Well, I had my second interview and testing for my work from home job with Cora yesterday. It went really well, better than I had expected, actually. I was really nervous, and it turns out it was for no reason.
The woman interviewing me was really nice, asking me questions about what I'm interested in, and what I'd like to do. She had a couple questions about my disability, and that was about it for the interview.
Then, I had to take a couple of tests. This was the part that made me nervous, but as it turned out, they were really easy. All I had to do was look up the closest post office to me on the US Postal Service website, then find directions from my house to that post office on MapQuest. Very easy! I had twenty minutes to complete the test, and got it done in under five!
The next test was a typing test. I had the opportunity to take it as many times as I wanted, and had fifteen minutes to complete it. Another very easy test! I took it three times to try to better my score and ended up with 46wpm with only one mistake.
So, now I just wait to hear from Cora after they receive the results. I know it sounds like a lot of hassle for a job, but you have to remember. Cora is hiring sight unseen, and they must be sure that I'm going to be able to handle a self motivating job. They have to be sure their employees can take the initiative and work without a boss or even co-workers.
It won't be long now, and my new computer is on its way! Since I'm going to be working from home, and the computer I have here doesn't meet the requirements of Cora, the DVR (Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) is providing me with a brand new computer with a 20" monitor! I'll be able to see what I'm doing for a change!
If anyone out there reading this is disabled, and not able to work outside the home, contact me. I can provide you with Cora's information. I also suggest getting in contact with your local DVR office. They work wonders in helping people with disabilities get jobs. And they help them get the equipment or education they need to get the job done! Contact me at Shawn@livelaughblogg.com for more information.
A Step Closer
I Will Be Working From Home Soon!
I'm really excited! I just had my pre-assessment interview with the team from Cora, an online company that hires people with disabilities to work from home. My DVR counselor referred me to them, and I couldn't be happier.
It's been a process, that's for sure. You don't just get hired right off the bat. There's paperwork to fill out, interviews to go through, testing to do, but soon, I'll be working from home and earning a real income!
What's great too, is that I'm getting a brand new computer and a bigger monitor to do my job on. My DVR counselor is purchasing the computer for me through the program, and the larger monitor will allow me to enlarge everything and still be able to see it all without having to scroll back and forth! It should be here in the next week.
I can't wait to get started. It's been far too long without a job, and I was starting to feel somewhat useless around here. Especially when the bills came in the mail, and there wasn't enough money to cover them all. This job working from home is going to do wonders for my self confidence!
As things progress, I'll keep you all updated, and if anyone has any questions about how to get started working from home, don't hesitate to ask. Now, before you do ask, I'm not sure if Cora hires anyone other than people with disabilities, but I know of a couple of other places that do. Despite all the scams on the Internet for work at home jobs, there are legitimate ones, and I'm proof!
Still Looking For Work
Ugh! This work from home thing isn't going so well. What is a disabled person to do to make ends meet when she isn't able to find work from home? My DVR (Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) counselor has given me a couple of options that haven't panned out, and I'm getting really frustrated.
I tried applying with NTI (National Telecomuting Institute), to no avail. The job they did have for me fell through when I applied because all the spots were full. I applied with another company but never heard back from them. Now, I have a third company that specifically deals with hiring disabled people to work from home. I hope this one has something for me.
I feel like I have a lot to offer a company, if only someone would give me a chance. I'm intelligent, hard-working, and self motivated. It's hard when you can't meet a prospective employer face to face, and you have to be on your toes. There are a ton of scams out there in the work from home field. More so than not, unfortunately.
So today, I'm going to check out this other company and see what they can do for me. I had such high hopes when I first started my search for a legitimate job to do from home. It's been almost a year since I started, and quite frankly, I'm losing hope.
Anyone want to hire me?
On The Job Front
My work-from-home quest is at a stand still right now. I've applied for two different jobs, and been denied both. The first one was an At-Home-Professional that required customer service duties over the phone. By the time I applied, all the positions were full. Strike one.
The second job, was a telemarketing job (I know. I know.), but that too fell through. After applying, I was told I needed prior telemarketing experience, of which I have none. Strike two.
Today, I applied for yet another job. This one with a company called Ver-a-fast. Another over the phone, customer service type job. I haven't heard back yet, but the job looks promising, as I (hopefully) have all the skills and computer/telephone requirements for the job.
You know, I try so hard to be independent despite my vision loss. I feel I do a pretty good job of living a "normal" life, but it's things like this and the fact that I can't drive anymore that really brings me down. I really miss driving and having that independence. I really want a job that helps contribute to our household finances.
Keep your fingers crossed for me!
At a Standstill
This work from home thing isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. I've been working with my DVR counselor since August of last year, and it seems I'm not any closer to being employed from home that I was then.
I've done everything they've asked. Just last week, I heard back from my case worker at NTI. I followed all the steps they set forth, taking multiple tests and what not. He felt I was a strong candidate for working for one of their partners and sent me over to their website to apply.
There were seven steps to go through before being hired and to my dismay, I didn't even make it past the first one! The first step consisted of entering your personal information, computer specs, and previous employment. After entering all of that, I received an email telling me I didn't meet their requirements and that I can't apply with them again for another six months!
I think what did it is the fact that we have Vonage, a voice-over IP phone. Most at home customer service jobs will not accept that, but my case worker at NTI assured me that Vonage wasn't a problem. I think he was wrong. All of my other qualifications were spot on with what they required, so I'm guessing that is the problem.
I emailed them to ask why I was rejected since the email didn't give any reason for the rejection. So far, I haven't heard anything back yet. I don't know where to go from here. I think I'll wait a couple more days to see if they get back to me. If not, I guess I'll call my case worker back and see what he has to say. Looks like I might be starting all over from square one. That, and getting a regular land line for our telephone, which makes me mad because Vonage is so much cheaper!
Tuesday Toot
I'm really excited about the opportunity! The only downside is I have to do some rearranging in the house to accommodate my job. Since I'll be doing customer service work over the phone, I have to have a quiet place to work, and right now, the computer is in our living room. All our bedrooms are full of children, so I'll be switching rooms with my oldest since he has a huge walk-in closet. I'm turning the closet into my office.
Sounds funny, I know. But it'll work, and I'll have the quiet that I need to get the job done. Besides, the closet is the size of another room.
