Achieving the Dream of Working from Home
Working from home is not the walk in the park that most people would like to imagine.�¯�¿�½ Overall it is about 300% harder working from home than outside of the home.�¯�¿�½ You have to be able to schedule for yourself by yourself with no supervisor or manager lingering to keep you on task and productive.�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½ You have to overcome all the distractions that working from home can provide. Also you have to have the patience that it takes to find that perfect work from home position that fits with your capabilities and desires of what you would like to do.�¯�¿�½
So many times as I peruse message boards and forums I find someone, somewhere wanting to work from home giving up their search because the payout for submitting applications was not instantaneous or because the self imposed time lines ran out and nothing was fulfilled.�¯�¿�½ For each work at home job listed to the public there are about 3000 applicants eager to jump at the bit.�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½ Work at home positions are rare even with all the technological advances becoming available to businesses and potential home based contractors.
When beginning your search for a work from home or independent contract for yourself you need to evaluate your pros and cons.�¯�¿�½ Pros being office equipment available in your home office, skills you have and how to present them to be an asset to the position that you are applying for, time you have to dedicate to the position that you are applying for and how much you expect to be paid.�¯�¿�½ Pay is a big variant when working from home.�¯�¿�½ Contractors must remember that you are having to prove yourself capable of working from home and prove that by using an independent contractor the company will be more lucrative than without, typically this means less pay and no benefits.�¯�¿�½ However as an independent contractor, you have to prepare yourself for this and while doing so perhaps calculate what it would cost you to work outside of the home: lunches, daycare, transportation, clothing, etc.�¯�¿�½ I look at the difference in pay as what I would lose during the daily commute to and from an out of the home workplace, daycare monies I am saving and the sense of accomplishment of being able to be home with my children.�¯�¿�½ Some great resources for working from home positions and aspects are www.workplacelikehome.com and www.wahm.com .�¯�¿�½ On these sites you will find a wealth of information on companies who frequently hire homeworkers from people that actually work for these companies.�¯�¿�½ You will also find great resources on job leads, scheduling and advice for working at home with a family.
Resumes will have to be revamped to appeal to companies who cannot readily test your skills.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Forget about the equipment you are capable of using and focus more on the types of projects you can complete.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ You may have to play down your resume so that you do not appear over qualified and you may have to play up the projects and programs you are familiar with.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ You may even have to provide samples of the work you have done so that they have something to compare your skills to others.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Also when creating your resume you will have to make sure it stands out so that employers will remember you when weeding out applicants.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Color, photos, clip art, and text can make your resume “pop” out of the thousands they have received.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Have a great cover letter so that the possible employer can learn a bit about you in a quick synapse, this also helps with grammatical abilities if you are applying for a position where grammar would be an important factor.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ You want to make sure your name is on the tip of their tongue when the phone calls are made or emails sent out.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½
When weeding through the many positions out there don’t discount any that you may not particularly like completely.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Remember when beginning your search you knew nothing about working from home and you have to build a new work from home resume.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Even those jobs that may not be the ideal possibility will look good in a work from home portfolio.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ When you have the opportunity to prove yourself take it because once you prove you have the dedication and dependability and employers see you can work without supervision you become more attractive to them and the company that they represent.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Don’t be afraid to ask questions and to follow up about each position.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ The more contact you make the more memorable your name.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Don’t be afraid to research each job with alternate resources of your own such as: forums, message boards, company websites, etc.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ The more you know going in the more likely you are to be able to understand the position that you are applying for.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½
Be prepared to wait….Just because you are ready to work from home might not necessarily mean that there is a work from home position ready and waiting for you.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ I do not suggest quittingÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ your day job just yet but to focus on how you can bide your time financially and emotionally while the process is unraveling.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Financial distress is probably the number one reason for why many people put aside their dream of working from their home office.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Applying to the jobs and following up with the jobs shows you are proactive and remember even though things may look completely hopeless that good things come to those who wait.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Don’t be afraid to occasionally reapply unless a specific request is made not to resubmit your info to positions you have already applied to.
While waiting you can begin preparing your family and friends of what may come with working from home.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Teach your children self entertaining activities and start implementing them now.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Don’t wait until you have that job to find out that your family is not accommodating to performing that position.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Set aside small blocks of time to where they are responsible for their happiness during that time, within reason of course, and to where you will not be immediately available to them so that they can adapt slowly to the changes that will come with working from home.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Start looking into quieter activities that they will be able to do while you are working.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Teach your spouse or significant other how to be an independent parent and caregiver if necessary.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Don’t be afraid to start designating specific things each family member is going toÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½be responsible for during your hours of work.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½The basics of cooking, laundry and quick pick up will help to alleviate stress when you begin working from home. Prepare your not so immediate family for the changes as well.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ If you are going to be taking a position that might be evenings perhaps you could give them an outline of the possible schedule to give them time to adapt as well.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ They will be more likely to interrupt unknowingly if they are not aware of the changes.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½
Prepare your finances.�¯�¿�½ Start a just in case fund that you can put money into to handle anything unexpected while working from home.�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½ Equipment repair must be a priority so have your equipment in working order and an emergency fund if it needs repaired or replaced.�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½ Get in the�¯�¿�½ habit of saving receipts.�¯�¿�½ Receipts can be the difference in paying a ton for your taxes and not having the write offs you deserve readily at hand come tax time. Receipts can make all the difference in how much you will be paying to the government at the end of the year.�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½
Prepare yourself.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Get accustomed to preparing schedules and being able to stick with them.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ You are not going to have someone there to tell you what to do or when to do it.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ You have to be responsible to fit all the daily requirements of your family and your job without falling short on either responsibility.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ If you have children who are active in sports or have school functions that need to be attended you don’t want to be left with the guilt that would accompany missing things that are important to them.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ You also don’t want to be filled with guilt when you miss an important deadline regarding your position you worked so hard to achieve.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Getting in the habit early will not only help to avoid this but reasonably will display the time you have to commit to the position you desire.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½
Learn to multitask.�¯�¿�½ The ability to multitask will allow you to achieve the maximum output for the time you have available.�¯�¿�½ Often I find myself doing laundry or simple clean up�¯�¿�½ and even peeling potatoes for dinner while performing one of my work from home positions.�¯�¿�½ On the other position I find myself writing articles when time allows and doubling the income for that period by doing two jobs at one time.�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½ I maximize each minute of each day to accomplish all I need within my own household.�¯�¿�½ Not everyone has this luxury but for those who do use it to your advantage.�¯�¿�½
Be prepared to learn to say NO.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ When someone asks you if you can do this or thatÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ “since your home all day anyway” don’t feel badly for saying no.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ You don’t call them at their jobs to request them to do something on your work time so they should have the same respect for you.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ This was the hardest thing I had to learn working from home.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ I had always been available to my family to do the most mundane things because I was home.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ There is only one of me and my family and their financial well being has to come before everyone else.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ I don’t have to be there for everyone all the time as long as I am doing right by my own family.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Working from home also does not make me their daycare provider.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ They have to come up with their own back up plan that doesn’t require me like I had to do with my own family.
Multiple positions are generally okay but always check to see if their is a conflict of interest clause in your contracts.�¯�¿�½ Generally these are stressed very highly so you will�¯�¿�½know.�¯�¿�½ IF there is a question at anytime, ASK.�¯�¿�½ Most of the time you are an independent contractor and employers or clients cannot request this but the occasional position may have such a clause.
Never pay to gain a work from home position.�¯�¿�½ If they company is requesting a fee for information it is generally a scam and you do not want to be one of the many victims that fall prey to such practices.�¯�¿�½ With this in mind, some companies require you to pay for programs to work for them, training and materials, however as an independent contractor you can write this stuff off once receiving monetary compensation for your duties.�¯�¿�½ These are not to be confused with the initial statement either.�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½ Paying to become employed is when you pay money to even get consideration for a position.
Become familiar with your tax laws so you will be able to know when�¯�¿�½ and what you can deduct as well as Medicare, FICA, and social security deduction guidelines to be able to withhold these from your own checks.�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½ With most positions you are responsible for all tax related issues.�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½ There are a few out there that handle them for you however you need to know where to look for this and how to apply it to your income.�¯�¿�½ www.paycheckcity.com is a great resource for independent contractors responsible for their own taxes.
Know your limits.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Familiarize your self with what you want to do.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Do your homework. Working from home is not beneficial if you find you are working more than you are enjoying the whole principal behind working from home, YOUR FAMILY.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ If you are not there for the events that your family looks forward to the isn’t it a contradiction to why you are working from home?Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½
Companies that frequently hire telecommuters:
www.workathomeagent.com
www.customloyal.com
www.liveops.com
www.alpineaccess.com
www.workingsol.com
www.acddirect.com
www.yourhired.com
www.tigerfish.com
www.rapidtext.com
www.verafast.com
www.willowcsn.com
www.axiondataentry.com
www.onss.com
www.lighthousedocuments.com
www.cyphercontractors.com
http://discountdocumentscanning.com
www.ametryneassociates.com
www.executivesecretaries.com
www.connect-dataplus.com
www.nettranscripts.com
www.ubiqus.com
www.typewp.com
www.captioncolorado.com
www.vitac.com
www.fdch.com
www.emediamillworks.com
www.tsitexas.com
www.thomastx.com
www.oracleti.com
www.afaadminsvcs.com
www.healthscribe.com
www.ositranscription.com
www.transhealth.com
www.btcworldwide.com
www.nticentral.com
www.hmsintl.com
www.beyondmarketing.com
www.callcenteroptions.com
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