Jean's Blog

Ask Jean Thursday: Wondering About Working From Home

Posted by Jean

In a past segment on the Today show you mentioned a couple of sites for individuals wanting to work from home.  I want to look for work from home opportunities on the web but don’t want to be scammed. What are the sites?

-Toree, Iowa

Working from home definitely has its perks. “You don’t waste time commuting. You can be home for your family when you need to. You can usually set your own schedule. You don’t have to pay for a work wardrobe,” are just a few of them, says Allison O’Kelly, CEO of MomCorps.com. While working from home can make things easier, searching for a position is anything but simple.

To sidestep work from home scams, start your search with sites that feature only vetted work from home opportunities.  Two of my favorites are Women for Hire and Mom Corps. Although both are geared towards women, the sites provide free listings of legitimate work from home jobs for both sexes.  Another place to check for work from home jobs is directly with companies.  For example, JetBlue has agents that work from home.

Once you think you’ve found a real work from home opportunity, do a little poking around. Start by asking if you can speak with current or former employees. “The client should be able to connect you with others that have worked with the organization so you can learn about their experiences,” says O’Kelly. If the job-listing provider can’t comply, consider it a warning sign.

There are other red flags you should be on the lookout for too.  If the employer promises you can make a lot of money with little or no experience, its more than likely a hoax. Avoid companies that ask you to pay for training, pay for supplies or wait a month before you get your paycheck too.  “Unless you are buying a business, you should not need to pay money to work from home. You should not be required to pay for an expensive training class or materials to work from home,” advises O’Kelly.

If the listing you’ve found passes these tests, you should still vet it with the Better Business Bureau to be 100% sure that it’s an authentic work from home opportunity.  You can do so by clicking here.