Discovering Your Perfect Work Home Career

Always wanted to work from home but never thought you could? Well here's your chance. Many companies are hiring telecommuters and now is your chance to start your career. So dig in and enjoy!

First off let's answer a few questions before we get into the meat of it all.

1. Are you serious about working from home?

Many people are not really serious about working from home. They think the idea is nice but lack the passion and determination it takes to follow through with a work home goal. And it is important to be upfront about this straight off because there are certain expectations and sacrifices that come along with home employment just as there are with an on site position.

For example, if you were to apply at let's say IBM and you got hired. Great! Now with your hire status, there is a certain level of understanding when it comes to out of pocket expenses that are expected prior to beginning work.These can range from buying new work clothes, shoes, work gear and so on; to paying for transportation (whether it's in your gas tank or public transportation); to food costs during lunch hours and to even establishing childcare. These are sacrifices that must be made before starting work and is highly understood across the board. But when someone sparks interest in working from home, they become offended at the mention of any kind of costs associated with work. Why? Despite varying debates, out of pocket expenses when it comes to employment be it a home based business or an on site job are realistic and should be considered before hand.

If you are serious about working from home, you must ask yourself these questions before getting started so that you don't become discouraged. You may need certain types of equipment before applying for the job (ie. software applications that may not be reimbursed, home phone line, fax machine, printer, scanner and/or certain degree levels and skills in the field of interest). This differs entirely when discussing home based businesses that often may not require certain equipment, college degrees, or a range of skills to be accepted.

Companies that hire telecommuters are very meticulous when it comes to what they are looking for, even more so because of the competition involved. Remember, you may be competing with people not with your local area or even your state or region but with the whole country.

2. Is your resume flawless?

Understanding that working from home is not for everyone, consider the thought. Is it for you? Think about what makes you different from everyone else who is applying? Whatever skills you have, highlight this on your resume.You want to make sure your resume is easy to read and avoid fancy fonts to boost up your what I'd like to call "you never get a second chance to make a first RESUME impression". Make sure there are no typos or grammatical errors.

Once you think you have that step accomplished, you want to make sure that your goal is clearly defined on your resume. You want the HR know that you know the exact position advertised and that you are best person for the job. And you don't want to assume that your cover letter will stay with your resume or that it will even get read. So if the position calls for a writer, and you have experience, you want to start off with that as your goal. Here is an example:

Experienced Virtual Assistant
"Talented and experienced virtual assistant, skilled in all aspects of office management within nonprofit environments."

This is targeted and to the point. No time is wasted and from reading it, the manager has a clear indication of the qualifications of this individual and the position they are after at the company.

Also know that recruiters and hiring managers sort through hundreds of resumes and they hate templates. Templates are hard to read, and the design elements often don't show up correctly on a monitor other than that of your own. They need to be able to scan your document quickly before moving on. If they cannot scan your document within 6-8 seconds, your resume may be skipped.

You also want to avoid plugging in jobs that are not relevant to the targeted position just to fill space. In your view, this may make your resume complete, however, can easily lead to not getting read or becoming shredder material.

3. Are you going to have any distractions?

You may want to consider this if you have little ones or even family home during the day. Most companies are going to require scheduled shifts which may not always be flexible for you. If this is the case, you are going to need a plan in order to make sure your work is done with the minimal amount of distractions.

Here are some ideas to help you minimize the noise level:

1. Make sure your work space is in the most quiet room of the house.
2. Invest in a noise canceling headset.
3. Once you make a schedule, stick to it so that your body and tasks are planned around your work time.

Realizing what your expectations are when it comes to home employment will allow you to gain key insight on your goals and ensure preparation. It may be a rough road out there. But it is not an impossible one. With hard work and determination, you'll be starting your career in no time.