How to find a work-from-home job!

Everyone these days wants a work-from-home job.

It's not just because they are afraid of covid

Work from home enables employees to take back power… specifically the power of where they work.

For some, this might just mean no more commuting

But for others… it might enable them to move somewhere away from their work

• Smaller town
• Cheaper cost of living
• Closer to family
• Closer to recreation… like the mountains or the beach

The problem is that demand for these jobs has gone way up… and a lot of people are struggling to find them.

The answer is… while it sounds amazing… and while way more companies are open to it these days… it still isn’t as easy to get into a work-from-home job as you might think.

Here’s the reason why…

Work from home has always been viewed as a risk by most employers

They worry if people will actually be working and stay on task.

They worry about how they will get their questions answered.

They fear that their equipment, internet, and home office won't be as good as in the office.

And they fear they will lose their cultures & connection to employees.

You can argue over if these fears are valid or not… but you should probably save your breath. The people who have these fears won’t be easily convinced.

Instead, you need to be more pragmatic about your approach to this.

Work from Home was talked about extensively in the 4-hour workweek by Tim Ferris.  I would venture to guess that before covid that is where most people learned about it.

One of the most overlooked parts of his approach was the step-by-step methodical process he lays out.

Simply put… his suggested approach, and the approach that most people have taken who have work from home jobs today is not the approach that most people are trying to take today.

He didn’t suggest searching the web for a work-from-home job. He didn’t suggest even applying for work-from-home jobs.

His approach was to convert an in-office job to a work-from-home job… and this is where the secret lies.

Simply put… it is a process… so let me lay it out.

Getting a job… any job… comes down to 2 main things. Risk & Success.

This is even more true of a work-from-home one.

#1 Riskiness of Hiring You

Employers don’t like risk. The bigger the employer… the more likely they have an HR team behind the hiring process… the more likely they are worried about risk.

The first task of a job seeker looking to get a new career is to lessen this risk. You need to reassure them that this won't turn into a giant mess.

If you want to get a work-from-home job… and keep a work-from-home job… you need to understand that employers and managers see it as riskier than working in the office.

This isn't to say that you are a lazy person… but you need to accept that employers feel less in control of their work from home people.

So you need to find a way to lessen their risk… or to find a job where it will be less risky for you to be doing it from home.

#2 Likelihood of Job Success

Once an employer has checked off the box that hiring you to do a certain role isn’t a risk… they will then start to look at your chances of being a success. 

By this I mean what are your chances of being an above-average performer in the job.

Normally this is where they are looking for the unique qualities that are going to set you out from the crowd. 

It could be your smarts… 

it could be your personality… 

it could be your network & connections.

Now, what does this have to do with working from home… well… setting yourself up as a low-risk hire with a high potential for success is even more important if the job you are going to be doing is one where you will be working independently from home.

To break this down… I came up with a bit of a scorecard.

Industry - How popular is work from home in the industry you are targeting?

Company  - How likely is the company to be open to their employees working from home? And if they are open to it, how much experience does the company you are working for have to work from home? 

Business Area - How often is this area of business done from home… will your team & managers also be working from home?

Job Role - How often is the job type or role you are going to do done from home?

The lower the score in these 4 areas… the more difficult it will be to find a work-from-home job.  

You can adjust them by changing one or more of them until you find a job & company that is most likely to be open to allowing their employees to work from home.

Then let's look at your previous experience… how likely are you to be allowed to work from home?

Industry - How much knowledge/experience do you have in this industry?

Business Area - How much knowledge/experience do you have in this business area?

Job role - Have you done this job before?

Company - Is this a company you are working at already… where you have credibility?

Proof - Have you worked from home before?

The lower your score on these 5 questions… the less likely you are to get that job you are after.

If you scored low after answering these questions… Don’t worry… this scorecard isn’t just here to make you lose all hope of finding that amazing work-from-home job you are after… it also gives you the step-by-step things you’ll need to solve to get it.

#1 Pick a company, in an industry that is more open to wfh

#2 Pick a job in a business area that is more open to it.

With that target in mind, you may have to work in steps to get from where you are to be in the position to get that job.

Look at your previous experience scorecard, and try making small moves either with your main job or with your side hustle.  

Each move will be easier if you take it one area at a time… meaning moving from one industry to another while maintaining your current job role & business area.

If that seems like too long of a path for you… there is another option. 

Use the scorecard above to identify your best opportunity with the right role, business area, and industry, and get a side hustle or part-time job to build up your experience & credibility in this area.

But that’s for another video!