Contenders in the 2008 Presidential race think they have what it takes to run this great nation of ours.  But some are so tech clueless that they can’t even use their own name as a domain.

According to domaintools.com, which tracks Web site ownership,  former Republican candidate Rudolph Giuliani had his name, RudyGiuliani.com bought out from underneath him in 1998 by somebody who had the foresight to buy the name cheaply and sell it later for a nice profit.  The domain name was sold to a gentleman in New York who runs a liquidation business and plans to use the name to promote his business if Mr. Giuliani wins the White House, which of course we now know will not happen.  The same thing happened with RudolphGiuliani.com which is now owned by a gentleman from Minneapolis.  Apparently his asking price for the name was too high, so the campaign wound up using JoinRudy2008.com.  Do you see a trend here?

Former Arkansas governor and failed contender for the White House Mike Huckabee’s domain name is owned by somebody who uses the site to take jabs at the former Presidential candidate.  The owner of the site will not sell to anybody who is a surporter of Mr. Huckabee.  The solution? The Presidential campaign website was www.explorehuckabee.com.  The biggest worry about not controlling your own name is leaving it open to mudslingers, as these candidates have painfully learned.

The lesson here is that you never want to allow somebody else to control your name.  Even if you have no intention of ever building a website or blog around your domain name, I strongly suggest that you purchase your name as soon as possible, in as many extensions as possible and keep your good name safe.  

One of my client’s shared this free gem with me and I am so entranced with it that I want to share it with you.

This is a wonderful tool for the virtual assistant working alone or for a team of va’s. RescueTime for Business Groups offers a free to low cost way to understand how your team is spending time. You have the ability to preserve your team’s privacy with whitelists by tracking only the sites you need to track. You will also know which applications are being used, and which are not.

This is the part I like a lot. RescueTime users typically see an average of a 9% increase in self identified productive time over a period of three months. In other words, help your team work more effectively.

RescueTime offers 2 free services. One is for your personal account the other is for business. The first five members of your team are free. After that, you will pay a small fee of $7.95 per month.

Enjoy!

Your Virtual Assistant receives hundreds of resumes each month, and while we can’t offer assignments to each job applicant we do want to help. Here are several tips to assist you in your quest for an online, work-at-home job in the very fast paced virtual assistance industry.

Tip #1: If you’re not getting interviews, take another look at your strategy or résumé. Employers are looking for what you’ve done recently. Your strategy has to include networking — even contacting hiring managers — as well as relying on multiple resources (not just the Internet).

Tip #2: Résumés should be a showcase of accomplishments, not a job description. Then, quantify those accomplishments (through metrics) in a manner recognized by the virtual assistant industry.

Tip #3: If you’re getting interviews, but not receiving job offers, you need to improve your interviewing techniques. We suggest telling stories that illustrate accomplishments relevant to the job or project that the hiring manager is discussing with you. If you can demonstrate proven skills by providing samples of your work online you will be much more likely to be considered for a project.  It’s also important to demonstrate energy and hunger, and ask for feedback.

Tip #4: Get input from an objective friend who can give you honest feedback about everything from your résumé to your telephone skills. Practice your interview with them.

Tip #5: It could be time for self-evaluation. Can you figure out what is wrong and fix it? If not, ask for help.

Tip #6: If you’ve been out of work for six months and are worried about what to tell a prospective employer, keep busy. Try your hand at being a consultant, starting a business, taking courses, meeting people at industry events and writing articles. If you do all of these things simultaneously, it will put you in a better position to get a job in the virtual assistant industry.

However, and there is always a ‘however”, it is critical to create time in your daily schedule to care for your body. I quickly learned that sitting at my desk for 10-12 hours a day working on virtual assistance tasks, building websites, or just generally running my businesses quickly took a toll on my weight, my energy levels and in some notable instances, even my ability to put together a cogent sentence.

In order to run your VA practice successfully you quite simply MUST take the time to move your body, energize your system and take the time to get, and remain fit and healthy.

Now I am not saying that this schedule works for everybody, but it very definitely works for me. In fact on days that I don’t make it to the gym, it is very apparent to me by early afternoon that this was not a good idea. In fact, it was a really bad decision on my part.

I also have a small rebounder, or mini-trampoline in my office that is in my opinion, a MUST-HAVE piece of equipment. In fact it is right up there with my scanner. When words begin to blur on the screen or I am having trouble concentrating it is a simple matter to walk over the the rebounder, bounce on it gently for three or four minutes, grab a bottle of water and get back to work. It is amazing what that does for my energy levels. Just for fun I counted how many times I got on the rebounder during a particularly time-crunched day and found that I had bounced 8 times during the day (24-30 minutes total though out the day). I had a great day, powered through all of the work and had a fabulous evening with my husband.

One thing that I am getting ready to do in early June is a detox program with The Fitness Jeanie. I downloaded her free CD the other day and found it to be the perfect accompaniment to my rebounder bounces.

Summer in the Deep South is difficult even with the air conditioning running 24/7. The humidity can sap energy quicker than anything that I have ever encountered and I am really looking forward to this detox program to arm myself with a healthy system before summer really slams into us.