Work at Home Opportunities – How to Find Legitimate Employment
Working from home is the dream of everyone who has ever envisioned themselves making some money without leaving the comfort of home. Sure, work at home opportunities are plentiful, but unfortunately so are the scam artists who try to take advantage of those who wish to realize their dreams. How to find legitimate employment is a question that baffles anyone who takes the time to peruse the websites that offer such opportunities – only to find that something just does not ring true.
Here some tips that will help you to separate the wheat from the chaff in your quest of finding legitimate employment and work at home opportunities:
The company’s expectations of you are realistic. Generally speaking, you will need a computer with current software, preferably DSL Internet access, and a telephone with preferably two lines. If a company wants you to have a whole business setup, such as fax machine, copier and other gadgets, you have either signed up for a job that might be a bit more advanced than you thought, or they may have the ulterior motive of selling all this equipment to you. You should not have to buy copious amounts of equipment from a company in order to work from home. Exempt from this is a required software program that the company runs, or perhaps some software to update and upgrade your already existing system.
Beware high start up costs. If a company wants you to invest thousands of dollars on training materials, inventory, and how-to books, you will need to ask yourself when you will be able to realistically recuperate the expenditure. Sure, many times the expectation to invest some of your own money is realistic and required since inventory does not come for free; however, the purchase of large amounts of how-to literature should not be required. Trainers and managers should be happy to train you and help you to hit the ground running, since you will be in business to help their company succeed. Of course, if the company is in business to sell their literature rather than to promote a product, then you will have to use your own best judgment if you want to invest in it.
If the company’s website is full of promises to show you their earnings, and even contains several screenshots of bank accounts, you might be headed for trouble. After all, you are not interested in their money but in the business opportunity. On the other hand, if the company’s website is open about the nature of the business, the requirements they have of new recruits, the monetary commitment that is involved, as well as realistic payment expectations, then you will probably have struck gold.
Check out the company and make sure it is legit. Their address should be a street address rather than just a post office box, the phone number should ring to a real person rather than just a recording that picks up on the first ring, and the website should look more professional than just a hodgepodge of testimonials and big fonts. Check with the better business bureau to see if there are any complaints lodged against the company.
Sign on the dotted line. There should be a signed agreement between you and the company and needs to spell out the kind of work you are expected to perform and the terms of payment you may expect from the company.
Know the difference between freelancing; work at home positions, and business opportunities. A freelance position capitalizes on a skill that you have and allows you to use it for a company without becoming their employee. A work at home position may include your becoming an employee of the company, and may also require you to once in a while travel to their offices. A business opportunity is usually tied to a buy-in into a company, and you will have to sink or swim on your own to make the money. If you don’t sell the good or service, you don’t make the money. Sometimes the lines between these distinctions get blurred when business opportunities are advertised in the telecommuting section of job boards.
As you can see, with a bit of know-how and some persistent digging into the backgrounds of the companies you are considering, you will soon be able to weed out those that want your money and care little about your success.