Posted by netstone on 3/19/04 10:11am
Msg #1207

About getting jobs....

I am new here. I live/work in Central Texas.

I have been lurking and reading what you "Experts" have to say nearly daily for two months, but this is my first posting. You all are wonderful in your advice and tips. I have received a great deal of education from this forum, and also from Victoria Ring's sites.

I feel I have had relatively good progress in getting jobs, for a newbie. Not that anyone *asked* what I have specifically done and had luck with, but some new signers are asking how to get jobs.

I think it might help to hear that I feel have actually had good response and I am excited over it. There is hope.

This is not to present myself as an expert on signing. My mortgage processing / legal secty / 8 yrs notary background made the document and notary part fairly easy to ease into and to understand the jargon--at least well enough to get at least one certification. (But, I humbly agree that experienced signers are the experts--not the new ones like me who have recently come onto the scene and took a test online.)

It has surprised me at how quickly I began to get calls. I expected a lot longer. After two weeks of daily power searching, form filling in, and emailing, I got my first call. It came on March 4. Since then I have had seven offers, two of which I had already scheduled an appointment for and had to turn down.

Now, the way I see it, I had a bonanza response for my efforts. That is about seven offers for probably 70 forms filled in. To me that is great. To others it might seem to fall short. (My referrals came from this site and 123notary, but most of them looked at my personal web page as well.)

I think if I get a call for every ten forms I fill in that is an awesome response rate. It brings me to ask this question of those looking unsuccessfully for signing jobs: If you are disappointed in your number of offers, are you being realistic about the opportunity available in your area vs. the number of signers already working?

It might be that you have to relocate to be a signer, and you need to be aware that you will have to supplement your income with something else until it happens. This may not be the right thing for you to do at this time, but if you are determined this is your calling, figure out why there are no jobs at the moment and make changes to get them.


Next, to the beginners who are unable to figure out where to go for job assignments-- I have a theory I want to share about the Loan Signing Gurus that post here: The successful, long-term signers on this forum are obviously so well-developed and disciplined that it is clear to me that they are very much self-made business people. They are are winners who never admit they do not know how to do something they want to do well. They observe and research and study to learn how to do whatever they can toward their goals. However, the key is that the words "I can't" have never made it to their lips, nor would they ever imply that they could not do what they want to do. They are strong willed and like to find their own ways to get the answers they desire.

They are still here because they are burning brain cells all the time trying to improve everything about themselves.

I will bet they have never asked how to get jobs (implying "I can't" or I do not know how to do something I want to do) until they had exhaused every single web form on the internet that could be filled in, and every address they could afford to send a brochure to, and had read everything available to them to read, and had researched until Google had to replace all of its servers. Then, and only then would one of these types post to a forum and ask "how/where do I get assignments?"

It is just plain old hard work, combined with a deep burning desire to succeed and be independent. Everyone has to find a deeply rooted motivation, and a system of daily work propelled by that motivation.

When you are not at an appointment, you have to be working with a burning passion for the prospect of getting business. And, you need to be loving nearly every minute of the hunt, then celebrating every victory no matter how tiny like it's winning the lottery.

And, I will also bet that no matter how many signings our mentors have each day, their brains are constantly absorbing all they can that will help them do more signings, improve their products and be the best they can be. Everyday, they look at their options to see how to keep the checks coming in. (I'd be interested to hear if my supposition about this is right or way off!)


If you do not have that kind of a "make it happen attitude" it will not happen. I am not sure if I have all of what these established signers have, but I know that I want to. If I know what I want, that is half of the battle.

It is more than money that makes them succeed.

In addition to what I have listed below that has worked for me, read books like Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, or any other positive attitude mindset manual.

I actually have had some success, at least I believe I have. My formula : I feel the bottom line I am sharing here is that you do not get anything as a self-employed person without being able to commit an inordinant amount of time to your business. I am widowed, have grown children and can look for opportunities--it takes a lot of time and patience.

Here's a list of what I know has helped me:

1- Have a simple web page you can post miscellaneous, but important information

--Include
--short, tight narrative about why you are worthy of the reader's time and phone call to solicit your service. (The narrative helps prove you can be flawlessly accurate, punctuate, write in complete sentences-- if, in fact, this is the case.)
--a bulleted section of items that are attention-getting brochure style
--In all your online/print presentations and publications prior to becoming experienced you must prove your ability to learn this job, and that you are you are studying dilligently to learn all you can in the mean time.
--post a picture on your web site (and on your sites like this one) and become "real" to the potential employers who may look at your ad or page.
--come up with a price list for mileage and copies - post it on your website. When you do that, it shows you have at least put some thought into the business and that you are serious. Know how far you will go for how much money.
-Set daily goals for moving toward your goal. - for instance:
Goal 1) Sign up on at least ten to twenty company database/web forms per day.
Goal 2) Get your contracts printed for those sites that request them. Make a stack of copies of your bond, e/o policies, w9, notary commission, filled in and send them in to the companies that require them.
Goal 3) Asap: Read Victoria's free e-book at 50statesnotary.com (lots of very good info--V. has the most appealing style of writing for me and she knows her stuff)

If you do not believe that investing your time like this is worth it, I can assure you that this is not your perfect job. If you have done all of this to no avail, and you think the jobs are out there, re-double your efforts and if you still have less than what you want, you need to re-double your efforts again and again until you succeed. I sincerely believe that's what the folks who are working steadily did because that's just the law of nature and success.


It is about odds--what you invest in looking will affect what you reap. Ten forms = one job offer for me. Figure out a way to measure and go for it. It always works for me to quantify what I have to do and dig in every day.

I will shut it down here and almost get off my soapbox.

To summarize my personal experience: Only one thing works for me. I work at finding work all the time and bringing in whatever it takes to make ends meet. The jobs are apparently here, for now, in my area, and there are not so many signers available all day, so I am very blessed.

However, we all have to take the initiative of putting lots of hours into learning how to put together a web page, fill in all those forms, budget some ad money, and get up each day planning to knock on virtual doors and real doors of companies that might need our services.

Do not ever let up, and when you think you should stop looking--do not. It *will *pay off.
(I proof read all of this but I am sure I missed something.(:>) Have a productive and great day.