First off, the sad truth is that there are many, many scams claiming to be work at home jobs. The statistics might be as high as 57 scams for every real work-from-home employment ad. Knowing that they are there makes them much easier to avoid. Anything that promises overnight success or ridiculously high pay is not legitimate, as are listings that are too vague. Look for established companies, a request for references and a phone number or contact information that leads to a real person to answer questions. A work-from-home opportunity is an ad for employment--if it doesn't sound similar to a traditional job posting, both in the information it provides and the qualifications it requires, don't bother.
The employment world is going digital and more and more opportunities are available to work from home. The challenges of letting employees work from elsewhere pale in comparison to the money saved on not renting an office, not paying for all the computers and equipment and not spending money on the electricity to keep it all running. Once the virtual doors are open, companies can even hire from anywhere in the country or even the world because they are no longer limited to "commuting distance" or forced to pay for relocation. After all, email is immediate whether it is being sent to the next cubical or the next state. Employees can stay with their families, often adjust their schedules as needed and even wear pajamas to work, but it is still important that they arrange dedicated work time and have a home office space to really be successful.
Various fields are now offering work-from-home positions. One growing position is that of "virtual assistant," working as a secretary or filling in to assist with projects as needed when a company can't justify hiring a permanent employee for the task. Artists and writers can now be connected to clients for commissioned work, picking up projects as independent contractors. Medical transcriptionists and translators often work from home. Call centers are routing technical support and customer service calls to home offices rather than outsourcing overseas. Even teachers can now find work in virtual classrooms as more and more families opt for a version of home school for their children.
The greater the advances in our technological world, the easier and more cost-effective it is for companies to have a work-from-home workforce. If some time can be arranged, perhaps while one of the kids is napping and the other is in preschool, working from home is a real possibility, even in flannel pajamas. Look for a listing of work-from-home positions that sound like actual job postings and start applying to change the definition of "going to work" forever.
Ashlee’s Work From Home Happiness blog is anything and everything you wanted to know about work from home opportunities. I had no idea how many different work from home jobs there are!
ReplyDeleteWhat resonated with me is that Ashlee is also a freelance writer. She gave up her job to pursue freelance writing and never looked back. She now makes a full-time living writing – just like me – and some of her best Pintastic posts are about freelance writing.
Ashlee is also soo helpful! I’ve been emailing her about Tailwind and Pinterest and email marketing and you can tell she takes the time to help others whenever she emails you.
She also has a job board, so if you are interested in picking a side job or extra cash, go there to see what’s available.
Ashlee has a fantastic beginner’s guide to getting started working from home so be sure to check that out.