With millions of mom today deciding to stay home and raise their children – there are perhaps almost as many looking for jobs. The problem is that when you are looking for a job for a stay at home mom, you are liable and bound to run into plenty of plots, schemes and rip-offs that are designed to sound larger than life – only to let you down. Most of these begin with some sort of investment requirement, whether monetarily or by way of purchasing dozens of products or videos. And the vast majority of these schemes involve selling something. Even if it doesn’t appear that way at first, and despite expert testimonials and proof that something works, you should remain very skeptical.
Some of the marketing jobs for stay at home moms truly offer the potential to make money. However, consider how much extra time you have to work from home. If you have a houseful of children and plenty of other responsibilities, you might not have the skill set or resources needed to start hard-core selling. Eventually, you run out of friends and family who are willing to help you out. After too long selling Mary Kay or cleaning products – you may even lose some friends and find family members even harder to get in touch with. Explore your options before diving in and know whether or not you have a natural skill set to recruit more women and sell products. Most importantly, if you talk to someone who has recruited you (which means they will make money off of you), ask her to be realistic about how much time she puts in. You might find that she doesn’t have a family and is able to travel, put in long hours, and make the program work for her.
It is also important when you are looking to work from home to take some time to reinvestigate your passions and natural talents. Now that you are already home with your kids, you have the perfect opportunity to hone in on some of your skills. If you are a fabulous cake maker – then why not invest in yourself a little bit and take a few decorating classes. This might be all you need to start a home based business (rather than job) from home. And being a stay at home mom gives you the opportunity to start slowly. For instance, you can set a goal that when your last child starts kindergarten you want to have established 6 regular clients.
By deciding to work from home in niches that you enjoy and have some natural ability in, you ensure that the work at home route you are choosing is one you will be personally passionate about. Luckily, each of us has a gift of sorts. Perhaps you can write, decorate homes, love to clean or enjoy painting. Maybe you are an expert gardener or incredibly adept at shopping bargains and sales. Any of these (and plenty more) talents can be employed and turned into a job for stay at home moms. Think a bit outside of the box, and realize that likely all of your ideas are marketable. Spend time learning how to market yourself, compiling information about other successful home based businesses, and checking in with local colleges that may offer some classes to help.
Once you have a direction, you can start searching the internet. Look for work from home mom sites that are reputable and that do not insist you sign up for mailings. There are several such as www.homejobsformoms.biz/ that actually gives you reliable sources for businesses that are looking for work from home folks just like you. This site in particular lists several jobs per week with varying levels of skill sets needed that are perfect for stay at home moms. As you search, try to be specific. Rather than Google jobs for stay at home moms – type in ‘payroll accounting jobs for stay at home moms’ which will produce you more filtered results. After some trial and error, you will be able to quickly spot the scams from the ones that are real.
If you are truly serious about jobs for stay at home moms, you may not have to look outside your last place of employment. Today, due to economical hardships, there are plenty of large corporations that desire telecommuting professionals. Since they won’t have to pay for your office space, benefits, and other costs of employment – they may jump at the chance for you to work from home. If you were an accountant, HR professional, editor or held other positions before becoming a stay at home mom – don’t be afraid to look for jobs you can do from home. You may even be advised to interview with listings you see in your local paper and then talk to them about home employment while you are at the interview. Sometimes, meeting YOU in person – may be all a potential employer needs to take the plunge into telecommuting. And, don’t forget to utilize your resources, past experiences and contacts to help you find these opportunities.
Jobs for stay at home moms really shouldn’t be hidden beneath mounds of scams and schemes. Sadly, they are! However if you keep your sights on what you really want to be doing – and avoid areas of employment simply because they offer you the flexibility to work from home, you will be able to avoid them. You can also check out many of the freelancing websites out there like Odesk or Elance and see if they list jobs that may be a good fit for your abilities.
Another way to find success working from home is to get in touch with other mothers who have been able to bridge the worlds. Their advice, experience and perhaps even some of their contacts can help you to get started more quickly. There is a huge community of WAHM, (work at home mom) websites and entrepreneurships available to mothers who are serious about starting a home based business or working from home. And many are eager to help moms get started by offering tips, advice and reliable leads.
