Computer Jobs Blog

The biggest selling point of any product involved in building a homebased online business is "quit your day job". Some of them go further than that promising wild riches in a very short time with little to no work or expense (except the cost of the get rich quick system - which never works by the way).

The main motivator they all have in common is the concept of no longer having to get up and do a job for someone else every day - which is pretty exciting!

Becoming a full time online entrepreneur does involve some hard work though, especially at the beginning -all that learning, doing, patience, perseverance, tracking, testing, tweaking, staying up to date, filtering out get rich quick rubbish and deciding how to spend your time is hard work.

Fit that in around a busy 9-5 day job, family and social life and you've got yourself a very busy schedule. A way around this is to base the theme of your web business around a topic you know well and are passionate about (duh!).

That may sound obvious but most of the new budding online marketers aren't approaching it this way. Discounting the easy money/GRQ chasers who don't fall into the entrepreneur category, a lot of new entrepreneurs are looking for "profitable niches" to get into.

It's OK for the seasoned marketer to consider a niche they know little to nothing about but for the beginner it's not recommended. For the learning process you want it to be as easy as possible and having to research a topic from scratch is just going to add to your to-do list.

What works for me is writing about what I do - (IT) - that way I can fuse my day job into my online business. When I say fuse the day job into your online business I don't mean work on your website on company time but take your day to day experience and what you learn.

It's tough building a successful web business - especially first time round. If you don't have a thorough time tested system with a step-by-step roadmap then it's really tough.

Building an online business is like building any other business, it does take blood sweat and tears, so make it easier on yourself and choose something you already can write about with some knowledge and authority. If you're really serious you should look atSite Build It!for a thorough step-by-step process that's proven to work. Click here for more on this subject

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May 15, 2007 19:39 - Contract Extensions Look Good on the CV

Today I got asked to stay on an extra month in my current contract which is great! Although on the other hand I was hoping for a rate rise with a new contract but this extension will only be short.

The good news is that extensions are good on the CV, whereas lots of contracts with no extensions look like red flags.

So a month on the same rate will result in a stronger negotiating position when the time comes to find a new role. In contracting there are two things that look extremely favourable, one is to be offered a permanent position and the other is extensions.

Almost there with the company set up, got a business account just need to get that online and finally set up my monthly salary/tax payments. The only way is up now.

Rate rise addiction

The pressure to self improve and grow is mounting now that getting a rate rise is a matter of negotiation. With new contracts every 3-6 months the potential is there to get a rate rise every contract, just got to keep studying and growing.

Pretty soon I'll be in the 'silly money' bracket - can't wait!

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May 20, 2007 17:57 - IT Job Seeker's Guide Now Available for Free Download

Is it really necessary to have a guide on 'how to get an IT job'? Well judging by the amount of forum posts from qualified and talented candidates struggling to get a job - it appears that it is.

The reason so many people aren't being put forward for roles is because they aren't marketing themselves well enough.

It's not enough know the technology and have certifications, you need to apply only to the jobs that really appeal to you, present yourself as proactive and productive, follow up with applications and know how to negotiate the best deal for all concerned.

The IT Job Seeker Guide takes you through just that in a simple, easy to follow step-by-step process and for no fee you can download it right here right now.

There is a bit of a jungle out there in the IT job market, there are rogue agents who use all kinds of tricks to increase their margin at your expense not to mention try and squeeze names of business leads out of you including your current employer.

Then there are the 'amazing opportunities' that pay peanuts and exploit their employees. You need to arm yourself with what to look out for to prevent being sold a bad package and get the best deal in the best role possible.

Do you want a great job in IT? Download the IT Job Seeker Guide right now!

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May 26, 2007 09:37 - 5 Simple Words All Users Have to Hear

"Are you happy with that?" - there you go, wasn't hard was it?

In the world of IT support it's essential that when finishing up a helpdesk call that you get some king of acknowledgment or - verbal agreement - that the user is satisfied with the work carried out and happy to have the issue closed.

If you can get it in writing it's even better but that might be a bit extreme. The most important thing though is that when they try and come back and bite you in the ass for - not fixing the problem that you actually did fix but it's either happened again or they've got some other problem that they think is related to you having touched their computer - you can quote them as being happy for you to close the previous call. It is a fact of office life that if you've been on someone's machine fixing something - their email for example - they will blame you for something as unrelated as their printer stopping working.

I'm sure anyone who's worked in support has heard the magic words "I don't know how it happened, all I know is that the IT guy was here and now it's stopped working".

OK- we don't break computers we fix them - users break computers - very efficiently in some cases. How - and why - in the world would I go into your machine and do the kind of thing you do that makes you phone me up with an urgent problem, that is so urgent that I should drop what I'm doing to come and see you?

OK /rant off - but you see where I'm going with this. The fact of the matter is that people do stupid things with their computers and then try and blame it on the people who know better than to do stupid things with their computers, which is why you need acknowledgement that they are satisfied with any work carried out.

5 simple words - "are you happy with that?" work for me.

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May 30, 2007 21:06 - At Last Techs Start Getting a Say in Key Business Decisions

If you're technical and have a head for business come on down... The price is definitely right!

In a press release today theitjobboard.com have reported a "25% Increase In Six Months In Jobs Advertised" largely due to business management roles, development positions and specialist technologies such as SAP.

Managing Director Ray Duggins sounded very positive about the evolving role of technology in business, going as far as to say "IT professionals can either focus on a business-related role that has the potential to see them influence boardroom decisions"

According to the job searching giant there is now real pressure on IT workers to study in order to meet the demand and that employers should "be realistic about the high level of competition they face to attract good candidates and make sure they offer remuneration packages that reflect this".

This is a trend that isn't going anywhere any time soon, if you know your tech and know how to apply it to business then the sky really is the limit.

What does this mean for the entry level candidate?

Develop your business skills along side your tech skills, even at the very bottom of the ladder you can learn how to market yourself in a way that gives you an edge over your competition who think 'all tech and no business'

Download the free IT Jobseeker guide for more on how to do this and before long you'll be writing your own pay checks.

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