How to Find Work-At-Home Independent Contractor Jobs

Working from home can be very rewarding.

If you are tired of working outside the home, you can make a change for the better and take control of your life by seeking out independent contractor positions you can do from the comfort of your own home. Advances in technology and the global business marketplace have joined forces to create some unique opportunities for those with the right combination of skills, dedication and organizational ability. Taking advantage of these opportunities can increase your earning power or even replace your full-time job.

Instructions

1. Create a detailed inventory of your skills and interests. Include both hard skills, like the ability to operate computers and printing equipment, and soft skills, such as proofreading, editing and writing skills, and attention to detail. Consider how these skills fit into the types of work-at-home jobs you have in mind.

2. Approach your own employer if you are currently working in a traditional office. Broach the subject of working at home, perhaps on a trial basis at first. Many jobs, including customer service positions, administrative and programming jobs, can easily be done from home using a dedicated telephone line and modern computer equipment. Offer to work at home on a test basis--this can reassure your boss and increase your odds of success.

3. Search the want ads for work-at-home jobs you can do as an independent contractor. Be on the lookout for scams that require you to pay an up-front fee or buy expensive products. Legitimate work-at-home opportunities do not come with such strings attached.

4. Research freelance opportunities online as well. Freelance job boards and websites are good places to start since these sites bring together companies with independent contractor positions to fill and freelancers with the skills to complete those assignments. Watch out for freelance websites that charge exorbitant membership fees. Some legitimate sites do have tiered membership levels with a small annual charge, but high fees are a tip-off that the site could be a scam.

5. Log on to each freelance site and review the projects that are available. Most sites give you the ability to sort and filter the search results by type of project, i.e. programming, copy writing, proofreading, transcription, and by the price of the project. Check the projects you are interested in, and follow up with the employer for further information.

6. Apply for as many projects as you feel you can handle. Applying for multiple positions increases your odds of success, but you need to make sure you will be able to complete those projects in the unlikely event you are hired for all of the jobs for which you applied.

Tips & Warnings

• Put between one quarter and one third of the money from each project into a special savings account. You can use this savings account to pay your taxes, since when you are paid as an independent contractor, taxes are not withheld from your earnings.

References

• Kim Komando: Earn Money at Home Via the Internet