Book Reviews about Working From Home
Working From Home: Finding a Home-Based Job Is Not Simple….
….but it’s worth it!
Our first instinct when looking for a work-at-home job might be to hop in and start perusing this directory of companies hiring home-based workers, but the process really begins with a bit of soul searching. Ask yourself a few questions to see if you have the right personality then delve into the practical aspects of getting started as a work-at-home mom.
Finding a work-at-home job is different (and possibly harder) than finding a traditional job. Relatively few telecommuters begin in a remote location; most work onsite before turning their jobs into a telecommuting position. That said, more companies are hiring people to work from home without a stop in the traditional office.
In a traditional job hunt, the steps seem more familiar for a work-at-home job: You learn about a job opening, often through networking, a classified ad or an online job posting. You apply. Then you are contacted, usually by telephone, and invited for anything from one to a series of face-to-face interviews before a position is offered. This gives you plenty of opportunity to show off your skills and personality and assess the pros and cons of the potential position and employer.
But looking for a work-at-home job can be completely different–or not different at all. I have worked for companies where I’ve never even spoken on the phone with anyone before or after I was hired and others that had a lengthy interview process. The lack of personal contact is one of the biggest downsides of interviewing for an online job. Without it, it can be hard to tell how well you will fit into the company’s culture. However, a well-organized interview process and prompt returns of emails or phone calls are always a good sign.
Working From Home: Finding a Home-Based Job Is Not Simple…. originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 08:59:59.
BBC Offers Free Careers Interest Quiz Online
The BBC offers a short psychology quiz that can help you identify which types of careers might be most suitable for you. The free, online seven-question career psychology quiz. The quiz is based on John Holland’s model of vocational choice. It is an attempt to determine which of the six main types of person you are:
- Realistic
- Conventional
- Social
- Enterprising
- Artistic
- Investigative
The quiz takes about 5 minutes or so to complete. It can be a worthwhile exercise if you are trying to determine what type of work you might be best suited for or help you decide what type of business you might want to start. It’s thought provoking and you can’t beat the cost (free) or the instant analysis. You aren’t asked to provide any personal information whatsoever to take the quiz.
For me, the test results confirmed that I’m already doing exactly what I should be doing. That was comforting.
Take the BBC’s Science & Nature Careers Test
BBC Offers Free Careers Interest Quiz Online originally appeared on About.com Home Business on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 09:45:24.
N.Y. Couple Charged with Running Work at Home Scam
This article in the Mid-Hudson News reports that a New York couple have been arrested by the Feds on charges they ran a work at home business that defrauded people. According to the article, authorities say the couple made more than a million dollars in their scheme.
Both husband and wife were charged with one count of mail fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The charges came after authorities received multiple complaints from several New York counties and from across the U.S.
The scheme was allegedly carried out online, by mail and in print ads. It involved promising consumers they could earn a “weekly paycheck” while working at home just by labeling postcards that advertised a product called the “Mortgage Accelerator Program.” To participate in this work at home program, participants were required to shell out an $80-$90 enrollment fee, after which they were to label and return the postcards and receive payment. Those complaining say they shelled out the money, followed instructions to the letter and never got any money.
It’s like I always caution, “Don’t buy into someone else’s make-money-from-home system. The only ones who get rich are the ones who convince you to hand over your money - not you.”
Related:
Have You been a Victim of a Work at Home Scam?
How to Report Work at Home Scams
N.Y. Couple Charged with Running Work at Home Scam originally appeared on About.com Home Business on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 00:57:09.
Google Provides Chance to Donate AdSense Earnings to Haiti Relief
Haitian Relief Image
© Getty Images
Google AdSense AdSense publishers can donate their AdSense earnings that have accrued through January 31, 2010 directly to the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.
Google is currently accepting donations from AdSense publishers with an
unpaid account balance through January 31, 2010. Donations will go to Partners In Health, to provide medical aid on the ground in Haiti throughout the ongoing reconstruction efforts.
Those of you who are making money with Google AdSense know that Google holds money in your account until you reach a certain threshold (in the U.S. it’s $100) and then they issue payment. If you have some money accumulated since your last pay out, you can donate some or all of it to the Haiti relief effort, whether it’s 10 cents or $100. Here’s how:
Read more…
Google Provides Chance to Donate AdSense Earnings to Haiti Relief originally appeared on About.com Home Business on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 09:54:43.
Thrifty Thursday: Save Energy, Save Money….Save Your Sanity
I have always maintained that when you work at home it’s best to shut down your computer at the end of your working day. It’s a simple thing, but it’s one of those little sanity savers. If your computer is on, you might take a quick peek at email and get sucked you into a long discussion during the time you were supposed be with family. If it’s not on; you’re not as tempted.
As it turns out, shutting down can save you money too because it’s more energy efficient. Once upon a time, the prevailing wisdom about shutting down your computer was that the wear and tear on the machine and the added energy used at start-up did not make it cost efficient to shut down your computer frequently.
These days, though, the U.S. Department of Energy’s guidelines say it’s better to shut down. Computers are far more likely to become outdated before they wear out from being switched on and off.
Additionally, the guidelines advise shutting down both the CPU and monitor if you’re not going to using them for more than 2 hours and the monitor only for more than 20 minutes away. Screen-savers are not energy saving. Plug in monitors, printers, laptops and other accessories to power strips. Switch off the power strips when not in use because these all draw power even when off.
More on Thrifty Thursday:
- Thrifty Thursday Blog Archive
- Saving Money: Know What Is in Your Teen’s Closet
- Help Military Families Save Money With Expired Coupons
- Rethink Resale
- Advance Your Career With Free Online Courses
- Stock Up on Birthday Presents
- Save Money with Cloth Diapers
Thrifty Thursday: Save Energy, Save Money….Save Your Sanity originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 06:32:38.
Is There a Recession-Proof Business or Industry?
The global economy has been in the dumper for quite some time now. In the U.S. “the great recession” has lasted for over two years. And although it seems like we may be seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, we can only hope it’s not another train coming at us.
I had published my thoughts in the middle of all of this in 5 Money Making, Recession Resistant Home Businesses. Shortly thereafter, I also asked for your input on which businesses or industries could do well or at least get by in a recession.
Is There a Recession-Proof Business or Industry? originally appeared on About.com Home Business on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 09:54:26.
Who Are the Millions the Census Bureau Says Are Making $75K a Year at Home?
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau released this month shows that more than 11 million people worked at home in 2005, up almost 2 million from 1999. And nearly half of those make $75,000 a year or more.
Wow! I bet that has the work at home swindlers staying up late thinking up new hooks for their work at home scams. With the U.S. Census bureau as a “source” and a figure like 50 percent making $75,000 a year, this is scammer gold.
I can already see the scam ads on my search engine results. “Census Report: Home Workers Earn $6250/mo. Click Here to Start Earning. No Risk!”
And news stories like this one “Millions Working from Home, Half Make $75,000 a Year” from ArkansasMatters.com, a TV station website, only feed the fantasy that the work at home scams are real. The article leads off with this: “There may be some truth in those advertisements claiming you can work from home and make big bucks.”
Uh, no, there really isn’t truth to those advertisements, folks.
The people making $75,000 a year working at home did not find their jobs through some online or email ad. These are people who are making that kind of money in the traditional workplace and are able to transition to working at home full- or, more likely, part-time.
Let’s go a little bit deeper than the headlines. According to the Census Bureau: “In 2005, 46 percent of people who said they worked at home some or all of the time earned at least $75,000 per year, compared with 34 percent of non-home workers who made at least that much.”
The key phrase here is “some or all of the time.” The Census Bureau adds together everyone who works at home, even as little as once a week, to come up with these figures. In fact, the median monthly income of those who exclusively work at home was $1,827.
And that’s not bad, especially since only about half of the home-based workers reported working 35 hours a week or more. But it’s not $75K. So know how to spot a scam and steer clear of promises of big bucks.
Who Are the Millions the Census Bureau Says Are Making $75K a Year at Home? originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 07:57:18.