Finding a Work from Home Career that Pays Well

You need a job. But you really need to work from home.

No problem.

There are careers that allow you to wear yoga pants and your hair in a scrunchie. Careers that allow you to skip a 90 minute morning commute, ensure that you can be home when your kids get home from school, and work out every day at lunch instead of at 4am.

1. First, focus on searching for jobs on all of the job search websites including Google Jobs, Facebook Jobs, Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Simply Hired etc…..using these search terms:

Virtual

Work from home

Home based

Remote

Telecommute

2. Focus on top job titles for home based jobs. Obviously, you have to consider your current job, field and industry, but a great place to start is:

Customer Service Rep

Business Analyst

IT Analyst

Recruiter

Social Media Marketing

Administrative Assistant

Video Editor

Marketing

Writer

Tech Support

Webmaster

Web Designer

User Support

3. Best Websites for Finding Virtual Work From Home Jobs

Google for Jobs

Flexjobs

ZIpRecruiter

Jobs on Facebook

Indeed

Glassdoor

Careerbuilder

Already have a job and want to discuss options for working from home with your manager? Here are some top tips if you hate going to the office every day, and want to negotiate with your manager.

1. Start small. Don’t ask for 100% from home schedule. Try a day or 2 days a week to build credibility.
2. Increase accessibility. That means you should plan to be available at all times by phone and email for your full scheduled hours just as you would be in the office.  The quickest way to lose your work from home days is to start disappearing.
3. Be the person that everyone on the team knows they can get you at any time. It balances off not being in the office.
4. If your company doesn’t give you a cell phone, get a Google voice number just for work calls. Don’t use your personal mobile number for work calls. Be extremely cautious about mixing texting and work.
5. Plan daycare accordingly. And if you are a pet parent, be honest about your ability to control your dogs. You can’t have your kids crying or interrupting or barking dogs near you if you are going to be on calls. It’s that simple.
6. Have an explicit plan for what you are going to do with the gift of time. Don’t waste it. Once again, avoid disappearing during regular work hours. Think of it this way. By losing the commute you are gaining critical hours back and also enhancing your health.  And if you were in an office, you’d be available. Be just as available as you would be in the office even if you are working virtually.

 

Consider these tips for optimizing a work from home situation:

1. Get certified in a field that has a high level of virtual jobs. For several years, the hottest job has been Social Media Marketing Manager. You could easily work virtually managing a company’s social media marketing.
2. Create a quiet, stationary workspace in your home and work on a contract basis for a number of employers.
3. Invest in both high speed wifi and a mifi modem.
4. Get a google voice number for work calls and texts.
5. Get all of the tools of the trade you need to do your job without any issues. That may mean you commit to upgrading your mobile devices and also get a new laptop. It’s critical to view this as an investment.

 

Now I have to share what you should not say when looking for a work from home job or negotiating with your manager:

1. Say you are working for work life balance. You should focus on increasing work output, productivity and enhancing service delivery. Make it about them winning and benefiting.
2. Focus on what you will commit to achieving not on what you are avoiding. Yes, we are all avoiding dealing with awful commutes and no personal time to think. However, the value proposition for your employers is increasing quality work output.
3. Accept that what you have negotiated can be changed, especially with a change in leadership or a new manager. So consider yourself lucky if you can negotiate something and know that it is always a contingent arrangement.

It’s absolutely possible to work from home in some jobs and for some people. Try to be as realistic as possible. Go for it. The average American commutes 49 minutes. But in Los Angeles, people would be thrilled to drive only 49 minutes to work. LA commutes are 1 hour and many up to 2 hours each way. Imagine getting just some of those hours back for yourself. For sleep, fitness, walking, meditation…..Learning a new language. Studying for a certification. Training for a marathon. If you got back 10 hours a week, you could do a lot more. My biggest point is if you are lucky enough to work from home, do something amazing with it. Don’t waste it.