How To Make A Good Impression From The Start Of A Job Interview

• 2-minute read •
It takes just seconds to form a first impression, and a first impression at a job interview happens just as quickly. Since it’s so much easier when you start off strong, focus on making a good impression in those first few moments of the interview — while you’re waiting in the reception area, while you’re walking to the office or conference room, while you make small talk right before the first question. Here are five qualities you want to convey right from the start to make a good impression at a job interview:

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Starting Your Own Business – What You Need to Know

• 2-minute read •
More than half of working Americans are employed in small businesses – those classified as having 500 employees or less. As the unemployment rate continues to stagnate, current job seekers and others may be considering whether it makes sense to start their own business or continue to rely on corporations to keep themselves employed. While there is uncertainty in today’s job market, people consider starting their own business for other reasons too, including the freedom and flexibility offered when you become your own boss. And with the internet as a cost–effective marketing tool, people are finding the options to starting their own business more varied than they were decades earlier.

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Start Your Own Admin Business

After 12 years of working in a corporate environment, desktop publishing assistant and account manager Cathy Kessler was getting bored and frustrated with the lack of flexibility in her job. So she decided to start her own home-based business as a virtual assistant (VA), and she hasn't had any second thoughts.

With employers cutting overhead costs, it's a good time to become a VA, according to Stacy Brice, president of AssistU, a Baltimore-based company that provides online training and coaching for VAs.

Get Started

Generally, starting a VA business doesn't cost much, says Brice. You need a home computer, but software and other supplies can be bought as required for client assignments. If your startup expenses exceed what you'd like to put on your credit card, Administration offers many loan programs, as well as information about grants and financing opportunities.

Set Rates

According to Brice, starting rates for a VA should not be less than $30 per hour to make a profit and cover all the costs an employer would pay in the corporate world -- including health insurance premiums, vacation time and office supplies. VAs should raise rates as their skills and value to clients improve, generally debuting a new rate for a new client. For an experienced generalist VA, rates top off around $65 per hour, but specialists in niche fields charge higher fees.

Kessler, who is based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has six clients in locations from New York to California on retainer for a minimum number of hours per month and several more regular clients that she charges hourly for occasional jobs.

Market Yourself

Because print ads are expensive and rarely hit your target audience, Brice favors networking as a better marketing strategy. Ways to meet potential clients include volunteering, teaching online and offline classes and attending networking events for trade associations and chambers of commerce.

Moreover, a Web site is essential to attract national clients, Kessler says. When developing your business site, she suggests scanning other VAs' Web sites and deciding what you do and don't like. Don't just post your resume and services offered; create a site that truly gives your potential client a good sense of your skills, experience and work ethic.