It’s nearly time for the 3rd annual Telework Week, the global effort to encourage agencies, organizations, and individuals to pledge to telework anytime during the selected week. This year – Telework Week is from March 4-8, 2013.

Visit www.MobileWorkExchange/TeleworkWeek to pledge to telework during the week or to calculate the potential cost savings and environmental impact for doing so.

Telework Exchange touted more than 71,000 individuals and organizations that pledged to telework during Telework Week last year – totally more than $5.6 million in commuting costs savings and 3,453 ton reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

I’ve been a fan of Telework Exchange for a long time – it’s one of the organizations listed here on the sidebar (and has been for a long time). But I had to change that today because Telework Exchange is re-branding to reflect the ever-changing mobile work force.

Telework Exchange is now Mobile Work Exchange.

Telework Exchange Lauds Feds for Making Telework Happen; Grows Mission to Focus on Mobile IT

Mobile Work Exchange, the New Telework Exchange, Makes the Move to Mobility

ALEXANDRIA, Va., January 28, 2013 – Mobile Work Exchange, a public-private partnership focused on demonstrating the value of mobility and telework, today announced a refresh to its name and expanded mission. Previously coined as Telework Exchange, the organization is now tasked with also leading mobile IT discussions in the Federal government. Mobile Work Exchange will continue its longstanding initiatives such as Telework Week, and expand programs for its Town Hall Meetings and educational courses. Details on the expansion as well as new mobile IT resources are available at www.mobileworkexchange.com.

The organizational change comes following the growth in government telework adoption as well as a new focus on encouraging mobility in the Federal workforce. The 2012 Office of Personnel Management Status of Telework Report stated that almost a quarter of the Federal workforce reported teleworking in some form, with 31 percent of the entire workforce eligible to telework.

“Today’s workforce is becoming more agile than ever, and telework is one of the components driving the mobile-enabled 21st century workforce,” said Charles McClam, deputy chief information officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “At USDA, we’ve made it possible for our employees to effectively perform their duties from anywhere using web-enabled technologies and mobile applications. These technologies and applications, coupled with effective telework policies and guidance, have all played a vital role in allowing USDA to increase employee satisfaction and productivity as well as securely and efficiently work with our customers outside the traditional brick and mortar office environment. We look forward to our continued partnership with Mobile Work Exchange to discuss such important topics for today’s Federal workforce.”

“Throughout its existence, Telework Exchange (now Mobile Work Exchange) has been at the forefront of the Federal telework conversation,” said Dr. Wendell Joice, notably known as the father of Federal telework. “As the conversation changes, I am pleased to see their continued focus on telework as well as their new approach to mobile IT. We are at a critical point – let’s make telework and mobility happen in the Federal government.”

Mobile Work Exchange will continue to provide best practices in telework, performance management, effective communication, recruitment and retention, work-life balance, and other workforce-related topics. In addition, the group will focus on key issue in mobile IT, such as cyber security/privacy, bring your own device, mobile device management, virtualization, and cloud. The organization added a new resource center on mobile IT, and refreshed its monthly publication, now called The Mobile Worker.

“We’ve spent the last eight years supporting the awareness and adoption of telework,” said Cindy Auten, general manager of Mobile Work Exchange. “Now that the Federal government is moving telework in the fast lane, the conversation is changing. And so are we. We are pleased to introduce our new name – Mobile Work Exchange. As telework drives the mobile IT discussion forward, we will expand our role to cover both telework and mobile IT topics.”

Join the discussion by attending the Spring 2013 Town Hall Meeting on April 30 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Featuring a new workshop-style format, attendees will have the chance to participate in targeted sessions focusing on telework, workforce management, IT, and policy. Participants will hear from more than 50 speakers as government and industry leaders discuss best practices in telework and mobility. For more information and to register, please visit www.mobileworkexchange.com/townhallmeeting.

About Mobile Work Exchange
Mobile Work Exchange, the new Telework Exchange, is a public-private partnership focused on demonstrating the value of mobility and telework, and serving the emerging educational and communication requirements of the Federal mobile/telework community. The organization facilitates communication to more than 26,000 Federal IT directors/managers, CIOs, CHCOs, telework managing officers, and key stakeholders – all focused on building a sustainable and effective mobile workforce. For more information on Mobile Work Exchange, follow us on Twitter, @MobileWorkX.

With the New Year comes the promise of new resolutions. Some of you might roll your eyes and shake your heads at the thought, but there are those of us who tack bright paper lists to our work spaces as a festive mantra of new beginnings.

Whether it’s the exercise bike that’s become a clothes rack that left you jaded towards resolutions, or the money saved from eating out less last year that gives you enthusiasm for setting a new set of goals – I think we can agree that it takes extra motivation after the holidays to get back into the swing of things.

Though vacations and breaks should leave us feeling refreshed and ready for the return of routine, sometimes the business of the holidays can leave you feeling ready for another break, or, let’s face it, a vacation. And honestly, when work is where you live and life happens where you work, sometimes a long enough break just isn’t possible. The thought of the to-do list waiting for me often compels me to get a little work done, even when I really should be ‘breaking!’

The personal me always has several things to work on over the coming year (eat less, exercise more, smell the roses). The work me also likes to take stock and note a goal or two for the coming year (make more, spend less, work smarter).

The start of a new year is an opportune time to reevaluate your schedule and decide how to improve your workday by working smarter in 2013. Working smarter always beats working harder, right?! But how can you work smarter? Here are the top 5 things to remember:

1. Time Is Money

I’ve heard it, I’ve said it, I all but preach it . . . but truth is, the meaning can be quite hard to live by. Anyone else get lost in Pinterest for more than an hour at a time or read a few more chapters than you meant to before going to sleep last night? Me, too. We all still want to pin, read books, and play ping pong – we just need to realize just how much time we might be devoting to something that maybe shouldn’t get so much of our attention.

Working in a distracted environment, or frame of mind, can leave you less effective and make a task take longer than planned. Structure your day so you can do more difficult projects during your most focused time of the day and projects that require details during times that are not prone to distraction.

Automate and delegate. I’m bad at both – I like the hands on and don’t like hounding for help. Try to automate a few things (thank you SMS calendar reminders) and delegate what you can (the kids can fold those towels).

2. Breaks Are Awesome

Breaks are part of working smarter? Heck yeah – but make sure you make your breaks count. While you may not have time for as many breaks as you would like, taking breaks, breaks that give you genuine relaxation and rejuvenation, is critical to not only being successful with your work, but enjoying your work and your home. Walks, naps, a good book, a TV show, or even a cup of tea can help your mind slow down and enable you to work more effectively after the break. I’m also quite find of my Wii Fit yoga instructor. It’s a 22 minute break (and I’m always glad to go back to work).

3. Don’t Under Estimate Goals

Remember those post it notes I mentioned earlier? Though you may not be a fan of resolutions, having goals at work can help you meet deadlines with ease and give you a renewed excitement toward the future. Maybe you’ve wanted to move up in your job? Or wanted to take a vacation overseas? Creating goal STEPS can build a bridge that makes those dreams possible.

4. Take Care of Yourself

It may sound obvious to take care of yourself, but with so much focus on taking “perfect” care of yourself, sometimes it’s easy to give up all together. Rather than create self-care resolutions you can’t keep, think of basic lifestyle habits that are in your best interest. If you’re not a runner, instead of feeling like you need to run five miles a day, maybe try to walk a few blocks at lunch. If you don’t have time to take on every commitment this year, skip a few, the time with your family will be better spent. The key is to keep your life balanced and manageable, not add more stress to your already over-scheduled day.

5. Remember Why You Started In the First Place

Lost in the day-to-day it can be easy to forget why you started working from home, or that business that once seemed exciting can seem uber mundane. As with everything else in life, there will always be parts you don’t like and the grass will sometimes seem greener over there on the other side of the fence. So take time to remember what it is you love about working from home, how you got there, and how grateful you are for whatever it is you do that helps put clean sheets on the bed and food on the table. When I first started working from home my daughter had just been born. Now both of my kids’ ages end in ‘teen.’ The years fly by too fast, and time isn’t getting any slower – it’s worth it to do what you love.

While a new year may not mean perfection, it can mean a new season to love the job you do. Rather than barely getting through the day, take this year to remember the purpose behind what you do, and that oftentimes working harder means working smarter.

Back in September of 2006, we wrote this post about Tiny Details and how working for them, from home, might just cause more of an enormous headache than it’s worth for the supplemental income it could afford. Over the years we’ve receieved a lot of comments about that post. We started wondering if we were a tad cynical and harsh and admit that we based our opinion solely on what we learned from online forums and other blogs’ posts.

So this past fall, after a few fresh comments, like these from Edward and Albert were made in support of the company, we decided to give them a first-hand try with an eye to writing a new post all about what it’s like to work as an assembler.

Now that it’s all said and done, we’re ready to write up our new and improved, first-hand review of what Tiny Details has to offer – along with a detailed account of exactly what we experienced for ourselves.

For the test run I recruited the most obsessive/compulsive person I know. Why? Because I figured assembling tiny little dollhouse miniatures might be right up her alley. Her attention to detail is superb. Her meticulous aim at perfection, daunting. So who better to give this company a test run? Plus, I know I simply don’t have the patience or inclination to devote my spare time to the itty-bitty work . . . and I wanted to give this company a fair shake.

I armed my friend (read: guinea pig) with an introductory explanation of what the company offers, a link to their website, $100 for her to spend as she saw fit, and a legal pad with two sharpened Dixon Ticonderogas for keeping chronological notes about her experience. I know, how old school of me. Here’s what she knew going in:

Tiny Details is a manufacturer that produces and sells artisan-quality miniature decorations that go into dollhouses. The factory store is located at 129 Main Street in Groton, New York. Check out this website, read through all their pages, and then purchase whatever kit you choose – though you might want to choose one of the easier (one star) kits.

The Tiny Details’ Details

The site says you can use a printable order form or you can call 877-489-2900 to order the kit. Their explanation of how home assembly for Tiny Details works is as follows: (taken from their How it Works page):

• You choose a product that fits you.
• You send us a $55 deposit for the materials.
• We send you a kit that contains everything you need to make a set of the product you picked.
• You assemble a set of the product.
• You send the completed set of the product to us.
• We send you back your $55 deposit PLUS the product price ($50 to $200) PLUS your postage for sending the product to us.

The kit contains everything needed to make the product including: assembly materials, detailed directions, any necessary tools, a payment request form (to get your money), an extra materials request form (to get free additional materials if you need them) and even a finished product sample (except for very new products). We do include extra materials beyond what you need to complete the kit, in case you make a few mistakes. You will need a stapler and staples to seal the bags that most of the miniatures come in. Kits like our silverware chests require a pair of wire cutters and our miniature bow kit requires a low temperature hot glue gun. Otherwise, all materials are supplied by Tiny Details.

There is a $55 fully refundable deposit for the kit. It takes us 2-3 days to process kit orders and put them into the mail.

We normally send kits by First Class mail which takes from 1 to 9 days to get anywhere in the USA from the time it is shipped.

The box the kit comes in is about the size of a book, so it generally fits in most mail boxes and you won’t have to make a trip to the post office to get it!

To be sure you are making the product correctly, you will send us a sample of the product you are making. We will check your sample and tell you if there are any problems so that you won’t be wasting your time making the whole set incorrectly. The samples are returned to you after they are checked. We include a letter that tells you that the sample was made correctly or that it needs changes to be made. You do not have to wait for Tiny Details to examine the sample to continue working but, if changes are called for, you may have to fix some of the items you already made.

You have 60 days from the postmark on the package we send to you to assemble a whole set of the product and send it in to Tiny Details for payment. You must assemble a complete set. We do not accept partial sets. You must provide the box. Any sturdy box will do. Many people use the one we shipped the kit to them in. Under certain circumstances, we will give you additional time to complete your work if you can’t complete it in 60 days.

When your complete product set is accepted by Tiny Details, you receive a check for three things:

1. The amount we agreed to buy the assembled product for
2. Your $55 deposit refund if you paid it by check or money order (it is refunded to your credit card if you paid by credit card), and
3. Up to $5 to cover the postage to send the product in to Tiny Details. (We figure out how much it is by reading it off the package!) This amount more than covers shipping as the products are miniatures and quite light when finished.

We send you a check on the day your complete product set is accepted by Tiny Details. We write checks every day. We believe in prompt payment! If you decide you want to assemble another kit, you can “roll over” the $55 deposit to cover the new kit and will not have to send us an additional deposit. New kits are generally shipped one or two days after the check is sent.

There is no limit to the number of kits you can have at one time. A deposit is require for each kit.

Even if you decide that home assembly is not for you, and whether you’ve used up none or all of the kit, we will refund half of your deposit to you as long as you return the unused portion of your kit within 60 days of receiving it. This covers our costs in providing your kits if you are not going to assemble them.

You have 60 days from the postmark date on the kit we send you. You must send your final completed set(s) postmarked no later than 60 days from our postmark.

There are no taxes withheld by Tiny Details. Federal law requires us to obtain your Social Security Number before we can buy more than $600 from you in a single year.

The Tiny Details Actual Experience

Here’s the best account of what really happened from start to finish (including actual dates) taken from the assembler’s hand-written notes:

October 18, 2011 – I called to ask a few questions abut the product choices, and to see if they answered the phone, and got a recorded message that gave me the following options: I could either (1) Check online, (2) Leave my name and address and question and they’d send me info, or (3) Leave my name and number and they’d call me back.

So I hung up and went online to their contact us page and at 12:45 pm I sent them a message telling them I was seriously considering this work from home option to make some extra spending money but that I had a few questions about some of the product kits. I asked about playing cards, magazine racks, Christmas light boxes, milk/juice carts, ice cream take outs, and books.

At 2:25 pm I received a reply from Mary at Tiny Details who answered all of my questions (in all caps beside each one). The answers were very thorough and I learned that a great many assemblers prefer super glue instead of hot glue when assembling the bows, and that they were fine with assemblers making adjustments like that so long as the finished product stayed in place. My questions were super basic since I was testing for response time and courteousness more than for additional instructions.

I decided to choose their Playing Cards kit – noting that I’d receive sheets of printed playing cards, a hobby knife, printed instructions, and bags to package the miniatures in. Tiny Details pays $50 for 100 sets (decks) and the level of difficulty is ‘very easy’ – simply cut out along the printed edges and placed into plastic bags. All of the tools I’d need would be provided, with the exception of a stapler and staples to seal the tops of the bags. Since this is considered a kit for beginners, it seemed like a pretty good fit for a trial run.

October 19, 2011 – After a good night’s sleep I went to the Tiny Details website at 10:30 am to place my order, but it was down for maintenance. I stopped back a little before 12:00 noon and learned I’d need to create an account to place the order. I signed up and placed my order for the playing cards kit ($58.50 – the cost of the kit plus the $3.50 shipping charge). I received the following emails in response:

11:55am – Welcome to Tiny Details
11:58am – Order Received
12:19pm – Order Processed

October 22, 2011 – At 7:55 am I received an email notifying me that my order had been shipped. The email included the order number and a link to a more detailed invoice.

October 24, 2011 – I received my package.
The instructions are very detailed so you definitely know what’s expected of you. You must send them a “sample” item before doing the entire job to get their approval. The tools they sent to work with, in my case the hobby knife, seems very cheap and not actually useful. To do the job properly I think I’ll need to purchase a better, sturdier tool. I was expecting Tiny but wow, these cards are itty-bitty tiny. Too cute.

October 25, 2011 – I went and purchased a hobby knife at A.C Moore Arts & Crafts, completed one deck of cards, put them in the little bag, stapled the bag shut, and mailed the sample to them. So far I’m $68.50 in the hole for the price of the kit and the price of the new, sturdy craft knife. The latter is optional, but I can’t imagine tackling this work without the better tool.

October 31, 2011 – I got a letter – they approved the sample and mailed it back to me – I’m now officially ready to start the task at hand.

November 14, 2011 – I’ve been working on cutting the cards apart to make full decks and it looks like I won’t have enough plastic bags. So I sent a request for the additional supplies needed, more plastic bags.

November 18, 2011 – Got an email that they’ll be mailing the plastic bags to me.

November 21, 2011 – I received the additional plastic bags today. I’ve been chipping away at the project for nearly 4 weeks, taking my time a little every day to ensure I didn’t let fatigue affect my cutting, sorting and bagging skills. I’m finally finished with all 100 decks and from the best I can figure, I’ve spent a total of about 27 hours, give or take a half hour.

While I’m quite pleased with the quality of my workmanship, I really took my time to be extra careful for this test, that fact that I spent so much time means my per-hour rate for this work will end up being pretty low darned low. Let’s see – 27 hours for $50 would be about $1.85/hour . . . if I could knock out the kit in 10 hours, I’d be making $5/hour. Course, I’d have to be cutting, organizing, bagging and stapling 10 decks an hour. Not sure how feasible that is – at least for me. I think my quality would suffer. The playing cards are tiny and the lines are very faint.

November 22, 2011 – I sent off the package with 100 completed decks of cards, along with my payment and deposit back request form. I’m so relieved to have concluded this test job before Thanksgiving. Now I can devote all my time and energy to making the perfect pumpkin pie. I can’t wait for turkey day!

December 12, 2011 – I received a ‘Product Submission Evaluation Report’ stating the cards are not all cut out the same. They ask you to go through the cards and correct any that are the least bit off and re-submit. So I went through every single tiny card, with a magnifying glass in hand, and took out any I thought might be the least bit off out of the bunch. Nothing looked any different from the sample I’d sent in for approval – but I felt like I needed to at least try to figure out what they might be unhappy with. I spent a few hours on the task, cut out about 10 replacements, and repackaged everything.

December 15, 2011 – I mailed the package back to them, hoping that they’d go through and I’d get my reimbursement. I ordered on October 19th, here it is December 15th and I’m having to send it back in. My total time in is now around 30 hours so now, if I get paid, I’ll have made about $1.67 for my time.

January 26, 2012 – Happy New Year! The holidays were great, but I haven’t heard back from Tiny Details at all so at 9 am I called to inquire about the status of payment . . . or whatever. I left a message. At 1 pm I sent them an email outlining the events to date and noted that I also left a message on the phone answering machine or service and that I’d really appreciate some information as to the status of my kit.

February 3, 2012 – I sent another email, repeating what I’d sent on the 26th of January and again asking for either payment or return of the kit.

February 8, 2012 – At 2 pm I called and left a message again. This time I stated that they could just return the cards to me since they obviously had no intention of ever paying me for the project. I admit – I’m frustrated. What a crock. It’s fine if they want to continue to decline my work, but they shouldn’t get to keep both my money and the product and the $50 I would have received.

March Something – Eh. Decided it would be a waste of my time to pursue contacting them any more.

June Something – I’m pretty sure I’ll never hear back from them again. It’s a waste of time to email or call any further. I’m turning over the notes from my test project. Thanks for the big fat waste of time, Lisa, I was hoping that working on miniatures would be an awesome hobby. Not so much!

So, I’d gotten her notes in June of 2012, but I didn’t post a review because I kept thinking she might hear back from them. By the time she did, it was a comical aside in an every-day conversation. It was an “Oh my God, guess what I got in the mail today?!” kind of remark and after a quick chuckle, it was quickly forgotten again.

That conversation took place on August 8, 2012.

Now that we’re once again gearing up for Thanksgiving again (a year later), I figured it was time to finally post this updated review. At least I got something out of her efforts. We also had a pretty good laugh over the whole fiasco, for whatever that’s worth.

So is Tiny Details Assembly Work a Scam?

Not exactly. She finally got 100 decks of tiny cards, so I guess you can’t technically classify it as a scam. But it sure seems they skate awfully close around the scam rink.

Does doing Tiny Details assembly work pass muster as a good way to earn some extra money from home? Um, no. Even if she had been able to hurry through the exacting work, and get approved on the first go-round, she’d have ended up making about $3.00 an hour. I guess that might be okay if you have no other options at all and you really, really like detailed miniature work, but for the average Joe it really doesn’t cut it. Remember, you’re an independent contractor, too, so if you manage to earn more than $600 profit in a year, you’ll have to also pay taxes on that $3/hour.

Bottom Line

Why in the world would it take them from December 19, 2011 (assuming the package reached them in 4 days, which is a generous allowance) to August 8, 2012 to let her know the status of her kit by returning the 100 decks of tiny little cards? Why didn’t they ever respond to her calls and emails? How many people simply give up or forget and don’t call or email at all? Do they ever get their kits or half their money back or anything at all for their trouble?

They were responsive and helpful in the beginning – not so much after the completion of the kit. That makes me cynical, and I think that’s a pretty darn fair, first-hand assessment. So maybe reading forums and blog posts others have written is a decent way to assess the potential of a work-at-home opportunity after all. Seems our original post wasn’t far off the mark, at least from our experience.

by Kimberly Ben

Including keywords in your resume is a job search strategy you can’t afford to ignore. Keywords are words or phrases used to help job seekers find jobs and employers find the right candidate to fill available positions. Put them into a search engine the same way you would normally search for information on the Internet. Certain industry buzzwords will often yield better search results. For instance, you’ll find better opportunities searching online for “retail project management” than you will if you use the term “retail” alone.

Finding the right keywords
If you have no idea about what keywords should be included in your resume, start by doing some simple research. Go online and find two to three ads for jobs in the industry you’re targeting. Read through each of the listings and study the ads carefully. Pay close attention to any repeated words or phrases. They are the keywords you need to know.

Adding keywords to your resume
Keywords are an important part of creating a competitive resume, but the strategy of the document and impact of the words used to highlight your strengths and experience are most important. Write a resume that positions you as the best possible choice for the job you’re targeting first.

Once you have a strong career document in place, add the keywords throughout the content. Make sure that the document still flows and sounds natural when you read it out loud. Include keywords:

• In the objective or summary
• In your key accomplishments
• In your listing of hard skills or core competencies

Geographical keywords that show employers where you’re located, or where you’ve lived and worked before, should also be included whenever possible.

How employers use keywords to find job candidates
Employers are constantly sourcing the web for job candidates. They utilize a technology that makes it easy for them to zero in on the best job seekers who post resumes on private company websites, networking sites like LinkedIn or career-based websites like CareerBuilder and Monster. Keywords are important because if an employer is looking for someone with a specific skill, he will use a keyword, for example: “Data Architect,” Online Marketing Coordinator.”

It’s also a good idea for job seekers to periodically update a resume that’s been uploaded into a database. Some databases provide an option for employers that allow them to only select the most recently uploaded resumes for viewing. Making sure to seed your resume with targeted keywords, and regularly updating the career document you upload into a database can give you an edge in this market.

About the Author:
A professional resume writer can create an employer-focused career document designed to get you noticed. Find out how professional resume writing services can give you an edge against the competition in your job search.
Article Source: www.ladypens.com

While many of us have heard all about the difference telecommuting can make, not only on individual’s personal and work lives, but on the economy and future of America’s workforce, it holds deeper impact when you either live out, or see others live out, its significance.

This May, the Telework Exchange and Cisco Systems held their second annual telework week, which not only talked about telework’s impact – but also showed its significance.

Telework Week, designed to increase telework awareness, had over 71,000 participants, an 80 percent increase from last year. Though it only lasted a week, from May 5th to May 9th, the figures they collected estimated a savings of:

• 5.6 million in commuting costs
• 6,413,006 miles
• 3,453 tons of pollutants

I haven’t had much time to devote here on TJ, but I’m always keeping an eye on the ever-changing work force. As someone who remembers having to get up to change the television channel, I find the ability to collaborate globally at the click of a mouse an incredible opportunity. Today, I took a few minutes to listen to Telework Exchange’s complimentary webinar, Ramp Up Your Savings: Measuring the Telework Returns.

Dan Kent, the Director of Solutions and Federal Chief Technology Officer for Cisco, emphasized that teleworking is not simply about working remotely, but about changing the workforce and lowering the cost of business. Telework helps businesses in cost-cutting ways such as eliminating the need for real estate and office costs like technology, furniture, and utilities.

Cisco has 25,000 full time teleworkers but explains it’s not a “one size fits all” approach, but rather an approach that includes various types of telework programs established for the different needs of company employees.

Cindy Auten, General Manager of the Telework Exchange moderated and Mr. Kent of Cisco was joined by Shirley LaBells, the Telework Coordinator for the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. They discussed the value and cost considerations for telework programs including tracking and reporting techniques (for measuring work output efficiency) and technology tools (for empowering productivity while enabling cost savings).

Want to hear it for yourself?
You can listen to their complimentary webinar here.