“WOW! I can work from home and make money? I can sit around in my PJ’s and work whenever I want? How great, I want to be a telecommuter!”

There is much more to being a telecommuter than working in your PJ’s or working when you want to. Yes, those are nice benefits to telecommuting, but you’d be surprised by how much work goes into working from home. You usually have to work 10 times harder and longer than in your traditional job outside the home.

When I first started telecommuting years ago I thought, “How hard could this be?” Well was I in for a surprise! I found I wasn’t as motivated as I thought I would be. It was really hard for me to get up on time, get something to eat, and go to my “office” in order to start my day.

And once I did start my day I had to force myself to sit there and work for at least 3 hours at a time before I took a break. I couldn’t believe how different it was from working outside the home. Yes, it was very rewarding to work from my home, but it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I thought from all the ads I’d seen online, that working would be a breeze.

After a few months of telecommuting, talking to other telecommuters, and just adjusting to this new way of working it all became much easier. I found that it was very fulfilling to be at home and be earning an income. It was nice to start my day when I wanted. My daily commute wasn’t an hour each way in rush hour traffic; it was down the hall in the bedroom we had set up for an office. It was very satisfying and a lot of fun!

I grew a network of moms who worked from their home too, and talked to them on message boards, email, instant messaging and chat rooms…they became my “co-workers”. I never realized how much I liked having co-workers, or people to talk to during the workday, until I began telecommuting!

So, does this all sound like something you’d like to do? Ask yourself these questions before you start telecommuting.

Am I focused?

What skills or experience do I have and can they work in a teleworking environment?

Do I have an area for an office and equipment?

Am I motivated or do I get frustrated and give up?

Can I work without supervision?

Can I manage my time well?

Do I listen to instructions and can I follow them easily?

Can I meet deadlines?

Do I have strong communication skills?

Do I have a strong work ethic?

There are even more things to consider before taking the leap into telecommuting. Such as, if you have small children will you be able to work with your child at home and if you go full time what will you do about healthcare benefits? Will you be able to live on part time income until you have enough work to maintain a full time schedule?

Many times when hired to work at home, you will not be making a full time income. You will need to obtain more than one job or work the one you have long enough to prove you’re a good employee so they give you more work. There are always exceptions to this rule, but in general it will take more than one job to make full time income.

But as most telecommuters will tell you “where there’s a will there’s a way” and if you really want to work from your home, you will. Just remember that it will take time to adjust to. Be sure to stay focused, motivated, dedicated, and have a positive attitude. It’s all necessary in your success as a telecommuter!

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.

Question: How do I market myself online?

Answer: With a stellar cover letter and resume.

Okay, so let’s get into the meat of this. You know that you need to market yourself, and you can do that with a stellar cover letter and resume. But, why is that so important? Let’s think about this. When you apply offline for a job, you are competing with a handful of people (usually) and right there you have a better chance to get called in for an interview. Online jobs you are often competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other applicants for the very same position.

In the “real world” you apply in person. Therefore, you can dress for success and put your best foot forward. You can impress them with your presence and personality. Online you can’t. What’s your “best foot forward” online?

That would be your cover letter and resume – how you present yourself on paper. Your cover letter and resume have to show your skills and your personality; it has to be your presence.

How do you put your best foot forward with your cover letter and resume? A telecommuting employer (one who hires work at home employees) is looking for different things on cover letters and resumes then those offline. Let’s talk about cover letters first. If you’re not sending a cover letter with your resume then this might be one of the reasons you’re not getting hired. The cover letter is your VERY first impression. Take the time to show you’re very serious about the job they have open. See if you can find who the head of HR is, and address it to that person. Tailor your cover letter to that specific position.

This is optional, but I always put where I found the position (for example, “The position I’m applying for is Customer Service, which I found at XYZ.com”). I always did that even with offline jobs, but it’s not necessary. I think some employers just like to know where you heard about their job. This is especially helpful online because jobs get passed around and around online. It could have started out on a certain website and then ended up on hundreds of others.

Make sure you pay attention to the job ad. Does it say you need DSL? Does it say you will be working with certain software? Whatever the requirements, if you meet them, put that down on the cover letter. The employer will scan over your cover letter, and you want what’s on yours to stand out and grab their eye. If you have what they need, you’re going to grab their attention – and that’s what you want!

Overall, you want to pay attention to detail, outline why you’re the best person for the job (without going on too long about how great you are), and point out that you have what is required for the job.

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.

You’ve made it! Your cover letter and resume got you to the interview process… now what? First of all, I would like to give you a BIG congratulations for making it this far. Pat yourself in the back, do a happy dance. Okay, now let’s get down to business.

Not every work at home job will require a telephone interview. Some just hire you from what they see on your cover letter and resume, but you need to be prepared for those dreaded phone interviews. I say dreaded because often the thought of a telephone interview scares people.

What you need to realize is that they understand it’s a nerve racking process. So, take a deep breath, and have faith in yourself and your abilities. The most important thing to make the interviewer believe in you as a potential employee is that YOU believe in YOU as a potential employee. Again, the keywords “SELL YOURSELF” come into play.

Be friendly and upbeat on the interview, but don’t talk too long or about unimportant things. Don’t give away too much personal information, either. Basically, you just want to answer the questions asked of you. What I would do is really study the job, the requirements, and the company. Then write a “cheat sheet” before the interview to have on hand.

Here are some telecommuting interview tips and common questions I’ve run into:

Why do you want to work from home?

I personally would never say “Because I want to be home with my child”. I think that’s an obvious one and most interviewers will figure that that’s a reason. I would say something that would make me look good for telecommuting. Examples include: “I really enjoy working independently”, “I feel I really shine and thrive when working independently. I want to feel that satisfaction everyday when I’m working”

Why are you the best person for the job?

SELL YOURSELF! Again, those two important keywords! Listen folks, if you can’t sell yourself to this interviewer, you could lose this job to someone else who sells themselves better. You don’t need to brag, but really delve into why you would be the best for the company and job. Look at the job and company before hand. Jot down reasons why you would be best for the job so that you’re prepared for this question.

What your worst quality?

Yuck, I hate this question! I could never really come up with a great answer that didn’t sound like an outright lie. You don’t want to really point out your worst quality. Never say “I’m lazy” or “I get distracted easily” or anything that casts you in a bad light. On the other hand, you don’t want to say something that looks like a complete lie like “I’m a workaholic, and I don’t know when to stop”. I don’t see that as a bad quality, and most employers won’t either. They may call you on it and ask you to give them a real answer.

Don’ts of Interviewing:

Don’t chew gum on an interview. Don’t eat mints or have anything in your mouth. It’s simply not professional, and someone cracking their gum in your ear is very rude and annoying!

Don’t eat or drink while on the phone. Make sure you get all of that done before the interview.

Be sure to set aside time so that your household is relatively quiet. An employer will understand that you’re looking to work at home and, more then likely, want to be home with your kids so there may be noise from time to time. And they should be okay with that. (If they place a lot of importance on a quiet environment and yours is not quiet, you better pass on this job because you will probably lose the job. Don’t waste your time or theirs if you know it’s not a good fit.) However, if you can’t even take this interview seriously enough to devote yourself 100% to it, then you may lose the job because of it. The interviewer wants to know that they are the most important thing during the interview. The dogs barking, kids yelling, and you interrupting to quiet the house is not professional for business.

Don’t go on and on about how much you want this job and how badly you need to get this job. It’s a given that you want the job or you wouldn’t be interviewing, and it’s a given you need the job. The only time I would bring up that you want the job is when they ask you something like “Why do you want to work with us?” Then you can express why you want to work with the company. Don’t say anything like “You can’t even imagine how bad I need this job” or “I really want this job; it would be perfect for me.” The employer needs to know why they would benefit from you working with them. They want to hear the word “you” more often than “me.”

If you would like more tips for interviews and examples of questions, head over to www.mommysplace.net and once there visit the Interview Center.

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.

Your resume needs to outline your skills and experience, as most know. What some may not know is that employers want to know what you’ll bring to the table. They don’t want to know what your daily duties were. They want to know what you did for the companies you worked for that makes you extraordinary. Did you save them money, did you make them money, how were you the best at what you did, etc. Yes, employers want to know what your experience is, so duties are good to add. Again, the name of the game is SELL YOURSELF! This does not lose its importance in a resume.

On your resume, point out the skills that will make you a good telecommuter. Can you work well with no supervision? Do you learn fast? Put that on your resume. If you were left to work with little to no supervision at your last job, let them know that. Also tell them how well you did. If you have telecommuting experience, put a big focus on that. Employers want to know that you can handle telecommuting. There’s always a risk involved with hiring someone to work from home, so an employer knowing you’ve worked at home before will be more at ease with you. They will see you as experienced with telecommuting.

MommysPlace has a Resume and Cover Letter center right here for your convenience, too! It outlines many different types of resumes and cover letter information, and it gives samples. Check it out at the Resume and Cover Letter Center.

Are you taking a second look at your resume now and thinking it could be better? Don’t get discouraged if you can’t afford to hire someone or buy a product that helps you. It’s very possible with a lot of hard work that you can improve your own resume. Here are a few Do’s and Don’ts of resumes. Read through these, and look at the resources below before you get started on your resume.

Do’s of Resume Writing (Tips for telecommuting resumes):

Write about your skills sets and experience. Know what type of job you’re looking for, and target your resume to that. If you’re seeking telecommuting careers, then focus your past skills and experience to telecommuting.

List your accomplishments! This is where you need to really shine. Don’t be afraid to show how great you are as an employee. They need to know why you’re the best for the job. Also, point out any special skills you may have that would put you above the rest of the applicants.

Convey how you can work independently. I know I’ve said this before but I wanted to point it out again because in the telecommuting world it’s the utmost importance!

Side Note—> Heather Eagar (professional resume writer) of Professional Approach says this of conveying how you’re independence is key when applying for a telecommuting position:

“Also, as is the case with teleworkers especially, you have to convey AUTONOMY. Since they will be off-site, the company has to feel comfortable that they are able to manage themselves.” Heather Eagar of Professional Approach

Dont’s of Resume Writing:

Don’t leave out your job objective!

Don’t list hobbies on a resume unless it can directly relate to your job objective.

Don’t have a run-on resume. The preferred length of your resume is no shorter than one page and no longer than two pages.

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.

“I’ve heard you talk about building a website to get telecommuting jobs. Can you tell me more about this, and how I would do it?”

If you all listen to WAHMTalkRadio.com, then you might have heard me talk about using a website to help you get a work at home job. Basically, what I said was that in this field, you NEED to stand out from the crowd, and you can do this many different ways. One of them is to make a website to showcase you, your skills, experience, portfolio, resume, and more.

I started to answer this question, and before I knew it, the answer turned into pages and pages! Instead of overwhelming you with too much to read at one time, I’m going to break this into a two part answer.

Why Build a Website?

Your main objective is to stand out from the crowd of competition, and this is yet another way to do that. Building your own website shows you’re creative, unique, and you are willing to go above and beyond in order to get the job.

Think of it this way. You are applying to a job where hundreds of others have applied, too. Now, they won’t all be as qualified as you all the time, but let’s say 100 are. The employer is sifting through resume after resume; then they come across yours. They click on your link, and it opens up… and there you are! With your picture, bio, resume, and all the other great stuff I’m going tot talk about below. Don’t you think that at the very least you would stand out from the crowd? You might not always get the job because of a website, but it can’t hurt, and it will make you more noticeable.

What to include?

Here are my recommendations for your website, but remember, you can do as much or as little on the website as you’d like. The website needs to reflect you, and therefore you can add to it or remove from it what you would like.

Your Bio – Include a little bit about yourself, your experience, and your skills. The potential employer can get to know you a little bit right off the bat.

Your Picture – Like I’ve said before, it could just make you feel more real to the employer. Since they can put a face to the name, they might remember you more then someone who just has a resume.

Your Voice – Of course, this isn’t one of those die hard rules. I enjoy the option of listening to someone’s greeting/intro, but I know some aren’t comfortable recording their own voices. I do, however, think this is yet another great way to have the employer see you as a real person. Not only can they see your picture, along with your skills and experience, but they could also hear your voice. I use audio on my websites/blogs and newsletters. I find them a great way to communicate and seem more real to my readers

Your Resume – This has all the necessary information that the employer will need. Please be sure to spell check your resume, along with the rest of the website. I would also recommend you having the resume done professionally. Think of it as investing into yourself and your future. I’ve also been told that you can write off a resume on taxes, so keep that in mind.

Your Portfolio – If you have one and you’re looking for work online, the only place to showcase your portfolio is online. It would be a perfect addition to your website. Your portfolio can be one of two things: it can either be work you’ve done, or it can be samples of work you can do. Just have fun with it, and be creative. These are just some of my own suggestions. There are many other things you can do, and I’m sure you will come up with some great ideas for your own personal website.

The next article in the series I’m gong to talk about how you can get your website out there in front of potential employers. After all, you can build an amazing website, but if you don’t know how to get it out there and seen, there’s really no point to 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.

Last article I discussed why a telecommuter would benefit from starting a website, and what you should include on the website. This article, I’m going to cover how to market the website and the basics of getting one set up.

So how can you get your website in front of potential employers? There are a few ways I’m going to cover that won’t cost you a dime!

• Put your link on your résumé, and submit it to the free résumé databases online.

• Put your link in your cover letter when applying for jobs.

• Put your link in your signature line at forums and online groups. Also include it in the emails you send out.

• Give your link to friends. Let them know to pass it on to their employers if they are hiring again.

• Optimize your website for phrases. You could use “data entry employee” for example. (You will need to make sure it’s being searched for first.) This can be a technical thing, and it does take some time to learn. I would focus on the other free ways I mentioned above first. If you’d like to learn more about search engine optimization, you can head over to my forums.

http://www.mommysplaceforums.net

Those are just a few suggestions! I’m sure you can come up with even more great ways to get your website out in front of employers.

I’m not going into detail about website design in this article. You can do some research on your own to come up with great information that helps you, but I do want to share some resources that you might want to look in to.

• Use a site builder if you don’t want to build a site from scratch. The site builder I use for http://www.mommysplace.net/ can be found at www.internetbasedfamily.com

• Choose the name of your website. For a website highlighting information about yourself, I would recommend buying your name as the domain (http://www.nelltaliercio.com/).

• No free hosting, please! You want to present the most professional image of yourself with your website, and free hosting doesn’t look professional! You can get paid hosting for cheap! I use a hosting company for some of my websites, including Telecommuting Answer Lady, for only $14.00 a year!

This has been an overview of websites for telecommuting! I wish you all the best with your job hunt and building your website. If you’d like more information about building a portfolio for your website (or just a portfolio on its own),

• Choose the name of your website. For a website highlighting information about yourself, I would recommend buying your name as the domain (http://www.nelltaliercio.com/). • No free hosting, please! You want to present the most professional image of yourself with your website, and free hosting doesn’t look professional! You can get paid hosting for cheap! I use a hosting company for some of my websites, including Telecommuting Answer Lady, for only $14.00 a year!

This has been an overview of websites for telecommuting! I wish you all the best with your job hunt and building your website. If you’d like more information about building a portfolio for your website (or just a portfolio on its own).

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.

1. An attractive layout that is easy to read and follow.

Recruiters and hiring managers are busy people. They are often reading hundreds of résumés in a day so they don’t have time to clean up your résumés formatting.

If a hiring manager opens your e-mail attachment and the lines are out of alignment (usually from using the “tab” key) or if the font is too large/too small, they will likely hit delete and move on.

Instead of using the “tab” key and the underline function, try to use tables with borders and shading elements to design your résumé. When you e-mail it out, it will retain its original format.

“I would recommend that jobseekers educate themselves and become Microsoft Word experts. Knowing Microsoft Word inside and out will save a lot of time when it comes to the layout and design of a résumé.” Jennifer Anthony

2. A clearly defined goal.

It is imperative that a hiring manager know what position you are applying for and what you have to offer them. Don’t leave them guessing and don’t assume your cover letter will stay with your résumé. Make sure they can glance at it and within seconds know what you have to offer them. Here is an excerpt from a writer’s résumé:

EXPERIENCED WRITER

Accomplished writer with 15 years of experience developing excellent materials, including experience in magazine, newspaper, and corporate writing. Versatile and capable, consistently adhering to deadlines and keeping projects on target. Proven ability to use writing skills, communication skills, and interpersonal skills to succeed in independent and team initiatives.

3. Skills Summary.

There are many types of skills you can list on your résumé. Focus on your job specific skills and your technology skills.

Here is an example for a legal transcriptionist:

?Type 80 WPM

?Legal Terminology Knowledge

?Microsoft Word

?Corel WordPerfect

?Express Scribe

?FTP Knowledge

4. Honesty.

There needs to be a trusting relationship formed in a telecommuting situation. How does the employer know that you won’t lie about how many hours you worked? How do they know you will not steal confidential information? There is no guarantee. However, I can guarantee the trusting relationship is gone as soon as you lie on your résumé and you will be disqualified from the position.

Consequently, it is not in your favor to extend your old employment dates or to inflate your job titles. Companies are hiring sophisticated research companies to investigate your background. Don’t think because your supervisors are all long gone, that your record is gone too. There is always a human resources department or a payroll company that processed your paychecks. And when all else fails, they will ask for pay stubs or old tax records for proof of what you wrote in your résumé. DON’T LIE.

5. Keywords/Buzzwords

Many companies are using an automated system that scans your résumé for the qualifications necessary for the specific job opening. If your keywords and industry buzzwords are missing, your résumé will not be selected as a match from the company database and a real person won’t even look at your résumé.

Take a few moments to read through the job description to pick out the keywords used. Look at trade publications and other vacancy announcements for the same type of job to find frequently used buzzwords in your career field. Make sure to incorporate these words into your résumé so yours won’t get lost in the database.

For more assistance on résumé writing in general, follow these helpful links!

http://www.telecommutingmoms.com

http://www.resumeasap.com

http://resume.monster.com

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.

How is your job hunting going? Have you had problems finding legitimate jobs? I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about using freelance websites to obtain work at home, but this should be something you look into. It might not be for you, but you never know until you try.

So what would the benefit be to using a freelance website to obtain per project work at home? The first and most obvious benefit is that you would be earning money to help pay your bills, but the less obvious benefit would be that you are gaining valuable work at home experience to put on your resume! There are many employers out there that would rather hire a telecommuter that has worked at home before and if you have no work at home experience on your resume, they may go with someone who does.

However, using a freelance website is a bit different. Many times the people posting the projects just want to use your services for a short time and for a specific project. They don’t necessarily care if you’ve worked at home before. Therefore, it could be easier to get a couple projects like this under your belt and then you can place that job on your resume! It will look good to other potential long term employers to see that you have experience working for someone at home.

You might also be able to get projects that you don’t have a lot of experience in, but want to do more of to build your resume up. If you want a full time job at home with a company, let’s say transcribing, but they all want you to have experience transcribing, it could possibly be easier to get projects off a freelance websites and that way you can build your experience for the jobs you really want.

So this sounds great, right? What is the downside? I would have to say that the downside if two-fold. One, there are going to be others bidding on the same project, more then likely, so you still have competition and many times the winning bid seems to go to the person who is willing to work the cheapest. Not always the case, but it does happen. So you might not necessarily make what you’d like to.

The only other downside I personally see is that if you want the security of a full time paycheck, this might not be the way to get it. You are usually working on a project basis and then when that project is over you’re done, but you need to remember all the positive reasons for trying this type of work…I choose to look on the bright side and I would rather have one project that paid me enough to cover a bill for the month then no projects and no money. Plus, you never know when you may end up with someone who wants to use you on a more part time to full time and/or exclusive basis. I have a client/friend who uses one of these freelance websites to post projects often, and she would be a great person to work for! I’m sure there are many more people like her posting projects that would be great people to work for.

There are many freelance websites out there. You can go to www.google.com and type in freelance websites or freelance job websites and I’m sure you will pull them up. The only two I’ve heard much about are www.elance.com and www.guru.com. Now as with anything, you need to make sure that the freelance website is legitimate and fully research how you will get paid and if there are any fees. Here is just some very basic information about elance and guru to help you get started:

eLance

Subscription fee’s (in order to bid on projects)

There are different packages ranging from free to $30.00 per month

Transaction Fee

There is a fee of 8.75% commission on the invoiced project if you win the bid and the fee is called a “finders fee”.

Payment

You can either be paid through eLances online billing and payment system or your regular client billing and payment process. A $10.00 fee applies for wire transfer withdrawals above one per month through their system.

Guru.com

Subscription Fee

Basic profile/membership is free

“Guru Profile/membership” will range from $29.95 to $99.95 per quarter.

Transaction Fees

It depends on what subscription plan you choose. You will need to read each plan at the Guru website to view this information.

Payment

You have to invoice the employer through Guru’s billing systems. Guru will apparently be handling the funds and will send you payment via check, direct deposit, wire transfer, remit2india and paypal.

So as you can see, it can get a little confusing and there are plans in which you will have to pay a fee, but I would start out with the free subscription to get a feel for the website, for the projects posted and just to decide if this is something you would like to invest time and a little money into.

I want to be clear that you don’t have to use freelance websites in order to get work at home. There are many job lead websites out there and lots of jobs for the taking, but this is just yet another way to start getting work at home experience and some money to pay the bills. Freelancing is 100% legitimate and many people have been doing this type of work for years. I know you have been preached at to not pay for a job, so how is this any different? This is more like paying to access a job lead database. There is nothing wrong with that and it is not a scam. My good friend, Pamela, owns a job lead website that is loaded with company websites and she charges a fee for you to access this. Freelance websites are much like this in the fact that they charge (for the better subscription plans) to connect you with possible employers/projects.

I would recommend having a look around for yourself, maybe ask some friends if they have ever used these freelance websites and get their personal opinion, but just remember this as an option to getting work at home jobs.

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.

Many people are choosing telecommuting as an option to bring in an income while being at home. Whatever the reasons that we choose to work at home, the one thing we all have in common is the problem of locating legitimate jobs online. We often come online with the idea that finding a job online will be easy.

Unfortunately it’s not usually that easy. What you will often run into are the scams for working at home. Why is that though? We often find the job search websites and plug in two common keywords. These two keywords are often the reason many of us give up on finding a legitimate job because all that pulls up are the scams.

The keywords I’m speaking of are:

•Work at home •Work from home

* With the keywords “work at home,” you’re almost 100% guaranteed to pull up scams or business opportunities, and not the legitimate jobs. Now don’t get me wrong, there can be legit jobs in these keywords. Iit takes much longer to find them, and it’s much harder to locate them. In my 4 plus years of working at home, I’ve discovered lesser used keywords that yield me much better results.

Popular Keywords:

•Telecommuting •Telecommute •Telecommuter

* These three keywords are second to “work at home” in their popularity. A pro of these keywords is that many leads will be listed with them. I find legitimate job leads using these keywords every time I search with them. I also find the scams, but overall these keywords are great to use with your job search.

7 More Keywords to Use

•Must have home office •1099 •IC or independent contractor •Virtual office and virtual •Remote contractor •Off-site •Freelance

*Next on the list are these 7 keywords. Next to telecommuting, these are my favorite. Often they will pull up legitimate jobs. You won’t always find a good variety of leads all the time. Sometimes the deeper you dig, the better the jobs and the better your chance that hundreds of other people haven’t found that same job.

Last 3 Keywords to Try

• Must have DSL    • Home-based    • Home-based employee

* Last, I use these 3 keywords when finishing up my job search. I don’t always find leads with these keywords on every job search site I go to, but the more job search sites you go to, the better your chance you’ll find leads with all these keywords. You can find a list of over 25 job search sites at http://www.telecommutingmoms.com

Basically, the more keywords you use and the more job sites you go to, the better your chance at locating legitimate job leads. Even if it takes you a few hours a week to do your searching, with all the keywords and job search sites, it’s worth it in the end if you land a job!

Another thing to keep in mind for speeding up the job search is to know what a scam looks like so you can avoid it. I’ve gotten to the point where I can usually just read the title of the “job” and know right away it’s a scam. If I do click in a job lead, within a few seconds I can determine if it’s a scam or sketchy. I wasn’t able to do that when I first started out in the telecommuting field, though. In my time of being scammed and reading others being scammed, I discovered the common scams and the common red flags. Read more about scams, red flags, and links to research scams at http://www.telecommutingmoms.com

In closing, I’d like to say that using these keywords is a good start. When you find legitimate jobs, really search through the description and see what keywords they use. When you find a new keyword, jot that down and add it to your keyword list. The more keywords you use, the better your chance of finding and landing a legitimate job!

Happy Job Hunting!

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.

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.