Work from Home Jobs – Find Your Ideal Career Path with 8 Simple Steps (2022)

Remote work vs. Work from home

When applying for a job today, you will hear many phrases like “working remotely” and “working from home.”

Those phrases are searched more often and heard more in professional conversations and interviews.

But you will also wonder about them.

You may ask, what the difference between “remote work” and “work from home” is?

Are they different?

I should choose “remote work” or “work from home”?

Well, let Lifeee explain to you.

Plan for your work from home jobs

Planning is the first step you should consider when you intend to find a suitable job.

The plan will help you to keep track of your goals closely.

It helps you to know where you are, what you are doing, and whether what you are doing is a good match for your talents.

When planning your future jobs, you also need to keep the following in mind.

The types of jobs you love

You first need to determine what kind of job you like.

It could be a job that suits your talents or match what you’re studying.

Maybe it’s a job you’ve had previous work experience in.

As long as the type of work makes you comfortable and enjoy it, you can consider adding it to your options.

Make a list of all the jobs you find.

And we’ll evaluate them later.

The time that jobs require

After you find a job that matches your interests, pay attention to working hours.

Moderate work hours will help you feel comfortable and excited and stick with those jobs in the long run.

If you’re looking for part-time work from home, working time is something that you need to take seriously.

You don’t want the work hours to be too extreme, like working late into the night or the job having too long working hours.

Balancing work time with rest and relaxation will help you maintain the energy to work more persistently.

In addition, they also help you to take care of your life and avoid stress at work.

Job requirements

There are very demanding jobs. Some jobs do not require too much from you.

You know, demanding jobs often come with high salaries.

In simple jobs, the salary is not really attractive.

Consider what the job entails. It will help you figure out where you belong.

Some jobs require you to hone your skills, knowledge, and experience.

I know that.

If you are a person with dreams and ambitions, it will not be difficult for you.

But if you want to earn extra money to cover your life, a simple job that doesn’t require too much will be right for you.

Sometimes, you will find jobs you like, but your skills and experience are not enough to apply for.

Don’t hate your life.

Give yourself time to practice and learn more, then return to it.

Do not give up!

Either way, that’s what you need to develop yourself to fit your ideal career path.

Improve the necessary skills

It is a fact that work from home jobs require specific skills different from working at a company, a coffee shop, or something else.

And you need to adapt to that.

Lifeee will suggest some skills you need to prepare well before looking for and applying for a work from home job.

Soft skills

Soft skills characterize how a person interacts in his or her relationships with others, including personal attributes, personality traits, and communication abilities.

People often underestimate this, but it’s essential to whether or not you can successfully apply for the work from home jobs you want.

Employers often require candidates to have a particular soft skill capital to interact and work in groups with coworkers.

Lifeee will suggest to you some essential soft skills that employers often appreciate so you have a plan to improve them.

• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Leadership
• Positive attitude
• Teamwork
• Work ethic
• Time management
• Problem-solving
• Conflict resolution
• Negotiation

That is all.

Office information technology skill

This is another skill you don’t want yourself to forget.

Why?

Because those skills help you have more opportunities for career advancement.

In today’s information age, when you do tasks such as writing letters, documents, calculating wages, inventorying assets, etc., all need the help of computers.

Then, mastering related office computer skills and software such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word or Google Scholar, Google Slides, Google Docs, Google Mail… helps you easily control these tasks.

In addition, office computer skills help you present your plans or strategies to your superiors more clearly and coherently.

And believe me, employers will notice you more than the rest.

So, don’t take them lightly but practice every day.

Skills in using electronic devices

Do you find smartphones, tablets, or laptops appearing in your life with more frequency?

Right!

The world is changing and modernizing rapidly.

And you don’t want to be an old-fashioned person, do you?

That’s why learning how to use, and coordinate electronic devices more proficiently are essential.

They are the things that help you connect with coworkers online, share your ideas, and present your plans to your superiors when you work from home.

I know you’re used to smartphones or laptops, so I won’t say much here.

But suppose you’re still not used to using them to maximize your productivity.

In that case, it’s time to take a closer look at how to use the electronics around you more proficiently.

Set up your workspace with helpful tips

Setting up a workspace is something you should consider when you work from home.

An efficient and focused workspace will help you improve your productivity.

And to help you work better, I have some tips for you.

Pretend you’re at the office

Right!

This is the first thing that you should put yourself in.

Firstly, imagine you are working at the company’s office.

This will help you figure out what you need for an entire workday.

Then make a list of things supporting you while you work from home.

Ultimately, you will set them up into a suitable combination you typically find at your workplace.

If you have never worked in an office, don’t worry, everything is effortless.

Create a workspace in your own style.

That is fine to go on.

Create your dedicated workspace

A space dedicated only to working will help you stay focused and separate from the outside world.

It keeps you from being disturbed by things from your surroundings like other people, your pet, or noise…

Trust me!

A dedicated workspace will give you many more opportunities to develop your career.

It is so important that even if you have an ideal job, but your workspace is always in a bad state, you will not achieve success.

So, setting up a dedicated workspace is something you should spend a lot of time designing to suit when you work from home.

Once you have a professional workspace, I believe your career path is more open than ever.

Keep your workspace private

What does this mean?

This means you should keep your documents, plans, or assessments inaccessible to anyone when you work from home.

Maybe you want to keep it in desk drawers and lock them.

Why?

Because when someone else messes up everything you have organized, your work will also become disorganized.

It will take a long time to reorganize and track the last task you completed to continue building it.

The thing to remember is that no one can touch your work documents.

Then you will be fine.

Evaluate your workspace after the first day

After you’ve organized your dedicated workspace, it’s time to work.

When you work, notice the details you’re unsatisfied with and note them down.

The arrangement of objects may not be reasonable, or the light may not be in the right direction.

Sometimes you will need to add additional items to help you work from home better.

List those things on your first day working in your designed workspace.

Then we will change and adjust them until you are satisfied.

Finally, you’ve got the perfect workspace to start your ideal career path.

Smartphone

I’m sure everyone has a smartphone, and so do you.

A smartphone will help you stay in touch with the people around you and your coworker when you work from home.

And they are also indispensable items today.

It’s essential to connect your phone to your laptop or pc so you can access your work documents when needed.

A smartphone will help you quickly and neatly track your work progress anytime, anywhere.

Webcam

This is also an optional device you may need while working from home.

Usually, the camera on a laptop, smartphone, or tablet is enough for you to communicate with coworkers or superiors.

But if you’re using a PC, or the front-facing camera on your laptop isn’t good enough, you’ll probably need a webcam.

A webcam will help you connect and work better with your team when needed.

They also help keep your presentations to business partners of the highest quality.

Consider getting yourself a webcam if you think it will make your job easier.

Headphone

A quality headset will contribute to your online meeting like a webcam.

But there is no need to be too fussy and expensive here.

You just need a headset that can clearly hear your partner when you work from home.

And a mic can capture what you say clearly.

This is necessary if the work you want mostly involves communication, such as customer care or streamer.

If everything is already there, you can skip this step.

Speaker

Another important thing has to do with sound.

Sometimes you will need a speaker to hear better and higher quality sound.

But they are only optional devices.

If you already have headphones, I think speakers won’t be necessary.

However, if you think you need them, go ahead and get yourself one.

Maybe you will need them in the future.

The light

Make sure you work in a well-lit environment.

A well-lit environment will protect your eyes from the light from electronic devices.

If your workspace is near a window, that’s great.

If not, get a desk lamp to give you enough light to work and avoid nearsightedness.

A well-lit environment also helps you retain energy to work longer.

When you have excellent and adequate lighting, you will feel like everything you do is easy, and your work will have a bright future.

TOP 25 Desk Lamps Will Protect Your Eyes

Job seeking

Now is the time to find the right job for you.

So where will you find them?

I have some suggestions for you.

Local and government job sites

The first place you might think of are local and government jobs where you live.

It’s the easiest place to find a job for you.

Take a tour around your city, or search local websites for jobs that you feel are a good fit.

However, it may be difficult for those jobs to allow you to work from home.

So we’ll go on

Social networking sites for jobs

Right! Some social networks are not meant for chatting.

They are intended for employers who are looking for candidates for their jobs.

And you know what social network I’m talking about.

That’s LinkedIn.

This is where you need to design your personal information page professionally and in detail.

For what?

Because it will give you more opportunities to apply for jobs you love.

Try it as soon as you have free time.

Job search websites

Still haven’t found a job you love?

Alright, we’ll continue.

Job search websites are where you will most likely find a suitable work-from-home job.

That’s where a lot of employers are looking for candidates.

What does it mean?

That means you have more chances of getting a job you love.

The places that you want to find yourself there right after reading this article are:

• Indeed
• CareerBuilder
• Glassdoor
• FlexJobs
• Ladders
• Getwork
• Scouted
• AngelList

That is it.

Freelance job sites

Last but not least, those are websites for freelancers.

If you are freelance, then this might be the right place for you.

You can post your work and earn money instantly.

Or you can also hire others to build your own business model.

I will suggest you some websites.

• Freelancer
• Upwork
• Fiverr
• Working Not Working
• Guru

That’s all you need to find a job that matches your interests.

Hope you find a good job.

Now we will move to the next step.

Interviewing

This is the first step but also the most difficult.

All success and failure start from here.

So you need to prepare and practice it well before entering an interview.

Don’t worry!

Of course, I have strategies for you.

Let’s check it out.

Research details about the company, organization

Reviewing and finding out information about the company or organization you are about to apply to is the first thing you should do.

It gives you an overview of what you’re looking to work on.

It also helps you prepare for the questions they may ask you or skills you may want to include in your answers.

Some information that you want to find out and collect are:

• Company’s history, mission, and vision
• Company’s business operations
• Company’s leadership, executive officers
• Recent news, latest achievements, and future goals
• Type of company, values, and culture
• Employee benefits the company provides

You can keep looking for the information you want.

Still, it’s basic enough for you to understand where you will contribute and build your career.

Types of job interviews

Next are the types of interviews you will encounter when applying for a job.

Each type will have some specific requirements and different evaluation methods.

Understanding the characteristics of that type of interview will make it easier for you to pass.

• The one-on-one interview is the traditional kind where you meet with a hiring manager or human resources professional to answer questions.
• The panel interview is when several people from different perspectives within an organization, like human resources, your potential manager, and sometimes employees on the team, will ask you questions.
• The distance interview is one where employees may ask to meet on the phone or over video before coming in for a more formal interview.
• The behavioral interview can be more in-depth than traditional interviews when a hiring manager might ask you to describe specific situations in your previous role, including your actions and the results.
• The group interview is where you’re interviewed with other people for the same or similar roles to find the best one.
• The working interview is where you physically perform the job duties for the interviewer to evaluate you.
• The informal interview is where you meet with the hiring manager and have an informal discussion.

That’s it.

Prepare your professional documents

Why professional documents?

Because it will help you look more professional to the employer.

It also gives you more control over your own information.

You can use a portfolio folder to help you organize thems easily.

Some items you may need are:

• CV / resume
• Reference sheets
• Business cards / networking cards
• Your elevator pitches
• Introducing letter

You can add more items, but that should be enough for the employer to appreciate you.

The important thing is the quality of those things will get you more points.

Optimize Your Resume to Get More Interviews

Build sample scenarios

What does this mean?

That means you’ll be prepared for what might happen.

But you also know situations that happen more than just one.

That’s why you need to imagine and list what could happen.

The goal is for you to better deal with the unpredictable.

The question is, how?

And you know it too, right?

I always have preparations for you.

Here’s a process you can use to build your own sample scenarios.

1. Collect practice, expertise, and extensive questions
2. Create your answers, presentation
3. Limit the length of your answers
4. Practice answering interview questions
5. Record yourself answering questions
6. Listen to recordings of your answers
7. Experiment with different recording options
8. Practice your mock interviews
9. Take practice seriously like an actual interviews
10. Evaluation, learn, and improve your answers
11. Update your sample scenarios

Hopefully, you’ll be able to build high-quality sample scenarios for your interview.

Interview stages

You already have the sample situations in hand.

You have also practiced them thoroughly.

Good!

But when can they be applied?

There are many different interview stages, which can be distracting.

Understanding the stages of an interview is essential for helping you know what to expect from the interview process.

I will show you all the interview stages to help you prepare and feel confident before entering an interview.

1. Introductions & greet
2. Making conversation & develop a rapport
3. Gathering information about you
4. Performing the interview
   • Answer each interviewer’s question
   • Ask interviewer questions
5. Concluding
   • Rate and feedback
   • Trade business cards
   • Thank the interviewer
6. Send a thank-you email after an interview

That is all the process of an interview that you will go through.

If you are well prepared, everything will go according to plan.

If not, we’ll come to…

Summarize, evaluate, and learn from the experience

Right!

Maybe your first interview won’t go as planned.

Maybe your second interview will be a bit of a problem.

Being human, everyone will make mistakes.

However, you have already surpassed many others by knowing your weaknesses and improving them.

Take a candid look at your mistakes in failed interviews and note them down.

That will be a lesson for you so that the following interview will be as successful as expected.

Don’t worry!

There are still many interviews waiting for you ahead.

When one door shuts, another opens.

Interview tips

To help you have a successful interview, I’ll give you a few more helpful tips.

It is like mental medicine to keep you confident and prepared for unforeseen problems.

Let’s check it out.

• Always practice your sample scenarios thoroughly before the interview
• Check your documents carefully before leaving home
• Arrive early for the interview
• Be patient, belief in yourself and your plan
• Always maintain a positive attitude
• Be aware of your body language
• Dress professionally
• If you are interviewed online:
  • Choose a clean, tidy, and quiet place
  • Do not sit against the light and must have good light
  • Focus, speak clearly and coherently
  • Check your devices before the interview

Finally, wish you have successful interviews and soon get a job as you want.

Company’s work-from-home policy

Now is the time to consider your company’s work-from-home policies.

Like any other workplace policy, it provides you with what you need to work from home successfully.

A good policy mitigates the disadvantages of working from home while making this option available to as many employees as practical.

However, you should not expect too much because not everyone can be allowed to work from home.

To be able to work from home, you need to get some minimum elements.

A confirmation of the employee’s eligibility

The organization or company you work for will review relevant factors to confirm eligibility.

Those factors could be:

• Position
• Full-time vs. part-time employees
• Time to be present and work at the company’s office
• Indicators for evaluating job performance

Depending on some companies, these factors may be more or less.

Once you’re eligible to work from home, you’ll be guided through the process.

Evaluate performance when working from home

When you work from home, your manager will need a way to make sure you get the job done.

For some positions, this will require putting in a certain amount of time and having a digital process to track that time.

For others, it will mean clear benchmarks, goals, or deliverables to be reached within a specific time.

You’ll need to discuss the performance review process with your manager to work from home successfully.

Once you and they agree on those metrics, that’s when you’ll schedule your time to do a great job.

Be present and communicate

Working from home also means you won’t always be able to immediately interact with coworkers or superiors.

That’s when presence and communication are out of sync.

However, that doesn’t mean you can just disappear for a long time and reappear later as if nothing happened.

It also doesn’t mean you’ll appear in pajamas and uncombed hair on camera.

Either way, working from home is still serious business.

You need to be professional and always look professional in every task.

Behave like you’re at the office.

It will help you be appreciated by everyone.

Then you will have more promotion opportunities, and your career path will be much more open.

Support tools when working from home

You still need to be present for meetings, discussions, or presentations about upcoming company projects when you work from home.

So that, determine which technology tools are necessary for you to work at home.

At a minimum, you’ll need some type of collaboration software, video conferencing software, and project management software to communicate well with your team.

Sometimes you won’t be able to install and set up the tools yourself.

And sometimes, there will be unexpected technical problems when you use a specific support tool.

Technical problems can be frustrating for you.

That’s when you need to proactively deal with the situation instead of just submitting a ticket to your company’s support system.

Chat with technical support or ask your team those who can set up and solve your problem.

That will keep everyone happy, and you can get back to work faster and be much more productive.

Technology security standards

Last but not least is strict adherence to security policies for remote employees.

It can be policies about antivirus software, firewalls, encryption, remote access and wiping, and what equipment is allowed.

For example, you must use a virtual private network (VPN), especially when working from public places like coffee shops or public libraries.

Or you are not allowed to appear in public when handling sensitive customer information because of possible eavesdropping or spying.

Anyway, protect your company and organization carefully.

Next is the security of customer information.

It is a professional ethic that you need to know and always keep in mind.

Finally, be professional to have a solid career and a bright future.

Create a schedule for work and other activities

Okay, now it’s time to put it all in shape.

You need to know when you work and when you rest.

Don’t be too perfectionist and strict here.

You just need to observe your daily activities and find the time when you are most productive.

Then put it on your schedule and manage it.

There are some valuable tips that you should know.

Find your most productive time

This is the first thing you should consider when you work from home.

Start work when you have the most energy and focus.

It will help you work more and be more productive.

You will also feel you learn more new knowledge and organize your business better.

That is it.

Schedule daily, weekly, and monthly

I mean, you should mix short-term planning and long-term planning.

And a mid-term plan helps tie it all together.

Then, you will know how far you have come in the plan every working day.

Scheduling different periods also helps you keep track of the goals you need to achieve.

Just hit small goals daily, check them weekly, and eventually, you will achieve the big goal you set in your plan.

Maintain and stick to a consistent schedule

Why?

Because you need to create a good habit.

A routine will help you save energy and work from home more efficiently.

When you work repetitively at a particular time of day, your body will begin to adapt to that.

Then it will help you improve your learning, plan, or do tasks with alertness.

You will always feel full of energy to handle your business without ever feeling tired.

Schedule a break

Right!

After hard work from home, it’s time to rest.

Rest helps you restore energy and clear your mind.

But, how do you rest properly?

Just simple. Take complete rest.

Play with your pet, try some CBD gummies, do your hobby, talk with friends or family, or go outside to relax.

Your goal is to separate yourself from work altogether.

Don’t think about it anymore because you’ll return to it later.

Set boundaries

Working from home has its upsides as well as its downsides.

What stops you the most is the blurred boundaries when constantly distracted by your surroundings.

That’s why you need to set boundaries for everything.

This includes whether you rest, eat, relax, exercise, or hang out with friends.

Those are nameless things that affect your performance if you ignore them.

So you need to set a time for them, stick to it, and you will be fine.

Communicate with your colleagues

Coworkers will be your new friends after you leave college.

They, like you, are also colorful worlds.

Learning how to communicate effectively and make friends with your coworkers will help you deal with work better and more efficiently.

To do that, I have some suggestions for you.

Keep the phone number for work

Set up a phone number for employment.

It will be a phone number that is always available so people can contact you quickly.

A phone number that doesn’t change over time shows you’re a professional.

That phone number will also represent your personal appearance at work.

So don’t constantly change your work phone number.

Email for work

Email is similar to the phone number when you work from home.

You also need a unified email address so people can contact you when they need you.

However, there are some caveats here.

Your business email shouldn’t contain weird characters or funny names.

It’s also not up to be the email you created as a teenager.

Choose an email address with a professional name.

It will represent you at work.

Communicate clear expectations

Be straightforward in how you communicate your ideas.

That means you must make clear and detailed plans before giving them to your coworkers.

You also have to be clear about your responsibilities when facing problems.

Give them a gentle and sincere comment if it’s from a coworker.

If it’s yours, frankly admit your mistake and learn from it next time.

All these will help you feel more comfortable and build better colleague relationships.

Provide feedback often and quickly

You will get used to receiving quick responses when working in the corporate office.

But it’s completely different when you work from home.

Maybe when you ask for something, there will be a delay for your team members to feedback.

The same is true when you receive a request and will answer when you have free time, but trust can also decrease with waiting time.

However, let responses be as frequent and as quick as possible.

No one likes to wait, but that’s what working from home is.

Always keep the response time to a minimum.

That will help people feel more confident in each other.

Keep the discussion only about work

People sometimes share topics around their personal stories in the business chat room.

That is not advisable and unnecessary.

You should be so.

Keep discussions or conversations related to business matters only.

That will make it easy to go back to find the information whenever you need it.

And it also keeps people from prying and gossiping about your private life.

Build and improve relationship quality

If you determine you will be with the company long-term, continue building and improving the quality of your relationships.

It will help you get more support from people.

Moreover, you’ll feel more connected to where you want to belong.

You can do the following things to improve the quality of your relationships.

Socialize with your colleagues

When working from home, you will indeed feel lonely at times.

That’s when you think of your colleagues.

Give them a chance to become your new friend.

Who knows, you will find an exciting friend.

Hang out with your colleagues when you are free or after work.

Those are simple social activities but highly effective in building a new relationship.

When you have friends at work, you will no longer feel lonely.

Meet in real life after facetime

When you meet online, you can see most of your team members.

But people won’t understand each other just by looking at the webcam.

So, meeting your team members in real life is essential to building a quality relationship.

Maybe you and them will talk more and open up when doing social activities together.

Anyway, meeting face to face is better than just talking over a laptop or smartphone, right?

Don’t be too harsh and judgmental towards others

You can be strict with yourself but be gentle with everyone.

Because you probably won’t know what a bad day they had.

Or you don’t know they had an unhappy childhood.

Cuz you know yourself best, you need to be strict with yourself.

As for everyone, especially colleagues, let go of mistakes and give them opportunities to correct them.

What about people who constantly make mistakes and refuse to change for the better?

You simply ignore them because they are not relevant to you.

You don’t have to worry about people who always see their life from a negative perspective.

Life is already too hard for them.

Stay positive and maintain a relaxed state of mind in your life.

I believe you can do it well

Keep your team spirit

When working from home, people may not understand each other as well as they think.

That’s where the conflict comes in.

Your job is not to aggravate the problem but to be the mediator to solve them.

Always keep your team happy and in harmony.

It will help people not to feel too pressured and stressed at work.

Schedule an outing, watch a movie together, chat online with your team after work, meet up for a workout, etc.

Keep the team spirit because it’s like a second family to you.

If you can do that, you will always be trusted and appreciated by people.

And maybe, you will be elected team leader by everyone.

Now it’s time to move on to the next step.

Prepare coffee for your working session

Coffee is a traditional beverage that brings many health benefits to you.

It keeps you awake and energized so you can handle the tasks of work in a significant way.

And you know what?

Coffee also promotes heart health, helping you reduce heart disease that you don’t want.

Prepare a cup of coffee the night before so you don’t have to spend too much time making it the next day.

And you will see the magic of this drink.

27 Best Coffee Makers Will Improve Your Work Perfomance

End your workday with routines

Finally, relax after you’ve done your work from home job.

That’s when you make time for your habits.

It could be exercising, checking social media, hanging out with friends, picking up your kids, taking care of the family, etc.

It helps you clear your mind and connect to real life.

And those times are also included in the schedule you made in the previous steps.

When you end your workday with these habits, you’ll feel in control of your life and career.

It’s a good point to continue building your future as successful as you want.

Hopefully, the above valuable tips will help you manage and improve better your work performance.

Yes.Fit