There are things you can do to give yourself a competitive edge in this tough economic environment. Here are ten tips to help you land clerical work-at-home jobs:
1. Clearly identify the sort of work you want to do. There are a lot of different, legitimate work-at-home jobs in the clerical field, and most of them need solid skills and experience. The most common jobs and tasks include:
- Virtual assistant roles
- Dictation/transcribing/Dictaphone typists
- Court reporters
- Customer service representatives
- Data-entry
- Order processing
- Legal document coding
- Medical transcription
- Word processing
- Appointment setting
- Other general clerical work
3. Once you are confident that you have the qualifications and experience to be seriously considered for a job, apply to companies that are looking for your specific skills. Even if you don't get a position the first time around, you may be offered employment doing one or more work-at-home jobs at a later date.
4. Register with freelance job sites which include a virtual assistant category. You can sometimes build a client base from these sites alone. You will need an up-to-date resume, links to online references, and evidence of work quality. You will also need fast Internet access and computer and software compatibility with the client. It can be helpful to buy VOIP software so that you can speak to the client over the Internet at low cost.
5. Post your resume on Internet job sites and self-advertising opportunities like Beyond.com. Employers often peruse posted resumes looking for potential contractors or employers. It can be to your advantage to keep your resume visible and regularly updated. Add new experience and skills as you gain them as they may be exactly what a particular employer or client is looking for.
6. Create your own online virtual assistant service. You'll need a website and a blog. You'll also need to implement an Internet marketing campaign to attract targeted visitors to your site. It can take a bit of time to learn the ins and outs of Internet marketing, so it may be worth your while to hire an expert. If money is an issue, you may be able to hire a freelancer through a freelance job site at reasonable rates. You'll just need to be very clear about what you want to achieve in your marketing campaign, and check references and any portfolio examples. Most freelance sites allow payment to be held in trust and released by the client when the work is completed. If you are not happy with someone's work, you can withhold payment until the problem is fixed.
7. Join online groups in which virtual assistants and employers can interact. This allows networking, relationship building, and access to new opportunities within the group. You can find groups by searching in Yahoo and Google groups, as well as on other peer-to-peer networking sites.
8. Contact local companies and offer your services. Perhaps you could work for a few different small businesses at a price they can each afford but which added together gives you a full-time income.
9. If you are currently employed in a traditional job, why not ask your employer if the company would consider letting you work from home? You never know, you may get a yes. Alternatively, you could contact past employers and ask if they would consider reemploying you in a telecommuting capacity.
10. Use business cards to your advantage. Make sure your business card acts as a small advertisement for your services and includes all the relevant contact details. You can attach your business card to bills you are paying, to notes you send, and, of course, you can hand them out when you meet new people. Some stores, gas stations, and other businesses may be willing to keep your cards on their reception counter if you put them in a neat plastic stand.
These are just some of the things you can do to get clerical work you can do from home, whether as a business or working directly for a company via telecommuting. Despite the heavy competition for these opportunities, you have an excellent chance of working full-time from home in the clerical job of your choice if you put the above suggestions into practice.