If you would like to manage your career from the comfort of your couch, here's some advice on how to land a legitimate work-from-home job in Atlanta.
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Avoid scammers.
About working from home, the Federal Trade Commission warns people to stay away from at-home medical billing businesses, envelope-stuffing schemes, telemarketing resale of brand items and work-at-home businesses for others.
Beware of scammers who may want you to pay money up front to work from home for them, which you should not do. Instead, "Take an inventory of your talent, add a dash of creativity to your thinking and come up with a plan that suits you," said Clark Howard on his site. Your home business should fit something you enjoy and can do well, he said.
Do your research.
Hop online and find out which companies offer work-from-home positions. Once you create your list, canvass the site for openings, and network by reaching out to the human resources department. Stay in touch, so you can be aware any gigs that may be coming down the pipeline.
There are also specific job boards that only post remote positions. For example, FlexJobs, We Work Remotely and Working Nomads are great places to look. These sites can even help you bypass those pesky scammers.
Know your options.
There are innumerable possibilities such as woodworking, sewing, alterations, making costume jewelry, being a tutor, teaching senior citizens how to use electronics or providing child care or pet care. For instance, you can set up a shop at Etsy.com to sell vintage items that are at least 20 years old, handmade items or sewing and craft supplies. For each item you list, you are charged 20 cents for four months. You also can link your shop to a free page on Facebook.
You may want to sell your excess household items and clothing on eBay.com and your books on Amazon.com. Amazon has no limit on items to list in your free shop, but eBay has a 50-item limit per month for free items.
Helpful video tutorials and tools are available on each site to help you list your items. When your items sell on Etsy, eBay or Amazon, fairly small percentages are deducted from your sales. Amazon also gives you a variable shipping fee.
Be sure to pay your annual business license fee to your county and/or city. Also, check on county/city regulations regarding home businesses.
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