Finding Work for Free through Online Job Sites

Find work online for free.*

With a computer and Internet connection, people can readily explore the cyber world. Among the information they can get are job vacancies. Almost everyone can benefit from websites that offer these jobs. Employers looking for new hires, employees or workers who need additional income, and the unemployed finding another boss often visit these sites. Stay-at-home parents, students, fresh graduates, and retirees also frequent them to find either part-time or full-time online work.

The Digital Workplace - Job Sites, Virtual Bosses, and Online Workers 

Internet-based employment sites either require registration or are easily accessible. Many do not charge fees. Otherwise, it is best to be cautious before subscribing, as there have been scamming incidents where subscribers get ripped off.

Similarly, there are issues with virtual employers. Some tend to give vague, if not ambivalent, instructions as to what they want their assistant(s) to do. Others fail to pay after a certain task is done or pay little like those who give online writers only US$1 per "original" article.

Likewise, hiring people online has its own set of problems. These may include failing to complete an assignment on time, cheating on work hours, or overcharging. 

Advantages of Having an Online Job

In spite of the risks involved, securing a job through the Internet, especially one that is home-based, has its benefits. Aside from earning or providing extra income, people who telecommute or can work anywhere have more autonomy. They have more personal time, such as when they run errands, engage in hobbies, or look after their sick loved ones. 

Moreover, people with online jobs can venture into building a virtual business. This way, they can be their own boss and have the freedom to decide how much work they want to do and when they want to do it. Not having to commute, they are also able to save some money. They can also spend more time either dealing with their online job/business or doing personal/household chores.

Jobs Available Online and Some Employment Sites

Home-based online work opportunities are plenty. These include positions for:

• telemarketers
• writers
• editors
• proofreaders
• researchers
• transcriptionists (medical or otherwise)
• telephone nurse
• translators
• data encoders
• webmasters
• email processors
• graphic designers
• software programmers
• curriculum developers
• distance learning/private tutors (these include corporate English trainers and online English language teachers)
• virtual/personal assistants
• call center agents/customer care representatives

In "Best Work-At-Home Jobs", Daisy Chan cites various online sites that offer one or more of the jobs given above. However, some of these sites only accepts native-English speakers from the United States, Canada, and/or the United Kingdom. However, there are those like Flexjobs and TeleworkRecruiting.com that require a fee to fully access legitimate job leads. 

On the other hand, there are sites that provide no-cost job search and application process like LiveOps and VirtualAssistant.com. Other sites that have the same service include Craigslist.org, Sologigs.com, CareerBuilder.com, JobSpider.com, and Gigajob.com.  

What To Do When Searching and Applying for Jobs Online

Only send updated biodata without a photo, unless it is required. This measure can help deter possible discrimination from a recruiter who adopts superficial and unprofessional standards when contacting potential employees. 

In addition, send a cover letter even if the ad does not mention it. Better check more than one sample cover letters to guide you in writing your letter. Avoid copying. If said letter will be sent to several companies, spend time to customize its message and make sure that the names of the contact person (if available) and the company are both correct. Likewise, highlight your skills and achievements that correspond with the stated qualifications for the job.   

Again, use caution before registering and/or applying in any online job site. Craigslist.org, for instance, has a mixture of fake and genuine job ads. It is better to email the ad poster first to confirm if the job being offered is still open; if there is no response within a few days or in a week, then it is better to find other jobs. 

Also, it is better to send applications to several companies instead of one or two. Not only will this step maximize the time spent online, but it will also provide several sources of possible job offers. 

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*Image source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net