Many of you keep asking the same question over and over again, "How can I get (more) jobs?"
Some of you want more jobs and some of you just want the first assignment so you can feel good about yourself and the world. A few people have given answers to this question on this website. Most often they say to apply to all the mystery shopping companies you can find and don't forget to check their websites regularly.
(1) Apply to all the mystery shopping companies you can find--apply to dozens, nay, hundreds. This insures that at least something is down the street from you.
(2) Don't wait for them to come to you; you go to them. In other words, you get on that computer at least once a day and check all your websites for jobs. Yes, it's true that some of the companies said, "Don't contact us, we'll contact you." But there are many others that allow you to do the contacting. You either self-assign or you request a job. I know how long it will take me each day to apply to all the companies on my list. Some days, when I get too busy, I may apply part of the way through the alphabet, and finish up either that night or the next day. The point is to keep after that task.
Here are some other hints:
(3) Give yourself probation. Give yourself some time to learn. When you sign up with companies, learn all you can about them, one by one. Don't jump into the sea of mystery shopping companies without a life preserver of experience with your first and favorites. Read their requirements thoroughly. Read your instructions for each shop thoroughly and picture yourself doing them. Even if the pay is low, go out and do it well. Then knock yourself out writing the report.
(4) Keep good records. When you do start getting more assignments than you can handle, having a good filing system and good records will help you. You are less likely to accidentally drop an upcoming assignment, then find the paperwork in horror a couple of days later, or get a bunch of overnight demanding emails after it's too late. You can find something easier if you have to go back to a shop you already did for whatever reason.
(5) Be good at what you do. There are even examples of good evaluations on mystery shopping websites. Pretend that you will get a bonus if you do an excellent job. In actuality, you will, because the schedulers can trust you to always perform well. They will give you more shops and they also will give you shops with immediate deadlines that other shoppers messed up on.
(6) Learn from experience. There are many things you will learn every day about the companies you do business with and the reports you write. Use this information to write a better report next time. When I was teaching my children at home, I wrote down everything I taught them. It was very time-consuming, but I also decided to write down everything I learned each day. It was an impossible job. I had to stop listing what I learned. I still learn something every day. You can, too. You already are learning and may not even realize it! Don't consider mystery shopping something you pick up right away, even if it is very easy. When you practice and learn, you will make a better mystery shopper and you will be in greater demand by the schedulers.
(7) Learn from mistakes. Even if you really messed up, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back to business. A company may drop you, or they may only be upset with you. It was a mistake and everybody makes them once in awhile. Keep at it.
Once you are diligently looking for jobs and improving your own abilities, you should find that you are a "real mystery shopper"! Many of us try something and then when it doesn't work right away, we become discouraged. Those of us who stick to it are the ones who succeed. If something isn't working about finding those jobs, see if you are doing something ineffective and do it better.
Hope this helps.
Your Friend,
Sandra
Some of you want more jobs and some of you just want the first assignment so you can feel good about yourself and the world. A few people have given answers to this question on this website. Most often they say to apply to all the mystery shopping companies you can find and don't forget to check their websites regularly.
(1) Apply to all the mystery shopping companies you can find--apply to dozens, nay, hundreds. This insures that at least something is down the street from you.
(2) Don't wait for them to come to you; you go to them. In other words, you get on that computer at least once a day and check all your websites for jobs. Yes, it's true that some of the companies said, "Don't contact us, we'll contact you." But there are many others that allow you to do the contacting. You either self-assign or you request a job. I know how long it will take me each day to apply to all the companies on my list. Some days, when I get too busy, I may apply part of the way through the alphabet, and finish up either that night or the next day. The point is to keep after that task.
Here are some other hints:
(3) Give yourself probation. Give yourself some time to learn. When you sign up with companies, learn all you can about them, one by one. Don't jump into the sea of mystery shopping companies without a life preserver of experience with your first and favorites. Read their requirements thoroughly. Read your instructions for each shop thoroughly and picture yourself doing them. Even if the pay is low, go out and do it well. Then knock yourself out writing the report.
(4) Keep good records. When you do start getting more assignments than you can handle, having a good filing system and good records will help you. You are less likely to accidentally drop an upcoming assignment, then find the paperwork in horror a couple of days later, or get a bunch of overnight demanding emails after it's too late. You can find something easier if you have to go back to a shop you already did for whatever reason.
(5) Be good at what you do. There are even examples of good evaluations on mystery shopping websites. Pretend that you will get a bonus if you do an excellent job. In actuality, you will, because the schedulers can trust you to always perform well. They will give you more shops and they also will give you shops with immediate deadlines that other shoppers messed up on.
(6) Learn from experience. There are many things you will learn every day about the companies you do business with and the reports you write. Use this information to write a better report next time. When I was teaching my children at home, I wrote down everything I taught them. It was very time-consuming, but I also decided to write down everything I learned each day. It was an impossible job. I had to stop listing what I learned. I still learn something every day. You can, too. You already are learning and may not even realize it! Don't consider mystery shopping something you pick up right away, even if it is very easy. When you practice and learn, you will make a better mystery shopper and you will be in greater demand by the schedulers.
(7) Learn from mistakes. Even if you really messed up, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back to business. A company may drop you, or they may only be upset with you. It was a mistake and everybody makes them once in awhile. Keep at it.
Once you are diligently looking for jobs and improving your own abilities, you should find that you are a "real mystery shopper"! Many of us try something and then when it doesn't work right away, we become discouraged. Those of us who stick to it are the ones who succeed. If something isn't working about finding those jobs, see if you are doing something ineffective and do it better.
Hope this helps.
Your Friend,
Sandra