The work at home market is huge, and growing everyday. Youcan hardly be online for one minute before you're confrontedwith business opportunities and offers of home based work.For the 'newbies' to the work-at-home market, here are afew tips to help you avoid the scams ...1. ENVELOPE STUFFING IS A SCAM.You've probably seen those mouth-watering ads that temptyou with the promise of $2 (or $3 or $4) for each andevery envelope you stuff.Does the phrase, 'Too good to be true' come to mind?It should. In this technologically-advanced era, we haveenvelope stuffing machines that can do the work cheaperand faster than hiring a home worker. Even without amachine, why would a company pay someone $2000 to stuff1000 envelopes, when they can pay any number of willinglocal workers the same MONTHLY salary to stuff unlimitedenvelopes?This is how it works: Normally you pay a 'startup' or'materials' fee - or sometimes the scammer states thatthe fee is to 'make sure you're serious'.You stuff the envelopes with a flyer or circular thatattempts to scam another poor soul into parting withthe startup fee.In all these years online, I have never met anyone who'smade even a single dollar with envelope stuffing.2. STAY AWAY FROM ASSEMBLY WORKIt sounds so reasonable. You pay for materials andinstructions. They send you a kit. You assemble theitem, and the company buys it back from you to sell totheir own customers.Reality: you pay the startup fee. You get the kit andassemble the item. The company rejects your assembledproduct because it 'doesn't meet quality standards'.You can stuck with a ton of junk, which you may or maynot be able to resell to customers you find on your own.Are there legitimate assembly work opportunities?Possibly. A healthy dose of skepticism will help toprotect you from potential scams.3. "NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY" = BE CAREFUL!"No experience necessary" is most often termed, "Entrylevel position" in a real job listing. It isn't toolikely that a company would hire someone with noexperience to work from home because:= Training them would be difficult.= Companies tend to prefer telecommuters who have*proven* that they are capable, independent workerswho don't need supervision.Sure, there are legitimate companies that will train you.However, companies that are offering telecommuting workare likely looking for qualified prospects with proventrack records.4. DO THE MATH.There are loads of job postings that state that you canearn several thousands a month, working 20 hours a weekdoing typing or data entry or some other administrativework.One I saw recently claimed that the company would findall of your clients for you. You work 4-5 hours a dayand make $5000/month.Let's look at the math: Assume you work 5 hours a day,Monday to Friday. That's 25 hours/week or 100 hours/month.At $5000/month, you're making a whopping $50/hour just totype!This is not at all likely. The company could hiresomeone locally, pay her a monthly salary that's LESSthan that, and have her work a full week.5. IS MONEY THE ONLY REQUIREMENT OF THE JOB?Above all, legitimate companies are looking for people whocan get the job done. They tell you what types of skillsare required and what your responsibilities would be. Thenthey ask for your qualifications, a cover letter, a resume,and perhaps references.Scammers, on the other hand, ask for money. So long asyou send them your money, you're instantly qualified!6. "WORK AT HOME" IS SECONDARY TO THE JOB.Once again, employers are looking for qualified employeesor contractors. They're *not* looking for "telecommuters".However, one of the job "perks" may be an option to workfrom home.A headline that screams, "WORK AT HOME!" will attract everywould-be telecommuter, from technical people to clericalstaff to sales people and stay-at-home parents. It doesn't"pre-screen" the applicants.On the other hand, legitimate job postings tend to listthe position title, such as PROGRAMMER/ANALYST orTELEMARKETER. This helps to "qualify" the types ofpeople who apply for the job. The company's valuabletime is then spent reviewing only potentially qualifiedapplicants.7. THE ONLY PERSON THAT CAN GUARANTEE A JOB IS THEEMPLOYER.There are several websites offering access to databasesof jobs (some free, some for a fee). These jobs areposted there by employers. Now, the employer is lookingfor a specific type of person to fill the position ...if the website you've joined claims to be able to guaranteeyou a job - even though they're not the ones doing thehiring! - then it's time to look elsewhere.Please remember that these tips apply to work at home jobsor opportunities. They *don't* necessarily apply to thebuilding of a home business! Home businesses are somethingelse altogether, and may require you to invest at least alittle money up-front. But that's another topic for anothertime.Legitimate work-at-home jobs really are out there! Just becautious when considering any telecommuting position. Don'tassume everything you come across is legitimate -- and don'tautomatically assume it's a scam, either. Be open to newpossibilities and do your research. Happy hunting!
About the Author
Angela Wu is the editor of Online Business Basics, anexclusive newsletter for eBusiness beginners. OBB featuresongoing tutorials on how to build a profitable Internetbusiness on a shoestring budget. Find out how you too canjoin the thousands quietly earning a living
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