When you first start looking for a job where you can work from home, it may be a little intimidating. Craigslist alone has so many telecommuting jobs listed, it is hard to sort through what is real, and what is a scam. Here are some things to watch for when searching for a legitimate work-from-home job:
Does the job ask for your resume or application?
If the company seems very uninterested in your background or experience, chances are it is a scam.
Do they give a detailed description of what the job is and what you would be doing?
If the job description is nonexistent or very vague, then chances are there is no job.
Does the job advertisement sound more as if it is trying to sell you on the job, instead of selling the job on you?
If the ad for the job sounds as if it is trying to sell you, it’s probably a scam. Any real job is going to want you to sell yourself to them with your resume and experience—not the other way around.
Does the ad say something like “Make $2000 a week working part time!”?
Once again, if it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is.
Do they ask for money?
This is a bad sign—but if they start asking for money before they have even interviewed you, then it is even worse. However, there are some legitimate work at home companies that will require you to pay for your own background test. I have worked for two of them, so I know they are legitimate. But, before you hand out money for any reason, make sure you do your research.
If the ad lists the name of the company or the website then do your research there. There are lots of websites you can check to see if the company has complaints against them. Scambusters.com and Ripoffreport.com are just a couple. Also, check a few work-at-home forums, and do a search by the company name. You may find postings by people who work for the company, and can back up that they are legitimate, or you may find postings by people who were scammed. Also, another great way to check out the legitimacy of a website is to do a search for the domain. You can find out how long that domain has been registered, and to who. If it is a brand new domain, then be careful. There are several places you can do this, but Whois.domaintools.com is a great resource.
