While browsing through freelance writing job ads this morning I came across one on Craigslist that impressed me. So many of the freelance jobs out there are super basic. They are about writing keywords. They are about generating how to guides. These jobs can also be smart and challenging but it just intrigued me that there’s a job out there that really asks you to go above and beyond to do some smart research and smart writing. I’m actually not planning to apply for the job for various reasons but I wanted to share the ad because I loved how smart it was!

“EvolvedEmployer.com is looking at corporate responsibility from a new perspective. It’s not about marketing and it’s not about greenwashing – it’s about attracting and retaining the best workforce possible. We need experienced freelance writers to research and analyze what today’s Fortune 500 companies are doing to keep their best employees happy in an era of dual career households, new technologies, global footprints, and a growing focus on the planet. Are you a great writer with industry contacts? Please send a resume and writing sample. Experience in HR, Diversity, Training, Talent Management, CSR, corporate sustainability, corporate philanthropy is desired but not necessary.”

Do you see many jobs advertised that really ask you to think?

Tags: employment, freelance jobs, smart jobs

I think that one of the most important things that you can do as an employee or business owner is to find a way to make your job unique. You should focus on developing a specific niche, habit or approach that sets you apart from the competition. This may seem impossible in some jobs but if you get creative then you’ll find that you can be unique even if the job that you have is a common one held by many other people.

For example, there are some really cool underwater jobs that would fall into this category. Underwater modeling, underwater photography and underwater welding are all examples of this. After all, there are thousands of people who do modeling, take photos or work as welders. The number of people who do those same jobs underwater is just a fraction of that. Simply by looking at a new location for their work, these employees set themselves apart from the crowd.

Another example might be the person who works as a server in a restaurant. That’s a common job so how would you be unique about it? It might be in the way that you approach your customers – for example, you could have a little song that you sing each time that you approach the table. Or it could be in developing a special talent – you might become known as the person who can juggle full water glasses. Whatever it is, it needs to make you stand out as someone who does the job in a unique and interesting way.

Of course, it’s important that you do your job well. That’s probably more important than being unique about it. But once you’ve mastered the skills of your job position, you should make sure that you go further and create a niche for yourself. This will make you more marketable and more valuable as an employee. And it will probably make your work a lot more interesting to do!

How could you set yourself apart from the crowd? In the comments here, feel free to let us all know what you do and how you could do it in a more special way!

Tags: career, employment, hubpages, kathryn vercillo, niche, underwater jobs, unique job

How many people who work five days per week would love to go down to only a four-day work week? Doing this gives you a three-day weekend every single week. This allows you to really recuperate from your work and get time to do the things that you want to do. But how can you do it?

Here are some ideas for cutting back to a four-day work week:

• Work 10-hour days. The easiest way to maintain your lifestyle while reducing the number of days that you work is to continue to work forty-hour weeks but to do so with ten-hour days.
• Switch to a salaried position. Try to find a job that allows you to get paid based on the amount of work that you do rather than the number of hours that you put in. Be productive during those four days and you can take the fifth day off without compromising your job position.
• Reduce your financial needs. If you can find a way to reduce the amount of money that you need then you can pay your bills with a three-quarter-time job position. Most companies still allow you to retain your health benefits if you work over 30 hours per week.
• Start your own business. It’s a lot easier to make a schedule that works for you when you’re your own boss. If your current job isn’t going to allow you to reduce your work week then maybe you should start a business that will!

Are there other options for taking a three-day weekend every week?

Tags: employment, four-day work week, job, kathryn vercillo, time management, work

One of my articles on productivity was recently featured in a blog carnival. There were a lot of other great posts in the carnival that you might want to check out as well. The carnival is all about internships, careers and employment so the articles all relate to business in that way.

My post was about employee monitoring. It was included in the general employment section. Other posts also included in this section were on the following topics:

• Leadership
• Interviewing
• Social Media
• Improving your writing
• Toughest jobs in America
• Getting promoted
• Working from home
• And even avoiding jury duty

There were also other posts related to jobs and internships. This is such an important topic right now so hopefully these articles will be useful for people!

Tags: blog carnival, business, employment, kathryn vercillo, monitoring, productivity

Most people do the work that they do in order to earn an income. And the majority of people wish that they earned more than they do for the work that they are doing. However, there are things that matter more to employees than earning money does.

Some of the top things that employees care about more than the amount of money that they’re making are:

• Job security. People want to know that they’re going to continue to have the job in the future. This is especially true during the recession when people are really worried about potential layoffs.
• Job mobility. People like the idea that they have some freedom. They want to be able to change positions within the company or to relocate to do the same job from a new place.
• Respect in the office. There are many aspects to this. Employees want praise. They want to be trusted. They want their voices to count in the development of the company.
• Benefits. Employees may do a job that doesn’t pay well if it gives them other perks and benefits.

Wages do matter. People need to make enough to maintain their lifestyles. But money isn’t the most important thing that a job can offer to employees which is something important to keep in mind if you are an employer!

Tags: business, employees, employment, income, money, pay, wages, work

Most people say that they want to be happy at their jobs. I feel the same way. But you know what I’ve been thinking about lately? I kind of like the fact that freelancing from home allows me to be grumpy when I feel like being grumpy. I don’t ever have to put on a happy face just because I’m at the office. Now, I’m naturally not a very grumpy person but it’s nice to be able to just feel however I really feel when I’m working. Not all people are so lucky.

In fact, there are a lot of people who not only have to be polite and professional at their jobs regardless of how they feel but who actually have to outright pretend to be happy even when they are not happy at all. For example, if you were going to work as a professional clown then you would need to make sure that you put on a happy face at work even if you were having a terrible day. What kind of party would it be if the clown was all pissed off? This goes for other types of entertainment as well; someone cast in a musical can’t be very grumpy on stage and still present a good show.

I’m trying to think of some other jobs out there where you truly need to pretend to be happy even when you’re not. There are many that come to mind in which people should act happy for the sake of others but often don’t. People who work in daycares and hospitals are good examples. It would be nice if they’d act happy and make it easier on kids and patients but they don’t actually have to in order to make a living so they don’t.

Are there other jobs out there where the employee really needs to act happy to make the job work?

Tags: career, employment, happiness, hubpages, jobs, kathryn vercillo

Many people have told me that they would love to work from home but that they don’t think they could be productive there. It’s true; it’s really easy to get off task when you work from home. Your home life and work life tend to blend and you could easily find yourself watching TV when you’re supposed to be working. However, if you put a few simple things in place at your home office then you can have the benefits of working from home without the drawbacks.

To be productive when working from home you really need to make a commitment to doing this work. If you’re fully committed to the idea that you’ll work from home then you’ll be able to put an effective plan in place for being productive during your working hours at home. This plan includes when and where you will work and how you will separate that from your home life.

It’s not easy to figure out this plan. You will constantly be adjusting things (especially your schedule) to see what works so that you can be productive at home without feeling like you’re constantly tied to work. It’s true that this type of balancing act isn’t right for everyone. However, it’s great for some of us when we can figure out how to make it work for us!

Tags: business, employment, productivity, self-employed, tips, work

One of the posts that I wrote about in the not too distant past on this blog was about serving drinks as a career. There are a lot of pros and cons to being a bartender but it’s definitely one job choice for a lot of people. Employment is a big issues for a lot of people right now and it’s discussed intelligently through the many different articles submitted to the Career and Internships blog carnival where my own post was featured.

The other articles that were included in this carnival were on different jobs, careers and job issues. These topics included job interview tricks and tips, looking for and finding a new job using today’s technology, working after retirement, working for love vs. money and the issue of boring employment. All quite important topics for the working world today I think.

What other topics do you wish would have been covered here? It seems that we’re talking a lot about how to get or keep jobs in today’s recession but are there other employment issues that are also pressing which aren’t being covered by your favorite blogs? Tell me, I’d love to know!

Tags: best blogs, blog carnival, blog roundup, blogging, blogs, Careers, diary of a smart chick, education, employment, information, kathryn vercillo, work

One of the things that you have to incorporate into your daily schedule when you work as a freelancer is the time to look for new freelance work. Although it’s a good idea to build up a set of steady clients so that you’re essentially working as a remote employee for just a few businesses, it is equally important to make sure that you’re continuously putting yourself out there to get new (and perhaps better) freelance jobs.

There are a few things that I’ve learned about finding work as a freelance writer that make the process of doing this simpler for me:

• It needs to be something that I do every day. This helps me stay abreast of the job opportunities that are out there so that I can apply to all of the ones that seem right for me.
• It should be done at the same time every day. That’s because it becomes part of a habitual schedule so you don’t have to think about when you’re going to fit it in. It’s just what you do every day like answer emails or update your social networking sites.
• It’s important to know where to look. I have a post up today listing ten places to look for freelance writing job leads for those people who are also working in this same industry.
• My resume must be kept up to date. As a freelancer, I usually rely on a web portfolio to show off my work but there are many potential clients who want a resume so it’s important to update mine regularly.
• The more you look, the better you get at looking. I can typically just glance at an ad now and easily tell whether it’s worth pursuing, whether or not to put a lot of effort into the application or if it’s a scam. Practice makes perfect so they say.

What have you learned about finding work as a freelancer? Any good tips or advice to share?

Tags: employment, freelance, freelance writing, job leads, work, writers, writing, writing work

I have held a dozen different jobs in my lifetime – maybe more. I’m always interested in trying new things and seeing what I like (or don’t like) firsthand. Before I had a college degree, I took on a lot of the kinds of jobs that you can get without an education. For example, I tried waitressing several times.

I didn’t like waitressing at all. I wasn’t good at it. My memory wasn’t great. I didn’t really serve people quickly or efficiently. It just wasn’t my thing. But there was one kind of waitressing that I did that worked for me for awhile. I worked as a cocktail waitress in a bowling alley.

That sounds funny now but at the time it was a really good job. It wasn’t as intense as serving drinks in a bar. The men who hit on me (and proposed to me) were relatively harmless so I never felt like I was being hassled or was facing any serious risks. Nobody got especially drunk but everyone was having a good time.

The fact that this went so well made me think for awhile that I might want to be a bartender at a place like that, somewhere laidback and easygoing. But there are a lot of pros and cons to being a bartender. There’s definitely the benefit of good money and decent part-time hours. But there are legal risks and social complications and other drawbacks that ultimately made me choose not to pursue that route.

Still, I can see bartending being fun in the right kind of setting. What do you think?

Tags: bartender, bartending, career choices, employment, jobs, pros and cons of bartending, waitressing, work