Tips To Finding Work At Home Jobs (And A Few MORE You Can Do!)

| May 20, 2008 | 11 comments

telecommuting
If you’re reading personal finance blogs, you’re also probably looking to keep tabs on how you can make more money as well. I’m not gonna lie, I do it myself, who DOESN’T want to make a few bucks on the side? The key is knowing what to look for…

I wrote an article earlier this year that addressed several things you could do to make money part time either at your current job or if you’re looking for a job. So how do you know those are legit? How do you know ANY of them are legit? There are a few simple rules to follow to make sure you’re getting into what you think you’re getting into:

1. Don’t Give Money Up Front

If you’re being asked to give money up front to take a job, walk away. If it is a legitimate job, then why do you have to pay to be a part of it? Would you pay your current boss to work for him? No. The whole point of working is to get paid to do the job. If they’re asking you to put money down for ANY part of it. Be skeptical, be VERY skeptical.

2. If It Looks Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is

How many times have you heard this quote tossed around? Well, there is a reason for it; because it is TRUE! Most of the money swindlers are out there to get your $ any way they can. Depending on the setup, some may even tell you that you’re a target, but once you get in, then you find the targets.

Again, this is something that you should walk away from immediately. It reminds me of MrsMicah‘s response to my post “Be Careful When Someone Tries To Sell You An Annuity“. It’s a dirty game and people get hurt as you can see here:

3. Ask A Lot Of Questions

Often times you can get the scammer off your back if you prove to be mentally on to the game. It really shouldn’t even be thought of as “prying”. If it is an actual job, there should be no hidden mirrors or tricks involved.

Just like at any job interview, everything should be on the table. The more unsure you are about the position, the more questions you should ask.

The last thing you want to do is to get into a job that is getting you in trouble because you didn’t know the rules going into it.

4. Check Out The Better Business Bureau @ bbb.org

It doesn’t get much simpler than this one. If you are interviewing for a job and you search for that companies name in the Better Business Bureau, it’s likely that you’re getting into something that you don’t want to get into. It’s possible that you’ll see 1 or 2 entries in there for your company. Big companies get complaints filed on them all the time, but if you’re starting to see more than 3, depending on the size of the company, throw up another red flag.

Additionally, if you’ve looked them up before your interview, ask them about the instances. This goes back to the “Ask A Lot of Questions”. If they’ve got answers you agree with, maybe something was up, but it is certainly worth checking in to.

Additional Online Jobs

There are more resources out there than the list I got started HERE that are worth looking into if you’re staying at home and looking for some extra coin.

TeamDoubleClick.com

TeamDoubleClick.com provides professional virtual office assistants and professional real estate virtual assistants for small and home-based businesses.

We are a virtual staffing agency, working with thousands of the best professional virtual office assistants the world has to offer.

Team Double-Click® offers its clients cost-effective solutions to inflexible bricks-and-mortar staffing by staffing virtually.

LiveOps.com

LiveOps.com provides best-in-class on-demand call center technology, as well as virtual call center services through our network of over 20,000 independent home agents, to hundreds of companies in both direct response and enterprise markets.

EntreCard seller

Entrecard has been pretty hot lately; a lot less hot since the pricing/buying structure went into place, but I still get some good traffic and I enjoy dropping still. But I don’t do it as much as I used to. But the point is that you CAN make money off EntreCard. People are still selling the credits on eBay daily. The price has gone down a little since the pricing conversion, but you can still turn a few bucks on it if you’re just hanging out at your computer.

Conclusion

Don’t think that just because it is online that the job is automatically needing to be covert. It’s not true; there are plenty of legal ways to make money online and shouldn’t be treated any differently than how you search for a job in the real world. Stick to your guns with the tips and you’ll likely find some good opportunities to make a little extra coin in the process.

Photos by: genvessel, erikcharlton, audinou

Filed Under: advice • Compensation • Frugal • Net Worth • Passive Income • Readers Requests

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  • http://www.arcticllama.com/blog Brian Nelson

    It’s a shame that you can’t go to job boards and search for part-time or work from home without a bunch of YOU CAN MAKE THOUSANDS all-cap posts. They are obviously scams and I can’t imagine who still falls for it, but they take up the space that could be filled by legitimate jobs. Too bad there isn’t a way to just keep the jerks out of the system.

    I’ll definitely check out a couple of those other sites though. I do pretty well at my freelance writing business, but it’s nice to have a way to fill some down hours if you get any.

    Brian Nelson’s last blog post..Search Engine Optimization and Advertising – Why SEO is Important

  • http://www.davidmakescents.com David Carter

    I was actually looking into being a tutor on tutor.com yesterday. I will tell you how it goes. They said you can get up to 30 hours a week. I may try to do that instead of my part-time job.

    David Carter’s last blog post..Would you Harm the Environment for $35?

  • http://mrsmicah.com Mrs. Micah

    There’s so much legitimate and free stuff out there that you really shouldn’t take something that makes you pay. One possible exception I can think of is some virtual assistant programs which offer certification. But do thorough research on those and make sure that they really do offer classes and the like. I know there are some scams in those as well.

  • http://fluomundi.typepad.com MoneyEnergy

    I read about tutor.com the other day and checked them out. Tried a couple of their online tests – crazy questions! I’m sure many graduate students in some of those fields would fail (except the math of course, that’s so unambiguous).

    But tutor.com is not accepting any new tutors at this time.

  • http://www.financialzip.com Brice @ Business Financial News

    This is a really good article. I have a lot people ask about home based business and this really gives me some good ideas to refer people.

  • http://myinvestingblog.com hank

    @Brian – I agree man; they really stick it to you when they’re digging for cash these days. That’s why it’s always good to keep an eye open on it.

    @David – DO tell about Tutor.com – I’m interested.

    @MrsMicah – Yea, the virtual assistant programs actually sound pretty legit, and I can definitely see where they’d come in handy!

    @MoneyEnergy – Would be interested to see what some of the questions were… What levels can you tutor for?

    @Brice – glad to help and thanks for swinging by!

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  • http://kidsmealcrowd.blogspot.com NH Mom of 3

    I was starting to go through the sign up process with Live Ops, but cancelled when I saw this:
    Q: Why does LiveOps require a $30.00 processing fee for a credit and background check?
    A: LiveOps maintains the highest Agent standards in the industry. As a result, candidates to become Independent Contractors for LiveOps must pass rigid credit and background requirements. The $30.00 fee covers the cost of a thorough review of a candidate’s background.

    I’m going to look for something that doesn’t require an upfront fee for the “opportunity” to contract with them. Just wanted to pass along the info!

    NH Mom of 3′s last blog post..If I had a million dollars…um, or only $50K…

  • http://myinvestingblog.com hank

    @Nh MOM of 3 – good call and thanks for passing along the info! Let us know if you run into any better opportunities out there!

  • http://iluvcontest.blogspot.com Sherry

    you know my family member’s friend always come over asking me to buy this and that. I can’t afford to buy at all. The item so expensive.

    Sherry’s last blog post..Win cold hard cash from New Look Houston

  • http://discoverfinancialeducation.com/category/fractional-reserve-banking/ Josie

    The thing is that the stuff he's telling them is true – the FDIC doesn't have all your money… it's called fractional reserve banking… your money is only safe in the bank as long as there isn't a run on the banks… I'm not saying that annuities are the best thing, but be educated as to how thing really work. All they are teaching the agents is to point out the things that assist in the sale, but they are true. And as far as their marketing tactics go – everyone does them, these aren't the only guys doing it… Pre-scripted, pre-recorded radio shows – normal, even doctors do them… ghost writers – normal… paying for marketing, that's what it is.. huge corporations do this every single day, and no one is the wiser… All I'm saying is don't judge based on what Dateline shows in the video… just see that these tactics are used by every company on every body – not just the poor ol' seniors.