My Life Monday: Where I Work
November 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment
“Where is your home office located?”
I have a room in my home that houses my desk, computer, printer, phone (oh, and did I mention it houses the playroom too? lol) and I get some of my ‘serious heavy duty’ work done in that room.
My laptop gets a lot of work too. The purchase of my laptop was the best business purchase I’ve ever made, hands down. With two little kids under 3 years of age I sometimes have to work where I can.
So the laptop helps me grab a few minutes of work here and there when I can. Depending on the type of work you perform, a dedicated home office may be necessary, while some work will allow you the freedom to work on a laptop wherever you are.
I’ve found having both options depending on the work that needs to be done that day works best for me :–) I love having the freedom to work where and how I need to on any given day!
Freebie Friday: Virtual Assistance Coaching
November 16, 2007 | 8 Comments
Are you interested in becoming a virtual assistant, but you need direction or questions answered or someone to bounce ideas off of?
I’m offering one lucky winner one 30 minute coaching session (via instant messenger or phone) and one week of email coaching…for free!
Currently I’m not even offering any official coaching packages so this really is a special treat.
I’m looking forward to helping you with any questions you might have about becoming a virtual assistant!
Rules to enter:
All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment with why you’d like to win this coaching package. Make sure you leave a valid email address so that I can contact you.
You’ll need to enter this contest before Sunday at 12 midnight central standard time.
That’s it! Of course I’d be happy for you to spread the word to your friends, but it isn’t a requirement.
I’ll randomly pick a winner from the comments this Monday…and will announce the winner on the blog.
Good luck!
Answers to Your Questions…
November 15, 2007 | 2 Comments
Do you want to know the answers to the following types of questions?
- Where do I find jobs online?
- I have customer service and typing skills, where can I find jobs?
- I’m going to start a VA business soon, but would like small jobs in the meantime … what do you suggest?
If you’d like to know my answers to these questions click the following link, read the answers in the comments field, and feel free to leave your own if you have one about finding jobs online!
http://telecommutinganswerlady.com/whats-your-question-wednesday.htm#comment-52
Tomorrow is “Freebie Friday” here so stay tuned for a chance to win something that’ll sure to please a telecommuting hopeful!
Three Tips Thursday: Preparing for the Interview
November 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment
- It isn’t enough just to have a quiet environment for your interview, resume in hand, and confidence in tow. In order to really wow the interviewer you’ll need to do some basic research on the company and job. It doesn’t need to be extensive or really time consuming. You’ll want to find out basics about the company, who is interviewing you (get their name), what they do, what you like about the company, what you feel you can add to the company..etc. Have all this information ready for your interview & you’re sure to impress them!
- Search the ‘net, ask friends, and jot down common questions you’ve been asked during an interview in the past …next to each question write down your answers. You’ll be extra prepared incase your nerves get the better of you. Keep that paper handy during your interview. Be sure you’re not reading word for word so that it sounds natural and not that you’re reading something.
- Commit to the time you booked for an interview. You’ll want to make a good first impression and canceling an appointment (unless it’s truly an emergency) will create a sense of this job not being important, the interviewers time not being important, and you not taking the process seriously.
What to Do When You’re Given an Answer to Your Telecommuting Proposal
November 14, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Now that you have spent your time researching and presenting your proposal to your employer, what do you do when they meet with you to give you their answer? When you go into the meeting, be prepared to keep an air of professionalism and be respectful no matter what the answer turns out to be.
If the answer is yes, they are willing to give it a try; then your next step would be to develop a plan with them to set up how the telecommuting program will work. See if they have any rules or policies that will need to be followed and make sure you execute them. Find out what their ideas are of how it should work and offer suggestions to make it run smoothly.
Make sure that you perform the plan as it is set up with your employer. Don’t stray from that plan without their knowledge as that could cause them to change their mind about allowing the telecommuting to take place. One avoidable mistake can reverse all your hard work in proposing the idea to begin with.
If your employer says that telecommuting is not an option then respect that decision. Find out what the reasons are that they have for their answer and see if you can offer suggestions to work around them if possible. If they still say no, be sure to thank them for the time they took to listen to your proposal. By respecting their decision and not throwing a fit or starting an argument with them, you show how professional you can be. They may be more willing in the future to allow you to telecommute.
Don’t be afraid to bring up the idea again in the future. This helps them remember that telecommuting could be an option for you and down the road it may be workable. Don’t hound them every couple of weeks though. Allow several months to pass before trying again and make sure that you keep a good work performance to show that you can handle the responsibility.
What’s Your Question Wednesday
November 14, 2007 | 13 Comments
Welcome to the first “What’s Your Question Wednesday“. This is going to be a weekly blog feature in which I’ll open it up for questions on a specific topic. All you need to do is leave your question in the comments field and I’ll answer each and every one of them.
This week let’s talk about:
Finding a job online.
If you have a question about how to find a job online please leave it in the comments field.
Telecommuting Jobs Tuesday
November 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Welcome to the first “Telecommuting Jobs Tuesday” (which will be call t-jobs tuesday from here on out) in which I’ll post several job leads for telecommuters. These leads will be in a wide variety of fields and can range from one time jobs, freelance jobs, independent contracting jobs, and telecommuting jobs. (all of which are worked from your home.)
Today’s jobs are below…you’ll notice the leads are located at JustOnlineJobs.com. This is my job portal website, where I post new jobs everyday. So, to keep updated with the new jobs everyday and not just on Tuesday’s when you visit my blog, be sure you’re signed up for my newsletter. You can find the sign up box to the right or up in the top of the website.
I wish you the best with your job hunting!
- Marketing Manager
- Customer Support and Sales Opportunity
- Medical Transcriptionist
- Beauty Bloggers
- Appointments Secretary approx 2 - 4 hours per week
Click the following link to access the jobs (free of charge) and apply:
http://www.justonlinejobs.com/other/1113.htm
Telecommuting Fears to Address in Your proposal
November 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Most employers have many fears about allowing their employees to telecommute in their position. Their fears most often stem from a simple lack of information on the subject. It’s your job to not only recognize those fears, but to help them understand ways to get around those fears and benefit from the telecommuting option. Here are some of the common fears employers have about telecommuting and how they can be worked out:
Not having you there physically to see how a project is coming along. Assure them that on the days you’re working at home, you can still keep in contact periodically by emails and phone call.
Trust with sensitive documents and information. Let them know how your home office is set up and how you will keep the information confidential. Help them to see how the sensitive documents will be handled if they’re taken out of the office.
Spending too much time lounging around on your sofa when you should be working. Give them a plan of the hours you would work and assure them you will keep in contact to let them know what tasks your working at the moment.
Showing unprofessionalism on the phone with clients. Let them know how your home office is set up to eliminate background noises. Assure them that when you’re on the phone talking to clients, there won’t be any children screaming or dogs barking in the background. You will also need to let them know, that the phone will only be used for business purposes and no one else will use it.
These are the most common fears employers have about a telecommuting program. There will be others that will come up when you propose the idea to your boss, so be well informed about the process and be able to answer those fears when the boss brings them up to you.
My Life Monday: Decision to Work from Home
November 12, 2007 | 3 Comments
“What made you decide to work from home?”
Most people probably think it was the birth of my first born son. And although he was the reason I took the big step into quitting my job and working from home, he isn’t the only reason.
You see, I began looking for a job (or way to work from home) long before I had my son. I began working part time from home before I had my son and really enjoyed it. I loved the freedom of working from home, but just didn’t have the courage to quit my job and do it full time.
I needed that extra push in order to take the chance. I had thought of “what if this work doesn’t provide steady income?” I couldn’t break out of that mindset until my son forced me to.
I’ve been working full time from home since 2004 & I haven’t looked back once. There have been ups and downs along the way…the downs were never so bad that the ups didn’t outweigh them though.
I don’t see my professional life changing … although I would like to take my business offline eventually and create a seminar (locally) teaching people about telecommuting, that is the most I see myself getting out in the “real world” with my career, though.
What about you? What made you decide to work from home? Leave me an answer in the comments below.
The Benefits of Telecommuting Part time
November 12, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Some employers are leery about letting their employees work from home even on a part time basis. Keep that in mind when proposing the telecommuting idea to your boss. Make a list of the benefits and present it to your boss when making your proposal. Here are some benefits of telecommuting that you can add to your list:
Eliminating the hassles that commuting to a job can present on your work performance. A lot of times, your commute can be a headache which can cause tension by the time you arrive at the office. By eliminating the tension of commuting, your mind is free and ready to delve into your job responsibilities for the day.
Avoiding office politics and gossip. Every office has their dramas from time to time. Unfortunately, they can be extremely distracting and can decrease a person’s performance on the job. By working from home, those distractions aren’t there and you can concentrate solely on the task at hand and not what your co-worker is doing.
Less time taken off from work for personal reasons. When working from home, you can still go to personal appointments, but you can make up for the time lost by working at a later time in the day. When working in the office, this option isn’t always available.
More alert for your job. On days you have to go to the office, you get up early, get ready and leave to go to work. Depending on how far you live from the office, you may have to get up in the wee hours of the morning, disrupting your sleep time. When this happens, your body and mind is still sleepy when you get to work making concentrating difficult. By telecommuting, you can sleep in longer and be ready to work right away. You can even start your work earlier if you choose to.
Telecommuting part time benefits you by saving money on gas and clothes needed for the office. You have more time to spend with your family and less time is wasted commuting back and forth to work. When proposing telecommuting to your boss, only focus on how it benefits the company. Be professional in your proposal and don’t mention how you will benefit as they won’t be interested in it anyway.
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