Finding the Way Home
© 2002 Sharon Davis
http://www.2work-at-home.com
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It's very frustrating to recieve an email from someone that
says, "I really need to work at home. Please help me."
It would be impossible for me to make any kind of recommendation
to this person. I recieve emails just like this so frequently
that I've created a template of the response that I send when I
get one. In it, I tell them that I'd be happy to make some
suggestions, but need more to go on. Do you want to start a
business, or work for a company? What skills do you have? What
line of work are you in?
Sadly, the fact that a person would put so little effort into
making an inquiry like this tells me that they probably don't
have what it takes to work from home.
Whether running a business or telecommuting, working at home
takes tremendous discipline, self-motivation and creative
problem-solving skills. You don't have co-workers or your
supervisor down the hall, and often when problems arise you have
to deal with them on your own.
Don't get me wrong, I love to help people-- but I do expect it
to be a collaborative process. I also understand that
sometimes figuring out what it is you want to do can be a
challenge.
So, what are some of the first steps you can take to find your
way? Here are some exercises that you can do that can help to
clarify your goals:
>>Self-Assessment
Consider the qualities below. Write down the ones that you think
describe you:
*Self-motivated - You know what needs to be done and you don't
need someone to direct you or follow up and check your progress.
You're not going to be distracted by today's episode of The Bold
and the Beautiful.
*Creative Problem-Solver - You love nothing more than a
challenge. You're able to find solutions and think "outside the
box".
*Excellent Communicator - You communicate effectively, both in
writing and verbally. It's especially helpful if you are
outgoing and enjoy talking to people.
*You're not afraid to work hard. You follow through to make
sure that things don't fall through the cracks.
These are all qualities that are pretty much imperative for a
would-be business owner. If you wrote down all four, you are
probably well-suited to running a home business.
If you wrote down three, telecommuting might be a more viable
option for you-- especially if the one you didn't write down was
Creative Problem-Solver. Communication skills and
self-motivation are especially important for the telecommuter.
If you wrote down only 1 or 2, you should really think about
whether your particular skills are going to fit with working
from home. Don't give up hope, though. Consider taking a
course that would help you in the area you feel you need the
most improvement in.
>>Take a Skill Inventory
Get out a pad of paper and a pen and start jotting down the
things that you feel you are good at and that you have
experience in.
Next, make a list of the things that you really enjoy doing.
Don't worry about whether you think you could make money doing
them. Just make a list of all of the hobbies, tasks and various
things that you have fun doing. This should be really easy!
Think about the skills and how they relate to the things you
like to do. At this point, a picture should start emerging.
Maybe you are really good at working with kids and you're
super-organized and you also enjoy cooking and decorating....
How about starting a Party Planning business?
But what if the previous excercise determinded that a
telecommute job was a better fit for you? Maybe joining one of
the party planning companies would be a better option for you
because of the support they offer.
>>Set Goals and Map Out a Path to Achieve Them
Once you've come up with a goal, be it a home business or a
telecommute job in your chosen field, you should map out a plan
of how to get there.
If you've chosen to start a home business, a business plan
should definitely be your first step. It helps to focus your
goals and gives you a plan that you can refer to to stay on
track.
Finding a telecommute job takes planning as well. Once you've
decided what field you should pursue, you'll want to research
companies and compile a list of the top 10 or more that you'd
like to work for. Your research might include the financial
performance, company culture, benefits and employee
satisfaction.
Once identified, you should try to obtain the name of the person
who does the hiring and send a resume with a personalized cover
letter addressed to them. Also, mention the company name and
say what attracted you to their company. For example, "Your
Company's solid financial performance over the past 3 years is
very impressive" or "Your Company's commitment to community
services makes it the type of organization that I would be proud
to work with". You don't want to put something like, "I want
to work for your company because you allow telecommuting".
>>Be Flexible
Remember that many companies that allow telecommuting only allow
it after a certain period of time, or for only a certain portion
of your work-week. Don't be so locked into the idea of landing
a full telecommute position that you overlook the potential
telecommute job in the long run.
Similarly, starting a business requires time, money and
tremendous dedication. You may not be in a position to quit
your job and start a business. You might have to burn the
midnight oil to get something started while continuing to work.
Finding your way to working at home takes planning, creativity
and some serious soul-searching. But once you map out your
goals, you'll find that the path becomes much clearer and you
have a much better chance at success.
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Sharon Davis is the owner of 2Work-At-Home.Com, the Editor of
the site's monthly ezine, America's Home and mom to two girls.
In her spare time she reminisces about what it was like to have
spare time. To subscribe to her free ezine, visit
http://www.2work-at-home.com/subscribe.shtml
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