You have the computer. You have the time. Now where can you find some legitimate, genuine working from home jobs?
This lens will serve as a guide to help you find jobs so you can start earning money as soon as possible.
While the options are many, some may be better for you than others. By using this lens as a guide, your research may be easier and hopefully, won't be as overwhelming as you might think.
Here's to landing your first working from home job!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Why would you want to work from home?
Working from home is a goal that many of us have.
The dream of being able to work when you want to, whether it be early mornings or evenings. Maybe a nice combination of both.
The flexibility of your schedule. If you have kids, you understand how great a flexible work schedule can be. If you have to attend a school function or run to a dentist appointment, it is nice to be able to do that without having to request time off or burn a vacation day.
Saving money. It would also be nice to save money on your work clothes wardrobe, wear and tear on your car and with the high cost of gas these days, saving money on the gas it takes to get back and forth to work.
Daycare expenses. Again, if you have kids, I don't have to tell you how expensive daycare is. If you have more than one child, it can be extremely costly. There are also some days when daycare is closed or unavailable. Then what? Better have a good back-up plan, right? What do you do during summer vacation and daycare? Full-time daycare costs add up very quickly. When the kids get off school early, wouldn't it be nice not to have to worry about picking them up? What about sick days? When the kids are sick, daycare is out and mom or dad are in.
The bottom line is that there are so many ways you can save money by working from home.
Earning extra money. Who couldn't use a little extra money? Everyone I talk to falls into this category.
If you've ever worked a part-time job outside the home, then you know it has the same expectations of your full-time job. You have to be there at a certain time, put in a certain number of hours, drive there and back, etc.
Working from home, especially part-time, is great because it offers flexibility in hours, no driving or leaving your home, and you are able to be home with the kids.
The extra money comes in handy for supplementing a full-time income, saving up for a vacation or some other fun thing, paying down bills, or, well, you know what you could do with some extra cash.
The dream of being able to work when you want to, whether it be early mornings or evenings. Maybe a nice combination of both.
The flexibility of your schedule. If you have kids, you understand how great a flexible work schedule can be. If you have to attend a school function or run to a dentist appointment, it is nice to be able to do that without having to request time off or burn a vacation day.
Saving money. It would also be nice to save money on your work clothes wardrobe, wear and tear on your car and with the high cost of gas these days, saving money on the gas it takes to get back and forth to work.
Daycare expenses. Again, if you have kids, I don't have to tell you how expensive daycare is. If you have more than one child, it can be extremely costly. There are also some days when daycare is closed or unavailable. Then what? Better have a good back-up plan, right? What do you do during summer vacation and daycare? Full-time daycare costs add up very quickly. When the kids get off school early, wouldn't it be nice not to have to worry about picking them up? What about sick days? When the kids are sick, daycare is out and mom or dad are in.
The bottom line is that there are so many ways you can save money by working from home.
Earning extra money. Who couldn't use a little extra money? Everyone I talk to falls into this category.
If you've ever worked a part-time job outside the home, then you know it has the same expectations of your full-time job. You have to be there at a certain time, put in a certain number of hours, drive there and back, etc.
Working from home, especially part-time, is great because it offers flexibility in hours, no driving or leaving your home, and you are able to be home with the kids.
The extra money comes in handy for supplementing a full-time income, saving up for a vacation or some other fun thing, paying down bills, or, well, you know what you could do with some extra cash.
Types of Jobs offered
So what type of jobs might be offered on line? Do you have the skills that people are looking for?
In most cases, I can assure you that the answer is yes. Sure, there are employers looking for extremely high tech types of skills like computer programming and design. However, there are jobs available for those of us who are more skilled in administrative tasks. Typing, transcription, data entry...these are all jobs that are in demand.
There are a lot of bloggers out there today. These bloggers need content to keep their top spot in Google or Yahoo. If you are a writter, there is a high demand for your skills. You will have an extremely good chance of not only finding work, but getting long-term assignments. You can also write for web sites, magazines and any company that is looking for original, well-written content on a regular basis.
There are easy jobs that don't require a lot of experience like posting in forums or backlinking for web sites. People outsource these jobs because while they are not difficult, they are time-consuming and their time could be better spent doing other activities.
That is good news for you!
In most cases, I can assure you that the answer is yes. Sure, there are employers looking for extremely high tech types of skills like computer programming and design. However, there are jobs available for those of us who are more skilled in administrative tasks. Typing, transcription, data entry...these are all jobs that are in demand.
There are a lot of bloggers out there today. These bloggers need content to keep their top spot in Google or Yahoo. If you are a writter, there is a high demand for your skills. You will have an extremely good chance of not only finding work, but getting long-term assignments. You can also write for web sites, magazines and any company that is looking for original, well-written content on a regular basis.
There are easy jobs that don't require a lot of experience like posting in forums or backlinking for web sites. People outsource these jobs because while they are not difficult, they are time-consuming and their time could be better spent doing other activities.
That is good news for you!
Work at Home Job Options
If you type in the search term "work at home jobs," be prepared get back over 1 million results!
To give you a starting point and to narrow things down for you, listed below are web sites that offer what you are looking for - the ability for you to connect with an employer looking for someone with your skills to work for them on-line.
These sites are generally offered with no sign-up fee, but charge a percentage of the money you make when you secure a contract. This is usually a small fee, anywhere from 1% to 10%, on the money you make on-line.
Some companies want you to pay the commission fee up front when you secure a contract, and some sites take their commission when you complete a project. Some add their commission on to the the fee you have negotiated with an employer.
It is very, very important to read the small print here. To read the policies, procedures and guidelines so there are no unexpected surprises when you land that first job. Knowing all the facts up front is a good idea so that you can better decide if you even want to register with a particular site for work. If the commission percentage is too high or is due up-front, this may help you make the decision to go with another company completely.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to perform your due diligence and know all of the guidelines before committing to or registering for work on a site.
To give you a starting point and to narrow things down for you, listed below are web sites that offer what you are looking for - the ability for you to connect with an employer looking for someone with your skills to work for them on-line.
These sites are generally offered with no sign-up fee, but charge a percentage of the money you make when you secure a contract. This is usually a small fee, anywhere from 1% to 10%, on the money you make on-line.
Some companies want you to pay the commission fee up front when you secure a contract, and some sites take their commission when you complete a project. Some add their commission on to the the fee you have negotiated with an employer.
It is very, very important to read the small print here. To read the policies, procedures and guidelines so there are no unexpected surprises when you land that first job. Knowing all the facts up front is a good idea so that you can better decide if you even want to register with a particular site for work. If the commission percentage is too high or is due up-front, this may help you make the decision to go with another company completely.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to perform your due diligence and know all of the guidelines before committing to or registering for work on a site.
Freelance / Work from Home Sites
Listed below (in alphabetical order) are work-at-home sites for consideration.
www.donanza.com
www.elance.com
www.freelancer.com (formerly getafreelancer.com)
www.guru.com
www.ifreelance.com
www.scriptlance.com
www.vWorker.com (formerly rentacoder.com)
www.workaholics4hire.com
There are certainly others, but these offer jobs for writers and data entry assignments, not just for computer programming or other similar high tech jobs.
For these sites, you can sign up for free, post a profile and start applying for jobs right away!
www.donanza.com
www.elance.com
www.freelancer.com (formerly getafreelancer.com)
www.guru.com
www.ifreelance.com
www.scriptlance.com
www.vWorker.com (formerly rentacoder.com)
www.workaholics4hire.com
There are certainly others, but these offer jobs for writers and data entry assignments, not just for computer programming or other similar high tech jobs.
For these sites, you can sign up for free, post a profile and start applying for jobs right away!
My Personal Experience & Recommendation
When doing my research, I spent a good deal of time at all of these sites. I looked at the policies, payment terms and such, and most are quite comparable. I read reviews and they were all pretty good. None of them got slammed or had extreme issues with the users, which is a good thing.
After all was said and done, I went with a site that is NOT included in the above list. I kept it out because in my opinion, it was the best and I wanted to talk about it separately.
The site I chose was Odesk.
After reviewing the features and benefits of ODesk, I signed up right away. It was very user friendly and I could maneuver around the site quickly and easily. It lets you sign up for free, and publish a very detailed profile in order to promote yourself and your skills.
There are so many jobs to choose from that you could literally spend hours looking through this site, which I did many times!
I like the fact that you can review the employer, not just the other way around. People who have worked for the employer rate them and the reviews are honest, I must say. Whether good or bad, the reviews are there for you to see. This can help you decide if you want to accept an assignment from an employer before bidding on a job. It takes another "unknown" element out of the mix because you can get information about an employer before accepting work.
I love the fact that you can take tests to add to your profile, which also help you get jobs. There are a varierty of tests - free for the taking - that help employers evaluate your skills when competing for a job. The tests are those similar you might take when applying for any job. They include spelling, English, data entry, office skills, typing, etc. You name it, there will probably be a test for it. After you take the test, your score is immediately available for posting on your profile page. If you didn't do so well on the test, you can re-take it after 30 days, so you don't have to post a poor test score on your profile page.
When you read through the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS and FORUM sections of the site, it will tell you to apply for as many jobs as possible to enhance your choices of landing your first job. The site indicates that it can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks of bidding to get a job, and not to be discouraged but to keep trying, especially because you're new and don't have any feedback or hours logged posted on your profile page.
My experience was that within 2 weeks of bidding for jobs, I got hired for not only one contract, but two!! I accepted both assignments because the hours per week worked out and I could make the deadlines the employers were looking for.
One of my contracts was to write five original articles for use on a web site at a fixed rate. I finished this project on time and received the highest 5 star rating from my employer! He not only paid me as soon as I turned in the last article, he paid me a bonus, as well.
As for my other employer, she was so happy with my work that she extended the project from 10 to 25 hours per week on a long-term basis. Now I'm not sure if that will be for 6 months, a year or will end next week, but I do know that within the last 3 weeks, I have made over $400!
$400 cash - in my Paypal account - available for me to spend now.
I not only landed two contracts, but because of my profile page, three additional employers contacted ME in a private offer to bid on their projects. So, not only can you secure projects by applying for them, if you have a detailed profile page, employers can search you out and make a private offer to you, virtually eliminating most, if not all, of the competition for jobs.
I love the guarantee - yes, the ODesk guarantee - that I will be paid every week for logged hours. I love that you log in to your team room and as you are working, your time is logged into the system, and will be guaranteed for payment at the end of the week.
I love having the security of a weekly paycheck as it is sometimes hard to stretch your 9-to-5 check out for two weeks at a time. I no longer find myself running short on money by the end of two weeks because I have that extra weekly check coming in.
It takes a few extra days to get your first check, because you have to wait for the pay period to end, for the employer to approve the hours, and then the "security period." Once you are working on a weekly basis, your paychecks will fall into a routine and you will have money each week.
I like the payment options where I can have my money be deposited into my Paypal account or directly to my bank account, among other options.
As for customer service, I had a question, sent a ticket to the service department and had a reply in less than 24 hours. A fast, professional, informative response to my question.
I must admit that at first I was a bit skeptical, as most of us are when trying out anything new on the Internet. But this has turned out to be the real deal and I cannot say enough about this site.
If I had to recommend a site to get a job on-line, this is where I would refer anyone who would ask me. I have already recommended this site to several members of my family and to my friends who have been looking for work.
This site is so versatile because you can take one-time jobs, jobs that last for a week or two, or longer-term jobs. While you may continue to send out resumes to get a full-time job out of the home, you can find work at ODesk to fill in the gap. If you are a stay-at-home mom looking for supplemental income, this would be a perfect choice for you. If you want extra money to save up for a vacation, buy something fun or pay off some bills, look no further.
The options are endless and amazing. I could not believe how much there was to pick from and how easy it is to get started.
After all was said and done, I went with a site that is NOT included in the above list. I kept it out because in my opinion, it was the best and I wanted to talk about it separately.
The site I chose was Odesk.
After reviewing the features and benefits of ODesk, I signed up right away. It was very user friendly and I could maneuver around the site quickly and easily. It lets you sign up for free, and publish a very detailed profile in order to promote yourself and your skills.
There are so many jobs to choose from that you could literally spend hours looking through this site, which I did many times!
I like the fact that you can review the employer, not just the other way around. People who have worked for the employer rate them and the reviews are honest, I must say. Whether good or bad, the reviews are there for you to see. This can help you decide if you want to accept an assignment from an employer before bidding on a job. It takes another "unknown" element out of the mix because you can get information about an employer before accepting work.
I love the fact that you can take tests to add to your profile, which also help you get jobs. There are a varierty of tests - free for the taking - that help employers evaluate your skills when competing for a job. The tests are those similar you might take when applying for any job. They include spelling, English, data entry, office skills, typing, etc. You name it, there will probably be a test for it. After you take the test, your score is immediately available for posting on your profile page. If you didn't do so well on the test, you can re-take it after 30 days, so you don't have to post a poor test score on your profile page.
When you read through the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS and FORUM sections of the site, it will tell you to apply for as many jobs as possible to enhance your choices of landing your first job. The site indicates that it can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks of bidding to get a job, and not to be discouraged but to keep trying, especially because you're new and don't have any feedback or hours logged posted on your profile page.
My experience was that within 2 weeks of bidding for jobs, I got hired for not only one contract, but two!! I accepted both assignments because the hours per week worked out and I could make the deadlines the employers were looking for.
One of my contracts was to write five original articles for use on a web site at a fixed rate. I finished this project on time and received the highest 5 star rating from my employer! He not only paid me as soon as I turned in the last article, he paid me a bonus, as well.
As for my other employer, she was so happy with my work that she extended the project from 10 to 25 hours per week on a long-term basis. Now I'm not sure if that will be for 6 months, a year or will end next week, but I do know that within the last 3 weeks, I have made over $400!
$400 cash - in my Paypal account - available for me to spend now.
I not only landed two contracts, but because of my profile page, three additional employers contacted ME in a private offer to bid on their projects. So, not only can you secure projects by applying for them, if you have a detailed profile page, employers can search you out and make a private offer to you, virtually eliminating most, if not all, of the competition for jobs.
I love the guarantee - yes, the ODesk guarantee - that I will be paid every week for logged hours. I love that you log in to your team room and as you are working, your time is logged into the system, and will be guaranteed for payment at the end of the week.
I love having the security of a weekly paycheck as it is sometimes hard to stretch your 9-to-5 check out for two weeks at a time. I no longer find myself running short on money by the end of two weeks because I have that extra weekly check coming in.
It takes a few extra days to get your first check, because you have to wait for the pay period to end, for the employer to approve the hours, and then the "security period." Once you are working on a weekly basis, your paychecks will fall into a routine and you will have money each week.
I like the payment options where I can have my money be deposited into my Paypal account or directly to my bank account, among other options.
As for customer service, I had a question, sent a ticket to the service department and had a reply in less than 24 hours. A fast, professional, informative response to my question.
I must admit that at first I was a bit skeptical, as most of us are when trying out anything new on the Internet. But this has turned out to be the real deal and I cannot say enough about this site.
If I had to recommend a site to get a job on-line, this is where I would refer anyone who would ask me. I have already recommended this site to several members of my family and to my friends who have been looking for work.
This site is so versatile because you can take one-time jobs, jobs that last for a week or two, or longer-term jobs. While you may continue to send out resumes to get a full-time job out of the home, you can find work at ODesk to fill in the gap. If you are a stay-at-home mom looking for supplemental income, this would be a perfect choice for you. If you want extra money to save up for a vacation, buy something fun or pay off some bills, look no further.
The options are endless and amazing. I could not believe how much there was to pick from and how easy it is to get started.
Tips for Success on ODesk
Here are some tips for faster success -
Be Brutally Honest
The biggest thing is to be honest. Don't apply for jobs that you are not qualified for. If you get selected for a job that you are not qualified for, the employer will find out pretty quickly that you were less than honest about your qualifications for the job. Not only will you lose the job, but you may open yourself up for receiving negative feedback which will be displayed on your profile page for all to see.
Honestly assess your skills and levels of expertise. If you are a great typist, then say that. If you are a so-so writer, then apply for job postings accordingly. Just don't pretend to be an expert at things you know very little or nothing about. Don't apply for jobs that require 10 hours a week if you only have 5 hours to work. Be honest in an evaluation of your skills and doing the best possible job for each employer.
Be involved
Ask questions in the forum. Apply to jobs. Take more tests while you're waiting for that first job. Everything you can add to your profile will help get you working.
Be professional
Always be professional. When you land that first job, always respond to e-mails as soon as possible. Ask questions if you need clarity on something. Go above and beyond. If the employer has a tight deadline, then be sure to meet or beat the deadline. Do what you say you are going to do. This is no time for excuses or dropping the ball. If it turns out that something comes up and you are no longer able to fulfull your contract, then be honest and professional in letting the employer know as soon as possible so they can make other arrangements.
One of the biggest complaints of employers is that once they award a contract to someone, suddenly they don't hear from the person again, or the person has 100 excuses for not being able to finish the job, etc. Don't be one of these people.
Bidding
When you are first starting out, the goal is to get a contract so you can get some feedback and logged hours on your profile page. So, as you are applying to jobs, see what some of the other contractors are bidding. You may want to bid low at first just to get some projects. Don't worry...as you log hours and get positive feedback you can increase your hourly wage.
Also, if I were looking to apply for a contract but saw that there were 50 people applying, I would pass on that one because there's a lot of competition. Not that you can't bid on these projects, but if you are just starting out, I would go for something with a bit less competition.
On my profile page, I had listed an hourly rate and when I was awarded a contract, I was offered 2x as much as my price! Not only that, but if the employer is happy with your work, they can give you a bonus. So again, if you do get a bonus, even though your hourly price is on the low side, a bonus awarded might make up the difference in a hurry!
Do a good job and you will get more jobs and make more money.
Get started!
You'll never get hired if you don't get over to the site and sign up, take your tests and get ODesk ready! The sooner you get started, the sooner you will have money rolling in!
Be Brutally Honest
The biggest thing is to be honest. Don't apply for jobs that you are not qualified for. If you get selected for a job that you are not qualified for, the employer will find out pretty quickly that you were less than honest about your qualifications for the job. Not only will you lose the job, but you may open yourself up for receiving negative feedback which will be displayed on your profile page for all to see.
Honestly assess your skills and levels of expertise. If you are a great typist, then say that. If you are a so-so writer, then apply for job postings accordingly. Just don't pretend to be an expert at things you know very little or nothing about. Don't apply for jobs that require 10 hours a week if you only have 5 hours to work. Be honest in an evaluation of your skills and doing the best possible job for each employer.
Be involved
Ask questions in the forum. Apply to jobs. Take more tests while you're waiting for that first job. Everything you can add to your profile will help get you working.
Be professional
Always be professional. When you land that first job, always respond to e-mails as soon as possible. Ask questions if you need clarity on something. Go above and beyond. If the employer has a tight deadline, then be sure to meet or beat the deadline. Do what you say you are going to do. This is no time for excuses or dropping the ball. If it turns out that something comes up and you are no longer able to fulfull your contract, then be honest and professional in letting the employer know as soon as possible so they can make other arrangements.
One of the biggest complaints of employers is that once they award a contract to someone, suddenly they don't hear from the person again, or the person has 100 excuses for not being able to finish the job, etc. Don't be one of these people.
Bidding
When you are first starting out, the goal is to get a contract so you can get some feedback and logged hours on your profile page. So, as you are applying to jobs, see what some of the other contractors are bidding. You may want to bid low at first just to get some projects. Don't worry...as you log hours and get positive feedback you can increase your hourly wage.
Also, if I were looking to apply for a contract but saw that there were 50 people applying, I would pass on that one because there's a lot of competition. Not that you can't bid on these projects, but if you are just starting out, I would go for something with a bit less competition.
On my profile page, I had listed an hourly rate and when I was awarded a contract, I was offered 2x as much as my price! Not only that, but if the employer is happy with your work, they can give you a bonus. So again, if you do get a bonus, even though your hourly price is on the low side, a bonus awarded might make up the difference in a hurry!
Do a good job and you will get more jobs and make more money.
Get started!
You'll never get hired if you don't get over to the site and sign up, take your tests and get ODesk ready! The sooner you get started, the sooner you will have money rolling in!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)