[Guest Post] Finding a Work from Home Job

Today’s guest Post is from Career Step, a leading voice in online business education. Do enjoy reading and leave a comment
Just imagine how good life would be if instead of weaving your way through daily traffic to reach your office, all you needed to do was to walk a few steps to the next room.

What would it mean for your family if you had more time to spend with them? How impressed would your boss be to notice a sudden spurt in your productivity because all the time and energy you save on commute, meetings and idle office chat is now spent on actual work?

What about moms who never have it easy whether they decide to work or stay at home? What if these stay at home parents could care for their babies, while making a financial contribution and feeling mentally alive?

All the above situations may sound too good to be true, but they’re not. “Work from home” are the three magic words that can turn these dream situations into reality!

But before we go any further, it must be said that finding legitimate work from home opportunities may actually turn out to be harder than finding an office job. Why, you ask? Simply because for every genuine work at home job, there is scam waiting in the wings ready to make a meal of innocent folk.

So, here are some steps you can take to find real work from home job opportunities without falling prey to online scams:

Negotiate with your employer
The best place to start searching for home-based job opportunities is your current workplace. You may be surprised how receptive employers can be to the idea of working from home provided your profile allows telecommuting. They have as much to gain from it as you, so don’t hesitate to broach the subject with them.

Be honest about your situation and explain why you need to work from home. It’s possible that to begin with you will need to convince your employer of your trustworthiness. You can offer to telecommute for a couple of days in a week to start with and gradually move to a full-time work from home arrangement.

Change your approach to job search
Before you start looking for work at home opportunities, you should know that you may have to change your approach to job search.

Broad job search engines like Monster.com or Simplyhired.com are great for finding regular office jobs, but may not be very fruitful as far as work at home options are concerned. You should focus on websites that post work from home jobs or freelance opportunities exclusively.

You can also use keywords like “telecommuting,” “freelancing,” “consulting,” and “work from home” jobs on search engines like Google or Live to find work. However, be wary of the results that are thrown up as a lot of them could be scams.

Use the power of Internet to network

Internet is probably one of the best gifts of man to mankind! Cyber space is exploding with information and communication of all kinds and you can use it to your benefit when it comes to looking for home-based work.

Become a member of industry-specific discussion forums to network with professionals with similar backgrounds and interests. Some of these platforms may also host job listings, so that may work to your advantage.

You can also use professional networking websites like LinkedIn to connect with potential employers or recruiters. Make sure your CV is updated on such websites to harness best opportunities.

Get vocational training
At times, the field or the profile you’re in may not allow telecommuting. Does that mean you give up on your dream of working from home? Not necessarily. If you are willing to invest some time and little money into a vocational training program, it’s possible to start over.

This may work the best for people who are not the main breadwinners in the family as starting over would mean lower wages to begin with.

Some work from home options that can be explored after completing a vocational training program are in fields like medical transcription, medical billing and coding, graphic design, virtual assistance, legal transcription, technical writing, web development, etc.

Other work from home jobs like customer support, data entry, sales and telemarketing may not require specific training, but generic skills like communication, problem-solving, convincing power, typing speed, etc.

And if you’re lucky enough to have a talent for something like painting, photography, cooking, or music, you can turn your craft into a full time home-based business!

Just bear in mind that if you go out looking for home-based careers without any vocational trainingor experience, all you will find is trash!

About Career Step
Career Step is a leading vocational school with almost 20 years of experience in providing online career training specifically designed to help students acquire knowledge and skills needed to quickly transition to a successful career after graduation.

[Guest Post] How to Work from Home with Children

This is a guest post by Kylie Ofiu, author of 365 Ways To Make Money. She blogs at Kylie Ofiu about ways to make and save money as well as what she is doing to reach her goal of becoming a millionaire by April 2015. This guest post is part of a series she is doing called 31 Days of Money. You can find her on twitter and Facebook.

Often as a stay at home parent people think you have all the time in the world do twiddle your thumbs. They do not think that looking after your children takes much effort; therefore you are free at any time to do anything. This is not the case. It is not the case even more so if you are a work at home parent.
It can be quite difficult juggling raising your children, keeping the house clean, running a business/working as well as family time and time for friends.
Two of the most important things I have found as a work at home parent is being organised and having support.

Being organised
I am not really an organised person by nature but as my workload has increased I have had to become more organised or I just would not be able to get everything done that I need to do. I now have more of a routine for my children which means they know what is happening and when, as well as what is expected of them. I have separate spaces for things, such as all my work things filed in one spot, the children’s toys grouped together in categories so they can play with one lot at a time creating less mess. I also have a cleaning routine and basically a routine for all areas of my life. I am not completely rigid in my routine, but I do need to have them.

By having a routine I have created timeslots I can work. When my children were younger I worked a little during their naptime. They no longer take naps so I have changed to work in the early hours between when my husband leaves for work and when my children get up. Once they are up I do some of the cleaning for the day, organise what I need to do for the day and spend time with my children. Once they go to bed I spend a little time cleaning up and then am free to work.

That is not for every day, as there are days for dates, or family activities, but you get the idea. I have found the more structure my children have, the happier they are to sit and do puzzles or play outside together without me needing to be there. This frees me up to complete housework or reply to emails in small timeslots, whilst not feeling like I am neglecting my children.

Support
Support has been the other big thing for me. By having the support of my husband he will often take our daughters for an afternoon so I can do some work? Without that time and his encouragement of what I am doing I would not get as much done.
Besides the support from my husband I also have a money group I set up with my sisters on Facebook. It is private and we can go on and chat to one another, give each other ideas as well as let each other know about exciting things that are happening.

I am fortunate to have the support of my extended family. At different times I have also arranged for my children to go to relatives houses for play time without me, leaving me some time to work and my kids get to play with their cousins.
If your family is not supportive with what you are doing it can be very hard. Initially my husband was not so interested in what I was doing so I needed to juggle it with all my other commitments and no real free time without kids. For encouragement I often went to forums such as the one on Digital Parents to seek out likeminded people who were happy for each other’s success. This can really lift the spirits.

To find child free time to work when you have no support can be harder. If you can afford it you could look into childcare. This is not a suitable option for everyone though. Other options are seeking out friends where you can do swaps; you look after their children one day and they look after yours another.
The support of friends can be great. Be clear with your friends about your work times though, otherwise you may find their idea of swaps is not so much swapping, but more lets catch up for coffee. Socialising is good, but not during set work times.

It is not easy working from home with children but it can be done. Being organised and finding a support network are the 2 most beneficial things to me for working from home with children.

To Your success,
Pamela

“Do You Love Your Business?”

Enjoy this article by Ali Brown

Most of us start our business with passion and commitment, but over time our goals and ideologies change, sometimes leaving us feeling restless and unfulfilled. Answer these questions to see how committed you still are to your business.

Why did you start your business?

A. I wanted to make money.
B. I wanted to be recognized.
C. I wanted the challenge.
D. I believed in what I was doing.

How often do you wake up and look forward to work?

A. Rarely — I wish I could sleep in longer.
B. Most days — unless I have a late night.
C. Often — I enjoy my work.
D. Daily — I can’t wait to be at my desk.

What do you do when someone at a party asks what you do?

A. I tell them and discuss the hors d’oeuvres.
B. I give them my business card that lists my services.
C. I tell them about my business and what I do.
D. I know that by the end of the evening, I’ll have a new potential client.

Do you get caught up in what you’re doing to realize you’ve missed lunch?

A. Rarely — I always feel hungry.
B. Sometimes — especially before project deadlines.
C. Often — there’s a lot to do.
D. What’s lunch?

Which statement best describes your overall attitude about your business?

A. It pays the bills.
B. It’s exciting at the moment, but I want to keep the doors of opportunity wide open.
C. My work is an important part of my life, and I derive a great deal of pleasure from working.
D. Without my business, I’d feel empty and life would have little meaning.

How often do you leave your job feeling burned out, tired, and lacking energy?

A. Daily — there’s a lot of work to catch up on.
B. Often — especially before a project deadline.
C. Sometimes — if I’m understaffed.
D. Rarely — it’s tiring, but I love it.

How would you characterize your business plan?

A. My business plan needs updating. I haven’t had the time.
B. I know where my business needs to go, but I’m flexible about how to get there.
C. I can see myself achieving my current goals, so I’m happy with the way my plan is working.
D. I have a solid business plan that I make sure to update every six months.

Congratulations! You’ve won the lottery. What do you do next?
A. I would sell my business. I can’t wait to travel the world!
B. I would hire a manager to run the company while I plan my next move.
C. I would take a break and enjoy my newfound wealth, and come back to work after a couple of months.
D. I would keep on working. I love what I do!

CALCULATE YOUR SCORE:

Take a look at your answers. Did you answer mostly As, Bs, Cs, or Ds?
Mostly A: You may be doing well in your present business, but it’s obvious that your heart’s not in it. Re-evaluate why you started it and see if it’s really worth continuing. You may be better off exploring other avenues and options that would make you happier.
Mostly B: You’re almost there. You need to focus more and be more dedicated if you’re going to make this work. A business needs 100% passion and commitment to succeed, so if this is what you want to do, then you need to push yourself harder.
Mostly C: Congratulations! You’ve selected the perfect business for yourself. You seem to love what you do, and you also realize the need to balance your work and personal life.
Mostly D: You have a strong drive and are an overachiever. While that’s excellent and necessary if you are to run a successful business, you may need to ease up a little to ensure don’t neglect your personal life.

By Ali Brown

Ali Brown Self-made entrepreneur and Inc. 500-ranked CEO Ali Brown teaches women around the world how to start and grow profitable businesses that make a positive impact. Get her FREE weekly articles and advice at www.AliBrown.com

To Blog or Not to Blog….

Today, I am participating in a guest post day being coordinated by Erica of http://www.littlemummy.com
This is a guest post by Susan Mann who blogs at susankmann.com. She writes about the power of social media that has increased the speed with which we connect with other people we wouldn’t have been able to connect with. Susan blogs a bit about everything

I was paired with Pamela. She is not someone whom I have had any contact with before now, nor had I visited her blog. And to be honest I probably wouldn’t have ever done. Not that I wouldn’t have liked her or that I don’t like her blog, I do, but our paths would never have crossed. However, through the power of social networking our blogs have been fused. Well for a day or so.

Erica over at http://www.littlemummy.com/ hosts a Guest Post Day where we bloggers can put their name down and be paired up with someone they would not normally blog with. Hence, the reason I am here and have been introduced to Pamela’s blog.

My blog http://www.susankmann.co.uk/ is a relatively small blog; I only started in January of this year. However, it has grown quickly through the help of Twitter, British Mummy Bloggers, Writing Workshops and The Gallery. I am not sure I would class myself as a Mummy Blogger. I am a mummy and a blogger so yes I suppose you could say that I am, but I don’t just blog about being a mother. I blog about me, my family, my kids, my interests, my writing and the books I read. Therefore, it’s a bit of everything.

Most blogs fall into one category or another; I’m not sure which one mine fits into. I’m a book blogger, I’m a review blogger, I’m a mummy blogger, and I have a writer’s blog. So who knows? I like my blog, I blog for me. Not to see how popular I am with however many followers I have. Although it is a nice feeling when you get a new follower who posts a nice wee comment. I like to post what I like.

Blogging has given me confidence. Confidence in expressing myself in a way I never would have before. Confidence in telling the world how I feel, just sharing experiences, not for anyone in particular just for myself so they are out there. It’s like a release valve. Once it’s on the blog the world can read it, if they choose to and it’s as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. I have shared the problem or the experience but not to a relative or a friend a stranger, who doesn’t know me and won’t judge me but who may offer a little bit of advice of their wisdom. And that to me is what blogging is all about.

One of the best ways in which you can meet liked minded people, new blogs and friends is through Twitter. Twitter is a fantastic way of doing this. For those of you not familiar with Twitter, it is a micro blogging site, in which you use 140 characters of less to say what you want. You can respond to other people’s tweets or direct message them if you don’t want what you are saying made public.

I have found Twitter to be useful resource for meeting new people, new blogs, but most of all I have found friends and support that would astound you. I can ask about a problem I am having with one of my children and there will be several tweets back within minutes, from fellow mothers with advice on their experiences. It is amazing, something I couldn’t and don’t want to live without. I am now addicted.