Looking for a Job?

First of all, I would like to congratulate the newly graduates! You finally made it to the unemployed world. So what's next? Job hunting? Well, let me tell you something. The best thing about the internet is that you don't actually have to hit the streets to look for a job anymore. You can simply sit comfortably at home and email your resumes. There are a lot of job sites that you can find online. Here are some of them:

=International=
Monster
JobStreet
JobsDB
CareerBuilder
JustEngineers - for engineers like me :)
Craigslist - just beware of scams

=Philippines=
BestJobs
Sulit

=Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental=
http://www.jobscdo.com/
http://www.cdojobs.co.cc/
http://www.misorjobs.com/
http://www.cdojobs.ning.com/

I have also placed some freelance sites that I personally recommend in the right hand column if you would like to be a freelancer like me. If you still don't have any luck on finding a job online, then I guess you're going to need that brown envelope after all.

It might also help if you read books on how to answer job interview questions.











Here's one funny clip on how to land a job:


Good luck on your interview!

Data Conversion Using OCR

I've been inactive in this blogging thing for the past few days since I have been busy at work and I will even be busier next week. I will be going out of town to take care of some important matters and I'm planning to bring with me my Sony Microcassette Recorder so I can just dictate my blogs (that is, if something comes to mind) while I'm on the road then I'll just transcribe it afterwards.

Speaking of data conversion, this method may come in handy in your freelance projects when converting images into text. Instead of doing it manually, using an OCR is quicker and less tedious. Before, I've searched for free OCRs in the internet not knowing that I already have one in my computer. Most computers already have this but I don't think many people use it as frequently as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. Here's five easy steps to convert images into text:

Step 1: Open Microsoft Office Document Imaging

Go to Start >> All Programs >> Microsoft Office >> Microsoft Office Tools >> Microsoft Office Document Imaging


Step 2: Select an Image for Data Conversion

In this case, I just opened a scanned document in PDF. Click the Select Tool. Highlight and copy the data that you want to convert into text.

Step 3: Paste Data in Microsoft Office Document Imaging

Click Page and select Paste Page or simply hold Ctrl + Shift + V.

Step 4: Use OCR to Recognize Text

Just click the eye icon to recognize the text using OCR.

Step 5: Copy and Paste Data in Word

After recognizing the text using OCR, you may paste the data in Word, Notepad, or Wordpad if you like.


Since these OCRs are not as smart as humans (ok there may be some exceptions), they are not always accurate so you still need to check it for any possible errors but at least you saved a lot of time converting pages of scanned documents into digital text. Hope you find this useful as it helped me a lot.

Getting Started as a Freelancer

Join Freelance Sites

One way of working from home is by bidding on projects in freelance sites. There are a lot of freelance sites all over the internet but these are the ones that I personally use and recommend (especially the first two):

1. GetAFreelancer
2. Scriptlance
3. oDesk
4. RentACoder
5. Elance

All of these sites have free and paid membership. Of course, paid memberships have more privileges but that doesn’t mean free members won’t get their share of success. You can start by signing up for free and as soon as you have built a strong profile, you may then upgrade your membership status. Make sure to read and follow their terms to avoid being banned on the site. (Scrap that! Just click on “I Agree” and you’re all set.)

Know Thyself

Assess your skills and interests. What is your field of expertise? What do you want to do?

 I am good in… 
 Maybe you can try… 
 Speaking 
 Voice Over 
 Writing 
 Copywriting 
 Selling 
 Telemarketing 
 Typing 
 Data Entry 
 HTML 
 Website Design 
 Japanese 
 Translation 
 Art 
 Logo Design 

If You Have It, Flaunt It

Convince your clients why they should choose you and what makes you so special. Do you have years of experience? What tools do you have? Make sure it is related to the job being offered. For instance, telling them that you can make a 3D design of a house, or that you can make a software for networking, or that you have an X-ray vision won’t do any good if the job only entails editing simple data.

Aim High

Do not settle for mediocrity. Try to exceed your clients’ expectations. If you have committed to deliver the project in 10 days, surprise your client by sending the complete and error-free data in 7 days. In that way, your clients will give you good reviews and possibly recommend you to others which can also help increase your market value.

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Heck You Know The Rest…

Do not be easily discouraged if you weren’t able to close a deal yet. Oftentimes, landing on the first job is the hardest part. It gets easier as soon as you are able to build connections with your clients. If you have succeeded on your first try, then your one lucky guy after all. You can go thank that Feng Shui guru in the Chinese shop where you bought that golden waving cat figurine.