Finding Legitimate Freelance Jobs
Avoid Telecommuting Scams and Get A Real Writing Career
Jul 26, 2007
Once you've decided to try your hand at the work-at-home industry, you might not know where to start. Whether you're a homemaker, a recent college graduate, or just want to get into the writing field, it can be done. With four simple steps, you can be on your way to making money from home in no time.
To begin the work at home search, you must first weed out all the sites and offers that aren't legitimate. Most writing or advertising sites that charge a fee, either for job listings or for employment, are usually scams or will not do anything for you. Also, you should be careful of sites that promise instant riches, as these are often scams as well. Finally, you should make sure that the job that is being applied for is with a legitimate company by asking questions before applying. Basically, as with all things in life, you must simply check the facts, and keep in mind that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Check REAL job boards
Once you've gotten rid of all the scams and junk web sites, you should visit some legitimate advertising sites. One can start by checking out SaveAndMake, which is a resource with a daily list of legitimate jobs. This website does all the research on the companies before even listing their ads. Another great resource for freelance writers is Craig's List. Here, one can search for jobs by location. Craig's List has hundreds of ads and is updated daily, but the research has not been done on these companies, so you must use caution when applying. Helium and Suite101 are a great place to begin. At these sites, anyone can sign up and write, and often get paid for it. These sites work by publishing people's work and then rating the articles against others' which will determine the compensation. These sites are a great way to hone your skills and to see exactly how good your skills are. Thus, these resources are an excellent launching pad for any blooming writer.
Once you have begun looking at ads, you might notice that most companies prefer, and sometimes require that applicants have previous experience. On that note, if you do not have ample experience or published work, blogs and community sites can be a great place to start.
Finally, here is a list of things you should and shouldn't do when searching and applying for work at home writing jobs:
DO
- send resume unless told not to
- follow application instructions
- be sure that you can be self-motivated before getting hired
- include a brief cover letter/personal statement when applying
DON'T
- send writing samples until legitimacy is verified
- answer ads that sound too good to be true
- commit to a job website you can't fulfill obligations for
- hassle companies for a response, you should be patient
A person can easily feel overwhelmed by all of this, but it is really simple to find jobs once you know where to look. Anyone can weed out the scam jobs, check the legitimate sites for ads, and build experience if necessary. In no time, you can have a job working from home with a valid company. However, anyone who is willing to take these steps needs to keep in mind that all good things, including freelance writing jobs, are worth waiting and working for.
