Most of the economies in the world are now in recession mode, and there is no exit anywhere near in sight. Economists tell us that as the effects of the recession become more apparent, more and more companies will find themselves forced to cut down on their headcounts. Many of those who get axed may find it hard to find other jobs in a short time, as the effects of an economic recession tend to be felt across all industries.

It is even harder to foretell who will fall and who will be left standing. One day the axe is swinging in the financial sector, and the next day it is falling in the automobiles sector…

no one really knows where it could fall next. Classic advice, when faced with this kind of gloomy uncertainty, is to hope for the best and prepare for worst. In line with preparing for the worst, many people are increasingly looking at possible alternatives to their regular jobs, that is, alternative places where they can take cover should the axe fall on them. 

One of the options that many people are eagerly looking at is the possibility of working at home. While there is a lot of hype about the possibilities of making millions working at home, in reality, there are relatively few legitimate work at home jobs. Most of the legitimate work at home jobs are on the Internet, but they tend to be buried deep in the web and overshadowed by the many ‘online work’ scams. Most of the legitimate work at home jobs fall into two main categories. 

The first category, which is the biggest category of legitimate work at home jobs, involves being a sort of online personal assistant, also called a virtual assistant, of one type or another. The typical skill required for this is good communication (writing and listening,) as most of these jobs involve either transcription or writing of one sort or another. The typical places to find legitimate work at home jobs are ‘service-market’ websites like Elance and Odesk. A major drawback you will have to contend with is that you will be competing in the global labor market and some of your competitors might be willing to work for much less than you can even begin to imagine. 

The second category of legitimate work at home jobs involve starting some sort of online business. In this regard you might, for example, start a website and promote a few affiliate programs on it, in order to make money. Or, if you have a specialized skill, you can also start a service-offering business, like a consultancy. In this category of legitimate work at home jobs, the competition is again the only major drawback you might have content with. As it were, chances are that there are millions of websites selling the same products or offering the same services as yours, and you will have to work really hard to move your website ahead of the pack. But with some luck, starting an online business is one of the best ways you can earn real cash from home, even during a recession. And, with even more luck, your online ventures might just succeed beyond your wildest dreams and earn you a place among the so called ‘Silicon Valley millionaires,’ if you have a great business idea that really takes hold and you are able to grow it properly. In this way, a recession would have been a blessing in disguise for you, at least for making you think about working online from home.
    
If you are interested in educating yourself about the Internet Marketing skills needed to run an online business, visit my blog at http://www.imarketings.net/internetmarketing  to learn more.

It does not matter what type of job opportunities you are looking for. If you have this question in mind, read on.

Studies show that the majority of hiring involves candidates referred by internal staff – that is, candidates coming from the connections of an organization’s existing staff.

There are many reasons for this phenomenon. First of all, hiring from internal referrals saves a lot of administrative and advertising cost. It also eliminates money spent on head hunters and employment agencies for their search support.

Also, it may be a proven way to reduce the chance of recruiting inappropriate people because internal staff should understand more about a company’s requirements, and are more likely to recommend suitable people for a company’s job openings.

Some have commented that this practice is especially popular for finding suitable candidates of management job opportunities. However, I would say the practice applies to all kinds of job opportunities, no matter whether they are management job opportunities, or other popular job offers such as accounting job opportunities. I even see people securing openings for overseas job opportunities in this way.

Okay, then, how can we increase our chances of getting job opportunities in this way?

The number one thing you should do is become engaged in widening your personal networks. There are two online resources that can help you to do this immediately.

The first one is Linkedin.com . This is a social network facility. Unlike other social network facilities that focus more on promoting your personal network for non-work related activities, this network very much focuses on promoting your professional background. I have personally seen many head hunters and hiring managers using their personal Linkedin network to look for suitable people for their own company or clients’ hiring needs.

The second resource is Plaxo.com . It was originally a contact address database used to build your contact list online, but has grown to be successfully used as a network tool. With this tool, you can easily update your close contacts with your present working information, including your phone and email contacts. Keeping your connections updated about the ways to contact you ensures that when any new hiring opportunities suitable for you come up, you can be reached immediately. When I was a head hunter, I experienced many occasions when one of my contacts would like to refer suitable people to me, but the connection failed because they did not have updated contact information for those people.

There is one more beautiful feature of this service: it constantly reminds you of the birthdays of your close contacts days before they come. You can then send emails to greet them, and at the same time mention your present working condition. People will be impressed by your good “memory” and more likely to keep you informed of any good job opportunities suitable for you.

Remember, it is always to your own advantage to be contacted by someone for job opportunities rather than actively looking for them yourself. Do you agree?

Top 50 jobs in America.

Note that this research applies to the US market only. However, I think this information can be used as a reference in other places of the world as well.

The first sought-after profession in the job market is a registered nurse. It is estimated that for every doctor hired, at least six to eight nurses are needed to supplement the booming health industry. And because the medical tourism industry is also catching on in various parts of the world, especially in European countries, nurses are very much in demand these days. Registered nurses need to obtain proper certification in order to care for patients while providing top health education. You can find many online colleges that offer nursing degrees or health care related certifications.

Another occupation that is quickly gaining popularity in the job market is a teaching position. Postsecondary and elementary school teachers are in especially high demand. More and more bachelor’s degree holders are opting to make inroads into the education field and apply for a teacher’s education program. School teachers also enjoy good career advancement opportunities, as they may take additional courses to fill vacancies as a librarian or a counselor, and eventually move up the career ladder as an administrator or director. If you need a degree or additional certification to break into this field, the best way is perhaps to find some online colleges that offer the education you need to educate others.

The third hottest occupation in the job market now is the positions of general and operations manager. Most, if not all, companies need to hire managers to ensure that their businesses are run smoothly. General and operations managers enjoy numerous perks which include a high six-figure salary, stock options, yearly bonuses, expense allowances, as well as exclusive club memberships. You usually need a degree to secure a position that offers all of these benefits. Again, pursuing online facilities to help attain such qualifications is perhaps a good idea. Refer to my articles under Further Study in this site for more information.

Accountants and auditors are trendy jobs as determined by a majority of job seekers worldwide. Accountancy can be a very lucrative career, as a senior member in an accounting firm can garner up to $100,000 yearly. Companies are always looking to hire accountants and auditors to prepare accounts, taxes, and other finance-related advice. In terms of career advancement, many individuals who began their career as clerks often progress up the career ladder to be full-fledged controllers. There are also individuals who choose to be professional bookkeepers and eventually spearhead their own accounting practice. This is one profession where a high level of education is required.

You may also consider becoming a business operations specialist, responsible for the creation and fine tuning of company policies that will help the corporation meet its goals and aims. This position will also be in charge of other aspects of the business, such as financial reporting and administrative management.

To break into these last two professions, as with the previous three, you will need at least a 4-year degree, and possibly a graduate degree as well. If you think you don’t have time to take these courses, think again. By attending an online college, you can get your degree on your own schedule. You can find the perfect online college with a simple Internet search, and you can apply online, as well.