10 Work From Home Jobs

Work at home jobs are popping up everywhere on the internet these days.  The economy is in the tank, jobs are scarce.  It’s no wonder people are looking at every opportunity they can find.  It’s taken a while but established companies are becoming more comfortable with the idea of home-based workers as well.

The problem lies in rooting out the scams from the actual opportunities.  It’s too easy to believe the sales pitches many marketers will throw at you.  Just because they sound good doesn’t mean they are a good fit for you.  You may even come across work at home jobs with pages and pages of testimonials but if the shoe doesn’t fit, or if it just doesn’t feel right,  don’t buy it.

Some of the most popular work at home jobs are as follows:

Customer Service:  This is also known as call center jobs.  What you are doing is answering customer service calls, making appointments, correcting problems and even taking orders and processing them on your computer.  You’ll be required to have an up-to-date computer, high-speed internet connection, telephone (a headset is a good idea) and possibly a fax machine.

Telemarketing:  This involves cold calling prospective customers, selling merchandise or services or setting up appointments for sales professionals.

Transcription:  If you’re a speedy typist, this is a great way to pick up extra money.  You’ll be asked to type up audio recordings of meetings, seminars and interviews.  If you want to specialize, medical transcription requires more specialized knowledge of medical terminology.

Virtual Assistants:  Many smaller firms and individuals who need office assistance are outsourcing to enterprising people who have an internet connection and a phone number they can dedicate to business.  Duties would include everything you’d expect from a ‘regular’ assistant (except maybe fetching coffee) like invoicing, travel arrangements, scheduling and answering phones.

Writing:  The entire internet is built on writing.  Now is a great time to hang out your shingle as a writer.  You can get paid to write from sites like guru.com or elance.com.  Or you could write for local companies who outsource their brochures, technical manuals or newsletters.  Don’t forget traditional publications in the print market either.

Graphic Design:  Create artwork, logos and website graphics for businesses.  Look for any business that has a good deal of collateral materials, like newsletters and brochures.  Team up with a local writer  to find more jobs.

Web design:   If you can build websites, the world is your oyster.  Post your skills and rates along with as many samples as you wish online and go after businesses and individuals who need design work done.  You could target poorly designed websites and offer to redesign or look for companies that don’t already have sites up and running.  The only requirement is that you have the software necessary to do the work.