Truth is, legitimate online jobs are all around us.
And in a world of “need it now”, there are a million ways to get that cash boost you need. Places like MyPoints and Swagbucks will give you money just for signing-up and the “get paid to” places like Mturk and Transcribe Me are, well, interesting.
But here’s the thing: A lot of these so-called jobs suck.
The money is pitiful. The work is boring. The security just isn’t there.
We need some non-sucking legitimate online jobs.
And lucky for us, there are tons of real jobs out there that give you everything you need. Whether it’s a decent paycheck, flexible hours or a kid-friendly environment, they pretty much have you covered.
Cool, huh ?
Ready for the best news?
I’ve rounded up 6 of what I think are the best legitimate online jobs that don’t suck.
Let’s check them out:
Legitimate Online Jobs That Don’t Suck
#1 Social Media Strategist
Let’s face it, people love their social media. And it’s a down-right necessity for businesses if they want to get a wider reach to customers. And because there is a huge array of jobs that make up a “strategist” role, from moderating user-generated content to brand engagement, this is a fantastic job choice that will continue to boom. You get it. You’re social media savvy and you love discovering and sharing new and interesting stuff.
Some of the things you may do:
- Design and implement social media strategies
- Create Facebook and Twitter posts
- Manage banned user database
Who’s hiring:
99DollarSocial, Modsquad, ICUC, and Meet Edgar are well-known companies who frequently have openings.
Because the realm of duties for a social media strategist varies by company, you can find a job that requires nothing more that some social media experience…or a 4 year college degree. The pay ranges from $20.00 to $25.00 an hour.
#2 Onboarding Specialist
First of all, what the eF is an Onboarding Specialist?
In a nutshell, an Onboarding Specialist is someone who builds a rapport between customer and company after the relationship has begun. Kind of like a Customer Service Rep., but more “cozy” with the customer.
The result? A big-time setup for success…for all sides.
To a business, the most effective way to help all sides succeed is by hiring someone who understands the needs of the client and give them the proper training, knowledge, and support from start to finish. This is where you come in. Your ability to monitor and track progress while exercising good judgement is what you need to be an Onboarding Specialist.
Some of the things you may do:
- Apply project management strategies
- Review reporting metrics
- Gather data
- Coordinate activities
- Work with the Sales team
- Source and recruit candidates
Who’s hiring?
I see this type of work come up with Customer.io, Shomojo, Aha! (their Customer Success Specialist position is basically an Onboarding role) and Toptal, And because this job so closely resembles the typical customer service role, the companies listed in my post about inbound-calls jobs often have positions that resemble Onboarding Specialists.
This is a job that typically requires a 4-year college degree but don’t worry – it is possible to land an entry-level Onboarding Specialist position. As far as pay, I have seen the pay range be anywhere from $26,000.00 to $40,000 a year.
#3 Incoming Customer Support Specialist
I Love, love, LOVE incoming customer support jobs that can be done from home.
Why?
Three reasons:
- I hate making calls out to strangers
- There’s no quota of outbound calls that has to be met
- I might get one of those fancy titles, like Customer Happiness Hero, Happiness Engineer or Customer Success Ninja
Want to know something else?
There’s a great chance this kind of job can be done by chat and email.
This legitimate online job covers all areas of business, whether technical or non-technical. And, just like any other customer service position, your main responsibility will be to provide top-notch service to your customers. After all, you will be the first line of contact and first impressions are lasting, right?
Oh, and this is the kind of job that can gear you up for getting a BETTER remote job later on.
Some of the things you may do:
- Provide support on a client-by-client basis
- Reproduce issues as a means to resolve those issues
- Take ownership of customer issues
- Change unhappy customers into happy ones
Who’s hiring:
I see these companies with remote openings quite often: Doist, Hulu, ABC Financial, Uhaul, Hotjar, InVision, Suport.com
And these guys, hiring frequently, are mostly chat/email based service: Automattic, Deal Dash, Museum Hack, Hotjar, The Chat Shop, Shopify (Canadian company)
Expert Tip: A good way to get some experience doing email or chat support is to look through the customer support gigs on Upwork. It’s a popular resource used by a lot of small companies to hire freelance customer specialists.
I find it funny that some companies expect their Customer Support Specialists to have a four year college degree, so I try to skip over those guys. For the most part, at least 2 years previous customer support experience is needed, but some college experience may be wanted by some companies. And, of course, strong English written and spoken skills are needed. As far as pay, it varies by company but you can expect to earn anywhere from $24,000.00 to $29,000.00 a year.
#4 Online Admin. Assistant
Another job that has a huge smattering of options, an Online Admin. Assistant is someone who gets paid to tap into their everyday office skills. Some call it a Virtual Assistant, some call it a Remote VA. Whatever you want to call it you can pick and choose what your specialty is.
Think of it:
Do you handle all your family schedules…kid’s sports, Dr. appointments, family commitments ? You’re great at scheduling.
Do you know how to blog? Now there’s a thought, an Online Office Assistant who updates blogs.
Were you a bookkeeper in your past work life? Paying bills and collecting money is something every business needs.
Do you spend a lot of time on the internet ? I bet you’re good at online research.
Don’t limit yourself to these roles, though. Expand your idea base and consider being an expert in travel coordination, editing and proofreading, email management, and language translation.
Who’s Hiring:
Belay Solutions, Zirtual, Time etc., and Fancy Hands are the biggies but you can also go the freelance route buy picking up some jobs here.
The pay seems to vary, depending on who you work for (yourself or a company) but the going rate is about $14.00 an hour.
Here’s my experience on how to be an Online Administrative Assistant (aka: Virtual Assistant).
#5 ESL Instructor
OK, so I know you can read English, but can you speak it…well ?
Thought so 🙂
Online tutoring is nothing new and it gives you plenty of flexibility. But did you know you can teach non-native English speakers how to properly speak this crazy, slang-laced language? This is what we call teaching English as a second language (ESL instructor). When someone needs to learn this language they turn to their webcam, Skype, or cell phone to get the tutoring they need.
Wait, did I mention cell phone?
The newest trend in ESL Instruction is using cell phone apps. to communicate with your students. Check out Cambly and Nicetalk
Don’t want to use an app. ? GoFluent and LearnLight are reputable companies.
Depending on the company, you may need an English degree…or not. In some cases, if you speak English fluently you don’t need experience.
Cool !
And the pay ? It varies but I have found it to average about $13.50 an hour.
#6 Content Marketing Specialist
This is an interesting job and if I had to do it all over again, this would be my career choice. There is so much happening in the Content Marketing world it’s actually fun. At least I think so. And you would too if you’ve got the chops to manage, create, and publish original, high-quality content and web copy.
Ya, it’s true, this is a writing kind of job but there’s so much more to it. Because just about every company has a blog, you get to use their platform to share your creative writing side AND spread the word about all sorts of other online stuff.
The main goal: drive profitable sales and alliances.
And you can be selective in your creative channels. Something all of us who want flexibility look for.
Who’s hiring ?
Want a steady job as a Content Strategist? Check out Animalz, Aha!, Office Ninjas, Meet Edgar, Toptal, Magento, and Blogmutt.
Want something more on a freelance basis? Here are 14 places to make money writing from home.
I also recommend this job board.
The Final Word
Finding online jobs really isn’t hard – if you want to settle for whatever you can get. My hope is that by reading the above, you get something you can say doesn’t suck.