At 123notary.com we come into contact with a lot of newer notaries. Unfortunately, few of them ask for advice, and few of them do the right things. Most are just either confused or not that interested in really making their notary career work. So, what should new signing agents do?

Get on board! But, with whom?

(1) Advertise…
First of all, you need to be seen. Advertise on the major notary directories like 123notary, Notary Rotary, Notary Cafe, and Signingagent.com
If people can’t find you, they can’t use you

(2) Pass at least three certification tests.
We lecture people all the time about this, but few budge an inch. Get certified by ALL companies who you intend to advertise with in the long run. Notary2Pro also offers notary training although they do not have a notary directory as far as I know, and their training is one of the best. Don’t be afraid to get certified three or four times. You learn more each time you study and test. You also prove yourself more. If you want people to respect your knowledge, stop fighting it and just pass everyone’s test. For a professional notary, this shouldn’t be a big deal and it doesn’t cost that much either.

(3) Get on board with signing companies.
Most beginner notaries want to make big bucks working for high paying Title companies. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like this. Title companies like to hire seasoned pros. You are an unseasoned non-pro unless you are from Southern Louisiana in which case you might be seasoned (Cajun perhaps.) But, that’s the wrong kind of seasoned in the Notary business. Work for low-ball signing companies. Work for the companies that everyone is complaining about on the boards. Make sure they pay their notaries, but work for the annoying ones. We compiled a list of signing companies who will hire beginners. I strongly recommend getting on board with them as they can jump start your career and get your phone ringing.

You can also look at our list of signing companies and start contacting them one by one. Not all of them specialize in hiring beginners, but you can talk to them. Most of them will have some sort of a contract you will have to sign. They might want you to fill out forms, submit your E&O, Bond, and some other information too. Don’t send this to us. Notaries mistake us for a signign company daily, and we throw out all of the useless information they send us. We don’t want your E&O, we just want your money… (and your address, hours of operation, county, additional counties, two or more paragraphs of notes about your service, # of loans signed, # of RAM of your laserprinter, etc.)

As a new notary, if you follow these three easy steps, your business will get jump started. You will go from zero jobs per month to dozens overnight. Yes, it might take four months to get on a 50-100 signing company databases, and it might take some bugging them to get your first job. But, do it. People who listen to 123notary tend to do a lot better than those who are either too lazy, or too argumentative to listen. Follow our proven path to success and reap the benefits! You won’t get rich, but at least you’ll be making a huge supplement to your income!

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Signing Companies That Hire Beginners
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7059

Low Ball Signing Companies
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=745