Is a work from home role right for you?

Working from home might seem like a dream come true, BUT is it right for you? Do you have the personality where you can thrive working from home and will a job where you don't need to leave your house fill your needs? Let's find out.

Many years ago before COVID when I told people that I worked from home they looked at me like I was nuts. Most of them (including my boss who went into the office every single day) said, “I could never do that!!" I didn't quite understand then why they had such a response. But now that I am back to working from home full time I completely see that it comes with benefits as well as its challenges.

Here are some ways to tell if a work from home role might be PERFECT for you or turn you right off.

Are you a self-starter?

Working from home requires a great deal of motivation. It's easy to become distracted and unfocused in the comforts of your own home. If you struggle with a wandering mind and find it hard to focus on a task alone without coworkers or a manager around this could be a difficult situation for you to work in. You need to have the ability to sit down and work without interruption by yourself to be successful. We say we might want that in our job normally but, you'd be surprised how the energy of a workplace can get your mindset into work mode easier than at home.

"The hardest part is when you're home and you have chores piling up, you are tempted to get that done as opposed to working."
-Jobcase member Konstantina Mouzakitis

Do you like the hustle and bustle?

Working from home usually means that you will spend a good portion of the day interacting with others in an online setting. So if you are accustomed to the typical office life and love the idea of sitting with others throughout the day and enjoying those free cups of coffee and office gossip, working from home might not be for you. It may seem small, but to many, this is a huge deal as they crave that feeling of being physically surrounded by other people.

"You go to work you miss home, you work from home you miss work."
-Jobcase member Dyron Baxter

Do you have a quiet work environment?

This can be a tricky one because working at home sometimes mean children or other family members will be there as well. Often times they won't understand that you are working because you are home. If you cannot designate a quiet and private space to complete your work or need to care for children consistently throughout the day without assistance, then it may be difficult to work from home.

"The hardest part was when the family was home and wanting to do things with them. I worked second shift so once they were sleeping it was great."
-Jobcase member Theodore Clark

Are you an organized person?

Making sure to stay organized is one of the keys to success when working from home. This will allow you to stay focused and on task. It will also help serve you well so you can increase your productivity. By keeping organized, you will save time looking for things (like your headphones or computer charger) and you will have more time to work on important tasks. Staying well organized can also improve the flow of communication between you and your colleagues.

In the beginning I felt so disorganized. However, once I reinvented my space with a new desk and arrangement I was just fine."
-Jobcase member Lori Roberts

Do you need a place to "turn it off?"

Unfortunately, when you work from home there is no quiet drive or train ride home from the office to allow your brain the chance to unwind and re-boot. Consequently, many others may love this fact of saving time sitting in traffic and being home when the workday ends. However, when you live and work in the same location this can be tricky. You can very easily fall into the trap of forgetting to take a lunch and just continue working to either earn more hours or just catch up.

"Due to the nature of my job, I found myself working all the time, and I lost work/life balance. I finally made the conscious decision to have a separate office space where I would avoid when I was not working, it took some discipline but once I set those boundaries I was able to disconnect myself from work.
-Jobcase member Christopher Monte

If working from home sounds ideal to you then be sure to check out some great jobs and tips/tricks from our **working from home resource center! **

Do you feel like you are a good fit to work from home?