Jean's Blog
Ask Jean Tuesday: What Jobs Can I Do From Home?
Posted by Jean
“I saw on Today that the gentleman said he uses a Virtual Assistant. Is that a legitimate work at home job? I can’t find a single person that works from home to guide me. I really could use help finding legitimate work at home jobs. Some days I can work, some days I can’t. I have a degree and worked at a major phone company for years and was an Executive Secretary and Medical Assistant. I’m 52.”
– Michelle, Georgia
I receive so many inquiries about work-from-home opportunities! Whether it’s a medical condition, lack of transportation, or another circumstance, thousands of people are looking for flexible employment opportunities – but it can be difficult to find them, and even more difficult to tell if they’re legit. A few weeks ago, I posted a story about work-from-home scams to look out for. Be sure to keep those red flags in mind – and look for the Better Business Bureau’s stamp on websites. That’s assurance that they’ve already checked it out.
A great place to start looking for legitimate work-at-home opportunities is womenforhire.com. I spoke with Peter Johnson, the site’s media director, and he suggested their entire page devoted to work from home opportunities. The page is built on thousands of hours of research – and has opportunities for people of varying skill levels. I suggest starting there – you can take their 10-question assessment to figure out if working from home is really a good option for you. Then, read up! Try their FAQs, get information about finding a computer (if you don’t have one at home), and follow their interviewing tips.
Once you’ve determined that you’re a good candidate, think about your skill-set. What jobs have you held in the past? What skills did you use daily in those positions? Knowing and understanding what you’re good at will help you choose from the positions available – and there a lot of different positions! For example, virtual customer service agents are in growing demand. “Companies like J. Crew and Walgreens outsource their customer-service calls to companies that hire U.S.-based virtual agents,” says Johnson. There are also opportunities out there to work from home doing things like blogging, editing, and virtual PR, as well as positions acting as a virtual assistant — helping busy professionals coordinate their calendars, and perform other administrative tasks. It’s absolutely a legitimate job, just like David Bach said on the Today show — but still keep on the look out for any of those red flags we mentioned earlier. If you’re not sure if these options are up your alley, though, check out the list below – and visit womenforhire.com to find out more information about each of them!
- Audio to Text Transcriptionist
- Caregiver
- Concierge Agent
- Culinary Consultant
- Direct Sales
- Eldercare Manager or Referral Agent
- Home-based Recruiter
- Medical Coder or Transcriptionist
- Nurses on Call
- Online Guide
- Online Tutor
- Tech Support Provider
- Telemarketer
- Translator
COMMENTS | 2 comments so far
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I’d like to clarify something for Michelle.
Virtual Assistance isn’t a job or a “position.” It’s a profession and a business one goes into for oneself.
What you are looking for is a telecommuting job. People who work in telecommuting positions are employees. Those who employ telecommuters are subject to the same employment laws, obligations and reporting as they are with any other kind of employee. Unfortunately, the Internet is rife with scams and schemes when it comes to telecommuting. And even when you do find a legitimate company or placement firm, the money may not be great. On the other hand, it may be good enough for your needs.
But maybe you are someone who is tired of the rat race… of working for someone else with them calling the shots in your life… of making everyone money while you get paid peanuts. We live in an incredible age and time… the Internet has opened up very real possibilities for women who have spent their lifetime in the working building valuable administrative skills and expertise. You can take those skills and become your OWN boss, calling your own shots, accepting just those clients you enjoy working with most, and setting your own fees. This is what Virtual Assistance is all about and you can learn more about what that is and how to start your own business as an administrative support consultant at http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com.
My company has employees who work virtually and absolutely love it. They are held to the same standards as on-site employees and get the same benefits. With today’s economy, it has worked out well and has been very cost effective. Training is provided on site and usually after a probationary period the employee is allowed to work from home. I am currently involved in direct sales and I am my own boss. There are many options available for people interested in working from home. The key is to be happy doing it and disciplined enough to do it well.