The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced plans today to offer 500 patent examiners an opportunity to work from home next year most days of the week. USPTO officials said the agency must offer alternative work arrangements to attract and retain high-quality employees.
The expanded telework program will begin in February 2006 with two-week training sessions for about 40 employees at a time. USPTO officials said they hope to have 500 patent examiners in the telework program by September 2006.
Patent examiners who telework will come to the headquarters office in Alexandria, Va., as infrequently as once a week to attend meetings or take care of business that cannot be conducted from home. For those days, examiners will reserve time to use shared offices.
USPTO has an aggressive hiring quota for fiscal 2006 to cope with an onslaught of new patent applications. The agency received more than 400,000 patent applications in fiscal 2005, a record number. Officials said they hope to hire 1,000 patent examiners in 2006, many of them with computer and electrical engineering degrees.
The salary range for USPTO patent examiners is $34,548 to $135,136.
www.FCW.com
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Friday, December 23, 2005
Virtual Assistant Business do and don't
Virtual Assistants (VAs) are highly skilled professionals who provide administrative support and specialized services to businesses, entrepreneurs, executives, and others who have more work to do than time to do it. Examples of services a VA can do include web design and maintenance, word processing, meeting and event planning, desktop publishing, internet research, e-mail coordination, business start-up consultations and so much more. This can be the perfect work-at-home opportunity for many with good computer and Internet skills. Following are several Do’s and Dont’s to keep in mind for starting and operating your Virtual Assisting business.
DO -- Decide on a targeted market and initially focus your marketing efforts in that area. By developing a “niche” in your field, your reputation spreads quickly and soon you become a recognized expert. Several specialties include: medical, legal or business transcription, resume consulting, transaction coordination -- real estate industry, desktop publishing, manuscript preparing, academic typing, e-mail support, internet research, etc.
DO -- Be creative about where you can find business. The Internet offers a large variety of potential for clients just waiting for you to contact them. Actively network and don’t limit your marketing to simply placing a few ads in newspapers or the Yellow Pages. You want to find where there might be a need—and go fill it!
DO -- Write a complete business plan and marketing plan. Too many leave out this vital step and waste valuable time unorganized and without a clear-cut goal and direction for their business. When starting a business you will have tons of ideas floating around. You need to materialize all these and put them into a workable plan of action.
DO -- Develop a website that looks sensational! Your website is often the first connection a potential client has with your services. It must immediately let them know that they are dealing with a professional. Your site must then have the POWER to draw them to you and contact you. Let them see that you value quality by the look and feel of it. Additional tips include letting them know what services you offer and why you are qualified to offer those services by mentioning your experience and education. Be sure to include points on why you stand out among the rest and are the BEST! For example, if you have been featured in articles, radio shows, etc., have them listed with the dates.
DO -- Learn everything you can about starting a business. Knowledge is power and the more you know, the greater your chances for success. Look to online services and message boards and chats to talk with other Virtual Assistants operating a business. Remember these are often run by pros who have been in business for years and are willing to share their experience. For example, I mentor and manage virtual assisting boards on several entreprenuer forums. With 20 year’s experience, I often know what works and what doesn’t in starting a business and staying successful, so my experience can prove beneficial.
DO -- Join associations that are targeted for our Industry. A few of the more popular ones are IAVOA.com and IVAA.com, but there are many others. By connecting with these associations and being active, you learn from them what works and what doesn’t and you are able to post your questions to associate members via list serves often getting answers to your questions within minutes.
DO -- Read, read, read. By frequently continuing to increase your skills and your knowledge of your profession, the end result is a more confident satisfied you. Every tip you get from a book can be a new tool in your business. I recommend highlighting areas from several books and adding them to your library. Keep in mind that you might not use that idea today, but it might apply to specialties you might add down the road.
DO -- Enjoy!! There’s no greater feeling than landing that first client or finishing your first big project. Plus, wait until you get the opportunity to tell someone you own and operate your own virtual assisting business. It sure beats I’m a secretary at .... Plus, when you enjoy your business it shows. Your clients will sense your positive attitude and want to be a part of your team.
DON'T -- Underprice your services. The average virtual assistant today makes $25 to $70 an hour, depending on their skills, services offered, location, and years of experience. Don’t make the mistake of assuming if you charge the lowest prices, you’ll get the most work. You won’t. Instead, you’ll end up working outrageous hours for peanuts! Clients will pay more for professional services. When a potential client discovers you’re charging a lower rate than standard, they often feel they will receive a quality of services that is also lower.
DON'T -- Overextend yourself. One of the common mistakes many virtual assistants make is to accept too much work and then not be able to accurately complete it. Learn to say no or have a back-up helper who can assist you with any overflow work. Remember one of the most important ingredients for success is keeping your clients satisfied. If you overextend yourself and make a lot of errors, it will jeopardize your business.
DON'T -- Get discouraged. It takes time to get a business going. Plan ahead and have money saved in reserve. Don’t buy items until you have found the best possible price and there is an absolute need. This advance planning takes the pressure off of having to make money NOW. If things are slow and the phone just isn’t ringing ... MAKE IT RING!! There’s plenty of work out there, you just need to aggressively pursue it.
Finally, the most important ingredient for success is your belief in yourself. If you believe that with your skills and experience, you can own your own business, then there’s nothing stopping you. DREAMS DO COME TRUE. SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO MAKE THEM HAPPEN.
Diana Ennen, author, publicist, book marketer and mentor. She has written numerous books on operating a home-based business including Virtual Assistant: the Series and is president of Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and http://www.Publicity-VA.com.
DO -- Decide on a targeted market and initially focus your marketing efforts in that area. By developing a “niche” in your field, your reputation spreads quickly and soon you become a recognized expert. Several specialties include: medical, legal or business transcription, resume consulting, transaction coordination -- real estate industry, desktop publishing, manuscript preparing, academic typing, e-mail support, internet research, etc.
DO -- Be creative about where you can find business. The Internet offers a large variety of potential for clients just waiting for you to contact them. Actively network and don’t limit your marketing to simply placing a few ads in newspapers or the Yellow Pages. You want to find where there might be a need—and go fill it!
DO -- Write a complete business plan and marketing plan. Too many leave out this vital step and waste valuable time unorganized and without a clear-cut goal and direction for their business. When starting a business you will have tons of ideas floating around. You need to materialize all these and put them into a workable plan of action.
DO -- Develop a website that looks sensational! Your website is often the first connection a potential client has with your services. It must immediately let them know that they are dealing with a professional. Your site must then have the POWER to draw them to you and contact you. Let them see that you value quality by the look and feel of it. Additional tips include letting them know what services you offer and why you are qualified to offer those services by mentioning your experience and education. Be sure to include points on why you stand out among the rest and are the BEST! For example, if you have been featured in articles, radio shows, etc., have them listed with the dates.
DO -- Learn everything you can about starting a business. Knowledge is power and the more you know, the greater your chances for success. Look to online services and message boards and chats to talk with other Virtual Assistants operating a business. Remember these are often run by pros who have been in business for years and are willing to share their experience. For example, I mentor and manage virtual assisting boards on several entreprenuer forums. With 20 year’s experience, I often know what works and what doesn’t in starting a business and staying successful, so my experience can prove beneficial.
DO -- Join associations that are targeted for our Industry. A few of the more popular ones are IAVOA.com and IVAA.com, but there are many others. By connecting with these associations and being active, you learn from them what works and what doesn’t and you are able to post your questions to associate members via list serves often getting answers to your questions within minutes.
DO -- Read, read, read. By frequently continuing to increase your skills and your knowledge of your profession, the end result is a more confident satisfied you. Every tip you get from a book can be a new tool in your business. I recommend highlighting areas from several books and adding them to your library. Keep in mind that you might not use that idea today, but it might apply to specialties you might add down the road.
DO -- Enjoy!! There’s no greater feeling than landing that first client or finishing your first big project. Plus, wait until you get the opportunity to tell someone you own and operate your own virtual assisting business. It sure beats I’m a secretary at .... Plus, when you enjoy your business it shows. Your clients will sense your positive attitude and want to be a part of your team.
DON'T -- Underprice your services. The average virtual assistant today makes $25 to $70 an hour, depending on their skills, services offered, location, and years of experience. Don’t make the mistake of assuming if you charge the lowest prices, you’ll get the most work. You won’t. Instead, you’ll end up working outrageous hours for peanuts! Clients will pay more for professional services. When a potential client discovers you’re charging a lower rate than standard, they often feel they will receive a quality of services that is also lower.
DON'T -- Overextend yourself. One of the common mistakes many virtual assistants make is to accept too much work and then not be able to accurately complete it. Learn to say no or have a back-up helper who can assist you with any overflow work. Remember one of the most important ingredients for success is keeping your clients satisfied. If you overextend yourself and make a lot of errors, it will jeopardize your business.
DON'T -- Get discouraged. It takes time to get a business going. Plan ahead and have money saved in reserve. Don’t buy items until you have found the best possible price and there is an absolute need. This advance planning takes the pressure off of having to make money NOW. If things are slow and the phone just isn’t ringing ... MAKE IT RING!! There’s plenty of work out there, you just need to aggressively pursue it.
Finally, the most important ingredient for success is your belief in yourself. If you believe that with your skills and experience, you can own your own business, then there’s nothing stopping you. DREAMS DO COME TRUE. SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO MAKE THEM HAPPEN.
Diana Ennen, author, publicist, book marketer and mentor. She has written numerous books on operating a home-based business including Virtual Assistant: the Series and is president of Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and http://www.Publicity-VA.com.
Work at home jobs
Please Note- A Legit Company will not ask you for money. These are unresearched work at home job leads. Use common sense if it sounds too job to be true-it probably is. Please post in comments if you have any replies to the jobs applied
Telecommunting Recruiting Huge database of telecommuting jobs
Java, XML, DHTML Framework Development Role San Fransisco
Clinical Coordinator RN California
Document tester San Fransisco or Dallas-Fort Worth
Loan officers California
Mortgage Consultants Anywhere
3d graphic artist Chicago
Sales rep Chicago
Ebay expert technical writer
Telecommunting Recruiting Huge database of telecommuting jobs
Java, XML, DHTML Framework Development Role San Fransisco
Clinical Coordinator RN California
Document tester San Fransisco or Dallas-Fort Worth
Loan officers California
Mortgage Consultants Anywhere
3d graphic artist Chicago
Sales rep Chicago
Ebay expert technical writer
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Telecommute in Connecticut
Telecommute CT is a great resource if you are a business or a resident in CT.
If you would like to become a telecommuter, Telecommute CT! offers tips and guidelines to help you figure out whether you are a suitable candidate, and if so, how to make your case to your manager and how to benefit the most from your telecommuting experience.
Key points to help determine if you have what it takes to telecommute
Advice on how to get approval from your boss to telecommute
The benefits of telecommuting for the employer, employee and the community
Tips from experts on how to make the most of your telecommuting experience
Experiences of people who have taken advantage of telecommuting
The latest news for telecommuters
If you would like to become a telecommuter, Telecommute CT! offers tips and guidelines to help you figure out whether you are a suitable candidate, and if so, how to make your case to your manager and how to benefit the most from your telecommuting experience.
Key points to help determine if you have what it takes to telecommute
Advice on how to get approval from your boss to telecommute
The benefits of telecommuting for the employer, employee and the community
Tips from experts on how to make the most of your telecommuting experience
Experiences of people who have taken advantage of telecommuting
The latest news for telecommuters
Friday, December 16, 2005
Without the structure of an office outside of our homes, it is easy to scatter anything work related all over the house. We still need to complete our work in a timely and efficient manner. After all, the less time we spend working, the more time we have with our family. An organized home office will make for a faster and more pleasant workday. Here are a few ideas to get you and your home office organized.
1) Do you have a home office? You don’t necessarily need an entire room, but you should have a well-defined space to contain all your office essentials and files.
A desk in your bedroom that will hold your files, paper, pens, calculator and of course computer will do fine, especially in the beginning.
If your “office” consists of the dining room table, some of the drawers in your kitchen, a file cabinet in the basement and the computer in the bedroom, you may want to think about organizing everything in one spot.
Are you spending a lot of time searching for a particular document, running from room to room to find it? Consider moving all your files and papers to one central location, preferably close to the computer if that’s where you are doing the bulk of your work.
2) Keep your personal files and papers separate from your business things.
You will eventually have enough paperwork to deal with without having your personal bills, magazines and the kids’ after-school schedule mixed in there. Create a separate spot for those somewhere outside of your home office space.
3) Create a file system that works for you. Remember, you may be working for someone else, but when it comes to your home office, you are your own boss.
Think about how you look for a particular file or piece of paper. What will be the easiest way for you to find it? Then create a file system that works for you. Don’t worry, if you don’t get it right the first time, you can always resort and try again. Sooner or later you will come up with a system that is “just right” for you.
4) Take a good look at your work area. Do you have piles of papers, files, mail, floppy discs and CDs lying around? Do you notice anything else piling up? Set aside a few hours and put everything away. Use your new file system and find “homes” for anything else.
5) Now that you have your office organized, set aside a few minutes at the end of your workday to keep it that way. Try to “leave work” for the day with a clean, empty desk. You will appreciate it the next morning. This will also prevent you from ever coming across a huge pile of papers again.
6) Add a personal touch to your office. Bring in some pictures of the kids; add some pretty plants, inspirational quotes, or anything else you can think of that will make your office a pleasant place to work in. In addition to getting and keeping you in a good mood whenever you step in your office, you are more likely to keep it clean and organized if it is a place you treasure. So splurge a little on some special office décor.
7) Let’s talk about the files on your computer. You can waist just as much time searching for an online document as for a piece of paper. If your computer is used for work as well as for personal use, create a work folder and use subfolders for particular employers, projects etc.
Again, come up with a file system that works for you and keep your work files separate from your personal files. This is particularly important if other family members access the computer as well. If that’s the case, and you are using Windows XP, I strongly recommend setting up a separate user account just for work and password protecting it. This will prevent other family members from accidentally changing or deleting your work files.
8) In addition to your regular files, you also want to keep your emails organized. Let’s be honest, we have all wasted time searching for a particular email that contained some vital information we needed fast. Setting up folders for different clients and projects has worked well for me, but again find a system that works for you and stick with it. Sort the email as soon as you read it. It only takes a second or two to drop it in the appropriate folder, but will save you a lot of time if you have to find it later.
9) Now that you have a good filing system (both physical and digital) in place, set aside a little time every few months (or weeks if appropriate) to purge your files. We can quickly accumulate a lot of documents both in our file cabinet and on our hard drive that we no longer need. At the very least, try to purge your files twice a year.
10) Now that your office is organized, you may also want to take a look at organizing your time. Again, come up with a system that works well for you.
I encourage you to start with a few of these ideas to get your office and yourself more organized. You will be surprised by how much time you will save not searching for files, papers or the stapler. Before long, you won’t know how you ever functioned without an organized home office.
Nell Taliercio is the owner and founder of http:http://www.TelecommutingMoms.com – which is a leading resource website with work at home jobs and everything a telecommuting mom would need. Come visit us today!
1) Do you have a home office? You don’t necessarily need an entire room, but you should have a well-defined space to contain all your office essentials and files.
A desk in your bedroom that will hold your files, paper, pens, calculator and of course computer will do fine, especially in the beginning.
If your “office” consists of the dining room table, some of the drawers in your kitchen, a file cabinet in the basement and the computer in the bedroom, you may want to think about organizing everything in one spot.
Are you spending a lot of time searching for a particular document, running from room to room to find it? Consider moving all your files and papers to one central location, preferably close to the computer if that’s where you are doing the bulk of your work.
2) Keep your personal files and papers separate from your business things.
You will eventually have enough paperwork to deal with without having your personal bills, magazines and the kids’ after-school schedule mixed in there. Create a separate spot for those somewhere outside of your home office space.
3) Create a file system that works for you. Remember, you may be working for someone else, but when it comes to your home office, you are your own boss.
Think about how you look for a particular file or piece of paper. What will be the easiest way for you to find it? Then create a file system that works for you. Don’t worry, if you don’t get it right the first time, you can always resort and try again. Sooner or later you will come up with a system that is “just right” for you.
4) Take a good look at your work area. Do you have piles of papers, files, mail, floppy discs and CDs lying around? Do you notice anything else piling up? Set aside a few hours and put everything away. Use your new file system and find “homes” for anything else.
5) Now that you have your office organized, set aside a few minutes at the end of your workday to keep it that way. Try to “leave work” for the day with a clean, empty desk. You will appreciate it the next morning. This will also prevent you from ever coming across a huge pile of papers again.
6) Add a personal touch to your office. Bring in some pictures of the kids; add some pretty plants, inspirational quotes, or anything else you can think of that will make your office a pleasant place to work in. In addition to getting and keeping you in a good mood whenever you step in your office, you are more likely to keep it clean and organized if it is a place you treasure. So splurge a little on some special office décor.
7) Let’s talk about the files on your computer. You can waist just as much time searching for an online document as for a piece of paper. If your computer is used for work as well as for personal use, create a work folder and use subfolders for particular employers, projects etc.
Again, come up with a file system that works for you and keep your work files separate from your personal files. This is particularly important if other family members access the computer as well. If that’s the case, and you are using Windows XP, I strongly recommend setting up a separate user account just for work and password protecting it. This will prevent other family members from accidentally changing or deleting your work files.
8) In addition to your regular files, you also want to keep your emails organized. Let’s be honest, we have all wasted time searching for a particular email that contained some vital information we needed fast. Setting up folders for different clients and projects has worked well for me, but again find a system that works for you and stick with it. Sort the email as soon as you read it. It only takes a second or two to drop it in the appropriate folder, but will save you a lot of time if you have to find it later.
9) Now that you have a good filing system (both physical and digital) in place, set aside a little time every few months (or weeks if appropriate) to purge your files. We can quickly accumulate a lot of documents both in our file cabinet and on our hard drive that we no longer need. At the very least, try to purge your files twice a year.
10) Now that your office is organized, you may also want to take a look at organizing your time. Again, come up with a system that works well for you.
I encourage you to start with a few of these ideas to get your office and yourself more organized. You will be surprised by how much time you will save not searching for files, papers or the stapler. Before long, you won’t know how you ever functioned without an organized home office.
Nell Taliercio is the owner and founder of http:http://www.TelecommutingMoms.com – which is a leading resource website with work at home jobs and everything a telecommuting mom would need. Come visit us today!
Work at home job leads
Please Note- A Legit Company will not ask you for money. These are unresearched work at home job leads. Use common sense if it sounds too job to be true-it probably is. Please post in comments if you have any replies to the jobs applied
Telecommunting Recruiting Huge database of telecommuting jobs
Mortgage Protection Life Disability Insurance Sales with Leads Doesn't state location
Manager Claims Greensboro, NC
Inside sales Austin
Recruiter Tech industry Newport, CA
Telecommunting Recruiting Huge database of telecommuting jobs
Mortgage Protection Life Disability Insurance Sales with Leads Doesn't state location
Manager Claims Greensboro, NC
Inside sales Austin
Recruiter Tech industry Newport, CA
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Work at home job leads
Please Note- A Legit Company will not ask you for money. These are unresearched work at home job leads. Use common sense if it sounds too job to be true-it probably is. Please post in comments if you have any replies to the jobs applied
Telecommunting Recruiting Huge database of telecommunting jobs
Registered Nurse Anywhere
Inside Sales PA
Chemicals/Sales Representative TX
Telephone Project Manager Salt Lake City, UT
Loan Officer Chicago
Telecommunting Recruiting Huge database of telecommunting jobs
Registered Nurse Anywhere
Inside Sales PA
Chemicals/Sales Representative TX
Telephone Project Manager Salt Lake City, UT
Loan Officer Chicago
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