Should You Telework/Telecommute

"WOW! I can work from home and make money? I can sit around in my PJ's and work whenever I want? How great, I want to be a Teleworker!"

There is much more to being a teleworker then working in your PJ's or working when you want to. Yes, those are nice benefits to teleworking, but you'd be surprised by how much work goes into working from home. You usually have to work 10 times harder and longer then in your traditional job outside the home.

When I first started teleworking years ago I thought, "How hard could this be?" well was I in for a surprise! I found I wasn't as motivated as I thought I would be. It was really hard for me to get up on time, get something to eat, and go to my "office" to start my day. And once I did begin I had to force myself to sit there and work for at least 3 hours at a time before I took a break. I couldn't believe how different it was and how hard it was. Yes, it was very rewarding to work from my home, but it wasn't all it's cracked up to be. I thought, from all the ads I'd seen online, that working would be a breeze.

After a few months of teleworking, talking to other teleworkers and just adjusting to this new way of working it all became much easier. I found that it was very fulfilling to be at home and be earning an income. It was nice to start my day when I wanted. My daily commute wasn't an hour each way in rush hour traffic; it was down the hall in the bedroom we had set up for an office. It was very satisfying and a lot of fun!

I grew a network of moms who worked from their home too, and talked to them on message boards, email, instant messaging and chat rooms...they became my "co-workers", in essence. I never realized how much I liked having co-workers, or people to talk to during the workday, until I began teleworking.

Ask yourself these questions before you start teleworking.

Am I focused?

What skills or experience do I have and can they work in a teleworking environment?

Do I have an area for an office and equipment?

Am I motivated or do I get frustrated and give up?

Can I work without supervision?

Can I manage my time well?

Do I listen to instructions and can I follow them easily?

Can I meet deadlines?

Do I have strong communication skills?

Do I have a strong work ethic?

There are even more things to consider before taking the leap into teleworking, such as, if you have small children will you be able to work with your child at home and if you go full time what will you do about healthcare benefits? Will you be able to live on part time, or less, income until you have enough work to maintain a full time schedule?

Many times when hired on to work at home, you will not have enough hours or work to make a full time income. You will need to obtain more then one job or work the one you have long enough to prove you're a good employee so they give you more work. There are always exceptions to this rule, but in general it will take more then one job to make full time income.

But as most teleworkers will tell you "where there's a will there's a way" and if you really want to work from your home, you will. Just remember that it will take time to adjust to. Be sure to stay focused, motivated, dedicated, and have a positive attitude. It's all necessary in your success as a teleworker!

Nell Taliercio is a business owner, virtual assistant, wife and new mom. She owns http://www.MommysPlace.NET and has worked from home for many years. If you would like to reach Nell Taliercio, please email her at mommysplacenet@yahoo.com

---

Job Interview Mistakes To Avoid

By avoiding these 8 simple mistakes, you can improve your... Read More

How to Close Your Interview and Leave a Lasting Positive Impression

Closing the InterviewKnowing how to successfully close an interview can... Read More

How Important Is It To Stand Apart From Others In An Interview And How Difficult Is It?

Any professionally trained interviewer can attest these questions are the... Read More

Do I Have to Provide a Salary History?

Often you see job postings with a request such as... Read More

Is Pursuing a Career in Patent Law the Right Move for You?

What's It All About? The field of patent law is... Read More

What Do You Want From Life?

The tragedy for millions of people is that they never... Read More

Image and Style Count

When I was a child, there was a pool nearby... Read More

Career Advice On Freelance Writing Jobs

Sometimes the freelance writing jobs available are those that no... Read More

Occupational Health and Safety - Stress and Workaholism at Work

There has been a lot of hullabaloo recently about the... Read More

How to Create a Great Electronic Resume

After creating the perfect resume, you then need to distribute... Read More

Be Prepared for the Unexpected

How long has it been since you last had to... Read More

War Time Hiring: 5 Steps to Attract Top Talent

A recent report, titled "The War for Talent" stated that... Read More

Why Your CV/Resume is Not Generating The Interview Offers You Want

If your current CV or resume is not generating the... Read More

Don?t Be Too Passionate About Your Work

Of course, she then offered me a six-month process, costing... Read More

The Hidden Agenda of Interviews

It's Not What They Ask - The Hidden Agenda of... Read More

Where Do I Go From Here?

Making Your Future Work Better For YouIt's the commonest concern... Read More

Why Well Produced Career Portfolios Are Replacing CVs

What is a Career Portfolio?The original portfolio used by artists... Read More

Virtual Heroes: The Growth of the Virtual Assistant

Building and expanding a business is a difficult task, when... Read More

Top 10 Tips for Career Advancement

Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can... Read More

Listening for Interview Success

Yes I know that we usually think of interviews as... Read More

Top 10 Resume Writing Tips to Get You the Interview

There are many reasons why you could be in the... Read More

Wanted: A Diva for the Job of a Lifetime!

"When I was a child, I always thought the world... Read More

The Power to Succeed

It's amazing how we fool ourselves... while at the same... Read More

Writing CVs and Resumes for Professionals with Examples

Tips on writing your Skills and Achievement Based CV (ABCV)... Read More

How to Change Career Horses in Mid-Stream

You'll get wet but the reward just might be a... Read More

Cover Letters

Cover Letters: Are you telling them what they want to... Read More

A Cover Letter Tip Guaranteed To Land You More Job Interviews!

Looking for a new job?I'm about to reveal one of... Read More

Why Human Resources Are The Real Key To Success In This Information Age

The rapid changes that have mainly been brought about by... Read More

You Can Identify a Problem Solver

As an executive recruiter, I interview a lot of people.... Read More

Unemployment Blues: Staying Afloat

The unemployment checks are running out and there is no... Read More

History Reports: When Your Resume Equals, I Did This, I Did This, I Did This

Do these sound familiar?"I worked for?" "My responsibilities were?"... Read More

10 Warning Signs That You?re Ready for a Career Transition

1. You dread getting out of bed and going to... Read More

Online Resume Formats

There are several types of online resume formats that can... Read More