When someone asks where to look for work at home jobs, a more obvious response may be to try Google and do a web search. However, are the top five websites listed trustworthy? After working from home for over ten years, the author of this article wanted to evaluate the top listed websites. Here's an analytical look at work at home websites, based on the top 5 work at home job websites listed from Google.
This search was done simply by submitting "work at home jobs", without quotes, as a keyword and reviewing the top 5 websites that appeared. While looking for information, the author sought out if a website had work at home jobs listed (not businesses), and how helpful articles and information were for looking for a job (not a business).
WorkAtHomeCareers.com
WorkAtHomeCareers is claimed by the website to be started by Eddy Salomon in 1999 as an offshoot website from a brokerage. Shortly after, it became its own entity. It boasts over 100,000 visitors a month, and over 20,000 subscribers.
The website itself features job searches, some videos about how to look for jobs, and a plethora of articles, most written by Eddy Salomon.
What Eddy also mentions is that he is an affiliate marketer. Several of the articles at WorkAtHomeCareers hint at affiliate marketing, or starting a business. One article article entitled "Work At Home As An Ad Typist, Oh Really?” doesn’t hide this sidetracked idea at all.
What about the jobs? WorkAtHomeCareer's main set of links to jobs are actually aggregated by a website called Beyond.com. The site claims to have screened, but it doesn't explain how the screened process works. Some aren't even jobs, but link to "Get Paid to" sites like Fusion Cash with affiliate programs. While some of the jobs listed appear to be actual jobs, they come from another website, and a visitor must click on an affiliate link in order to visit the website and apply.
While Eddy's advice may be accurate, it's also a little misleading. This website would be more appropriate under the the search term "work from home in affiliate marketing" rather than for "work at home jobs".
MSN Money Article
The next website isn't actually a website, it's an article from MSN Money entitled, "Real work-at-home jobs". Only two of the five suggestions from this article are actually about work at home jobs. The rest include starting a web business, online auctions, and other home based business. The two real possibilities? Phone work such as customer service or sales, or mystery shopping.
There are some actual work at home employers listed, such as LiveOps.com and West.com. The suggestions are sound, but while looking for "work at home jobs" it may be that this top 5 pick confuses the boundary between work at home jobs and a work at home business.
MoneyMakingMommy
Kelly Land owns MoneyMakingMommy.com, a website whose copyright started in 2006. Kelly mentions she has worked from home for 13 years, and her website promises, without hiding it, that she wants to help visitors to find work at home business.
Some of the articles provided remind readers that many work at home jobs may only pay minimum wage, and some are earning $100 a week. Every article is closed with links to Beyond.com for posting a resume or searching for jobs, and some have links to Fusion Cash and other "Get Paid To" sites.
What about job lists? Trying to find some on this site proved to be a task. Clicking on 'legitimate jobs' links brought web pages suggesting to not quit working a regular day job and to consider direct sales. Kelly also suggests she's been a writer and a moderator, making a "measly" paycheck.
What links that were found to work at home jobs were a mix of freelance sites like Guru.com and AquentPartners.com, but in the same lists were links to "Free Online Dollar Store" and Disciple’s Cross, home businesses with the link tag of "assembly work", and both are home based businesses. Similar links were provided in the same article.
One of the articles suggests another site for lists to online jobs, GroovyMoms.com, but it only shows banner ads linked back to MoneyMakingMommy and other content sites owned by the same person.
About.com Article
The fourth is another article, entitled plainly as "Work At Home Jobs". It was written by Alison Doyle, who says there are jobs, but they aren't plentiful. The article doesn't list any specific jobs, but does suggest some ideas about where to find one, and a few tips on searching. Out of all of the sites mentioned, this is one of the more helpful articles with some general information.
DayJobNuker
The last website, DayJobNuker.com, is really a blog post. On the most current blog post, the author promises work at home jobs that don't have fees, but only posts three, two are to survey and Get Paid To websites and the other a link to where to get information on starting a home business. Other posts offer affiliate programs and other survey sites.
The Results From Searching for the Top 5 Work at Home Job Websites
Is that all there is to working from home? Survey websites, affiliate programs and starting a business? Does it mean low pay for anyone looking to work from home, unless someone starts a business? It seems some of the top 5 websites on working from home according to Google would like readers to think so. However, the world of working from home is much, much bigger than this, as Google lists over 154,000,000 websites under this keyword.
There are many people who telecommute regularly, either full time or part time, working a few days at the office every week. Some are hired to do phone work, or write, or transcribe, or design websites, or a number of other services. From reading the websites listed, it was hard to find advice that would help someone find such jobs. Some had links to other job sites that may have been more helpful.
When looking for a work at home job, seek out people who have done this before. Some better information may come from forums such as those found at WAHM.com, RatRaceRebellion.com or WorkPlaceAtHome.com, or a number of other websites where actual people post regularly. Look for real advice about jobs (not businesses) and real job links, and jobs that require an actual application process and interviews. For a reference, look at websites like LiveOps.com or West.com as an example of what a real work at home job may look like. Even without applying, it gives a realistic look at what might be expected.
Working from home doesn't have to mean signing up for yet another business idea, or working for minimum wage. It can mean actually being hired, actually being paid a nice wage (some are earning $15 an hour and up) and have a regular paycheck from the start. Resources that wish to provide work from home information needs to have actual jobs and details about those jobs, including direct links and articles on how to actually apply for a job.
Google may be used for searching for work at home job websites with resources, but do keep in mind not every website will be ideal. What is at the top of Google's search engine is not often based on evaluated usefulness. It is important to follow instincts as well as relying on advice from people who actually do work from home at an actual job for a living.
Calissa Hatton - Normal 0 Calissa L. Hatton is often found at a kitchen table, behind a computer monitor, and next to a large pile of books, in a ...
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