4 Ways to Earn Money at Home Through e-Freelancing Sites

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If you are like many women around the country right now, you’re struggling financially. Maybe your husband lost his job or had his hours cut, or maybe you’re just looking for ways to make some extra cash. Although the job market is in the pits right now, the workload for many companies has not diminished. Instead of hiring more full-time employees—which are expensive—many companies have turned to freelancers to help them out with the work they need to do. And in today’s technologically advanced world, you don’t even need to meet face-to-face with clients or go to any office to get your freelance gigs. You can find tons of opportunities over the internet through e-freelancing websites.

1)      oDesk: oDesk is one of the most successful e-freelancing sites on the internet right now. They posts thousands of job each month and set parameters in place that ensure you will get paid for the work you do. One of the biggest headaches of freelancing is collecting payment from your clients. However, since all of your oDesk payment transactions go through oDesk, they can assure you a weekly check for the work you’ve done and the money you are owed. Most of the work on this site tends to be web centered (IT, web design, SEO article writing), so if you have solid training, look no further.

2)      Elance: This is another great site for freelancing, and generally has a bigger variety of jobs than oDesk, ranging from web design and coding, to translation, customer service, marketing, and more. Although, it doesn’t have a guaranteed payment program like oDesk, it is also very reliable and has few problems with payments. It also offers premium placement for job bids for a fee if you want a better chance at landing the job that looks like a great opportunity.

3)      Sologig: This site is very similar to Elance and has a great selection of freelance jobs across a wide spectrum of fields and careers. Audio transcription, medical transcription, article wiring, and more are available. Sologig also has premium services you can pay extra for, but you don’t have to.

4)      Guru: Another great e-freelance site with a variety of jobs, Guru—like oDesk—offers guaranteed payment for those who are wary of potential employers who they have never met.

Things to Watch Out For

Although these sites all offer a large amount of work for a variety of jobs, they are not always the highest paying jobs. So if you are looking to get rich quick, this is not the place for you. However, don’t be discouraged. Many employers will offer a low price for initial work, but will offer steady raises and incentives if you are good at what you do. For some companies, using an e-freelance service is their way of looking for potential full-time employees.

On the other hand, be wary of employers who want you to work on spec (i.e., for free) with the promise of payment for future work. A small free sample is fine if they are really looking to simply test your abilities, but if they keep asking for free work, it’s a scam and you should refuse to do more for them until you get paid.

All in all, freelancing from home offers flexibility and a little extra income between dropping the kids off at school and making dinner—and we could always use a little extra cash.

Tagged as: freelancing, make money