Oh how so many of us dream of working at home, in our "jammies" and slippers. It really can be more than just a dream and become a reality! With today's economy and more and more people being laid off from work, searching for new employment is becoming more difficult since many "brick and mortar" companies are not hiring right now.
There are all different types of positions available to work at home and luckily a wide variety of people with the skills to fill these different positions.
Perhaps you like Customer Service or Sales, while others like to do transcriptions and data entry.
Lets speak of some of the requirements needed before you start working at home.
First of all, you must be self motivated, first and foremost!
You need to enjoy working independently. Many companies allow you to set your own schedule working as an independent contractor, while others you are considered an employee and will need to work a set schedule that you have agreed upon.
A quiet place to work is a must. If you have children, working while they are at school, down for naps or in the evenings when someone else can watch them or they are sleeping is important.
You need to have a fast computer with at least 1 GB of memory to work for most companies.
You will need to have DSL because dial-up or satellite connections will not work for most companies.There are a few exceptions on the satellite, but none that I know of will allow you to use a dial-up connection.
A good headset. Many prefer Plantronics but search for one that is comfortable. You can find both single ear and dual ear headsets. Be sure to get one that is noise canceling!
You will need a separate land line (one connected to the wall) with which to work. It can not have any additional features such as call waiting, caller id, call forwarding or voice mail.
Many people are now using cell phones as their primary phone line which is fine but you will need this secondary line to work from home. I personally use AT&T and my basic phone service runs about $18 per month. I also use the base package DSL which runs $25 per month.
Be prepared to submit a resume along with your application.
Most companies will charge a small fee, from $30-50 to do a background check on you once you have passed the initial screening process.
Most companies will be giving you on the job training in order to work for their company. Some will be self paced, with tests or quizzes at the end.
Many companies will continue to have ongoing training, in the form of meetings on the internet through what is known as web-ex or where you dial in for conferences for additional training and assistance.
Most companies have mid-management personnel who will be your contacts for assistance in performing your job.
Working as an Independent Contractor
There are many advantages as well as some disadvantages to working as an independent contractor. The one thing that I like about it is that I can set my own hours. Being one who does function well at 8AM, I prefer to start my work day later and am willing to work into the wee hours overnight. I like the ability to take breaks and go do something else and not be tied into a work environment for a steady 8 hours each day. There are also times when I can work 10 hours or more in a given day while on other days I might only be able to work 1 or 2 hours.
As an independent contractor, I am not tied into a 40 hour work week. I can work more or less as to my choosing.
You will be responsible for all of your own taxes, filing a 1099 form. You do have the advantages of writing off your home office and any products and equipment that you purchase in performing your job. You can also write off a portion of your actual home's expenses, such as heating, cooling, the office phone, etc.
Work At Home Employee
With this type of position, the company you work for will be supplying you with a W-4 withholding form and they will be picking up part of the tab for your withholding allowances and they will also be withholding your share from your paycheck.
You are usually limited to a 40 hour work week and you work according to a schedule that the two of you have agreed upon.
Starting your own business from home
Many types of skills are adaptable to you starting your own work at home business.
For instance, someone with construction background could start their own home renovations business, work with banks or mortgage companies to repair repossessed homes for resale.
Someone with medical background could be contacting doctors or hospitals about outsourcing medical transcription or medical coding, processing insurance claims for them.
Good organizing skills could be used to assist someone get their homes organized or their businesses organized.
Of course you will need to check with your state regarding proper business licenses and bonding that might be required.
Where to start looking for work
Here are a few of my favorite websites to go to to look for work. They have listings of many companies and they screen them well to be sure they are not scams.
www.wahm.com Which is Work At Home Mom and one of the first sites I visited when I started working at home
www.mommysplace.net
www.ratracerebellion.com
These will get you started in your job search
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