Real Opportunities To Work From Home!
According to the US Department of Commerce's Census Bureau, in just the last few years the number of parents working from home has greatly increased - nearly 50%! In 2004 over 5 million parents worked from home, and today that number has increased to 11 million. With so many more parents at home than before, there is a much higher demand for work-at-home jobs that are legitimate. Many are discouraged by hard these jobs seem to be able to find, when they are truthfully right at their fingertips.
I became a stay-at-home parent in 1999 when my first child was born. Those three months after her birth were an interesting experience, as I went back and forth on wanting to return to my professional work life, and wanting to stay home with my daughter. As someone who has always worked hard and brought in a salary, the idea of not returning to work was a little troubling. I told my brother about what I had been feeling, and he jokingly suggested I ask my company if I could work from home. While that particular employer turned down my question, the point is that eventually I did make it work, and it was way easier than I thought it would be. In the next few paragraphs I'll explain how I got to do legitimate work out of my home, and how you can do so as well.
First, I started jotting down all my various experiences, skills and qualities. I gathered reference letters from previous employers and then researched various small to large companies in the Industries I knew I had strength. I started thinking about how the phone conversations would go and what I would do to stand out and market myself as a good work-at-home employee. I contacted the various companies and asked if they employed home employees. At that time, I received plenty of no answers as this type of employment had not yet swept the nation. I then contacted the same employers and offered my skills on a contractual basis. The smaller companies jumped at the opportunity while the larger ones scoffed. However, I received my first contract from a law firm as a Bookkeeper and kept that contract for many years until other opportunities arose.
There are several things to consider when working from home. You first need to consider that working under contract based employment tends to pay more, but lacks benefits. If you instead are considering an employee based position, you will receive benefits, with slightly less pay. Contract employment can be a little easier to get, and also helps you get an easier start in working from home. It shows companies that you are independent and need little direction, and you are a self starter. Many contract positions easily turn into an employee position. You have to keep in mind, though, that many contract jobs require experience in the field or a degree.
Prior to approaching companies, make sure you have a set of references lined up that will speak about your skills, qualities and experiences on your behalf. It is best to not choose relatives for references, as their opinion of you may be biased. Selecting references who you have worked with is best. Make sure you are careful in who you select, as since you are working independently, your references will likely undergo a background check.
Thirdly, and this is very important - make sure your resume stands out! Put what you have the most experience with, or what is the most impressive, first. If you don't have much work experience, then put your education list first on your resume. If you have more experience than education, then put your experience first. Be thorough and be sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors on your resume - it doesn't hurt to have a few friends help you proofread it. Just one error on a resume can cause you to lose consideration for a position.
Lastly, it's important to be wary of work-at-home sites you come across on the internet. There are some legitimate companies out there, but they tend to be vastly overweighed by the scam sites. Do some research if you find work-at-home websites. It doesn't hurt to search the old-fashioned way. Call up the companies you find and like, and don't be scared of getting no for an answer. Follow these steps and be persistant and call, and you're guaranteed to find a job from home.
To finish up, I wanted to mention a couple of the things that are really great about staying home. The positives far outweigh the negatives - and the only negative that comes to mind is occasionally you may come across a company that expects you to work in front of a web camera (no working in your pajamas!). However, your schedule will be much more free and lenient. You'll be able to take your kids to and from places, and attend groups and meetings or even all those recitals and sports games of your kids that you had to miss in the past. You will have more time for your spouse and children, but most importantly, yourself.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
About the Author
If you are looking to make extra money from home, then make sure you check out Jessica's free movie about legitimate stay at home employment, and work for stay home moms.
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by: JessicaFranks
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