Searching for Work at Home - Are There Legit Jobs?

Doesn't it feel like a job?? The whole 'searching for a job' thing??

Most of us know what it's like to be out there job hunting. It's never fun. Keeping that resume updated, waiting for a potential employer to call, the horrible interview with the awful questions you dread like, " What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?"

Ahhhh! I hate those. I never say the right thing.

But if you want to pay the bills....ya gotta have a J-O-B.

Hunting for online jobs or work at home jobs is no different than hunting for any other job. I promise you. I know this. I've been researching work at home since 1992 and working at home myself full-time since 2002. I was just like many work at home seekers when I first began. Of course...back then - there weren't MILLIONS of crappy, slap it up, just want to make money off ads, scrape content from others, scammy sites out there - maybe just "thousands" of them. Whew.....lets just agree...there is some serious JUNK out there. Oh sure....there was, and always will be scammers out there - just like there will always be bad apples in every bunch.

I searched and searched for a job that I could do from home. I tried many direct sales businesses too. I was persistent. VERY. I cannot give you any bigger tip in your search for work at home than to just NOT give up. It is work, looking for work. But you're hoping for the payoff. Just keep your goal in mind.

Yes! Yes!

A thousand times....YES!

Let me see... My first work at home job was as a board moderator. (Chat room monitor) - for chat rooms at the Martha Stewart website. Yep....I moderated Gardening, Home Decor and Cooking. It was fun.....it really paid.....and I enjoyed it for the most part. And when I say, 'it really paid'....well....I worked maybe 15 hours a week and made less than $7 a hour. There were no benefits either. But I was at home!

I got this job by hunting, providing a professional cover letter and resume and successfully completing all of their trianing modules.

Another job I had was being a "city guide". I wrote stories about places in my area and took photos. I would then upload them for a huge internet "Tourist" site. Again....not a ton of money...some traveling involved - but on my own schedule.

How did I find this job?? You guessed it....hunting! And then providing the cover letter, resume...etc.

I can't tell you how many emails and resumes I get every week from people that start like this....

"hey kelly i need a job bad cuz i need to be hom with my kid but i dont now where to look and i dont have computor skils........"

OK.....now I am sorry. I don't care who you are or what your education level is....but when you are looking for work - online, offline....whatever - present your best!!! You HAVE to make an employer say..."Wow..this person is qualified, can self-supervise, has an equipped home office, has the skills......"

Responding to a job ad with:

'yeah im needin a job so i can have some money'

Well.....you just found your email filed in the circular filing cabinet. This is NOT meant to make fun of anyone. We all have shortcomings. None of us is perfect. I'm just telling you that competition is steep. And if you want a real, honest to goodness work at home job.....you better act like you want it.

Sob stories won't help either. It will only make you look like a liability in my opinion. You wouldn't walk into a bank for an interview and sit down and start telling them you've recently been divorced and your car is broke down and the cat died and your kids are sick and your best friend stole your last six pack of soda..... Would you???

And by the way....we all have problems....but keeping your act together for a job interview is just normal.....this is not a new idea. I'm not trying to be mean. I can sympathize. I've been there....with the bill collectors calling and the car broke down.....so I'm not above anyone. But if you want to land the job.....then be sure you present yourself in the most professional, positive light. (Kinda like the whole Secret phenomenon....you get back what you put out. Negative begets negative and positive begets positive!)

GREAT!

You've got that cover letter and resume ready. You've noted your skills, your home office and how it's equipped for you to do the job....etc.

Now...

Where are ALL these work at home jobs for me to apply to??

Most of the jobs I found back in the day were from Monster or HotJobs....but those sites have kind of become over run with "junk" when you search for work at home. Be specific when you do your keyword searches.

Try some of these keyword searches:

Virtual Office Arrangement

This Is a 1099 Position

Must Have a Home Office Set Up

Telecommuting Position Freelance Position

No Fee Work at Home

   Definitely check out sites like Careerbuilder.com, Employment911.com, eLance.com and SimplyHired.com. I've found a few legit jobs on Craigslist.org as well.

Because I am hunting for work at home jobs every day to post on my site....I leave no stone unturned. I keep a list of over 150 job sites....and make the rounds constantly. It's a good idea to keep a list yourself....and make a note of which ones turned up decent leads and which sites are a stupid waste of time. I have a little ranking system - that way I know which sites are going to turn up the best, legit results.

Some more of the sites I search at:

AllJobSearch.com

BestJobsUSA.com

Workaholics4Hire.com

HireAbility.com

Job.com

Aquentpartners.com

Vault.com

Net-temps.com

Thingamajob.com

Sunoasis.com

Writerswrite.com

Yes....there are many legit work at home 'opportunities' out there.

This is where it can get dicey. Avon is extremely legit. They've been around forever and I am a Rep myself. I use my Avon business to bring in extra income for me and my family every month. I had to PAY to become an Avon Rep. I had to PAY.

So does that mean Avon is a scam because most work at home "gurus" say..."Never pay to work at home...."

No...Avon is very legitimate. You know that...and so do I.

My point....

There ARE legitimate work at home opportunities out there that cost money. That charge a FEE!!!

This is what I tell everyone that emails me. Be YOUR OWN BEST ADVOCATE. NO one is going to look out for you more than YOU. When you're looking at some of these opportunities, research that company. Type in a search with the companies name and the keyword "scam" or "reviews" - and see what comes up.

Understand what you are paying for. What is the refund policy? Where is the contact info?? Is there a phone number? Try to call it! Ask for references if you can. Check the BBB.

To me, this is just common sense. It's YOUR money for goodness sakes.

I work at home doing many different things. Writing, Avon, surveys and more. I don't count on just ONE 'paycheck'. After all my years of learning about work at home, I've just found that it works best for me to have different eggs in my basket. These might be little eggs, but they add up.

I am actual proof that you can find work at home.

Everyday I am out there hunting for jobs and work at home ideas, tips and opportunities. Some I try....some I roll my eyes at -- and some I apply for.

My site MoneyMakingMommy.com started out as just a small little space on the internet to share with others what I was finding out there that were real work at home opportunities to get paid while staying home with the kids. I just kept digging, writing, researching, discovering.

I hope in some small way - I have been able to do just that with this article. Help you discover a new tidbit that will help you in your search for work at home.