How to Determine What Work at Home Job to Do
Article by Naomi Clarke
The second most popular question Im asked is, How do I figure out what work at home job to do? The answer to the question is often a simple one. The problem is that there are too many choices, and that can be overwhelming. The other challenge is that the right job for you may not look like anything youre currently doing. If you took a closer look though, you might find that a job youre overlooking may be the best fit for your skills, work history and passion.
Professional Skills
The first step to determine what work at home job to do is to take an inventory of your professional skills. Dont worry about what job, industry or field titles fit your list of skills. Make the list, and where appropriate, group those skills together. For example, you might list project management as a category and then under that, list skills such as ability to coordinate or manage others to meet deadlines.
Look beyond your current job while youre taking inventory. Use your resume to help you complete your list. After you complete the list, place a star next to those skills that you excel at and enjoy using when given the opportunity. When searching for jobs, focus on reading job descriptions to see whether those skills are needed for the job. Thats how you can determine what work at home job to do.
Work History
Youll also need to assess your work history to see what job option will be a good fit. If youve already tried customer service, and know that you dread being on the phone and handling client complaints, then stay away from those types of jobs. If youd rather be told by a supervisor what job tasks to complete and lack any drive to initiate, then youre not going to be effective as a virtual assistant. Examine your work history and use it to confirm or modify your list of professional skills. Dont focus on whether you had a bad boss or stressful office politics, but on whether the work itself was appealing.
Job Passion
When you need money to pay your bills, job passion is not at the forefront of your mind. Its important to pursue your passion when you can, because youll be effective. Youll experience more happiness and youll hold onto the job a lot longer. Some professionals who work at home tolerate a job because they only care about the lifestyle it affords. That might be a good starting place, but you may find yourself job searching all over again and wasting time. Try to start on a good foot by applying for jobs that you think will align with your passion.
A combination of these three things will point you in the right direction to find a work at home job that fits your lifestyle and one that you will enjoy. If the jobs youre considering dont match the skills youre good at and are passionate about, then you should look for other opportunities.
About the Author
And if you need help determining what work at home job is best for you, then join me and other work at home experts for the FREE Your Best Job Now Telesummit. Youll hear personal stories from professionals on how they made their decisions and insider secrets from hiring managers at this free event.
