How to Find Legitimate Work at Home Jobs
Envelope-stuffing. Survey-taking. Easy peasy product-selling. If a work-at-home job sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Learn how to find legitimate work at home jobs, and avoid all the hassle and headache of falling victim to a scam.
Online Scams
Online scams are everywhere. Scams crop up in emails, standard Internet searches, and legitimate job boards. Some online scams are so well-disguised that it’s almost impossible to identify them before it’s too late.
Know what to look for to spot online scams and make it easy to sort through all the junk to find legitimate work at home job opportunities.
- Incomplete contact information. Most legitimate work at home jobs is provided by real companies with actual, physical addresses and other relevant contact information. Any job offers only an email address as contact information is suspect.
- Bold, aggressive monetary promises. Any job promising that employees will make x dollars a day is immediately suspicious. Work-at-home employees should be paid by the hour, by the product, or by the piece, which makes their revenue entirely up to the workers.
- Fees and equipment. Working a home job may sound perfect until suddenly, the people offering the job want their “employees” to buy equipment, pay fees, or otherwise part with their money. A job is supposed to pay the employee, remember? Don’t pay for work! This is not a job; this is a scam.
Legitimate Work at Home Jobs
Finding legitimate work at home jobs begins with creating a list of likely-looking job boards. Home-based workers will find that the Internet provides their biggest job market.
Some of the sites will inevitably contain scams because no job board is perfect, but there will always be legitimate opportunities available as well. Take the necessary steps to start really job hunting, and perhaps the next step after that will be starting a new career.
- Resume. Create a standard resume that will be sent out to potential work-at-home jobs. Send a resume only if it is requested by the job advertisement or the employer. The resume should consist of a single, concise page that paints an accurate picture of a candidate’s educational and work background. Include any relevant special skills and additional information as desired.
- Cover letter. Create at least one great cover letter that’s professional but not too stilted. It should be enjoyable to read, or else why would an employer be interested? The letter should summarize the job applicant’s skills while making it clear that there is strong interest in the job being advertised. Include contact information, and always close the letter by thanking the potential employer for their time.
- Portfolio. Many types of work-at-home professionals, such as writers and artists, are advised to create an online portfolio displaying samples of their work and skill. Include a link to this portfolio in the cover letter.