How Do You Find a Legitimate Work-at-Home Job?

I get emails all the time from people who are looking for legitimate work-at-home opportunities. I am more than happy to assist these people with their job search, and direct and guide them on how to search for legitimate work-at-home jobs. After giving them a bunch of personalized leads and details, I tell them to keep in touch and let me know how their job search is gong.

Most of the time, I never hear back from these people.

And I can tell you … it’s not because there aren’t any legitimate work-at-home positions out there.


The problem is when people start their work-at-home search and they don’t find something right away, they end up giving up, or they get wooed by one the many get-rich-quick schemes.

Finding a work-at-home job is just like any other job search, it takes a lot of time, patience, and research, but if you’re willing to do the leg work, you too can reap the many benefits of working from home!

How do you find a legitimate work-at-home position?

1. Get Your Resume in Order.

Be prepared for when you find a potential job opening. A work-at-home gig is a highly coveted position and employers are looking for the cream of the crop — so update and freshen up your resume, references, and cover letter – make sure you stand out from the crowd. After you submit your resume remember to follow up with the company — as they say, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

2. Search Reputable Work-at-Home Job Sites.

Start your search by checking out reputable work-at-home websites.

How do you know if they’re reputable?

Look for contact information, a professional looking website, and negative reviews. People that are promoting scams don’t want to be found, so they will hide behind P.O. boxes, elusive online accounts, and fake email addresses. They also don’t want to invest a lot of time or money into a website — they just want to get in and out and take your money, before they get caught. Look for spelling errors, poor navigation, and unprofessional looking sites — these could be potential signs of a scam. Lastly, make sure to do a Google and Better Business Bureau search — these two sites alone will provide a wealth of information on the company.

Here are a few legit sites to get you started:

Work at Home Success
Work at Home Mom Revolution
Women for Hire

Looking for more legit work-at-home websites?

3. Save Time and Use FlexJobs.

FlexJobs is the web’s premier work-at-home job board. They hand screen all of their jobs before posting – you can rest assured that you’re dealing with reputable companies. FlexJobs cost $14.95 a month or $49.95 a year for membership. FlexJobs has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

4. Search Major Job Board Sites.

Try searching the major career and job board sites like Indeed using the terms: “work-at-home”, “work from home”, “home-based”, “remote”, “virtual”, “telecommute”, and “telework”. Because companies are trying to save money in this tough economy more and more businesses are hiring people to work from home. Just for fun I searched on Career Builder for “home-based” positions, and I came up with 11,086 results.

Yes, you’ll need to take the time to scavenge through these, but the opportunities are there for the taking.

5. Network!

I’m always talking about it and there is a reason why – it’s because networking works! Three out of four of my last jobs I got through networking, and here’s why:

First people are more apt to trust a known person’s recommendation over a stack of totally unknown resumes. Secondly, people enjoy helping other people out, so let it be known that you are searching for a remote job.

Start by telling you friends and family that you’re looking for a home-based position and if they hear of any to let you know. Get involved in some social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn where you can connect with old classmates, colleagues, friends and family. Facebook is also a great place to meet new people, so join a couple of reputable work-at-home groups, forums, or womens’ business groups.

6. Write a Flex Proposal.

Do you already have a job that you love? Consider approaching your boss about a flexible or work-at-home work arrangement. Check first to see if your company has a teleworking policy and then do your research and write up a flex or work-at-home job proposal. Make sure your proposal includes the benefits to the company.

For more information on flexible work option proposals, checkout Work Options – they have lots of free resources and templates.

7. Beware of Work-at-Home Scams.

I often get emails asking about home-based typing jobs or assembly jobs. The truth is home-based craft assembly jobs are scams. Yes, you can purchase the assembly kits and make the crafts at home, but there’s no market for these products. As for the home-based data entry or typing, I’ve only seen a couple of legitimate work-at-home gigs for this skill alone — and they pay little to nothing. I’m talking pennies per document, which by no means is a fair wage. Advertisements that claim that you can make hundreds and thousands of dollars simply typing from home, these too are scams. There are many companies that hire virtual assistants to perform data entry — but they also do other tasks too. Remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

For more information on how to avoid work at home scams, check out our scam prevention page.

I wish you all of you the best of luck with your work at home search and feel free to drop me a comment below. I love hearing from you!