Employability

Are you on the other side of the coin mentioned in the previous page?

Do you have some hours available, and you would love to convert those
hours to income?

Why not begin to build a skill.  But don't just build.  Start by asking yourself
what you want to do, and then begin to search for ways to build that skill.

Once you've done that, find people that need that skill.  Be prepared, at
first, to maybe work for very, very little, as you develop your skill.  Be
prepared to start off maybe being quite a generalist and doing things that
are really just vaguely related to what you really want to do.

As you begin to do it, your skill will increase, you knowledge of that industry
will increase, and if you are really excellent at what you do, you will soon
find yourself having more opportunities, than what you have hours to meet
those.

Check out websites like www.guru.com, www.elance.com and
www.freelance.com.

See what people are looking for in the direction of what you would love to
be doing.  Build those skills, and begin to tender for some of those jobs.  
You might be surprised at how you can change your life!

Alternatively scan the newspapers.  Look at the jobs that you think you'd
love to do.  See what skills are required, and begin to plan how you can
begin to build your skills in that direction.  Remember, most of us
overestimate what we can do in a year, and underestimate what we can do
in ten!  So just start!  Start developing yourself in some way.  Don't be
disheartened because you can't see how you will get all the qualifications
and experience - just start moving in that direction.  We can't always see
the whole road to where we want to be - but we can always try to take one
step at a time towards it!

Keep your CV updated - at all times.  A long detailed one, and a short
summary one.  Know your own strengths and what you can do well.  You
never know when you might bump into someone that needs exactly ...
YOU!  But if you don't know  how to tell them that, and you will need three
days to go home and update your CV, you might just lose the opportunity.  

If you have your CV ready, you can ask for an email address there and
then, and by the time that guy gets back to his desk, your CV is in his inbox.
Employability