Working at Home . . . Will it Work for You?Working at or from home is often an ideal solution for someone with special skills or special circumstances. It is not, however, the panacea many people think it is. It’s great for writers, consultants or other professionals who can conduct their business in large part at a distance, over the phone or by email. It can also work for manufacturers’ representatives,
e-business entrepreneurs, sales reps or independent product distributors and others.
Is This Really as Ideal as You May Think it is?Before you call in the carpenter and upgrade your working den into a full-blown home office, let’s look at some potential issues. While the latest office software and an-up-to-date computer are important to conducting a professional job search, you should have that already.Unless you have some overriding need for higher-than-high tech in your profession, making your home office too comfortable may be more detrimental than beneficial . . . a comfortable place to “hide” from the real work of meeting people face-to-face and looking for a job. The Reality Can Be A Rude Awakening.While many people have a vision of working at home that is an ideal way to balance their life, in most cases the home is lacking in the hustle-bustle of a productive office, the stimulation of interacting with other people, sharing tasks, ideas and insights. Aside from the domestic distractions often found in the home, the isolation can be depressing and the lack of a normal workday routine challenging if not impossible.Most important of all, working at home you miss out on the single most important activity of your job search process . . . purposefully building your referral network in the business community. Something else, more subtle perhaps, to consider here is the need to practice and polish your people skills. Some statistics indicate that people skills are more important than actual job knowledge in rising through the management ranks. The ability to inspire, manage and lead are indeed the stuff of which real executives are made. Hanging around the house, hiding behind the computer and watching TV (even if it’s the news) is going to do little to enhance your stature. Managing Yourself Will Be More Challenging Than You Realize.What is not immediately apparent to people who are considering working at home as an option is the amplified need for self-discipline. For some people, there is a strong need for peer social interaction that isn’t available in a home environment. For others, the distractions often encountered at home (children, chores, neighbors, etc.) make effectively working at home nearly impossible. The real question is how “professional” and private does your home office need to be?Working At Home Works Well For Some People.For the self-contained professional who is used to working on his or her own for hours at a time, setting up a home office is a minor problem that is usually easy to manage. If you are working from home while on retainer as a consultant or on the payroll of a company, some special considerations are in order. What does your client or supervisor expect of you both in terms of daily production output as well as availability and reports? Here, setting up a fixed routine can be critical both from the standpoint of meeting schedules and for credibility.Can You “Test The Waters?”At the part-time end of the scale for someone who is truly her own boss, more flexibility may be both permissible and even desirable. A good example might be a real estate agent with a strong following or someone who is a successful, independent distributor with nutritional, cosmetic or home care products. (We treat network marketing or MLM opportunities separately.) With rare exceptions this is more of a casual business involvement where the “routine” is adapted to the practitioner.Make sure you know your own personality and needs as well as any family members who may have to put up with you and the change in their routine that will result from your working at home. As an executive in transition, you would do well to think of yourself as a consultant or an employee with the assignment of landing a job. Be Honest and Realistic in Your Self Analysis.The bottom line here is the same as starting a traditional business. Do your homework first and pay particular attention to your E.Q. (Entrepreneur Quotient) and your sociological needs as well as your personal self discipline. Knowing the challenges and pitfalls in advance can go a long way toward building a successful business experience at home. Acknowledging your personal needs is the first step toward finding the help or support necessary to get on with the tasks at hand.Return from Working At Home to Market Realities. Return to Job Search Training home page. |
