Work at Home Indivduals Need to be a Bit Tech Savvy

If you are planning on telecommuting it helps to be a bit tech savvy, or like me have someone close by who is. I recently had an email from a new wah job searcher who was asked during an interview what kind of set up their computer was, which prompted me to realize, I’ve neglected to discuss this important feature. Now I am by no means a techie, but here are a few simple tips for knowing your system and keeping in running in top speed.

When applying for work from home jobs, one of the first questions you will be asked is to provide the technical specifications on the computer you will be working on. For Windows Vista users select “Start” and then type in the command “DXDIAG” in the search box and select “Enter”. You will use this tool to determine your computer’s specifications. The first tab will provide you details on manufacturer and model, operating system, and available ram, select next page for details on monitor and sound cards. Use this as a research tool, only, if you find you do not have enough memory or your system is outdated, contact your tech support person. To determine what type of browser you use, open the particular browser you use for searching the web; select the icon “Help”, then “About”. This will tell you the browser and version you are currently using.

Most work at home positions (particularly the phone jobs) have specific requirements. Compare the requirements specified in the job description to your own system before applying for the job. This will save you heartache and embarrassment during the interview process. Sometimes all that is needed is simply moving or deleting some old files.

Work at home companies expect some amount of tech knowledge from their wah employees. The larger companies have a help desk, but that is related to specific software and installations for your job. It is not like the IT staff at your former B & M company. They expect you to be knowledgeable about your own system and to keep it up and running.

There are many things you can do to keep your system at top speed and free up space. Photos, music, games and unused programs are culprits for eating up much of your space. If possible it’s a good idea to have a computer for work and one for personal use. If you don’t have a second computer and your current memory is insufficient, do not worry. Upgrading this can be a relatively small investment, its worth checking out. It is critical that you maintain a regular schedule of maintenance on your home computer. If it is not already setup, you should regularly clear/clean cookies/cache, as well as clean and defrag your hard drive. Have up to date antivirus and antispyware software installed and scan your computer regularly or automatically.

Personally, I have found working as a Google rater can be rather tough on your computer. I use a lap top for this work and have a desktop for other personal/work issues. I run CCleaner at least daily and spyware and antivirus runs automatically. Finally having some type of backup system in place is very critical to managing your data. If all of this seems like a foreign language to you, get to know your neighborhood techie and let them teach you the basics.


Have a question or comment feel free to post or email me.