Do You Need More Eggs In Your Basket?

January 22, 2013 by 7 Comments

This was not a post I planned on writing today but I got some unfortunate news and I thought I should remind everyone you need more than one egg in your basket.

Twenty minutes ago I got an email stating that the call center job I do from home will be ending on February 4th. This was not something that was brought on by bad performance or anything of that nature. The client has decided to stop using work at home agents, meaning I am now out of a job.

This was my primary WAHJ and this is going to be a big hit to my families monthly budget. Thankfully, I do have some small eggs in my basket that will help bring in some extra income.

If you are currently working from home or you intend to start working from home I have one tip for you! Please do not get to comfortable with your work at home position. Most of us are Independent Contractors and can be terminated at any time. I was lucky enough to get notice but as an Independent Contractor companies are not required to provide any termination notice.

Line up a few jobs and make sure you always have a backup. Believe me you will be thankful you have a back up plan!

 

Filed Under: WAH Jobs ·

How To Find A Work At Home Job

January 17, 2013 by 36 Comments

Finding a work at home job might sound like an impossible task but knowing where to look will put you on the right path. I have been working from home for the past seven years and I have never had any issues when it comes to finding work from home. I have compiled some wonderful resources for you and I hope they help you on your work at home journey.

  1. Work Place Like Home - This should be your first stop if you are looking for a work at home job. Work Place Like Home aka WPLH is a very large community that has forums for just about every work at home job out there. There are also several wonderful forum members that post daily job leads. I highly suggest you sign up for a free account at WPLH.
  2. Work At Home Mom  - Work At Home Mom aka WAHM is another wonderful resource if you are looking to get into the work at home arena. There are several job leads posted every day and a lot of freelance opportunities are posted by people looking to hire. I do not find WAHM to be as organized as WPLH, but it is still a wonderful resource.
  3. Rat Race Rebellion - This is a wonderful resources if you do not want to sign up for another message board. Rat Race Rebellion posts several jobs leads every day. You can also sign up for their daily newsletter, everyday you will be notified of any work at home job opportunities.
  4. WAH Adventures – WAH Adventures is a wonderful blog ran by a group of ladies you have plenty of experience in the work at home industry. At WAH Adventures you will find job leads, tips on working from home and much more.
  5. Real Ways To Earn Money Online – This is another blog that provides wonderful job leads, information on working from home, will update you on the latest work at home scams and much more. I have found several fun ways to earn money through this blog.

I hope this list of resources helps you find your first work at home job or maybe even another work at home job. If you have any resources you would like to add please feel free to post the link in the comments.

Filed Under: WAH Jobs · Tagged With: , , , ,

Top 5 Ways to Make Money Online

February 28, 2012 by 48 Comments

People are always asking me how I make money online. Most people do not even believe that making money online is possible. I am here to tell you that making money online is possible and there are several different ways you can make money online. Depending on what type of experience you have and how much time you have to dedicate to a job, you can even make a full-time income right from the comfort of your home. Whether you are looking for full-time or part-time work, you can find a way to make some extra money from home.

  1. Call Center Jobs are not for everyone but if you have a quiet space, a dedicated phone line and enjoy talking to people this might be a great option to bring in a very nice income. Call center work is one of my personal favorite types of work at home jobs since I am able to make a pretty steady income. If you have little kids it might be hard to do this type of work since you do need a quiet environment. Some of most popular places to work are Working Solutions, ACD, LiveOps, West and Cloud 10.
  2. Transcription work is a great work at home choice if you can type quickly and your good at listening. I personally have not done transcription work but I do know several people who do this type of work from their home and make a pretty nice income. Having legal, medical or a criminal justice background can help you land a higher paying gig. Here are a few places that are popular among the transcription community: SpeakWrite, GAO, TigerFish and Ubiqus.
  3. Freelance Writing is an excellent gig if you enjoy writing and need a flexible schedule. Working as a Freelance Writer is not just for professional writers. Even someone with little to no writing experience can obtain a job writing web content. There are several companies that hire people just like me and you to write basic articles and you can also seek out private clients that pay higher rates and will require a more experienced writer. If you are interested in working as a Freelance Writer check out the following companies: Textbroker, Wordgigs, TCA, MediaPiston and if you want to find a private client I have had excellent luck on CraigsList.
  4. Web Design is another popular job you can do right from your home. If you have web design experience and want to start doing it from home there are several ways to get started. The first thing you should do is set up your own web page that showcases your talents. Start building websites for friends and family at no charge just so you can build your portfolio. You can also advertise on Craigslist offering to do low-cost web design work. Team up with a brand new blogger and offer to help him or her design their website. Once you start building up your portfolio  you can raise your rates!
  5. Virtual Assisting is a perfect way to be your own boss! If you have clerical experience this might be a good option for you. However, getting your virtual assisting business off the ground might take a little more work then you had thought about. In order to make money working as a virtual assistant you will need clients. Create a professional web page listing your service and prices. You will also want to invest in some business cards so you can network with business owners in your area. Start contacting local business owners and give a brief introduction of who you are and what you have to offer. You can also advertise your services on Craigslist.

**Remember that finding a work at home job takes time and dedication. You will likely fill out several applications before a company contacts you. You might even end up on a waiting list for several months or even years. If you are serious about working from home do not give up on your search!

 

 

Filed Under: WAH Jobs ·

ACD Direct

February 9, 2012 by 17 Comments

ACD Direct

 

ACD Direct is an excellent company to work for if you need something extremely flexible. At ACD Direct you would be answering phone calls for several different clients. The work is fun, easy and non-stressful!

If you get hired on with ACD Direct you will be required to pass a criminal background check, at your expense. You will also be required to go through some basic training which typically last a total of 6 hours.

You will also be required to work a minimum of 5 to 10 shifts a month.

You will schedule your shift in 1/2 hour increments and there are shifts available 24/7 365 days a year.

There are lots of options to move up within the company.

You are paid by the minute and typically there is no pay guarantee.

ACD Direct pays twice a month through direct deposit.

There is a very strict no background noise policy in place. If you do not have a quiet area in your home, I strongly suggest not applying.

The biggest complain from most agents is the call volume can be very slow at times. It would be hard to make a full-time income with ACD but if you are just looking for a little extra money, I would recommend ACD.

You can submit an application here.

 

Filed Under: Daily Talk, Phone Jobs, WAH Jobs · Tagged With: , ,

Avoiding Online Job Scams

February 7, 2012 by 12 Comments

online job scams

 

When I tell people I work from home one of the first responses I get is that they tried but only found scams. Unfortunately online scams are all over the internet and are a part of the work-at-home job search. Whether you are new to searching for an online job or a veteran you are going to come across online job scams, but knowing how to sniff out the scams will save you money and heartache. Here are some common things to watch for:

  • Never pay any money upfront! You should never have to pay money to sign up a program or buy a product. 
  • If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.
  • Do your research! I can not stress this enough. Spending 10 to 20 minutes researching a company will prove to be invaluable.
  • Stay away from anything that says you are going to make thousands of dollars a week with little to no experience. 
  • Paying for a list of work at home companies. There are plenty of message boards and blogs that freely offer work at home job leads.
When in doubt plug the name of the company into Google and see what comes up. Always listen to your inner-voice and do not go against your instinct. Anyone that has ever worked from home knows that there is no such thing as easy money. It takes time, patience and determination to make money at home.
 
Do you work from home? If so what tips can you recommend to people just starting out in the work-at-home industry? Feel free to link up any relevant articles.
Filed Under: WAH Jobs · Tagged With: , ,

Working Solutions

January 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I have worked in several virtual call centers and in my opinion Working Solutions is by far the best. The staff at Working Solutions is very professional and they make you feel like you’re a valued agent and not just another number. Most of the projects are customer service based but there are a few that involve sales. If you are interested in applying make sure you have a Microsoft Windows computer, land line phone without any features on it or the ability to turn the features off and high-speed internet.   As with any work at home company there are some pro’s and con’s to working here.

Pros:

  • You set your own schedule on most projects you have to be willing to commit to at least 15 hours per week.
  • They have several different clients you can tried to get hired with.
  • The project managers are extremely nice (I am on my third project and have yet to come across a bad manager)
  • You are an independent contractor (This might be a con for some but it’s a pro for me)
  • Pay is every two weeks.
  • You are paid based on talk time (minutes on the phone with a customer) but they offer a guaranteed rate incase you don’t have any talk minutes during that shift.
  • Training is great and paid!

Cons:

  • The waiting list can be very long, in fact I’ve heard some people have waited up to four years to get in. I waited three months to get in and I know a lot of other people who have been accepted fairly quickly.
  • Once you are in it can take a while to be put on a project. The average wait time for a project is two weeks to 3 months. This time frame really does vary depending on the companies needs and your qualifications.
  • The tech support team is excellent but I find that sometimes it takes them a while to get back to me. This isn’t a major issue but I have worked with other virtual call centers that had 24/7 live tech support.

If you would like to apply complete the application here.

 

Filed Under: WAH Jobs, WAH Monday · Tagged With: , , ,

Considering a WAH Job?

January 29, 2012 by 5 Comments

Maybe you have been considering working from home. Are you tired of the traditional 8 to 5? Before you give up your day job there are some things to consider. Getting a WAH job is very different than working in a traditional office setting.

1. Does your spouse make enough to cover the expenses while you are finding work at home employement? Finding a wah job can sometimes take months if not longer.

2. Do you have enough in savings to cover expenses?

3. Do you have the right equipment to work from home? Most companies will require you to have a dedicated phone line, a personal computer, printer and a USB headset.

4. If you plan on doing phone work, do you have someone to take care of your children?

These are all things you should think about before starting your work at home career. You should also factor in the time it takes to obtain employment from home. Some companies have a waiting list of one year or more. You should also think about the type of work you want to do. Some of the most popular work at home jobs are:

1. Freelance Work (Writing, Editing and Web Design)

2. Customer Service

3. Sales

4. Transcription

5. Lead Generation

Throughout the next few weeks, I will be posting more information on all of these areas of employment.

Do you work from home? What is the best tip you can offer to people just starting out?

 

 

 
Filed Under: Phone Jobs, WAH Jobs · Tagged With: , ,