Tips on Writing a Good Cover Letter

One of the things that can get you hired on oDesk is to write a great cover letter.  This is your chance to tell the buyer why he or she should hire you, out of the 100 plus applicants out there.  Here are some tips:

1. READ the job opening! – I know this sounds ridiculous for most of you but the reality of it is, not all people read the whole job opening, they just click the apply button and send a generic cover letter.  Some of the buyers put “secret codes” or specific phrases that you need to write on your cover letter.  This is to let them know that you ARE reading the job opening and is serious about working for them.
2. Do not send generic cover letters – Always think of it as your resume, your portfolio. Give the buyer the best first impression, which in this case, is your cover letter. You don’t necessarily need to write a long and dragging essay on why it is essential for him to hire you as a provider.  Just give concise and straight to the point facts about you.  You can state the skills that you possess that is required for the job, list the software/programs that you are proficient at.  If you have a particular skill that you think is going to give you an edge over the other applicant, highlight it.
3. Be courteous – Start your letter with a “Dear Sir/M’am” (if the buyer provided his or her name, make sure to include it). A simple “Good day or Good afternoon” can give a good impression already.
4. Provide samples or portfolios – This is a great way to “sell” yourself, especially if you are applying for a writing or a graphics design job.  I usually attach samples when applying for a Powerpoint presentation job. If you have an online portfolio already, provide a link for the buyer.
5. Prove your worth – Include your bid for the project in your cover letter, if you think that the amount is higher that the other applicants, explain the reason behind it.  Let the buyer review your profile and previous feedback. Quality over quantity, as some might say. Just make sure you are worth the price

Feel free to add some tips or comments below!

Virtual Assistant Tools: The Essentials

Here are some of the software and programs that every Virtual Assistant should have:

Email – the most obvious one. You have to have at least one email account! Since you are a VIRTUAL assistant, you will be contacting your client virtually, meaning via email.

• My recommended email provider is Google Mail, since it has its own integrated chat tool, most of the clients (or buyers) require interviewees to be interviewed via Google chat. Google Docs is also a vital tool to have. Most of the buyers use Google Docs as their word processor, spreadsheet and for making presentation. With its real-time editing capability, both client and VA can simultaneously edit a document.

• Yahoo, in my opinion, comes in as second (with a very big gap in between), security wise, it is unstable (most of the hacked email accounts are yahoo based).

Administrative Support Programs

• Microsoft Office – This is the most widely used program by VAs and buyers alike. With the higher version, it comes out as .docx/.xlsx/.pptx files which lower version cannot open, so I am recommending the 97 version for compatibility reason.

• Open Office – If you do want to shell out extra cash for an original version of Microsoft Office, you can download Open Office for free. With Open Office, you have the option to save your files as Open Office or as Microsoft Office files.

• Google Docs – you can open and convert any Microsoft Office and Open Office files. One cool feature is the “Share”, you can share files to anybody, you can give access to just “view” or “view and edit” to specific people.

Instant Messenger – Most, if not all, clients require you to have an instant messenger installed in your computer. Next to email, this is the way you and your client interact or collaborate.

• Gmail Chat – a very high percentage of buyers uses Gmail chat for interviews, follow ups and collaborations.

• Yahoo Messenger – you must have a yahoo account to use this program.

• Skype – What some people do not know about Skype is that it is also an IM program; it is not a just VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) program. Some clients require conference calls and use Skype for these types of meetings.

Image Editing Software – while this is not a requirement, it is good to have at least, a basic image editing software; it might come in handy when your client needs you to “tweak” some basic fonts or images. This is also good for opening graphic files (.png, .jpg or .gif, etc).

• Adobe Photoshop – a very powerful image editing tool, one of the most expensive as well.

• Microsoft Paint – included in all Microsoft Windows OS.

• Photoscape – it is a free downloadable image editing tool, packed with features.

• GIMP – it’s the closest thing to Adobe Photoshop, but it’s free, the downside with GIMP is there is a steep learning curve.

PDF Viewer – this is a requirement, especially for people who are applying for encoding jobs, most of the buyers that post encoding jobs scan documents and save it as .pdf for you to encode to a data processor.

• Adobe Acrobat Reader – PDF is always associated with Adobe Acrobat, the great thing about it is that you can download it for free.

Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions below!

An Introduction to oDesk: Tips before Applying

Now that I have provided the pros and cons of freelancing in my last entry and you have already decided to join the freelancing world.  You might want to check out oDesk.
But before applying or creating a profile, I strongly suggest you do the following first (some people might not agree with me on this one, a lot of people register or create a profile first to access the “registered users only area” but in my opinion, you should check out what you are joining into first before test running it).
Go to www.odesk.com and the first thing you will see is this:

Check out the video there and then afterwards click on the oDesk Learning Center.

Under the Provider Learning Center, there are 5 video tutorials that you will need to watch, to familiarize yourself with oDesk and its interface and applications.

• Creating an Effective Profile
• Landing Your Job
• Working on an oDesk Workteam
• Getting Paid
• Tutorial: oDesk Team App

After you’ve watched all the video tutorials and have already downloaded the oDesk Application, you are now ready to register at oDesk!

Feel free to leave any comments and/or suggestions below!

Technorati Tech-no-getty

I’m slowing learning this blogging thing and it’s driving me nuts.  I’m currently trying my hand on Technorati.  I’m trying to make sense of this claim code (mine is: 6FCP9V62JPGS) mumbo jumbo and I’m slowly learning how to use it.

I just submitted my site to it and before it officially includes my blog in its directory, they have to verify my claim that The Digital Servant is actually mine to claim.  So using the claim code token that they emailed me, they should be able to verify my claim now.

Sounds confusing? I know, I’m also confused.

For newbies like me, Technorati is an Internet Search Engine for searching blogs.  Some might say it’s the “holy grail” of blogs.

Should I Stay (home) or Should I Go: Pros & Cons of Freelancing

Before delving into the world of freelancing there are few things I would like to discuss. I know in my first 2 blogs I have been raving about being a freelancer but, as in everything, there are always two sides to a story.

1. Time flexibility.

Pros: Your work schedule is what you make of it. Being a full time mom, this is what attracted me the most to working as a freelancer. I can manage my own work schedule. I can stop whenever I need to do house chores, when my son needs my attention, or if I have community service that I need to attend to. If you are a morning person, you can start working at dawn if you want to. If you are a nocturnal person like me, you can work until the wee hours of the morning and it’s fine. If you want to work just 4 hours a day, go ahead. If you want to maximize your day by working 16 hours straight, you can do that too.

Cons: Time organization can go haywire. Without a fixed and regular time for work, you might end up doing a lot of things at the same time, and then really don’t know where to start. Unlike structured working time, you know that this is the time for just your work. At the end of the day, you log out and go home, leaving all work-related documents and problems at the office. In freelancing, you can’t do that since you are working AT home.

2. Office vs. Home

Pros: Less time on the road. Before becoming a mom, I had a couple of 9-5 jobs. And since most of the working sector is composed of employees who have 9-5 jobs, you would know what I’m talking about. Whether you are commuting or driving to and from work, technically you are “working” not just 9-5, but half of the day already, giving yourself at least an hour (or to some of you, as much as 3 hours) going to work and the same time (or even more) going home. When you get home, you’re tired, stressed and just want to plop down on the couch or your bed and just sleep. Not only do you shave off a couple of hours on commuting, you actually save up on your gas or commuting allowance.

Cons: More time at home. Initially, you may think of this as a perfect scenario for working. Yes, you are home. You don’t need to travel and drive or commute. But for some people, staying at one place for a long time can be, well, boring. Day in and day out, you’re stuck in a place for whole day, no scenery to admire, no people to interact with. Just… you (well, for the mothers out there, just you and your children, which at one time or another, you’ll end up wishing you ARE alone).

3. Work in your PJs.

Pros: Yes, I actually have worked wearing my pajamas. I normally do my bulk work at night when my son’s already sleeping. I would do my normal nightly routine first (brush teeth, wear pajamas) before continue working. I don’t think you can do that in the corporate world (well, unless you work for Google).

Cons: Working in your PJs means having that feeling of laziness. The lure of the couch and the bed is sometimes so strong that it’s really hard to NOT go back to sleep or just take a nap. And then you realize that you spent most of the day slacking off and end up not doing anything at all.

4. You can choose what you what to do.

Pros: What do I mean by that statement? It means being your own boss. You decide what projects you want to tackle, what topics you want to write about. You only apply for jobs that you really want and still get paid for it.

Cons: There are so many freelancers nowadays that competition is really stiff. You have to show the prospective client something special about you. That way you’ll end up getting that project that you want. Want to land that website project that you’re eyeing? So do hundreds of competitors. Have an opportunity to write a blog about something you are passionate about? So do hundreds of bloggers. It’s like throwing meat into a cage full of lions. You have to fight your way to get that meat.

5. Work wherever you are.

Pros: With a laptop, a mobile broadband net access, you are good to go. You can work while waiting for your son’s class to end or a friend in Starbucks.

Cons: Same with no. 3, you might end up NOT working. You might see a fellow parent also waiting for her son to finish class and end up chatting with her the whole time. Your “supposed” working time would vanish into oblivion and you’ll find yourself cramming for the deadline that is fast approaching.

6. You control how much you’ll earn.

Pros: Let’s just say you can work at least 8 hours a day from Monday – Saturday, and you are earning $3 per hour. That is $24 a day, $144/week, $576/month. Not bad for someone who doesn’t need to leave the house to work.

Cons: The flip side of this is if you don’t have any projects, you don’t get paid at all. If you work just 5 hours this week, you’ll just get a measly $15 for the week. It’s not a fixed income. With a regular job, you are assured of a fixed monthly salary that you can rely on.

So before quitting that 9-5 job that you are in, before delving into the freelancing world, give it some serious thinking first. Weigh the pros and cons and see how it’ll affect your life.

Proud To Be A (Online) Freelancer!

Scenario 1:
A stay-at-home mom looking for something to do in her spare time while her child is taking a nap.

Scenario 2:
A student who has been eyeing that MP3 player for months but can’t afford it.

Scenario 3:
An employee who is getting tired of commuting to and from work every day.

Scenario 4:
Someone whose hobby it is to write, blog, draw, video edit or design websites and would love to be paid for doing it.

Scenario 5:
An insomniac who spends long nights, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the sleep to come.

If you are one of these people then you might want to consider doing freelancing work online.

What is a freelancer?

According to  Free Dictionary, “a freelancer is a self-employed person who is not employed continuously but hired to do specific assignments.”

A couple of years ago, when you hear the word “freelance”, you’ll immediately think of writers or artists.  Nowadays, freelancing is not limited to these professions anymore.  With the fast paced technology like the internet being a part of our society, it is easy to understand why online freelancing is such a hit.

One of the best online freelancing hub in the world now is oDesk. On oDesk, you can find people from all over the world (in oDesk term: Buyers) posting thousands of job opportunities EVERY DAY looking for qualified people (in oDesk term: Providers) to work for them.  Work varies from web designing to blogging to data entry jobs to handling their facebook/myspace pages for them!

I’ve been with oDesk since October 2009 (specializing in Admin Support) and I am loving it! Freelancing rocks!

Of course it is not roses and sunshine in the world of freelancing, there will always going to be pros and cons.  I’ll be posting them in my future blog entries, as well as tips and tricks in and around oDesk.

Late Bloomer: My 1st Blog Entry

Yes I know, I am a tad late in entering the world of blogging, but at least I finally started one!

Some of you (ok, maybe none) might be wondering how I came up with this idea of blogging.  I was driving back home a few days ago when I realized that I have been telling everybody I know about how I’m so happy with my online freelancing work that I sound like a broken record already.  Some of my friends are considering it but they don’t know how and where to start. That got me thinking, why don’t I just start a blog about it!  That way, I don’t need to repeat it over and over again. 

While I was setting up this wordpress blog, I realized that it is not an easy thing to do, this is nothing like writing a diary or a journal where you can just type away and it’s done.  There are tags, meta tags, categories, rss feeds, posts, pages and a LOT LOT MORE that I don’t have any idea  what they are about!  But instead of being intimidated by them, I am actually excited to find out what these are.  So readers  (if there are readers), please be patient and bear with me as I fumble my way through this wonderful world of blogging.