Many of us would love to work from home — skip the twice daily rush-hour traffic, control more influence on our work output, experience some flexibility in our daily schedules. The good news is that there are more opportunities for people to work from home, either in their current jobs or with companies located around the world that hire employees strictly for telecommuting work. The bad news is that competition for these jobs is fierce. If you would like to secure a telecommuting job, here are a few tips for improving your chances of rising above the competition:
Research
The first step of your job search can be the hardest: finding legitimate work-from-home opportunities. There are countless Web sites and job listings that advertise work-from-home positions, which ultimately require you to pay money for useless information or involve some sort of investing scam. The key to finding legitimate telecommuting opportunities is the same as finding any type of work: research and persistence. Start with well-known job boards, then learn a few key qualities to look for to quickly weed out phony job ads. In general, ads that require you to sign up for membership (free or paid) at a site or that require you to pay any money for information are either scams or have poor-quality listings.
Network
Just like with a traditional job search, networking is crucial to finding your next job. The vast majority of telecommuting jobs are never posted because employers become inundated with resumes from unqualified candidates simply drawn by the lure of working at home. Networking can increase your chances of learning about these jobs — the first hurdle.
Start with Your Employer
Many companies are starting to offer flexible schedules and telecommuting arrangements to their employees, even if they don’t widely publicize their willingness to do so. You may be surprised at the flexibility your job is willing to offer you if you ask. Typically, employers are more willing to consider such an arrangement for employees who have proven their trustworthiness and ability to produce quality work independently over a period of time. Make sure you have such a reputation and that your job is conducive to working from home — if you do a lot of work at the computer or on the phone — before you start the conversation.
Build Experience
Companies who hire exclusively telecommuting workers may never have any interaction with those workers outside of e-mail or occasional phone communication. For this reason, employers need to feel that they can trust the employees they hire. You can make yourself more attractive to employers by showing a history of working independently or remotely. Do so by finding freelance or part-time work that can be conducted remotely. Perhaps you can pick up part-time work for a local company that you can do from home. The more work like this that you do, the more history you build of successful telecommuting and the more references you can produce on your behalf.
Take the Reins
Finally, one of the best ways to work from home is to start your own company or to develop your own work-from-home opportunities. Traditional outlets include blogging, web site development, and affiliate sales. Many other small companies can be started from home, as varied as consulting to creating crafted or baked goods. Determine what your passions are and consider how you can start your own work from home opportunities.
Landing a telecommuting job may present some more challenges than landing a traditional job because of the demand for these jobs. However, with a little persistence and the same business savvy that you bring to any job search, you can find a job you enjoy and that fits your desire to work from home.
Author Bio:
Erinn Stam is the Managing Editor for online geriatric nursing programs. She attends Wake Technical Community College and is learning about nursing student loans. She lives in Durham, NC with her lovely 4-year-old daughter and exuberant husband.
Image: Some rights reserved by Marc Amos
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