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THE MONSTER.COM INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL (IP) NEWSLETTER

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Monster.com is your online career home, whether you want to start a new
business, test out a new industry or strike out on your own. What's up in
the Independent Professional Zone this week?

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IN THIS ISSUE: September 24, 1999

-- Monster Talent Market Update
-- Success Story: Stephanie Inman, Graphic Designer
-- Free Agent Guide: No Reason to Panic Because You're Starting a Business
-- Join the Crowd! Ask our Experts or Join the Free Agent Chat
-- Independent Professional Poll: What types of financial planning do you
have in place?

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Monster Talent Market Update

Over 73,000 of you have registered already, with more than 21,000 current
auctions. Join this innovative auction-style environment at:
http://talentmarket.monster.com

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SUCCESS STORY: Stephanie Inman, graphic designer

Graphic designer Stephanie Inman draws on her love of what she does to
make her independence a success. For her, the variety of jobs she gets --
from designing a motorcycle poster to a creating a logo for organic bread
-- convince her that the solo life is where it's at. Check out
Stephanie's story:
http://content.talentmarket.monster.com/weeklysuccess/

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FREE AGENT GUIDE:
Oh, My God. Am I Really Starting a Business? By Barbara Rheinhold

So you're going out on your own as an independent contractor? Don't start
pulling your hair out or looking for the nearest bridge. You CAN succeed
with the right resources at your disposal. Check out our guide to the
best advice you can get:
http://content.talentmarket.monster.com/weeklyarticle/

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ASK OUR EXPERTS

Do you have questions about the perils and rewards of working on your
own? Our experts are available throughout the week in message boards and
chats.
Post a question to one of our two Independent Professional Experts:

Ask the Free Agent Advisor
http://my.monster.com/forum.asp?forum=800

Ask the Work-from-Home Coach
http://my.monster.com/forum.asp?forum=801

or

Join the group discussions Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. EST at
http://content.talentmarket.monster.com/chats/index.asp?redirect=chat.asp

Here's a sample of what your colleagues are asking Monster.com's
Work-from-Home Coach:

Monster.com user Terry writes:
"Recently successful with my Internet job search. Now doing direct sales
in IT enterprise systems management from home. I would like info about
working at home effectively, including managing the remote relationships
with superiors, etc."

The Work-from-Home Coach answers:
"Congratulations! It's great to hear about someone who has found work
they can do at home.

"Speaking from experience, it can be very difficult to maintain and
develop relationships with managers, coworkers, colleagues and clients
when you're working remotely. Fortunately, there are lots of resources
that can help you in this area.

"The number one thing to remember is that you have to work at it. Good
communication doesn't come easily, and since you are the one who is
benefiting the most from the work-at-home arrangement, you must be the
one to make sure the arrangement is working and that all parties are
satisfied. A few tips:

"-- Talk to your boss every day (or multiple times daily), even if there
are no specific work-related things that need to be discussed.
-- Let your boss know what you're working on each day, even if it seems
mundane. It's important to let him/her know how you spend your time.
-- Don't live by email. It's easy to get into a routine where you don't
actually talk to your boss. Email is useful for some things, but speaking
to your boss in person will grow the relationship.
-- Ask for feedback. If you're not hearing anything one way or another
about how your boss thinks things are going, ask. It's better to discuss
things as you go, rather than wait until a performance review and get
blindsided by things you could have been working to improve.
-- If you feel like something needs to be aired, speak up. Letting things
fester in a remote working relationship is certain to harm the
arrangement.

"As far as managing your own time goes, I recommend keeping a log of
everything that you do in a notebook or a file on your computer. Track
various jobs/clients, dates, times, phone calls, etc. That way you can
easily analyze how you spend your time, and you also have something you
can show your boss."

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The Monster.com Poll: We Asked, You Answered

This week we asked: In a world without the Internet could your job still
be done from home?

You said:
-- Yes: 53%
-- No: 36%
-- Not sure: 9%

*184 total votes

Tune in Monday for next week's poll question: What financial planning do
you have?
http://independentprofessional.monster.com

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Poll? Or, would you like to advertise a job in one of the seven
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area to get more information.

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Comments? Suggestions? Let us know what you think about the Monster
Talent Market, the Independent Professional Zone and Monster.com.
Email your ideas and opinions to: mailto:IP@monster.com