Devoted to WAHMs -Work at Home Moms

If there’s one thing I learned from five years of working from home, it’s that the competition for any work at home job is fierce. When I apply for a job, I do so with the impression that there will be dozens of other people all vying for the same gig, you should too. So how do you set yourself apart from the rest?

Sell yourself

If you’re not comfortable with shameless self-promotion, get over it. It’s not enough to send a letter that says, “I’m applying for your job, here’s my resume.” Play up your achievements and name names. If you worked for a well-known company, name-drop. If you won awards, make them known. Your potential employer has to think you’re better than the other applicants, and it’s your job to show her.

Proofread

One little typo can ruin a career. You might want to rush off a cover letter to get a jump on the competition, but if it’s riddled with misspellings and grammatical errors, you might as well not bother at all. Take the time to proofread. Read your cover letter aloud a couple of times to make sure it sounds good.

Include a killer resume

A good resume makes all the difference. A year ago, I was applying for jobs with only a cover letter. I didn’t think my corporate resume was relevant, and I didn’t have a writing resume made up. I landed a few jobs here and there, but wasn’t receiving the response I had hoped for. Finally, in the beginning of this year, I paid someone to help me write up a resume summing up what I do now. It made all the difference. In fact, I landed almost every gig I applied for. Coincidence? I think not.

Reputation is everything

Working at home requires more discipline than working elsewhere. Not only that, but we have the full time mom thing going too. We’re tired. It might be tempting to flake on a job, but don’t do it. You’re only as good as your reputation. If you’re seen as someone who misses deadlines or calls out sick a lot, you won’t get a good reference. And believe me, many places check references.