What every homeworker “want to be” needs to know before diving into telecommuting
Thousands of employees are looking forward to the opportunity to clock in from their home office. A lucky few have earned this position through their workplace, while their co-workers mutter under their breath. Others are tired of waiting for their employer to offer them this opportunity, so they leave the job that once promised security, due to instability, and change the title of payroll clerk for an independent contractor. But, before you dive into the waters of home employment. Have you weighed what it will take to get to your destination? You must have a tried-and-true plan to become a telecommuter, or you will be like so many others who have taken the plunge and are now drifting around aimlessly.
First, let’s talk about your source of income, in short: If you don’t have a spouse or partner who can handle your finances, you should keep your day job. I’ve often seen people who can’t make ends meet because they were suddenly caught off guard when their job search depleted their savings. Second, how is your attitude? Do you have a high tolerance for the tedious? How well do you handle rejection? Can you work independently? Are you open to expanding your skills?
Tolerance for the tedious Bold Underline
Why do you need a strong tolerance for the tedious? Well, if you’re not one of those lucky few whose current job lends itself to telecommuting. You will need to constantly search for and remove job offers. To get a job, you have to be doing this day and night, and then guess what! Tomorrow you do the same again. I’m not saying this to discourage you, it’s actually exciting when you think about your ultimate goal and the personal reward that working from home will give you.
Assuming you’re new to the idea of telecommuting, I’ll briefly explain why you need to debug. I refuse to go into all the different scam scenarios you should look for because it has been done to death on just about every telecommuting article you can think of. The word SCAM has been used so loosely by what I call “Scam Phobics” that even the image of legitimate work at home businesses has been tarnished, just because the position didn’t turn out to be the dream job they thought it would be. So we want to focus on the purge without being paranoid. To start you need to be clear about what you are looking for, your goal is to find a real job for a renowned company, so you are going to have to refine the position that does not fit this profile. Some examples of this are; job listings being posted over and over again, jobs asking for money, and whatever it is that says start your own business…because you don’t want a “business opportunity”, you want a work from home or telecommuting job. For best results, try keywords like: telecommute, work from home, virtual office, outsource, independent contractor, and freelancer. To learn more about scams, just go to Google and search for “work at home scams” and you’ll find tons of information.
Rejection Management Bold Underline
It is important for you to know that you are entering a job market that is incredibly desirable to many. You may not get a job with your first application – second, third, fourth or fifth. The truth is, the employer is not likely to contact you to let you know that they received your application, no intentionally trying to offend you, employers simply don’t have the time or manpower to call every potential candidate to let them know that the position has been filled. However, always approach the job with the attitude that you will get it and eventually you will. To reduce the number of rejections you encounter. Here are some rules to follow:
1. Always follow the instructions that the company has given you to apply for the position. If they say, don’t send your resume as an attachment, don’t do it anyway and think they’ll accept it, they won’t!
2. Now that you are looking for a telecommuting position, customize your resume to meet the telecommuting requirements, you can do it without stuffing your resume with false information. Point out positions where you have worked independently, owned your own business, displayed managerial or leadership skills, etc.
3. Always have a cover letter ready, it’s fan mail for your resume. The CL’s job is to convince the employer to read your resume; Each CL must adapt to the company and the position.
4. Make sure your contact information is accurate and once an employer calls you don’t get a voicemail with 5 minutes of your favorite song before the beep to leave a message, remember you always want to project a professional image . If possible, provide the employer with more than 1 way to contact you.
5. Prepare for a phone interview. A phone interview is the most common way to interview virtual or home-based candidates.
3 Quick Phone Interview Techniques Bold
1. Post your resume over the phone. 2. Illustrate your skills with real on-the-job experiences. 3. Demonstrate the ability to work independently.
Get more Tele-Interview Techniques (see resource box below)
Can you work independently? Bold Underline
Working at home means working independently, without co-workers to vent to or discuss the latest gossip. Your IT technician is no longer a few cubicles away to troubleshoot your system when you kick it out. He can’t get someone to fax a document for you or take the call you’ve avoided like the plague. You have to be able to manage your own time. When you work from home, you need to work as if your supervisor is looking over your shoulder. Sign in on time, take breaks when scheduled, and don’t overdo lunches. Don’t be fooled into thinking the boss doesn’t know what he’s doing, it’s true that he may not know what he’s physically doing, but he definitely will know what he’s “not” doing by the output of his work, whether it’s sales. , customer service or transcription. It’s the “don’ts” that matter to them. So you need to make sure your family and friends understand that when you’re in your home office, you’re working. You won’t be shopping, golfing during work hours, or watching a movie until the day is done. Some people have told me that they even put a sign on the door that says, dad is at work or gone to work, it helps to communicate the message better.
Do you know how to expand your skills? Bold Underline
Consider the skills and experience you have, now think about how you can extend some of these skills to another job. Leaving your options open to other jobs will increase your chances of finding a telecommuting job faster. For example, if your outside job is data entry, you might consider home-based coding or transcription jobs. Here’s another example of stretching your skills. Veronica has been a family child care provider for 10 years. Veronica is ready for a career change, but still wants to work from home. Veronica sat down with her husband and created a list of her abilities. After completing this list, she put together a second list that shows how she can extend her skills to other jobs from their jobs.
Veronica’s 10 Strongest Abilities Bold Underline
o Strong verbal and written communication skills.
oExcellent customer service
o Possibility of establishing appointments
o Good marketing skills
o Ability to write lesson plans
o Knowledge of Microsoft Windows, with the ability to access and enter data.
o Experience in customer retention.
o Great capacity to close clients
o Self-Starter, works well independently
o Bilingual – Spanish, English
10 Telecommuting Jobs That Match Veronica’s Skills Bold Underline
oh Home based call center agent:
Answer incoming calls and process customer orders or make reservations
oh Telemarketer:
Making outgoing calls for the purpose of generating business or making a sale
oh Appointment setter:
Calls only to companies or residents to make appointments for memberships or product sales.
oh Freelance Writer:
Use the expertise of experts to write for columns, newsletters, blogs, and magazines.
oh Telephone interpreter:
Third party on the phone line helps communicate customer needs through bilingual or multilingual language
oh Online Concierge:
Guarantee hospitality services for clients of hotels, restaurants, car rental agencies, etc… through email and telephone
oh Child Care Expert Advisor:
Advice line for new child care providers, conducting teleseminars for parents or providers
oh Home based dispatcher:
Dispatch calls from home for transport and delivery companies
oh Online Tutor:
Online children’s tutor in math, reading, English, etc.
oh Virtual assistant:
Perform receptionist duties from home for the CEO or owner of a small business
I encourage you to do this exercise at home, try to see how far you can stretch your skills, your mind will begin to see job opportunities that were hidden from your eyes.
Telecommuting offers the temptation of never having to see your child cry for you when you walk out the door, sitting at the table as a family, home-cooked meals instead of fast food, and no more sitting in 2 hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic. . while its $2-plus! a gallon of gasoline–it leaks slowly. Yes, it’s very tempting, but before you dive into working from home, use these strategies to make sure you stay afloat.
