Til Debt Do You Part...

One of the many reasons someone might decide to start telecommuting is the need to have something that will earn some income while they are working another job, or attending school. In this day and age, one income is almost never enough. There is always someone, or something, that wants your money. I know in my household, there never seems to be enough to go around for everything we want to do and accomplish. And, if you are anything like my household, you have a load of student debt sitting on your shoulders too! Here's a site you might want to check out:

United Loan Rate

These folks specialize in Student Loan Consolidation which can help you save some big bucks while you're trying to land the perfect job! Everyone is looking to save some money right? Well this might be the perfect thing for you. Their site indicates that you can lower your payments by more than 51%. Best of all there are no fees, costs or credit checks needed!

From their site:

Liberty United Inc. (Unitedloanrate.com) is a certified and approved lender of federal student loans. All loans originated by Unitedloanrate.com are guaranteed, insured, and backed by the United States Department of Education.

You can check out this page to ensure you can qualify with your student loan. Within 3-4 weeks of your application, they will be able to complete your loan process. (Don't forget to continue making all regular payments as you normally would!) A big bonus is the amount of flexibility they give you when it comes to making extra payments over and above the minimum monthly payment. This can really save you a lot of money by the end of your loan.

You can apply online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and if you have any questions, you can find their phone numbers and snail mail address here.

So now that you're out of the red financially, lets work on getting some more income! One of the most coveted (in my opinion) positions is a flexible writing gig. You'll find quite a few of these jobs listed as Freelancers or Freelance Writers. The great thing about these jobs is that you can usually do them anywhere, anytime - that's a big bonus for those of you that are attending school during the day (or night) or out working.

If you're going to apply for something like this, here are some tips that you can't afford not to read and take to heart:

• Don't sell yourself short. Starting off your sentences with "I don't have much experience but..." just tells you potential boss that you're no good! Sell yourself. Have confidence in yourself and your skills.
• Write about something you love. Don't take any old writing position just because it's out there. Soon, you'll be bored and will have difficulties finding interesting topics.
• When you apply to a position (and this really applies to ANY telecommuting position. Heck for that matter, it applies to ANY job that for which you will apply via the Internet) ensure you have a formal resume and cover letter. Nothing will kill your chances at a job better than a cover letter that is comprised of two lines.
• Make sure you read the job description and adhere to how the employer wishes to be contacted. If they ask for a writing sample, don't send them a link to your blog, or to an article you have published. Write something new, preferably something to do with the position for which you're applying.

Looking for some great leads today?

There is a gent by the name of Daniel Kovach who is looking to hire a few freelance writers and apparently will pay $12.00 per article. You can reach him at 919-630-4895. (This lead was given on WAHM.com by Daniel)

About.com is looking for some guides. Check out their site at the bottom of the page. They have a list of different topics they're looking to hire writers for, and it shows the kind of experience they are also looking for.

Constant Content is a good start for anyone trying to get published as well. Submit your articles and decide how much you'd like to sell them for. I've just joined this site, so I'm looking for some feedback from others who currently use them.

Apparently the following are also up for grabs. I have not signed on with any of these two companies, so feel free to let me know how it turns out for you.

How to Do things pays via gift certificates. Great for Christmas!

Mom Product Reviews pays $5.00 for any product reviews that are used on their site.

Job Leads

As I promised you yesterday, here are some great launching pads to find some great work online.

There are a few types of online work you can do. First there is the typical home business opportunity. If you're interested in something like that, check out the bottom of the blog to see the two companies I represent. For now, those are the only two that I'll place on here since those are the ones I know about.

As for an actual virtual job, there are several types of work you can do. The type of work I seem to come across most of the time involves some kind of phone work. This doesn't mean you'll be cold calling and trying to sell someone something.

For instance, I heard through the Grapevine that BABY TO BEE is currently hiring. Please note! The following information has come from what I've heard about the company and the job. I don't work for them and their policies may have changed! This job involves calling people who have signed up to receive baby freebies to confirm their information. There is some upselling involved with this job as well. You are paid by the hour. The best way to get into this gig is to send an email directly to Seth Meyers. His email? seth@babytobee.com

Parameds is also another company that is going through a hiring spurt. This is another phone position. In this case, you are calling to obtain medical files. There is no experience necessary since you won't be actually handling the files, nor will you be doing anything like transcription or coding. This position can be hunted out by sending in an email to rachel.levy@parameds.com

Here's a small list of some companies that I've read about that look rather promising. Again, I don't work for any of these companies, but I have read on various boards about other WAH-ers that have had luck with them. Bookmark the page just in case they're not currently hiring!

Alpine Access

LiveOps

Workaholics4hire

If you have additional resources you'd like to add to our list, please leave a comment. And of course, if you get a position as a result of anything you see here, please let me know!

Where do you start?

So you've decided that you'd like to try to work from home but you're not really sure where to start. The best thing to do is to look at what you want to avoid. There are a lot of scams out there and those are the pitfalls you want to avoid.

You can first start by checking with the Better Business Bureau to see whether the company in question has had any problems or complaints. From there you can also keep an eye on this site. They give you some great tips on how to avoid the work at home scams that seem to be everywhere these days.

When you're searching through job banks, or if you are looking at a specific company try to avoid using the words "work at home". Instead, try some of the following key phrases:

• telecommuting
• telework
• virtual
• home workers
• home-based employee
• home-based employment
• must have home office
• remote work
• freelance
• 1099 employee (or IC)
• independant contractor
• off-site

Keep in mind that a legit company will not ask you for a fee to work for them. You'll want to stay away from "classic" scams such as envelope stuffing. Instead of receiving work, you'll receive information on how to post an ad just like you saw asking people for money on work at home opportunities. Not only will you lose your money, but you could be liable for fraud!

Here are some of the ads you might have seen in your local paper:

• Assembly work at home! Easy money assembling craft items. No experience necessary.
• Make copies of this letter and send them to people whose names we will provide. All you have to do is send us ten dollars for our mailing list and labels. Look at the chart below and see how you will automatically receive thousands in cash return!!!
• Moms, make $500 from your computer today! No experience necessary.

These ads are all typical scams that will take your money, your time and possibly your reputation!

The other big tell tale sign that there are going to be problems is when a company promises big money for little work (or tells you you don't need any experience). A work at home position is just like any other position you would apply for. You are going to need to put in the hours to earn the pay. If the company promises you thousands of dollars for a couple hours of work each day, run the other way! Likewise, if the company is promising high wages for a position that requires no specialized knowledge, you should make sure you really look into the company and the job offered.

There ARE many jobs available for a virtual worker, you just have to know where to look and how to protect yourself. We'll cover forums that will offer leads and support from other virtual workers, as well as keeping you updated on new scams, and how to protect yourself.

Next time, find out where to look to find real work at home positions and obtain some great leads.