The Proactive Pro

HOW I FOUND MY JOB

As I’ve already mentioned in the ABOUT section of this blog, I’m a full-time work-at-home professional. I’m a college dropout but I earn more than most college graduates in our province do. I pay all the bills at home and support my whole family — my mother, my brother and my sister.

It’s hard to believe that less than a couple of years ago, I was struggling with financial difficulties. I had just resigned from the medical transcription firm that I worked for in Manila and I had just moved back to our province. For a couple of months, I was no better than a bum.

Fortunately, I had my PC. I called my uncle in the U.S. and asked if he could send me some money so I could have Internet connection. I didn’t have a single centavo to my name, so I needed his financial help badly. He sent me money right away and off I went to an Internet service provider to have my Internet connection set up. I thought that it would be the end of my troubles, but I was wrong.

I thought finding an online job was easy. Just use Google, right? Wrong. It took me another two months to find a job. I was even almost scammed — people from a “medical transcription firm” promised to re-train me for free and then hire me. After two emails, I found out that I would have to purchase the transcription software which they were selling at $600! (I could easily get a transcription software for free, legally.) They were even pressuring me to buy the software because “training would start in a week.” I was so desperate for a job, but I didn’t have the money they required me to send. It turned out to be a good thing; otherwise, I would have been their victim.

Then, I found some job websites that offered to put my resume into their “resume database” for a steep fee. Plus, there were those bogus “data entry positions that needed to be filled. No experience or special knowledge required.”

I scoured the Internet for employment opportunities. I answered every want ad for transcriptionists, writers and data entry professionals. I have lost count of the companies that I sent my resumes to. All I know is they were more than I could count on my fingers and toes.

Then, I got an email from a U.S.-based transcription firm that asked me to take the employment exam. I was skeptical at first, but then, I gave it a go. I passed and the rest is history.

Here are some important things I learned while looking for an online job:

1) NOBODY HAS TO SHELL OUT A SINGLE CENT TO GET A JOB. In fact, you should be wary of those who ask you for money in return for a job. Scammers abound in the World Wide Web. So beware!

2) WORK ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF AVERAGES. The more applications you send, the greater your chances of getting hired; and

3) FLAUNT EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT. Don't be too shy to mention your educational attainment, the honors that you've received, your accomplishments, your skills and your experience. Remember, you're selling your services and your prospective employers would like to see some proof that you are the man or the woman for the job. Be honest though.

Not sure where to find a job? Go to the JOBS page by clicking here.

It will save you a lot of time. Good luck and best wishes.