The popularity and availability of remote work opportunities have exploded over the last few years. What was once an uncommon concept has become a mainstay of the American job market as work from home jobs become more and more common. Even if you have an on-site job, you can supplement your average pay with an at-home job or small business.
If you want to add to your existing income or replace it altogether with work-from-home options, here are some remote jobs you can consider.
Part-Time Work from Home Jobs
Not everyone needs to supplement a full-time income with a work-from-home job. If you’re looking to make some extra cash on the side or pursue a part-time side hustle that will advance your career, here are some flexible job options to take a look at.
Please note that none of these are get-rich-quick schemes. Each of these takes a lot of work to develop. And you may not immediately see a return on your investment.
Blogger
Starting a blog isn’t as easy as most Pinterest posts make it out to be. In order to succeed, you need to be able to build your own website. And you’ll need to be knowledgeable in your niche and have the skills to brand yourself. You’ll also need to know about best SEO practices, and also be an excellent writer. You are not going to instantly make thousands of dollars a month doing this.
You’ll also need to experiment with different techniques and take the time to improve your writing skills. And you’ll also need to do your due diligence by researching best practices. But if you do, creating your own blog can be a rewarding, and hopefully profitable experience.
Affiliate Marketer
One of the most common ways people make money through blogging is by adding affiliate links. However, you don’t need to run a blog to engage in affiliate marketing.
If you have a substantial follower base, you can make posts that promote a specific product and direct people to your affiliate link in your bio. When people make that purchase, you’ll receive a small commission.
One of the easiest affiliate programs to join is Amazon Associates. Once you sign up, all you need to do to be accepted into the program is make three affiliate sales in three months to maintain your spot in the program.
The downside to the program is that the commission rates are rather low. However, with it being easy to join and with the wide berth of people that rely on Amazon, it’s a good place to start.
Artist/Crafter
If you’re a talented artist or crafter, you can give Etsy a try. Again, Etsy is definitely not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s one of those home jobs that are very hard to break into. Even if your products are flawless, you still need to master SEO, product photography, and copyrighting, just to name a few.
However, there’s nothing better than getting the “ca-ching” notification when someone has ordered something from your small business. To learn more on how to get started, check out our in-depth guide on how to succeed on Etsy.
Work from Home Jobs: No Experience
Not all work-from-home jobs require a degree or extensive experience. There are some jobs that you can teach yourself or gain training on the job.
However, just because you don’t need previous experience or training doesn’t mean the job will be easy. Here are some options to pursue if you don’t have training in other work-from-home job opportunities.
Customer Service Representative
You know when you have an issue with a product or service and you call the number and someone walks you through finding a solution? You could be that person!
Practically any large company you can think of has a job posing for this type of position: Apple, Cricut, AT&T, and so many more. Most of these positions come with a manual of common troubleshooting procedures. And they’ll walk you through how to handle different types of calls.
If you are someone who owns a Cricut, or someone who uses Apple products, you might be well-suited to helping other people find solutions for theirs. And you get to work from home the whole time. So think of a company you’d be interested in representing and check out their job board.
Data Entry
If you don’t mind doing repetitive work that you can completely walk away from once you put your hours in, data entry could be a great way to make some money.
A lot of it involves inputting data into different spreadsheets, and it’s not complicated work. So if you’re someone who likes doing repetitive tasks while listening to music or with TV in the background, try to find jobs listed that require data entry.
Closed Captioning Typist or Transcriber
With the increase of video as a popular media form, more and more companies need to pay people to transcribe that work or create closed captioning. Closed captioning will help people view the work without the sound, which makes it accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Transcribing is taking a long video and typing out everything that is said. This work is commonly done after recorded interviews so researchers or journalists can review the interview without watching the whole video. It’s an important job, but it’s very time-consuming, which is why it is so commonly outsourced.
Where Do I Find Remote Work?
Even if you think all of these suggestions are great, the biggest question still remains: how do I find these jobs? How do I start my job search?
The answer, of course, is where almost all remote work happens: the internet. There are a ton of online resources to get you connected with people looking for remote workers.
If you want to work for a company remotely, check out job boards like Indeed. Glassdoor is an interesting option as well, as it has a salary calculator that allows you to see what people doing your job in your area are making.
If you want to start a freelance life, a good place to start is freelancing sites such as Upwork. When sourcing clients, you must always be vigilant in screening potential connections. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scammers out there who take advantage of people desperate for work.
Once you start to get established by building your portfolio and your own brand, it’s best to try sourcing clients on your own. Upwork takes a hefty 20% fee for using their platform, and that seriously cuts into profit margins.
If you’re not sure how to brand or market yourself, and the thought of starting your social media presence makes you nervous, find another professional to help you develop your social media. It can’t be overstated just how important a brand and online presence are in growing your remote business.
Getting Your Work From Home Job Started
Trying something new is always an intimidating prospect. However, it helps to have a community of other entrepreneurs behind. That’s why WBD is an excellent resource for people taking new steps in their careers.
Learn from industry professionals, use our resources, and check out the forums to start conversations with other entrepreneurs. Check out our membership levels, download our app, and get started with the next step of your career today!
Author, Artist, Photographer.
Sarah Margaret is an artist who expresses her love for feminism, equality, and justice through a variety of mediums: photography, filmmaking, poetry, illustration, song, acting, and of course, writing.
She owns Still Poetry Photography, a company that showcases her passion for capturing poetic moments in time. Instead of poetry in motion, she captures visual poetry in fractions of a second, making cherished keepsakes of unforgettable moments.
She is the artist behind the Still Poetry Etsy shop, which houses her illustrations and bespoke, handmade items. She is the author of intricacies are just cracks in the wall, a narrative poetry anthology that follows a young woman discovering herself as she emerges from an abusive relationship.