Most Popular Outsourced Jobs

By Janet Fowler | Investopedia – Sat, Jul 7, 2012 5:14 AM PHT

Outsourcing occurs when a company contracts out a portion of its business to another company; these jobs would have traditionally been done by in-house employees. It's important to make a distinction between outsourcing and offshoring. Jobs can be outsourced to local companies that specialize in that particular area. Offshoring, though still a form of outsourcing, is when a company outsources portions of its work to be done overseas. This is a growing trend as companies find that outsourcing and offshoring lead to greater efficiency and cost savings as they don't have to pay salaries and benefits to employees, and instead pay contract fees for completion of duties. This also allows companies to allocate greater resources to parts of the company that they excel at.

SEE: Times When Outsourcing Is A Good Fit For Your Company

Manufacturing
Long gone are the days when a company's production facility was attached to its main office. A large number of companies send their production offshore due to cheaper production costs overseas. Keep in mind that cost savings aren't the only factor leading outsourcing and offshoring of manufacturing activities. As employment trends in North America have changed over the years, so have skillsets. In many cases it is determined that the quality of the product may actually be better by relocating operations to areas where skillsets required to efficiently manufacture products are available. This doesn't necessarily mean that a company's entire product is manufactured offshore either. Some companies outsource a particular portion of their product to be manufactured or assembled offshore, with the remainder of assembly occurring right at home.

Call Centers
Everyone's received phone calls from telemarketers or customer service agents coming from outsourcing companies – perhaps even coming from overseas. Considering the infrastructure required to accommodate large volumes of telephone calls, there's no surprise that many companies that do surveys, advise customers of promotions or provide product support, outsource these tasks. Given the potential cost savings involved with offshoring these tasks, there's also little surprise that many companies have opted in this direction. However, many consumers have found this to be a frustration as they encounter communication difficulties when dealing with foreign call agents. A large volume of call center outsourcing has been relocating back to home soil in recent years as companies try to avoid aggravating their consumers, and therefore damaging their reputations.
SEE: 4 Ways Outsourcing Damages Industry

Writing
The term freelance writer literally refers to someone who is not an employee of an organization, but rather provides their writing services on a contractual basis. As an extension to that, many outsourcing companies providing marketing services also create marketing copy for the clients they serve. This is a common trend as it has become more efficient for everyone from newspaper, magazine and book publishers to websites, marketing companies and even universities find it more economical to locate writers who will work on a contract basis rather than as permanent staff. This also allows writers greater freedom, since they can complete assignments on their own time and work for more than one employer concurrently.
SEE: Freelance Careers: Look Before You Leap

Graphic Design
In the same vein as writers, graphic designers are also often hired on a contractual basis as opposed to as full-time staff. Freelance graphic designers design content for web and print for all kinds of organizations. Additionally, many outsourcing companies also provide design services to their clients, which is often much more efficient than bringing on an entire design department when your company may only need the occasional mail-out or website design update. For many non-publishing industries, their design needs tend to be cyclical and short term.

Information Technology Support (IT)
In a high-tech world, it's easy to provide IT support from almost anywhere in the world. Help-desk agents and support staff are indeed often found offshore. It's fairly simple to walk customers through their technical difficulties over the phone, or support staff can easily access your computer through the network and make the necessary modifications to get your computer up and running as it should be. It literally makes no difference if the person assisting you is in the next office, or on the other side of the world.
SEE: The Financial Characteristics Of A Successful Company

Security
Security guards are absolutely everywhere – the mall, the bank, at school, concert halls, and night clubs. You may even see some high-profile people with their own security guards, or perhaps in large condominiums or gated communities. However, this position is one that's rarely done by an employee of the location being guarded. Private security firms are typically contracted for the majority of security duties, as they carry the necessary insurance and can offer adequate training and support to their staff.

The Bottom Line
What makes a job ideal for outsourcing? Typically these are jobs that fall into an extreme – requiring either little skill or very highly skilled workers. These are jobs that are typically not deemed to impact the overall function of the company, which is important because organizations typically lose some of the control over these functions when they outsource them. Jobs that are sporadic, or can be completed more efficiently or cheaply elsewhere are also prime targets. In modern day, we typically see outsourcing as a bad thing. The stereotype is that outsourcing takes jobs away from local workers and gives them to foreign workers. In some cases this may be true, though keep in mind that some of the low-skilled positions may not easily be filled by the local workforce for lack of interest in doing the work. Also, when an organization uses a local outsourcing company, the jobs stay right in the community, simply being handed off to another organization that might be able to do a better job.

How To Get What You Want!

Time to take notes! Expert tips on how you can achieve your goals once and for all

By SC Chua for Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Tip #1: Have a Plan A, B, and C
It is one thing to have goals and another to actually make sure they come true. The one thing to remember? Have a plan on how you want to achieve them. But it is not enough to just have one plan, says Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, the author of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe as well as a contributing editor-at-large for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. "You can't say I'm going to 'follow my passion' unless you can also make sure the rent gets paid," she says. "I learned this because my mum and aunt were single mums who worked more than one job to make rent."
So whether you are planning to quit your job to start something on your own or even to lose 10 pounds by end of the year, make sure you've planned out all that you need to do so that you stay focused and are in line with your goals.
Also, don't lose perspective of things and give up when the going gets tough, advises Lemmon. "My mother used to say, 'On a scale of major world tragedies, yours isn't even a three'. My aunt would say, 'After the dance [when you've achieved your goal], they can't take it away from you. And my grandma always encouraged me to take big leaps and not dwell on the downside. She reminded me, 'McDonald's is always hiring."

Tip #2: Keep a lid on it
You heard us right—don't blab to the whole world what you set out to get. Instead, keep it a secret. It's common to want to tell everyone when you've set a new goal for yourself, whether it is writing a book or even making a move on your crush. Besides, the more people you tell, the more likely you are to follow through, right? Not according to a new research. A study by the New York University found that telling everyone about your goal can give you a false sense of accomplishment, which means you are not as likely to actually go after it if you didn't blab.
Also, by keeping your goals a secret, you will avoid the risk of letting other people's opinions get in your way. Says Susan B. Wilson, life coach and founder of Get Over It, Move On, "What stops a lot of people from doing the things they dream of is other people. If you tell someone you want to apply to a graduate program, they may go on about how terrible the campus is… and you may start to believe them when you really should be trusting your own gut."

Tip #3: Give failure a new definition
Another roadblock to getting what you want? Being afraid of failure. However, without failing, you'd probably never learn the things you need to know to achieve your dreams. So instead of letting this fear stop you from moving forward, look at failure in a positive light. Redefine it as something you need to go through in order to succeed. Always remind yourself that when one door closes, another one opens.
Take your advice from the queen of living life to the fullest, Oprah Winfrey. "Do the one thing you think you cannot do," says the mogul. "Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it. One of life's greatest risks is never daring to risk."
[Read: How to face your fears]

Tip #4: Power of affirmation
This concept has been shoved at us again and again, especially with Rhonda Byrne's The Secret. Here's the thing—the concept is nothing new. Affirmations have always been a great way to put your mind to focus and at the same time provide you inspiration and comfort. Think of it as a mantra to your life, says Iyanla Vanzant, author of Tapping the Power Within: A Path to Self-Empowerment for Women.
She explains, "Finding a meaningful mantra is one of the best ways to show yourself some support. It's a tool that can instantly connect you to your best self. Choose a word, a phrase or even a lyric from a song that suggests what you want in life. It could be something like 'I choose love' or even just a word, like peace. Allow the phrase or word to run through your mind, and practice saying it when you wake up or before you go to bed at night. Eventually, it will become automatic and will always be there for you when you need it."

Tip #5: Make sure you want it bad!
It is one thing to make affirmations, but what you should also ask yourself is how bad you want it! Whether it that promotion or learning how to bake a cake from scratch, you need to really want it for it to happen.
Says psychiatrist Tracy Latz who is also the co-author of Shift: 12 Keys to Shift Your Life, "It needs to be a want, not a should. Get in touch with your deepest self and discover what it is that you want with all your heart. What matters is that you really desire it. You don't have to believe that your affirmation is true right now, but you have to believe in the possibility of getting what you want."

Tip #6: Just ask for it!
Sounds simple right? So why is it so hard for us to just ask for what we think we deserve? Call it fear or anxiety of the unknown, but whatever the reason is, not asking for things is a sure-fire way of not getting it.
So make a change this time around. Be confident and ask for what you want—whether it is a salary increase or even for someone's phone number.
Says Andrea Buchanan, author of Note to Self: 30 Women on Hardship, Humiliation, Heartbreak and Overcoming it All, "As with most things in life, the more you do something, the easier it becomes. So start small and build up to the Big Ask. When my family and I go to a restaurant and don't like our table, I'm the one who asks to move. I ask for directions and for advice from strangers. I even ask to use the discount-club card of the person standing next to me in line at the grocery store if I've forgotten mine. The minute you're afraid to ask for something is when you should do it. It also helps to take a few deep breaths and imagine the worst possible outcome. Usually, it's simply getting a no, which is not exactly life threatening."

The natural process of midlife transition

(continued from Mid Life Crisis, page 3)

Individuation

The final stage in the process is one of recognising and integrating the conflicts that exist within us, and achieving a balance between them. Examples of such conflicts include:

• accepting the authority of others - vs - taking authority over our own lives
• presenting personae to the world - vs - acting, thinking and speaking in harmony with the inner self
• meeting the demands of others - vs - meeting our own inner needs
• Acknowledging our 'shadows'* - vs - living up to our ideals
• Facing up to the unconscious, including the repressed and disliked parts of who we are and other aspects of the Self
* The shadow consists of those aspects of our personality (usually negative) that we find unacceptable - we push them out of our own consciousness and 'project' them onto others.

Individuation is a process that leads to a more mature, balanced, 'rounded' person. In Myers Briggs terms, this may mean developing the aspects of personality that are opposite to one's preferences. For example, an INTJ, who has pursued an interest in a scientific career, may start to develop interest in ESFP-type activities. This might involve:

• enjoying relationships for their own sake, rather than in joint pursuit of some scientific objective
• taking up sporting pursuits simply to enjoy them, without feeling the need to develop ever greater skill and competence
• spending more time with the family and enjoying life with the children or grandchildren.
• developing a much greater appreciation for people, despite their lack of competence or intellectual ability.

Individual experience

The process is not a strict 'sequence of events' as described above. The steps (of accommodation, separation, liminality, reintegration and individuation) provide a framework to explain mid-life transition, but not a rule to be followed. Although there may be common themes, not all themes have to be true of all people. Each person's experience is different. For example:

• The stages may be entered and re-entered time and time again.
• Some people may take years or even decades to find their 'true selves', whilst others may find that this part of the process is very short.
• For some, it may be a very painful process, for others it may seem no different from other normal aspects of life.
• For some, the process of change and development may be resisted, and some people may not wish to spend time looking inwards at oneself.

It is a fluid process - but recognising the stages can help to make sense of what is otherwise chaos and confusion. Perhaps understanding of mid-life transition might help some people to move from thinking 'there is something wrong with me' to seeing that the feelings and changes associated with mid-life are quite natural. In fact, they are experienced by most other people at a similar stage of life.
(continued from Mid Life Crisis, page 3)

Individuation

The final stage in the process is one of recognising and integrating the conflicts that exist within us, and achieving a balance between them. Examples of such conflicts include:

• accepting the authority of others - vs - taking authority over our own lives
• presenting personae to the world - vs - acting, thinking and speaking in harmony with the inner self
• meeting the demands of others - vs - meeting our own inner needs
• Acknowledging our 'shadows'* - vs - living up to our ideals
• Facing up to the unconscious, including the repressed and disliked parts of who we are and other aspects of the Self
* The shadow consists of those aspects of our personality (usually negative) that we find unacceptable - we push them out of our own consciousness and 'project' them onto others.

Individuation is a process that leads to a more mature, balanced, 'rounded' person. In Myers Briggs terms, this may mean developing the aspects of personality that are opposite to one's preferences. For example, an INTJ, who has pursued an interest in a scientific career, may start to develop interest in ESFP-type activities. This might involve:

• enjoying relationships for their own sake, rather than in joint pursuit of some scientific objective
• taking up sporting pursuits simply to enjoy them, without feeling the need to develop ever greater skill and competence
• spending more time with the family and enjoying life with the children or grandchildren.
• developing a much greater appreciation for people, despite their lack of competence or intellectual ability.

Individual experience

The process is not a strict 'sequence of events' as described above. The steps (of accommodation, separation, liminality, reintegration and individuation) provide a framework to explain mid-life transition, but not a rule to be followed. Although there may be common themes, not all themes have to be true of all people. Each person's experience is different. For example:

• The stages may be entered and re-entered time and time again.
• Some people may take years or even decades to find their 'true selves', whilst others may find that this part of the process is very short.
• For some, it may be a very painful process, for others it may seem no different from other normal aspects of life.
• For some, the process of change and development may be resisted, and some people may not wish to spend time looking inwards at oneself.

It is a fluid process - but recognising the stages can help to make sense of what is otherwise chaos and confusion. Perhaps understanding of mid-life transition might help some people to move from thinking 'there is something wrong with me' to seeing that the feelings and changes associated with mid-life are quite natural. In fact, they are experienced by most other people at a similar stage of life.

The natural process of midlife transition

(continued from Mid Life Crisis, page 2)

Separation

The first stage of mid-life involves a questioning of the personae presented to others in the first 30/40/50 years of life.
Think of a persona as a mask, and recognise that different masks are worn in different situations. In separation, one takes off the masks and looks at them, asking questions such as:

• Who is the person underneath the mask?
• Are these masks appropriate?
• Do they show others what I am really like, or do they present a false picture?
• Do they show me what I am really like?
• What am I like?

In Myers Briggs terms, this might involve questioning one's personality type. For example, an extrovert who is aware of his type might ask:

• Am I really an extrovert?
• Is my extrovert behaviour a reflection of my own preferences?
• Am I acting like an extrovert because that is what my parents or everyone else expect (or have expected) me to do?

Liminality

The questioning of the personae leads to a large degree of uncertainty - a psychological 'no-man's land'. The old personae have been rejected, perhaps only temporarily, but no new personae have been put in their place. One can therefore feel:

• uncertain about 'who I am'
• lacking in direction, and unsure how to go forward
• apprehensive about making rash, life-changing decisions
• fearful about whether this uncertainty is ever going to end

In Myers Briggs terms, the individual may be unsure about his/her type, and seek views and feedback from sources outside of him/her self.

Reintegration

Eventually, the uncertainty lessens, new personae are adopted (usually, more in harmony with what is happening 'within') and what remains uncertain feels quite comfortable (or even an essential part of living). During reintegration, one:

• develops a better understanding of 'who I am'
• adopts appropriate personae and roles, and re-assesses them on an ongoing basis
• retains some sense of liminality (uncertainty)
• becomes more comfortable with oneself and others being the way they are

In Myers Briggs terms, the person may finally discover his/her 'true type', and be comfortable that it is a genuine reflection of inner preferences.
The final article is about Individuation.

The natural process of midlife transition

(continued from Mid Life Crisis, page 1)

Carl Jung identified 5 main phases of midlife:

• Accommodation (meeting others' expectations - actually, this takes place in the first part of life, but is the context in which midlife processes take place)
• Separation (rejecting the accommodated self)
• Liminality (a period of uncertainty, where life seems directionless and meanders)
• Reintegration (working out 'who I am' and becoming comfortable with that identity)
• Individuation (facing up to and accepting the undesirable aspects of our own character)

Over the next few short pages, we'll take a look at each of these stages in more depth.

Accommodation

In the popularised version of Carl Jungs scheme (ie the Myers Briggs model of personality) it is assumed that our preferences are innate - they are with us from birth and not influenced by the environment. What is influenced by the environment is our behaviour and our perception of ourselves. These are influenced by many factors, such as parents, siblings, other children at nursery school, television, the surroundings to our early childhood, etc..
As young children, eager to please, we adapt to those around us, in order to be accepted by them. Our behaviour and perception of ourselves is therefore modified in order to 'fit in' with the various social situations in which we find ourselves. This process, which Jung called 'Accommodation', results in us presenting ourselves as different people in different situations, called 'personae'. As in Greek tragedy, we put on a mask to demonstrate to others how we think we are feeling inside.
Sometimes, the way in which we 'accommodate' to others is different to our true preferences. As an example: suppose a child born with introvert preferences finds that she has to be very extrovert in order to get the love and attention that she needs as a young child. As she grows into adulthood, she continues to act like an extrovert, and believes that she is an extrovert. The real preference for introversion is not recognised. There can also be cultural, social or environmental pressure to behave in certain ways, and these create a "tug o' war" with our self-perceptions. An example is shown in the diagram. In this case, the pressures, and therefore his personae, may lean so heavily towards introversion that he may believe that he is an introvert, whilst his real preference is for extroversion.
It can sometimes take a lot of energy to maintain these personae if they are in conflict with our true preferences. Jung spent much of his life counselling people who had 'accommodated' to become people different to their inner preferences. For these people, mid-life transition can sometimes be a difficult and painful process.
Sometimes there is little difference between our 'true selves' and the personae we present to others. Such people may find mid life transition a less difficult process than those individuals whose personae and inner self are quite different.
The next article is about the stage of midlife that is termed separation.

Midlife Crisis

Midlife Crisis, Stress and Depression

'Midlife Crisis' is something that happens to many of us at some point during our lives (usually, at about 40, give or take 20 years).
Midlife Crisis is a natural process (first identified by the psychologist Carl Jung) and it is a normal part of 'maturing'. However, Midlife Crisis can sometimes feel very uncomfortable, and cause people to seek psychotherapy or counselling, or to make radical lifestyle changes that can be very damaging and are regretted later.
It can help to view Midlife Crisis from the perspective of differing personality types, as this will give you a greater understanding of what is happening.
If you are going through midlife crisis, you might experience a wide range of feelings, such as:

• Discontent with life and/or the lifestyle that may have provided happiness for many years
• Boredom with things/people that have hitherto held great interest and dominated your life
• Feeling adventurous and wanting to do something completely different
• Questioning the meaning of life, and the validity of decisions clearly and easily made years before
• Confusion about who you are, or where your life is going.

These feelings at mid-life can occur naturally, or they can be brought on by external factors.
One external factor can be debt. The availability of credit has become easier in recent years, through credit cards and telephone/internet loans. This has made it easier to accumulate debt, and many people turn to debt consolidation or debt management services in order to find their way out of difficulty.
Another external factor can be a bereavement, such as the death of a parent - or other significant loss or change, such as redundancy or divorce. These things can cause significant grief which can be difficult enough to come to terms with on their own. But if they are compounded by the natural process of 'mid-life transition' this can make the whole process of adjustment bewildering and overwhelming.
However, even in the absence of difficult external circumstances, there is still an internal process of change that takes place during midlife. If you don't understand that process it can feel like a 'crisis' and as you attempt to come to terms with it, you may find yourself making poor or irrational decisions that you regret at a later date - eg: leaving your job or spouse and throwing away the security that you have built up in the first part of your adult life.
If you do understand the process of midlife transition, it can make it easier (though still not easy) to navigate your way through it.
The second page in this article will give you an overview of that process, particularly from the personality type perspective. However, if you are finding midlife difficult to deal with, it is worth considering psychotherapy or counselling, as these services can help you steer your way through difficult midlife circumstances without going off the rails.