Tag: Top

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Work in Malaysia Compared to Philippines

In the early 90s, there was a huge demand for Filipino skilled workers in Saudi Arabia for manual labor. With their struggle to feed the family and give their kids a proper education, Filipino parents would often remind them to “study hard and get a good job.” Soon after, it was believed that working abroad would help Filipinos alleviate poverty thus the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) trend started. People then started to see huge improvements especially from OFW families and government keeps praising them as the modern hero of the Philippines. With the recent economic factors that aggravates the living conditions of the masses, Filipino parents would now remind their kids the same phrase… with a little tweak – “study hard and get a good job abroad.“

One of the most promising countries to work abroad is located roughly 1500 miles southwest of the Philippines – the Malaysia. Their labor force often demands a potentially huge number for manpower where Filipino workers often wage competition with laborers from neighboring countries such as India, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.

However, they still want to work in Malaysia due to a variety of reasons which our country, the Philippines, does not adequately provide or makes it impossible to reach by sheer hard work and determination. As one of those employees who previously worked in our hometown, going abroad sounds like a fairly natural response that brings solution to this issue. Nevertheless, no matter what occupation you do or what skill set you have, many of the things here might make you say “Yes, this is exactly the reason I’ve gone abroad!”

So without further ado, here are the top ten reasons why it’s better to work in Malaysia compared to Philippines:

10. Different culture

Once you step foot on a foreign land, you’ll notice that everything you lay your eyes on is different from home. You may suddenly pay attention to the women wearing Muslim scarfs known as hijab. Also, when you’re roaming the malls that you’re so used to when you were in Philippines, you’ll observe that there are specific prayer rooms in some floors that they call surau, which we are not accustomed because we belong in a different culture.

Humans, in general, are curious beings and we as Filipinos, do not stray away from that behavior. We tend to be fascinated with these divergent perspectives including the mere differences in religion and celebrations. Moreover, as millenials, we embrace change so much that we like living out-of-the-norm and share our experiences in social media.

As such, we abide to these cultural standards, respect them and if possible, meet-in-between since we have an obligation to go to Church every Sunday and spread the word of God. And whatever you do, believe me, they will respect what you believe as well.

9. More opportunities

Although Malaysia is a developing country like Philippines, working here opens the gate to countless opportunities. In our home country, it is evidently hard to get a job even if you have the most impressive resume in town. However, in Malaysia, you can get a call for an interview in an hour provided that you have the right skills and experience that the foreign agency or headhunter needs.

If you have plans for furthering your career (especially in IT or engineering field), working in Malaysia is a boost on your hard-earned credential since HR often takes into account how you deal with your foreign bosses. It’s also a huge plus for a candidate to have the experience of managing superb work relationships with foreign clients.

Also, if you have other life event goals like immigrating to first-world countries such as Australia, Canada or New Zealand, processing the documents you need is relatively easier, faster and safer in Malaysia. Even though you need to go back home to gather papers for the lengthy list of immigration requirements, still its better to ‘just get it done’ in Malaysia because you have the edge, financially right?

8. Delicious cuisine

I’m turning 6 months now in Malaysia as of the time of writing and I have to say it out loud that Malaysian cuisine, in the simplest sense, is incomparable. No matter how I become “foodsick” (no it’s not what you think – I mean it as missing food back home) while living here, still every Malaysian dish I try completely satiates my craving and satisfies my tummy albeit going to toilets (because I cannot handle some spicy dishes).

Due to the different cooking traditions and practices from the three main ethnic groups in Malaysia – Malays, Chinese and Indians – Malaysian cuisine are so much imbued with a variety of spices that makes foods so much better than the ones at home. The popular everyday food you encounter here in Malaysia are Nasi Lemak, Mi Goreng, Rendang or Bak Kut Teh and some hot Teh Tarik on the side.

To top it all off, they are all cheap. The Fried Nasi Lemak in the picture costs around RM 6.70. With a huge plate and lots of servings on the side, you cannot get this type of food for P80 in the Philippines except if you live in the provincial area. Even with the GST (Goods and Services Tax) newly implemented this year, you can still eat on a budget by buying from wet markets and cooking it yourself. That way, you can eat at an even cheaper price AND can cook Filipino foods the way you want it.

7. Improved lifestyle

Once you arrive here in Malaysia, you’ll automatically be called a foreigner or expatriate. If your work does not have free accommodation, you’ll have no choice but to rent rooms on condominiums or on landed estates. Oftentimes, rental rate at major states like Kuala Lumpur and Selangor turns out to be higher than the usual.

However, housing units in Malaysia are usually equipped with aircon, automatic washing machines, fridges, water heater and induction cookers which will mostly make your life a bit easier. If you are living in the Philippines with just an electric fan and cold water, then your lifestyle in Malaysia will definitely get better.

If you choose your place right, you can have access to other engaging lifestyles such as going to gyms, shopping at malls or maybe swimming at condominium pools. Whatever your job is, I promise you, your life will be better, if not a bit then slightly better, but will still be better than it used to be back home, probably with your parents.

6. Easy travel back to hometown

With the boom of low-cost airlines and the accessibility of Asian countries to the world, it has now been very easy to book tickets online and fly back home. Tourists and backpackers from all parts of the world easily fly back and forth everyday to Malaysia including our very own OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers).

If an OFW becomes so homesick that she wants to be with her daughter during the school awarding ceremony or on her 7th birthday, she can just hit the keys on websites like AirAsia or CebuPacific, book flights and board the plane on the travel date to see her kids. With flight discounts ongoing every month, she can definitely travel back home and still be in budget thus a win-win situation for every OFWs in Malaysia. Moreover, it’s less than four hours going back to Philippines so it’s not that much of a hassle.

However, if your work partially restricts you from leaving the country (probably for domestic helpers), you can still contact them through social messaging apps like Whatsapp (very common in Malaysia) or Messenger and video call through Skype.

5. Tourist destination

As Malaysia strives to live up to their tourism brand – Malaysia Truly Asia – and remain a strong contender as Top 2 in the World Tourism Rankings on Asia’s top destination, it has always been included on every traveler’s checklist of the most wanted travel places. As a Filipino, can attest to the beauty of Malaysia and its awesome tourist attractions as I’ve seen it firsthand.

If you’re free on weekends, you can always travel to famous tourist destinations like Petronas Towers, Genting Highlands or the Petaling Street easily through trains and buses. You can also travel a bit farther to places like Melaka or Penang especially on long holidays since it’s surely a long drive from the city but I promise it’s definitely worth it. You need not to go taxi if you don’t know where they are located since you can fully navigate Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur, through web mapping services such as Google Maps.

On the other hand, if you are not sure where to go, you can browse TripAdvisor OR you can browse here at Roumery since I will be posting travel guides in Malaysia soon enough. Stay tuned for more updates!

4. Low cost of living

Some economists use a more digestible exchange rate theory called the Big Mac Index to enact a global standard in measuring Purchasing Power Parity. In layman’s term, it can be used to gauge, although not accurately, the cost of living in a certain country. If base rate is USD, then Malaysia’s currency, the Ringgit, is undervalued at 63% per the mentioned index. Thus, it means that the Big Mac in McDonalds Malaysia is cheaper than most of the countries hence it has low cost of living.

However, you don’t need to consult an expert to measure the cost of living since we do it ourselves automatically without knowing it. Often for first time OFWs, they always convert Ringgit to Pesos every time they buy something and conclude from their everyday groceries if Malaysia is generally cheaper than in Philippines.

In my opinion, food and transportation are customarily cheaper in Malaysia since oil is one of Malaysia’s ace card for its economic growth. Unit rentals are higher in urban areas but mostly normal on the outskirts of the major cities. In general, Malaysia still maintains a low cost of living (if outside Kuala Lumpur) compared to Philippines, or Singapore for that matter.

3. Faster internet

According to this chart, you’ll see that in year 2014, Malaysia has an Internet Speed Index of 5.5 Mbps while Philippines has an Internet Speed Index of 3.6 Mbps. If you are a Filipino reader, you can agree and attest that this is not true. This is one of the reasons why I worked in Malaysia – because they have faster Internet than the Philippines.

I was in the Philippines on the year 2014. The average plan for a home DSL (or WiMax) through any telco carrier was up to 1-2 Mbps as advertised and it had been consistently not even gaining at least 500 Kbps download speed even at 2 pm after midnight (to which 100 Kbps is the usual). Also they didn’t have fiber optic network until recently when PLDT Fibr has been introduced. The price ranged from P1000 to P1500 (RM 222 to RM 333) for this type of plan. As I’ve heard, new plans moving forward already have data caps according to the networks’ Fair Usage Policy.

Here in Malaysia, you can order for a 10 Mbps plan that efficiently exceeds after midnight (around 20 Mbps) and is consistent in the morning. This is already connected to the Fiber Network laid out on the condominium (or on landed house) and can range only from RM 100 to RM 150. Moreover, it is unlimited with no cap and can be disconnected (although with minimum 2 yrs bond) once you’re leaving the country. If you’ll look at the comparison, Malaysia is still leading the Internet race compared to the Philippines in this aspect.

2. Better transportation

If you have worked in Metro Manila like I did, chances are you’ve probably rode the MRT once, or everyday OR depending on where you’re coming you need to interchange from the LRT station first. There are already many stories in the Internet describing their misery on commuting through these trains everyday. I would not describe it here anymore but let me tell you that it is very stressful, time-consuming and unsafe to go to work by MRT everyday.

In Malaysia, the railway infrastructure consists of interconnected commuter rail service, rapid transit service, monorail service and airport rail link service. Commuting through train is not stressful since it’s easy to buy tokens from ticketing machines instead of waiting for long queue, not time-consuming since trains arrive faster than you think and safe since there are stationed guards on every train waiting area and locals are very disciplined that stealing is seemingly nonexistent on train stations.

As one of my wise colleague said, “A developed country is one in which rich people use public transport”.

1. Higher salary

Undoubtedly, the top reason you may want to work abroad is and has always been money. Even if you have the nine reasons above, if the salary discussed during the contract signing is not what you expected, then working abroad may not be possible.

Sometimes, if you are in a desperate situation, you’ll accept the job offer abroad regardless of the salary. On the other hand, your work colleagues would often advise you that if you’ll take another job, your asking salary should sure be twice of what you’re having currently. However, for me, part of the reason I took the work abroad is the lower income tax in Malaysia (around 5 to 10% per month depending on the salary) compared to Philippines (roughly 32% per month). It also helps that when you tune in to Philippines news, you’ll see that there are often reports on allegations of graft and corruption to your own politicians using the taxes that majority of the Filipinos pay.

But in all aspects, the salary must also reach your expectation since it’s the main reason you want to work abroad right? As an IT consultant and with conversations from some of my Filipino colleagues here in Malaysia, the salary will always be higher than what you earn in the Philippines. Since most of us are contractual, it is true that agencies have salary standards depending on your work experience and skillset. It’s also true that some agencies give a higher salary than the usual but it usually falls down to your negotiation skills although you can barter a bit more because of the unstable Malaysian currency (there, I gave you one tip – good luck!)

These are the top reasons to consider when you want to work abroad in Malaysia. There is always a job demand for expatriates but recently there had been raids on illegal workers so please be careful on who or what agencies you trust to (especially those asking for hefty placement fees). However, there are news of freeze hiring for incoming foreign workers in Malaysia so if you’re ready then by all means go apply and work abroad here in Malaysia. Cheers!

Top 10 Best 1 Mb Apps for Android

1. Instadict (973k Mb Apps)Instadict

Instadict lets you view a word’s meaning anywhere!

Just copy the word and shake your device horizontally to get its meaning. No need to interrupt what you’re doing.

It also supports full offline mode! Just download the appropriate dictionary from the link below and you’re all set! It is suggested you download them for an overall better experience.

Note – If you install these apps, then you can save your phone’s storage so if you like this post, then share it and you will be able to tell more about this type of app as soon as possible. Be less.

2. Via Browser (793k Mb Apps)

This browser is less than 1 MB if we use the second browser, then its size is 20 or 25 or more, its size is the specialty of this browser, in which you can save your data and in it Ad Block, Night mode, Computer mode, Translator, Pages and many other features are in other browsers.

Here are some functions of Via browser

• Date saving

• Customize

• Ad block

• Privacy Protect

• Bookmarks

• Add-on

• Night-mode

• Computer – mode

• Translate

• Find in page

• Search engine switch

• Web page save

• Intelligence picture show

• Free to design your homepage

3. Open In Whatupp (110k Mb Apps)

If you want to hit someone whose number is not to save you or you do not want to save his number but if you want to send one or two messages to him, then after installing it, you have to select the country and enter his number and open it. It’s okay to get it on the what up and you can message it.

4. Shazam Lite (1 MB App)

It’s a lot less spectacular and less than 1 MB. The thing about this app is that if you are listening to a song and you have to know about that song, what’s the song or what song is going on in your background So this app will tell you just to install it and click on Liston but when you can use this app when your internet is on.

About Shazam

With one tap, Shazam connects you to the content and artists you love, identifying music and more that you can instantly share with friends – all for free.

And that’s just the beginning: One-tap access to video clips, song lyrics, related tracks and streaming services, where you can listen to your Shazams in full or buy them.

*Song names will appear in your History once a connection is restored.

5. LockWatch (322k MB App)

This application is one of my Forever Apps as you can see that the size of this app is less than 1 MB when you open this app then it asks for some permissions from you.

The thing about this app is that if you put a password on your phone and someone is trying to open it, then its photo is taken and it gets sent to your mail. This is a very secure application.

6. Dock4Droid (1 MB App)

Dock4Droid is the first Dock task manager for the Android platform. You can quickly access your running tasks from anywhere you currently are in your phone or tablet and launch new apps from the current screen. Icons are rendered in a wave-like parabolic view and tasks are accessed by sliding your finger on the dock.

Features:

You can add custom launchers

supports also your favorite contacts

Dock4Droid is fully localized into Italian

7. Simple Notepad (713k MB App)

As soon as you know it, it’s a simple Notepad app that is simple and gives you a quick and fast experience. Apart from being easy, there are many different features.

Checklist

Send data to Google Cloud Print

Customizable font and background

Voice input

Word count

8. Darker (Screen Filter) (1 MB App)

With this app, you can do your work by surfing in dim light in the night. It is very useful for your eyes, it helps to filter the light of your smartphone.

Features:

Auto-On & Auto-Off

Lower brightness below 20%

Customizable notification buttons

Buttons to set a specific brightness

Up to three buttons can be added for quick access.

9. Photoczip Lite Compress Image (459k MB App)

Photo Clip Light With this app you can compress your documents or photos and resize and zip with it too. We use it as easy as possible before sending or sharing through email, Twitter, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.

Features:

Support JPG/PNG compress and resize

Zip all image together

Share photos easily

No advertisement, Absolutely Free

Tiny app size

HOW TO COMPRESS PHOTOS

1. Choose Image from Gallery

2. Choose “Compress”

3. Done.

10. Gallery ( 851k MB App)

Listening to these names, you may feel a bit weird but this is very awesome and the work app Gallery App raises images from mobile internal memory and SD card. Show all images in managed image Instant access, edit the image with the same app.

Features:

3d picture view

consume less power and memory

cropping with pix let

quick responsive

Top 6 Channels for Mobile Marketing

Statistics speak volumes.

  • The US mobile web population will be up almost 25% by the end of this year.
  • By 2015, more than three in five mobile users and almost half the total US population will be using the mobile Internet.
  • Smartphone usage will increase to 38% of mobile users and 28.8% of the overall population by the end of this year.
  • The number of smartphone users is set to increase 49.6% this year and continue growing at a steady double-digit pace through 2015.

(Statistics and projections from recent eMarketer research)

The unprecedented growth of mobile phone usage is providing more opportunities for businesses to reach their market than ever before. After seeing these statistics you may find yourself saying, yes, mobile marketing a big deal and a great investment for my marketing budget, but where do I begin?

You should start with an understanding of what mobile marketing outlets are available and what benefits they have. Here is a rundown of the top six mediums:

Mobile Website – There are several projections that in the next few years mobile Internet browsing will be more widely used than PC/MAC Internet browsing. Developing a mobile website is typically the first step in your mobile marketing and will increase the satisfaction of your viewers as they visit your site on their mobile phone.

Mobile Application – According to Ovum’s app download forecasts, there will be 14 billion applications downloaded this year. That’s over 400 apps per second! Not only are mobile applications great for increasing brand equity, they can also provide substantial revenue.

Mobile Ads – Mobile ads are what you see in the free version of so many mobile apps. With over 400 apps downloaded per second, there is a lot of opportunity to increase brand awareness and incite action amongst a targeted audience.

Location-Based Apps – One of the fastest growing areas of mobile marketing is location-based services. Consumers often use applications such as FourSquare, Where, Google Places, Yelp, and Merchant Circle to find out what’s going on around them and find special deals. This is a great way to let consumers who are physically near to your business find out about you!

QR Codes – A technology originally used in the manufacturing process, this 2D code allows smart phone users to gain information simply by scanning the code with their phone’s camera. The matrix-like code can be easily developed and is often used to link on-the-go consumers to mobile-friendly websites.

Mobile Coupons – An old concept utilizing new technology. Use QR codes, mobile apps, text messages or your mobile website to offer coupons and entice consumers to shop at your store (brick and mortar or virtually).

The question is not whether or not you should integrate mobile technology into your marketing strategy, but which way works best for your company.

Top Mobile App Development Solutions Platform

The inception of mobile devices and the subsequent exponential growth in the field of mobility has led to an immense opportunity and challenge both at the same time for companies, organizations and institutions. The mobile world brings with it a huge opportunity in terms of the increased reach that you can have for your products and services. The biggest challenge is to be able to provide a great user experience while being able to sell your product or service efficiently.

The mobile app for your company or organization will become your best tool to market your products or services. Depending on the domain your organization works in, your app can be either the first touch-point between you and your potential customer or can be a platform where your customers can purchase your products or services. Whatever the case, you as an organization need to make a transition towards a mobile mindset to keep your business relevant in today’s era.

There can be various factors that come into play when deciding the way forward:

1. Which mobile platform should we get our Mobile App development done?

The answer to this question will depend on who your target audience is. It is best to get some background work done to understand the device preferences (and thereby the platform) of your existing & potential customers. Based on this you can decide if you need your app to be on a single platform (say Android) or multiple platforms (say Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry).

2. Should we go for native app development or use a cross platform development?

Native apps are usually preferred if you have sufficient budget allocated for your mobile app development solution. Some of the reasons for this choice are –

  • The taste in terms of UI/UX of an Android user is different than an iPhone user. Also, the designing standards vary from one platform to another.
  • It is easier to implement hardware related functionality efficiently. E.g. gestures or geo-location.
  • Performance is better due to faster execution of code.

On the other hand, if you have limited budget but would like to target users of multiple platforms and are OK to trade-off slightly between performance and cost, cross platform application development is the way to go. With improved tools like PhoneGap & Ionic, the overall performance of these apps have also enhanced over time.

3. What should be the UI/UX for the app be?

This will depend on the nature of your business and what you want to achieve through the mobile app. As a thumb rule though, your app should be easy to use, engaging and have a clean design.

4. How do we publicize our app so that we can have maximum outreach?

You can send out e-mailers, publicize on your social media pages or send messages to your existing customers. There are professionals who can help you with marketing of your app, especially to reach out to potential customers.

5. Who should we hire for the Mobile App Development Solution?

There are many companies who provide custom mobile application development solutions. It is best to hire a company that has got enough experience and expertise in developing mobile apps, preferably in your domain of work. It is also recommended to go for a company that also provides other related services like web design and development, digital marketing, app marketing and so on. This ensures that you can have all your work done through one company and don’t have to deal with separate vendors.

Top Ten Business Management Apps

Efficiently managing your employees and keeping them focused and on task can be hard work. Several programs exist to increase productivity and maximise profit. They can automate the most time-costly processes involved in running a business. These applications are the best ten of the bunch in my opinion.

1. Tree.io

Tree.io is in my opinion the best new business management software out there. It combines a powerful project management tool with functional sales and CRM tools, plus a superb personalised support service that empowers your support staff. The project management section is incredibly easy to use. You can create milestones to give your employees something to work towards, move tasks between projects with a few clicks and your employees can log time worked on each specific task. I really cant recommend Tree.io highly enough. Its like Basecamp, Salesforce and Helpdeskpilot rolled into one!

Tree.io is free indefinitely for up to 3 users so it’s perfect for small businesses or startups. Their pro plan allows unlimited users and is £9 per user per month.

2. GoogleDocs

GoogleDocs is the perfect way to manage and share your business documents. All your documents, spreadsheets, presentations and reports can be uploaded from your desktop within minutes and viewed and edited by the members of your team. It even has support for mobile devices so you can access your documents on the move. GoogleDocs is invaluble for businesses who need to share their documents instantly between employees, clients and suppliers.

To use GoogleDocs you need to create a Google Account. This is completely free of charge and gives you access to all of Googles other services like Gmail, GoogleTalk etc.

3. Solar Accounts

Solar Accounts is a simple, easy to use accounting software for small businesses or self employed individuals. It features double-entry bookkeeping, transaction history, customisable invoices and instant access to your financial records.

You can get Solar Accounts for free for a 60 day trial period but after that you have to pay a one-time fee of £124.99 to continue using it.

4. agreeAdate

agreeAdate is a really useful program for organising meetings, conference calls, appointments, staff interviews and more. You can quickly and easily find when people are free and then schedule a meeting or appointment that is convenient for everyone.

Registering for agreeAdate is completely free. With the free membership you can plan events for up to 10 people. If you need to create events for more people you can upgrade to a premium account for $3.99 or $7.99.

5. Toggl

Toggl is a helpful time-tracking app that supports live tracking or the timesheet approach, depending on how you run your business. Designed for large or small teams, Toggl lets you assign different rates to each team member or each product or client. With support for mobiles and multiple languages, Toggl is invaluable for businesses that want to keep track of every minute.

However, you don’t get all this stuff for free; Toggl’s prices range from $5 a month for 1 user to $79 a month for max 40 users.

6. GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting is a tool that enables you to host an online conference for up to 15 people at a time. Using this app you can share your screen with all the attendees, hand over keyboard control to another attendee, and change who’s screen is being shared.

GoToMeeting is free for a 30 day trial period and after this it costs £29 a month.

7. SageOne Accounts

SageOne Accounts is online accounting software like Solar Accounts but you don’t have to download anything. With SageOne Accounts you can view an instant snapshot of your businesses performance, automatically keep on top of VAT and keep all your customers and suppliers in one place. SageOne also features a 24/7 telephone helpline in case you get stuck and you can access it anywhere with an internet connection.

SageOne is free for 30 days and costs £10 per month after that.

8. NetSuite

NetSuite is a business management software that’s been around for a while, hence some of its features are a little dated. With NetSuite you can manage your businesses finances, customer relations and ecommerce from one program. It’s designed for large businesses and corporations and has a price to match: $1,188.00!

9. Mozy

Mozy is an online backup service that allows you to keep all your files safe even if your office explodes. You can select the files you want backed up and Mozy will archive them either in bulk as you sleep, or in real-time as the files are modified. Your information is kept secure with military-grade encryption and strict security policies.

Mozy costs £3.99 per month for a desktop and £6.99 per month for a server.

10. Vyew

Vyew is an online collaboration program that lets you work together with colleagues all over the world in real time. Vyew gives you a simple whiteboard where you can share ideas, upload documents for discussion or even share your desktop.

Vyew is totally free for up to 10 live participants, but if you register for $9.95 a month you get rid of the adverts and you also get a host of additional features such as VoIP and multiple meetings.

Top Network Marketing Tools That Can Boost Your Business and Profits

Toolbox

Having the latest and greatest network marketing tools is key to your success. If you are just beginning to build your own home based business you’ll need to find out about the tools your business needs. Keep reading and I’ll share some top network marketing tips with you.

Networking

As the cornerstone to your new business will be networking, both with leads and fellow entrepreneurs, finding the best network marketing tools you can use to expand your contact list is very important. Be willing to learn about new technologies and utilize them with your networking endeavors.

5 Network Marketing Tips

1. Self Replicating Websites – Most network marketing businesses offer this MLM tool. Basically it is a site owned and operated by the leaders in your business that allows you to create a site within the main site. These can go a long way in introducing you as well as your business.

2. Information Presentation – Along with developing an inspiring and effect presentation for potential recruits, have a brochure or pamphlet printed that you can leave with them or mail to them after your meeting. Also put together a flip book that contains more information on your company, plans and products.

3. Email – One thing I tell each of my new recruits is clean out your email account and keep it that way. Always keep your contacts list up to date and never let your inbox get filled up. 5 open emails in my inbox means there are 5 things I need to take action on. This is a very useful tool for self discipline and avoiding procrastination.

4. Skype – Many of us today use Skype for our telecommunication needs. It’s an excellent way to hold team meetings, network will fellow entrepreneurs and is a free method of speaking to people all over the world. Use the record feature to keep a copy of conversations, business meetings or negotiations. (As a courtesy, always notify the other parties if the chat will be recorded.)

5. Campaigns – Schedule regular campaigns in the most effective marketing tools. Creating video content and uploading it to YouTube or Google is an excellent way to increase your web presence. Article marketing campaigns and newsletters are also very powerful internet marketing strategies.

Succeeding in Network Marketing

While each of these generic but powerful network marketing tools can greatly improve your chances for success, finding the best business system to work within is the single most important element. If your MLM tools haven’t been working for you it might be time to look into a new approach to networking market. There are options out there if you’re interested in increasing your chance of success.

Top 50 Job Sites Worth Your Time

Your carefully crafted cover letters and resumes are considered worthless if you do not have a clue where to submit them. In the midst of this recession, you might get yourself lost and lose your path to success and these documents you spent so much time perfecting will do nothing but look pretty in the documents file of your computer. However, behind the curtains of the economic depression, there lies wide and broad range of job openings that you can imagine are found conveniently online. So, if you really are tough enough to pursue your dream occupation, here is a list of top 50 job sites and their descriptions.

Entry Level Job Sites:

* After College – this is specifically created for college students and recent graduate students. This is both an employment and internship site that allows seekers to post their resume. This site has a search engine, providing seekers easy access to numerous openings across different states. For more convenience, hopefuls can filter their search by type, area, industry, and type of career. The site also offers information and career advice.

* CollegeGrad – currently, the number 1 entry-level site as it provides search service for college students and recently graduated students. It is probably the only entry-level site that list down the Best in Class Employers, Top Intern Employers and Top Masters Employers. The site also offers job search advice and virtual career fair. Furthermore, it allows resume posting, and internships searching.

* College Recruiter – a site designed for providing entry-level job and career opportunities for college students, recent graduate students and graduates. It also displays part time and full time job listing.

* Raytheon – offers listings and descriptions for the current opportunities. It has jobs section that gives every seeker the chance to look for the perfect work according to their field of interest, location and type choice. It has profile matching and internships and co-ops features to help college students and recent college students have hands-on experience. The site also offers recruiting events specifically for North America.

* The Job Box – This site is open to high school and college aspirants. It brings opportunities from seasonal and part time to entry-level job and internships. Job seekers can search using keywords, category and location. The site includes career news and resources.

International Job Sites:

* BilingualCareer.com – site dedicated to bilingual or multi-lingual job seekers. For the sake of communication, the seekers are required to be at least knowledgeable in the English language. The site also allows applicants to search by location, industry and keywords. In addition, seekers can search by language. This site also provides advice on interviews and resume creation. Job seekers can post their resume here.

* Indeed.com – it is a meta-search site that aims to pull thousands of postings from different places around the world. It compiles together job postings from major boards, top newspapers, professional associations and career centers. Job seekers can browse by title, company, location and keywords.

* jobalot.com – this is one of the mega-meta sites that use simple search interface. From hundreds of job sites and thousands of listings, seekers can simplify their search by searching using keywords and location, and browsing by category. In this site, searchers can learn about job hunting process. The site is also dedicated to providing information about continuing education opportunities.

* Jobs.NET – a site that accommodates applicants across the globe, allowing them to browse through thousand of employments, post confidential online resumes and receive tips and advice about job hunting. Seekers can search by criteria, such as keywords, location, recent postings, salary, position, industry, company size and so on.

* LatPro – this site is dedicated to provide assistance to Hispanic and bilingual professionals. It is a leader in online employment all over the world, giving seekers the opportunity to scan through listings from employers that are pre-screened. It also allows hopefuls to post multiple resume, create email job agent and access career resources.

* Monster.com – considered one of the oldest career sites online. It has thousands of job listing across the globe. The site includes career advice, relocation services and an auction-style marketplace, perfect for independent professionals.

* Prohire.com – it includes more than 150,000 postings from all over the world. It is one of the free sites with the largest database. Seekers can submit and post their online resumes and check out competition and openings within their location.

* TwitterJobSearch.com – this is Twitter’s search engine for job seekers twitter users. Applicants can search using keywords. The results are then displayed using tweets.

* Yahoo! HotJobs – considered one of the best resource sites online. It offers search resources for seeking professionals, free of charge. Online users can create their own personalized career management page that provides the necessary tools for fast, convenient and safe search.

General/Diverse Job Sites:

* Best Jobs in the USA Today – this is a site with comprehensive resource. It is integrated with databases, corporate profiles, post resume feature and career resources center.

* CareerBuilder – probably it has the largest diversity of listings. It posts help wanted ads from the leading newspapers today at the same time provides listings and openings from leading employers. As its name implies, the site helps to build a seeker’s career by providing resources such as tips and advice.

* Careerjournal.com – allows seekers to broaden their search. It has great resources of articles that guide searchers on their hunt. The site is created by The Wall Street Journal.

* CareerPark.com – Posting a resume on this site is relatively easy. Also, it brings convenience to seekers searching for job using the Internet. In this site, seekers can find other helpful career and sites online, increasing and widening their options.

* DiversityWorking.com – This site is perfect for ethnic and sexual orientation groups. As a diversity site, searching professionals are allowed to search for jobs by posting recency. In addition, seekers can search by location, type, industry and keywords. Furthermore, seekers are given an option to either sign up or not in the site’s free newsletter. Also, hunters can post their resume here.

* FreshJobs.com – a site endeavors to provide the freshest listing online. Its database consists only of postings not older than 7 days. The search can be filtered by skills, benefits, location, company and type of job. For matching service, seekers are required to sign up. Post a resume here and get a confidential mailbox.

* GOJobs.com – considered as a general job board, this site provides help to applicants searching for openings. The listing can be browsed by state, keyword and function. Also, it is a site dedicated to bring information to seekers.

* Jobfox – utilizes Mutual Suitability System to match seekers to opportunities. This matching sites has an in-depth profile system to be able to learn the seeker’s experience, wants and needs. The opportunities are rated based on how the seeker matches the description. Also, the employers are matched the same way. This site has membership fees.

* JobSimply – a site providing wide range of opportunities from part time and summer jobs to professional and executive jobs. Seekers can look into retail, hospital, restaurant, teenand cruise ship jobs. They can search through industries, locations and keywords. The site also includes resources about career tips and advice.

* Jobzerk – a site that is socially driven, allowing its members to interact and communicate to each other. As a community based site, searchers can publish and share useful information about their search and/or hiring process.

* Juju – this is one of the best sites for finding interesting career resources. In this site, seekers can look into 15 different sites such as CareerCity, CareerMosaic, JobOptions, NationJob and so on. Searches can be quickened using keywords.

* NationJob Network – a search service integrated with thousands of latest listings. It features company profiles and it is incorporated with email job matching service, based on your qualifications and preferences.

* Net-Temps – one of the top sites where seekers can scan thousands of postings and post their resume. The postings include contract, temporary and even permanent jobs. The site is designed with tools and resources, including career enhancement articles.

* Realmatch.com – a job-matching site that requires seekers to submit their qualifications and preferences and matches the information provided to the employer’s requirements. Searching professionals can use the listings to search for job by keyword and location.

* Vault.com – this site has more than 150,000 postings from up to 27,000 employers. Due to its popularity, the site branched out into recruitment. It has insider reports on different companies and it allows seekers to search through multiple criteria, including categories, keywords, experience, location and date posted. The site also has email job matching service.

Local/National/Specific Job Sites:

* Careercast – One of the coolest portals that feature niche and local jobs from all over the United States and Canada. It gives seekers the freedom to choose where they want to live and work. To search for a job, seekers can filter the listing by title, category, and company. There is also an advanced option to better target the right openings for the seekers. Also, the portal gives searchers the opportunity to post their resume.

* CareerSurf.com – It accommodates US and Canadian seekers from different industries and niche. Job seekers can search for different types of jobs using category, location and keywords. It also accepts resume from applicants and posts them.

* EmploymentGuide.com – This is a good option for searching jobs locally on the United States. Currently, the site developed around 56 metropolitan areas listings. As a career site, seekers can post resume and find helpful career advice on this site. And with the integration of localized areas listings, seekers can now look for position in a prospective geographic area.

* FindARecruiter.com – This is ideal for seekers looking for recruiting or hiring professionals such as headhunters, executive search and staffing firms. The applicants can browse into the site’s database with more than 10,000 recruiters. For searching option, seekers can use the company’s name, location and specialty.

* GetTheJob.com – It is a portal specifically designed for direct employer jobs only. It collects different posts from different corporate career centers of different companies. When approximated, this site probably has at least 2 million of openings information. For email alerts, seekers are required to register.

* JobCircle.com – It is considered the largest non-newspaper affiliated job board in Mid-Atlantic, operating in 10 states. The site provides information, discussion and careers. Seekers can browse and search for the job they wanted and they can also post their resume.

* Jobcentral – formed by the alliance of two non-profit associations, this site has an extensive network across US. It provides employment and career opportunities to hopefuls in different industries and category, from entry-level to chief executive position. Seekers can search by company.

* Job Search Shortcuts – providing links to thousands of listing web pages, seekers can browse and search jobs in up to 30 metropolitan areas nationwide. For faster search, searchers are allowed to search by category and by city. This site connects seekers to their prospective employers.

* LocalHelpWanted.net – it is incorporated with numerous features and benefits for searching professionals. The site allows seekers to view and narrow the listings by state and major city. The members can post different kinds of resume, including audio resume, video resume and portfolio once registered. This site has a membership fee. However, seekers can still use the basic services without a cost.

* myCareerSpace – allows seekers to search by category, region or keywords. It accepts up to five different online resumes for applying online openings. The site is integrated with hunting resources such as career expos, salary, relocation, insurance and so on.

* SnagAJob.com – it is probably the largest site for searching part time and full time jobs. It is built with career resources and advice and seekers can scan the listing by type, and location. It also has email alert feature upon registration.

* thingamajob.com – a free career site, allowing job searching and online resume posting. It has alert feature and career tools for seekers to utilize. Job searches can be done by categories, location, keywords and date posted.

Professional/Niche Job Sites:

* Dice.com – this is designed specially for technology professionals. It is great career site that provides more than a thousand of openings for professionals. The list can be filtered for search convenience by job type, location and employer. It securely protects confidential profile from seekers, making seekers’ resume safe from devious minds. Here, searchers can find useful career resources and they can create email job alert.

* USAJOBS – open to seekers looking for information about jobs and employment in the United States Federal Government. The listing can be viewed by keyword, occupation and location. Seekers on this site can post their resume and register for job matching service. The site also has resource and tips for job seekers interested in working at the government.

* VetJobs.com – designed specifically for veterans and transitioning military personnel. It also accommodates seekers with relation to a veteran and it allows seekers to post resume online. The openings include all levels and types of jobs. Job seekers can view results by type, keyword and location. The site also includes key resources for veterans.

New Concept Job Sites:

* The Interview Exchange – a job board that rates seekers based on how closely they matched on the position. The job seekers can receive the matching results via email. Also, it permits seekers to post their resume.

* Jobirn: Insider Referral Network – known for its uniqueness, this site has a job board, online interview system and employee referral system, connecting job seekers to employees of their prospective companies. The purpose of the employee referral system is to assist seekers in getting a referral.

* JobShouts! – a site that uses the power of social media. It helps create connections and provides matching results for job seekers. As much as possible, it delivers real time job postings at the same time automated one click searching from different social media networks.

* Jobs in Pods – this is a web 2.0 site. It gives seekers the opportunity to listen to their prospective employer’s jobcast. This includes audio interviews that discuss the company’s culture, benefits and how to and where to apply. The podcast comes with blog post for information and links about employers and

* LiveHire – one of the innovative sites today. Through this site, job seekers can get online interview via webcam. However, seekers need to submit their professional profile first and if employers are interested, they will contact prospective employees via email. This is highly recommended for long-distance job search.

* Simply Hired – Job seekers can be updated when new jobs are listed via email, social media networks, blogs, homepage and even through mobile phone. This is a search engine for searching job listings using keywords. The results will come from multiple resources.

Featured Sites:

* LinkUp – a job search engine with new and unique features. The site has the list of more than 20 thousand jobs from company websites. It is always updated with comprehensive job listing. Job seekers can search by title, keyword, and by location. The site is also built up with WorkSearch, a tool to track how long a jobseeker is searching for a job. It also has Tabs feature where in a job seeker can keep track of his job searches.

* TweetMYJOBS – a job board that provides notification of open positions INSTANTLY via short messaging service. The site tweeted thousands of jobs within a day and at least a million in just a month. This new innovative service brings together recruiters, hiring managers and job seekers. Browse jobs by company or by location.

Top 10 Tips to Balancing Work and Personal Life

In the Knowledge Age in which we live, it is easy to be consumed by work and forget our personal life. After all, there’s always more to do, right? But as the old saying goes, “No one ever lay on their death bed and wished they’d spent more time at the office!”

Following are some tips for striking the right balance between your work (especially for knowledge workers and infopreneurs) and personal life:

1. Decide what is most important to you – long term – in your life. One exercise that can help bring this into focus is to write your eulogy – really! What would you want people to say about you when you are dead? Whatever that is, notice how much you’re pursuing that quality or goal or cause in your life. If you aren’t doing it now – or not as much as you want to – how could you begin pursuing it more?

2. Create a vision for your ideal lifestyle. They say “if you don’t know where you’re going, any path will get you there.” Unless you create a vision statement for your work and your personal life – just the way you want it to be – you won’t know when you have arrived! You’ll find yourself “striving but never arriving.” So write out a descriptive statement of how you want your schedule to be, your work space, your home, your clients, your relationships, your body, everything in your life – just as though you were writing it for a movie producer. Then, get about the business of producing your life!

3. When you’re working, work; when you’re playing, play. If every time you leave your office (even if it’s in the spare bedroom!) you continue to think about work, leave your work cell phone on, or check email later in the evening, you are failing to mark boundaries between work and play. That means you don’t get the full benefit of your “down” time…and you don’t recharge the internal batteries that allow you to do what you do well. Dedicate work time to work and play fully when you’re off work…you will have more energy and more joy this way.

4. Avoid multitasking. I know, it’s hard! But studies show that people are only 40 percent as productive when they do more than one thing at once than if they focus on one thing at a time. Give whatever you’re doing – or whoever you’re talking to (!) – your full attention, then move to the next task. Live intentionally, one task and segment at a time. The quality of your life will improve, you’ll get more quality work done and you’ll build quality relationships that flourish under the light of your undistracted focus.

5. Plan your time off in advance. How many days a week would you like to work? How much vacation will you take this year? If you don’t set it aside in advance, chances are that work commitments will eat up the time you would have taken off. Most infopreneurs should plan on a minimum – even the first year – of two to four weeks off during the year. Build it into your fees and block it out in advance. You’ll be glad you did!

6. Implement at least two or three “power hours” each work day. The typical coach and infopreneur is distracted much of the day. “Power hours” are when you write a list of at least 5 priority tasks, set a timer, and focus on nothing but those tasks for that hour. No email, no phone calls, no distractions. And you get them done! Start with a goal of at least two of these each day.

7. Set goals for both your work and your personal life. Take a moment to review your day planner (Palm, Outlook calendar, wall calendar etc.) for the past month or year, notice how many of the entries relate to your work. If you’re like most people, 75 to 90 percent of the content will be business or work related! Start a practice of setting at least one goal for your personal life and one for one of your relationships each day – along with the work goals. That in itself will increase the balance in your life right away!

8. Delegate everything you can. If you have used our fee setting formula in my book, Launch Your Practice to set your fees, then you know what your time is valued at – it’s your Hourly Labor Rate. To the extent you are doing anything that could not be billed at that rate, you should be looking for a way to delegate it as quickly as you can! That includes running to the post office, office supply store and Fedex; updating your web site; answering routine inquiries; clearing spam out of your email account; answering the phone; and numerous other tasks. Your goal is to have as much revenue-producing time as possible during your dedicated work hours.

9. Exercise regularly. When I interviewed people who had mastered transition for my Simon & Schuster book on the subject, one theme stood out: each of these people exercised regularly during normal times in their lives, and even more during times of stress and transition. Virtually every successful infopreneur shares this trait – and that is why the major hotel chains have improved their workout facilities so significantly for traveling infopreneurs.

10. Meditate and activate a connection with the God of your understanding. Feeling connected to something bigger than yourself can help put the challenges of everyday work and life into perspective in a way nothing else can. By implementing a daily practice of meditation to achieve a calm, centered state and connection with your Higher Power, you will find you are able to maintain this state even when life becomes difficult. It is proven to improve health too!

For more about life/work balance and the other 8 components of Career Infopreneur Success, look for Marcia’s new book in June and plan to attend her Career Coaching Boot Camp June 22. See [http://www.careercoachingbootcamp.com] for details about the event and the next two complimentary preview calls. To learn more about career coaching, visit http://www.careercoachinstitute.com

Flood Damage Update – Top 10 Mistakes When Buying Flood Damage Insurance

What do you mean I’m not covered for flood damage? Unfortunately that’s what millions of homeowners are saying each year with shock and sometimes horror.

Of course they never thought it could happen to them, after all they don’t live in a flood zone. But nevertheless they experienced a record rain storm, sewage backup or county flood control failure. The good news was know one was injured, the bad news is they didn’t purchase the right flood insurance policy or worse – they had no policy at all.

To help you avoid this fate, here’s the top 10 mistakes most people make when it comes to buying flood damage insurance.

1. Assuming you need to live near a large body of water, a flood zone or low lying areas to benefit from flood insurances.

Most floods are caused by several different causes aside from living near a large body of water. For example, rain, snow or ice storms, hurricanes, and water or sewage backup, in addition to dam or other flood control failure and more.

2. Assuming your standard home insurance policy covers flood damage.

This is one of the biggest reasons why it’s so important to stay educated and up-to-date on insurance matters. Why? Because most people assume they’re covered by flood or water damage in their standard insurance policy. Surprise! You’re not.

The fact is most standard policies don’t cover flood or most water damage. For this you’ll need a separate policy or rider.

3. Assuming you can’t buy flood insurance if you’ve been turned down by traditional insurance companies.

You can buy flood insurance as long as your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program.

4. Assuming all flood insurance is too expensive.

The average flood insurance policy costs as little as $353 a year for coverage.

5. Assuming Federal Disaster Assistance will pay for flood damages.

Federal disaster assistance doesn’t pay for flood damages. At best it can help to provide low interest loans if you qualify – and only if the President declares the area you live in a disaster.

6. Assuming you don’t need flood insurance if you live in a low to moderate risk area.

Almost 25 percent of all flood insurance claims come from areas with low-to-moderate flood risk.

7. Assuming you must purchase a full flood insurance policy.

You may qualify for the Preferred Risk Policy (a lower-cost flood insurance policy) that provides contents coverage beginning at $39 per year.

8. Not finding out what’s covered by Replacement Cost and what’s covered by Actual Cash Value?

It’s important to find this out to make the best informed decision of what kind of policy to purchase and who to purchase it from.

9. Assuming you’re covered from flood damage if you rent.

Your landlords policy only insures the building not your personal property. However, you can purchase an insurance policy for your personal possessions.

10. Taking The First Policy You Come Across.

The best method of buying the most coverage for the best price is to comparison shop at least three different companies. You may be surprised at the price and/or service difference. By taking the time to follow and remember these 10 guidelines you’ll avoid the mistakes many people make when buying flood damage insurance.

Small Business Opportunity: The Top 7 Reasons to Start a Painting Business

House painting is a skill that most people can pick up quite easily. It is one of those rare home based business opportunities that actually work and it is very possible to make $30- $50 an hour without much effort.

Here are the top 7 reasons why anyone with basic painting skills should consider starting a painting business of their own.

1. Residential and Commercial Painting is a 22.5 Billion Dollar a Year Industry!

Every day homeowners across the country (and around the world) spend millions of dollars to have a living room, bedroom, kitchen etc painted. This is an industry that indeed has an unlimited amount of work available.

There is far more work then there are painters. Listed in the top 10 businesses in 2006 and predicted to grow into the foreseeable feature, there has never been a better time to start a painting business then right now.

2. Basic Painting Skills Are Easy to Learn.

It doesn’t take much time at all to develop basic painting skills. Just about anyone can do it. Most painters who learn through “On the job training” pick it up in just a few weeks. All it takes is a little practice.

3. Very Low Start-Up Costs

A painting business is one of the best businesses because it doesn’t require a lot of money to start. For under $250.00 (depending on where you live) you can get a painting business up and running and earning money.

With start up costs this low it doesn’t take long to become profitable and if you target small high paying jobs your overhead costs are next to nothing.

4. No Expensive Advertising Needed

Unlike most other business, a painting business doesn’t require a huge monthly advertising budget. In fact it is completely possible to build a profitable painting business without any traditional advertising at all.

Smart painting business owners spend time building relationships with people who “know people” that can refer them jobs.

5. Earn Professional Income Working Part Time Hours.

Many successful painting business owners earn $60,000 – $100,000 per year working less then 35 hours per week. Once you develop your skills and become proficient, it is not uncommon to make $300-$500 per day working just 4-6 hours.

It is possible to earn more in one day then most painting employees make working a 40 hour week. Every day painters sell their valuable skills to a boss for a measly $12-$15 when they could be earning top dollar running their own painting business.

6. Freedom, Lifestyle and Security.

The best thing a house painter can do to secure their future is to start a painting business of their own.

The potential to earn an above average income working part time hours is one of the biggest benefits of owning a successful painting business.

Many painters are making a great living running their own painting business. They drive nice vehicles, live in nice homes and have the time and money to do the things they love.

7. Outstanding Tax Benefits

Running a small painting business out of your home offers many outstanding advantages like high profit potential and low over head. Expenses like gas, tools and your vehicle may be write offs. (Be sure to check with your accountant) But the tax benefits of owning a small business are wonderful.

As you can see the sky is the limit for painters. Unlimited work and top pay draw a lot of people to the painting trade every year.

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