Work from Home Freelance Options

Your First Stop in Finding Legitimate Work at Home Jobs

There are millions of people world wide looking for freelance opportunities which has made it harder for many more attempting to work from home. If you are someone on the hunt for the right work from home opportunity then it is time to prepare yourself for many road blocks.

Most people don’t actually get involved too deeply with freelancing because it can be hard to get yourself started. It is not something that will happen over night and you will need to dedicate yourself a lot if you want to find that perfect work from home opportunity.

You will be amazed with the number of freelance jobs that are available online. Working at home has become easier over the past few years, it is just finding the jobs to get started.

If you are someone that hasn’t found the right location to get yourself going then you will want to look into the freelance outsourcing networks. These are websites designed specifically to the outsourcing of freelance jobs. If you would like more information on freelance outsourcing jobs please click here.

As a freelancer you are going to want to get yourself known so it is time to start developing a portfolio online and promoting yourself. This will expand the amount of freelance options you’ll have and give you a higher chance of getting that work at home position.

Just prepare yourself to work hard and prove yourself to the many buyers out there. You are not the only one trying to get the job, meaning you need to prove yourself and make the buyer think that you’re the best option. Competition is huge in the freelancing market and will not be letting up any time soon.

If you’ve been looking for a legitimate, decent paying job that will allow you to work from home, then you’ve come to the right place.

I have tried my hardest to provide you with legitimate ways to make money from home and avoid steering you towards the numerous work at home scams that have flooded the Internet. However, I am just a guide. Your ultimate defense in avoiding scams is not to listen to me, but listen to yourself.

Numerous other sites promote the same service. They tell you that they have revealed the work from home scams and are providing you only with legitimate job opportunities. However, they tell you this in an effort to purchase one of the products that they are selling. You will notice that I do not promote any programs that require you to charge money.
You should never pay money to get a job—even a job that allows you to work from home.

I started this website to help others like me who wanted to be able to work from home or start their own home based business. My goal is to steer people towards the better offers or at least teach them how to recognize a work from home scam when they see one.

If you are new to work from home opportunities, I urge to skim through my advice pages first. You can find links to those pages on the left hand side of the page. This will give you the tools on how to recognize work at home scams and evaluate home based business opportunities for yourself.

Once you have accomplished that, your next step is to start looking at some of the possible jobs available. The section on types of jobs will give you an overview of the different jobs that are typically advertised and what the really mean.

Evaluating a Web Site and Work from Home Job Opportunities

There are more work from home job scams than there are real work from job listings, so, job seekers need to be really careful when searching for and evaluating work at home job listings. Presume that the position is a scam, unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary. Take the time to research the position, the company including talking to other people who work there. That way, you want scammed and you will be using your best efforts and best judgment to find a legitimate work from home job.

Step One

Evaluate the Web Page

The first thing you should do is evaluate the web site. The overall look and feel of the page will tell you a lot about the company and the effort they are spending into recruiting clients.

• Are there a lot of misspelled words and grammar errors? This is a sign of one of two things. Either the web site did not put in a lot of effort or the web page was done by someone out of the United States. Either of these things should be warning signs of potential fraudulent sites.
• Does it use free web hosting services (such as Tripod or Geocities) or free web email services (such as Yahoo! Mail or Hotmail)?

Step Two

Look at the Basic Information

• Does it tell you what the product is? Or does it use generic words to describe an “opportunity”?
• Does it give you a physical address or a post office box? Some map sites allow you to get a picture of the address, check to see if it’s a building or an empty lot.
• Do they give you a telephone number? Call it to see if it’s a real phone number.

Step Three

Check it Out

There are several governmental sites that can help you identify legitimate businesses from fraudulent ones.

• The Better Business Bureau: This is probably the most well-known of all the organizations that help to protect you. They offer valuable resources and information on all types of businesses. It can be tricky to find the information in the searches, so do multiple searches until you find it.
• The Federal Trade Commission: Do a search for here and you can get a ton of information. Among the wealth of info you can find out which companies are being or have been investigated and/or taken to court by the FTC.
• National Fraud Information Center: Provides lots of valuable resources about all sorts of scams including: telephone, mail, and online scams.
• Also check with the state Attorney General’s office and the consumer protection agency in your area and the area where the promoter is based to learn whether there are any unresolved complaints about the business opportunity or the promoter. While complaints may alert you to problems, the absence of complaints does not necessarily mean the company is legitimate. Unscrupulous companies may settle complaints, change their names or move to hide a history of complaints.
• Finally, do a search on Google and Yahoo! to see if you can find any positive or negative comments. You can also check out Scam.com. This is actually a free public bulletin board that allows people to post their experiences with a variety of different scams.

Step Four

Evaluate the Claims

• Look at the income and earning claims. If a site claims buyers can earn a certain income, then (according to the FTC) it also must give the number and percentage of previous purchasers who achieved the earnings. If an earnings claim is there but the additional information isn’t, then the business opportunity seller is probably violating the law.
• If the business opportunity costs $500 or more, then the promoter must back up the earnings claim in a written document. Even if it is not, try and get a document that includes the earnings claim, as well as the number and percentage of recent clients who have earned at least as much as the promoter suggested.
• Interview previous purchasers in person, preferably where their business operates. The FTC requires most business opportunity promoters to give potential purchasers the names, addresses, and phone numbers of at least 10 previous purchasers who live the closest to the potential purchaser. Interviewing them helps reduce the risk of being misled by phony references.
• What is their money back guarantee? Is it clearly stated or is it linked on another page?
• How much fine print is there? Look for the 10 pt font (this size or smaller) and read it carefully. That’s where they hide the important stuff.

Questions to Answer
Before Signing Up to Any Work from Home Site

1. Are they registered with the Better Business Bureau? Are they in good standing with them? How long have they been around? How many other names do they use?
2. What is their address and phone number? Is it a real location (not postal mailbox) and a working number?
3. What did the Attorney General and the consumer protection agency in your area and the area they are based say about them?
4. What is their product and/or services they will be providing? If they are offering you a “kit,” do they tell you what exactly is included in this kit?
5. What online support are they offering?
6. What is their refund policy exactly? How long is it good for and under what conditions will they not give a refund?
7. What is the total cost of the work-at-home program, including supplies, equipment, and membership fees? What will you get for my money?
8. What tasks will you have to perform? (Ask the program sponsor to list every step of the job.)
9. Will you be paid a salary or will my pay be based on commission? Who will pay you? How will they pay you? When will you get my first paycheck?
10. What equipment (hardware/software) do you need? How do you get it and what does it cost?
11. Are their income and earning claims backed up with the number and percentage of previous purchases who earned them? Will they provide this information in a written document?
12. Are you able to contact previous purchasers in person? What did they say?
13. How much fine print is there? Look for the really small font and read it carefully. That’s where they hide the important stuff.

Make sure to be prepared when you are on the hunt for any work from home position. The opportunities are there for you if you look in the right places. Work from home now and start yourself in the right path of being your “own” boss finally!

Check out how to become apart of oDesk, a major freelance outsourcing website, and be on your way to your work from home position quickly.