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Telecommute: Four Ways to Find a Work-At-Home Job
(c) 2004 Leslie Truex Telecommuting has increased almost 40% since 2001 and is expected to continue increasing to nearly 30 million telecommuters by the end of 2004 according the International Telework Association and Council. Despite the growing trend in telecommuting, too many people who would like to work at home fall victim to work-at-home scams. This is due in large part to a failure to understand what telecommuting is and what it isn't. Telecommuting jobs are like any other jobs in that they require skills and experience. There is no list of companies waiting for people to sign up to type, lick envelopes, glue earrings or process email. Here are four ways you can create or find a legitimate work-at-home job. 1) Negotiate a work-at-home job with your boss. If you are serious about working at home, the only way to approach your supervisor is with a written proposal. The first step in the proposal process is to evaluate your job and company for conduciveness to telecommuting. What duties and activities related to your job can be done from home? Does your company or similar businesses allow flexible work options? The work-at-home proposal must be written and must outline your plans as well as benefits to the company your new work arrangement will provide. Propose a work schedule and provide information on how and when you will be available to your employer and coworkers. What equipment will you need and who will provide it? How will your work be evaluated? Show your supervisor how working at home has been successful in other companies by including statistics or articles on telecommuting Before meeting with your boss, try to anticipate the kinds of resistance you may receive. Be sure these are addressed in your written proposal, and be prepared to respond to them in the meeting. You boss doesn't want to hear about your morning hassles to get kids to daycare so focus on benefits to the company that your work-at-home arrangement will provide. Be willing to negotiate. Maybe your boss doesn't want you to work as indicated in your proposal but would be willing to allow a different arrangement. By negotiating, you may be able get what you want later, after you have shown how well telecommuting works. 2) Create Telecommuting Position I landed my current telecommuting job by sending letters of introduction along with a resume to businesses in my state inquiring if they needed contract workers in my area. Start by sending your professional introduction and resume to companies that are already advertising for jobs in your field. In your letter, suggest a contract position and include information on how such arrangements can save the company money over hiring a regular employee. You can also target similar businesses and industries that may not be advertising. Use your phonebook and Internet to find companies in your area or state that might be willing to contract with you and send them your letter and resume. If you get a response, be prepared with a proposed work arrangement including duties and compensation but be willing to negotiate as well. 3) Find a Telecommuting Position online This is by far the most popular yet most difficult option. Too many people get caught up in the idea that they will be able to type; do data entry or stuff envelopes. The key to finding work-at-home jobs is to search where people post jobs. Employers are not looking for home workers. They are looking for qualified people to fill a position. It is the position they advertise and they advertise them on job-related sites. That doesn't mean that scams are not posted in job sites but for the most part you can be sure that work-at-jobs won't be posted in search engines. When you find a good job, be sure to follow the directions for applying. I'm shocked at the emails I get saying, "I want to work at home. I have a computer and can type." Would you hire someone who sent you this? This sort of note would never be sent in a traditional job search but for some reason people do it all the time in a work-at-home job search. The fact is that you must submit professional quality resumes and applications. Your written submission is the first and only chance you have to make an impression. The competition for a work-at-home job will be fierce. You need to set your submission apart from the rest by having a professional, error-free resume. 4) Freelance/Contract Work online Of all the online resources for working at home, this is the easiest to find although it can still be a challenge to get. While few companies are hiring full time, full salary, full benefit jobs, there are 1000's of contract opportunities posted all the time. Some of these jobs are ongoing and some are just a single project. Like searching for a regular job, using job search sites and freelance sites are the best ways to find this work. Again, the best way to secure ongoing online freelance work is to be professional when applying for work as well as providing quality work on time. I believe everyone can work at home. But it's not easy. It requires a great deal of effort and often a willingness to venture into something new. Many people give up too early or when the effort becomes too much. The key to success is to look in the right places, consider a variety of job options, submit quality resumes on a regular basis, and don't give up. Leslie Truex has telecommuted in the areas of education and social work as well as for online companies for over six years. She is the author of Jobs At Home: A Complete Guide to Finding or Creating a Work-At-Home Job which provides step-by-step details for finding and obtaining a work-at-home job as well as a companion website with 100's of telecommuting job resources. Get Jobs At Home at 40% off through this special link: http://www.workathomesuccess.com/jobspecial.htm.
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