Your Eight Step Guide To Home Employment
by Daniel Bell
There is no such thing as a free lunch. Neither is there an easy way to earn money,
especially from home. To make yourself employable, you need to ensure that you have the
required skill sets as well as good marketing and interpersonal skills. A sound portfolio
(for aspiring writers, editors, photographers, designers, etc.) is a must.
Today several private companies and Multinational Corporations are employing people who
prefer working out of their homes. A host of opportunities exist for home employment in
areas as diverse as telemarketing, selling insurance, data entry, typing, data conversion,
copywriting, accounting, writing (academic and journalistic writing), editing and proof
reading, web design, content development, Internet-based research for companies, graphic
design and desktop publishing, programming, audio and video editing, translation work and
etc. is available.
With a fair bit of technology skills (typing and word processing skills, being PC
literate), entrepreneurs can use the worldwide web to start companies and work from the
convenience of their homes.
Before you get into the home employment groove, make sure you have the requisite
qualifications, hardware, and time management skills to convince potential employers that
you are the right person for the job.
Step 1: Make The Right Choices
Before you consider quitting your day-job or begin working from home, take a piece of
paper and list out your skills, preferred areas of employment, and your comfort-level in
each area. For instance, if you are a programmer, weigh the benefits of home employment
versus working in a corporate environment. If you are a student, chart out your daily
schedule and figure out how much time you can spare for a ‘part-time' job, even if it
doesn't involve stepping out of home.
Remember, you may or may not earn as much as you would in a full-time job, and freelance
projects take time to source and payments are delayed, in some cases. Zeroing in on the
right kind of job is important. Don't get stuck with a job you don't like.
Step 2: Set Up Your Workstation
Once you have narrowed down your choice of employment, you can set up your workstation.
You need to make sure that your future work area is very comfortable; use ergonomic
furniture, wherever possible. For Writers⁄Editors: A fast PC is a pre-requisite, you may
also have to install software such as MS Office/Open Office, QuarkXP-press or Adobe InDesign.
For Designers: Although it's not important to invest in a Mac (Apple Macintosh), make sure
your PC has enough RAM (at least 1 GB), hard disk space, and install a good graphics card.
You also need to install design software such as Adobe photoshop, 3D Studio Max, Quark,
Corel Painter, or Adobe InDesign.
For Data Entry⁄Typing Assignments: A computer, MS Office⁄open Office, or other data-entry software.
For Medical Transcription: Medical transcription involves transcribing medical records
dictated by doctors (patient history, records, notes, lab reports), usually located in
clinics abroad. Basic requirements include a PC with about 40 GB hard disk space, 256 MB
RAM (minimum), sound card and Internet access. You would also require headphones, word
processing software, and a good dictionary.
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