Once again, I learned a few things today that I wasn't informed on before. To start, I learned about the benefits of working remotely and listened to a current remote employee talk about his day to day routine when working online. One of the great benefits of remote work is the opportunity to gain back the time you would normally waste on commuting, and schedule your life effectively around your work. Some remote jobs don't even have a structured schedule, which allows you to have even more control over your time, and an even better work-life balance. There's also the freedom to change up your work environment whenever you'd like, as long as there's a good internet connection and you've got the right tools on hand, you'll be set to work wherever you'd like! . Some common places to work at as a remote employee include coffee shops and co-working spaces (if you're looking for a more office-like feel and interaction). Many other remote employees attend places like these during work hours, and being in their presence can help you feel more motivated and less lonely throughout the day. The next topic we touched on was the onboarding process. Before this, I had no idea what onboarding meant. I figured it was related to some sort of software system that was used in a remote workplace. I was proven wrong. In basic terms, onboarding is the action of integrating new hires into an organization. It requires HR at your company to be a cross-functional guide that helps new hires understand timelines and expectations, before and after the job start date, while ensuring successful integration. Onboarding is important because it helps new employees acclimate to their new organization, and it ensures a strong and rewarding start for them. It was nice to see that this term doesn't just apply to remote jobs, but jobs in general. This phase always starts right after the final job interview (if you get hired, that is). Now, there's a few steps that MUST be completed and carried out successfully by you and your employer before starting work. The steps and tips for success vary a little between remote and in-person. The in-person onboarding process will usually consist of: an offer letter, new hire paperwork, and company policy documents from an HR administrator. The paperwork they will give you is time-sensitive, so it is important to sign and return them as soon as possible. Any delay could push back your start date. It's also essential to note that most employers require five years of employment history and highest completed level of education for verifications. You must provide as much information as possible with accurate dates. Employers might also ask you to provide references. When this happens, the best employment references are your current and former colleagues, managers or customers. Only if you are comfortable with that. Once all of that is submitted, expect background screenings to be carried out. In most cases, this includes a criminal report, education verifications, and employment verifications. Some employers require additional screenings such as a credit check and motor vehicle report. This will approximately take one week to complete, on average. Once your start date is set and your payroll profile is set up, your manager will take over as your main contact during orientation. They will help with office introductions, training, tools, goals and various meetings with IT and HR. Don't forget to utilize this time to ask about company and employment specifics; like salary, benefits, pay schedule, time off, etc. This will save you some potential confusion later. The guy in the LinkedIn video also offered some wise tips on how to navigate this phase in a remote job circumstance. The first tip is to ask your boss about onboarding specifics. Questions like: is the job fully or partially remote? Are there training courses I'm expected to take? etc. might prove to be useful for you later on. You'll also want to ask about company policies and guidelines (are there set working hours where the team overlaps? tight deadlines?), and scheduled meetings (are there weekly check-ins with your boss? how do I prep for these meetings?). All of these questions will provide you with the foundation to start remote work on the right foot. Good luck!
Another day at Techie Youth! Today I read more chapters of Jeffrey J Fox's amazing book, "Don't Send A Resume" and picked up some extra tips on the pre-interview process and what NOT to do during my interview. One essential step in your pre-interview prep is to treat the meeting like a sales call and always do a "pre call plan". What is a pre call plan, you might ask? well.. It's basically a written out plan detailing your future answers, questions, and core objective for your interview. Your pre call plan should also include all of the necessary information regarding your interviewer. Things like the interviewer's name, their correct name pronunciation (super important!), their roles/responsibilities within your target company, and their level of influence on the hiring decision (high or low). According to the book, you should put aside anywhere from five to fifteen hours for planning before your first job interview. Even more, it is recommended to do SEPARATE pre call plans for every single interview you attend, and every person you will meet with. So, if your interview schedule has five meetings, be prepared to produce a written out plan for each one. Take a pen and paper, or digital notepad, and start writing!. Once you’ve done enough pre-interview homework, you really won’t have much else to worry about. Your next focuses should be: coming up with a good objective for the interview, “asking for the order” methods that you will use, and wise ways to tackle the interviewer’s hidden concerns. Objectives can be anything, from getting a follow up meeting, to getting hired on the spot if that's what you're aiming for. Whatever it is, it's crucial to have an objective. It will make your answers more focused and concise, which will get you your desired results quicker. Then comes "asking for the order", a delightful yet nerve wracking tactic that can help you get the same results a set objective can give you. "Asking for the order" means exactly what it sounds like. You ask for what you want, whether that's a follow up interview or to get hired on the spot. Of course, you have to maintain a respectful tone when doing this, and make sure the question doesn't come out toooo direct. That can make your interviewer uncomfortable. Best way to approach this is in a polite, slightly diluted manner (hope that makes sense). Last- but definitely not least, is the interviewer's hidden concerns about you. Hidden concerns could be related to age (you're too young or too old), lack of experience, etc. You should try to uncover as many of these as possible before your first interview. Ask yourself, "which one of my weaknesses could possibly make management hesitant about hiring me?". Once you uncover those weaknesses, make a detailed list of points that you want to touch on during the interview. These points should confront and dissipate your hirer's concerns effectively, while simultaneously reassuring them of your qualified candidacy. If you follow these exact stages in order, you should have no problem acing your interviews from now on. Good luck!
I spent most of my time today crafting a great resume and cover letter. I tried my best to make my resume look competent, considering the fact that I don't have a lot of work experience to talk about yet. Thankfully, I was able to finish editing them today and submitted them as online assignments. As for my LinkedIn profile, I linked that too, but decided to leave my "About" section blank for now. I want to wait until I finish the program and get my certification, so I can have better things to talk about by then. My resolution is to gain better and more impressive skills through this program first, before finishing my LinkedIn "About" section. That way I can stand out more and attract more employers by then. Hope that’s okay. Other than that, I also really enjoyed reading excerpts from “Don’t Send A Resume” by Jeffrey J. Fox this afternoon. The author has AMAZING, revolutionary insights on the workfield, how to ace an interview, and just overall how to be an amazing employee. I loved the information so much that I even took pictures of it with my phone for future reference. These tips have completely changed the way I view employment and what my goals as an employee will be moving forward. I realized, after reading these excerpts, that in order to be truly memorable and successful in the workfield, I can’t just do a half ass job working for a random company whose future I could care less about. In all honesty, I’ve always believed that part-time work performed during school years didn’t have to be meaningful or valuable to me. I would be working there strictly for the money that I needed to pay for my courses/tuition. I also thought that this mentality was totally acceptable, since I saw so many other students doing the same. Basically, you would work this retail job you absolutely hate until you graduate, and then you can finally quit it to work your dream career. But the tips offered in “Don’t Write A Resume” can’t be applied successfully if you don’t have a certain level of passion for the industry that you’re researching. It is advised to research thoroughly the job and the company you’re applying for before your first interview. Words that stuck with me were: “It is everyone’s job in the company to help the company get and keep customers. If you can demonstrate how you will get and keep customers, any good company will hire you”. Seems like obvious chatter, right? But this, right here, was the exact moment I had my paradigm shift. You can’t work for an industry that's meaningless to you, selling products that you don’t care about, because YOUR job as the employee is to make that company GROW. If you’re NOT making that company grow (aka: making a NOTICEABLE difference in customer retention/attraction over time), then you're NOT doing your job effectively. Sooner or later, like the book explains, if the value you’re creating for the company doesn’t exceed the cost it took to hire you… discardment or replacement (aka firing) will be inevitable. Having it outlined in this fashion was mind-boggling to me, because it made me view everything differently. Moving forward, instead of applying to jobs at random, I will actually research the company and make sure I identify with their mission, services, or values first. I could also apply to companies that sell products I've already used and genuinely enjoy. This way, I'll see meaning in selling that product to other people and my efforts to help the company will be more compelling. I look forward to applying these tips to my professional future. See ya next time!
The first topic I reviewed today was "searching for remote employment opportunities''. It was very interesting to learn about how to find work-from-home opportunities and different sites to look up remote jobs on. When you're applying for remote jobs, it helps to have some previous remote work experience, as this can make you look more capable and familiarized with this type of work. This can make the employer feel more at ease with hiring you, since it seems that you won't have a hard time adapting to the position. Another useful tip is diversifying the terms that you use when you're looking for remote work online. There's many different ways to say "remote work". Many job postings will call it a "virtual job". Others will call it a "distributed workforce" or "agile workforce". There's many more common terms like: Work-at-home, work-from-home, work-from-anywhere, and "online job". These are just some of the most common ones, and you should know that these alternative terms exist. Then you can proceed by conducting multiple searches, targeting each search at a different job label. Why, you might ask? well, Its for the simple reason that your options will now be broader, and you wont run the risk of missing out on a potential dream job. Utilizing and incorporating all of these terms in your job search will open doors to many more career opportunities. You are also advised to read all of your job descriptions CAREFULLY. This is because many remote jobs are founded on a hybrid system, which basically means that the work isn't 100% remote and you'll likely have to travel to an office every week, bi-weekly, or monthly. Many stay-at-home jobs also have a location requirement. This could be for legal reasons, tax based reasons, travel related, or client base reasons. For example, if you're responsible for a certain territory of customers, you may need to live closer to them to facilitate your meetings. The last thing worth noting is the unfortunate scams that exist within the remote work sector. You should keep an eye out for red flags like: ads that mention "quick money", being asked for personal financial information during an interview or as part of your application, and being asked to pay money upfront. There and many other red flags are ones to look out for, but the fact of the matter is that if a company looks fishy to you at any point during the hiring process, you should probably listen to your intuition and stop communication with them. I also learned what skills remote companies look for in their applicants. Things like good time-management, self motivation, focus, and effective communication skills will make you a competent employee in remote fields and increase your chances of getting hired. Those were all the highlights for today's lesson, hope you enjoyed the blog. See ya next time!
My third day at Techie Youth was filled with even more interactive learning experiences and helpful knowledge. I learned a lot about the pre-employment preparation process, how to get ahead of competition in the workforce by using certain correspondence tactics, and the right way to manage my online public profiles to avoid setbacks with potential employers. I created my first LinkedIn profile today, and I also started editing my old resume to fit with the tips taught in the videos/articles. I also learned about cover letters and the best ways to make them more captivating and effective. What I appreciated about the content was that there was always a link attached that was more geared towards people with no work experience. In my case, I don't have a substantial amount of previous work experience yet, so these links helped me a lot. My hope is that, by the end of this program, I can attain a new set of skills that I can use as assets for my resume, helping me market myself better. In my personal opinion, this specific pre-requisite task should've been placed at the very END of the program, for the simple reason that I would've had way more relevant skills and experience to put in my resume by then. This has made it very difficult to create a great cover letter and LinkedIn account summary at the moment, because I have a hard time coming up with a 'relevant', 'long enough', and 'impressive enough' skill set. Its nerve wracking because the assignment on this will get graded and I don't want it to look like I barely tried. Other than that, I had a good experience as I expanded my knowledge on important topics. Another thing I learned was correspondence tactics. Basically, you can beat your competition to it by responding to employer requests in a more prompt manner and adding pressure to get the interview sooner. This makes a huge difference in your progress and increases your chances of getting hired. A good way to do this is by subscribing to weekly notifications for job entries, and applying to positions as soon as their job postings go up. Last but not least, your public image is also very important. Most hiring managers google their prospective employees, and studies have found that many employers decide not to hire an applicant after reviewing their social media profiles. This is why its necessary to keep your personal profiles private, or avoid any kind of unprofessional posts if you keep them public. Some examples of these would be: hate speech, images of heavy partying or drug use, illegal or illicit content, poor grammar, and sensitive content about former employers. Anyways, this was just a general overview of my learning today. See ya next time!
Today was my second day using the Techie Youth platform and I learned about the different types of checking account options available for me to use present day. One of the options that I see myself using in the future was the Charles Schwab online checking account. It seems beneficial for traveling because it has no monthly fees, no set-up costs, and no ATM fees. When you use any ATM outside the country, Charles Schwab can refund you the ATM owner's fees too, and you save tons of money this way. Before today, I was completely unaware of these other bank account options, such as an online bank account and "free" checking accounts. Now I know about more lucrative ways to save money when I'm working, and I'll probably open an online checking account in the near future for this very purpose. Another topic we touched on today was geared more toward entrepreneurial minds, like mine. It was about how to accept credit card payments for my business, and the various tools available for me to do that effectively. Payment service providers like PayPal, Square, and Stripe are great options for small businesses starting out with a low volume of orders. You can also use a personal merchant account and manage your own card processing. This last option is recommended more for large businesses with a heavier order volume, since payment service providers have a knack for freezing the account when the order frequency and volume is too high. Personally, If I ever had to choose one for- lets say- a freelance graphic design business, I would go with PayPal. It seems like PayPal is secure and pretty easy to set up. I've also noticed that most of my favorite e-commerce sites use PayPal for their payment processing, so I find it to be more reliable than the others. Last but not least, I learned a little bit about two other forms of job payment: cryptocurrency and cash. Both have their benefits and their downfalls. With Crypto, a positive is that you have a lot of potential for growth; you could end up earning twice to ten times the amount of your initial pay. On the other hand, getting compensated with crypto also introduces the risk for big financial loss, since cryptocurrency values are notorious for being subject to large fluctuations. For example, In 2013 cryptocurrency Bitcoin lost nearly 83% of its value and more recently, in March 2020, approximately a 50% loss. That's insane, imagine how much money you could be loosing if that were to happen to you. When it comes to getting payed in cash, there are also some things to consider. Cash payment is a great way to keep more money in your pocket while paying off debt, etc. You can also continue getting government benefits while earning extra money on the side. These seem like understandable reasons to get a job that pays in cash. But on the downside, there are also many risks that come with this. One of them is theft. On most cases, money that is stolen from you in cash is never recovered. Another risk can also be loosing the money. If there is a fire or a natural disaster, there is a high chance that you'll never get that money back. Otherwise, if your money was safely stored in a bank account, this wouldn't have been an issue. This was just a quick summary of the topics I studied today. Today's lessons were packed with lots of facts and useful information. Looking forward to the next unit!
Hey! my name is Nacheiry Savinon. Today was my very first day using the Techie Youth learning platform to advance my professional skills and learn how to make money remotely. It was a very interactive experience with lots of videos and articles available for me to read. We touched on a few different subjects like "how to be happier and use your time more wisely", the benefits of working remotely, common remote work issues and how to tackle them, digital nomadism, how to save money while traveling, etc. The topics that stood out to me today were definitely the founder's talks on not being afraid to fail and pursuing what you truly love, it was very inspiring and comforting to listen to. I also found it useful to learn about the right way to write checks. There were a lot of helpful tips on the attached articles on how to avoid the possibility of fraud and identity theft by tweaking a few things on your check. For example, I didn't know that writing my payment amount in capital letters would make it harder for someone to alter my information later on. Not leaving any blank spaces on the box where you write the numerical form of your payment amount is another useful tip worth noting. These were things I was never educated on before, and I'll make sure to keep them in mind for the near future. Identity theft and fraud are very serious issues that can impact someone's financial health tremendously and its important that our youth knows the right methods to avoid them. Anyways, I'm looking forward to continuing my learning experience this summer and I'm even more excited to use every bit of newfound knowledge for my future entrepreneurial pursuits. Thanks Techie Youth!