Work at Home Possibilities - Data Entry

Many people in the beginning stages of the work-at-home search seek out "data entry" jobs. I often see people posting in forums or generally asking for "some type of data entry work-at-home job." In most cases it's because they're not really sure what they're looking for, but entering data on their computer must be something they can do from home. =)

But really, it's something everybody can do from home. So while these jobs do exist, they're not easy to land because they're high in demand. This is also an easy job to get scammed on. So many work-at-home beginners are randomly Googling for these types of jobs and scammers know this is a good place to catch some prey, so be careful! For more info on avoiding scams, read here.

Ironically, I don't know anyone who exclusively does data entry at home and earns a decent living. This kind of work is mostly low paying and irregular. It's fine for spare cash, but not something you should seek out as your primary source of income if you're looking for a work-at-home job.

There are a couple of data entry companies that I know to be legitimate work-at-home companies where people do get work and earn money:

• Key for Cash - This company hires people to enter data into a certain format in their database. You don't work a specific schedule, but rather log in and do work as you can. This flexibility allows you to earn as little or as much as you can. The downside with this company is that they tend to have a waiting list and it can take a couple of months or more to hear back. The link will take you to a page where you'll sign up for the list - no need to send a resume.
  

• Great American Opportunities - This is a fundraising company with a very long wait and they require quick typing. However, I'm posting this for you at quite an opportune time, because they only accept applications two times a year and one of them is January! To apply with this company, send a cover letter and resume to gaorepline @ gafundraising.com. (Take out the spaces.)

As I mentioned, so many people looking for work-at-home begin their search with data entry. I created this post mostly to let you know that these jobs are out there, but not readily available. With both of the companies I've listed above, you'll most likely apply and not hear back for quite some time. However, I encourage you to apply if you're interested. You can always do this type of work on the side of another job for a little extra money - and who couldn't use that these days?

Work at Home Possibilities - Test Scoring

Working at home as a professional scorer can be a flexible way to make money working at home. Workers score anything from college entrance exams to K-8 and high school reading, writing, math and science. Similar to tutoring, you select the level and subject you want to score and you're given the work based on your preferences and availability.

A well-known company that hires for such work is Pearson. They require a minimum of 20 hours per week, a Bachelor's degree and a PC. (They're not currently Mac compatible.) The pay can be up to $12 an hour. They tend to hire in cycles and will hold onto your resume if they don't hire you right away. To apply with Pearson, click here.

Work at Home Possiblities - Google Quality Rater

Google is hiring again! Just as I was about to create a post on this job a few weeks ago, they took it down. So act quickly! You never know when this one will fill up. This is a great opportunity because the hours are flexible. You can log on at any time and do the work. It's entirely online and the pay is weekly.

Google hires Quality Raters to rate search queries. Basically you're looking at search terms and trying to interpret what the web searcher was trying to find. Then you rate the search results that come up based on how well they fit what the search was actually for. I tried to make that description as clear as possible. How did I do?

They require a minimum of 10 hours per week, a B.A., B.S. or equivalent and a good grasp of web use and search engines. You'll notice it says "Temporary." That means you could be employed with them for up to a year. My understanding is at that time, you're required to take a 3 month break and then you're eligible to begin working with them again.

The application process for this is quite rigorous. So much, in fact, that they offer compensation just for completing it! You will send your initial application and resume. Then if they respond to you with interest, you're invited to do a sample rating assignment that may take around five hours to complete. (That timeframe is pretty liberal.) They offer a $60 Visa gift card if you complete that assignment but do not pass based on their guidelines. If you do pass, you're invited to do a much longer assignment (possibly 10 to 15 hours) for which you are given a $175 gift card for completing and passing (in lieu of the $60 card).

As I mentioned, if this sounds like something you're interested in doing, I recommend that you apply quickly. They tend to hire in waves and you never can tell when they will stop hiring for this wave. But do check back, because they do this every few weeks. I'm so glad this one came back up, because this really is a great work-at-home job!

Work at Home Possibilities - Taking Your Job Home

If you work full-time outside the home and you really want to work at home, the start of your journey may be a little closer than you think. Many people have been able to work at home because they were able to convert the full-time position they already had into a full-time telecommute positon.

Companies all over are looking for ways to cut costs. It's possible that not having you in the office full-time could actually be a benefit to them, because they wouldn't need to provide you with a workspace, including a desk and computer. If you can convince your boss that this is the right move, you might be on your way.

First you have to decide if working at home is possible with the job you have. If you're required to be in the office for specific meetings or group work throughout the day or you're in a receptionist or assistant role, then it's probably not going to work. But if you work almost solely on the computer, then it's possible that you could do this kind of work remotely.

How to Convince Your Boss - You'll need to really think this through and do your research before you approach your boss about this. It may be a big change for them, but telecommuting is certainly not a new concept.

• Schedule a meeting with your boss to talk about your work arrangement.
• Consider what your working arrangement will be, including where you will actually work and what hours.
• Think about how you will get the work done that will be expected of you.
• Plan for childcare. You probably won't be able to work while your children run around you, so if they're not school-aged, then you'll need to have some kind of childcare during your working hours. Make sure your boss knows that you're not trying to get him to let you be a stay-at-home mom while you get your work done here and there.
• Put all the information together in a proposal for your boss to review while they consider your idea.
• If your boss seems open but reluctant, ask for a trial period to see how things go.
• While you don't need to discuss it right away, keep salary in mind. Your boss may want to reduce your salary because it's likely that you won't be working truly full-time. But you'll be saving lots of money in terms of commute and gas, wardrobe, potentially childcare and more, so this shouldn't be entirely off the table.

Remember, your boss might say no. In fact, a coworker of mine and I proposed something like this to our boss when I was working full-time. He wasn't open to it and it just didn't work out. Some bosses just feel that work is meant to be done in the office. It will help if you have a proven track record of getting things done independently and efficiently without someone looking over your shoulder.

Here are some good resources for research:

• WorldatWork
• Web Worker Daily
• Telework.gov

Applying for Work-at-Home Jobs

There's more to finding a work-at-home job than filling out an online form and hitting submit. Work-at-home jobs are highly in demand, so you need to do something to separate yourself from the crowd. A well written cover letter and resume can really help you get ahead.

E-mail: The first step you should take before applying for anything is to set up a separate e-mail account for work-at-home stuff only. I recommend gmail because it has a larger file capacity than most other free services, which can be helpful if companies want to send you training materials or tests - but any Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. will work just fine.

Cover Letter: Next, you want to create a cover letter. It does not need to be (in fact should not be) a long novel or restate all your qualifications. Keep it short and simple. The best thing to do is create a cover letter template and then tailor it for each job you're applying to.

A cover letter should do the following things:

• Address the company by name. Tell them what position you're applying for with "XX Company." To add a little more, you could even tell them how you found out about the job.
• Mention any specific skills that were listed in the job posting that you posess. If they were looking for someone who "has experience working with tight deadlines," then you need to tell them specifically that you "have experience working with tight deadlines."
• Say a few words about your skills that are not necessarily job specific, but are necessary for working at home. I'll say more about this below.
• Let them know that you actually want the job. This may sound obvious, but people are always mass-applying to lots of different positions, just hoping to get a hit on one. Let the employer know you're truly interested.
• If possible, mention something you know about the company or its reputation. "XX Company has an excellent reputation and I'm excited to have the opportunity to join your team."
• Save the cover letter as a plain text file. You can do this by choosing "Save As" in Microsoft Word and choosing "Plain Text" from the drop down box next to "Save As Type" at the bottom of the box. This allows you to easily cut and paste the letter into the online form boxes and it will look neat and uniform.

Resume: Your resume is the most important element of applying for a job. Often you won't need the cover letter, but you'll almost always need the resume. If you're just starting out and you have no work-at-home experience or at least none in the field you're applying for, then you want to play up your skills and abilities and play down your work history.

There are lots of resume writing services out there who will create a resume for a fee. If you truly feel lost creating one or you have just been looking for months and months with no luck, then this service might be useful for you. But I urge you to go it alone at first because you often don't need someone to create something for you, particularly when you're paying for it!

Here's what you want to put in a resume:

• Make sure your contact information is included, particularly your e-mail address. You'll find that most work-at-home employers will contact you through e-mail.
• Make a bulleted list of your skills. Highlight things that are important for work-at-home positions: ability to work well independently, efficient, self-motivated, coping with deadlines, prioritizing, adapting to new procedures, organized, etc. Also highlight skills that are specific to the job you're looking for. If you want to do transcription, for example, include your words per minute. You can take a free typing test here to determine this.
• Make a bulleted list of your techinical skills. You're working at home, which usually means you're on your computer. Let the employer know what your abilities are: MS Office, applications like Pagemaker or Photoshop, certain databases, etc.
• Next, include your employment history. Just do the two or three most recent or most relevant to the position for which you're applying. List the company, the dates, location and your primary duties. Again, try and tailor them to skills and duties relevant to the job for which you're applying.
• Finally, add a piece on your education. Do the highest level only, whether it's college or high school. Add a couple of points about what you studied or what you learned.
• Save this as a plain text file.

I recommend that when you're emailing your application, you copy and paste both your resume and cover letter right in the body of the e-mail. Include a line in your cover letter saying something like "I invite you to view my resume below." Often employers will not open e-mail attachments and it's to your advantage to give them the resume right there in their inbox. This is why saving them as plain text is key - especially your resume. All those bullets will really get jumbled up when copied and pasted into online forms or e-mails otherwise.

Make a list however you like to do it - writing on a piece of paper, Excel spreadsheet, etc. that details which companies you've applied to for which position and when. Also make a note of what they've said, "You'll hear from us within 2 weeks," "No e-mails, please," etc. so you know which course of action to take. That will also help you keep track of where you've already applied because you may be doing a lot of this!

I've said this many times already, but I truly believe the number one way to find a job working from home is by hanging out (virtually, of course) with those who are already working at home. That is why I always recommend checking out WAHM.com and starting in the Telecommuting Moms folder. Work Place Like Home is also a great forum. There are always new jobs being discussed on there. These are not simply job postings (although those are on there). These are other moms saying, "Hey, this company I work for is hiring," or "What do you know about this company?" and then those who know are chiming in with information.

As I've said before, I spent every night for a couple of months on those boards, just researching, getting ideas and learning from those who were doing what I wanted to do. It's way better than going it alone and doing Google searches for working at home.

If you're working at home now, please let us know what steps you took to get your job. I'm always interested to hear how other moms made things work for them!

Deed Collector is hiring!

A couple of weeks ago I talked about court researching. It's a good way to earn some income if you're looking for something flexible that still gets you out of the house. It's data entry but you will go to the local courthouse to collect your data.

Deed Collector is currently hiring in the following states:

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Colorado (Morgan County)
• Connecticut
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine (Sagadahoc County)
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nebraska (Papillion and other counties)
• New Jersey
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Tennessee (Obion County)
• Texas
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming (Laramie County)

Go here to apply. When you complete the application, put "WAHM.com" in the field where it asks "Where did you hear about us?" and your app. will get bumped to the top. You can visit the posting on wahm.com here.

Work at Home Possibilities - inbound customer service

One of the most common work-at-home jobs is an inbound customer service representative (CSR) or as some in the work-at-home world call it, "phone work." Many people start their careers as work-at-homers by doing some kind of phone work such as this. These jobs are common and there are lots of companies that hire for them, so the jobs are relatively easy to get. Another great thing about them is that often the training is paid and begins right away (though sometimes there is a wait). So if you need a paycheck now, you can start earning asap.

The requirements of working over the phone vary from company to company. But there are two requirements that are almost non-negotiable with everyone. You must have silence in the background and you must purchase a headset.

There are so many companies that will hire you to work at home doing different aspects of customer service. Here are some of the most common (legitimate) companies. Not all are hiring right now, but continue to check back because their hiring needs could change at any time.

• 1800flowers.com - Look at their requirements here. They are hiring temporary employees - apply here.
• Alpine Access - Look at their requirements here and apply here.
• Arise - **One of the very few work at home jobs where you will have to pay a fee to start** Info and apply here.
• Convergys - Info and apply here.
• Teletech - Apply here.
• West (or Work at Home Agent) - Info here and apply here.
• Working Sol - Info here and apply here.

There are a couple of other companies, including U-Haul and Staples.com that do hire at home employees from time to time but not regularly, so I did not include them above.

Keep in mind that with many of these companies, you will be considered an independent contractor, not an "employee." That means you'll have to withhold your own taxes. For more info on that, see my post about working at home and taxes here. If you're just getting started, also check out my post about spotting a scam.

I mentioned that this is one of the most common work-at-home jobs. If this is the type of work you do, tell us about it! If you know of other companies like these where people can be hired on to work from home and you can share them, please do so.

Work at Home Possibilities - Court Researcher

This is not so much an actual work-at-home job, but it does offer the flexibility and independence that many people seek in a work-at-home job.

A court researcher works as an independent contractor for companies who do data collection at local courthouses. The companies will provide all the training and information on what you're collecting. Typically you will be hired on to handle the counties in your area that you choose. The more counties you take on, the more work available to you.

It is not work-at-home. However, you can easily do this type of work around your schedule, especially if you happen to have school-aged children. It mostly involves going to the county courthouse during regular business hours (Monday to Friday, 8-5). The company you work for and the county you work with will determine the frequency with which you'll make these visits. It varies from a few times a year to weekly visits.

The pay is based on how many records you collect and often works out to be somewhere between $7 to $15 an hour. This is one of those positions in which your income will increase with your efficiency level. It helps to have a laptop, as you're collecting a lot of information which could require a lot of writing. Some companies require it, but many don't.

JB Marketing Services, one of the companies who hires independent contractors, gives a good in-depth description of the position here.

There are several companies that contract people to do this type of work nationwide. Wolfgang Research, Sunlark Research and Deed Collector are a few reputable companies to check out.

This is not the type of thing where you're able to bring children along. But like many work-at-home jobs, you're able to set your own hours, work independently and in some cases you can even make as much as you want depending on how hard you work! For more ideas on jobs with this kind of flexibility working outside the home, check out my post on in-store marketing and merchandising.

Work at Home Possibilities - ChaCha

There's a human powered search engine out there called ChaCha. If you've been looking for a work at home job for any length of time, you might have heard about it.

Basically it's a service where people ask questions via text or by calling a number and a ChaCha guide responds to the question. It's all done completely online on the guide's end, no phone work required.

The pay is somewhat low - approximately $3 to $9 an hour depending on how quickly you work. You're paid by the search. The service is 24/7 and guides are able to log in at their leisure to work. The amount you make basically depends on your ability to spend time doing the work. There are four different guide positions available: Expeditor, Generalist, Specialist or Transcriber. Details on that are here.

This type of work-at-home position is ideal for someone who needs to make a little bit of money (not a lot) and has some time to spend hanging out on the computer. You could do this while you're watching Grey's Anatomy (or insert favorite here)!

To get started, you can visit ChaCha online or you can request an invite from an existing guide. Give it a try! It's something you can do even if you already have a job - reason #569 to try working at home online!

Work At Home Possibilities - Online Tutoring and Teaching

Tutoring students or teaching courses online is another possibility for those looking for work at home. This was one of the first actual jobs I'd ever heard of anyone doing at home. It was also one of the first work-at-home jobs I had, with Tutor.com.

In most cases, it's done entirely online using the company's forum or "virtual classroom." There are positions for tutors and teachers in every subject and the student age ranges from early elementary to adult. The pay varies, but you can expect to make anywhere from $8-$10 an hour starting out and as you're promoted to different levels, you will make a little more.

While most companies do require a Bachelor's Degree (in any discipline), some will hire those who have attained a certain number of college credit hours even if they don't have a degree. If you have a teaching certificate, the opportunities are even better! Typically the application process will include a sort of test in the subject and level you want to tutor in.

In my experience, tutoring can be very flexible in terms of schedule, because you basically set your own. The scheduling procedure varies by company, but often you'll either tell them when you're available and they will give you a schedule or you will go into their system and set your own. The downside to this process is that with some companies scheduling is normally based on seniority. That means that as a beginner, you'll be the last to make your schedule and you might not get all the hours you'd like to have in a typical week.

If you enjoy teaching or are looking for a job that allows you to be very flexible with your time, does not require phone work and leaves you with the ability to have noise in your background (no problem with kids, adults or pets at home while you're working), then I recommend looking into tutoring. The school year has just started, so there are opportunities out there.

In addition to Tutor.com, check into Brainfuse, eSylvan and Kaplan. And as always, I urge you to check out WAHM.com if you're looking for any kind of legitimate work-at-home job!

Work At Home Possibilities - Transcription

When I first started searching for work-at-home positions, one of the first things I landed on was transcription. I thought this would be a good fit for me because I am a quick typist and the nature of the work was completely done online, so it wouldn't matter that I had the kids at home while I was working.

There are several types of transcription, including medical, legal and general. I do general transcription. Unlike the other types, which require (often expensive) training, there is no specific terminology involved with general transcription. You can transcribe anything from teleseminars to insurance recordings to House and Senate Hearings and beyond.

What is it? Transcription involves recieving an audio file, often from an FTP transfer, then listening to it and typing (usually a word document) in the format the company uses. Typically when you're hired on with a company, they will give you the information on how to recieve the files they give you, as well as their guidelines for creating the document. Different companies have different rules for everything - abbreviations, font, spacing, etc.

What equipment do I need to start? Transcriptionists use a special program to listen to the audio that has the ability to stop and start the audio as you need to. I use Express Scribe, which is a free program you can download. It has instructions on how to download audio with the function keys or if you choose to purchase a footpedal (which you typically do not need to start with), it is compatible with that. You will also need a good pair of quality noise-cancelling headphones. You can get a good pair at any Radio Shack or Wal-Mart. I am currently using this set, which I love! They are wireless, which is an added bonus. Do not try to do transcription with earbuds. Your ears will not thank you!

What else do I need to know? Transcription is not for everyone. If you don't type close to 80 words per minute, it may be difficult to meet turnaround times, which can vary from a couple of hours to 48 hours or more. The general rule of thumb is that it takes a beginning transcriptionist 1 hour to transcribe 15 minutes of audio. Tigerfish has a transcription test available on their website, which you can check out to see if this might be an option for you.

How do I get started? First you'll want to set up a resume that you'll use specifically for transcription positions. For more on that, read my post here. I also recommend you set up an account on Guru.com, which is where I got my first transcription position.

In addition to people who will browse on Guru looking for freelance transcriptionists, here is a list of companies that sometimes hire people with little or no experience.

My biggest advice is to just jump in and get your feet wet! The beauty of transcription is that it's something that can be done any time of the day. Companies don't care if you're up at 11 p.m. or 1 a.m. doing work, as long as you have it to them by their deadline. That said, I am often just picking up work to do at naptime. It's a simple way to earn income even if you're still working full-time. If you find that you do well with it, you can turn it into your full-time job and enjoy the benefits of a more flexible schedule.

MoneySavingMom - one of my favorite blogs - also did a post about getting started with transcription. Check that out here.