There are thousands of options today for people to find a job online. You can work from home or from anywhere else in the world. You can be a digital nomad and roam the world while working online. Almost every skill set can be applied in an online scenario. Most people prefer working from home with a flexible schedule and on their own terms. We’ll give you an extensive guide with tips for freelancing and how to find a job from home. We’ll start with answering some common questions and debunking common myths and misconceptions.
Yes, you have the right skills for an online job
One of the most frequent reasons why people don’t start freelancing is that they are afraid if they don’t have the right skills for the job. The biggest misconception about online work is that you have to be a programmer or web designer. No. That’s just straight-up wrong. Like we said before, almost every skill can be applied online. Lets take construction for an example. If you are a construction worker and you want to work from home, you can do it by starting a blog. Write about what you know on your blog – give out tips and advice on construction work, review different tools, or even write about your favorite music. Once you get enough traffic on your blog you can monetize it and start getting a good income. Think outside of the box. If you have a skill that’s usually applied in the physical, real world, you can earn money by charging for giving out advice and consulting sessions to other people. If you are a programmer, a web developer or something similar, then obviously you have the right skills for most online jobs and you do have more options.
Freelancing IS legal
Another big misconception is that freelancing isn’t legal. Laws are different in different countries. One universal truth is that freelancing is legal everywhere. Contact your local government or a lawyer and ask for advice specific to your country. There are some taxes you may need to pay or you may need to register as a freelancer.
How to find a job online
It may be difficult, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find a job. There’s different methods of finding a job. The most common one is using a freelancing website, where you can register, post your CV/portfolio and apply for jobs. You can use a website like Upwork, Toptal, 99designs etc. Just do a google search on freelancing sites and you’ll find a great deal of websites for freelancers. We use Upwork and we do recommend it if you are just started freelancing.
Another way of doing it is by personally outreaching to websites and companies in your industry. For example, if you are a WordPress developer, contact every WordPress blog you can find and ask them if they are looking for a person that fits yours skill set. If you are system administrator, you can contact most hosting companies and apply for a technical support or a sysadmin job.
You don’t have to actually use a service like Upwork to do work online. Find some business owner forums, contact business owners, add them on Facebook, Skype, or whatever communicating method you want to do and agree on your own terms. That way you’ll skip the fees from another service and you can be much more flexible with your schedule.
It all boils down to trying. Apply, outreach, contact…try to find a job. Sooner or later something will come up.
