I want to start working from home, but don’t know where to start? I fully understand.
When I first started looking for a remote job, I didn’t have the career I loved (I worked as a nurse), so I wanted to make money and do anything as much as I could stay home with my daughter.
You probably feel the same way.
However, if you start a remote job hunt and randomly explore your job listings, you lose valuable time and end up scaming.
So, when you don’t know what you want to do or where to start, how do you start from home?
This is a simple outline to follow to narrow down which remote work opportunities are right for you.
1. How much money do you need to make money?
If you need to make $60,000 a year, you only earn $13.00 per hour and will not cut back on part-time jobs. Depending on your response, we recommend checking out the remote job board at the companies you employ for full-time and part-time roles.
If you want a full-time job with benefits, we recommend looking at this list of legal companies that offer the benefits of remote workers.
Knowing how much you need to earn can help you narrow down the companies and positions you are exploring. If your job list does not include salary ranges, you can view your salary estimates on GlassDoor.com. If you need six-figure work from your home salary, explore the site, ladder, and WHICh corresponds to paying salaries of $100K or more.
2. Are you already at the job you love?
Are you already doing the job you love? If you are currently employed, we recommend writing a suggestion for working from home or flextime and presenting it to your boss. While working as a Medicaid nurse, I was able to write flextime suggestions and get flextime for our department. Many businesses are willing to let their employees work from home at least sometimes. In your proposal, focus on the company’s profits.
3. Do you need health benefits?
If you need health benefits and don’t want to pay out of your pocket for them, you should hire home employees and search for companies that offer profits. You also need to work full time. The only companies I know to offer health benefits for part-time employees are Starbucks and REI, which have in-store jobs.
If you choose to work part-time or as an independent contractor, you will need to sign up under your spouse plan or pay from your pocket for health benefits.
4. Would you like to go back to school or take a course?
If your career plan includes career changes, you may need to take an online course or return to school for additional training. Fortunately, there are many ways to get the education and skills needed to switch careers, from online college classes and certification programs to self-paced online courses.
For example, if you want to work remotely as a data entry clerk, but your Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet skills are rusty, you can review them to have the right skills for your position and perform the assigned duties with confidence.
5. Do you have the money to invest in your business?
If you are starting from ground zero – If you don’t have money in your savings account, it can be difficult to start your own business. Even small and direct sales opportunities in boxes can cost hundreds of dollars to start. It also takes several months for you to get rolling and earnings to begin. But if you’re willing to become your boss and get the moonlight or borrow money from family and friends, you might be able to make it work. Consider these aspects before you quit security in your daytime job.
6. What are your interests and personality types?
I started a remote job that I was trying to do anything, but I would have been miserable if I had been working far away as a customer service representative. Before jumping from working from home to work, think about what you want to do, what you’re good at, and where your skills are. Most people spend at least 8 hours a day at work. Would you like to enjoy what you actually do along the way? !
If you have problems determining your interests or passions, take a career test, conduct an information interview, and volunteer. By learning more about the professions you think are interested in, you can better determine whether it is actually correct for you. If you’re not sure what type of home carrier you’ll be able to use, this list has 99 jobs in home carrier ideas for you to explore.
7. How many hours can you work?
When I started looking for work from home, I only worked a few hours each day (when my daughter was taking a nap). Know when you can work and how many hours you can work. Many work from home require at least four hours of shifts and dedicated office space with no interruptions. If you want full flexibility, consider starting your own business where you can call shots, or a freelance job where you can work on a project anytime.
8. What equipment do I need in my workspace?
Most remote jobs require a fairly new laptop or computer and a high-speed internet connection. But in addition to these two, you may need items like a dedicated phone line, a headset, a Windows operating system, a printer, a VPN, and more. Be sure to read the equipment requirements of each company to make sure you have the right equipment for your home office. You should also consider whether hourly fees are sufficient for the cost of a particular item (such as a dedicated telephone line) and the cost of repetitive equipment and service.
If you are looking for a company that provides equipment, check out this post.
9. Do you have the right personality?
When I used to work at Cubicle, I dreamed of working from home. I imagined my lunch date with a friend, sitting by the pool with my laptop and doing my leisurely laundry while I answered my emails. This is not a movement from home. Working from home requires a great focus and motivation. If you can’t block distractions and accomplish the task yourself, it’s really hard to get it to work. Before you start working from home, consider your personality type and whether it’s suitable for this type of arrangement.
10. Avoid fraud
Now that you have an idea about the career you are looking for, it’s time to start searching for jobs and applying. In fact, there are many job boards and platforms that you can use to start your job from home job hunting, such as LinkedIn, Upwork, etc. While these sites are legal and are good for finding remote positions, there are plenty of scammers who post fake job ads on these sites.
Before accepting an interview job, make sure the person you are communicating with is actually the person they say they are. If you claim they are recruiters, you should be able to find their profile on LinkedIn. You also need to use a professional email address, not a free Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo email address. By tracking jobs you apply on a spreadsheet or career planner, you can avoid unsolicited jobs that are often not scams.
Legitimate companies do not conduct interviews via messaging apps such as Signal, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Telegram. If your company is doing video conferencing interviews, it usually does so via Zoom, the Microsoft team, or Google Meet. Educating yourself about common work from homeland fraud is the best way to protect yourself from falling into one.
11. Explore work from home opportunities
If you want to make a little extra money from home, there are plenty of 1099 online jobs. Some of you might consider are AI training, transcription, translation, personalized tutoring, social media management, freelance writing, and virtual support. These side gigs allow you to work as much as you like. You can also create your own work schedule.
As an independent contractor of 1099, you are considered a self-employed person, so you are responsible for paying quarterly self-employment taxes and will not receive benefits. How much you earn as an independent contractor depends on the job you are doing, but in reality, the average hourly wage for a US contractor is $29.94.
If you want to be a part-time or full-time employee (W2 worker), there are various companies, staffing agencies and job posting boards. One unique way to tackle a remote job hunt is to create a list of 20 dream companies you want to work with. Once you have your listing, go to each company’s website and explore their job openings. Today, most businesses have several remote or hybrid roles available. By going directly to their website, you can avoid fake job listings and find positions that are not advertised on major job sites. If your list includes small businesses that do not have a job board listed on the website, please contact us directly to inquire about the current opening.
You can also sign up for our free newsletter. This is a great way to stay in the current opening loop for remote employees.
Start work from home
Working from home allows people to achieve a better work-life balance while earning income. However, before you start working from home, you need to consider these factors to see if it is truly the ideal situation for you. If you don’t have the right skills or personality, or if your wages aren’t enough, you may be more frustrating and stressful than working in a traditional office.
It was first published on April 3, 2009. The content was updated in November 2024.