Legitimate Work at Home Interview Preparation Guide

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Below are some tips to help you spot shady job listings and avoid wasting your time or putting yourself or your personal information at risk:
☛ Check the dates
☛ Protect your financial information
☛ Set up a separate email account
☛ Do due diligence before sending your resume
☛ Trust your instincts
☛ Do not get too personal
☛ Look for signs of non-professionalism
☛ Get agreements in writing
☛ Speak up
☛ Do some detective work

Watch out for signs of unprofessionalism, including the following red flags: asking to meet at night over drinks, dodging your questions about the company and their mission, and texting you pleasantries completely unrelated to your line of work (even before you start working).
Of course, a lot depends on the type of work you will be doing, but if you feel like your interaction is inappropriate to the setting and to what your work relationship calls for, then it probably is.

You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to highlight your best points as they relate to the position being discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship.

The interviewer is not looking for a long or flowery dissertation here. Do you have strong feelings that the job gets done? Yes. That is the type of answer that works best here. Short and positive, showing a benefit to the organization.

Break out those detective skills when checking out the legitimacy of a job listing - do your research on the company well. Be cautious if the business is claiming to be a big, hotshot company and yet there is no trace of them online.

If you have concerns, talk to your potential employer about them, especially when dealing with a sole business owner or with a business that is run from a home. For example, do not be afraid to express that you would be more comfortable meeting in a public area. Then see how open the person is to your concerns.

It is also a good idea to put verbal agreements to paper, especially when dealing with a small, new business or person for the first time. This is to ensure that you get paid as agreed for the work you perform.
Instead of meeting in person, send an email in response to a listing to show a business your interest - do not be afraid to ask questions.

Interesting jobs that require an employer to get to know you on a more personal basis, such as becoming a personal assistant or modeling for a local brand.
Sometimes an employer has a legitimate need to see a photo or ask questions about your personal interests.
Just be extremely cautious. When it starts sounding more like a cheesy, over-the-top dating profile instead of a job listing, then it is highly recommended that you question the legitimacy of the personal assistant position that you are applying for.

You have probably come across at least a few of those "too good to be true" ads that offer free money right away and other benefits at no cost or hassle to you, even if you have no previous work experience. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Do not send your resume right away unless you have verified that the job offer is real. Since your resume provides information about you such as your name, school, email address, home address and your phone number, thieves can use this information to steal your money and your identity.

It is a good idea to set up a specific email account for your applications. With a separate email account, "employers" who could potentially be fake will not be able to use your more widely-used email account to spam you or steal your identity.

Anyone asking for credit card information or personal information straight off the bat cannot be trusted. If you have not even interviewed for the job or have not secured the job yet, there should be no reason why you are handing a stranger your personal information.

If a decent-paying job is posted, there will be numerous, immediate responses, which means listings are often taken down within a week or two of being posted. If a business does not find the perfect candidate right away and leaves the listing up for a long time, there may be a reason why no one has landed the position.

☛ One of the disadvantages of a work at home position is that you lose the daily face to face interaction with your colleagues.
☛ When you work at home, you need to make a little extra effort to stay connected with your colleagues and the direction of your team.
☛ At home there can be some distractions. I am fortunate that my office is removed from the house, and I can work there undisturbed.

Working at home has several advantages for me. I like the flexibility in hours. I am an early riser, and I can accomplish a lot before most people are in the office. I enjoy working by myself in a quiet place, without the distractions of a busy office. I like not having to drive to work.

I have a desk top computer, printer, fax machine, phone, scanner and copier. The post office is also just two blocks away.

I think that my experience in the widget industry and my ability to work autonomously make me a good match for this position.

I find that by working from home, I am able to concentrate and get more done than when I worked in a busy office. My office space is a quiet respite.

Your company is one of the leaders in e-widget sales. Having worked in e-widget manufacturing for the last ten years, I would welcome the opportunity to use that experience in another sector of the market.

The thing that I find I like the least is when I have a question, and can not walk down the hallway to ask my supervisor about it. Sometimes it is frustrating to play email or phone tag.

I really like the flexibility in hours. I have always been a night owl, and working set hours is difficult for me. I can accomplish much more on my own timetable.

There best answers:
☛ Yes, I do. We converted a spare room over our garage into an office, where we have a computer, printer/scanner/copy/fax machine, and phone. It is nicely secluded from the rest of the house.
☛ I have a spot with all my equipment where I keep things organized.
☛ I have an area removed from the rest of the house where I can work quietly.

I have two school age children, who are out of the house at school most of the day. My dog is normally outside in our fenced in yard, when I am working and need to make calls.

This question is one reason to do some research on the organization before the interview. Find out where they have been and where they are going. What are the current issues and who are the major players?

Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus on this job and what you can do for this organization. Anything else is a distraction.