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Help! I Don’t Know Where to Start…
That was the plea from my good friend Audrey a few days ago. Audrey has been a stay at home mom for the past four years and prior to that she was had a very successful career. Due to the economy she and her husband have decided it would be beneficial if she went back to work. So, she asked if I would help her with her resume. “No problem, happy to help.” I said.
As we re-wrote her resume to be more accomplishment/measurement driven vs. responsibility driven and I was probing about the type of work she wanted to do. I discovered something about Audrey – she had no idea what she wanted to do or how to go about doing it. She felt as though everything had changed – and the scary part is that it has changed – but in some ways for the better.
Ten years ago someone like Audrey would have had to go back to the traditional 8-5 job. Now, with technology, our ability to network (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) and the need for specialized services, Audrey can “work” on her terms.
So, if you are someone with a very special skill set (like Audrey) or a subject matter expert (SME) and you are interested in exploring an income generating experience this is how you get started. Make a list (I love lists – especially in spreadsheets):
- What degree of flexibility do you require?
- How much money do you need to make and how much time are you willing to give up earn that?
- What is your area of expertise and how much is someone willing to pay for it?
- What will you need to get started and establish your credibility?
- Who and how will you market your services?
- Who can you ask for help?
Answers to the above questions will help provide a clear and realistic road map to the next phase of the process. It will either make more sense to start your own business/work from home or update your resume and go back to work in a corporate environment. But knowing the direction you want to go will help answer the next question…What’s Next?
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