Your Guide for Finding Real Online Jobs

Most people who are interested in working at home are looking for online data entry jobs. I know that when I first quit my job to work at home, a data entry was one of the first jobs that I had. I was lucky! I didn't pay for a list of online jobs. I really don't think that's necessary. You shouldn't have to pay for information that's free. I found my first online job by reading discussion boards. I paid close attention to what other people wrote, and when I found out who was hiring, I sent my resume in. Although I had been working as a freelance writer, my first online job was a data entry position for Cypher Services. I had read that the company was hiring and other people wrote that they had gotten paid to work for the company. Take note that I waited to see if someone actually got paid before I applied!

Cypher Services is a company that provides document coding for the legal community. Think of it as a Google for law firms. People who use Cypher's services can search documents for specific names, dates, and other keywords. My online job was to read documents online and type keywords which were dictated to me by the company. I had to be able to read online manuals, understand rules, and type specific information quickly and accurately. Not only did I have to type quickly and accurately, but I also had to read volumes of material and pick out the information that I had to type.

I didn't have any experience when I applied for this online job, but it would help to have a legal background. I was given a test, which I had to pass before I was hired. I was paid by check, and I managed to live off the money from Cypher and other document coding companies.

You can expect to earn about $10 an hour from this online job, but you are typically paid per piece when working as a coder. If your work is not accurate and it is returned to you, you will have to make the corrections for free. So, the trick is to type as accurately as you can the first time. You may earn less if you are new to the industry because it will take a little while to get accustomed to the work. Keep in mind that work from most data entry companies can fluctuate. There will be days when you have a ton of work and other days when there is no work! I worked for Cypher services and Onsite .

Key for Cash, is yet another company that will allow you to type for money. Anyone who is over 18 and living in United States can join (48 states). There is a waiting list, though. You can wait weeks or months to start work with this company, but you should apply now because you never know what may happen down the line.

You can work at any time of the day or night, but work may not be available all the time, so this is a great company to earn some extra cash to go shopping or to put aside for a rainy day. The work may be very sporadic, so please don't count on having hours and hours of work.

Online transcription work is available for people who are skilled at listening to audio and typing. In these positions you are likely to listen to online recordings and type what you hear. Have you ever made a phone call and heard a recording stating that the call may be recorded for quality assurance purposes? Well, there are employers that hire homeworkers to listen to the recordings and transcribe them for their records. I had an opportunity to try out transcription work, and I must say that I was not good at it! You must be extremely patient and have great hearing for this type of online job. On some of the tapes, I couldn't understand what was being said. I got frustrated after listening to the audio over and over. I am also not the fastest typist, and it helps to have a better than decent typing speed.

You should not pay to work, but some jobs have start-up costs. For example, some transcription companies require you to buy a foot pedal. Other transcription companies recommend the foot pedal, but you are allowed to use an online program to start and stop the audio when needed. It is possible to buy the foot pedals from eBay or from a typist who may have one for sell. Headphones also may be recommended.

Taking orders or helping customers online are highly desired positions. I think that one of the best companies to work for is VIP Desk. Although I have not worked for them personally, I've heard good things about this company. Online workers with VIP Desk handle customer service request, sort of like an online concierge. People who are bilingual or speak multiple languages are highly desired. It's not easy to get hired for VIPDesk. They have a pretty extensive screening process which includes a passing a background check and a credit check. Customers service agents are called Brand Amabassadors and are responsible for handling phone calls and chats, processing orders (sometimes catalog orders) answering questions regarding purchases and looking up information as requested. Working for VIP Desk sounds like a nice steady contracting job.