Work At Home

3 Telecommuter Tips

By: Sylvie Charrier

Be honest. How is your search for the perfect telecommuting job coming? Even though there are jobs out there, it’s sometimes hard to sort through all the scams to find the real gems. It can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack, can’t it? What would you say if you discovered a way to stop your endless searching for that hard-to-find needle and could assure yourself of a genuine job working from home? Here’s the catch-22, if you want to work from home, you first need to head out into the world to work in an office. If you’re confused, read on.

Let me share how I turned myself into a telecommuter. I was searching for a job just like the rest of you. I wanted to work from home, but employers had no reason to just hire me from home without meeting me and getting to know what I could do. So, I put together my resume, and I spent three days getting it out to every temporary help service in town. I never said a word about wanting to do it from home. I simply offered myself for part-time/full-time work in offices. I started getting placed into people's offices. I always used the same 3-step process whenever I was working in any office.

Assess what the business did and what my job requirements were.

At the end of each day, I would take home some of the work to complete on my computer.

The next day I would bring in the completed work and drop it off directly to my supervisor. I always said the same thing..."I knew this project was a rush, so rather than wait, I finished it at home. It is much easier to get it done there because there are no distractions in my home office. I'm confident I can do most of the required tasks at home faster and cheaper for you, so if it would be ok with you, can we discuss me working from my home office 2 days a week or more?"

This process almost always resulted in my working from home full-time. See, I had already proven that I could do the job, and that I was more efficient at home. The boss had every good reason to let me do it my way. If, after the first two weeks, the boss was still unwilling, I politely explained my position and that I would need to look elsewhere for a job that better suited my needs, where I could be more efficient. I didn't argue, I didn't fuss, I just left them wondering what they had missed out on by letting me go.

See, there's no point in trying to force a traditional employer to bend to your needs. There are some who will not see the benefits of telecommuting, no matter how much information you give them. It isn't about you. It's simply that they are the kind of managers that need to watch their employees working to believe they are working. You can't change their minds, so don't waste your time trying after your initial proposals. Just find an employer that is ready for the idea.

As you can see, if you really want to work from home, you’re going to have to get creative. But, with a little ingenuity, a lot of hard work, and the confidence to ask for what you want in life, you’ll soon have more work than you know what to do with.

This article is excerpted from “You Can Work in Your PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Charrier works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting In Your PJS.com