Rising gas prices lead the headlines and people are looking for alternative ways to save on fuel cost. Many people are reacting to higher fuel cost by turning to telecommuting jobs. What does this have to do with Employment Readiness? We had better get ready for questions about telecommuting jobs. The number of military spouses working in telecommuting jobs is on the rise because of job portability. When an Army Family moves the Spouse unplugs the computer and is ready to start as soon as the packers leave the new quarters.

Finding a valid telecommuting opportunity is the frustrating part of the transition from working in a traditional setting. The Army Community Service/Employment Readiness Program offers information on telecommuting jobs and can help you examine your own skills and personality traits. The top traits of a successful telecommuter include taking initiative and demonstrating excellent time management.

Cruising the internet will bring up an overwhelming number of opportunities. Many of the websites are fronts for scams and others want your money for job leads. Peter Weddles has a researching, consulting and training firm with information on Human Resources at

www.weddles.com. The site provides valuable information on telecommuting jobs.

Weddles establishes five rules to employ in examining telecommuting job advertisements. The rules encourage you to look at the amount of details on the job posting including information about the job requirements, benefits and company information.

The website www.sohojobs.org/ employers.html provides an expansive list of telecommuting employers. This list enables you to look for employers in your area who already have a telecommuting program. These employers are major businesses with established reputations. In using this resource, you will need to reply to a position and ask about the opportunity to telecommute or you will need to contact the Human Resources office to find out if any telecommuting jobs are available.

Here are some telecommuting job search tips:

1. Avoid envelope stuffing or assemble at home leads

2. Avoid job leads that require you to pay a fee

3. Be careful about leads that have no company name

4. Use something other than "work at home" in the search box

5. If a job sounds too good to be true, it probably is

6. Beware of jobs that want you to call an 800 number and answer questions from a voice activated system (They have been known to switch you to a 900 number during the conversation)

7. Do not give out Social Security numbers, mother's maiden name and other personal information commonly used to set up financial accounts

8. Check out the company by looking them up through the Better Business Bureau.

Telecommuting jobs are the wave of the future and available but they can be hard to find. The best advice is to be careful, be prepared to spend a lot of time on job searching and check out the company before giving them any of your personal information. For additional information call (706) 791-0795/8685 or visit Kathryn Palmer or Suzanne Crosby, at the ACS/Employment Readiness office at Darling Hall, Suite 155.

Some types of telecommuting jobs: Account Clerk I Account Clerk II Account Clerk III Administrative Assistant Advanced Administrative Assistant Customer Service Representative Billing Clerk Console Attendant Call Center supervisor Collections Customer Service Quality Assurance Customer Service Help Desk Data Entry Executive Assistant File Clerk General Clerk and many more.