It pays off to prepare yourself before asking an employer to make your job virtual. Most employers will want to know what’s in it for them before allowing an employee to work from home full-time. A professional way to address your employer’s possible questions and concerns is to make a list of the objections you think they will have, and then build a mini business case around each issue. Showing an employer a value proposition is your quickest way to a yes.

Employers appreciate when you can show them:

• How your productivity will be increased
• How you plan to hold yourself accountable
• How your creativity may be sparked
• The absence of workplace distractions
• Logistical cost savings

When your employer agrees to your proposal of setting up a virtual office, you need to start preparing yourself for success. Melissa says that it is best to be honest with your work style and be sure you can spend long periods alone. Also, you should not consider working from home a substitute for child care. If you want to continue working virtually, you should have other means for your child to be cared for during your work hours.

With focus and determination, you can do this!

Resources for virtual office information:

• Harvard Business Review Blogs
• Fast Company
• Mashable
• Virtual Agency Realities Group on LinkedIn
• FlexJobs

Melissa Mathews Bio

Melissa Mathews is the founder and president of The Mathews Group, a strategic communications agency built on an entirely virtual, flex-work model. The Mathews Group supports Fortune 100 corporate clients, with a team working from home offices, coffee shops, horse barns and soccer sidelines across the U.S. and international time zones. Melissa believes that if you hire great people and give them the freedom they need to live and work, they’ll exceed your expectations. Learn more at Mathews Group.

Ben’s Job Search Resources:

This is a simple and free online tool which has revolutionized the ability to connect with people by email. Job seekers can use this tool to contact with hiring managers, to bypass Human Resource Departments or to make sure their email goes to the intended party. Email Address Verifier is very simple to use and allows the user to know if the email address is valid.

Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question:

Ben, Jenna and Mac provide detailed feedback to answer Eric Stachon’s question―“Is it possible to make a great second impression if your interview didn’t go as planned?”

These segments are sponsored by the 2016 edition of Hack the Hidden Job Market Course and Land Your Dream Job in Portland (and Beyond).

If you would like the team to answer a job-related question, send it to [email protected] or call her at 716-JOB-TALK. Or if you found a job resource you think everyone should know about, send it to [email protected] and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job.

If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices