Are you re-entering the workforce? Have you been working from home with an internet driven job? Don't forget the skills you learned working from home when you're preparing for your job interviews. Most home based careers use skills that are much in demand in the conventional workplace - time management skills, data entry, and typing speed, writing and editing and verbal communications, even administrative and project coordination skills and computer programming.
Lots of people leave the conventional 9-5 workforce for a while; they suffer a layoff, or have a child and maternity and paternity leave, and don't want to be away from the youngster while they're forming their parental bonding, or they retired and wanted part time work from home, or they're considering a career change. When re-entering the workforce, there's always the concern from employers that a candidate's skills are outdated and they may be hesitant to hire that person.
Here's a list of strong selling points about yourself if you've worked from home and are going back to work for someone else.
1) Time management. Nothing kills home based business productivity like a lack of time management skills. If you're the sort of person who avoided the siren song of procrastination, and got your work done early, then you can legitimately claim to be a goal oriented self-starter.
2) Project management. Most home based businesses involve running multiple projects at the same time and keeping deadlines in place, or keeping the work of multiple contributors coordinated, edited, compiled, and laid out.
3) Data entry and typing speed. These skills are always in demand, and doing them from home is a great way to keep them fresh. Likewise, if you worked as a medical or technical transcriptionist, this is a useful (and marketable) skill that you shouldn't be shy about showing off.
4) Computer programming and graphic design. These two (seemingly) unrelated fields are ideal for home based work; they're also ones that are, to varying degrees, in demand. You need to have fluency with the production environments used for the standards in these fields, and you need to be able to demonstrate talent - fortunately, working from home, you can build up an impressive portfolio.
5) Administrative tasks. It's surprising how many administrative tasks (juggling schedules, tracking deadlines and more) can and are done from home; if you've helped other businesses run while you've been working from home, this is a managerial skill that's in strong demand.
So, just because you've been working from home, don't sell yourself short. A lot of the skills you used to make your job work from home are eminently marketable. What you don't have is a regular employment history; what you do have is a strong portfolio, and (if you're doing consulting work) a list of clients who can be used for referrals.
And, as an aside - don't forget to shop for a new outfit before heading to an interview. A new suit will make you feel more confident about yourself, and won't send the message that you last updated your skills when you last updated your wardrobe.
There is a misconception about how to make money on the internet. So let's open right up and say that you do NOT need to start a web site, sell anything or get involved in MLM programs. You can pay your bills simply with a part time internet job.
It is not necessary to quit your day job. You can earn a decent supplemental income after you come home for a couple of hours in the evening or on the weekends.
Some of the opportunities available include filling in surveys, typing at home, processing emails and many more. Even things like freelance writing can generate a little extra scratch each month. What you decide to do depends on what you can do, what you're capable of. Here are some examples to consider:
- Paid online surveys can be a great way to earn extra money. Most only take between 5 and 15 minutes. Pay scale can range from $1 to as much as $75. You just need to look for the opportunities.
- The typing at home industry has been around for a while. Some of the jobs actually fall under the survey heading, but there are simple typing jobs available. All you need is a computer, fast and accurate typing skills, an email address and a couple of hours in the evening.
- Some online companies will pay people to process their emails, follow up with prospective customers, answer questions and do basic customer service.
- There are even opportunities to become what are called "virtual assistants". These can be a part time job or can blossom into a lucrative full time position. These folks stay home and telecommute.
- One of the easiest and quickest ways to earn money is freelance writing. This can be writing articles, columns or ads for clients. There are also freelance opportunities in photography and other areas.
- Mystery shopping has become one of the easiest ways for you to earn from home. Simply put, you visit restaurants, stores or any establishment and secretly gather information on the location. The company you shop for will tell you what to look for and what they want reported back to them. This is very easy to get into and requires NO experience at all. You get paid AND oftentimes, get reimbursed for your purchase!
There really are a myriad of ways to earn some real cash online. You are only limited by your own imagination. You just need to make sure you have the time to commit to the activity.
The really great thing about these opportunities is that you are your own boss. You work when you want to work, as long as you want to work. If you don't want to do a job, cancel it. Just remember that you will only make what you turn in. The less you work, the less you will make, obviously.
If you need a raise, take more work. You can also work for several different companies and earn from each one as long as you don't overextend yourself. If you need time off, just take it. You are your own boss. Keep in mind that how much money you make is up to you.
So gather up your bills and then go get some legitimate part time internet jobs to pay them down or completely off.
posted by Chris Simpson
3 Comments »
Thursday, February 5th 2009
Work at home business opportunities are hard to choose, we know, but this article will help you sort through the information and make an informed decision.
It's alright to be overwhelmed by all the home based business opportunities available today. The first step is definitely to calm down and think everything through. Your business decisions will shape and mold your company - either into a success or failure - so it is extremely important to be able to make good decisions regarding your work at home business opportunity. How critical each decision you make cannot be stressed enough, so you need to be calm.
The name of the game is thought. Think through all of your options. Think about whether you have the determination and the discipline to work from home. Think about what type of opportunity would really interest you so you're excited to get out of bed in the morning. If your opportunity requires that you get trained or work closely with someone else, what's your opinion of that person? Is this someone you can talk to everyday or every week without getting aggravated?
If you have a time constraint, don't waste time daydreaming! Time limits will test your ability to think on the spot and you can't afford any distractions. There are numerous companies that have failed simply because they didn't think things through. An offer that looks good one minute can look awful the next and vice versa. Be open to everything and never become biased.
Get feedback from family and friends regarding the decisions you need to make before accepting a work at home business opportunity. Ask them what they'd do in your situation and then assess what they said with a neutral attitude. Do not talk to friends or family who don't completely comprehend your task at hand as they will only hinder your decision and may make you choose a fatal one. Instead, ask someone that you're 100% confident knows enough to give an educated opinion.
Prepare yourself for the worst and best. Some days will be great and others will be awful, just like when you worked in a traditional office. Think about how you will handle business challenges while working from home. If you're joining a company, how good is their support system? Will you be alone in solving your problems or do you have someone you can call? Leadership and good problem solving skills are essential to home business success.
Research your choices and make sure you're well informed. Never go into a decision without completely understanding what you're doing. What you do represents your company and you definitely don't want a bad reputation. This is the one case, where being a know-it-all can be considered good, as you don't want to fall into a bad situation because you made a, ill-informed choice. If you work for a company that has a certain pay structure or commission program, be sure to understand all the details of how to earn those commissions.
These are just a few tips for choosing the right work at home opportunity. Always ask questions before signing any company agreements, understand every aspect of the business opportunity, and know exactly what is expected of you in return. Once you're satisfied with the answers and you feel confident that you can work successfully from home, then sign on the dotted line! Fill yourself with pride by managing your work or your company successfully and always be 100% sure of every choice you make.
posted by Chris Simpson
No Comments »
Can't Find
It Here? Try Searching Google!
"TOP PICK" OPPORTUNITIES
Jobs!
Offering multiple income sources. 90 day no questions asked
Risk FREE Trial! Start earning TODAY!
Subscribe
To The HomeNetPro.Com
Chronicle
