Pro's and Con's of working from home

Those of you reading this from an office must be thinking, "Are you kidding me! There is nothing negative about working from home. If I could, I'd be there in a second!!"

I was there, MANY who are working virtually have been there. I quit my outside job because the stress was just too much for me, it started affecting my health. I jumped in wholeheartedly, and incredibly nieve! I was not expecting some con's to pop up during my transition.

Let's start of with the negative, that way we can end this post with nothing but positives!

Con's of Working from Home:
Time management
When you come from an office/outside position, it takes some adjusting. You may think, "Wow, I get to sit around in my jammies, and work as I please, this is the life!". You must remember, virtual employment is still employment, now its your only form of employment. If you don't work, you don't get paid.
While some projects/positions allow for flexible hours, (and sometime deadlines) it is still important to manage your time. Completing a project on a timely basis will impress your employer (client), which could lead to more projects in the future. Enjoy the freedom of working from home, but also remember, it is your lively hood as well. Set a schedule, and keep to it. Don't allow yourself to get lazy or slack off. If you think of this as a vacation it will only hurt you in the end (possibly sending you back to the workplace) by ruining your reputation as a contractor.

Inconsistent projects
I have said this in earlier posts; the majority of virtual projects are temporary or on a contract basis. In the beginning it may benefit you to accept as many of projects as possible (but only as many as you can handle, don't go overboard!) It will keep you busy if you are able to line up projects and plan ahead, plus it will build your experience which is important. However, with contract positions comes inconsistency; understand you may be a few days or weeks without work. There are permanent positions available and if that's for you then go for it! But, if you like the project-to-project basis because of the variety, keep in mind you may have dry spells; times where you do not have any projects at all.

Competitive
The virtual world is incredibly competitive. You can't imagine why, can you? Millions of people want to work from home. So as mentioned before, it may take a few months to get started in the virtual workplace because clients/employers want someone with "virtual experience". It is a completely different arena, and there are differences that employers would like you to be experienced with (this experience comes with time, and with completing projects). There are only so many projects/positions out there, and only so many legitimate places to find them.... this is where the competition comes in. You may be up against a long list of people for one job or project, so make yourself stand out from all the rest. Could your resume use a bit of an update? (we'll go over that soon!) or you could always learn some new skills no matter what your experience. Make yourself such a useful contractor/employee that they'll HAVE to hire you.

Now the Pro's !!!

Tax benefits
Yes, I said the horrid word - Tax! But this time, it's a good thing. You would not believe the number of tax breaks you can get from working from home. Having a designated home office (meaning one room just for your office) not only allows you to write off a portion of your utility bills (electricity, water, gas, etc) but also a portion of your mortgage, internet and phone service, house insurance, etc. Not to mention office supplies; printer ink, envelopes, stamps, computer equipment and software... you get the point. Your tax professional can help you determine the deductions you can receive, but it is definitely a good thing whenever you can cut down your taxes !!

Saves money
Yes, it saves money! You don't have to drive back & forth to work everyday which saves a lot of money, not only on gas (which is a HUGE savings these days!) but also car maintenance, tolls, etc. If you have children, you can save a TON because you will not need daycare. Plus the tax benefits listed above.... Virtual employment definitely saves you some money!

and probably the BEST part of working from home....

More time with your children/family
Probably the best benefit of working from home. You get to be around your babies. This is often the reason people decide to work virtually. I do not know anyone who can honestly say they enjoy leaving their children in daycare, and only seeing their spouse an hour or two. Working at home allows you to be with your children, see them grow and be a parent. You are there for all the important milestones, and let me tell you from experience, it is the BEST feeling to be there for their childhood. Plus, being around your husband more isn't all that bad either.... well, sometimes!

Just like with all things in life, there are Pro's and Con's. Its your turn to decide; do the Pro's outweigh the Con's? For many individuals they do, which gives them the courage they need to make this change....to take a step into the "unknown" and commit to working from home.

Where can you find a legitimate, work from home (virtual) position?

This is a common question. Once you realize the majority of "Work From Home" job postings and websites are scams, it leaves you wondering.... Where do you find the legitimate work from home (virtual) positions?

Below each job description you'll find some websites that hire for that position. I do not guarantee these companies, nor do I guarantee that you'll get a project. I'm just trying to provide some links to help your search.

Below are the most common virtual positions today:

Mystery Shopping: Yes, this is for real. I have completed a few projects and it is completely legitimate. You can make a decent amount from Mystery Shopping if you're with a reputable company and near a larger city. (The majority of the shops/projects are in the metro/highly populated area). The Mystery Shopper is asked to contact the business by phone, or visit in person, as a regular customer (you are not to reveal your status as a Mystery Shopper) and provide detailed evaluations of your experience. Its not consistent, they contact you when they have shops available in your area, however you can be registered with more than one company to increase your chance of getting projects. I do recommend working with a service that is a member of the MSPA (Mystery Shopping Providers Association.

NSS: http://www.nationalshoppingservice.com/
BMA: http://www.mystery-shopping.com/
Shoppers' Critique: http://www.shopperscritique.com/services/index.asp

Call Center/Customer Service and/or Home Agent: This is an extremely popular position. Thousands of companies hire Home Based Customer Service representatives. This position requires you to take incoming calls to assist customers with their accounts (providing assistance with billing issues/disputes, taking payments, answering questions, etc). This is a highly sought after position because it is where a large majority of those looking for virtual employment start, however there are a lot of companies out there that are constantly hiring for Customer Service reps. Your best bet is to apply to as many as possible, complete their application process (this may involve a typing test, some questions as to how you would deal with specific customer service situations, etc).

Cloud 10: http://www.cloud10corp.com/careercenter/
Alpine Access: http://www.alpineaccess.com/external/index.html
West at Home: http://www.westathome.com/

Administrative/Virtual Assistant: Now, this is the tricky one. There are legit Data Entry, Word Processing, Virtual Assistant and other administrative support positions and projects out there. However, there are only a few places to find these positions (other than the Freelance sites -- see my earlier post). The following sites are membership sites, meaning they do require a membership fee, but they are completely legit. I have been a member of these sites for 2 years now and have found a number of positions from them. Every now and then a scam sneaks by, however they are QUICK to remove it from their site.

These sites lists a WIDE variety of virtual positions including but not limited to: Web Design/Computer programming, Virtual Assistant, Data Entry, Transcription, Customer Service, Writing/Editing/Proofreading, Blogging, etc.

And, no.... I do not get anything from recommending these sites:

Virtual Vocations: www.virtualvocations.com
Telecommuting Jobs: http://www.tjobs.com/index.shtml

The following is a free site. This site is like the others above, they gather virtual positions from all over the web (including CraigsList, Career Builder, Monster.com, etc.)

WAHM: http://www.wahm.com/jobs.html

Keep in mind, working from home is INCREDIBLY competitive. It took me nearly 8 months to get my first virtual project. After that, they came pretty quickly. In the meantime, consider upgrading your home office setup to make it stand out to employers (Virtual Fax, MS Office 2007, Voicemail, private office space in your home, etc) and consider learning some new skills -- it will keep you busy, and will make you more valuable in the end!

Freelance anyone?

Freelancing is one of the best ways to use your past workplace experience to make money working at home. There are tons of freelance sites that allow you to post a profile (including your resume and related experience) and then bid for jobs that you are qualified for.

Since virtual employment is so sought after these days, its pretty competitive. It took me nearly 8 months to get my first legitimate virtual project, then they started coming pretty consistently after that. I only recently came upon the freelancing sites, and have been doing quite well through them.

Here are some freelance sites for you to check out:

Guru
I have used this site and HIGHLY recommend it
Elance
I have not used this site, however it is quite popular and is worth looking into
ODesk
This site is good, however the majority of the employers are looking for vendors/contractors (freelancers) who will accept extremely low pay. You usually do not get the attention of employers until you've completed a few projects and have good feedback

These sites have a wide range of projects including Web Design and related fields, Administrative support, Art/Illustration, Finance/Accounting, Writing/Editing, Legal, Marketing/PR, and tons more.

The idea is you search for projects, find those you are interested in, and bid on them. You prepare a bid (which is quite easy!) displaying your experience and skills. Then, based on the listing the employer posted, you provide a bid on how much you will charge to complete this project and when you will have it done. This is honestly the trickiest part of it all. It took me a few bids to get this straight but once you get an idea of how long you take to complete projects (this comes with experience in freelance work) its quite simple. Then you wait... yes, wait. You wait to hear from the employer. They will contact you if they are interested in your services.

Tips:

• Post to all the projects you can! To all of the projects you have the experience to complete.
• Place low bids... ONLY at first!! This doesn't mean give away your services, ok? If your "normal" hourly pay is $12/hour, then bid for something like $9-10. Yes, its a cut but it will get you the feedback and experience, which will only help you in the end. I had to take a few low paying projects in the beginning. This gave me the positive feedback I needed raise my profile higher on the "List of Contractors". The more feedback you get, and the more invoices you have, the higher you rank. This makes you more appealing to employers. Now I'm making my "normal" hourly pay and more.
• Create a complete/full profile. Be sure to include all of your skills, no matter how small. I recommend browsing through your competitors (other contractors in the same category) just to see what they offer. It may remind you of skills you have, that you forgot to add to your profile, plus you know what you're up against -- maybe you could stand to get some additional training in certain aspects of your field to improve your experience/skills.
• Include a few project samples. This is great for the employers. It shows them what you can do, and this will make you stand out even more from the other contractors. If they have a list of contractors to search through, and they see that you have samples proving you can do the work they're asking for, and the other contractors don't, who do you think they'll contact first?
  

The only con of freelancing is the work is often sporadic. Its almost always on a project-by-project basis, meaning its temporary projects. Employers need you to help them complete a project that will take a few days, to a few months. Then its over, and you'll need to find another project. That's tough when you're needing consisten income, however that is why I say bid on EVERYTHING that you're qualified for. That way, you can have other projects lined up to keep you as busy as possible. Some employers post on these sites for Full Time/permanent positions. although for the most part they are temporary projects.

Freelancing is a great way to increase your experience in your field, while making some extra money on the side. You can make a career of it, as I have, once you get the hang of it and learn some tricks to the trade!

How to Avoid Work from Home Scams....

Unfortunately, one thing a newbie to the virtual world will find is SCAMS.... they're like a plague that never goes away, and they've infected the internet. To those of you who are new to the Virtual World, its quite hard to tell a scam from a real thing.

When I first started looking for "work from home" 2 years ago I was bombarded by WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES (yeah, right). I initially got caught up in one of those "Typing from Home" scams. How was I to know it wasn't real? I was new to this, and had no idea what to look for, or more importantly what to be careful of. I lost some money in the beginning, but learned quickly how to spot a scam a mile away:

1) A legitimate employer will NEVER ask you to pay money upfront. Never pay money to receive start-up materials, apply, or for more information. Just think, when applying for a job in the workplace, do they ever ask you to pay upfront? NO -- A legit job will NEVER ask you for money up front!!

2) You can tell a scam by the way the ad is written. An legit employer looking for someone will usually:
* List what he/she is looking for in a contractor (i.e. specific skills, not just "internet savvy", "good typing skills", etc. They will usually provide a specifics (i.e. Experienced with MS Office, ACT, Billing and Invoicing, Dreamweaver, MS PowerPoint presentations, etc)
* Provide an hourly rate for the position (not $300-500/week<--- SCAM!!)
* Provide a description of their company or who they are

A scam however, will:
* Almost always put "Work From Home" somewhere in their ad, either in the location or the description
* Will use "catch lines" like: Self starter, Ready to start immediately, Training provided, No experience necessary, and other vague words.
* Have a copy & pasted description of the "job". It just sounds like it was copied from somewhere else.

3) Anything that promises ridiculous amounts of money are scams. For example, "Get paid up to $75 for completing surveys!". Now honestly, use your common sense here. If you could get that much from completing survey's, there would be a LOT more rich people in the world ! You can tell when you're reading the ad whether it rings true or not. Don't fall for the "Jim Smith made over $89,000 in 2 days!". Complete bull...

Scammers are getting tricky. They're learning that people are watching out for these "hints" and changing their ways. They've now made websites and ask you to apply by filling out an application. They'll also try to hide it by posting the scam as an actual position (Looking for a Virtual assistant, etc) Just use the tips above, and your basic common sense, and you can be spared from losing money. I hate to use this overly used cliche, but it fits so well: If it sounds too good to be true, IT IS !!!!!!!!!!

There are PLENTY of legitimate jobs out there, trust me. It took me quite a while to find them, but I did - so will you. That's the point of this blog, to help you find the legitimate jobs and stay far away from the scams !!

Welcome!

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the Virtual and Telecommuting Employment blog.

I have been working virtually for over 2 years now. I have experienced a LOT in that short amount of time and would like to share all I've learned to help those who are just entering (or trying to enter) the virtual workplace.

I plan on sharing tips on how to find virtual employment (LEGITIMATE employment), warnings about various work at home scams and how to pick them out, and even some ideas for ways to make money at home (not home based businesses, Avon, Pampered Chef or anything of the like).

Please feel free to contact me, or leave a comment if you have any questions, I'd love to hear from you!

Have a great weekend,
Pamela