Craigslist is probably the most popular place to seek freelance projects, telecommuting jobs and home work – if you scan the listings you will discover many projects that are posted regularly. Unfortunately, the competition for the posted jobs is cut throat.

How to increase your chances to get the desired job? Put yourself into the employer’s shoes. There is an post ‘Tips for applying to a job from Craigslist’ that should help you to improve. The key points are:

1. Cover letter has to answer the employer needs.

2. Don’t send much unnecessary info. Nobody will read your long messages.

3. Don’t send your cover letter as an attachment. With so many applicants, the employer will not waste time on opening attachments.

4. Respond with the title of the job advertisement in the subject heading. It helps to save time.

5. Be open and honest.

You can find the full article here.

Follow these simple steps. You are not guaranteed the work, but it will definitely help you to increase your chances. Good luck!

[tags]craigslist, home job, work at home, frelance, telecommuting jobs, job application[/tags]

I know freelance job is great when you have work to do. You have regular and happy customers that recommend your services to others or you know the market and can easily get them. Freelance job is great when you know that you will not look for the ways to borrow funds to pay your bills tomorrow.

Freelance style of life: you are under pressure, all the time. It is not for everyone. Some can stand this pressure, others quit and go back to regular 9-5 office hours. It is a fight that we should win.

Persons of miscellaneous professions try freelance way of life looking for one thing – freedom. We spend much time of our life at the job and it is a great idea to be free at work. Here are the stories of:

- freelance artist. I like this comparison: who decided to jump out of the plane of life without a parachute.

- freelance UK web designer. In the short guide the guy describes the ways (company sites, cold calling, design sites, magazines, recruitment sites and agencies – see the links below) that should help web designers and developers to find projects in their industry. He also lists the links that might be useful for your search.

Useful web design job links:

Design sites:
Newstoday

37signals

Magazines:
Creative Review

Design Week

Recruitment sites:
Chinwag

the Freelance Forum

Mad.co.uk

A few more resources I recommend to check if you need a freelance job:

www.freelanceworkexchange.com (aff)

www.elance.com (aff)

[tags]freelance work, freelance designer, freelance artist, freelance tips, freelance websites[/tags]

Mystery shopping is a way to get some cash fast. It is good for college students, stay-at-home moms, retired people, as a second job, etc. Never heard of it? Here is a detailed description of this way to make money:

A mystery shopper is a freelance, professional shopper hired by large retail, restaurant, and movie theater chains to check up on their local stores, in order to make sure that customer service is good, stores are clean, etc. Mystery shopping services are also used by banks, hotels, casinos, and other service providers.

Most mystery shoppers are independent contractors who do the job part-time to make extra money. Pay is typically per assignment, not per hour, and varies based on the requirements of the “shop.” Compensation may include reimbursement of required purchases, such as the purchase of meals at a restaurant being mystery shopped. Mystery shopping assignments can often be fitted around a job, school, or family schedules.

Typically, a mystery shopper will check on a store by actually going in and purchasing an item.

They will have a report sheet in which they are asked a variety of questions about their experience. After a mystery shopper has checked a store, this person then turns in the report, which is given a score and sent to management. These reports are also often shared with the employees so that they have a better idea of their own strengths and weaknesses.

[source: wikipedia.org]

Unfortunately, there is much scam with this way to earn money. Rule #1: Never pay for a list of shops (it is true in case with ALL types of home based work). All real mystery shopping companies are FREE to sign up. So, you can easily avoid any scam by submitting no payments – your aim is to get them from the companies.

What can you expect to earn? As a rule, between $10-20.00 plus reimbursement. There are some companies paying as much as $50 a shop. The goal is to spot the right companies. Don’t jump at $5.00 shops (probably, you can start with this and then search for better deals). Wait for some specials. Your place of residence matters: it is good to reside close or in the big city: you needs stores to shop.

This is a good place to learn and get updated on mystery shopping.

Good lists with mystery shopping companies:

Volition.com
Mymommybiz.com

Summary:
Mystery shopping is a way to earn some extra money, it is definitely worth testing. If you reside in a big city or near – give it a try. Just remember to never pay for any lists and promises.

[tags]mystery shopping, work at home, home based job, freelance, self-employment, home work, business opportunity[/tags]