Quitting a job can be a very nerve wracking experience. Whether it is the first time you are quitting a job or you simply do not want to hurt his or her feelings, there are a number of things that you should keep in mind. Not only do you want to get the point across to your boss, but you also want to be polite about it. Here are some tips for telling your boss you’re quitting.

Choose the Right Way to Tell Your Boss

Before deciding how to tell your boss, it is important to keep in mind that you should consider his or her personality. A boss who is more passive may be fine with you telling them that you are quitting in person. If your boss is known to be a very dynamic and fiery person, however, you may want to leave them an email with your resignation.

Always Give Two Weeks Notice

If this is a job that you would like to use as a reference in the future, giving two weeks notice is very important. Giving your boss enough time to find someone to replace you is essential and only fair. Unless there is an emergency that is causing you to quit, such as an ill family member or a job offer that you must take right away, it is best for you to give two weeks notice.

Be Firm About Your Decision to Quit

Bosses don’t want to let go of the perfect employee. There is a good chance that your boss may try to encourage you to hang on. Unless there is something which is causing you to quit that your boss can change, such as giving you a new office or higher pay raise for your hard work, it is best to be firm about your decision to quit. You made that choice for a reason, so you should stick with your decision if you feel strongly about it.

Quitting a job doesn’t need to be as challenging as it may seem. It does, however, need to be done in a way that allows your boss to give a good recommendation of your performance in the future. By following the above mentioned guidelines, it should be much easier for you to quit your job in a respectable way.

Digital Point forums was an eye opener for me. I had been toiling away for what seemed like an eternity on Associated Content, Demand Studios, and other online writing sites. I was churning out a minimal living doing this, but I knew that something better had to be out there.

Then one day, I had the pleasure of visiting a blog that changed my outlook on things. The name of the blog is onlinewritingjobs.net and it is run by a man that changed things for me. Not only is the blog great, but good ole Robert is pretty great too.

On this blog and in Associated Content’s forums, Robert pointed out that you an actually market your own work directly on digital point’s forums to private clients. No strings attached, and no bull. You simply post what you have for sale, and you get real time offers and feedback from other members!

This was rather exciting to me, and it changed my writing career.

I headed right over there and started checking it out. When you first sign up, you have to participate in the forums for awhile, and post some comments,etc. After you go through that initial warm up, then you are allowed to post on the site’s “buy/sell” area.

The first day on digital point’s buy sell area I sold nearly one hundred dollars worth of content. From there it just grew more and more.

The best part of digital point was that it taught me to value my work more. I made several contacts, and now I am working directly with a gentleman in a full time gig. This job would never have come along if it had not been for digital point forums.

There are a few things to keep in mind when you sign up there:

-Always request at least half the payment upfront. Do not do work without payment upfront unless they have a very good itrader. itrader is like ebay feedback, and can be found under their user name.

- Be patient! Many people start dropping their prices if their content does not sell the same day. Be patient and the buyers will usually come and find you.

- Never ever bump your thread. You will get banned.

Outside of that, you should have no problems. If you would like to see some threads that actually work as far as how to format the thread, etc, feel free to let me know and I will gladly try to help you with how to put it together.

As the editor of several websites, it is part of my job to go through online writing applications on a semi-regular basis. These online writing applications are often by request, and they are supposed to include a few writing samples. Writing samples are supposed to be a snapshot of what the writer is capable of, and it will be the first impression that a potential client will have of you and your writing.

Unfortunately, most potential article writers give very little thought to the online writing samples that they provide. There are a number of tips about writing samples that I would like to pass along to those of you that apply to online writing sites. Hopefully, some of these might help you to secure more gigs, and make more money online.

Monkey's Rule (Except In Writing Samples)

1. Make sure that you send the writing samples as an attachment. Also do not pick some newfangled formats or funky files. A simple text file does rather nicely. If I have to download something to read your writing sample, that is a big fat no-no.

2. For goodness sakes, browse the website or company that you are applying to. For example, if the website is about the Dallas Cowboys, do not send over a writing sample titled, “The Washington Redskins Rule” please. You would be shocked. It happens. Know the niche you are applying for.

3. Another important note on visiting the website – Take a moment to read some of the content. Is the tone of the website bloggish, or is it more technical? This type of information is vital to your writing sample. Make sure your writing sample matches the website in form for the best results.

4. Make sure you send your best work. Do not send over a lackluster effort. If I read a writing sample and it is throwing out grammar issues in the first paragraph, I don’t bother to go on. The reason? If they do not care enough to proofread a writing sample while asking me for a job, they surely won’t once I am paying them.

5. Use a standard font when you submit article writing samples. No pink italics please. Also, I do not know Chinese, so do not send over that type of script unless the application asks for it. Straight English, 12 pt black – Times New Roman is perfect.

6. Do not send over custom writing samples. If people are requesting custom writing samples, then chances are they are scamming you. If they are willing to pay for them, then that is something else. I have seen jobs ask for a custom writing sample with no guarantee that you will be paid. That is very bad. An existing writing sample on the Internet is more than good enough to show if you fit the job. Watch out for the scammers folks.

Many people make the decision to become a freelance writer because it seems like such an easy way to make money. All that you need to do is write articles, blog entries, and other forms of content. Simple. Easy. Right? Not necessarily. If you are not good at managing your time, freelance writing is probably not the best option for you. Here are some tips for managing your time as a freelance writer.

1. Set up a work station for yourself. It is a good idea to create an office in an extra room if you have one. If not, find an area where you can set up a little office for yourself in the corner of another room, such as a living room or guest bedroom. Doing work in an office or at a work station will help get you in the mood to work.

2. Come up with a daily work schedule. It doesn’t necessarily have to be from 9 to 5 o’clock every day. Some people prefer to work at night, while others do better working in the day. Try to figure out what works best for yourself before deciding what to do on a regular basis. The main key is to find a schedule that you can stick with.

3. Do not take phone calls during the work hours that you set for yourself. At a regular job, you would not talk on the phone throughout the whole entire day. It will prevent you from getting any work done. The only exception to this rule is business calls and emergencies. Make sure that friends and families understand that even though you work from home, you should not be contacted periodically throughout the workday.

4. Avoid checking your social networking websites during the day. Facebook and Myspace can be highly distracting if you spend a lot of time on it throughout the day. It is also a good idea to avoid checking your email more than once in the morning and once at night. A business email should be checked periodically throughout the day, so you will definitely want to set up a personal email account.

5. Make a list of your goals in the morning. Write down what exactly you are going to do during the day and cross off each item on the list as you go along. This will help ensure that you stay on track with all of the tasks that need to be done.

Time management is very important for any freelance writer. Getting distracted by friends and family is one of the easiest ways to get off task. Learning what works and what doesn’t work for you is one of the main keys to a successful work day.

If you are just getting started writing for the web, then earning a little cash has to be on the list of things you are looking to do. Getting your start is not always easy. Earning money as a writer can seem nearly impossible at first. Inevitably, new writers turn to the online writing sites that litter the web.

While these online writing sites are wonderful at their best, they are horrid at their worst. The key is to find the good ones and not waste time with the others. To that end, I have decided to tout the three online writing websites that helped me the most as a new writer. These websites all have their ups and downs, but they all are beneficial to a new writer.

Here they are:

Associated Content - This web writing giant has had a number of ups and downs over the years, and they certainly are not perfect. One thing I will say about Associated Content is that they are quite punctual with payment and they generally do a good job of keeping your web writing in the search engines. They pay an upfront amount for your work if it is well done, keyworded, optimized for the web, and they do not already have a large amount on the subject. They also pay you a page view bonus each month based on the number of views you garner.

Associated Content also has a special place in my heart for another reason. They awarded me 5000 bucks for a contest.

Demand Studios - Demand Studios is a step up in compensation and expectations. They are a little tougher than AC when it comes to editing, etc. Still, they offer upfront money as well. I earned a great deal of money from them over a year’s time, and they taught me a lot about writing for the web. I highly recommend them to anyone interested in writing for the web and earning money.

Hubpages – Hubpages is a bit different in that they do not pay upfront. Instead you put your adsense code in and are paid on a percentage basis of your views. The thing I love about Hubpages is the fact that you can really garner some serious page views. Also, you are free to add pics, Amazon, Ebay affiliates, and a number of other great earning sites. Finally, Hubpages gives you a fantastic way to build pages that can include video, pics, polls, and more. Hubpages is highly addicting! You can make money on Hubpages!

Hopefully you will check out some of the great websites I have listed, and do not give up. Though you are starting there, you will not finish there if you are dedicated. More earning power will come from these sites over time, and you will quickly find private clients are more than willing to pay for great content!

A common misconception is that freelance writing is a job that’s ideal for everyone. This couldn’t be any further from the truth. Although freelance writing is a very suiting career for many individuals, it is not an online job that is the right choice for just anyone. Here are some of the reasons to rethink quitting your day job to pursue a career in freelance writing.

You can’t type quickly. Freelance writing allows you to work at your own pace, for the most part. However, you are going to have deadlines. If the idea of typing a lot of words in a short period of time seems challenging for you, then it may be a good idea to rethink pursuing a career in freelance writing. To make the most money and ensure that your clients are always happy, typing at the quickest pace possible is ideal. Here are some tips for improving typing speed and accuracy.

You have poor grammar skills. If you do not have very good skills in grammar or punctuation, a career in freelance writing is definitely not ideal for you. Have you ever browsed the internet, and found websites that were filled with typos? No one enjoys this. Unless you are willing to brush up on your grammar skills, it is a good idea to avoid a career in freelance writing.

You don’t enjoy doing research. Ultimately, you are going to be able to decide what freelance writing assignments you want to take on. However, the pickier that you are about what you want to write, the less money you are going to earn over time. Those who do not feel comfortable writing about topics that they are not familiar with may struggle with this. Doing internet research, and knowing how to provide sources when necessary, is one of the main keys to being a successful freelance writer.

You have very poor editing skills. Most freelance writers are their own editors because it costs too much money to hire a third person to do this job. If you do not have an eye for what looks right or wrong and if you tend to overlook the mistakes that you make, there is a possibility that freelance writing may not be for you. Here are some tips for editing your own work.

Although many people will make great freelance writers, there are some will not be too successful at this online job. Considering all of the factors prior to making the decision to pursue this as a career choice is very important. It is best to see how it works out for you on a part-time basis before quitting your day job to become a full-time freelance writer to pay the bills.

When applying to certain websites or clients, you may need to provide a portfolio. If you are a writer who has never created a portfolio before, then you might not know what type of works you should include. Here are some tips on how to create the writer’s portfolio that will help you land a job.

Consider the job you are applying for. This is the most important thing that you can do when creating a writer’s portfolio. If you are applying to write for a woman’s health website, you probably won’t want to send an article that you have written about football. Try to choose the content that you have which is the most relevant. This will help the person reviewing your portfolio get a better idea about what you can do for them.

Try to provide varying samples. Although you will want to choose information that is relevant, you will want to also choose samples that are very different from one another. If you are applying for a website about teens, you may provide one sample on teen health, another on teen relationships, and another on teen fashion. Providing samples that are different from one another will help the reviewer of the portfolio see that you can be versatile.

Only include your best samples in your writer’s portfolio. Try to choose samples which have been used by websites that are fairly well known. If you’re good enough to get accepted by a bigger publication, the person reviewing your portfolio will see less of a reason to hire you. Even more importantly than providing works that have been published by reputable sources, you should never EVER include an article that has a typo or grammatical error in the writer’s portfolio. Remember that the person who is hiring you is looking for reasons not to. Don’t provide them with the fuel to feed their fire.

Creating a writer’s portfolio doesn’t need to be as challenging as it may seem. With the right amount of planning, it is likely that your portfolio will be good enough for you to get a second glance from the person reviewing it. All that you need to do is make the wisest decisions when deciding what to include in your writer’s portfolio.