It is the ideal scenario for many people – working from home. Since the pandemic, many people who weren’t previously familiar with working from home have been forced to familiarise themselves with this way of working.
As a result of the pandemic, many people have found that remote working suits them better and employers are now aware that more people are looking for flexibility in their jobs – remote working being one of those areas of flexibility they want to see in job ads.
Working from home is an attractive thought because it offers flexibility and those of you looking for part time work are doing so because you want or need that flexibility. Perhaps you have a young family that you need to be around for or you have other commitments where working from home will be an ideal situation for you.
Working from home can be a good option for those of you who are studying or maybe looking for a career change.
These days, technology means there are many options out there for work from home jobs.
Unfortunately, this means scammers can have an easy ride by advertising their fake work from home jobs in the hope of conning you into applying. They get free work from you, sometimes they get your data and sometimes they get your money.
So, how do you make sure you don’t become yet another victim of work from home scams?
How To Avoid Work From Home Scams
Let”s take a look at some of the strategies you can employ so that you can avoid becoming a victim of some of the scammers out there.
The good news is, it isn’t that difficult to spot if a work from home job might not be what it is promising to be. It just takes a little bit of vigilance on your part and some easy steps that you can take to make sure that job is legit.
Take all of these points on board and take action so that you can make sure you land that perfect work from home job and leave the scammers high and dry rather than vice versa.
How Does The Job Ad Read?
On many occasions, the first time you’re going to come across a work from home opportunity is when you see the initial job ad. This is your first opportunity to get an idea as to whether it is a genuine work from home job or not.
First of all, where have you seen the job ad? Has it been posted somewhere reputable?
Now read through the ad carefully and ask yourself how is the job ad written? Does it sound professional; as though it has been written by a professional recruitment team or does it read like it is offering you the best get rich quick opportunity ever?
A professionally written job ad for a reputable company – whether it is a work from home job or a role where you need to go to a workplace – should be clear and concise and contain all the necessary information you need about the job in a snapshot.
Trust your instincts with the job ad. If the job on offer sounds too good to be true then it probably is!
A genuine advert for a work from home job should read as professionally as any other job advert.
What Are The Hours You Will Be Expected To Work?
What are you being asked to do in the ad? Is there a real job description with a structure and expectations? What will you be doing on a day to day basis and how many hours will you be expected to work. Is it flexible hours or are you going to need to be at your laptop or doing other tasks at particular set times each working day?
Is The Rate Of Pay Stated And Is It Realistic?
If the pay rate is stated, how will you be paid? Is it an hourly rate or a set wage that you will earn monthly or weekly? And does that hourly pay or set rate seem like a realistic rate of pay for the job you will be doing?
Or does the rate of pay seem very generous for the job you will be doing? Whilst it may be attractive initially to go ahead and appöy for a job that is offering a high wage, ask yourself how realistic this is. A rate of pay that is too high should ring alarm bells.
And when you do get paid, make sure you know whether it is a weekly or monthly pay. Will this money be paid into your bank account on set days?
Are You Being Asked For Experience Or Qualifications?
There are lots of work from home jobs out there that are entry level roles and you might not need any previous experience. However, even in cases like this, a reputable company will still usually state that you will be given training for the role so that you can work within company expectations.
If you are applying for work from home jobs that look like the role would need previous experience or specific skills and qualifications, are these requirements listed?
If nothing like this is listed and it sounds as though getting a job with that company is going to be really easy then you might be looking at a work from home job scam.
Is The Recruitment Process Stated?
How do you go about getting a work from home job with this company? Even if only briefly, the application process for getting the job should be mentioned in the job advert.
Do you need to send them a written application and if so, is there an official application form that you need to request? Is the company asking for your CV along with your application?
You should also have some sort of idea as to what will happen after you send your application form. Will there be an interview process and, if so, will those interviews be face to face. Or, at least, done by Zoom. Ideally, you should be able to see someone’s face when you are being interviewed. You should also know the name of the interviewer and their position within the company you are applying to.
Where Did You See The Job Ad?
Where you see work from home job ads can give you clues about whether or not the role is a potential scam.
Although it is by no means foolproof, job ads that appear on reputable job boards such as this one as well as in other places, are more likely to be genuine. Scammers won’t want to pay too much of theişr own money to advertise their fake roles.
Is The Company Known To You?
Just because a company is offering roles where you have the opportunity to work from home doesn’t mean it can’t be a famous company and have a bricks and mortar presence.
If the company advertising work from home roles is well known and you know they have a good reputation then, of course, you should be okay to apply for their part time, flexible roles.
If you have never heard of the company or person who is offering the role, this doesn’t necessarily mean this is a work from home scam. This is where you need to do your due diligence and find out more about them.
Ask Around
Doing research on a company to check whether their work from home job ad is legitimate isn’t difficult.
First of all, you can ask your friends or family if they have ever heard of the company or the person who is advertising the role. Have any of them ever used any of their products or services or do they know someone who has.
If they have heard of the company, what are their feelings about it? Has the company got a good reputation? Are the products or services it offers of a high quality? Do they know any other employees of the company? And if so, do those employees speak highly of the company?
Use The Internet
As we said above, technology has made the opportunities for working from home easier and more plentiful.
Likewise, technology has also made it much easier for you to be able to do your research to check out whether or not your company is legit!
There are lots of ways you can make use of the internet to do your research. If they are a legitimate company then they should have a good website that tells you what the company is all about. Within this website, take a look to see if there is a careers and staff development section.
Are they advertising the job you want to apply for on their website? Withşn the careers section, have they got any case studies or testimonials from staff, describing their experiences of working for the company and developing their career?
The company website should also have a physical address and phone number, too. Check out that address to make sure it is genuine.
Research The Company’s Social Media Presence
There are very few companies these days who don’t have a social media presence. Check your company out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, at least. Also check to see if there is any presence on LinkedIn, especially if it is a person who is advertising the role.Does their linked In profile tally with the type of job work from home they are offering?
Facebook and Google give people the opportunity to leave stars and write reviews for companies. Check out any reviews for the company you are considering applying to to see what other people’s experience has been of the company.
You will get an idea from this as to whether or not the company is providing quality goods or services.
Are You Being Asked For Anything?
If you want to do a work from home job for this company, are they asking anything of you? For example, do you need to buy any of the company’s specialist equipment in order to do the work? Or do you need to have your own equipment in place before you start work?
Depending on the nature of the role you are applying for and the sector the company is operating in, a reputable company will often provide you with any equipment or training you need.
There are roles, of course, where you will need to have some of your own basic equipment and this should be alluded to in the job ad.
Beware any companies that you haven’t researched and they are asking you for particular personal details or if they are asking you for any type of cash investment upfront. This might not necessarily be a scam but if you haven’t researched them and the job results in being a scam, it could be a group of people looking to steal your personal data and / or money.
Keep A Record Of The Work From Home Jobs You Have Applied For
If you are really keen to land a part time, flexible work from home job, you might be applying for multiple roles to give yourself the best chance of getting a job.
Make sure you do your due diligence on each role and also keep a record of all the companies or people you have applied to which you know to be genuine roles.
Keeping a record means you will be fully aware which roles you have applied for and if you are suddenly offered a job by someone else, you will know you are yet to look into them.
Apply For Part Time Work From Home Jobs
Working from home is increasingly popular for the flexibility it offers and because it reduces commuting time.
These days, many companies out there are offering roles where there are oppoırtunities to work from home. Some might be hybrid positions where you might need to go into the workplace occasionally whilst others might be purely work from home positions.
Whatever the situation, there are well known companies as well as smaller companies that offer genuine and rewarding work from home positions.
Do your due diligence to check whether or not the job you are interested in is legit and you could be on your way to earning some extra cash and even building rewarding work from home career.
Take a look to see if there any part time work from home jobs to suit you.
