People make decision to start their own home business due to a vast list of reasons: someone wants to try ‘an independent way’ to earn for living, someone has no much choice as he/ she has to look after the baby, someone is so desperate with job search that decides to go solo, etc.

Decision to start your own business, no doubt, involves much thinking and consideration.

The advantages of home business are:

-         stay at home all day

-         plan your flexible work schedule

-         work in a more productive way (not distracted by meetings, unwanted phone calls, etc)

-         save money on car gas, lunches, clothes

-         save time (trips to the office and back)

-         have no boss teaching you how to do things in a proper way

-         have more time for your family and kids

-         etc

Disadvantages include:

-         feel unsafe and more pressure as you do not have outside income sources, but the same amount of bills to pay

-         get more introverted and feel uncomfortable about any kind of social life

-         feel hard to control the work flow and can extend your working days to 10-14 hours

-         get distracted with some home work

-         etc

You should make sure 100% that you are ready to start your own business. You need to positively reply to these questions:

• Can you get along with other people?
• Are you a leader?
• Can you take charge of things?
• Are you prepared to work hard and extra hours for something you want?
• Do you have some financial back up for t least 6-8 months once you quit your job (if you have one)?
• Are you ready to get over failures?
• Are you good at making decisions?
• Can people trust what you say?
• Are you a healthy person?

If your replies are positive (at least, to most of them) you can give a try to start your own business. But what about home business? It is a specific kind of business not good for every entrepreneur. A new list of questions that requires affirmative replies on your part:

• Are you well-organised?
• Are you self-motivated?
• Can you set and stick to your own timetable?
• Are you sufficiently self-disciplined?
• Are you familiar with time management? Do you have time-management skills?
• Can you work alone with no one to talk to, to help you, to share with?
• Can you set goals for yourself, stick to them and make any changes?
• Is there a room in your home to set up as your office with a few things to distract you?
• Do you have the equipment necessary to operate an office?
• Are you an introvert or extrovert?

Please follow our posts where we will continue to discuss the issues of setting up your own home business: risks involved practical steps to start your business, what it takes to become successful.

[tag]home business, home job, freelance, self-employment, business, [/tag]

Just some funny information (hopefully, it will make you smile) that was shared by hundreds of HR Managers. They have described unusual situations that occurred in the process of interviewing job seekers. So, use your imagination:

• A job applicant challenged the interviewer to an arm wrestle.
• Interviewee wore a Walkman, explaining that she could listen to the interviewer and the music at the same time.
• Candidate announced she hadn’t had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and french fries in the interviewer’s office.
• Candidate explained that her long-term goal was to replace the interviewer.
• Candidate said he never finished high school because he was kidnapped and kept in a closet in Mexico.
• Balding candidate excused himself and returned to the office a few minutes later wearing a headpiece.
• Applicant said if he was hired he would demonstrate his loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm.
• Applicant interrupted interview to phone her therapist for advice on how to answer specific interview questions.
• Candidate brought large dog to interview.
• Applicant refused to sit down and insisted on being interviewed standing up.
• Candidate dozed off during interview.

Well, I would like to learn what those people are doing for living now. Who knows – some might have built great careers in this way. All they needed was to encounter the similar type of employer.

[tag]employer, employment, funny, humor, joke[/tag]

Job websites come and go regularly, but some are likely to last. I guess the best prospects have those that target some specific industries - the general job niche is overcrowded and long ago divided by some big players – Yahoo! Top Jobs, Monster.com and the like.

One of the industry specific websites that is quite new, rapidly gaining popularity and looks promising is www.coroflot.com. They position their services – creative jobs for creative people. The site lists the jobs for designers:

• Advertising Jobs
• Graphic Design Jobs
• Architecture Jobs
• Industrial Design Jobs
• Exhibit Design Jobs
• Interaction Design Jobs
• Fashion/Apparel Design Jobs
• Interior Design Jobs

Most job listings seek full time workers, but my search for freelance jobs returned 17 results. Randomly selected jobs are listed below:

PRODUCT DESIGNER

The Gem Group, Inc.

Location: Lawrence, MA

Field: Fashion/Apparel

– ———————————-

Web Production

Corporate Voice

Location: New York, NY

Field: Interaction Design

————————————

web/flash designer

MAGNETIK

Location: New York, NY

Field: Advertising

————————————

Senior Information Architect

Pathfinder Associates

Location: Chicago, IL

Field: Interaction Design

The conclusion: I think the website is good enough to submit your resume (if you have skills in any design job) and once per week contact the potential employers offering them your services. The website has the service to notify you of the new job postings by e-mail – it makes your life easier.

[tag]designer job, designer jobs, freelance, freelance designer, employment, work, career[/tag]