In my last full-time corporate position, I successfully implemented the use of social media to recruit seasonal, part-time and full-time employees. I’ve interviewed thousands of people during my tenure in Human Resources, and nine times out of ten, I knew within the first few minutes whether or not they were going to be hired. What I loved about implementing the use of social media, was the instant connection and we also saved the company money by doing Skype interviews before flying potential candidates and housing them during the interview process.
With any job that requires you to have direct communication with the customer or client, it’s critical that you have basic customer service skills. Nowadays, that goes for both online and offline. In addition, we now also have to pay closer attention to our personal brands because they could make or break that opportunity. Social media can now be used as your live online resume, so why not make it powerful?
I absolutely loved my job but what I didn’t love was the lack of flexibility. After I became a mom, those 14-16 hours away from my home and family every day were hard. So I am beyond grateful that I can now work from home. I know a lot of moms especially who would love that option, but maybe don’t know where to look or are fearful of taking that next step.
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I rescinded many interview opportunities due to unprofessionalism whether it was online or an inappropriate ringback tone (hopefully no one still does that). Now, four years later, I work with clients to help them navigate the social media realm in order to find their next client or business opportunity. So before I share the work at home opportunities, let’s first talk about how you can prepare to receive those opportunities through the use of social media.
1. Make sure you won’t regret hitting “tweet” or “post”.
When using social media as a job candidate, you should keep in mind that everything you put on the world wide web is accessible by anyone. If it’s something you’d be ashamed of your colleague seeing or the CEO of your dream job (or current company), then don’t post it. And just because your page is protected or deleted, doesn’t mean your “private” photos can’t be shared by others. There are many a tweets that have gotten folks fired. Don’t let that next one come from you. Craft messages that you won’t regret sharing years down the road.
2. Don’t share anything you wouldn’t want on the front page of the news paper.
It doesn’t matter if you’re of age, or how significant the celebration is, no future employer wants to see half-naked or ridiculously wasted potential future employees. Foul language and obscene photos are also a deterrent.
Sharing helpful, useful, inspirational information is always a plus. Is there a skill you have that would be a good asset for a future employer? Share that and lots of it. If you’re on social media and working for a company or maybe looking for new employment, professionalism is the name of the game. It’s definitely okay to be authentic and share bits of your personal life, as long as it’s clean and something that would make you look like more of an asset than a liability for future employers.
3. Share your expertise
If you’re passionate about something as it relates to your career, or have a lot of knowledge in a particular subject, then talk about it. Search popular hashtags in your niche and then join in on conversations that are happening around that subject matter. Share helpful articles that relate to your field, that you find interesting, or that you can find a new point of view on.
But don’t be a “know-in-all”. Share your expertise in a helpful manner but always be willing to receive information without having to always give your own insight.
4. Engage and network
Social media is a two-way street. If you passed someone on the street and started talking to them, but they never said a word back to you, you would probably feel uncomfortable. Even worse, if all they said back to you was, “So here is my website where you can purchase X, Y, Z”, you would probably walk away and never look back. It’s the same with social media: learn to build meaningful relationships and offer great information long before you ever ask for anything in return.
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We all know the saying, “it’s not about what you know, it’s who you know”. Well, when it comes to work at home and overall opportunities, chances are, they will come to you through either someone that knows you directly or indirectly.
I still receive inquiries on LinkedIn from job hunters who are in need of tips for job hunting using social media.
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So now that you have a few basic networking tips to find that work from home opportunities, let’s talk about what that looks like. I came across this fab article from The Penney Hoarder.com (if you haven’t visited them, you are totally missing out on some crazy valuable content!). And I thought it would connect perfectly with this post.
Here is what the article shares on 6 Legitimate Work-From-Home Jobs:
Think back to all the times you’ve called a company for help or typed questions into an online help box. The people you dealt with could have been working at home, which gives you some idea of the kind of work you might be doing.
How Much Could You Get Paid?
While these positions generally don’t pay high wages, many do provide a regular paycheck and health insurance, along with other benefits. For example, Convergys work-at-home jobs come with “a full benefit package with medical, dental and vision coverage.” They have a 401(k) plan, and they reimburse employees for college tuition. (Click to tweet this opportunity!)
Here are some of the companies that offer at-home customer service jobs:
SYKES Home
Be ready for the interview, which is done by phone in front of your computer and takes two hours.
Pay: Glassdoor.com shows salaries ranging from $9.42 to $9.67 per hour. For their U.S. employees, Sykes says, “We offer limited medical, dental and vision healthcare plans to all of our employees.” They also have a 401(k) and offer the option of paid days off or cash rewards.
Hop on over now to The Penny Hoarder to get the inside scoop on the rest of these 6 work-from-home jobs you can look into today! Chances are, if you have a home, a phone and great customer service skills, this is probably the perfect place for you to start the search for your first or next work-from-home opportunity.
Work From Home: 6 Legitimate Companies That Hire Remote Workers
Would you consider a work from home opportunity? What challenges or obstacles might prevent you from doing so?
16 Comments
Julian (@BoldFearless1)
May 22, 2015 at 1:19 AMThanks for the mention sis! Great post with tons of useful resources. Sharing…
Christine St.Vil
May 24, 2015 at 7:24 PMSure thing sis! Thanks for reading and sharing 🙂
Olivia
May 22, 2015 at 3:58 PMI love these ideas! For those that want to work from home, these are great leads thank you for sharing!
Olivia would like you to check out…Why You Should Charge What You’re Worth
Christine St.Vil
May 24, 2015 at 7:25 PMThanks so much Olivia! I love these valuable resources that Penny Hoarder shared 🙂
Stacie
May 23, 2015 at 10:51 AMI would love to find a legit stay at home job. It just needs to flexible so I can do all my other stuff. I’ll have to bookmark this for later.
Stacie would like you to check out…Home Style Challenge with Renuzit + Giveaway & Tips
Christine St.Vil
May 25, 2015 at 1:16 AMI can definitely understand that Stacie! You should look into these options and it might even spark some other opportunities as well.
Nicole
May 24, 2015 at 10:48 AMGreat post. I tutored English online part time while I was in grad school in Germany last year. It was a great way to make some money.
Nicole would like you to check out…Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor Restaurant Review
Christine St.Vil
May 25, 2015 at 1:20 AMThat’s so cool Nicole! I would’ve never even thought to tutor on the side. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Carin Kilby Clark
May 24, 2015 at 4:26 PMGreat post… and tips. It’s hard to find legit work at home opportunities so this is so helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Carin Kilby Clark would like you to check out…10 Tips to Keep Calm & Reduce Stress [INFOGRAPHIC]
Christine St.Vil
May 25, 2015 at 1:21 AMI’m glad you found it helpful Carin! I thought the resources were super cool, and it made me reminisce about my HR days 🙂
Siobhan (BeFree Project)
May 24, 2015 at 8:59 PMThank you so much for sharing the tips + resources. I will for sure pass this info on to people who need it.
Christine St.Vil
May 25, 2015 at 1:22 AMYou’re so welcome! Thanks so much for sharing Siobhan!
Job at home
June 3, 2015 at 3:04 PMLots of useful resources here. Number 1 and 2 are really important. You have to act and be professional in order to land a job and start a serious career. Plus, the part about social networks is totally on point. You can never be completely safe on the internet and it’s better to keep some things for yourself.
Christine St.Vil
June 3, 2015 at 11:38 PMThanks so much for sharing! Yes, I always tell people to find some friends they can share group texts or emails with, but don’t put it online for the world to see if you’re just having a “moment” 🙂
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March 11, 2016 at 12:01 AM[…] Also Related: 6 Legit Work From Home Jobs and 4 Tips to Get Them […]
Talesha caldwell
January 31, 2017 at 9:21 PMI am in the need for a legit job to work at home so I can be closely to my kids. Do anyone know any website that is legit so I can start now. You can email me at ffaye87@yahoo.com