I
have exciting news if you want to stay home with
your precious babies, but still need a weekly paycheck.
If you think you can’t do both, I’m
here to tell you that you can! The official word
for what I’m talking about it “Telecommuting”,
but it’s also known as a work at home job.

If you’re brand new to the concept let me
tell you a quick overview of the meaning. Basically,
a telecommuting job is much like a job outside the
home. You work for an employer, you have assigned
duties, you often make an hourly rate, receive a
paycheck and do this all from home.

The differences from outside the home to inside
is that you often do not receive any type of benefit
such as you would outside the home. For instance,
you won’t receive health insurance, paid holidays,
paid sick leave or vacation time. The benefit you
do receive is the luxury of working inside your
home and being with your kids.

First Steps To Breaking Into This Field

If telecommuting does interest you there are some
basic things you need to know in order to get started.
First, you need to know where to find the legitimate
jobs. The internet is filled with scams and it’s
important that you know where to find the legitimate
jobs. The following are just a few of the great
resources online that provide many legitimate job
listings.

FREE SITES:

www.WAHM.com

www.Craiglist.org

www.ABYZNewslinks.com

www.Workaholics4hire.com

FREE NEWSLETTERS:

www.TelecommutingAnswerLady.com (which is my weekly
newsletter)

www.Workoptions.com

HJS – which can be found at TelecommutingAnswerLady.com/hjs.htm

Paid Membership Sites

You certainly don’t have to pay to access
legitimate job leads, but there are two websites
that are legitimate and offer many leads and those
are:

HJS (that also has the free newsletter) –
TelecommutingAnswerLady.com/hjs.htm

TR (that has more company links then fresh leads)
– www.TelecommutingAnswerLady.com/tr.htm

What Jobs and Pay You Can Expect

Often, I’m asked what types of jobs are available
and what one can make at home. First, I’m
excited to say that there are just as many types
of positions available for telecommuters as those
who work outside the home. Anything from customer
service to sales to marketing to data entry to medical
transcription and much more!

The pay is going to vary from position to position,
but the average pay seems to range from $8.00-$14.00
an hour. There are exceptions to this and it will
honestly depend on your experience in a particular
field and what company you get into. And there are
chances to move up in many telecommuting companies
so keep that in mind as well.

Read This BEFORE Applying

It’s so important that you realize getting
a job at home is not easy and will take time. Not
only that, but your competition will be tough and
you need to stand above the rest. Being professional
with your cover letter and resume and any follow
up is key.

Make sure you spell check like a maniac and tailor
each and every cover letter and resume to that specific
job you’re applying to.

I would highly recommend you have a professional
résumé writer craft a winning cover
letter and resume for you. You can find an affordable
and creative resume writer at www.resumeasap.com.

And in a final note with this topic, please remember
to always be professional in all correspondence.
If you don’t happen to receive a job you applied
for don’t email the employer angrily because
you did not receive the position. I received this
great tip from an employer on this topic. And believe
it or not, this does happen all too often.

“Don’t burn bridges. When you receive a letter
saying you didn’t get the job, send a polite reply
asking that your information be kept on file and
express your interest in being considered for future
openings. There is nothing to be gained by voicing
any anger or resentment at not being chosen.”

Linda Stacey

What Equipment Is Needed

Just like working outside the home you’ll
need certain things to do the job. You often need
either all or some of the following:

Home Office

Computer

Printer

High Speed Internet (in most cases)

2nd Phone Line (sometimes)

Fax Machine (sometimes)

Quiet Environment

Depending on the job you might need something that
I didn’t list. For example, if you’re
a transcriptionist you might need a foot pedal or
something of that nature. And there are also instances
in which you won’t need all of the equipment
I mentioned. The one obvious thing you will need
in all cases of legitimate employment is a computer
and internet access.

Final Thoughts

Please keep in mind that it often takes much longer
to find and get a telecommuting job then a job outside
the home. The market is very competitive and although
there are many more jobs now then a few years ago
there is also much more competition. So please don’t
think that you will get a job tomorrow as that is
not likely to happen.

Persistence is the key. Don’t give up on
this happening. I firmly believe that where there’s
a will there’s a way. It could take months,
but when you do receive the welcome letter to a
great telecommuting position it will all be worth
it!

ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
 Nell Taliercio is the owner and founder
of www.telecommutingmoms.com
– which is a leading resource website with
work at home jobs and everything a telecommuting
mom would need. Come visit us today!

This article is available for reprint with author’s
resource box intact and all links live and clickable.
Copyright is reserved by author.