Survivor Tip of the Week, October 18: Bartering

Bartering Tips -- Best Practices for trading your skills for goods and/or services.

You've got talent and skills -- remember? It's what made you valuable in the workplace for so many years. What better way to keep you on your skills-toes than to barter that work for goods and services you need?

Here are a few tips on trading your skills:

1. Be clear on your what you can offer and what you want in return. Leaving any door open to interpretation, even for just an inch, may lead to trouble down the road. Work hours in turn for equal work hours, or work hours in turn to the fair price of goods, etc.
2. Put everything in writing, even if it's just in an email. Also make sure the person you're bartering with replies with an agreement of those terms. If the other person is the one doing the initial communication, make sure you read over their terms and clarify anything that seems to be fuzzy before agreeing.
3. Be fair as to the trade. Don't forget to include things like the cost of shipping, or clean-up time, etc.
4. Keep a good record of your time and work, and what you got for it. It will help when more work or goods is offered in the future. A person who has a good bartering record will be able to get more bartering opportunites.
5. Bonus: if you can obtain a reference letter from the person you have bartered with, that will also help in getting additional work.

Remember -- you're a skilled worker and you've got a lot to offer!

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