How Do I Work from Home Without Starting a Business?

Ellen Parlapiano and Pat Cobe Authors of Mompreneurs.: A Mother's Practical Step-by-Step Guide to Work-at-Home Success (Perigee, 1996) and Mompreneurs. Online (Perigee, 2001).

We meet many women who want to earn an income and still be home for their kids. Yet, many of you tell us you're not interested in starting business.

The good news is that there are several work-at-home choices for women. One of the easiest ways to work at home without creating a home business is to sell products from established companies such as Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Tupperware and others. You pick a company or type of product you like and would feel comfortable selling to people in your community and earn commission on every sale. Find out more about these opportunities in the Make $$ from Home area.

Alternatively, many experts on flexible work options agree it's possible to work for a traditional offices and businesses as an employee, simply based out of your home.

Use the following tips to find reputable opportunities:

• Surf the Web

  Look for online job search sites to hone in on the home-based positions. Do several searches, using keywords and phrases like work from home, work at home, telecommute, telecommuting, telework, teleworking, home-based, offsite, virtual assistant, virtual office and part-time. Surrounding the words or phrases in quotation marks or parentheses helps streamline the search.

  You can also search in your field of expertise and then focus on the home-based possibilities. But keep in mind that these jobs are in high demand and may be filled by the time you apply. So you need to search on several boards and act immediately when you see something of interest.

  Most Websites that lists job openings are free to browse, though you may be asked to register as a member and give a few bits of information about yourself.

• Showcase Your Resume Online

  It's not enough to search online job listings for work. You've got to get your resume posted there, too. Many employers check online job banks to find qualified candidates, so submit your resume to as many of the job boards as possible. Your resume should emphasize your ability to work independently, and should also highlight any previous telecommuting or other work-at-home experience. All the major job boards feature a resume-posting area.

• Tap In to the Women's Network

  There are many free job sites popping up across the Web. Run by work-at-home moms themselves, these sites also offer job leads, articles, advice and other support. Here are a few to check out: Dot Com Mommies, Moneymaking Mommy and WAHMFest.

• Check Out Family-Friendly Agencies

  There are many employment agencies, both on- and off-line that cater to moms who want flexible employment options. Some, like Flexible Resources Inc., and Womans-Work, specialize in helping professional women find alternative work arrangements like job sharing, telecommuting and part-time positions.

• Be Scam Savvy!

  Though the Web offers a multitude of home-based opportunities, it's also full of scammers who target and take advantage of vulnerable moms like you. To protect yourself from online job scams, be suspicious of any job description promising overnight success or using phrases like, ''effortless,'' ''no experience required,'' ''easy money,'' ''hidden job market,'' ''earn money fast,'' ''earn hundreds or thousands a week.'' If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Check out this list of 6 common scams that have fooled the best of them.

Resources: Before becoming involved with any work-from-home opportunity or job resource, check out the company with the Better Business Bureau, the National Fraud Information Center and WebAssured (click on their ''Watch List'' to view complaints about various companies).

You can also type in the name of the company on different search engines to view any articles that may have been written about them.