CoursePark is the spin-off of the conventional Learning Management System.  The company, which is based in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador caters to clients from over 50 countries worldwide.  Its goal is to make online learning management and social learning simple for companies as well as for individuals.  It is a subsidiary of Bluedrop Performance Learning, one of the world’s leading providers of training development.

CoursePark offers a wide variety of online courses that can be customized according to the needs specific to a company and are easy to track to gauge the progress of individual users. Their library contains over 3500 courses ranging from Arts and Entertainment to Technology.   It allows companies to build courses from their extensive course library provided by leading course providers, buy courses from the CourseMarket and execute, track and supervise their individual users’ completion of online and even classroom courses.  Its Professional Services lets its clients tailor their existing course materials and upload them to their local Learning Networks.

This revolutionary learning system paves the way on how companies plan their employee enhancement and productivity programs.  It also provides an easier alternative to individuals who wants to brush up on their skills but have no time to go to traditional classroom learning.

So what are you waiting for? Try Coursepark and register for a free account now!

Online or Telephone Assistant. One of the best alternatives for nurses is being a telephone or online consultant. Nurses can have a job related to giving professional assistance to people on health issues through the Internet. After all, several websites and programs online let them diagnose their problem without going to any medical facility.

Freelance Writer. Another opportunity is nurses jobs online where nurses can work as a writer. Many health magazines today are looking for contents written by professionals like nurses who have knowledge in various health topics. Articles are paid either per word or on a per article basis. Freelance writing can also be considered as a part-time income.

Pharmaceutical Sales. Some pharmaceutical companies need nurses to teach and promote new and up to date products to other medical specialists. Positions at companies that sell drugs and medical equipment also need nurses to take on a broad geographic area that has an rising product base. Chances for this kind of employment can be found by performing an online research of pharmaceutical companies and looking for their job postings.

Government Offices. The local, state and national government is in need of nurses to work for the State Department of Health. These allow nurses to step out, take further educational approach and enjoy a change of atmosphere.

Job-hunting may be less difficult for nurses if you consider the alternative fields above. Aside from a career in the hospital, there are also available freelance jobs for nurses in many other areas. All it takes is your willingness to work and to serve others.

Before making a post, you must know some simple ways on how to make a successful forum posting.

Find a forum related to your niche. This is the first step in forum posting. All you have to do is browse through some forums related to your niche. Internet browsers such as Google and Yahoo can greatly help you with this. If you have a goal to advertise, it is good to choose forums with high traffic.

Know the forum rules and guidelines. Before posting your first message, make sure you know the rules and guidelines in the forum. Different forums have different rules and guidelines. You must know and follow those to avoid being banned or blocked and losing your opportunity to post.

Check the quality of your posts. Make sure that your posts are informative, meaningful, and helpful to the readers. If you are consistent in doing this, you will gain good reputation and more people will read your posts and this will give you an opportunity to advertise if such is allowed.

Respond to the thread. Answering questions posted by someone in the thread or adding additional information to what has already been posted is also a good opportunity to build your reputation in that forum. Remember that when you have a good reputation, more people will want to read your posts and they are your audience for your advertisements.

These are the things that you must consider and take into account to be successful in forum posting. They are easy-to-do steps and it would make a great difference if you follow them in your next forum posting assignment.

Successful negotiation can leave both providers and employers satisfied with the work arrangements resulting in a better working relationship. Negotiating would be a lot easier if you know some oDesk negotiating tips.

Negotiating for your hourly rate

When negotiating for a rate, you must first know the job specifications. You can easily figure this out if you already gained several employments in the past relating to a similar job. You can either average your past rates or you get the highest rate, whichever you feel is more appropriate. But if it is your first time job, you can do market research on the average rate for the particular job that you will be having.

Familiarization in clients’ pay practices is also important in negotiating for rate. If your employer already informed you of some bonuses or rate increases in the future, you might want to consider negotiating for a rate increase. If nothing about such are discussed and you think that the offered rate is much lower than the value of your work, then you can proceed with the oDesk negotiation.

When you are negotiating, you must show the reasons why you are bargaining for a rate increase such as: your average rate in the past or the average rate in the market for a similar job; extra hours you will be spending on the job; relative research you needed to do; your expertise; and some other factors which can help convince your employer that you are the right person for the job and that you deserve a higher rate.

Negotiating for work hours

Negotiating for work hours is very common in oDesk especially when employers and providers have different time zones. You might be required to adjust with your employer’s working hours, it could be the most inconvenient working time for you. So it’s really important to negotiate on this part because your quality of work is at stake.

Once negotiating for working hours, make sure you let your employer see the advantages of giving you more flexible time to work like better quality output, on time delivery of work, and so on. Make it appear that it will be more of an advantage to your employer if you will be allowed to work at your own pace.

Negotiating for other terms

Aside from negotiating the rate and work hours, you can also negotiate for other aspects of the job like schedule of work submissions, quality of the output, and many other parameters usually pertaining to the overall output you will be submitting to your employer. It is best that you list down your suggested parameters for the job so that you and your employer can go through it individually and discuss them until you are able to come up with terms that will be beneficial for both of you.

oDesk negotiation is not a game where one wins and the other looses. It is more of a bargaining agreement to come up with a working arrangement that will benefit both the employer and the provider. Don’t be hesitant to settle all the aspects of your perspective job. When you negotiate, be reasonable and lay all the relative details that will convince your employer to start the contract. You will see that negotiating is a lot easier than you think when you consider these simple tips in oDesk negotiating.

The MLA format is divided into three parts – the general layout, in-text references and list of works. Each page should have one-inch margin on all sides. Writers can use any font style in size 12, as long as it’s not decorative. The paragraphs throughout the paper must be double-spaced, including the title and the body. Avoid putting extra spaces between the heading and the title of your paper as well as the title and body itself. Put one space after each punctuation marks. Indent the first line of every paragraph at least half an inch from the left margin.

When making a long research paper, it is advised to put Section Headings in order to enhance the paper’s readability. These may be either chapters or labeled parts of a composition.

Place a header at the upper right corner of each page to indicate the page number of your paper. In some cases, headers are typed with last name first before the page number. Endnotes, on the other hand, should be placed on a separate page before the Reference page. Put a “Notes” title on this portion, centered on the page.

Citations are very important to protect writers from charges of plagiarism. When referencing outside sources, include a page of your reference to indicate where such data and information was found. This will also let the readers find the cited materials themselves. Place a header on the Reference. The entire page must be double-spaced, including the citations. List all citation entries alphabetically by the authors’ last names.

Writing in MLA style can be tricky, but with the help of these simple guides added with constant practice, writing in MLA style can be a lot easier.

When writing in APA format, paragraphs, including footnotes, appendices, figures and tables, should be double-spaced and must be aligned to the left. The former standard margin is one and a half inch on all sides, but this was later changed to one inch. Always use size 12, Times New Roman font in writing with this style. In addition, a space is placed after commas, semicolons and colons within sentences, and two spaces after punctuation marks.

The composition in APA format includes the title page, abstract, the body, citations, appendices, footnotes, tables and figures; all organized in such order. The page number must be one inch from the upper-right corner on the first line of each page and the title page is considered Page 1 of the paper.

Running heads are short titles placed at the top of each of the composition’s page. These are mostly needed for papers that are subject for actual release or publication. Running Heads must be 50 characters maximum, including punctuation and spacing. They are aligned to the left at the top of each page.

The contents in APA format were formerly written fairly and nothing was written in first person perspective unless quoted from a reference. Today, most papers should be in active voice as much as possible. For instance, the writer can put “according to our study” instead of “according to the study.”

Writing in APA style is fairly simple. If you are new to this, you can always study the above mentioned self help guide in writing APA style before starting to write.

With the very stiff competition among others wanting to be an oDesk ghostwriter, there are some important things you must possess to have an edge among your competitors:

• Writing Skills
  The foundation of oDesk ghostwriting is your writing skills. You must be flexible, meaning that you will be able to write artistically about anything under the sun. You can improve your writing skills by constant practice and by reading books that are related to the subject of your article. It may also serve as your inspiration in writing.

• Computer Skills
  Gone are the days when loud and heavy typewriters are on demand. With the constant development of technology, computers made writing easier for those who know how to use it. A ghostwriter must know some word processing programs like Microsoft Word, being the most basic and commonly used. A good knowledge about basic software is also an advantage like knowing how to use WordPress, Dreamweaver, and the like.

• Impressive oDesk Profile and Portfolio
  Who will hire you if you don’t know how to sell yourself? In oDesk, finding a job could be easier if you have an impressive profile and portfolio. Follow oDesk guidelines and samples in making a good profile. The key here is being honest about what you put in your profile. You must also include a good collections of your work in your portfolio. Prospective employers will see them, so your profile and portfolio must be impressive and appealing to convince them to hire you.

oDesk ghostwriting is not all about creating an article for someone else’s credit. It is a profession that requires impeccable ideas in writing and a combination of creativity and versatility that makes your composition stand-out. Being a great oDesk ghostwriter comes with patience and dedication. It’s not just about an article in the making, wholeheartedly,  we call it passion.

Fixed-Price Jobs

Advantages

Freelancing using fixed price method is advantageous when you are an output-based person. You will be paid based on the output you deliver. Whether you finish your job within the estimated time of completion or not, you will still be paid with the same amount you agreed before starting the contract. Your earning is also predictable, because before starting your work, you have to agree on the fixed amount of payment offered by the employer. If you are a fast worker, fixed price will be advantageous because more output means more earnings.

Disadvantages

When you apply for a fixed-price job in oDesk, there is a disclaimer which says that “payment is not guaranteed on fixed-price jobs”. It means that there is a possibility of not getting paid after the work is done. If the employer will not pay, oDesk cannot help you. This is quite true because I know of some, who were not paid after all their hard work of finishing the job. So in terms of risk, there is a higher risk for fixed-price jobs.

Hourly Jobs

Advantages

The good thing about freelancing hourly jobs is that oDesk guarantees that you will be paid. oDesk has an application for automated time tracking and billing. You will be paid on a weekly basis on whatever you accomplish within the number of hours logged. There can also be a long-term relationship between you and your client as long as the contract is not terminated.

Disadvantages

One major setback about hourly job is that you will get tied to one job every time you log into the oDesk application used to record the hours work. Your earnings depend on how much time you logged in and not on how fast you have worked.

As you develop a career in oDesk, you would encounter both fixed-price jobs and hourly jobs.  It is best that you know the advantages and disadvantages of both before choosing what type of job would suit you best: fixed- price jobs or hourly jobs.

You must know the advantages and disadvantages between freelance and affiliate before you start your career in oDesk. Here are some helpful information that may serve as your basis:

Freelance

• Freelancers are those who work solo, they are their own boss.
• Freelancers are guided by their own principles; no one will tell them how long or when to start working, as long as they have an output on or before the deadline.
• Working solo, they are more specialized in a particular skill, so they can only apply or accept jobs which are best suited for their skills.
• If you are a freelancer, you are fully responsible of delivering the output to the employer, so regardless if you are sick, busy, or have other things to accomplish, you cannot just back out or quit because it can ruin your reputation.

Affiliate

• An affiliate is a team of individual workers which is composed of a manager and members or affiliates.
• Affiliates may be guided by certain rules to work effectively as a team. They may have a set of guidelines regarding working hours and work ethics.
• Affiliate is a team which comprises of members with different skills and capabilities that work hand-in-hand to come up with a successful project. Since they cover a wide range of skills, they also have a broader selection of job opportunities.
• Under affiliate program, in case you cannot do your assigned task, the manager can always assign it to other team members so that the output can be produced within the deadline.

Freelance or affiliate? Now that you already know the basics,  it will be easier for you to figure out where you are more comfortable with. You should choose the type that best suits your schedule and availability. In the end, what matters most is the quality of your accomplished tasks and your attitude towards work which will help you become successful be it freelance or affiliate.

The oDesk Basic English Skills (US) Test is composed of 40 multiple choice questions that you need to answer within a maximum of 40 minutes. To ace this test, there are some things you should know first before clicking the Start Test button:

Know the Test Syllabus

The test syllabus contains lists of topic and category that are covered in the test. You need to be familiar with the said categories so that you will have an idea about the type of questions that you will be answering. Part of the syllabus for this test are: punctuation, sentence structure, pronouns, indirect speech, articles and conjunctions, prepositional phrases, adjectives and adverbs, verbs and verb tenses, and word order.

Read the instructions carefully

All oDesk tests include instructions so make sure you read and understand the directions carefully before clicking the Start Test button.

Review your answer before clicking the Next button

In oDesk tests, once you click the Next button, you can no longer change your answer on the previous questions. I remember the first time I took an oDesk skills test, I was excited and in a hurry so I incautiously clicked the Next button without thinking twice then I realized that the answer I chose was not the answer I intended to have. So be sure that you review your answer before going to the next question.

Other Tips

oDesk tests are open book so you can count on any possible resources that might help. Opening another browser really helps but take note that the Basic English Skills Test is not theoretical rather more on practical and knowledge application. Since one question is equivalent to a minute, if you were able to save time on easy questions, you can use an ample amount of your time browsing Google to search for the answers to some difficult questions.

Passing the Basic English Skills (US) Test will be easy if you will go back to your basic English and Language lessons in high school. Focus, and don’t be in a rush because how long you took the test will not be as important as your score.  Make sure you have enough review and knowledge refresher. Just give your best, breathe and relax! If you fail, you can still redeem your self after a month. You can retake all skills test in oDesk after 30 days. But think positive, with the tips mentioned above, taking Basic English Skills Test will be easier for you.