Do I Need a Resume to Find An At-Home Job?
Depending on the type of at-home job you want to find, you might still need to have a resume, especially if you are going to be providing a business-profession-type service. For at-home businesses that involve providing other non-professional services, you probably need only a business brochure or other printed information materials.
Professional At-Home Business
If your at-home business venture means that you will be providing any type of professional service (book- or recordkeeping, tax accounting, proofreading, graphics design, etc.), then you will probably be applying for freelance, outsource, or telenetworked (online) positions. In this case, you will probably need a resume (or a business précis, which is summary of important facts about your qualifications) that can be mailed, faxed, or attached to an email. You can either write your own or hire a professional resume writer to write one for you.
If you are comfortable with and confident that you can create the right type of resume or précis needed for the level of service you wish to offer, then you can use any template that is available in your computer word-processing system, or look for software that is designed to do resumes.
For resumes that you are going to mail, use good quality, monotone (one color) paper. For resumes that are going to be faxed, be sure the resume you print is printed as "Best Quality" and never fax a copy, always fax an original! For resumes that are going to be emailed, use as little formatting as possible and always test it by emailing your resume to several friends. Ask them to download and open your resume to verify that they have no problems with it.
For resumes that are going to be pasted into the body of an email, you definitely need to test it with several friends, preferably who all have different Internet Service Providers. Ask each friend what the resume actually looks like when the email open is opened. Fix any weird spacing and formatting to the extent possible and test it again.
Service-Type At-Home Businesses
If your at-home business involves providing some sort of personal service (like giving birthday parties, doing dog grooming, making balloon bouquets, etc.), then you will need to think more along the lines of brochures and flyers that you can distribute. It is unlikely that you are going to have to "apply" for a job such that you will need a formal resume. For more information about brochures and flyers, please see "Can I Write and Print My Own Business Brochures and Business Cards."
However, it would be a good idea to have a Business Fact Sheet that includes more specific information than you would normally include in a flyer or brochure. When a prospective customer or client begins to ask questions, you can offer your Business Fact Sheet (and then, of course, make sure all the customer's questions do get answered!).
You can create an initial Business Fact Sheet just be keeping track of all the information that you are not including in your brochure. Also, as you begin to talk to prospective clients, make note of the typical questions that they ask. Keep updating your Business Fact Sheet until you have covered most of the questions that are asked or information that is requested.
Be sure to print your business information materials on good-quality paper and set your printer preferences to "Better" or "Best" quality printing.
Things to Remember about Your Resume or Your Business Information Materials
- If you don't think you can write a resume that will get you the job, then hire a professional resume writer to do it for you
- If you write your own resume, use clear, easy-to-read text, one page in length
- Set your printer to "Better" or "Best" quality printing
- Print on good-quality paper
- Test email attachment or text that you paste into an email by sending it to several friends, preferably who have different ISPs
- Fax only an original, never a copy
- Have a Business Fact Sheet available to give to prospective customers
About The Author
Jan K., The Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor. Visit http://www.janktheproofer.com for more information about Jan's services; http://work-at-home.janktheproofer.com for work at home articles and free printables; and for work at home moms, visit Jan's sister site http://work-at-home.momsbreak.com for articles, free printables, and work at home T-shirts and other fun products.
© Copyright 2004 All rights reserved.
Related Articles:
Ten Tips for Getting Your Resume Noticed Online
TalentDrive offers jobseekers important considerations for effective online resumes.
Christian Career Network Announces Launch of Online Career Center Connecting Professionals Seeking Jobs in Higher Education
The Christian Career Network partners with JobTarget to create a new full-service online career center listing jobs in Higher Education.
Employment Law 2008 Update For Businesses & Illegal Workers
Protect you business from hefty fines or even a prison sentence by being up to date with the UK Governments January 2008 illegal worker laws.
Résuméfit First Vendor to Approach Resume from a Science and Technology Perspective
Cognitive assessments and digital signature technology allow job seekers to embed hard-to-measure soft skills into a resume.
A Resume for Disaster.. How Not to Land a Work at Home Job
After running a successful telecommuting site for over 8 years and an employment agency before that, I still get that one question over and over. "Why have I not been able to land a work at home job?" My first answer is always the same. "Let's look at your resume."
Interviewing - The Single Most Important Question To Ask
When prospective employees are being interviewed, they are asked about their past employment. But they are usually asked about what they did. These answers may be shaded to reflect a well..... favorable impression. Sometimes the answers won't be truthful. Don't you really want to know how well they are going to get along with you and your group after they've been hired?
Interviewing Tips: When It Goes Horribly Wrong
Common sense tells most of us the bare minimum for attending a job interview. You should always be on time, you should look neat and tidy, you should speak clearly and make your point, and you should make eye contact. However, there are times when things get out of your control. In this article, we will look at suggestions to help you when things start to go wrong. We will look at ways to get your momentum back and turn tragedy into triumph.
Advancing Business Through Employment Recruitment
The average business in the United Kingdom has a number of investments that they make to advance their cause within the marketplace. Businesses invest in infrastructure, ranging from storefronts throughout their community to warehouses that facilitate supply to far-off places. UK businesses will also put their hard earned pounds into new technology, like data networks and new computers, in order to provide workers with the best tools to do their job. Finally, UK businesses invest in advertising and marketing efforts in order to build a strong public profile in their local and regional community.
Programmer Jobs: Online Computer Degrees
You may not even know it, but many people you know may be earning their online computer science degree from the privacy of their own home and on their own schedule. Online computer degrees can be earned from a fully accredited college or university. If you would like to have a job in the high paying Information Technology field as a software developer, web designer, or many other different computer programmer jobs, earning your degree online might be the best career decision you make.
Nevada School of Pharmacy: Jobs And Respect, Right Out of School
By now you must have heard on the news how, as an entire generation of baby boomers ages, job opportunities in medical fields has exploded. Perhaps you have even considered going to school and gaining the skills to acquire an awesome job in the healthcare industry.
Employment Law, Part I
Just how serious is employment law to the small businessperson? Very serious and let me tell you a true story; a horror story, which will make you think about just how serious these issues can be. In San Antonio TX one of our wash trucks was driving down the road and a border Patrol Officer passed them.
Data Entry From Home: Are These Jobs Really Worth The Risk?
Though one of the easiest ways to earn money online, data entry from home programs have been notorious to be full of scam and fraud. Are these jobs still worth it?
GoAbroad.com Launches Newly Improved Website for International Teaching Jobs and Resources
TeachAbroad.com, GoAbroad.com's directory of international teaching positions, is now enhanced to become a more extensive resource with improved usability, making it easier for its millions of visitors to find the newest paid teaching positions and the most comprehensive teaching resources.
The MedZilla Report: January Employment Outlook for Biotech/Pharma/Health
Despite the wild economic swings that were the hallmark of January, companies were still looking for employees in medical care, clinical research, and even sales -- the most popular of the jobs in the medical field. But even more interestingly, MedZilla.com, which tracks job postings and applications in the medical and pharmaceutical arenas, discovered candidates weren't necessarily trying to fill those open positions.
Consultant Jobs In The United Kingdom
One of the hottest areas in the UK job market today is ?Consulting?. The reason why consultants, whether in the financial or technical field, are so highly in demand right now is that companies are facing the squeeze of increased competition. The Internet, the promotion of small business, and the rising demands on businesses from consumers means that everything from production processes to budgets needs to be assessed. The consultant is, therefore, a key member of any personnel grouping.