Telecommuting and The Single Parent

We all know that work at home scams are more plentiful than lottery winners and far too many of these work at home establishments expect you to buy "kits" to get your dream opportunity started. Let's stop for a second and ponder why you'd give a stranger telling you a story money...doesn't make sense, does it?

Neither does paying to get not a job, but an "opportunity". Which, in essence, means you could make money, but how much is unclear. And the longevity of the "opportunity" is equally unclear. I doubt your landlord/bank manager/utility companies would want to hear about that on the day your payment(s) is due!

I've researched countless WAH (work at home) establishments, fly-by-nighters via the Better Business Bureau, the Rip-Off Report and a very cool website called snopes.com. All of the aforementioned are solid ways to check out a company before you hit the Join button and put your bank account at risk.

Speaking of very cool, there's a gentleman named Eddy Salomon at www.workathomenoscams.com/about/ who'll give it to you straight about experiences he's had with good & bad WAH (work at home) establishments. This isn't an endorsement for Mr. Salomon, but I do enjoy his thoughts on various topics and what makes/breaks the deal for you when you're choosing companies to sign on with for actual work. You will too. Not only is he knowledgeable, but experienced. And he's a family guy too.

If you're not employed/ you're in school, go Mr. Salomon's website and see what he recommends lately.

For those new to looking at WAH (work at home) careers, always always always type in "telecommute", not "work at home". You'll get scams up to your eyebrows with the words "work at home".

To date, "telecommute" results in fewer scam responses and more likelihood of actually finding a legitimate establishment.

There are some genuine telecommute careers out there in the real world and it will take some determination on your part to find them, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Nor does it mean investing in expensive "company training" or equipment that only they can supply you with.

If you want to save some time and you're already working at a company, find out if you can do some work at home. Telecommuting in disguise! ;) You'd be surprised how many companies are open to this arrangement. And how much more you'll get done.

Once you do get that telecommute job, a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Childcare-yes, you'll need it. Especially if you're doing customer service. (And you'll never know when you'll be monitored). Trade off with a friend for free childcare or work when your child(ren) are asleep.

2. Take home office literally-a desk, a computer with a lot of memory, a printer/scanner and/or a fax are essential for your work. Plus, you can write them off at tax time as business expenses. (I like that idea!)

3. Tailor your resume to what you want to do. Read free sample resumes online to find one that fits your goals and use it as a template. Use your past experiences to demonstrate how what you did will save the company time, money, benefit their reputation, etc.

4. (And this is a biggie!) Emphasize how you'll get more done working at home by enhancing how the lack of social stimulation will make you more productive, enable you to concentrate on your work, allow you to finish your work faster, etc.

5. Treat working at home/telecommuting as a professional career. Because it is.