In my previous article I listed the 10 benefits of working from home and also promised that I would give advice on what kind of jobs you can do from home. Well in this article I’ll be doing just that. So grab a coffee and let’s gets started.
The first thing you should do when thinking about working from home is to avoid the work from home scams. The most obvious type of scam to ignore is the kind you may get in your email. The sort that asks you to help transfer money for a foreign investment company or something equally as dodgy.
Working from home also involves a lot of self motivation. There won’t be a boss or supervisor to push you along so if you lack strong self discipline then maybe working from home isn’t the right thing for you.
Work from Home
8, eBay/Auction Sites: If you have a lot of objects around your house that you think you can sell then eBay can be a great way to make money. This is how I first started out. Selling off my old DVD collection brought in a nice little income that helped pay the bills until my own business took off. Also, look for niche areas within the sites, such as craft materials or books, that aren’t overpopulated so you can easily make a good name for yourself.
7, Arts/Crafts: If you’re good at at painting, drawing or making things you could sell your work in your local area or online. That’s also where eBay could come in useful. A lot of people sell their work on auction sites and make a nice little income. There are also weekend markets that welcome sellers, this is an excellent way of honing your business by seeing what sells and what doesn’t.
6, Secretarial Work: Many businesses look for home based typists or someone that has good data entry skills. Companies that hire home based secretaries require their employees to be very self motivated. If you don’t have the get up and go attitude this kind of work may not be for you. Also, if there is a local college or university - many students hire someone to do their typing for them as they don’t have time or the inclination to do it themselves.
5, Blogging: Writing for blogs can be a great way to make money. You could try starting your own blog or if you have great writing skills apply to write for others. Now you’re probably wondering how you can make money from blogs. Well Google AdSense is a good money maker for popular blogs or you could try Text Link Ads which is where most of the revenue for Job Tuition comes from.
4, Hairdressing: If you’re a qualified hairdresser then you could cut peoples hair from home. This will also add a social aspect to your work and if your customers really like you then they’ll keep giving you repeat business. As time goes by and with word of mouth you’ll gain even more customers. Also, if you have young children this cuts down on the child care fees as you are still able to watch the kids (within reason) and work the hours you want to work.
3, Babysitting (Family Day Care): When the phrase babysitting is used many people often think of a 14 year old girl sitting around and running up a huge phone bill for their employer. This doesn’t have to be the case at all. If you have a child care license then why not start looking after children from home. There are many parents out there that work full time and want to make sure that their kids are taken care of in a safe and secure environment.
2, Natural Therapies: There are many kinds of Natural Therapies that you can do from home. Such as Massage, Aromatherapy or Reflexology. A lot of hard working and stressed people seek out these services so if you’re qualified in any of those areas it could be a great way to start working from home.
1, Cooking: If somehow you managed to acquire Grannies famous cookie or cake recipe then maybe you could bake them for a local Cafe. Nothing like the taste of home cooking and it will also fill your home with the smell of freshly baked cookies everyday.
Working from home may not be for everyone but if you’re anything like me and hate the thought of having to drive in to work early every morning then doing jobs from home might seem like an attractive opportunity. Just keep in mind that you wont be making thousands in your first month but stick at it and eventually you could end up earning a nice living.
When I first started working I was always turned down due to lack of experience. To compensate for this I updated my computer skills and then set about trying to get my foot in the door. The Russian Travel Agency wasn’t much help work wise, but I did gain valuable experience. I learnt how to answer the phone professionally with slow and careful speech so that the foreign callers understood me and how to type quickly reading illegible writing.
After completing my computer course, I set about registering with local temp employment agencies. Although I lacked experience, my personality and strong typing skills more than made up for it as well as the fact that I was willing to relocate to anywhere within the state to work. My first job was located in Adelaide and lasted six weeks but luckily I got great feedback and my temp career took off.
It was great, not only did I get to work in various industries; I gained invaluable experience and made numerous friends which I still have today. I worked in remote locations, in both private and public sectors and as my reputation grew so did my confidence.
Temping was a good choice for me as I was able to learn things about myself, such as I hated filing, doing dishes and overbearing bosses. Yes, there were a few temp jobs where I had to wash coffee cups, spoons, dishes from lunch and morning teas. I also learnt that I was a good typist, a quick learner and apparently had a quick wit which got me out of trouble as many times I got myself into it.
After 12 months of doing temp work I landed my first permanent position with a local dairy factory where they processed milk, made ice cream and other dairy products. This was another horrible job but I stuck it out until they sacked me a week before I turned 21. At the time I was devastated but in hindsight it was the best thing that could have happened. I went back to temp work, travelled more and discovered that I was more than happy temping.
Temping paid well, and at my age I was earning a decent wage – nearly $200 a week more than some of my peers and if I didn’t like the place I knew it wasn’t permanent. The job at the dairy was hard going, stressful and I was a victim of bullying by one of my superiors. Being young, I didn’t have the confidence to stand up to her and there were no bullying laws to protect me at the time. It was difficult and unnerving to go to a job day after day knowing that everything you did was going to be picked to pieces. This is why today, I believe they did me a favour.
I know bullying is wrong, but in me it helped develop strength of character and now that I’m older I’m less likely to tolerate it. At the time it nearly crushed my self esteem but when I returned to temping I flourished and this seem to be the pattern until I left Australia and worked overseas.
However, I did have a couple of permanent jobs where majority of the work was great but there would be one person in the establishment who just like to make life difficult. For me, the only way to deal with them was to be sarcastic and let them just get on with it. However, there would be a point where I would wake up one day and go enough is enough and quit. I would hand in my notice that day and leave at the end of the period. It’s funny, I would warn my parents a few weeks before hand that it was coming but could never pinpoint when it would happen. I guess I felt if I told them before hand they couldn’t be disappointed with me leaving another job.
I’m a great believer in that if you are good at what you do and treat people with respect and courtesy then jobs will come your way. You do have to go out and look for them but obtaining work is possible you just have to be flexible.
Next article I will write about my overseas experiences in both temping and permanent positions.
There are many benefits of working from home. They vary from working at your own pace without interruptions (annoying phone calls from other departments) to selecting what time you have your coffee breaks.
I’ve compiled a list of 10 benefits of working from home. These are from my own experiences as I now work full time from home to help develop my wife’s online business and also work on various blogs.
10, Privacy: One of the main issues that I had in my last job was that I never had any privacy. One such incident was when I was trying to eat my lunch. I would still have work colleagues ask me how or when I would fix their computer. Now that I work from home I can eat my food in peace.
9, Commuting: I think everyone has this on their list. Obviously when working from home there is no commuting involved, walking to the fridge for a cold drink doesn’t count. This will also save you money in the long run due to not having to pay astronomical fuel costs.
8, Relaxation: When working in a stuffy office or worse a cubical, it can be very difficult to relax. When at home you can take a break whenever you want, no need to ask a supervisor for permission. When I take time out to relax I go outside to play with my dogs.
Your pets will also appreciate this too. I know that my German Shepard adores the attention and just loves to play fetch when I’m out there.
7, Breaks: When working from home you can pretty much take a break whenever you want. You’re not tied down to the usual work related hours and certainly don’t need to answer to anyone when wanting a cup of coffee.
What I like about this situation is that I can take my lunch break whenever I want. Usually while watching my favourite comedy show on television.
6, Stationery: It might seem peculiar that I have stationery in the list but here is the reason why. Nobody can steal it. There’s nothing worse than having your envelopes or post it notes stolen in work and the mysterious pen vortex doesn’t exist. Meaning you will always have your favourite pen unless you’re like me and forget where you put things.
5, Co-Workers: There are none. No office politics, no gossip and certainly no office nazi.
4, Vacation: You can go on leave when it suits you. Not when it suits everyone else. If you want time off over Christmas you can without having to compete with other employees.
3, Self Esteem: When working from home I’ve noticed that my self esteem has improved. I’ve had time to work on the jobs that I enjoy and not to having to do menial work that my boss has put in front of me. I can now work on projects that challenge me and gives satisfaction.
2, Training and Development In my last job I was promised training and development but due to budget cuts I was given less work hours and no training. Now that I’m working from home I can do web based training whenever I want and improve my knowledge base on a daily basis.
1, Personal Relationships Since quitting my job and working from home my relationship with my wife has improved. I’m more outgoing and a lot more relaxed. I’m open to new ideas and activities because I now have the time and less stress.
So as you can see working from home for me has become a definite positive and if you’re able to do it yourself go for it. In my next article I will advise on the various kinds of work you can do from home. Not all will be computer related because there are other jobs that you don’t need a computer for.
I’ve never been a person to stay in the same job for too long, I think the longest I’ve been with one company is two years and I spent 5 ½ months on study leave so I don’t think the full two years counts. During this time I’ve had many work opportunities and attended more than my fair share of job interviews. One thing I have learned over the years is, no matter what anyone says, job interviews are still nerve wracking for both the interviewer and interviewee.
I’ve decided to do a series of articles detailing my career, discussing my worst interviews and best interviews and the interesting experiences I’ve had along the way. I’m a believer that we won’t be remembered for the job we did or how long we were in a particular job but for the person we were and how we made people around us feel – I like to think that I’m a positive influence who people like being around. Therefore, when I got bored with a job or decided it was time to move on – I did. Sure, I don’t have any long service leave accrued but then how many people actually take their long service leave – not many it is quite often cashed in.
In my last year of High School, I had no idea what I was going to do when I left but was quite confident that I didn’t want to do further study. I was burnt out and needed a break from the day to day schooling. My parents decided that I was to move to Adelaide and complete a diploma in Travel and Tourism. That was fine by me, I got to leave home at 17, meet new people and party. The course was 12 months long and looking back it was the same as the last year of High School, not enough studying and too much socialising, but I was young and needed to let my hair down.
I still passed the course with great grades, nothing lower than 97.5% but I could have done better. Once the course I found myself in a situation that I couldn’t believe – I was unemployed. I applied for jobs in Adelaide regularly and attended interviews on a weekly basis with no joy. Every interview feedback was I was great, but there was someone better who had more experience. I was frustrated how was I to get experience when I couldn’t get a job.
Finally, I won a position with a Russian Travel Agency, definitely not my dream job. I hated it with a passion. The office smelt of cabbage, I couldn’t understand anyone who rang as the accents were so strong and my boss was pushy and rude. It’s weird I haven’t been in that office for 16 years but I can still picture the dinginess, the pictures on the wall like it’s ingrained in my brain as someplace I don’t want to return. Needless to say, the feeling was mutual and I left after six months.
Even though it was a horrible job, it did help me with my work plans. It gave me the push I needed to sit down and work out what I wanted to actually do. I went back to Business College and completed a computer operator certificate and this I took seriously. It was a six month course and just before I completed it I started hitting the streets again looking for work. Employers were impressed with my results and typing skills but still no experience. I contemplated doing a traineeship even though it was severely underpaid and then I stumbled across the employment agencies.
Next article: How I gained the necessary experience to become a valuable employee in future jobs
When it comes time to quit a job you can’t just leave. You have to pass the torch to your replacement. Ensure that business will carry on as usual, and help ensure a positive recommendation from your employer.
Ask your supervisor
After giving your supervisor timely notice of your departure, ask what she needs from you. Show your willingness to help out and make the transition go smoothly.
Find out if your supervisor has specific needs or requests. Are there certain projects or tasks she needs finished? Is there a specific duty she is worried about your replacement handling?
The answers you get here are crucial for your final days at the company. They will help you properly focus your efforts and be truly effective.
Tie up loose ends
Wrapping up projects will be a huge help for your employer. This makes everyone’s job easier, since the new guy won’t have a pile of half-done things to finish.
Think of unfinished projects like a half-eaten sandwich. Would you like to start a new job, only to find a half-eaten sandwich on your desk? Probably not. That’s why should wrap up those projects, if possible.
Use bookmarks
You probably won’t finish every open project before you leave. This is inevitable, but you can still help your employer.
Leave a bookmark in your open projects. Make it clear where you left off and what should be done next. This helps the company keep moving forward. And it ensures that projects won’t fall in the gap.
Create documentation
You know how to do your job. But are there clear instructions for the next guy? This is the reason for documentation.
Think about the instructions you would need to do your job, if you were just starting. Write out basic steps for your different tasks. And also create an overview document that lists the things for which you are responsible.
Remain available
If possible, give your employer a method of contacting you after your departure. Depending upon the circumstances, this might not be needed or appropriate. But it’s something to consider.
This enables your employer to ask a quick question, if something comes up shortly after you leave. An email address would be sufficient. And it will help to make a smooth transition if a problem arises.
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