Work From Home – Telecommuting
Approximately 40% of the current workforce claim they have job related tasks that could be performed from home, rather than at their current office environment.
For many, the idea of working from home is appealing. Working to a self-appointed schedule while spearheading work that feeds a passion, seems very liberating. For others, like stay at home parents, a home based job is a necessity.
Although almost half of all businesses in the US are home based, making the leap from working for a predictable salary to relying on self generated income, discourages many people who lack experience with project management, are not self-motivated or haven’t yet come up with an idea that will generate income from home.
Telecommunting could offer a ‘best of both worlds’ solution
Working from a remote location, usually a home office, known as telecommunting or teleworking, is made possible through technologies such as the internet, skype and faxes. Opportunities are increasing as telecommunications and computer software become more sophisticated. The number of Americans working from home at least part of each week, has increased by 74% in the last five years.
Telecommunting offers employers an opportunity to save money on benefits like sick leave and in turn compete for skilled workers without having to offer large incentives. Work at home employees save on expenses like business clothes and daycare and can use their skills to earn income from anywhere in the world, without having to relocate to find employment. Some have made a full lifestyle change, living in foreign countries while continuing to receive an income.
Anyone interested in being a telecommuter will need a place to work from and the proper skills and equipment to carry out the responsibilities of the job. There are a whole range of positions available for teleworkers and include those with office or writing skills, IT professionals, salespersons, teachers and management experience, to name a few.
Successful telecommuters treat their home work space in a similar way that they would a work place office, using a spare room as a dedicated location to work from. Assigning an area of the house for office work exclusively, helps keep everything organized and separates business from pleasure. Having a door to close can be handy to stop children from interrupting or work from encroaching on family time at the end of the day.
At the very least, an upgraded computer with high speed internet is essential for all telecommuting positions. Some employers require their telecommuting staff to be available by phone during office hours, so not all jobs are appropriate for those with a view to living in the Caribbean. Depending on the nature of the work and how the employer intends to supply it, more equipment may be necessary.
Transcriptionists or translators for example, will likely have to own speakers or headphones, a foot pedal and special software that plays back audio recordings. Some employers may require a hard copy of completed work, so a printer and fax would be necessary. Often the software programs required to get started with any telecommuting job are available as free downloads online.
Telecommuting job descriptions will list the requisite skills required in the same way any job posting does. Often employers are looking for excellent language and keyboarding skills as well as speed and accuracy. Regardless of the teleworker position, candidates will likely need to be internet savvy and will certainly need security software to safely receive and transfer files.
Those with specialized skills like writing or computer programming, or degrees in particular fields can use telecommuting to improve their job prospects or pick up part time employment.
Telecommuting positions can be found on the internet, but many sites charge a fee to apply to the positions they list there. Craig’s List is a popular free resource for finding telecommute jobs, but since each city is listed independently, the search engine parameters need to be set for all cities and all jobs, in order to display the entire range of telecommute postings in the system, regardless of location.
Many websites, such as Elance.com and Guru.com, list jobs for writers, programmers, managers, administrators, marketers, designers and such. While free to use, these sites require candidates from around the world to bid on posted projects. This makes it difficult for those new to telecommuting to compete, since bidders from developing nations are willing to accept much lower payment for the same service. Also, candidates who have previously won and delivered projects successfully, are favourably reviewed by employers, adding positive references to their profile and making them better candidates in the bidding war process.
Large internet job banks like LinkUp.com, SimplyHired.com or workaholics4hire.com often list telecommute positions along with direct employment ones. Typing the word telecommute or telework in the search engine will bring up a list of jobs on offer and those that are of interest, can be applied for by following the links and instructions online.
Sites like flexjobs.com and ComputerJobs.com offer a range of resources that are handy for telecommuters. Along with the job postings, they are set up to support registered and paying users to create resumes on line and deliver them to potential employers.
On the downside, these job bank sites often require job seekers to create a profile page or upload their resume to the site. This can be time consuming and has questionable merit. In today’s downturned economy it is unlikely an employer will search through job banks to headhunt telecommuters. It is far more likely they will post a position and wait for responses to come pouring in. By bookmarking sites that advertise telecommute jobs, a job seeker can keep current with the latest postings and quickly apply.
Some companies will only hire individuals who are legally entitled to work in the country that they operate from and others have particular methods or times for making payment. Potential telecommuters need to understand how and when payment will be made and received for the work they submit, how income tax will be paid for monies received and all the other conditions of employment, like meeting deadlines, before they commit to a telework job.
Telecommuting is on the rise and as more countries push to reduce their carbon footprint, work at home jobs are gaining approval as a green choice. In the US, 44% of companies now offer at least some telecommuting options to their employees, so even those who are not yet ready to make the leap into full time work from home, might find an employer open to the idea of allowing at least a day of telecommuting each week.
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