By Brian Zeng
Even though the perks of working from home are evident to everyone, here are some quick numbers for you:
- 86% of participants in a SurePayroll survey reported that they ‘hit maximum productivity’ when they work alone. In fact, two-thirds of managers agreed too.
- 82% of those who telecommute reported lower stress levels and 80% reported higher morale in a PGi report.
- A Stanford University Study found that remote work options reduced attrition by 50%.
Clearly, you too have thought about working from home to achieve increased work-life balance, more independence and of course, freedom from the commuting and traffic woes. The breed of work-from-home professionals and freelance workers is thriving and there is real money to be earned if you know where to look. Great news is, a growing number of companies understand the value of remote work and hence, opportunities abound.
Here are the two biggest questions:
Q1: Which legitimate work-from-home jobs really pay?
Q2: What are the best ways to search for work from home jobs?
And here are our experts’ answers:
Elizabeth Becker, PROTECH
Which legitimate work-from-home jobs really pay?
Finding a legitimate work-from-home position can be difficult. Due to the attractive nature of remote roles, there are a lot of low-paying or even scams out there. Be careful to research any opportunity to ensure it is legitimate before providing any personal information.
The best paying, legitimate work from home jobs are typically within the technology space. More and more tech companies are allowing partial or full telecommuting, with some roles in the $100K+ range.
What are the best ways to search for work from home jobs?
It’s important to realize that in our era of technology, many jobs can be done remotely. However, being hired right away into a remote position is very tough, because there is still a negative stigma on remote working (ie you’re at home in your pajamas all day watching Netflix) and the competition is so fierce.
Whenever we have remote positions at PROTECH (check them out here), we receive easily 10x more applicants than the typical position. Chances are there is someone out there with either better skills or willing to work for less, in order to snag a remote role.
I recommend another strategy if you aren’t the most skilled and aren’t willing to cut your pay significantly. If you are looking for a remote job, I would recommend narrowing your search to jobs and companies where that would be possible, then asking for a day or two a week remote after you have proven yourself in 6-12 months. Asking in an interview about a company’s remote work policy is also a great way to help make a decision when an offer comes in.
