Work at Home Wednesdays

Work at Home Companies

If you are just starting your search into working at home, a great place to apply is West. They are a company contracted out to perform INBOUND call center duties for various companies. For example, the Home Shopping Network (HSN) contracts West to hire their home based customer service representatives. West is a pretty big company with many work at home opportunities. They offer paid training and if you get hired, you will be payed as an employee rather than an independent contractor. West, like any company, has its positives and negatives. I worked for them for a while and my experience on a whole was a good one. Some pluses include being able to make your own schedule and the flexibility of changing your schedule very easily. Also, some of the lines they offer are open 24 hours a day. For example, the HSN line, which is the line I worked, is open 24 hours a day. This allowed me to have the flexibility of working late at night or very early in the morning around my son's schedule. Also, you can't beat working in your jammies, laying in bed! The negatives are that sometimes it can be very difficult to actually get the hours you need. You sometimes have to resort to stalking the scheduling board to pick up your hours. The pay rate is ok depending on which line you work.

Tip: If you decide to give it a whirl with West, try your hardest to get the HSN line. This is the best line in my opinion. No pressure selling. The customers are long time HSN shoppers so they know the drill and most are really, really nice! I know other West at home employees have had success and enjoy other lines so by no means should you be discouraged if you don't get the HSN line. All I am saying is that if you have a choice, the HSN line is a great one!

How to apply:
West

Recommended Reading:

The Resume
Avoiding Scams

Work at Home Wednesday

Here is a sample resume to use when applying for a telecommute position. Notice that your skills should be listed first.

Johnathan Doe
12345 Statestreet Ave.
St. Petersburg, FL 33703
(813) 555-2121
e-mail: johnathan@aol.com

OBJECTIVE

To obtain a telecommuting position with a professional organization where I can be creative and utilize my skills as a technical writer/desktop publisher.

PROFILE

• Technical writing (end user manuals, installation/maintenance/repair manuals, courseware, MS Windows help screens)
• Course development and instruction
• Desktop publishing skills (design/typesetting/illustration), and marketing experience
• Organized, self starter, detail oriented, with excellent communication abilities
• Supervisory background
• Operation, repair, and training of PC, and Macintosh computer systems
• Knowledgeable in wide variety of software applications: Adobe PageMaker, Macromedia Freehand, Adobe Photoshop, MS Word, HTML authoring tools, RoboHelp, dBase, EXCEL, various Internet apps, etc.

EXPERIENCE

1991 - Present COMPANY 1 INC., Homestead, Florida
Widget manufacturer & telecommunications

Technical Writer

Create end user manuals and MS Windows help screens detailing the installation/maintenance of hardware and software applications designed for Company 1 products. Develop procedures and standards for creating technical product bulletins and installation/maintenance manuals. Interface with all departments to acquire needed information for documentation. Assist company personnel with learning productive techniques for using computer software and hardware.

1979-1990 COMPANY 2, INC, Hauppauge, New York
International electronics communication company

Senior Technical Instructor (5/87-5/90)

Developed and presented technical courses designed to train field engineers on procedures for installing/maintaining computer hardware and software specific to Information Services, Inc. Instructed field engineers on troubleshooting techniques for the repair and maintenance of computer hardware and software. Instructed on the use of test equipment: data analyzers, oscilloscopes, multimeters, and software diagnostic tools. Wrote technical manuals and handbooks detailing installation and repair procedures. Designed and presented courses for technical staff, non-technical staff, sales, and management users. Provided evaluation reports and testing of trainees to determine competency level. Traveled Europe and U.S. to assemble course development information. Accomplishments Promoted to Senior Technical Instructor position. Initiated and completed a plan to design and develop all documentation given to trainees.

Repair Line Supervisor (12/83-5/87)

Appointed to reorganize and supervise the daily operation of the repair department. Implemented necessary changes for increased productivity. Hired, trained, and evaluated repair personnel. Maintained repair parts inventory. Provided management with status and productivity reports. Accomplishments Promoted to Technical Instructor position. Decreased turnaround time of incoming equipment from two weeks to two days. Initiated new inventory control program. Program was accepted for use in other departments. Increased productivity by 40% within 2 months.

Senior Repair Technician (12/79-5/83)

Repaired computer systems and peripherals to board and component level by locating defective parts and replacing them. Accomplishments Promoted to Supervisor. Increased productivity level of the department by introducing new testing and troubleshooting methods. Promoted from entry-level Technician to Senior Technician.

EDUCATION

AS - Electronic Engineering
State University of New York
Minor in Psychology

Certificate in Digital Computer Technology
Computer Technical School, 1979

Read Tips on Avoiding Scams

Work at Home Wednesdays

Avoiding Scams

There are many companies now offering legitimate work at home opportunites. However, there are many scammers out there and it is important to know how to spot them. Christine Durst, author of The Rat Race Rebellion, says her research indicates the ratio of scams to legitimate opportunities is 42 to 1.

Here are some tips I have picked over time on how to avoid scams:

1. Check out the company's website. If it is brand new or the only information offered is about a job, then be very cautious.
2. Legitimate companies will never ask you for money upfront before you have been officially hired. Some companies do require a background check and will ask you to pay this before you begin working. However, at this point, you have been essentially hired pending an acceptable background check. There are also companies that will ask you to pay for training materials, but, again this is after you have been hired.
3. Check with the Better Business Bureau and see if the company has any complaints. Customer complaints are not necessarily important. Customers will complain about prices being too high or some customer service representative that was rude. Look out for employee complaints or many customer complaints that point to the company being fradulent or unethical.
4. Never give out pin numbers or passwords to your bank accounts. Scammers will ask for this under the pretense of verifying you are a real applicant. Do not fall for this!
5. Don't assume that because a job ad has been posted on a reputable job board or website that it is legitimate. There is no way for these sites to keep up and verify every job ad. You must do the research yourself to determine that the job is credible.
6. If you reply to a job ad and the response does not include a company name, be very careful! Also, if they do provide a company name and you cannot find it anywhere on the internet, then also be very cautious!
7. Be wary of a company that is willing to hire you without an interview, a resume, or speaking to you.
8. If it sounds too good to be true, then it is probably a scam.
9. Check the Attorney General for your state to be sure that the company you are applying with is a licensed company.
10. Check the company out at Rip Off Report.

Don't let this list intimidate you or scare you off from working at home. There are many legitimate work at home opportunities available. I have worked for two of them so I know that they exist. This list is meant to empower you so that you can begin your search with confidence. Tune in next Wednesday for information on how to write a resume when applying for work at home jobs.

For Real This Time!

Ok, I know I posted a while back that I would have this blog up and running soon and then it just didn't happen. However, now I have this great new blog design courtesy of Paperback Designs and Go Graham Go! I am really excited about getting this blog going and I PROMISE it will have content this week. I will be featuring job leads for women (or men) who wish to work from home, the best freebies offered on the web, money making ideas, coupons, and a weekly roundup of the best blog giveaways. Look for new posts starting this week!