Meet Sara Sutton Fell

As CEO of flexjobs.com -- a new pnn.com partner -- Sara Sutton Fell oversees a community and variety of services dedicated to matching workers with top-notch employers for rewarding telecommuting careers. 

Even if you’re looking for a temp- or part-time gig, it’s worth checking out Sara’s site, and taking advantage of a big perk she’s offering the pnn.com community:

Monthly membership for flexjobs is $14.95 – but by using the code SAVE50 – you can cut that cost in half. Not bad. And if you’re interested in a year’s membership, and access to the thousands of opportunities, use SAVE30 to get a price break.

Want to know more? Check out my Q & A below with Sara, a mom of two who (of course!) telecommutes from her Colorado home.

(Oh, and don’t miss my shout out to the pnn.com community in a feature profile on flexjobs.com: http://www.flexjobs.com/community/article.aspx?id=60)

--Leigh

L: What makes flexjobs unique?

S: I started FlexJobs because I was frustrated in my own job search for legitimate telecommuting and flextime jobs. I was pregnant with my first son, knew that I didn’t want to work a traditional full-time on-site job, and was looking for a job opportunity that would be both flexible and in line with my career.  Having worked in high-tech for 15 years, I knew that the technology was there and that these jobs had to exist, but I was stunned at how hard it was to find them.  It was difficult mostly because they were buried under scams, ads, and too-good-to-be-true business opportunities.

As a result, FlexJobs is unique for a variety of reasons.  First, because our site has no advertising or scams, which is not the norm in the telecommuting/work from home job market. Second, because you’ll only find hand-screened, scam-free, qualified job leads.  Third, our staff all works from home offices and flexible hours, and so we really understand our users and what they’re looking for… we live it!

Finally, job-seekers are our top clients and everything we do is to provide them an excellent service; we answer to them, not to employers or advertisers.

L: There's gotta be some upside to this terrible job market, right?

S: Well, it’s a great time to consider telecommuting, freelance and virtual jobs.  The job opportunities are there, and the audience has really broadened – both with job-seekers and employers – to include people and companies who had never previously considered these types of “alternative jobs.”  But job-seekers can find very viable professional options in these markets, and employers who still need to get work done are hiring for these types of jobs because they have lower cost overhead than hiring a full-time on-site employee.

L: How have you seen telecommuting opportunities change -- even just over the last few months?

S: Yes, as the employer audience has broadened, it has also brought opportunities in an increasing variety of industries and fields.  On FlexJobs, we have over 50 different job categories, and some of the most popular include education, writing, sales, and web design. The most common type of job listing is full-time, but we have tons of part-time, freelance, and contract jobs also.

What's the key to landing and being successful at a telecommuting job?

S: There’s no one key to landing a telecommuting job, but having an excellent and unique cover letter for each job you apply to helps immensely.  You should research the company and include some of what you learned, such as a recent press mention or a new product, and describe why you are uniquely qualified and passionate about working with the company.  

L: How can job-seekers stay realistically positive during such a difficult time?

S: In terms of the job-hunt, think out of the box and keep your eyes open; opportunities may appear where and when you least expect them. And in terms of life, there are three things I think are really important: 

(1) Use the forced opportunity of free time to do projects or activities that you’d been putting off, which helps keep you productive.

(2) Spend time with friends and family, especially those who make you laugh or are positive influences in general.  

(3) Be healthy and get outside! Whether it’s a walk in the park or training for a marathon, the fresh air and physical activity is good.

L: What's the most unusual opportunity you've filled on flexjobs.com?

S: LOL!  Well, we have postings for jobs you would not expect, that’s for sure.  A few of the current ones that are pretty unusual – some especially for a telecommuting job site – Golf Instructor, biostatistician, Social Etiquette and Manners Specialist and a Mixteco Interpreter. (The language of an ancient “Mesoamerican” culture, Mixteco is still spoken in some parts of Mexico and the Southwest U.S.)     

L: What's your motto or mantra?

S: Balance!

Check out Sara's advice on the pnn.com Money Channel:

http://flexjobs.pnn.com/10863-the-front-page