~*~*~ THE RAT RACE REBELLION TELEWORK BULLETIN ~*~*~ Dear Reader, A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR HEAR YE – IMPORTANT ALERT – TO CONTINUE RECEIVING THE BULLETIN: Over the next 4-5 weeks, we’ll be changing the way the Bulletin is delivered. (Due to its length and hyperlinks, tightening spam filters have begun to block it, creating headaches all around.) Please read the following brief instructions carefully, so you won't have to face the Rat Race alone!!!! Starting in January, we’ll post the Bulletin online (on a private page) instead of emailing it. You’ll receive a brief email notice each week that the current issue is ready, with a link to the page. (Downloadable versions will be available as always.) These weekly notices will be sent to you through a YAHOO GROUP LIST. What happens now: 1. Shortly, you’ll receive an email invitation to JOIN the Rat Race Rebellion Yahoo group. 2. That email will come from RatRaceRebellion-owner@yahoogroups.com. Please set your email to ACCEPT A MESSAGE FROM THIS ADDRESS (or you may not get the invitation). 3. When the invitation arrives, click on the JOIN THIS GROUP link. (This will take you to the Yahoo site.) 4. At the Yahoo site, click on the JOIN THIS GROUP link again, and complete the short form (for delivery options) on the next page. 5. Click the JOIN link at the bottom of the page. That's it! (We’ll mention this again next week, just to be sure everyone got it.) WORK-AT-HOME SCAM RATIO SURGES TO 54 TO 1, RISES 30% IN ONE YEAR In these lean economic times, many people are looking for home-based work to end unemployment or generate side income. The scam artists know this, and as demand spikes, so do the scams. For the past several years, we’ve been tracking the ratio of ripoffs to legitimate jobs, and this past year it’s jumped 30%, to 54 to 1. (Last year it was 42 to 1.) This means that for every 55 leads our researchers screen (they screen thousands each week), only one is legitimate. Besides the old standbys (envelope stuffing, assembling crafts that the scammer refuses to buy, receiving and repackaging merchandise for credit-card thieves abroad, etc.), beware of the following: -- “Rebate Processor” jobs: As we warned here some months ago, this scam lures people in by implying they’ll be earning good money processing rebates for well-known companies. In reality, these aren’t even “jobs,” but require you to become a salesperson for your own account (affiliate sales). -- “Auction Listing Specialist” for eBay auctions: This growing scam implies you’ll be making good money listing third-party items for sale on eBay. But it’s usually just more affiliate sales, with a bad twist: if the “third party” doesn’t ship the stuff you listed, you can be on the hook for what the buyer paid. -- “Data Entry Specialist”: Almost ALWAYS a scam. Companies who actually hire data entry assistants have waiting lists that can be years long (really). The best way by far to get data entry work is to shake it loose yourself by approaching smaller, growing companies. Typically, these firms don’t send their work to India (as many larger companies do), and they are often administratively understaffed, as well. You’ll find them mentioned in the business section of local or regional newspapers or on related websites. (In the U.S., publications like Inc. magazine often cover them, too.) When you’re assessing work-at-home job leads, here are some “red flags” that often indicate scams: 1. "Work at Home" appears in the ad header. "Work from home" is not a job title. If it appears in the ad header, there's a good chance it's a come-on. Scammers know that the phrase is on people’s minds, so they bait their hook with it. 2. Claims that no experience is necessary, and no resume is requested. While some “real world” jobs don’t require experience (for example, jobs where you provide lessons in conversational English for foreign students), most do. Further, the “no experience” scams stand out by offering high remuneration, and often for “just a few minutes a day.” And they don’t even want a resume, either? 3. You’re required to pay a fee for additional information. Legitimate hirers won’t charge you for “more information” about a position. (Some legitimate independent-contractor positions, however, will require that you pay for a background or credit check. This occurs in the call center industry, for example, when agents will be handling customers’ financial information.) 4. Unbelievable pay! “Make $5,000 a week working part time! While you sleep! And lose weight, too! While you eat whatever you want! Which we’ll also pay you to do!” And so on. 5. The ad arrives as spam in your email. As if by a miracle, an ad for home-based work just landed in your inbox. How could this nice man (alas, most scammers are guys) from [Roumania] [Nigeria] [Mars] have known you were looking for home-based work? (Or he wants to give you half of the $20M his overly-punctilious country won’t let him emigrate with.) Anyway, miracles do happen, but not from SPAM. Move the stinky thing to your trash file without using the “remove me from this list” link you’re likely to find at the bottom of the page. (Scammers add these links to help confirm that your email address is active, and clicking on them can generate even more wonderful jobs and financial windfalls.) 6. No Job Description. If the ad doesn’t divulge up front what you’ll be doing, it’s probably bogus. Real employers want readers to know what the job entails. Otherwise, they get flooded with irrelevant resumes. Scammers, on the other hand, WANT to get “flooded” with replies, for better pickings. 7. Palm Trees, Mansions, Beaches & Bikinis. If the ad features palm trees, a mansion, and a Ferrari, and maybe a portly happy guy lounging in an aloha shirt, it’s very probably a scam. Is there a bikini in there somewhere? Award three Scam Bonus Points. Bikini on the portly guy? We can’t help you. 8. "Limited number of openings" in the subject line. "We are seeking 11 people to work from home!" The website associated with the scam may also feature a digital time readout that starts losing seconds when you land on the page. “Only 00.57 seconds to go!” Scammers may also have software on the site to tell where you’re coming in from. “Only 7 positions left in Duckburg, Florida!!!!” Don’t fall for these shenanigans. No rush; there will always be “opportunities” like this. U.S.-BASED LIVEOPS STILL HIRING AT-HOME AGENTS The recession doesn’t seem to have crimped the recruiting at virtual call center LiveOps, a venture capital-fueled company (“20,000 agents”) that has been expanding rapidly since its founding in 2000. LiveOps continues to seek agents for -- inbound infomercial-generated calls, -- bilingual Spanish- and French-English customer service, and -- processing “casual-dining” orders (e.g., pizza). For details, see the jobs leads below. U.S.-BASED HUMANA TO ADD 100 WORK-AT-HOME AGENTS (GRADUALLY) Health-benefits provider Humana would like to add 100 home-based agents over the next two years, the Business Courier of Cincinnati recently reported. Granted, that’s less than five agents per month, but in a recession, it’s important to remember (at least) three things: -- The competition for home-based jobs and projects increases; -- You have to monitor potential hirers like a chicken does an egg; and -- Jobseekers have to be even more proactive and resourceful than before. Take the Humana example. Their VP, Steve Ringel, mentions these hiring plans in an interview with a business-media journalist. The first of the openings may not appear on the Humana website (or at Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, or wherever the company might place its ads) for weeks or more. In this case, to be proactive, an applicant might want to identify the hiring decisionmaker and hit him / her with a resume now, before the HR desks become flooded with applications. (I’m not saying that this route would necessarily result in a job; I’m just brainstorming about the extra creativity and effort that jobseekers need when jobs are tight.) For the article, see http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/12/08/daily44.html. TRACKING HIRING ANNOUNCEMENTS WITH GOOGLE ALERTS A good way to catch hiring announcements as they occur (as well as mentions of almost anything on the Internet) is through Google alerts. Chris and I use them all the time to monitor developments across a wide array sectors. (I have over 80 terms set for Google alerts.) How does it work? Google sends software programs across the Net to pick up the use of the words or phrases. When the term you’ve designated appears, Google emails you an alert. To set alerts, go to Google.com, click on “News,” and on the news page, on the left margin, click on “News Alerts” next to the envelope icon. On the Alerts page, check out the drop-down menus for the settings that suit you best. PINECONE RESEARCH SEEKS SURVEY TAKERS PineCone is a legitimate US-based market-research company that pays a small amount for surveys. They recently sent us an invitation for new members, which we pass along below to you. (We don’t receive anything for referrals, just for the record. Wish we did!) ------ PineCone Research continues to grow and we invite you to help! We are offering select members the opportunity to recommend membership to a friend or relative who is NOT a member of their household. Do you know of households that would like to join the PineCone Research Panel? If so, please FORWARD A COPY of this email to each household you would like to refer so that they may click on the registration link shown below. That household should complete the registration form themselves and submit it. REMEMBER THAT ONLY ONE PERSON PER HOUSEHOLD MAY REGISTER. Multiple registrations of the same Household will void all registrations. Here is the link to the registration: http://www.pineconeresearch.com/signup/ds530Referral1.asp As a member in good standing, you've already seen the benefits of being part of PineCone Research. So please, share the benefits of membership with a friend. Just don't forget, please don't tell them about any of the products that you have seen in our questionnaires or tried in your home. Remember, it's important that your PineCone Research survey and product testing experiences remain confidential. If your referral has any questions, they can email us at scott@pineconeresearch.com or click on the attached links to learn more about PineCone Research. http://www1.pineconeresearch.com//about.HTM http://www1.pineconeresearch.com//policy.htm * * * FRUGAL AND SIMPLE LIVING Herewith this week’s freebies. If you see something you like, be sure to grab it fast, as free stuff goes quickly on the Web. (Fine print: I’m afraid we have no control over supplies, or when the vendors decide to halt their offers or fulfillment. US-only unless otherwise indicated.) (For more fresh freebies, see http://www.ratracerebellion.com/freebies.htm.) Enjoy! Free subscription to Cosmopolitan: http://www.valuemags.com/freeoffer/Cosmo-spakist.asp Free sample Pantene ProV: http://walmart.secrettogreathair.com/ Free sample Metamucil Berry Burst (US & Puerto Rico): http://metamucil.safeprocessing.com/?src=metamucil Free Quiznos Sammie with newsletter signup (US & CAN): http://www.quiznos.com/offers/ Coupon for free sample Aveda Men Shampoo: http://www.avedathanksman.com/ RAT RACE QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I ain’t no tailor but I know what suits me.” -- Popeye Rebelliously Yours, Michael Michael D. Haaren, Editor-in-Chief The Rat Race Rebellion =>=> New Leads for Home-Based Jobs and Projects <=<= *Editor’s Note: All positions are screened, but we can’t of course “guarantee” the legitimacy of any hirer or lead, so please do your own ‘due diligence’ as well! Also, please note that on occasion the hirer will decide to change the description or the availability of the job or project shortly AFTER the summary is published here. (Unfortunately, we have no control over this.) Therefore, be sure to read the underlying ad carefully, and apply promptly for any job that interests you. ||||| 1. Home-Based Call Center Agents ||||| US-based LiveOps seeks Agents for in-bound calls. “These calls are primarily driven by responses to infomercials. Applicants with previous selling experience are preferred. A successful agent follows a script, takes the order, and provides additional services to each caller, building the order to its maximum value and ensuring that caller's questions are answered completely and accurately.” => Learn More: http://liveops.com/become-agent/current-opp.html#inbound <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 2. Digital Copywriter (“International Telecommuting”) ||||| US-based ITC Worldwide seeks a Digital Copywriter (“TV Program Production and Distribution”). “To formulate the editorial copy for a given client with in a geographical area that maximizes profit and meets the needs of the customers. To monitor and manage all Assigned Editorial Content whilst delivering the optimum level of content for the customer.” => Learn More: http://www.creativehotlist.com/index.asp?linkTarget=fullJob.asp&jobID=128792 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 3. Lead Faculty for Graphic and Web Design Programs ||||| US-based Lincoln College Online seeks a full-time Lead Faculty Member “for the online offerings of Graphic Design and Web Design Associate Degree programs and the Integrated Marketing Communications and Design Bachelor Degree program.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/5w5hos <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 4. “Bloggers, Citizen Journalists, Students, Interns, Freelancers” ||||| Allvoices.com seeks the above for a variety of content. “Earn up to $10,000 cash.” => Learn More: http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/details.php?cat=free&ID=7161 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 5. Magazine Freelancers ||||| New Web magazine Culture11 seeks freelance Writers (sports, religion, politics, etc.). => Learn More: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=86214&page=1 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 6. Online Lead Instructor – Business Programs ||||| US-based Lincoln College Online seeks a full-time Lead Instructor “for an online offering of Business Associate and Bachelor Degree Programs.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/5avfxz <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 7. Bilingual Spanish-English and French-English Call Center Agents (US) ||||| US-based LiveOps seeks bilingual Spanish-English and French-English Agents, primarily for infomercial-generated calls. “Applicants must be fluent in both written and conversational Spanish or French, and previous selling experience is preferred.” => Learn More: http://liveops.com/become-agent/current-opp.html#bilingual <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~Advertisement~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chris and Mike here -- Do you need writing experience to qualify for freelance writing, blogging, proofreading or editorial jobs? Want to demonstrate your expertise for hiring managers or prospective clients? We recommend Helium (it’s free). You can get writing experience with an easy-to-start blog, and be eligible for compensation while you learn. You can also choose among many popular topics, and build your credentials while you write about what interests you. For more, visit http://www.helium.com/?ad=680&placement=HAP002 . ~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 8. How-To Writers ||||| eHow.com, “the web's number one How-To website,” seeks Writers “to contribute to our vast library of information.” “Payments are based on the quality of your content and the traffic it generates.” => Learn More: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1886 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 9. Customer Service Representatives (US) ||||| International business process outsourcing firm NCO seeks Customer Service Reps. for incoming calls. “We offer a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package, paid time off and a 401 (k) plan.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/5dxxn6 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 10. Medical Transcriptionists (US) ||||| US-based Precyse Solutions seeks full-time MTs. => Learn More: http://www.mtjobs.com/job_detail.cfm?RowID=16845 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 11. Bilingual Hungarian-English Translators/Interpreters ||||| US-based Language Line Services (over-the-phone interpreting) seeks bilingual Hungarian-English Translators / Interpreters. “Other language speakers are welcome to apply.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/6on899 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 12. Tech or Lifestyle Blogger ||||| Cyber Sport (at orbitamouse.com) seeks a Technology or Lifestyle Blogger “to create content for a new patented product we are launching namely - the new Orbita mouse.” => Learn More: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1887 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 13. Bloggers – Auto and Travel ||||| India-based Indimoto.com is looking for Bloggers to cover auto and travel issues. “This is a freelance opportunity wherein you can work from anywhere and anytime. Ideal for those who are passionate about travelling or automobiles and can write short (200-300) news based posts for popular international blogs.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/6for7x <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 14. Customer Service Agents for “Casual Dining” Calls (US) ||||| US-based LiveOps seeks Agents for “casual dining” calls. “These calls involve processing delivery and carry out orders for pizza and other casual dining vendors. Applicants with previous experience in a fast-paced order environment are preferred.” => Learn More: http://liveops.com/become-agent/current-opp.html#dining <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 15. Bloggers ||||| Blog network b5media seeks Bloggers for the following (quoted from lead): Pink Ribbon Review - Breast Cancer blog. Ideally this blog would be written by a breast cancer survivor or professional that works closely with the breast cancer movement. Allergies - This is a new, undeveloped blog that will focus on allergies of all kinds. If you have an interest in this area, talk to me. Inside Motherhood - This blog is easily customizable and open to reinvention depending on the chosen blogger. Keeping the Castle - This blog focuses on housekeeping and homemaking. => Learn More: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1888 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 16. Customer Service Representatives (US) ||||| US-based call center Cloud 10 seeks At Home Professionals for in-bound calls. Agents are hired as employees rather than independent contractors. => Learn More: http://www.cloud10corp.com/careercenter/ahp.html <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 17. Freelance Writer on Health Insurance Issues ||||| US-based McMurry seeks a freelance Writer with a strong healthcare background. “While in-depth insurance and health care knowledge is required, articles must be accessible to health care consumers, specifically benefits administrators and human resource professionals. Writer must be able to quickly grasp and write to the company’s ‘voice,’ including maintaining an awareness of the organization’s position and product throughout the articles.” => Learn More: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=86170&page=1 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 18. Graphic Designer ||||| US-based Knipschildt Chocolatier seeks a part-time Graphic Designer. “Chic chocolate boutique is looking for a middleweight print designer to work on all graphics from signage to menu cards and even packaging.” => Learn More: http://www.krop.com/jobs/79k5t/ <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 19. Google Ads Quality Raters (US) ||||| Google continues to seek Ads Quality Raters to evaluate Google search engine results. => Learn More: http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/answer.py?answer=118299 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 20. Expert on Judaism ||||| About.com seeks a part-time Expert (“Guide”) on Judaism. “Preferably, the candidate would be a practicing Jew, active in his or her community, and passionate about helping people learn and practice Judaism.” => Learn More: http://beaguide.about.com/applynow.htm <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ******************************* That’s this week’s issue, Dear Reader. Until next week’s issue, don’t forget to visit us for fresh job leads at http://www.ratracerebellion.com/job_postings.htm ! Rebelliously Yours, Michael -- Michael D. Haaren, Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief Staffcentrix, LLC Email: mhaaren@staffcentrix.com Co-author of the bestseller on working from home as a Virtual Assistant, THE 2-SECOND COMMUTE, now available at Amazon.com or http://www.2secondcommute.com. See what else we’re up to on the Web, at http://www.WAHBoom.com (our new work-at-home site for Boomers), http://www.msvas.com (our Military Spouse Virtual Assistant community), and http://www.fse-entrepreneur.com (our Foreign Service spouse e-Entrepreneur community). ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ All contents copyright 2008 Staffcentrix, LLC, "The most trusted name in home-based careers."(TM, SM) All rights reserved.