, job@excellentent.com, from local press, 6/4/06

19. Auction Alley, aa.info, found on Craig’s list 7/16/06, follow up phone call 8/3/06

20. St. Elmo’s Society, no web, Sue told me about it, 7/17/06, follow-up email sent 8/15/06

34. XYZ Company, xyz.com, 9/26/06, from Telecommuting Moms.

The method you choose to track your job searches is not important; it’s the actual data that will be most valuable to you. To get the most benefit from your tracking, keep the following data: job name, company name, company link, where you found the job, when you applied, and when you heard back.
Even if you’re not typically an organized person, you’ll need to be for your job search. By keeping track you have something tangible to see on days when you’re feeling discouraged (it’ll verify that you’ve been busy!). You can also reference the dates in your follow-up communication, “On August 12, 2006 I applied for the position of …. I am still very much interested in this position, etc.”

Don’t give up. Job searching can be a daunting task. However you can’t win if you don’t play. Your efforts will be rewarded!

Nell Taliercio, the Telecommuting Answer Lady, owns http://www.telecommutingmoms.com where you can locate legitimate work at home jobs and practical advice to start your work at home career tomorrow!

Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com

By Vishal P. Rao

There are many mistaken definitions of what telecommuting means. The very name gives the impression of someone answering work telephone calls from home or typing furiously away at their computers.

Traditionally, telecommuting meant that an employee was linked from home to their company’s computer network. But today telecommuting is much broader than that and really includes anyone who does even a portion of his or her work at home. This can include the computer or telephone work the name implies, but it can also mean researching, working on drawings, or performing other types of information analysis. Telecommuting really is as simple as a person working from somewhere outside the office.

There is also a misconception among many of today’s workers that you have to own a business to work from your home. This just isn’t always the case anymore. More and more people are able to perform their jobs from home. Now more than ever the business world is realizing the variety of benefits telecommuting can have on companies and their personnel. Exactly what are the benefits of telecommuting?
Here are just a few:
1. Less time for commuting means more time with the family.
Even if a worker’s commute is only 30 minutes each way, which isn’t much in today’s business world, not having to take this commute can add an extra 5 hours a week an employee can spend with his or her family. This is 5 hours the employee wasn’t previously working or doing personal things. Just 5 hours of dead time during the week getting from one spot to another.

2. Telecommuting can also provide a person with the ability to handle personal appointments without having to take entire days off.
Employees can take an hour or two through the day to go to doctor appointments or school conferences close to their homes and simply make up the time later in the day. This can equal higher productivity for employees.

3. Less commuting can reduce an employee’s costs.
For many of today’s employees, the price of gas and car maintenance is on the rise. These costs associated with going to the office can be greatly reduced by telecommuting even a couple of days a week. Many workers today even say they would take a job making a little less money if they had the opportunity to telecommute. This can truly be a win-win situation for the employer and employee.

4. Less distraction equals more work.
It’s no secret that often the hardest place to work is at the office. There is a world of distractions there ranging from ringing telephones to chatty co-workers. Even telecommuting part of the time can reduce these distractions and make work more efficient. And if everyone comes to the office at least one common day a week, meetings and review sessions can be held on this day and the rest of the week left for more intense work.

There are some challenges to telecommuting for both employees and their companies, but if you really want to telecommute most of these can be handled with a few simple strategies:

1. Communicate.
If your employer feels face-to-face communication is important for your business, suggest that all of the employees come to the office on at least one common day a week. Meetings can be held on these days, and you can go over what you’ve accomplished while on your telecommuting days.

2. Set and track goals and progress.
One of the biggest fears of employers when it comes to the idea of telecommuting is that they don’t have any way to monitor what the employee is doing through the workday. It takes a lot of trust to assume an employee is hard at work when they are out of the boss’s sights. Help eliminate this concern by coming up with ways to track and share your progress. This will also help you make sure you are making the most of your opportunity while still fulfilling your work responsibilities.

3. Delineate between your workspace and your personal space.
It’s just good practice to have a spot designated for your work. Even if it is the kitchen table, set yourself up in the morning and pack your things back up in the evening when work time is finished. This will help you stay on track when working, and not be tempted to work when it is your personal time. It will also serve as an indicator to your family of when you are working and preferably not to be disturbed.
If you are looking for more information on telecommuting, such as how to approach your boss with the idea, you can contact The American Telecommuting Association for some more information.
They sell some booklets on telecommuting topics, but their site: http://www.knowledgetree.com/ata.html also has free information available.

Vishal P. Rao is the editor of Home Based Business Opportunities- A website dedicated to opportunities, ideas and resources for starting a home based business. He also runs the Work at Home Forum-an online community of folks who work at home.

By: Sylvie Charrier

If you’re tired of searching for those elusive, legitimate work-at-home jobs, it’s time you became a super sleuth as you find the jobs no one else is looking for.

Looking for telecommuting work can be a full-time job in itself! However, the telecommuters I’ve met who have been most successful don’t spend much time looking for work. Their biggest success and skill is that they know exactly where to look, they don’t waste time researching the wrong places, and they don’t spend time applying for jobs they know aren’t legitimate. They are, very simply, highly-targeted and efficient jobseekers who know what they want and they know how to reach out and grab it!
You can be one of these skilled jobseekers too, if you learn a few simple tricks to cut down on your time wasted in the pursuit of the wrong job types. Here are the top 3 ways you can fine-tune you job search for total success.

Know what you are looking for

As silly as it sounds, many job searchers throw a wide net out into the world and just hope that a good-sounding job might come up. To make the best use of your time, you need to determine a) what you really want to do, and b) choose your list of search terms carefully before you start searching online databases or search engines so you can target the types of jobs you want.

Have all your materials ready before you search

Make sure you have your resume, cover letter templates, and portfolio samples ready to go before you start searching. This will dramatically cut down your time and allow you to simply apply for positions and contracts instantly, without having to spend a lot of time fiddling with your materials. Remember, you’re not making any money when you’re searching for jobs, so you want to be as productive and prepared as possible.

Choose your search tools carefully

With the number of work-at-home scams out there, you need to be incredibly cautious when choosing your search tools. To help get you started, we’ve listed some of the most popular search tool types and how best to use them.

Work-at-Home Job Databases.

Select 2-5 trusted and reliable work at home jobs databases where you can search each day for the positions that are listed and updated regularly. Make sure you are familiar with how the sites work so you can narrow your search to only new jobs posted today. Do not spend more than 10 minutes a day searching work at home jobs databases.

Freelance Project Boards.

Select 2 reputable and free or low-cost freelance project posting sites, where you can scan for new projects posted that fit your skills. Have all your materials ready beforehand and don’t apply for projects you aren’t entirely familiar with. Never apply for jobs you aren’t qualified to do. Do not spend more than 10 minutes a day searching freelance project boards.

Standard (Mixed) Job Boards.

Select 1 high-traffic mixed job board. Use only your pre-selected search terms to find the jobs you want. Do not spend more than 5 minutes a day searching mixed job boards.

Local Newspaper Classifieds.

Locate your city’s online version of the career classifieds and run daily searches, being very careful not to waste time applying for any kind of “pay to work” scheme. Searching your local classifieds is an excellent way to get home-based employment, but there can be a lot of scams to filter through, so make sure you know the difference. Do not spend more than 5 minutes a day searching your local classifieds.

Once you’ve put in your 30 minutes, spend the rest of your day working on projects! If you don’t already have a job, then spend the rest of the day learning a new skill, networking with potential clients, building a home-based business, or volunteering your services to worthy charities. Using your unpaid time wisely will lead to lots of opportunities to get work. Hard work always draws more hard work to itself. That’s the way life is, so get busy and watch the work come in!

This article is excerpted from ”You Can Work In Your PJ’s”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting http://www.inyourpjs.com/