Yaneek Page | The article that helped a reader triple her income

READER: I had to come over and meet you and tell you thanks. Thank you a million times! You have inspired me so much. You have literally changed my life. I follow you on LinkedIn. I read your Gleaner articles, and because of you, I am now in my dream job – as in, I earn about three times what I did before. I actually earn in US dollars, and I work from home most days. My new role requires me to travel a lot, which has opened so much opportunity to me, and I am just grateful. As a young person who will soon be 30, I was so depressed and frustrated with my professional path, and then I started following you. When I read your advice about earning in US dollars and personal branding and looking for new opportunities, I set a goal for myself like you suggested, and I decided to focus and be strategic about Linked in, and here I am!

– Max

BUSINESSWISE: That’s how an energetic and positively glowing young lady greeted me last Wednesday evening at a packed departure gate at the Miami International Airport. To protect her privacy, I will call her Max.

Although weary from her recent European travels, and annoyed with a flight cancellation that grounded her in the airport for more than six hours, Max was oozing confidence and happiness as she proudly shared her story of transformation, which she says she hopes will inspire other young people who she believes just needs to try.

Her story is, without a doubt, one of the most inspiring I have ever come across.

Max, who was previously employed as a medical technician, is now employed as an applications technician for a European company. She has undergone an incredible professional, personal, and financial transformation. She is now enjoying a better quality of life, has achieved her desired professional goals, and is on a path to creating wealth through saving and investing in her side business. In her words “happy is an understatement in describing how I feel”.

The article that inspired these accomplishments is titled “Secrets to Success for Earning Online” published in The Sunday Gleaner of March 20, 2016.

She generously agreed to share her tips for how she went from reading the article to taking action that resulted in the outcomes she now enjoys.

Max’s Tips

1. Set your professional goals and be as detailed as possible about what you want. For Max, this meant specifying how many hours per week she wanted to work, working from home, the currency she wanted to earn in, etc.

2. Conduct job research on LinkedIn and review their reports, news, and updates on the trends in job opportunities and skills that are in high demand.

3. Ensure that you are qualified, and be prepared to do online courses or get certification to meet the requirements of the positions for which you are applying.

4. Align your application as closely as possible with the job specifications posted.

5. Do research on the company and its strategic direction, key officers who may be on LinkedIn and their posts, etc.

6. Be prepared to go through several interview rounds via Skype or some other online platform. Practise your online interview skills. Download the relevant applications ahead of time and ensure that your audio and visuals are working properly.

7. Ensure that you have reliable internet connection. Even a back-up if necessary, because one of the worst things that can happen is to have meetings confirmed and not be able to log on as this could kill your chances of success.

8. Be bold. Apply for international opportunities, and be consistent. Do not be afraid to apply for jobs you have never done before once you have the core skills and competencies in the areas in the job specification. This is where many people make mistakes. Take chances, bet prepared, and apply, apply, apply!

Yaneek Page is the program lead for Market Entry USA, a certified trainer in entrepreneurship, and creator and executive producer of The Innovators and Let’s Make Peace TV series. yaneek.page@gmail.com