99 Powerful Freelance Telecommuting Tips: First Installment

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This is the first installment in an amazing Guest Blogger Series from Nell Taliercio of The Answer Lady Network.

1. Treat your job search as if you weren’t desperate to find work from home

It’s normal to feel the desperation of needing to find work and fast, but this feeling tends to cause a person to rush through the job searching process. Those who do, tend to overlook obvious signs of scams, make mistakes on their resumes and not follow directions from the job ad. Treat your search as if you weren’t desperate, so that you’ll be more careful and not rush through it.

2. Use a variety of Keywords and phrases when searching online job boards

Just because you call it a telecommuting job, doesn’t mean that everyone else will. If you only use the keyword “telecommuting” in your search, you will only get results of ads that have the word “telecommuting” in them. Some employers use words and phrases like- work from home, work at home, work remotely, 1099, independent contractors and offsite. Expanding the keywords and phrases will get you more results of job ads to choose from.

3. Keep a positive attitude throughout the job searching process

You will face disappointments and rejection, but there are other opportunities out there and you must keep reminding yourself of that. If you let the disappointments get to you, depression can set in and cause you to lose your focus in the job search. That’s when mistakes will happen, which will cause you to lose the job opportunity that you had a good chance of getting.

4. Be sure to use quotations for keyword phrases when using the search function on job boards

The search functions on these job boards will pick up job ads that contain any of the words listed in your keyword phrase. If you place work from home in the search box, you will get results that contain at least one of the words, but they won’t necessarily be work from home jobs. This will take up a lot of your time by having to sort through each one to find the ones that are truly work from home. Place quotes around the phrase and get a more focused search results page.

5. When considering a job to apply for; make sure the job duties match what the job pay is

If you’re looking at a customer service type position, and the job ad says that the duties would be to answer phone calls, answer emails and maybe fill out some forms. The pay says $20 an hour. This should raise a red flag to you, as most customer service positions pay around $8-$10 an hour. It doesn’t make it a scam, but it does raise your awareness to thoroughly check it out before giving away any personal information.

6. When searching online job boards check the job title first

Most legit telecommuting jobs will have an actual job title listed. For example, if someone posts a job ad for a customer service agent; the job title would say- “customer service agent” or “customer service rep”. The jobs that aren’t legit tend to be the ones that have off titles to them, such as “22 people wanted!” or “Make a $1000 a month!” The job title should tell you what the job actually is.

7. Use telecommuting job websites to network with others who work from home

Some jobs can be found by networking with others who already work from home. They may be willing to divulge the company they work for and might let you know when that company is hiring again. Be sure to return the favors by passing on job leads or give advice to others on various things. Networking is a give and take process, so expect to give just as much as you take. If you don’t, many people won’t be so willing to give information to you in the future.

8. Don’t believe everything you hear

While it’s okay to listen to what other’s opinions are of a company, make sure you base your opinion on what facts and feelings you find and feel about them. Some disgruntled past employees can scream scam when the company is really legit. Take what you read and hear into consideration, but make sure your decision is your own.

9. Don’t pass on detailed information about your interviews and tests you’ve taken to others who are applying

Employers do tend to scour these forums and can, in some cases, figure out who it is that’s passing this information on. Those who are caught doing this can lose their chances at the position quite easily. If you want to help others, simply tell them generic information like the interview lasted 30 min., they asked questions about my skills and the test wasn’t that hard. Don’t go into detail and let the others get the job on their own merits.

10. Don’t apply for a position that you have no skills for

Unfortunately, this is a common practice among those wanting to find work at home jobs. Somehow, they think they can land the position even though they hold no skills or knowledge the position requires. Some believe that there’s no harm in trying, which may hold true for some things, but is unprofessional here. The company you’re applying to may just have a position open up in the future that you have the skills for, so keep your resumes until those you have skills for come up.

11. Some telecommuting jobs may be as close as your onsite job

Take a look at your current onsite job and see if there’s any duties that could be done from home part time. If there are some, consider talking to your boss and see if they would allow it. You may have to present some facts and figures, but it would be worth it, if you ended up working part time from home.

12. Search for jobs while you research online

While you’re searching for other information online, check and see if some of the websites have a career or job section. Some sites will post any jobs that they have available and some might be telecommuting. There are only a few people, who have actually gotten jobs this way, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to try it and who knows, maybe you’ll be one of them.

13. Check with specialized companies

If you have a certain special skill, such as accounting, you could check out companies that specialize in providing accounting services to people that need them. See if those companies are hiring work at home employees or would consider having work at home employees. There are some companies that specialize in certain services and do hire those to work from their home offices, so if you have particular skills check them out.

14. Always include a cover letter when sending your resume

A cover letter helps to sell yourself to an employer so they will want to review your resume. Unless, they specifically ask you not to send one, you should attach it to your resume when you send it off. It helps the employer see why they should consider you for the position.

15. Follow Directions

Some job ads will ask you to follow certain directions when applying for their job. Be sure to do exactly what they say to do, because they have their reasons for wanting it done a certain way and it will show them that if you can follow directions from a job ad, you can follow directions when doing a project for them. By not doing what they request, your chances of landing the position will be next to nothing.

16. Don’t be afraid to follow up on the jobs you apply for

Just because you don’t receive any feedback from a job you applied for, it doesn’t mean that they weren’t interested in you. It could mean that they’ve just been too busy and haven’t had enough time to go through the resumes yet or maybe they simply didn’t receive yours. Wait about 10-14 days after applying and then send a follow up email or phone call to see what the status of your application is.

17. Wait at least 10-14 days before you follow-up

This is important to revisit as some people take this step a little too far. The last thing an employer wants is someone to send them an email 2-3 times a day starting the day after they send a resume in to them. Employers probably will never respond to you then. Wait 10-14 days before you send a follow up email or phone call. If you wait an appropriate amount of time, they will be more willing to discuss your status with you.

18. Don’t expect to get a telecommuting job overnight

Plan for the telecommuting job searching process to take a long time. Local jobs will hire someone a lot quicker as the competition in that area is not quite as fierce as they are online. When applying for the online jobs, expect the companies to receive hundreds of applications/resumes. This will take them time to review all the ones they choose to read. Then they will have to set up a bunch of interviews, which will take some time. Landing a job online will not happen overnight.

19. Use the proper greeting with your cover letters

Give the cover letter a more professional look by providing a greeting such as “Dear Mr. Smith” or “Dear Ms. Doe”. If you don’t know their name, then avoid using the “Dear Sir or Madam” greeting and go with something more neutral like “Dear hiring manager”. You could also gain a few extra points for yourself and find out the hiring manager’s name by contacting the company.

20. Give the cover letter/resume a little pizzazz

Pay attention to the details of the job ad you’re applying to. If they say they need someone with good typing speed; why not copy and paste the results to a typing test recently taken. Maybe they want someone with good listening skills. If you have a certificate that shows that or something similar, consider sending them a copy of it. Make your cover letter and resume stand out by really selling yourself to the potential employer.

21. Sell yourself with words, not designs

Your cover letter and resume should be a simple professional design. You want to stand out from all the competition, but you don’t want to do it with cutesy designs, fancy fonts and brilliant colors. Let your words do the talking; not your designs. For web designers or other types of jobs where designs are the main job duties; use a portfolio of some sort to show your work. Leave it out of the cover letter and resume.

22. Make your cover letter interesting

The purpose of the cover letter is to sell yourself to an employer so they will want to look at your resume. If your cover letter simply says “enclosed is my resume” the employer could then see you as a lazy worker and not someone who will put forth their best effort in the job. Sell yourself and show that you are the person for this job!

23. Tailor your cover letters and resumes to the job you’re applying for

Even though you may be applying for the same type of position with several different companies, you should still tailor the cover letter/resumes to each one. Some companies may be looking for the same type of person, but they aren’t always looking for the same kinds of things. For example, they may need an accountant, but one company focuses on the job experience while another focuses on educational experience. The companies will be more interested if you can show that you have exactly what they want.

24. Consider including in your cover letter where you found the job ad

While it’s not necessary to do this, it still would be a good idea. Some companies appreciate that information as they want to know where the ad was that got you to them. They may want to know for future reference or simply because they want to know if it’s a place they trust.

25. Include your home office set up in the cover letter

If the job you’re applying to needs you to have a home office set up or simply a noise free environment to work in; then consider adding this information within the cover letter. Let them know what you’re home office set up looks like. Some people have gone so far as to provide a small picture of their home office to show that they have a noise free area to work in. Include things like what type of internet connection you have- like dsl, satellite etc.

26. Spell Check/proofread your Resume

You’re trying to show how much of a professional you are and you want to impress the pants off of an employer, but you fail to spell check your resume. With so many mistakes spotted within it, you are viewed as a sloppy worker, which doesn’t give you much chance of landing the job. Even if you happen to be the hardest worker around; failing to do this simple step will cost you big time, so spend a few extra minutes to proofread your resume before sending it off.

27. Avoid objective statements on your resume that only states you’re looking for telecommuting work

This area should be much like any other resume you would do for an onsite job. Add the specific skills or qualifications that you would like to see utilized or advanced with their company. Then you can add a statement that says you’re looking to do this while working from your home office. Too many people simply state “I’m looking to work in a telecommuting position.” This won’t pop out to an employer and make them want to check out the rest of your resume.

28. Focus your resume to meet the needs of the job

An employer is only going to be interested in your work experience that relates to the job you’re applying for. Pumping gas at the local gas station is hardly going to make an employer be impressed enough to consider hiring you for their web designer position. If it doesn’t relate to the job you’re applying for in some way, keep it out of the resume.

About the Guest Blogger: Nell Taliercio has been championing the cause of telecommuting moms for several years. She is a respected leader in the work at home community. Learn more about Nell by visiting the websites of The Answer Lady network.

Watch for the next installment of this Guest Blogger Series to arrive soon!

To learn more, check out the Mom’s Talk Biz’sGuide to Starting Your Own Virtual Assistant Business - Step-by-step instructions, resources and inside information to start and profit from your own virtual assistant business from home.