 |
|
|
From the Email Bag -- "Which Jobs Don't Have Background Checks?" By Christine Durst & Michael Haaren March 22, 2012 Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I got into a little scrape with the law a few years ago and am having trouble finding work. Are there any work-at-home jobs that don’t require a background check? – Jacob in Buffalo, N.Y. Dear Jacob: Yes, there are quite a few, actually. As a rule, jobs that involve employee status often require background checks, while independent contractor or “freelance” jobs do not. There are exceptions, of course. But the “no background check” category includes freelance writers, bloggers, website testers, search-engine evaluators, graphic artists, and programmers, just to name a few. Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I’d like to earn some extra money as a mystery shopper, but it seems like all the jobs I see are scams. Aren’t there any legitimate mystery shopping jobs? – Christie in Tampa, Fla. Dear Christie: Although the mystery shopping field has more than its share of con games, there are indeed legitimate jobs. Many of them are offered by Market Force Information, for example (Marketforce.com), which recruits across the U.S. and in Canada, too. You’ll find others advertised on the site of the National Association for Retail Marketing Services, or NARMs. Elsewhere, however, keep your guard up for scams. In particular, watch out for “jobs” that ask you to wire money somewhere, or cash a cashier’s check. Also beware of mystery shopping jobs that offer to pay high sums of money. Most mystery shopping jobs pay a modest amount. They can be combined to generate a worthwhile monthly income, but they are not intended to substitute for a conventional job and salary. Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I launched a Virtual Assistant business a few months ago but am having trouble finding clients. Do you have any suggestions that wouldn’t require a lot of investment? I am on a tight budget. – Desiree in Waterford, Va. Dear Desiree: There are several low-cost ways to get some black ink flowing. For example, you might volunteer a few hours of your services at a fundraiser, as one of the prizes or promotional offers. If you do an exceptional job for the client, you’ll often generate referrals to paying customers. Also consider approaching a local or regional radio station or newspaper for an interview. Pick some aspect of your personal or business story that would engage the public’s interest. (For example, hardships overcome, or unusual services you might offer.) Another option might be to offer one month’s free services to a local celebrity or politician, or some other well-connected person. Depending on your branding goals, you might also consider a public-relations initiative, such as offering to blog the experience of living in a hotel or some local venue for a week or two. Such “live blogging experiences” have been quite effective in generating media coverage, aka free marketing. ---- Christine Durst and Michael Haaren are leaders in the work-at-home movement and advocates of de-rat-raced living. Their latest book is Work at Home Now, a guide to finding home-based jobs. They offer additional guidance on finding home-based work at www.RatRaceRebellion.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2012 BY STAFFCENTRIX, DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The
contents of this site are the property of Staffcentrix, LLC © 1999-2013. Staffcentrix, LLC. All rights reserved. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
