Want to start working from home but don’t know where to start? I totally understand.
When I started looking for remote work, I didn’t have a career I loved (I worked as a nurse), so I was willing to do anything as long as I could make some money and be home with my daughter.
You probably feel the same way.
But how do you start working from home if you don’t know what you want to do or where to start?
By answering these simple questions, you can narrow down which remote work options are right for you.
1. How much money do you need to earn?
If you need to make $60,000 a year, a part-time job making only $13.00 an hour isn’t going to cut it. Depending on your answer, you may want to check out ours remote desktop with companies hiring full-time and part-time.
If you need a full time job with benefitsI recommend checking out this list of legitimate companies that offer benefits for remote workers.
Knowing how much you need to earn will help you narrow down the companies and positions you explore. If the job offer does not include a salary range, you can view salary estimates at Glassdoor.com. If you need a six-figure salary from home, explore the job site, ladders, whoh handles high paying jobs over $100,000.
2. Are you already in a job you love?
Do you already have a job you love? You may want to write a remote work or flexible time proposal and present it to your boss if you are currently employed. When I was working as a Medicaid nurse, I wrote a flex time proposal and was able to get our department flex hours where we could determine when we arrived and left work each day. Many companies are willing to let employees work from home at least some of the time. Focus on the benefits to society in your proposal.
3. Do you need health benefits?
If you they need health benefits and you don’t want to pay for them out of pocket, you’ll need to look for a company that hires from home and offers benefits. You will also need to work full-time. The only companies I know of that offer health benefits to part-time employees are Starbucks and REI, and those are for retail positions.
If you decide to work part time or as independent contractoryou will have to enroll in your spouse’s plan or pay out-of-pocket for health benefits.
4. Are you willing to go back to school or take a course?
If your career plan includes a career change – you may have to take an online course or go back to school for more training. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of ways to get the education and skills you need to change careers, from online college courses and certificate 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 out of date, you’ll want to refresh yourself to ensure you have the right skills for the position and can confidently perform your assigned duties.
5. Do you have money to invest in business?
If you are starting from scratch – with no money in your savings account, it will be difficult to start your own business. Even smaller business-in-a-box and direct sales options it cost a few hundred dollars to start. It also generally takes a few months to get up and running and revenue to start rolling in. But if you’ve decided to be your own boss and are willing to borrow money from a family member or friend, you might be able to do it. Just make sure you consider these aspects before you leave the security of your day job.
6. What are your interests and personality type?
Even though I started telecommuting willing to do anything, if I got a remote job as a customer service representative I would be miserable. Before you take on ANY work from home job, consider the things you would like to do, what you are good at, and where your skills lie. Most people spend at least eight hours a day at work – wouldn’t you like to half enjoy what you do?!
If you are having trouble identifying your interests and passions, take a career test, conduct informational interviews, and volunteer. By learning more about the career you think you’re interested in, you can better determine if it’s truly the right fit for you. If you’re not sure what types of work-from-home jobs are available, this list covers it 99 ideas for working at home to explore.
7. What hours can you work?
When I started looking for work from home, I only had a few hours to work each day (when my daughter slept). Don’t forget to find out when you can work and how many hours. Many work-from-home jobs require at least four-hour shifts and dedicated office space without interruption. If you need complete flexibility, consider starting your own businessin which you can develop footage, or freelance work where you can work on a project at any time.
8. What equipment do you need for your workspace?
Most remote jobs will require you to have a fairly new laptop or computer and a high-speed internet connection. However, in addition to these two things, you may also need items such as a dedicated phone line, a headset, a Windows operating system, a printer, a VPN, and more. Be sure to read each company’s equipment requirements to make sure you have the right equipment for your home office. You’ll also want to consider the cost of certain items (such as a dedicated phone line) and whether the hourly rate is sufficient for recurring equipment and service costs.
If you are looking, check out this post companies that provide equipment.
9. Do you have the right personality?
When I was working in a cubicle, I dreamed of working from home. I envisioned lunch dates with friends, sitting by the pool with my laptop, and leisurely doing laundry while answering emails. There is no such thing as working from home. Working from home requires a lot of concentration and motivation. If you can’t block out distractions and complete tasks on your own – it’s going to be really hard to make it work. Before you start working from home, consider your personality type and whether you are a good fit for this type of arrangement.
10. Avoidance of fraud
Now that you have an idea of what career you’re looking for, it’s time to start looking and applying for jobs. There are tons of job boards and platforms that you can use to start your work from home job search like Indeed, LinkedIn, and Upwork. Although these sites are legitimate and good for finding remote jobs, there are a lot of scammers on these sites who post fake job ads.
Before accepting a job offer for an interview, make sure you verify that the person you are communicating with is who they say they are. If they claim to be a recruiter, you should be able to find their LinkedIn profile. They should also use a professional email address, not a free Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo email address. Keeping track of the jobs you’ve applied for in a spreadsheet or career planner can help you avoid unsolicited job offers, which are more likely to be scams.
Legitimate companies do not conduct conversations through messaging apps such as Signal, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Telegram. If a company conducts a video conference call, it usually does so via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet. Educate yourself together work from home scams is the best way to protect yourself from falling into one.
Exploring work from home options
If you want to make a little extra money from home, there are plenty of 1099 jobs online. Some of these you may want to consider AI trainingtranscription, translation, tutoring, social media managementfreelance writing and virtual assistance. You can usually work as much or as little as you like with these side gigs and you can create your own work schedule.
As a 1099 independent contractor, you are considered self-employed, so you will be responsible for paying quarterly self-employment taxes and receive no benefits. How much you can earn as an independent contractor will depend on the work you do, but according to Reallythe average hourly rate for contractors in the US is $29.94.
If you want to be a part-time or full-time employee (W2 worker), there are a number of companies that staffing agenciesand worktops explore. A unique way to go about your remote job search is to create a list of 20 dream companies you would like to work with. Once you have your list, visit each company’s website and research their job postings. These days, most companies have some kind of remote or hybrid roles available. By going directly to their website, you will avoid fake job listings and may find some positions not advertised on the main job sites. If your list includes smaller companies that don’t have a job listing on their website, contact them directly and ask about current vacancies.
You can also log into our free newsletterwhich is a great way to stay in the loop on current vacancies for remote workers.
Start working from home
Working from home allows people to achieve a better work-life balance while still earning. But before you start working from home, you need to consider these factors to see if it’s really the ideal situation for you. If you don’t have the right skills or personality, or the pay isn’t enough, it can be more frustrating and stressful than working in a regular office.
Originally published April 3, 2009. Content updated November 2024.
