This article is by guest blogger Sarah Lam - Writing Consultant.

“I will never get cheated”. People always say so. At least you think so.

Too bad you never know when someone will cheat on you.

It is time to review again, how you can avoid scams whether you are looking for work or business opportunities.

There are eight tips to remember.

1. Too good to be true.

When someone is making an offer you can’t even believe it, chances are the offer is a scam to lure you into giving all your hard-earned money to the irresponsible people behind the scam.

2. Use your common sense.

I am sure you are old enough to think logically at all times. If you come across a job offering you all the money you want and yet you have nothing much to do, just how true can that be? There is no free lunch.

3. Get rich quick? Think again!

There is no such thing as get rich quick scheme that really works. With so many stories around the world involving get rich quick schemes, you should have known better that they are all scams.

4. Think hard before you agree on any deals.

Yes, think, think and think again many times before you say ‘yes’ to any deals anyone offers to you. If someone offers you RM5000 a month just to work as a data entry at home, think of those who earn RM5 per hour as a data entry in the office. If it is so easy to earn RM5000 a month, then there won’t be anyone working for a mere RM5 per hour.

5. Why pay for a job when you are supposed to get paid to do the job?

This is the question you need to ask yourself when you are looking for a job. Job agency? It is better to do your research before engage in any job agencies to find a job. Never pay any money to get a job.

6. Ask as many questions as possible during interviews.

When you are going for an interview, make sure you ask the job scope, the salary range, the working hours, the terms and conditions and of course, the benefits of working for the company. Chances are if any of the answers are suspicious enough for you, they lied. Think of as many questions you want to ask so you get to know more about the company and the people behind it.

7. No one offers you a job before an interview.

Just as much as we want to know our potential employers, they want to know about us too. Therefore, usually before you secure a job, you have to go through interviews. If someone offers you a job without having an interview, beware!

8. Look out for work-at-home scams.

Scan the newspapers and I am sure you get a lot of classifieds claiming that you can earn big money while working at home. I don’t deny the possibility but it is the way they conduct the business that is the scam. I know there are many people who wants to work at home. In fact, I am working at home.

Once, I sent a payment of RM80 for an ‘instructional CD’ complete with the ‘materials’ I need to start my own home business. I realised that whatever I have received from them are useless or to be exact, garbage.

Usually, they will talk about how much you can earn by doing small jobs such as sending out letters and so on. Then, they will proceed to ask you to pay a ‘small’ amount of fee to get started. By that time, you will believe it is true that you will hand the money to them instantly. The payment is usually through bank-in. Beware! Never trust such a scheme. It doesn’t work. They are the only ones who will be rich and you will get poorer as soon as you bank-in the money.

With these tips, I hope you will be better equipped the next time you search for a job. Good luck!

This article is by guest blogger Sarah Lam - Writing Consultant.

Yes, I know you want to apply for a part time job so you can earn extra money. However, do you know the proper way of applying for a part time job? I will keep this short and precise so you will know what you need to do next.

1. You might not need a resume for a part time job but sometimes, the employer would ask for one, so be prepared and have your resume updated.

2. Dressing should be neat and tidy. You can dress casually when you go for an interview but never wear something too sexy or inappropriate for an interview.

3. Since this is a part time job, you will need to be sure which day you can work and the timing so when the employer ask you, you already have an answer.

4. Answer all the questions when being asked. If you are being asked to fill in the application form, fill in properly with all the compulsory parts filled in.

5. Sometimes, you might have to apply online. If so, make sure you send a proper email when you apply for the job. Be sure to follow the instructions given by the employer.

6. If you are requested attend a walk-in interview, be sure to be there early instead of being late. No one wants to hire someone who is not punctual.

At AsiaPartTime, you should have noticed that most people apply for a job through the comments even though some of the employers request application through email. Although they will receive a notification about your application through the comments, but sometimes, they don’t give a look at it all.

I have received some applications without a proper resume, or without resume at all even though I have specified that in the job ad. This is a turn off. By knowing what the employer expects from you, will increase the chances of being hired. Skills are important but etiquette is important too.

I blog at Writing Consultation, a blog about freelance writing. Feel free to drop me a message if you wish to contact me.

This article is by guest blogger Sarah Lam - Writing Consultant.

I worked for eLawyer.com.my before and one thing I got to say is that I realised many Malaysians are looking for opportunities to work at home and set their own working hours. I have talked to many people who were at that time looking for part time jobs that they can work at home. They do not want to work in the office and for the same reason, I quit my job.

Why people love to work at home? What is so great about it anyway? When I worked with eLawyer, I did love the job. However, there seems to be something missing. It was not what I wanted. Everyday living the same routine and doing the same thing is really dull in my opinion.

Of course, if you are a high flyer and you have a high position in a company, that doesn’t matter because most of the time, you get to travel all over the world and call it working.

However, there are so many low level positions in Malaysia and people are feeling the pressure of work. The boss would expect more than they get paid for. We have to work so hard that the pay doesn’t seem to justify anything at all.

Still, why are we working for someone else? It is simply because of the money. These days, money is the one reason why we work. Without money, we can never get a place to stay, food to eat and pay the bills (water, electricity and phone).

Therefore, it is very important for Part Time Job Portal to be around because it offers a platform for us to search for part time jobs to earn some extra money to help pay the bills or whatever. Don’t forget to check our job board from time to time to find some suitable part time jobs you can do during the weekends and if you are lucky, you might just score a job that allows you to work at home.

I blog at Writing Consultation, a blog about freelance writing. Feel free to drop me a message if you wish to contact me.

Liz Strauss is the anchor woman behind Successful-Blog.com and the author of The Secret of Writing a Successful and Outstanding Blog.

Being a successful writer and a blogger, surely there are many tips that we can learn from her after all the blogosphere in Malaysia is growing.

From an interview between Mary (the Chief Editor of Write To Done) and Liz, there are four very important keynotes that we all should take note in order to be an outstanding writer (or blogger).

Connect To Your Readers

There is a reason why it is important to connect to your readers. First and foremost, you need people to read your words. You are not writing just to display it to yourself but you are displaying to the whole world. You share your knowledge and thoughts but that would be useless without readers. By connecting to your readers, you are creating a two-way communication.

Listen To Your Readers

Now that you have your readers, you don’t expect them to just read without giving feedback, right? Learn to listen to your readers with an open mind. Trust your readers that they are making statements that will help you discover yourself in the process. Treasure their comments about your writing and accept criticism if there is any. You will learn to write better in times to come. Practice makes perfect.

Write From Your Heart

Be real to yourself and your audience. Share your feelings, your knowledge and your experience full of insights and information. Create something inspires your readers so that they can relate to themselves in a practical way. In other words, be passionate in your writing and you will reach out to your readers. There is no reason to write just for money. I know there are many writers out there but not every writers can write from the heart.

Love For Doing What You Do

“Do what you love in service to those who love what you do.” - Steve Farber

This is by far the most important element of all because if you have no love for writing, then your writing would be dead. When you love writing, naturally your writing will flourish. Take it as a mirror of reflection. Your readers can see you shine through your writing and they will love you for what you are and what you do.

If you can try to implement these tips in your daily writing, you are well on your way to become an outstanding writer.

To be an effective freelancer, it is vitally important that you keep your mindset fresh and jubilated throughout the day. The best way to instigate this process is to have a comfortable and relaxing start of the day. This article will point to some ideas which can help you to maintain a regular charming inception from everyday morning, greatly impacting your work in a positive way.

Having a Sound Sleep

It is worth mentionable that a good and solid sleep can supplement your productivity with a real boost. Normally, it is advisable that a regular person goes through a sleep cycle of 8 hours each day. Discontinuation and regularity in sleeping has been proven as an active ingredient for obesity, heart disease, reduced work-output etc. Thus, compromising with this issue is not advisable.

Getting into a Disciplined Act

Every morning do something that requires strict discipline to maintain over time, such a jogging or some kind of light exercise, may be for half an hour or so. Even if you do not like the habit, it will aid to remember your duties ahead in that day, and once you finish this early morning act, you will feel great and encouraged to go about rest of your work in that day.

Taking a Nice Breakfast

Well this is something mandatory needless to say, there is no point rushing for work without an empty stomach and sacrifice dramatically on productivity and concentration issues. Thus, take a good breakfast and make it an important part of your habit as well.

Thinking up a To-do List

Instead of making a long written list of each and every things to be done, just mentally think up a short list of the most important things to be completed and the things that have hoard up for today. Just think that once you’ve gone though all these, you would have achieved something good, this will boost your inclination towards your work and other duty. In the end if you just smoothly go through, at the end of the day you will be satisfied.

Starting the Work

Now its time to put the focus on the real thing. Remove yourself from any kinds of distractions and solely concentrate your ‘FIRST’ task in hand. Don’t think about the other stuffs. Once you have completed the initial task, you will already be in a solid state of mind to propel to the next one.

Following these advises, there is a great chance that you can increase your productivity and enjoy a refreshed mind throughout the day.