Finding A Work from Home Job
by Misty Weaver-Ostinato
So you think it's easy to find a work at home job? Most people will spend about 300 hours searching before they find something. From personal experience I know this is true. It took me about 18 months to find a work at home job that I was suited for. That's not saying that there aren't more out there that I'm qualified for.
The problem is that an average newspaper advertisement gets 200 replies. Now take into account the increased circulation of a newspaper with the invention of the internet. Let's say a newspaper has 700,000 daily readers in paper form. The executives decide to take the paper to a new platform - the
internet. They can now reach, literally, everyone who has internet access. Granted not eveyone will read the entire classifieds from every newspaper in the country. However, we have websites that are devoted to scouring the newspapers for work at home jobs. These websites have over a 100,000 visitors a month. The advertisements are now getting an average of 1000
replies.
So how do you make your resume stand out? Let's look at some
things you should not do first.
* DO NOT send them an e-mail asking if it is a legitimate job.
* DO NOT tell them why you want to work from home.
* DO NOT explain your finances to them.
* DO NOT tell them you need the job.
I hope most of you are saying you would never do any of those things. If you have - just don't tell me! And don't do them again.
Research the position as you would anything else. You want to be knowledgable about the company and what would be expected of you. Use this knowledge in your cover letter. Highlight any aspects of your previous employment history that would show you can work independently. Make sure you rave about the skills you have that would make you a good employee.
Some tips on researching.
* If they have a website, read their mission statement.
* Read any articles that have been written by anyone at the top of the company, these will usually be highlighted at the website, comment on them in your cover letter.
* Try to contact someone who already works for them and ask to use them as a referral, or just get the lowdown on the company. Writing a cover letter and resume.
* DO highlight the fact that you have a fully equipped home office
* DO highlight any previous experience you have with working at home
* DO make a separate resume for various positions, one resume often doesn't cover skills that may be relevant to every position you are applying for
* DO check for spelling and grammatical errors, first impressions count and are often the only chance you get.
After you have a great cover letter and resume, send it in multiple form. If they have an e-mail and a fax number, send it both ways about two days apart. If there is a phone number listed, call them about a week later and let them know you are still interested in the position. If it says they are not accepting phone calls, don't call.
Don't despair if you don't hear back from someone. Finding the right position, even in an office job, takes dedication and perseverance. You want to find the right job for you, so you don't have to start your search all over again.
About the Author
Misty Weaver-Ostinato is a freelancer who lives in Northern Virginia with her husband Patrick and their two children Summer and Tyler. She currently runs a website at www.momshelpmoms.com and a home based business.
