· If they ask for money up front, run! In many cases, you will never see them again. Solid business opportunities will require products to be purchased and such, but never should you purchase or pay for anything for a JOB.

· Check Better Business Bureau for information about company. It just makes sense!

· Understand difference between a work at home job and a work at home business. It is important to realize that you will not have a job, but a business of your own to run.

Work at home opportunities will allow you to gain most opportunities to spending time with your family, but they will also need you to be diligent and determined to become accomplished in work at home arena. Nothing will be easy, especially at first!

(A) Contact that person to ask permission to provide their contact details and to advise them of your current campaign;

(B)Verify and confirm:

(i)current contact number; (ii)email address; and (iii)appropriate/contact time preferred.

Another strategy would be to refresh your reference’s memory about previous projects and contributions by supplying them with a copy of:

~ Your current resume; ~ Relevant experience and results achieved with reference’s organization; ~ Overview of your career goals and aspirations so that reference can provide information pertinent to that goal.

This will allow your reference to gain an understanding of your skill set and what it is you are targeting.

When preparing your references contact list, don’t just state basic details such as name and contact details, but provide some background details as to how you know this reference and information they can confirm. Perhaps a succinct list of outstanding contributions that this reference can qualify would be beneficial too. Ensure that document is formatted professionally and in similar style (i.e. fonts etc) that your resume has been developed, as consistency in formatting and professional presentation is also important.

If position and company still sound exciting after initial interview and you would like to be considered in next round, try to confirm who will be contacting your references and approximate timing. This will allow you to touch base (either by phone or email) with your references and advise them of forthcoming reference check.

At completion of your career campaign, after receiving and accepting a firm job offer, do not forget to send a thank you card to each of your references to show your appreciation and to advise them of your success.