Telecommuting Jobs at Home

Moms, if you're interested in telecommuting jobs at home this set of two articles is a MUST read for you! Please don't pass up reading these articles, because they are very thorough and packed full of all the information you need!

How To Find Home-Based Employment
By Pamela La Gioia

It seems everyone wants to do it: Work from home, that is. Whether it's being able to work in their pajamas, or getting to spend some extra time with their children, something is prompting people to consider giving up their day job to look for this "alternative" form of employment. The only problem seems to be actually finding a work-from-home job! Where are these companies that have openings for telecommuters? And how does one go about finding them?

As the number of people wanting to work from home grows, so does the number of opportunists who hope to profit from this group that seems to be so naive. (And, at times, so desperate.) Advertisements appear almost everywhere claiming to be the answer to people's work-from-home dreams. Most of these claims end up costing want-to-be telecommuters more money than they will ever make from actually working at home. Despite the best efforts of the government, these opportunists (AKA "Scammers") seem to be gaining momentum. Is there any way for job seekers to avoid them and actually find a home-based job?

The answer is "Yes". How? Information. Information that doesn't cost anything, and that will teach a job hunter how to find their own home-based job. Learning how to research can be the best investment a job seeker can make. In the paragraphs that follow, you, the reader, will learn how to research.

SCAMS
The first thing to be aware of is what makes a job lead a scam. There are business "opportunities", and there are actual scams, such as when a person or company poses as an employment firm, but requires you to pay X amount of money in order for you to be placed. Or, the company claims to be a hiring company, but requires you to pay X amount of money in order to "process your application".

If you are looking for a home-based job, you need to follow similar steps that you used when you sought traditional employment:
1) You send a company your resume tailored to the position for which you are interested.
2) You go through some sort of interview.
3) You get hired, sometimes signing an independent contractor agreement form.
4) You complete the necessary tax forms.
5) You do the work you were hired to do.
6) You receive a paycheck of a predetermined amount, either as a commission, or from performing for a certain number of hours.

A real job does not require you to pay them to train you (either you have the skills, or you don't); or for the materials you may need to do the job (either you should have them or they will GIVE them to you); or for information about the position. In sum, you don't pay a company to work for them; they pay you!

DIFFERENT JOB CATEGORIES
When searching for a home-based job, keep an open mind. Working from home has gone way beyond envelope-stuffing and craft assembly. In fact, thanks to the widespread use of the internet and e-mail, the possibilities are almost endless. To simplify things, I've broken down the different types of telecommuting jobs into four categories.

1) 100% REMOTE OR VIRTUAL
Virtual or remote work typically means that you will never personally meet your employer or your client. Your location is irrelevant. You will apply for the job online, perform an online "interview", such as a test, or maybe do a telephone interview; and your work is delivered to your company via e-mail or through a network. Obviously, jobs under this heading will require that you are very computer literate. Jobs that fit under this category include:
-- Some research
-- Customer service and other telephonic-oriented work
-- Web design
-- Online tutoring
-- Transcription
-- Writing
-- Telesales/telemarketing

This is typically the hardest category to find work in because, even though the job is virtual, you are still dealing with real human beings and there are trust issues. You will have to be very good at selling yourself on your resume to get such a position. Competition is also high in this category, so having a professional resume and good interview skills are crucial.

2) HALF IN/HALF OUT
I use half in/half out to refer to work that is based from home but requires you to leave your home to complete important functions of the job. You still might never have to visit your company's office, or even personally meet anyone that you work with or for. However, portions of your job must be performed away from the home. This is a very good option for people who are want to work from home because they value independence and do not like commuting to an office every day. Jobs in this category usually allow you to create your own hours and work around your own schedule.
Examples of half in/half out jobs are:
-- Mobile notarizing/signing
-- Some consulting positions
-- Estimating
-- Probate research
-- Investigating
-- Merchandising
-- Mystery shopping
-- Social work or nursing Case management
-- Insurance or mortgage appraising

3) MAKING AN OCCASIONAL APPEARANCE
Some jobs allow for working from home, but require that you physically check in from time to time. You might need to receive your initial training in person, such as when you are selling something very specialized. You may need to attend weekly, monthly, or yearly meetings or conferences. If you aren't local to the company's headquarters, you may need to be prepared for occasional travel, sometimes including overnight stays to accommodate meeting or training schedules.
Examples of making an occasional appearance jobs include:
-- High end sales
-- Consulting
-- Real estate or insurance
-- Medical
-- Recruiting
-- Legal work
-- Certain business-oriented jobs.

When showing up for a company meeting or conference, be aware that you are also being re-evaluated. Be prepared to continue to sell yourself as a valuable employee. Your boss will be asking him or herself, "Why should I keep this employee?" during every meeting. You will have to prove yourself a lot.

4) LOCAL CANDIDATES ONLY
Some companies will allow you to work from home, but want to make sure that you are easily accessible. Either that's how they feel comfortable, or often they have assignments which need to delivered to you in person. In this category, you will more than likely be under an employee status, not operating as an independent contractor. You might have to pick up your work assignments every day or week, and then deliver completed work to them personally at a determined time. For these companies, it would not work to use a totally virtual employee, or even someone fitting under the other two job categories.

Examples of jobs that tend to work for local candidates only are:
-- Sewing or piecework
-- Data entry work
-- Transcription
-- Art jobs
-- Clerical
-- Craft work
-- Babysitting

Some of the jobs listed under one of the above categories can also fit under another one. Transcription work, for example, can be Local Only or 100% Remote. It all depends on what is most practical and comfortable for a particular company. How a company chooses to operate can also change after working with a person for some time. As previously mentioned, trust is a big factor in how a company decides to employ a home-based worker.

Once you have learned the various types of working from home opportunities that exist, and you are able to avoid the scams and "joke" jobs, the next step is to actually locate an actual job. For most people, this is actually the hardest part: finding a company that allow them to work from home in the first place!

Copyright 2004, Pamela La Gioia
Pamela La Gioia is Founder and Administrator of Telework Recruiting a premier job-lead web site that provides thousands of job leads and job resources for the US, Canada, and the UK. She is currently writing a workbook on telecommuting, which offers step-by-step guidance on finding real home-based employment. Questions or comments are welcome and can be sent to Pamela at pam@teleworkrecruiting.com

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