Legitimate Work-From-Home Careers

By Caitlin Mazur - Oct. 19, 2020

Find a Job You Really Want In

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Working from home has become less of a rarity and much more of a common opportunity available to job seekers. If you have an internet connection, a computer, and a mobile device, you are likely eligible for a work at home job.

Of course, when starting your search for a legitimate work from home job, keep in mind that no matter the position, it always helps if you have relatable or transferable experience.

Be on the lookout and wary of any job that sounds or feels too good to be true. Oftentimes, there are scams for job postings that can trick you into believing that you’ll make money for a simple task.

Do your research and be sure when you apply, that you are applying to a reputable company, that the job is legitimate, and you will get paid fairly.

Examples of Work-From-Home Jobs

  1. Customer Service. There are a variety of customer service jobs available to work from your home as long as you have a computer and a phone. If you have people skills, patience, and a willingness to learn, you may be a great fit for a work from home customer service job.

    A good example is a job at a virtual call center. Experience in an office call center or retail job is plenty of experience to help you get noticed for a job opening in this area

  2. Freelance Writing and Editing. Freelance certainly isn’t a gig for everyone, but it is a wonderful way to make a living, be your own boss, and most importantly, work from home. A quick search for freelance writing and editing jobs proves that there is plenty of work out there for writers and editors.

    Freelancing can include writing or editing for magazines, blogs, websites, whitepapers, e-books, and more. If you have experience in writing or editing, you could be a perfect fit for freelance writing and editing.

  3. Virtual Assistant. A virtual assistant job typically consists of the employee providing professional administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients from their own homes. This could consist of managing calendars, schedules, sending meeting invitations, fielding phone calls, coordinating travel, and so on.

    This is an ideal job for people who are good with organization and focusing on the smaller details.

  4. Transcription. Transcription is a very popular at-home job. Those with transcription experience will likely see a higher pay than those without experience, but there is still room for those just starting out.

    For example, Rev.com is a perfect place for beginners. Those with more experience may find a specialized transcription field such as financial, legal, or medical transcription.

  5. Online Data Entry. Online data entry can vary widely depending on the industry, but typically this job consists of the employee inputting data in for the company’s system from written or audio files. This is usually another freelance or an independent contractor position, however, so be sure you are comfortable with not being a full-time employee before you say yes to any job offer.

    This is a hot job title for internet scams, so be careful when you’re searching.

  6. Insurance. The insurance industry is rapidly moving to hire more remote workers since it’s a job that can be easily done at home, rather than in an office. In the industry market, there is a wide variety of jobs available that span a multitude of experience including underwriters, appraisers, insurance agents, case managers, IT, and project management.

  7. Quality Assurance Testing. Quality assurance (QA) testing is a job that can be easily done at home and is available in a wide variety of industries. The barriers to enter this field are low for entry-level testing jobs. If you have access to the Internet, an eye for detail, and an opinion, then this might be a perfect fit for you.

    Jobs in this area can include testing new products, working on software to point out any bugs or difficulties, or testing a website, and documenting your experience. More specialized jobs may require a degree in computer science or relevant experience.

  8. Medical. When you think of medical jobs, oftentimes you are not thinking about working from home. However, you’d be surprised at how many jobs in the medical field can actually be done from home. Jobs such as medical coding, virtual nursing, telehealth appointments, and medical transcription can fit the bill here. There are even occasional pharmacy jobs where pharmacists work from home reviewing prescriptions, overseeing transfers, and providing patient counseling on their medications.

  9. Online Education. Teaching from home is very quickly becoming more popular. Your experience can vary from college degrees to volunteer experience in tutoring. Higher paying jobs will, of course, require highly experienced teachers with master’s degrees or teaching certificates, but you can easily find a virtual tutoring job in a field you are experienced in.

  10. Freelance Digital Design. Just like writing and editing, freelance isn’t for everyone, but for those with design experience, it could be a perfect fit. There are plenty of companies looking for freelance designers to help with their marketing efforts and beyond. Designers are a key part of any organization in the digital age and many companies will pay well if you fit their criteria. Be prepared for clients by developing a digital portfolio you can share easily with your resume.

  11. Search Engine Evaluation. This is another job that falls into the contractor realm. As a search engine evaluator, you’re scouring websites to give feedback about search engine results. Evaluators are responsible for ensuring these results are comprehensive, accurate, relevant, and timely.

  12. Working With Non-English Speakers. If you are bilingual, your work from home opportunities for at-home work are even greater. Speaking another language fluently can open a variety of doors, especially at bilingual customer service jobs, translation jobs, transcription jobs, online teaching, and more. Depending on the company’s needs, this can be a full-time or part-time job.

  13. Accounting, and Bookkeeping. Accounting and bookkeeping are needs that every company has, but doesn’t need to be tied to an office. With the digital tools available at our fingertips nowadays, these jobs can be done from home and are widely available especially if you are a certified public accountant, bookkeeper, or mortgage broker. Pay will, of course, depend on your experience in this field.

  14. Art and Design. For artists and designers, working from home might feel like a dream. But you’d be surprised how many companies are looking for freelance artists for photography, illustrations, website layouts, and more. If you don’t like the idea of working for a large company, websites like Fiverr and Upwork can help you find smaller businesses or even individuals who are willing to pay for your work.

  15. Marketing. Marketing is a broad umbrella, but a majority of marketing efforts can be done from home. Social media, digital marketing, content marketing, and product marketing are all jobs you can make work from your home office. As with the previous jobs mentioned, pay will increase or decrease depending on your skill level in Marketing.

Companies Looking for At-Home Worker

If you are looking for work-from-home jobs, we’ve listed a few businesses below that are currently hiring for remote jobs. Below are three samples of recent job postings from these companies across a variety of skillsets.

  • Amazon. As the largest global online retailer, Amazon is continuously hiring new employees to manage their demand.

    • Seasoned Full-Time Virtual Customer Service Associate

    • HR Business Partner

    • Director, Engineering

  • UnitedHealth Group. This American for-profit health care company offers healthcare products and insurance services. It’s the largest healthcare company in the world by revenue.

  • Noticed. Is an eCommerce, optimization, and marketing agency for D2C lifestyle brands that help drive company growth and profitability for businesses.

  • Aha! Aha! Is a SaaS company with software for product managers who work in software, web, or technology companies. It is one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States.

  • Zagat. Zagat is easily the most recognized survey as it pertains to restaurant ratings across the globe.

  • Catchpoint Systems. This is a company that enables organizations to create faster and more reliable online experiences for their clients.

    • Product UX Designer

    • Product Growth Manager

    • Director of Corporate Strategy Development

  • Vox Media. This company is the leading modern media company home to a wide network of editorials to influence culture through journalism, storytelling, and commentary on a variety of subjects.

  • Spin. This bicycle-sharing and scooter-sharing company owned by Ford Motor Company was founded as a start-up, launching into a dockless bicycle-sharing system controlled by a mobile app.

    • Senior Public Policy Manager

    • Senior Manager, Workforce Optimization

    • Vehicle Operations Manager

  • Strayer University. This private for-profit university provides online classes and is fully accredited, flexible, and designed for those working full-time.

  • CrowdStrike. This cybersecurity technology company provides endpoint security, threat intelligence, and cyberattack response services to its customers.

How Much Can You Earn From Working From Home?

Depending on your experience and the industry you end up in, you can make a full-time living working from home. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have shifted their presence from in-person to digital and the demand for at-home workers is great.

While pay can vary, for jobs like virtual assistants, prepare to make between $27k and $43k per year. Medical transcriptionists can bring in around $35k, where translators typically bring in between $50k and $90k, depending on experience. Developers can find themselves in a bucket between $70k and $125k, whereas freelance writers can make anywhere between $60k and $120k annually.

As expected, pay varies differently depending on your experience level in any given industry and the career path you choose to follow.

How to Choose the Best Online Job

With the wide breadth of jobs available in the work from home market, it’s both exciting and stressful to decide where you want to go. But it’s important to choose the job that’s right for you. If you have the right skillset and experience, you can be pickier with your choice.

Don’t feel like you need to take the first job offer you get, unless you’re sure it’s the next step you want to take in your career.

Consider creating a profile of your ideal job and employer. Ask yourself what you feel like you need from any given job and things you might like to avoid. Decide how you want your days to look, if you need a better work life balance, and what the ideal company culture looks like and how the company facilitates this remotely.

Know your worth. Just because you work from home does not mean you need to skimp on pay. Don’t be afraid to negotiate your salary. When you’re in job search mode, make it easy for recruiters to find you by opening up availability on your LinkedIn profile and consider utilizing a recruiter. This way, in a best case scenario, you will have a few different opportunities to choose from.

Don’t rush into a decision. Make sure you weigh all of your options and talk things over with a spouse or close friend. Docs on the future and don’t settle for less.

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Author

Caitlin Mazur

Caitlin Mazur is a freelance writer at Zippia. Caitlin is passionate about helping Zippia’s readers land the jobs of their dreams by offering content that discusses job-seeking advice based on experience and extensive research. Caitlin holds a degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.

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Topics: Get The Job, Interview