How to Handle Your Finances as a Freelancer - CareerMetis.com

How to Handle Your Finances as a Freelancer If you’re a full-time freelancer, you can enjoy a great freedom which many others don’t have. With this, though, comes a big responsibility: you have got to pay great care and attention to your finances and cash flow.Freelancing’s popularity is at an all-time high, as more and more people want to ditch a 9 to 5 routine and earn their own money.evalThe freelancer market has seen a rapid growth which was unforeseeable just a few decades ago, thanks in part to the kids of the digital age growing up and seeking a flexible work schedule, which allows them to live the life they want.A freelance income can be unpredictable, so it is very important to properly manage your money, which is not as difficult as you might think it is.1) Create a Sensible BudgetevalTo some people, budgeting is a dirty word. Sure, if you’re earning a big pay check, budgeting probably isn’t at the front of your mind.Whilst freelancing can earn you a comfortable income, budgeting is still important, and it is not as daunting as you may think.There are lots of different budgeting methods, techniques and guidesavailable on the internetto help you out.Personally, I think that the 50/30/20 method is a great place to start your budgeting and get a basic one down on paper. This method puts 50% of your after-tax income Whilst an employer would be responsible for your taxes and it would all be done automatically through payroll, this is obviously not the case when you are your own employer.Each time a client pays you, work out exactly how much of that payment needs to go towards your taxes and set it aside in a separate account. That way, when you get your tax bill, you’ll have the exact amount set aside ready to pay to the government.3) Registering as a FreelancerBeing a freelancer isn’t all fun, games and freedom. In fact, some things are just plain boring; registering yourself as a freelancer orregistering a businessis no exception to this. It can be quite confusing and tedious, but it is something which you are legally obliged to do.evalThe way in which you are registered does matter, because there are entirely different legal and tax implications depending on whether you’re a registered business or a sole trader.a) Sole ProprietorshipThis is themost common way for freelancersto register their business interests. A sole proprietorship Corporations are owned by shareholders whose liability is limited to the value of their investment.4) How to Form a CompanyRegistering as a Limited Liability Company is definitely the way to go if you’re a freelancer looking to register your interests and is the best route to take.Although, for tax purposes, it is no different to being a sole proprietorship, you have the added legal protections of not being personally liable for business debts, which can become a real possibility as you scale your freelancing business.An LLC can choose to be treated as a corporation for tax purposes by the IRS by filing form 8832.Whether or not this is the right solution for you depends on your personal circumstances and the nature of your freelancing business You may be wondering how to form a company; it’s quite simple. There are plenty of resources on the internet which can help, and it is as easy as selecting a state to register in, choosing a name and Registered Agent and then filing your Articles of Organization.Although there is a bit of paperwork involved, registering as an LLC is the best option for freelancers, particularly if you are going full-time or have long-term ambitions.

Salary Negotiation - Your Bottom Line - CareerAlley

Salary Negotiation - Your Bottom Line - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. There are not too many people who think they are overpaid. Human nature is to think you worth more than you are being paid (and maybe you are). While there are many factors when considering a job offer, one of the key drivers is how much compensation you are offered. While your job title, responsibilities and career track are also key considerations, you still need money to pay the bills and put food on the table. After you find your job, the one that really motivates you, the money comes next. And, if you are like most people, you want to be paid what youre worth. While we are only worth what the market will pay, there are ways to maximize your compensation. While there are many factors when considering a job offer, one of the key drivers is how much compensation you are offered. Tweet This Of course, if you dont know what you are worth its hard to know. So what are you worth? Do you know? Well, you should know before you get the job offer. Salary guides and salary search tools are helpful. Like everything on the Internet these days, you could spend days (maybe weeks) researching salary. After a few tries at the sites listed below, you should be able to get the basic information you need without spending days looking for it. Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay Start first with: 5 Tips to Maximize Your Job Offer Salary Negotiation Do You Know How Much Youre Worth? Salary Surveys Guides: 2015 SALARY GUIDE: IT Salary Evolution This survey provides the average salary by Robert Half. Click on the get the guide do download your copy. There are also some tools on the page. There is a salary calculator as well as a chart on hiring trends. JobStar Salary Surveys This link to surveys, from JobStar.org, provides links to over 300 salary surveys. They start with a very long list of career types, followed by a link to general salary surveys. You should be able to find your functional role from this list and get a rough idea of what your salary might be in this market. Salary Guides by Robert Half Another great resource from RHI, there are links to industry / functional role-specific surveys such as Legal, Technology, Finance Accounting and Office Team (to name a few). Click the link that interests you and you are led to a page where you can sign-up for the surveys. Negotiating Your Salary: How To Make $1000 a Minute Price: $8.69 Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute has sold more than 250,000 copies because career professionals recommend it and it's better-paid readers who applied the strategies, tell their friends. Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 Salary Calculators and Negotiation Tips: Salary Calculator One of many salary calculators (way to many to list here), this one is offered by homefair.com. Type in your title put in your zip code and you are all set to go. Fairly generic, but should give you a rough indication. PayScale Salary Calculator This one is from, you guessed it PayScale.com. Same deal here job title, city and state and off you go. Salary Comparison and Salary Calculator This is salary.coms version which has both a salary comparison and salary calculator. Submit your title and location. The calculator will return a second screen where you can refine the search or read the results of the search. Bureau of Labor Statistics The BLS has a bunch of information on salaries, inflation, employment and salary ranges for different job titles. Take a look and compare the ranges to your job title. How to Raise Your Own Salary Price: $14.95 Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Video Resumes in the News

Video Resumes in the News Some people think that video resumes are the next big thing in job search. While some short streaming video in a web portfolio that is used to communicate a candidates personal brand or unique selling proposition might be of value to a hiring manager at some point during the interview process, Im not convinced that the video resume is the way to go and heres why:Most video resumes are long and boring. Its hard enough for hiring managers to sift through paper resumes to find the right competencies and accomplishments that are relevant to their market. Can you imagine viewing and fast forwarding through hundreds of video resumes?The video resume may lead to more job discrimination suits. Does the video resume put the 50-something, physically challenged, or ethnically diverse candidate at a disadvantage? Maybe or maybe not, but the potential for discrimination suits is bound to rise if video resumes become a mainstream tool for sourcing candidates.A poorly produced video resume could kn ock out an otherwise viable candidate. If the video resume has an amateur feel to it or has poor sound quality or lighting, could the candidate loose ground with the hiring manager? A poorly written or designed resume could have a similar impact, but might be more forgivable, less memorable, or less likely to become fodder for the hiring managers office mates (remember the Yale student who used a video resume to apply for a position at UBS?)Want to hear more about my musings on video resumes? Check out this recent article on MSNBC.

Are you the Office Gossip

Are you the Office Gossip Have you ever had a workplace that was completely gossip free? Yeah, right, of course not. Gossip seems to be an unavoidable product of socially interconnected people talking amongst themselves. In the broadest of terms, gossip is defined as anything said about a person when they aren’t around. The most infamous (and, unfortunately, common) form of gossip is malicious. This isn’t always the case though; sometimes gossip can be a positive force. It is not always easy to know just how to respond to gossip. The number one rule of the grapevine is to question everything. There may be a kernel of truth to most gossip, but things can easily spin out of control and become mangled. It’s a good idea to confirm that what you’ve heard is true before you pass it on (or, when in doubt DONT SAY ANYTHING). This precaution will help keep your reputation in good regards. Remember, though, that gossip tends to trickle around and alter from one telling to the next (did you play that game when you were a kid? Sit in a circle, whisper something in someones ear, wait for it to come back to you, then see how different it became?). This distorting effect can make gossip difficult to rely on. There are times when you may want to actively engage gossip- to spread the word about your success on a recent project, for example. Although gossip can be a fast communication method, you should always (even with positive gossip) proceed with caution. You never know what details might be added or removed. Refrain from spreading the latest tidbit if you have any doubts over it. If you’re office is suffering under the rule of a gossip queen (or king), the best solution is to simply confront this person. Don’t be violent or mean, rather provide them with an ear, ironically, to which they can say what’s actually bothering them. The majority of gossip is about getting attention and, often, there’s a deeper issue at the heart of things. Ask your resident gossip what’s really going on and, hopefully, you’ll get an honest response. Either way, it’s worth mentioning to them the stress their antics are putting on you and the office. If conditions don’t improve, consider telling someone higher up. Be aware though that this news isn’t likely to travel through the grapevine too well. Make sure, then, that if you choose to rat out the gossip, you have the correct source and the rumors are truly defamatory. Likewise, if you’re planning to take a cue from Machiavelli and build your own gossip throne in order to get ahead, remember that tracking the source of everything in a smaller environment (like an office) can be pretty easy. If found out, not only will your coworkers feel betrayed and disdainful, there could be serious legal repercussions. Defamation lawsuits may be presented to anyone who diffuses lies about a person verbally, transcriptually, or online. With a little effort, you can also avoid the entire circus altogether. To minimize the amount of gossip you’re exposed to, try listening to music at your desk (at a non-disruptive volume low enough for you to still hear the phone ring). You might also want to try stopping the few rumors you do hear. If someone says something out-of-line about a coworker, openly question it and express concern. Remember that there is a distinction between all the negative gossip and the general social realm of the office; avoiding the former shouldn’t mean excluding yourself from the latter. Plus, nothing shuts down a mean gossiper quicker than a nice person. Be the nice person. You will always get ahead.

Top Choices of Where Can I Get Help Writing a Resume

Top Choices of Where Can I Get Help Writing a Resume It's also important to think about the type of work you really wish to be hired to do. Whether you are searching for your very first job or attempting to earn a career change, the approach starts with your resume. Perhaps you're able to get used to a brand-new team in the shortest possible moment. When you wish to find the best resume help, you are able to simply follow our lead. The Upside to Where Can I Get Help Writing a Resume There's a great chance it won't include all the keywords set out in the work description. You've got a little window of time to have the interest of a hiring manager so brevity and focus is crucial. Spend some time matching your qualifications to the job to make sure you're including the acceptable key phrases and techniques. Choosing which to use depends upon the sort of job which you are applying for and your degree of experience. Every day a growing number of people become cheated by writi ng businesses that provide low-quality services. There are a lot of choices out there for getting help with your resume to make sure the last draft is likely to receive a second look by employers. There are a lot of unique tactics to organize the info on your resume, but the very good old reverse chronological (where your latest experience is listed first) is still your best option. You should find out the way to generate the most efficient help creating a cv as possible deliver to the organization and provide good first effect about yourself, understand it here. Where Can I Get Help Writing a Resume Ideas All you include in your resume must reinforce how you're an appropriate job candidate. If it's possible to partner with a local job fair, you might be able to have a whole booth that provides free resume critiques. Customize your resume It takes a small amount of extra work but a resume that is tailored to a particular job opportunity and employer is a significant deal more powerful than a general resume. You need to understand that the interview is a previous step in the recruiting procedure. Utilizing a custom resume instead of a generic one is going to greatly increase your odds of an interview, as you'll be a better match in the view of the reader. A simple resume template is going to be your very best bet. Order writing or editing of a resume at this time and the quantity of job offers increase enormously. Today, there are dozens and dozens of custom writing services on the net. Developing a top-notch resume is a challenging endeavor to handle. You can also locate different references for the Resume Writing your need here.

Your Vision Should Include BHAGs Big Hairy Audacious Goals - Work It Daily

Your Vision Should Include BHAGs Big Hairy Audacious Goals - Work It Daily Success Tweet: Your vision should be a BHAG: a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Make it something really worth accomplishing. Let’s back up for a second and talk about the difference between your personal mission and personal vision. Your mission is your reason for existing, your passion, why you are on this earth. As I’ve said, my mission is to help others achieve the life and career success they want and deserve. Your mission is your purpose in life. Once you settle on a personal mission, you should think very long and hard before you change it. Your personal vision is the direction in which you are going in the short to medium term â€" usually the next three to five years. Unlike your mission, your vision should change with the times. It should be consistent with your mission, but should reflect the new goals you set for yourself as you move forward in your life and achieve some measure of career success. As the tweet says, your vision should always be a BHAG â€" a big hairy audacious goal. You need to create a vision that will challenge you and motivate you â€" it should be big and hairy and audacious. What’s your big hairy audacious goal for the next year? Three years? Five years? Ten years? I like the word “audacious” in the BHAG idea. According to Dictionary.com, audacious is defined as: “extremely bold and daring, brave, fearless, original, without restriction to prior ideas, highly inventive, unrestrained, uninhibited, bold in defiance of convention.” Do these words inspire you or frighten you? I hope they inspire you to be bold and daring, fearless and original when it comes to creating your personal vision. Don’t be constrained by convention, or restricted by prior ideas. Be highly inventive. An Example Of One Of My Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAGs) I’ve shared my current vision in a previous article. It comes in a one year and a five year time frame: Create a profitable internet business that will allow me to share my optimistic message on career and life success and help as many people as I can. Make 100% of my income from the internet by 2015. This vision is a BHAG for me; it’s audacious. I’m on a steep learning curve when it comes to internet marketing. Accomplishing my personal vision is going to take more than a little luck -- and a lot of persistence. But that’s OK â€" I realize my vision is a BHAG, and I’m willing to take the risk of stating it in public and committing to doing the work to make it a reality. I’m choosing to be bold and daring as I enter the next phase of my life. So what does this mean for you? It means you too should be bold and daring as you create your personal vision. Don’t be constrained by convention; see yourself as an audacious success three to five years in the future. That’s how you become a career success. Your mindset makes all the difference. You need to be willing to commit to doing things differently. As the saying goes, you need to be willing to give up what you are for what you can become. The first step in creating a personal vision that is a BHAG is to determine your goal for the time frame you choose. As you see, I’ve created a one year and five year goal. Your goal should be very focused. It should be difficult to achieve â€" or it’s not a BHAG. Your personal vision should stretch you past your comfort zone. It should be life changing. It should build on the momentum you have going. It should excite and stimulate you. It should be something that is really worth accomplishing. The common sense career success coach point here is simple. Successful people clarify their purpose and direction in life. Your purpose is your personal mission. Your direction is your personal vision â€" what you will accomplish in the next three to five years. As this tweet says, “Your vision should be a BHAG; a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Make it something that is really worth accomplishing.” Your personal vision should be bold and daring, original, not restricted by your past way of thinking, highly inventive, unrestrained and uninhibited. In short â€" think big, think outside the box, think about what you can become, not what you are today. Read more » articles by this approved expert | Click here » if you’re a career expert Photo credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

Best Answering Service Overall

Best Answering tafelgeschirr Overall After conducting considerable research and analysis of call center tafelgeschirrs, we recommend Specialty Answering tafelgeschirr as the best overall answering service in 2019.Specialty Answering Service (SAS) is our pick as the best overall answering service. It has decades of experience across several industries, multiple flexible pricing plans and a strong slate of services. SAS also offers HIPAA-compliant answering services its agents are trained to handle sensitive communications in a secure manner. Its focused on numerous verticals, including the healthcare, legal and finance industries.In addition to answering services, SAS offers inbound and outbound call center services, which is a good option for growing companies and bigger businesses that need help with technical support, market research and dealer locate services.To read all of our call center service recommendations, visit our Business News Daily best picks page.Editors note If youre looking for information to help you choose the call center thats right for you, fill out the questionnaire below to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.Why Specialty Answering Service?Specialty Answering Service is the best overall answering service because of its competitive pricing and extensive features. SAS has decades of experience working with companies in the agriculture, construction, energy, entertainment, financial, healthcare, legal, real estate and retail industries. It complies with HIPAA regulations and trains its agents on handling sensitive communications.SAS services can be customized to suit your business. Whether your business is based in a highly specialized field, or you need help with order taking or urgent response, SAS covers all the bases. Its range of pricing plans make it a suitable option for businesses small and large, and it can easily scale services to accommodate the needs of a growing company. PricingAS offers eight pricing plans. The highest call volume plan has a highly competitive tarif of 77 cents per minute, and the pay-as-you-go plan costs $1.19 per minute. The monthly subscription packages make Specialty Answering Service a flexible company that is a good solution for businesses that have a low volume of calls and those that have phone lines that are constantly busy. The company offers a 14-day free trial you dont need to provide a credit card in advance, and there are no obligations once the trial period is up. Heres more about Specialty Answering Services eight pricing plansPlan A $31 per month, plus a $1.19 per-minute overage feePlan B $117 per month for 100 minutes, plus a $1.09 per-minute overage feePlan C $199 per month for 220 minutes, in addition to a $1.09 per-minute overage fee Plan D $490 per month for 500 minutes, plus a 99 cent per-minute overage feePlan E $925 for 1,000 minutes, plus a 95 cent per-minute overage feePlan F $2,200 for 2,500 minutes, in addition to an overage fee of 89 cents for each additional minutePlan G $4,199 for 5,000 minutes, plus an 85 cent per-minute overage feePlan H $7,749 for 10,000 minutes, plus a 79 cent per minute overage feeSAS charges on a month-to-month basis. (Youre not bound by a long-term contract.) Plans are flexible you can upgrade or downgrade according to expected call volume, a convenient feature for seasonal businesses. It charges a one-time setup fee of $50, which was average based on the fees other answering services we evaluated charge. However, the company often waives the setup fee for clients that sign up for service immediately following their free trial.In the answering service industry, many companies bill in 6-second increments, which means call time is rounded up to the nearest 6-second mark. For example, a call lasting 1 minute and 1 second would be billed as 1.1 minutes, or 1 minute and 6 seconds. Incremental billing inflates usage, reducing the number of remaining minutes allotted to your business each month. SA S bills by the second, meaning call time is never rounded up. You are only billed for the time that agents spend with callers.Features and ServicesSAS is more heavily focused on inbound call services, but it can perform outbound telemarketing as well.Heres a look at some of the key services the company offers.Answering ServicesLive answering Using a script that you provide, SAS agents will assist your customers 24/7/365. Your business can utilize SAS during business hours, after hours or for overflow calls only.Message taking SAS will capture callers basic info, like their name, contact information, reason for calling, and will forward it to a point of contact in your company via email, text glaubenszeugnis or whichever method of notification you prefer.Order processing If you operate an e-commerce site, SAS agents can help your customers with questions and their purchases. It has a PCI-compliant portal and network.Lead capture SAS can capture the details of callers inquiring about a product or service and update your companys CRM accordingly.Appointment scheduling Agents can set new appointments using a shared calendar. You can view the schedules in real time, in addition to receiving a notification when a new appointment is set.Bilingual support SAS agents are fluent in both English and Spanish.Client portal A client portal, which can be accessed through the web or on SAS mobile application, details account usage in real time, including the number of calls coming in, the duration of each call, the result of each call and more. You can also dig into the statistics deeper to learn who is calling, the commons reasons behind calls and where callers are located. Last, you can easily make adjustments to your script, which are then updated in real time for SASCall Center ServicesHelp desk SAS call center can function as an IT help desk for callers needing assistance troubleshooting software or technical products. If agents arent able to resolve the issue to the cal lers satisfaction, the call is then referred to a point of contact in your company.Sales SAS can act as an outsourced sales department for inbound calls. Its agents can conduct common sales functions, including up selling and cross-selling.Dealer locate If your business uses distributors, agents can help callers find suppliers in their area.Market research SAS agents can conduct polls and surveys to generate new insights into your target audience.LimitationsSAS per-minute rates for its lower call volume plans are higher compared to the rates charged by other services we evaluated. For its higher call volume plans, however, the rates are very competitive. For small businesses on a tight budget, though, the higher rates for the low-volume plan could require a second thought. For growing, mid-sized and larger businesses, however, SAS is a cost-effective and feature-rich option.Customer ServiceSAS provided some of the best customer service we encountered. We placed calls to more than a dozen call centers and answering services the SAS representative we spoke with was very friendly and knowledgeable.We told the representative early on that our hypothetical business was not ready to buy were only in the research stage. That did not discourage the representative from spending a great deal of time on the phone with us explaining aspects of SAS service, such as onboarding, pricing, the typical services SAS provides to businesses and how we could potentially scale with the service.Despite the representatives obvious enthusiasm for SAS, we never felt pushed to make a buying decision. Following the call, the representative quickly followed up with additional materials and checked in to see if we had any questions, again never pressuring us to sign up. Overall, our customer service experience with Specialty Answering Service was exceptional.Ready to choose a call center service? Heres a breakdown of our complete coverageChoosing a Call Center Service A Buyers GuideBest C all Center Services 2019Best Outbound Call Center ServiceBest Call Center Services for Low-Volume BusinessesBest Overall Call Center ServiceBest Call Center for Medical PracticesEditors note If youre looking for information to help you choose the call center thats right for you, fill out the questionnaire below to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs. Adam C. Uzialko Adam C. Uzialko, a New Jersey native, graduated from Rutgers University in 2014 with a degree in political science and journalism and media studies. He reviews healthcare information technology, call centers, document management software and employee monitoring software. In addition to his full-time position at Business News Daily and business.com, Adam freelances for several outlets. 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