Work at Home Wednesday

Here is a sample resume to use when applying for a telecommute position. Notice that your skills should be listed first.

Johnathan Doe
12345 Statestreet Ave.
St. Petersburg, FL 33703
(813) 555-2121
e-mail: johnathan@aol.com

OBJECTIVE

To obtain a telecommuting position with a professional organization where I can be creative and utilize my skills as a technical writer/desktop publisher.

PROFILE

• Technical writing (end user manuals, installation/maintenance/repair manuals, courseware, MS Windows help screens)
• Course development and instruction
• Desktop publishing skills (design/typesetting/illustration), and marketing experience
• Organized, self starter, detail oriented, with excellent communication abilities
• Supervisory background
• Operation, repair, and training of PC, and Macintosh computer systems
• Knowledgeable in wide variety of software applications: Adobe PageMaker, Macromedia Freehand, Adobe Photoshop, MS Word, HTML authoring tools, RoboHelp, dBase, EXCEL, various Internet apps, etc.

EXPERIENCE

1991 - Present COMPANY 1 INC., Homestead, Florida
Widget manufacturer & telecommunications

Technical Writer

Create end user manuals and MS Windows help screens detailing the installation/maintenance of hardware and software applications designed for Company 1 products. Develop procedures and standards for creating technical product bulletins and installation/maintenance manuals. Interface with all departments to acquire needed information for documentation. Assist company personnel with learning productive techniques for using computer software and hardware.

1979-1990 COMPANY 2, INC, Hauppauge, New York
International electronics communication company

Senior Technical Instructor (5/87-5/90)

Developed and presented technical courses designed to train field engineers on procedures for installing/maintaining computer hardware and software specific to Information Services, Inc. Instructed field engineers on troubleshooting techniques for the repair and maintenance of computer hardware and software. Instructed on the use of test equipment: data analyzers, oscilloscopes, multimeters, and software diagnostic tools. Wrote technical manuals and handbooks detailing installation and repair procedures. Designed and presented courses for technical staff, non-technical staff, sales, and management users. Provided evaluation reports and testing of trainees to determine competency level. Traveled Europe and U.S. to assemble course development information. Accomplishments Promoted to Senior Technical Instructor position. Initiated and completed a plan to design and develop all documentation given to trainees.

Repair Line Supervisor (12/83-5/87)

Appointed to reorganize and supervise the daily operation of the repair department. Implemented necessary changes for increased productivity. Hired, trained, and evaluated repair personnel. Maintained repair parts inventory. Provided management with status and productivity reports. Accomplishments Promoted to Technical Instructor position. Decreased turnaround time of incoming equipment from two weeks to two days. Initiated new inventory control program. Program was accepted for use in other departments. Increased productivity by 40% within 2 months.

Senior Repair Technician (12/79-5/83)

Repaired computer systems and peripherals to board and component level by locating defective parts and replacing them. Accomplishments Promoted to Supervisor. Increased productivity level of the department by introducing new testing and troubleshooting methods. Promoted from entry-level Technician to Senior Technician.

EDUCATION

AS - Electronic Engineering
State University of New York
Minor in Psychology

Certificate in Digital Computer Technology
Computer Technical School, 1979

Read Tips on Avoiding Scams

Tuesday Giveaway Roundup

Lots and lots of giveaways going on in the blog world!

Just in time for all of that holiday baking you are gearing up for, Thrifty Thoughts is giving away an 11 oz bottle of Watkins double strength vanilla and a 6 oz tin of ground cinnamon (ends December 8th).

Power of Housewife Word of Mouth is giving away a Build-A-Bear Workshop® A Friend Fur All Seasons Wii game, sponsored by The Game Factory who is holding a celebrity video game auction for charity on Ebay.

Bead Art Originals is having a special event, Twelve Days of BAO Holidays, with a new drawing every day. It started on Wednesday (11/26).

The Mom Fuse is giving away a Land's End Cashmere Sweater, homemade peppermint crunch fudge from Shake Your Bon Bon's, and a PhotoCuff from Smoy.

My Frugal Lifestyle is giving away a copy of "The Paper Bag Christmas" by Kevin Alan Milne.

My Junk Drawer is giving away some fabulous Mia Bella items.

Sherbet Blossom is hosting twelve days of prizes and giveaways starting December 1st.

Scary Mommy is giving away your choice of any t-shirt and your choice of notecards by Big Boo Designs. Winner will chosen Decemeber 7th.

As always, Erin from The Mom Buzz has some fabulous giveaways! First, you can win some yummy confections from The Gumdrop Cookie Shop by clicking here (ends December 8th). Or, you still have time to enter to win ListPlanIt by clicking here (ends December 4th). If you're a mom or need to get a gift for a child, you should enter to win a pair of super cute and practical Huggalugs by clicking here (ends December 5th). Win a $25 Gift Card to JuneBee Baby by clicking here (ends December 3rd so HURRY!). Win a sweet gift set by Pillsbury, which includes Pillsbury Brownie Mix and two (2) LIMITED EDITION SMUCKERS TOPPINGS - Smucker’s® Pumpkin Spice and Smucker’s® Magic Shell® Cherry by clicking here (ends TONIGHT-December 2nd at midnight so again HURRY!). Thanks Erin for all of these great giveaways!

Ohana Mama's Hawaian Holiday Party has started off with a bang! For a chance to win a $35 gift certificate to Cherry Creek Designs then click here. Also, make sure you check back every day because there will be new giveaways every day through December 7th! Yay!

Don't forget about Felicia at Go Graham Go who is giving away a must have children's health product, Exergen's Temporal Scanner . Giveaway ends on December 5th and everyone gets a chance at 7 entries.

And, now I will shamelessly plug my own giveaway at Jolly Mom. Monica from Super Sweet Creations has graciously offered to giveaway one of her handmade children's/baby's shirts to one lucky Jolly Mom reader! Contest will end December 14th and the winner (chosen via random.org) will be announced December 15th. US entries only.

Start entering!

More Money Mondays

If you are looking to make some spending money, here are some sites that pay you for your opinion. Some pay you cash and others pay you in gift cards, points that you redeem for prizes, etc. Please make sure that you never, ever PAY to join a site!

1. Opinion Outpost
2. Opinion Square
3. QualityHealth.com
4. Survey Payoff
5. Survey Saanvi
6. Survey Savvy
7. Survey Spot
8. Synovate
9. Pinecone Research
   

Also, if you have any textbooks laying around, Cash For Books will buy them back. They pay for shipping! It is really easy to do and a great way to make a few bucks!

*Tip* When you sign up for any of these places, make sure you have created an email address specifically for your survey jobs just in case they spam you with email.

Freebie Friday

Free Travel Coffee Mug
Click on Contact. Then click on Click Here for Free Gift.

Free Glow Stick

Free Pampers Points (Each code works one time per person)
OHAMANDAAWGTG08
DONTFORGETGTG08
WELCOMEBONUS089

Free Flirtitude Panties
HOW TO ENTER THE JCPENNEY FLIRTITUDES GIVEAWAY (Dec/Jan Issue): Starting November 18, 2008, bring the December 2008/January 2009 cover of Seventeen or a printout of the seventeen.com home page to any JCPenney store to receive one (1) Flirtitude panty (approximate retail value: $7.50). Twenty-five thousand (25,000) will be given away. For each one given away, JCPenney will also donate $1 to the JCPenney After school Fund (up to $25,000). One per person. Giveaway ends January 6, 2009. While supplies last.

Free Tea Samples

Free Energy Bar or Drink at GNC

Free Chocolate Fondue for 2 at The Melting Pot

Free Coffee Cup with Spoon

Thrifty Thursdays

Coupons, sales, and fabulous deals! Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

$20 off a $100 purchase at Beauty.com

Target Internet Specials

Walmart Rollback Specials

Landsend Overstock Specials

Free Shipping at Urban Outfitters

$5 off a $25 purchase at Aeropostale
Also offering FREE SHIPPING if you spend $75 or more if you use this link.

$5 off $50 purchase at Target.com

Get 2 $5 off Kmart coupons when you sign up for email updates

$10 off a $100 purchase at CompUSA

Save 80% on Restaurant.com Gift Cards
Pay only $2 for a $25 certificate!
Buy a $100 gift certificate for only $8!
Great holiday gift, these last for a year
Use code SURPRISE

Happy Thanksgiving!

Work at Home Wednesdays

Avoiding Scams

There are many companies now offering legitimate work at home opportunites. However, there are many scammers out there and it is important to know how to spot them. Christine Durst, author of The Rat Race Rebellion, says her research indicates the ratio of scams to legitimate opportunities is 42 to 1.

Here are some tips I have picked over time on how to avoid scams:

1. Check out the company's website. If it is brand new or the only information offered is about a job, then be very cautious.
2. Legitimate companies will never ask you for money upfront before you have been officially hired. Some companies do require a background check and will ask you to pay this before you begin working. However, at this point, you have been essentially hired pending an acceptable background check. There are also companies that will ask you to pay for training materials, but, again this is after you have been hired.
3. Check with the Better Business Bureau and see if the company has any complaints. Customer complaints are not necessarily important. Customers will complain about prices being too high or some customer service representative that was rude. Look out for employee complaints or many customer complaints that point to the company being fradulent or unethical.
4. Never give out pin numbers or passwords to your bank accounts. Scammers will ask for this under the pretense of verifying you are a real applicant. Do not fall for this!
5. Don't assume that because a job ad has been posted on a reputable job board or website that it is legitimate. There is no way for these sites to keep up and verify every job ad. You must do the research yourself to determine that the job is credible.
6. If you reply to a job ad and the response does not include a company name, be very careful! Also, if they do provide a company name and you cannot find it anywhere on the internet, then also be very cautious!
7. Be wary of a company that is willing to hire you without an interview, a resume, or speaking to you.
8. If it sounds too good to be true, then it is probably a scam.
9. Check the Attorney General for your state to be sure that the company you are applying with is a licensed company.
10. Check the company out at Rip Off Report.

Don't let this list intimidate you or scare you off from working at home. There are many legitimate work at home opportunities available. I have worked for two of them so I know that they exist. This list is meant to empower you so that you can begin your search with confidence. Tune in next Wednesday for information on how to write a resume when applying for work at home jobs.