{"id":1558,"date":"2020-04-14T05:35:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-14T12:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.homewiththekids.com\/blog\/?p=1558"},"modified":"2020-04-14T10:32:03","modified_gmt":"2020-04-14T17:32:03","slug":"how-do-you-get-started-working-from-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homewiththekids.com\/blog\/how-do-you-get-started-working-from-home\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do You Get Started Working From Home?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"How<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I get a lot of people asking me how to get started working from home. They know they want to work at home, but have no clue where or how to start looking, even after finding this site. Sometimes they don’t have the foggiest notion of what kind of work they want to do from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saying that you want to get started working from home is really vague. People who ask that and give no further information can be difficult to help sometimes. They have no idea what they want to do and expect me to come up with the right job without knowing anything about their skills or interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I have very little information, I usually give very basic answers. Sometimes that’s all that is needed anyhow. If you’re wondering where the work at home job leads are, take a look at the Work at Home Jobs section<\/a> of this website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ah, but that\u2019s not terribly helpful to those who really don\u2019t know what they want to do. How do you get to the point where you can start looking for a particular work at home job?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look At Your Expectations Before You Get Started Working From Home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the myths, working at home isn\u2019t easy. So many people just want to be pointed in the right direction and have it handed to them, and that\u2019s just not going to happen. When you want something in life you can\u2019t sit around waiting for it to happen. You have to do what it takes to get started working from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expect to have to work at looking for a job. You probably wouldn\u2019t get the first outside the home job you apply for, so why should you expect that for a work at home job?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t assume that you\u2019ll be making big bucks from a work at home job. That\u2019s one of the big reasons people get scammed so easily. Visions of easy money make people lose all common sense. Many work at home jobs don\u2019t pay spectacularly well unless it\u2019s a more in demand and hard to find skill. And most home businesses can take anywhere from months to years to become profitable, IF they ever do\u2026 no matter what the hype says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Do You Want To Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just as in looking for an outside the home job, it really helps to know what kind of work at home job you\u2019re looking for. What are you qualified for? Do you have any relevant experience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s all well and good to say, \u201cWell, I\u2019d like to do customer service, or maybe data entry<\/a> or even assemble stuff from home, just so long as I get paid.\u201d That is, if you want to fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be vague. And don\u2019t just think about the classic work at home jobs. There are a lot more possibilities out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Software developers work at home. Graphic designers work at home. Medical coders work at home<\/a>. There are many work at home jobs that require significant education and experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Really Look At Your Experience.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s extra hard landing a work at home job if you lack experience. There\u2019s rarely any face to face training unless the company has strict location requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experience always helps. It doesn\u2019t matter what kind of job you\u2019re looking for. Employers love experience. This doesn’t mean you have to have experience before you can work from home, but it’s a help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t necessarily need the exact job title as the one you\u2019re going for. Some companies get very creative with their job titles. Other jobs have a number of common variations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work On Your Resume.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best work at home resumes<\/a> are targeted to the individual job, not just a generic resume for a particular field. But you should have one that is generally targeted toward what you\u2019re seeking so that it doesn\u2019t take too long to customize it for each application. You want to target it to each individual employer\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re considering two or more very distinct types of jobs to do from home, create a resume based around each. A software developer who would also consider working as a technical writer at home will need a different resume for each of those, to emphasize the very different skills those two jobs require.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work On Your Cover Letter.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may not always need one, but it\u2019s good to have a cover letter available as a way to introduce yourself when possible. Don\u2019t talk about wanting to work at home for more time with your family and that kind of stuff; it\u2019s not relevant to potential employers, any more than saying you want to work to support your family would be for applying to an outside the home job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as with your resume, have a generic one you can customize as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put A Salt Shaker On Your Desk.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No, you don\u2019t have to do this literally. But when you\u2019re about to start looking at work at home opportunities, you need to be prepared to take things with a grain of salt and a whole lot of skepticism. Probably go through the entire shaker pretty fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work at home scams<\/a> outnumber legitimate opportunities by far. I try to keep things clean here, but I can\u2019t promise to get it perfect. And if you\u2019re searching around and about the internet, you\u2019re probably going to run into a lot of scams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When in doubt, start by reading the job ad carefully. Does it sound too good to be true? That’s a red flag. Does the visible contact information match up with the actual employer? Some scams use a real employer’s name to fool you but have a Gmail or other email address for the contact. Be careful out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start Looking.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With a good notion of the kind of job you\u2019re looking for, it\u2019s time to quit preparing and start looking. You\u2019re not going to get anywhere if you don\u2019t take action. This is the most important step to successfully get started working from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t pay to apply for a work at home job. Very few legitimate companies charge applicants for a background check \u2013 only consider these companies if you really think you\u2019re a good match and can risk the cost of the background check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019re applying, it can be quite the waiting game. It is not at all uncommon for work at home job hunts to take months, sometimes over a year. I\u2019m not going to promise you an easy time finding a job. Lots of other people probably want the same jobs you do, and you can\u2019t all have them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can pay off to apply to some employers every few months. Don\u2019t overdo it or you\u2019ll be an annoyance, but a time can come when sending in a fresh application is the right move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, if your family is desperate for money, do consider an outside the home job if that\u2019s what you need to keep financially afloat. I see too many people saying they need a work at home job desperately so they can pay their bills. If that\u2019s you, consider finding an outside the home job while you hunt for work at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may have to work at night if you\u2019re married and can\u2019t afford childcare. You may have to find a friend to trade childcare with if you don\u2019t have any way to pay for childcare and no one else to help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you need income be realistic about it and remember that you can find work at home later, without such extreme financial pressure. Desperation means you\u2019re more likely to make stupid mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You May Also Want To Read<\/h2>\n\n\n\n