Before you call, choose a phone in a quiet location where you will not be disturbed. If you are at home, ban everyone else from the room before you begin and make sure that the radio and TV are turned off. If you are using a public phone make sure that you have plenty of units left on your phone-card or, if it has a coin-box, that you have a good supply of suitable coins. When you speak, try to smile. The person at the other end of the line cannot see you, of course, but you'd be surprised how your smile can affect your tone of voice, making you sound pleasant and relaxed.
Finally, be prepared for an answer-phone. Many people don't like leaving messages, but if you come up against one, don't hang up; leave your message speaking slowly and clearly. At such times you'll be glad that you prepared and wrote down what you intended to say.
Tele-working
In California, companies are taxed according to the number of cars in their car parks. The tax is a useful source of state income but, more importantly, it encourages companies to explore ways of allowing people to work from home. Rather than move people to work, it is economically and ecologically better to move people's homes by equipping them with fax machines and computers with Internet connections.
As the Internet develops, an increasing number of workers will have less need to visit the company office to do their jobs. A home-worker will be able to discuss problems with colleagues and bosses through TV- quality video connections, store and use huge amounts of video and digital data, and access computer information and applications as easily as if he were sitting at a desk today.
At present the lifestyle suits part-time workers and those with young children or other family commitments. They can schedule their work to take account of family need. If you're interested in the idea of tele-working on a freelance basis start by examining your skills in order to discover what sort of work you could undertake from home. Once your area of interest and expertise has been identified, take a long realistic look at the market potential for what you have to offer. Office skills lend themselves particularly well to this way of life - typing, data inputting, bookkeeping, accountancy, report writing, etc.
Unfortunately, tele-working has many attractions so it is hardly surprising that there are a lot of fish swimming in this particular sea. Do your market research well before investing in expensive computer equipment and software. If you are sure that there is a niche in the market for what you have to offer, begin building your client base by offering your services to a range of companies on a freelance basis. Make sure that your work is of the highest quality and always deliver on time. It may not produce enough work and income to meet all your needs but it gets you known and it allows employers to see the quality of your work. Who knows? It could lead to a full-time job - but maybe you'll find that the freelance tele-working life suits you better!
Temping
Some people enjoy moving from one company to another. They make a career out of temporary work which they pick up here and there. If you have the necessary skill and the right attitude, if you enjoy change and can adapt to different situations without effort, you can often pick up as much work as you need through temping. Sometimes you may be asked to take over a job to cover staff illness or maternity leave, on other occasions you may have to 'hold the fort' until a new permanent employee can be found. Sometimes you are brought in simply to help cope with an unexpected upturn in activity.
Many people think that temping applies only to office jobs but this is far from true. There are a large number of agencies which specialize in particular areas of work. There are, for example, agencies specializing in industrial work, catering, nursing, social work, and even physiotherapy. You may have to hunt down the names and addresses by looking through the small advertisements in professional journals in your public library. Some industrial temp agencies even provide trans-port to and from the work site.
Many recruitment agencies pride themselves on their ability to find an ideal temporary member of staff at short notice. A temp may receive a phone call from an agency in the morning and be expected to arrive at a company, cool, calm and ready for work after lunch. Agencies keep lists of suitable people and they look after them well. The best temps have special qualities and there is a constant demand for their services. Temping can be much harder than holding down a permanent job. Temps have to be versatile and are always under pressure to prove their worth. A new permanent member of staff may be given a week to adjust to a new job but a temp is expected to be effective within the first couple of hours in a new position, often using unfamiliar equipment. Temping requires a high level of professionalism. Recruitment agencies expect their temps to go that extra mile on behalf of the company where they have been placed. In effect, every temp is an ambassador for the recruitment agency which sent them.
Temping often suits young mothers who are available for work only during term time. University students on vacation are also popular with employers, particularly if they have keyboard skills. For young people it is an excellent way of discovering more about a range of working environments. A secretary, for example, may discover that she prefers a legal office to a bank. An office junior may find a small firm preferable to a large one.
This way of life often leads to the offer of permanent employment but many temps find they prefer the constant change and excitement of temping.
