You probably know at least a couple of people who make money from home, and maybe you’re thinking you should try it, too. However, finding work-at-home jobs isn’t as easy as it seems, no matter how many ads you see promising the chance to make a full-time income in your jammies. Here’s what you need to know:
Benefits
A work-from-home job definitely has its rewards. There’s no need to get out of bed and brave traffic, worry about having the right clothing, or trudge through snow and rain to get to work. You can be at home with your family, and most positions offer flexible hours. You get the benefit of a paycheck you can rely on and experience and references you can use if you decide to work outside the home at a later date.
Potential Pitfalls
There’s an endless number of scams intended to trick people who want to work from home. However, there are many people who manage to find legitimate jobs, and you can too. You just have to be willing to do your due diligence and make sure a company has a good reputation for hiring (and actually paying) home workers before you apply. And remember, do not ever pay to apply for a job, purchase lists of jobs, or pay a company for tools or materials with which to perform tasks, as a condition of getting hired. Anything that requires such payment is likely to be a scam.
An Example
Some scam artists create legitimate-looking websites and will guarantee you work assembling something, such as small toys, accessories, or holiday decorations. All you have to do is purchase a kit of tools and materials to get started.You purchase the kit, and it arrives as promised, prompting you to believe you’ve actually hit the work-from-home jackpot. You get to work assembling the products, and as soon as you’re finished, you ship them back to the company for payment. The problem is the company never pays you for the assembled products. The owners got what they wanted from you—the purchase of the kit. You might hear back that your assembled product doesn’t meet quality standards or you may never hear from them again. In some cases, they may even instruct you to find people to buy the assembled products or suggest that you sell their work-from-home kits. The moral here? If it sounds too good to be true? It probably is.
How to Find a Real Work-From-Home Job
Despite the fact that scam artists make a career out of preying on those who want to work from home, you can find legitimate jobs that pay you in real money. Here are the steps to take:
- Join a community of people who are like minded. WAHM.com has forums through which you can get tips and advice on making money from home. There are also job listings and plenty of people to commiserate with. Often, people who currently make money from home are willing to share information about job openings in these forums.
- Prepare a resume and cover letter, just as you would when going for a brick-and-mortar job. Even if you plan to work in your jammies, you still have to impress the hiring staff.
- Check any company you’re considering with the Better Business Bureau and a thorough Google search. Don’t stop at simply searching the company’s name. Add the word scam to your search (like this: Insert Company Name scam) and see if anything comes up. Ask about the company in the work-from-home communities you joined.
- Make a routine of checking job sites for new listings. If you only check sporadically, you’re likely to miss opportunities, as other job seekers will snatch them up quickly. Daily checking is really the best way to go. Here are a few sites that list and/or offer work-from-home jobs:
Finding a work-from-home job takes patience and perseverance. You might not find your dream job overnight, but if you keep at it, you can join the ranks of the 1 in 5 lucky enough to make money from home.
Here’s more on working at home while homeschooling:
