Category: Working Parents

If growing your career often requires you to check your bags and add to your frequent flyer miles, you’re in good company. Thousands of career women jet set from one side of the country to another for meetings and conferences.

Although traveling for your job can be an exciting alternative to sitting in an office all day, it doesn’t come without its risks. Women, in particular, are more likely to be at risk when traveling solo. And though we wish it wasn’t so, it’s necessary to take certain precautions as a female traveler.

To make the most of your travels, and feel more comfortable doing so, here are 5 safety tips for women who have to work remotely:

Do Your Research

Before you visit a new area, make sure you understand the local customs and laws. Some gestures carry different meanings in other regions and you don’t want to offend anyone.

Take the time to research religious or political events that are happening during your visit. By having an idea about your surroundings, you’ll be better prepared and able to decide which areas to avoid and which events you might want to attend.

Share Your Schedule

Before you leave on a work assignment, let a trusted friend or family member in on your schedule. Tell them where you’ll be staying, who you’ll be with, and how they can contact you.

Keep in mind that your cell phone service might not always be great, so it’s good to share all the details you can in case of an emergency.

Use Technology to Help You

Keep a copy of important documents such as your driver’s license or passport on your phone in the cloud. This way you can still access the information should you lose your bag or wallet.

Apps such as “Find My iPhone” are useful in locating your phone if you lose it.

Safety Tips for Women Including Exuding Confidence

If you become lost, try to keep your composure and not appear scared or vulnerable. Maintain a confident energy so that you don’t come across as someone who can be taken advantage of.

Potential attackers look for women who appear busy, inattentive, intoxicated, or vulnerable. Be careful about who you accept help from. If you do get lost or need help, seek out a nearby business owner or law enforcement officer.

Protect Yourself with Self Defense Products

Basic safety while working remotely includes the use of self-defense products. These include pepper sprays, stun guns, hidden camera, tasers, and more. Suppliers such as “TBOTECH” carry a full range of self-defense products to help you travel in safety.

Learn More About Smart Traveling

Now that you’ve learned some of the most important safety tips for women who travel, can you think of any others we’ve forgotten? Let us know in the comments below!

Also, be sure to check out these other great articles with advice for traveling smart, whether it’s a solo trip, a family trip, for work or for pleasure!

Going out into the job market can be a frightening experience.

Who’s hiring? What kind of jobs are you qualified for? What do you want to do?

Thankfully, it can be easier than you would imagine to find your perfect job.

Use these ten tips to help you get into the career of your dreams.

1. Know What You Want

The best advice to find your perfect job is to really know what you want. Not just what you want from a job, but from everything.

Do you want to travel? Start a family? Work remotely?

By setting out what you’re looking for in life you can eliminate fields that don’t allow you to pursue it. Listing out the things you’re passionate about is another great way to find things you would enjoy doing.

2. Research, Research, Research to Find Your Perfect Job

Once you know what you want, find a field that fits. Look at reports of working conditions, pay, work-life balance and as many other factors as you can.

To find your perfect job you need to know exactly what a potential position is going to be. You don’t want to end up in a situation where you take a new job and discover that the work isn’t what you expected.

3. Play to Your Strengths

Everyone has things they’re good at. The best way to find your perfect job is to make a list of your strengths and compare them to the things you want from life.

Tally up all the certifications, degrees and professional accomplishments you have. These can help you determine what kinds of positions you’re qualified for.

Once you’ve figured out what you want and what you can do you’re perfectly prepared to identify careers and fields that would fit your needs.

4. Never Stop Learning

The job market is changing faster than ever before. New technologies are constantly disrupting decades-old fields and making entire career categories obsolete.

Constantly seeking out new knowledge and skills is the best way to ensure lifelong success. Keep an eye out for new developments in your field and always try to find ways to develop.

If you’re trying to find your perfect job, identify someone who you look up to in that field. Find out what kinds of skills they have, the techniques and tools they use and learn to use them yourself.

As an added bonus, most successful companies love employees who constantly want to learn and improve.

5. Don’t Get Overwhelmed With Choices

If you want to change career fields or are just starting out it can seem like there are limitless possibilities. For a lot of people, this isn’t always a good thing.

Having too many choices available to you can make it seem impossible to make a decision. What if you make the wrong choice?

Try to narrow down your search as quickly as you can. You know what kind of life you want to lead and what your strengths are. That should give you a pretty good idea what kind of careers you want to pursue.

6. But Don’t Lock Yourself In

Don’t get overwhelmed, but make sure you aren’t shutting yourself off from new opportunities. If you find something you really want to pursue you should consider it even if you aren’t 100% qualified for the position.

Balancing these two considerations is the best way to find your perfect job. You don’t want to spend too much time looking at possibilities but you definitely don’t want to pass up something you could excel at.

7. Polish Your Image

As sad as it sounds, to hiring managers and recruiters you are nothing but a resume and a LinkedIn page. Making sure these look their absolute best should be a top priority.

You should always keep your digital presence up to date and looking sharp. LinkedIn is the first place recruiters will look when searching for qualified candidates. If you haven’t added relevant experience you could be missed.

Hiring managers spend about six seconds looking at a resume. That’s how long you have to catch their interest with your resume. If writing isn’t your strong suit it can be worth every penny to hire a professional resume writer.

8. Network, Then Network Some More

It’s impossible to overemphasize the importance of networking to your job hunt. Almost 70% of people who got a new job in 2016 had a connection at the company.

The old saying, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know has never been truer than today. You should take any chance you get to network with your peers or with thought leaders in a field you’re interested in.

If you can work remotely, coworking spaces can be a great place to network. You should definitely find out more about coworking if you never want to go to an office again.

9. Practice Your Interview Skills

Getting your resume read and receiving a call is just the first step in your quest to find your perfect job. Once you’re in you have to ace the interview.

Make sure you’re presentable, well spoken and have all your ducks in a row. Arrive early, but not too early. Research the company you’re applying to and find out what they’re looking for in candidates.

If you can, have a friend or even a professional give you a mock interview to test out your responses and reactions.

10. Know What You’re Worth

So you’ve been offered a position and are down to the brass tacks of pay and benefits. Receiving the compensation you deserve is just as important as finding the job.

Do as much research as you can before the meeting. Find out what the position you’re being offered is worth on an industry-wide basis. GlassDoor is a great resource for this.

Don’t be afraid to make a counteroffer. Hiring managers usually have the ability to work with you to an extent. Just make sure what you’re asking for isn’t unreasonable.

Remember to Breathe

Not getting a call from that perfect company or a second interview can feel like the end of the world. Always remember that even if you didn’t get the job there are hundreds more like it waiting for you.

You can learn more about work-life balance, working from home and finding your perfect job by checking out the easy-to-follow tips found here.

When you’re looking for work and you make an impression that lasts, it moves you to the top of the list.

What makes it so hard? You only have 7 seconds to get it right.

Making a great first impression is a challenge, but it’s doable. Here are ten reasons you need to make an impression that people respond to–and tips for getting it right.

1. Getting the Job You Want

It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for permanent, freelance, or casual work.

You need to make an impression which makes you unforgettable. This doesn’t mean being quirky or weird just so they remember you!

They want to know they can rely on the person they’re hiring. It’s a bonus if you can also make sure they perceive you as a friendly person too. Smile and greet them with a firm handshake every time.

2. Show You Can Manage Your Time

Don’t be late. If you’re late to an interview, this will negatively affect the opinion of 96% of hiring managers.

If you live in a busy city, that’s no excuse. Turning up late shows you didn’t think about traffic or the risk of a late train.

Turn up 30 minutes early if you can. Grab a coffee and take a walk around the neighborhood to mentally prepare for your interview.

3. Body Language Says It All

Your body language says more than you’d like it to sometimes.

Stand upright and go for a firm handshake. Always meet your interviewers’ gaze and smile.

If you don’t do this, your body language could be misinterpreted as disinterest. Slumped shoulders, fidgeting, or staring around the room could lose you the opportunity to make an impression and land the job.

Always be aware of how you hold yourself. Make sure you’re not inadvertently sending the wrong message.

4. Dress to Impress

For most interviews, you’ll need to dress smart to make an impression. In many circumstances, this means a suit or business attire.

Still, do your research. If you’ve found out that a company has a fairly relaxed atmosphere, you might go with a button-down shirt and smart-casual trousers instead.

Be careful of appearing too casual, though. If you dress down too much, what you’re really saying to the interviewer is, “I don’t care about this job.”

Playing it safe is almost always the best option.

5. Think About What You’re REALLY Saying

Like body language, the words you speak often have more than one meaning. They can also reveal things you didn’t necessarily intend.

Half the battle is knowing what questions you’re really being asked. For example, if the interviewer asks you about a time you messed up, they don’t really want to hear about the time you missed two deadlines in a row.

They want to hear about what you did to make the situation right. More importantly, they want to know how you prevented yourself from making the same mistake again.

6. Make an Impression So People Trust You

Making a good impression is all about getting people to trust you. The signals we send tell other people about how much they can trust us.

Being trusted is always important, but even more so in certain professions. For example, let’s say you’re interviewing for a Skin MD MD laser skin care position (or another position in the medical profession).

The level of responsibility is much higher than some other professions. It’s crucial you get the other person to trust you during the interview.

7. Positive People Make a Positive Impression

Projecting confidence to make an impression really works.

Be upbeat, positive and friendly. Your CV may make an impression too, but no company hires people on the strength of a resume alone.

It’s important to show your enthusiasm and speak about specific things you’d like to achieve in the role. This shows you’ve given some thought to that particular job and you’re not just rambling off a script.

8. Be Personable But Not Overly Friendly

We’ve talked about being positive, both in terms of spoken language and body language.

But now comes a word of caution about where to draw the line. You’re not best friends with the interviewer. You’ve probably never even met them before.

Don’t be overly friendly or too familiar. This can kill your chances as quickly as seeming disinterested. It comes across as rude and presumptuous.

By all means, have a friendly chat, but be very careful about what you talk about.

9. Remember You’ll Be Working with Your Interviewer

The interview process isn’t just about testing your knowledge.

Even if you’re perfect for the job in terms of your experience and qualification, personality matters. The hiring manager wants to know that there aren’t obvious clashes between you.

Be professional and friendly, and try to connect with them on a human level.

10. Relax

If you’re stressed out and nervous, your body language will give this away.

Remember what we said about body language earlier? Try to relax and bear in mind that at the end of the day, your interviewer is just a person too.

If you can make an impression on them as a person (not just a potential boss), you’ll go a long way.

Still Looking for a New Job?

It can take a while to find the right job. Don’t stress about it.

Sometimes you’re just not the right fit for a company. Try not to take it too personally.

While you’re waiting to make an impression, we know money can get a little tight. Why not browse our selection of printable coupons to save yourself a few dollars?

We’ve also got loads of frugal living tips to help you stretch your cash until you land the perfect job.

Teaching piano form home isn’t as hard as you may think. Even if you’re not an accomplished musician, you can easily line up a few students to start teaching. Plus, you get to work in the comfort of your own home.

This earns you a nice income of about $35.49 an hour.

You get to flaunt your skills while helping others and earning cash. What could be better than that?

And it’s easier than you think. Teaching piano from home requires little effort but comes with big rewards.

Ready to start making money? Here we go!

What You Need to Start Teaching Piano From Home

There isn’t much required to get started. If you’re a stay-at-home mom, this is a great way to work from home. Here’s what is needed.

Experience

This one is obvious but you don’t need to be classically trained to teach. If you start out by teaching little kids, there isn’t much experience needed.

You need to know how to read music and learn the basics. This can be easily researched on the internet.

A Piano

Another obvious one but sometimes people think keyboards will suffice. They don’t.

You need to teach your students how to get a feel for an actual piano. This will also allow them to start gaining strength in their fingers.

Training Books

These are good to keep on hand for both you and the students. You can lend it to them to study overnight so they’ll be prepared for the next day.

A Quiet Space

Your students will want a quiet place to practice. You don’t need a fancy studio as a guest room or a clean garage will work.

Chatalbash piano teachers created their own home studios to get the job done. This proves you don’t need to rent out a tiny apartment or music studio to get started.

Create a Business Plan

While you are teaching piano from home, it’s still good to write up a business plan. This will help you keep on track with your goals.

You’ll want to include your business concept. Are you set on teaching children or do you want college students?

What about your competition? You’ll need to know how many others are teaching piano as well. You’re not only competing against other at-home teachers but institutions too.

Set Up Payment Terms

You want to get paid for your hard work, right? The first mistake work-from-home people make is that they’re too flexible with getting paid.

You need to set strict payment guidelines to ensure you’re getting what you’re worth. You can have students pay for a group of lessons or on a weekly or monthly basis.

Don’t worry so much about pleasing the students with your pricing. If they want the best, they’ll pay for it.

Promote Your Business

You can’t get students by sitting at home hoping someone will come knocking on your door. Take your business to the streets by handing out flyers or putting an ad on social media.

Once you have a few students, don’t forget to book more lessons for them. That loyalty is what you’ll need to stay afloat. Don’t think of it as pressuring them; if they loved your teaching style, they’ll be more than happy to sign up again.

Wrapping Up

Teaching piano is a great and rewarding experience. And making a little cash on the side doesn’t hurt either.

You don’t need expensive equipment or years of knowledge. All it takes is willpower and ambition.

Looking for more ways to earn money while working from home? Check out our most recent blog posts!

So, you need some extra cash and want to find a job where you can work from home…

This can be done – but there are scams and pitfalls littering the internet that you must be sure not to fall victim to.

Check out our guide to sourcing legitimate work from home jobs that will help make your wallet that little bit fatter…

Be Careful What you Search for…

Starting the search for this kind of work can lead to an immediate pitfall.

If you’re Googling ‘work from home jobs’ you’re actually more likely to run into scams.

Step over these cracks by searching ‘telecommute jobs’ or ‘home office jobs’ or ‘remote jobs’.

This nifty trick will help you navigate away from the cons out there.

Skip the Scams

There’s a terrifying ratio of 61-to-1 work from home scams out there, so take heed when searching the net for potential opportunities.

They’re not too hard to decipher – they tend to promise unrealistically high returns for very little work.

Think about it – if this were possible, wouldn’t everyone be snapping these jobs up and quitting the daily grind?

One way of pinpointing these scams is to look at the testimonials attached to them that will tend to be overly-gushing accounts of how wonderful the jobs are and how much money people have been making from doing them.

Others claim that ‘no experience is necessary’ or offer thousands within weeks.

Avoid at all costs.

Job Sites

The various jobs sites out there that you’ve probably heard of (Indeed, Monster etc) are actually a great resource.

People, oddly, sometimes don’t think to look at these sites as they are thought to be for permanent, full-time careers – but this isn’t true.

When looking at these sites, head to the advanced search and either select the work from home tab or use this phrase in your search.

You can do this knowing there’s no worry you’re about to be taken for a ride, as all jobs will have been vetted and approved by the site in question.

Communications

Are you a great writer? Have you a keen eye for grammar and spelling? Do you have a good telephone manner?

If so – you’re in luck; because these are the major skills required when it comes to working from home roles.

There are several sites out there that call for people to write guest blogs, articles, opinion pieces and reviews.

Often, local press might be the place to look for this type of opportunity.

Similarly, home-based customer service agent roles are becoming more common.

This is where you log in from home and are on the end of the phone to provide customer services on behalf of a particular company.

Similarly, become a virtual assistant and work for someone that needs to employ someone for admin reasons but doesn’t require them on site.

Again, Indeed is a good place to look for these sorts of roles.

Other Work from Home Job Ideas

It may sound obvious, but what about eBay – or other selling sites.

If you need to build some extra cash and have a lot of stuff you can sell, get onto eBay and get selling.

Do you like pets? Have you thought about looking at roles like dog-sitting where you are paid to look after someone’s pooch during the day while they’re out?

Further roles possible from home include bookkeeping or exercise instructing, but these will require qualifications of course.

Starting your own business is also a way to work from home and be your own boss.

About us

At ThriftyMommaRamblings.com we’re here to advise you on the best ways to spend your money wisely as well as how to earn a little on the side.

From cost-effective DIY tips to available free STD testing locations we’ve got thrifty living covered.

Check out our thrifty bloggers page for our treasure trove of tips to live your life that little bit more economically.

And be sure to let us know if you’ve got tips of your own to share with the world via ThriftyMommaRamblings.com.