The Global Work Marketplace - The revolution of how work gets doneWritten by Lori Redfield
Will cubicles be a distant memory for today’s workforce? Will expense of office space and tremendous burden of employee benefits be a thing of past for modern day businesses? The reality is, for thousands of people, this change has already occurred. Internet based 'Service Auctions' now abound where businesses can post their ongoing jobs or one-time projects to a global market of freelance professionals, a.k.a. - 'Service Providers'. The service providers then bid on work, adorn bid with their 'pitch' and online portfolio and voila! What commonly takes weeks to accomplish and thousands of dollars in payroll and advertising revenue... can take a business as little as a day with no overhead costs at all. Another advantage to this reverse auction model is feedback system. Providers are rated by previous buyers who have used their service. Generally a buyer can review a providers resume, portfolio, job history, references AND their feedback reviews with a click of a mouse. It can be a challenge for new service providers to jump in on these job sites without any previous feedback to grace their bids with coveted five star rating. But once that first project or two is under their belt, it is absolutely possible to make a successful freelance career via these types of job sites. Many freelancers have found their best long-term clients from these boards and only utilize system for a short time. Others use them continually and some work with a team of professionals to juggle work that they are awarded.
| | Stress Management for the Self EmployedWritten by Kate Smalley
Being self-employed, or freelancing, is a truly unique environment in which to work. Basically, you wake up every morning and “reinvent wheel.” That means that you begin every day knowing that you’ll be required to provide your customers with something they feel that they can’t live without. That’s not an easy thing for your stress level to handle. Being self-employed is synonymous with long hours, and working through those days that you really should have taken off. It means that your stomach is repeatedly in knots and adrenaline just doesn’t flow anymore. If this describes you, you’re not alone. Working for oneself from home, in front of computer on weekdays and weekends is becoming evermore popular thanks to internet and World Wide Web. However, with this ever growing popularity of independence, comes increasing build of stress. Symptoms of high stress in those who are self-employed include: The inability to concentrate The general feeling of being uptight Biting everyone’s head off Aching shoulders and neck A constant headache Indecisiveness Fatigue Insomnia
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