Self Employed Jobs: Tips On Finding Work From Home

No, not every job out there is a scam, though it is difficult to find the legitimate ones. Finding work in today's world can be hard especially when it comes to self employed jobs. Many work from home jobs you may come across just end up being scams leaving you all the more frustrated. You need to learn to find the right places to be able to work from your home.

I have a great deal of experience when it comes to the work at home world. I have been successfully earning a living at home for the past eight years. I have worked jobs in various fields from data entry to transcription, customer service, writing and web research. I like to share with you a few tips in how you can land your very first work at home job.

So, what exactly are the benefits of working from home? There are many benefits to being able to work at home.
♦ Flexibility
♦ Save on gas
♦ Save on wardrobe
♦ Save on childcare
♦ Can work whenever you want
♦ No boss breathing down your neck

When you set out searching for self employed jobs you should be fully prepared. I am sure you were taught proper etiquette when it comes to job hunting and how important a well layed out resume and cover letter are. The same rules apply to when looking for work at home.

You want to make the best impression and there is only one chance at a first impression. You will want to be able to set yourself apart from all the wades of competition. Believe me when it comes to work from home jobs competition is fierce.

So before applying for any work at home job get your ducks in order and polish up your resume and cover letter. What if you don't have any marketable job skills or your job experience is lacking? If your resume falls short on job experience than list all the life skills you have. You may think that you don't have any marketable job skills since you may have been out of the job force for a number of years. A good resume does not have to focus on your history of jobs, but rather your skill set. Showcase your skills to that potential employer and let them know how you are the best, suitable candidate.

Say for instance a stay at home mother who takes care of her children and the running of the household in a day to day manner. She has plenty of life skills to list on a resume. It might not be directly related to actual employment, but it is still skills nonetheless. For example, she can put down organization, budgeting, communication, delegating, management, prioritizing. These are just a small sample and should spark your imagination for more.

I also advise to perhaps brush up on your skills by taking a class or two if there is a particular type of job you want to do that requires a specific skill you don't possess.

Okay, now that you got your resume and cover letter in hand you're ready to hit the ground running and find a job working from home.

One of the best places I have found is by looking on freelance websites. The best one I have found is called oDesk. Sign up here to find tons of self employed jobs to choose from. Best of all sign up is free and it's easy. With oDesk it is simple to find work. Once you sign up just fill out your profile and start searching. I have personally found a few good jobs on there. My advice is to fill out all of your profile, put your resume on as well as take all the tests they offer. This will show potential employers you are well suited for the job.

Another great resource in finding self employed jobs are forums and message boards. You can find a great wealth of information there including real work at home job leads as well as receive support from other people working from home. Two of my favorite forums for finding jobs is Work Place Like Home and WAHM.

What are some specific companies who hire independent contractors? I am going to list a few companies you can look into. I can not possibly list every one I know as there are just way too many. I will put them in categories according to job type.

Customer Service/Call Center - These jobs are good for those who like working with people and/or talking on the phone. Some of these jobs even have benefits, an added plus!

♦ Live Ops
♦ Alpine Access
♦ CenturyLink
♦ EducateOnline
♦ UHaul
♦ Teletech
♦ Working Solutions
♦ ACD Direct
♦ Arise
♦ West At Home

Nonphone jobs - If you are like myself and find it too difficult working a job that involves the phone than you should consider one of these jobs below.

♦ Lionbridge
♦ Leapforce
♦ Butler Hill
♦ Axion Data Services
♦ Key For Cash
♦ Dion Data Services
♦ ChaCha
♦ KGB
♦ Weegy
♦ Writer's Research Group
♦ Organized Wisdom
♦ Amazon Mechanical Turk
♦ Driver Guide
♦ Ticket Puller

In closing I like to remind you to be careful in your job search. Here are a few red flags to spot any potential scam and to save yourself from losing any money.

A real work at home job will not ask you for your money. Although there are a couple exceptions to this. I have seen a few legitmate companies require a fee for a background check. This is perfectly acceptable. Now if the job listing is asking for money for "training" materials than run. This just screams scam.

You can not find hardly any information on the company. Doing a Google search brings up nothing on the company. This should raise a big red flag to you. If a company was legitimate there would be at least a few websites discussing them. Also check the Better Business Bureau for any complaints.

Any job asking you to accept money in your bank account and/or to ship items on their behalf is a plain out and out scam. Stay far away from this. I have heard of people accepting these type of jobs and finding themselves paying all the money back plus jail time.

Self employment jobs are not impossible to find if you know where to look. With the resources I have given you it shouldn't be long before you'll be busy working from home.

I plan on updating this page with new work at home job leads. So be sure to check back often!

It has been awhile since I have posted any job leads due to being busy working my regular gig and writing assignments I have found.

Here are a few new self employed job leads worth looking into.

Support.com is hiring for a position of Personal Technology Expert. This position is for work at home. If you are knowledgeable about computers and can troubleshoot technical computer problems than this could be the job for you. Responsibilities will include analyzing computer problems on the customer's PC as well as make product recommendations, solve customer technology problems, identify and remove any viruses, answering calls Candidate must be skilled in communications, good customer service, organization, problem solving, multitasking. For further information on this job go here.

Arise is currently hiring for Customer Service Agents. Arise has been featured on Fox News and CNN and is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. Year round opportunities available to work from home, flexible schedules and pay for performance. For more information on working for Arise visit their website.

The Content Authority is hiring for SEO Webcopy Writer. If you like to write and have good grammar and spelling skills, and good at quickly researching topics than this job is right for you. You can work this job either part time or full time and is great opportunity to earn some extra cash. To apply go here.

Avanti is looking for individuals to help with their greeting cards. Are you creative, enjoy writing and/or taking photographs? This is an opportunity you should look into. Check out their website for information on submission guidelines and more.

Howtohint.com is hiring for a number of different positions from writer, article writer editor, title creator, and title editor. Application process is simple just upload resume and a writing sample with positions you are interested in. This is one opportunity I just recently became involved with. The pay isn't the greatest but it does add up and is easy work. For writing they pay $3 for each 500 word article. I have already been paid for this so I know that they do pay on time. There are many topics you can pick to write on with many requiring little to no research to complete. This position would be ideal for those looking for a little bit of money to supplement their income. To apply go to their website here.

Here are some job leads I have come across for this week.

BzzAgent - This position is for a Communications Contractor. Your role is to write short responses to customer generated marketing responses. Work will be done at home, over the web and can be done any time 24 hours a day. This job is perfect for someone who excels in good written English skills, spelling, typing and writing. Earning potential is around $10 per hour, this could be greater depending on your skill and dedication.

To apply send resume and cover letter to comdevjobs@bzzagent.com in either PDF or word format. Also be sure to include an informal writing sample, just of a short paragraph describing something. They also request to let me know where you heard about the job posting.

Editor/Fact Checker Wanted - A premier beauty blog called beautystat.com is looking for editors and fact checkers to check content before it is published. Candidate must be proficient in uploading content to wordpress blogs. Knowledge in the beauty and health industry is not necessary but is a plus. This position is work from home. Check their website to learn more about them.

Homebased Telemarketing Position - Seeking a telemarketer to drive traffic to their website and to establish leads. Must be good on the phone, energetic. Their business is wireless. Pay is $12.50 an hour, 40 hours a week. You will have a phone burner that can leave a message by just clicking a button so you don't have to waste time redialing numbers. Incentives are given as well. To apply send resume to lywealthmentor@gmail.com and state why you would be a good fit for this position.

Audiobook Narrators - Hiring for narrators for audiobooks. To apply, submit a passage from a fiction or non-fiction title that shows your voice ability. Keep submission between 3 to 5 minutes. Remember not to just read, but to tell a story. Email is info@listenupaudiobooks.com to apply and for more information.

Parameds - Parameds.com is hiring. They are looking for APS retrievers. Must be responsible and dedicated. If interested send resume to joinus@parameds.com

Verification Agents Needed - Company is looking for agents to listen to recordings of sales calls to determine if the sale is legit or if there is any sign of fraud. Applicant needs good english speaking skills, computer literate, high speed internet, typing skills, Pentium computer with 1 gig ram.

To apply for this job http://www.bsgclearing.com/products/voicelog/career_opportunities/third-party_verification_agent/third-party_verification_agent_application/ and to learn more information about the company http://www.bsgclearing.com/

TaskRabbit - Here is something I just come across. This company hires what they call taskrabbits to do tasks for people and get paid. This type of job you will not be working directly in your home but as many tasks would require you to leave the house. Some examples of tasks that you could be hired to do shopping, household chores, virtual assistance, etc. TaskRabbit is not available in all areas, but it looks like a great interesting opportunity to check out. Here is the website be sure to check it out http://www.taskrabbit.com/

Inboud/Outbook Marketing Agent Wanted - Seeking a work at home agent to do both inbound and outbound calls. Sales experience is preferred. Shifts are from 5pm to 10 pm and 2pm to 10 pm. Need to have good grammar skills as well as computer. Call 888-932-9032 ext. 219 to schedule an interview with Carrie Webb.

I will be posting every week job leads that I come across as I surf the internet.

Pet Amber Alert is hiring for Customer Service Agents. They are looking for self starters, motivated, good phone skills, who loves pets and has some sales skills. The pay starts out at $11 per house with sales commissions 10% of each order on the phone.
For more information and to apply go http://www.petamberalert.com/hiring/

Teletech is hiring for part-time Customer Service Representatives. You will be answering incoming calls and answers emails to customers. You must have a regular landline phone, home computer with at least 512 minimum RAM, cable or DSL internet with minimum speed 512kb.
To learn more about this opportunity go to http://hirepoint.com/req-en-US/us-englewood-at-home-customer-service-associates-teletech@home/

RingCentral is hiring for Customer Service. The ad says Northern California locations are preferred, but I'm sure they hire other locations too. They are looking for someone with experience in technical support, enjoys being on telephone, good communication skills.
You can send resumes here jobscontact@ringcentral.com and also visit their website for more information http://www.ringcentral.com/whyringcentral/jobs/customerrep.html

Weegy is hiring for Email Based Customer Service Agents. This position requires knowledge of building websites and html. You should be familiar with these skills and comfortable with it before applying.
Responsibilities for this job will be emailing customers with answers to questions on their Weebly website. Writing must be professional and clear. Position is part-time 20-25 hours a week. Hours are flexible and pay is $17 an hour. You should have knowledge of HTML and CSS this is preferred, have knowledge of internet and prior experience in written customer support.
For more information go to http://www.weebly.com/jobs.php

Appointment Setters Needed - Looking for someone to set appointments for merchant processing. Daytime hours, must be able to work a full day hours with no interruptions. Pay is base salary plus bonus. If working from home pay is by appointment but no salary. There is room to grown in this position with management opportunities available.

To apply email your resume through Craiglist. In your email or cover letter you need to give 30 second elevator pitch about who you are and if you want to work in their office or in your home. No elevator pitch than you will not receive an interview. Following exact instructions is crucial when applying. If you have facebook or Linkedin page you can send a link but it is not required.
For more information http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/sls/2806971251.html

Freelance Writers Wanted - Seeking various freelance writers on a number of projects. This will be a long term relationship. Pay varies by project. Some examples of prior pay and work are: 2,000 word literary biography - $60, 7,000 word short ebook - $125, 400 word article $10

Requirements native English speaker, regularly available, flexible, reliable, quality writer and fast, good on instructions, write given samples, can legally work in the US
For more information http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/wri/2808351385.html

Online Tutors Wanted - Elevate is seeking tutors to teach during school as well as after hours to schools across America. Position is part-time and for a math tutor. Requirements previous tutoring or teaching experience, graduates and current university students may apply, be able to work during school hours (8 am to 7 pm est), need computer, reliable internet and phone. Pay is $10 - 12 hour. For more information http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/edu/2806495623.html

Getting Paid to Post In Forums - Yes this is right. You can earn some money just for participating in forums. Now you will not be able to earn a full-time income from this, but it will be some good extra money on the side to do in your spare time. I personally have done this and have earned a little money. One place that pays for posting in forums is called Postloop.