Brie Weiler Reynolds, Author at Job-Hunt

15 Remote Jobs for Retirees That Can Be Done From Home

Brie Weiler Reynolds — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 09:29:00 +0000

Many folks retiring plan to work at least part-time in retirement, and there are a variety of remote jobs that are available to support them.

For retirees who want or need to work but also want to enjoy their retirement, remote retirement jobs offer them a chance to work when, where, and how they choose.

And part-time, remote jobs allow retirees to actually enjoy retirement while bringing in additional income.

Below is a list of jobs for retirees that can be done remotely from home:

Accounting Jobs

Bookkeepers and accountants can work from home to reconcile accounts, collect past-due accounts, process payroll, upload journal entries, and more.

Career Coach Jobs

Use your experience in this remote job to work as a career coach. Coaches typically meet one-on-one with clients to provide career advice, interview tips, and review resumes.

Consulting Jobs

Another way to use your career expertise is by working as a consultant. Consultants work with companies to help them identify and solve problems and come up with new solutions or workflows.

Customer Service Representative Jobs

Customer service reps can work from home to answer calls and respond to emails. Helping customers with troubleshooting and answering questions are common tasks for this role, which is a common remote job for retirees.

Data Entry Jobs

Remote data entry jobs involve entering and updating data into a computer system. You’ll need to be tech-savvy and may need to know how to use a 10-key number pad.

Editing Jobs

Editing jobs can be a perfect role to do remotely. Editors will look over content, whether online or in print, to make corrections related to grammar, style, punctuation, and clarity.

HR Jobs

Sourcing candidates, assessing potential candidates, screening resumes, conducting phone interviews, and performing background checks are a few of the duties of an HR coordinator.

Instructional Designer Jobs

Instructional designers design and develop learning curriculum. You may need expertise in a specific industry, such as business, education, or healthcare.

Legal Assistant Jobs

Legal assistants typically handle the administrative needs of a law office and responding to client communications by email, phone, and text.

Marketing Jobs

Marketing coordinators usually develop and implement marketing campaigns, track data, maintain databases, handle social media, and more.

Online English Teacher Jobs

An online English teacher will teach English classes for children who are located in another country. Classes can be taught via video or an online learning platform.

Resume Writer Jobs

Resume writers will rewrite and edit client resumes and consult with clients using phone and email. A strong understanding of various industries and job functions is usually needed to do this job.

Teacher Jobs

Thanks to online programs, teachers can work virtually to instruct students in group or individual settings. You may need a teaching license and knowledge in a specific subject area, but this is a popular remote job for seniors because of their career experience.

Transcription Jobs

Transcription jobs involve transcribing speech or recordings into text. Attention to detail is needed, and you may need to meet a words-per-minute (WPM) typing requirement.

Travel Agent Jobs

Travel agents book and arrange flights, hotels, and transportation for individuals and businesses. You’ll need to be tech-savvy in order to learn online booking programs.

How to Find a Part-Time, Remote Job for Retirement

Try out these tips to help you find interesting, fulfilling, and fun work in your retirement:

1. Look at Working in Retirement as an Opportunity

“Instead of looking at a part-time job in retirement as a burden or a step down in a career, think about it as an opportunity to learn new things and stay current while continuing to earn a paycheck,” recommends FlexJobs CEO Sara Sutton.

2. Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back

Don’t let fear stop you from moving forward. Try taking small steps, such as gaining added skills and knowledge to give you confidence. Volunteer work and online courses can help you add to your skill set.

3. Simplify Your Job Search

Looking for remote work can be full of scams. FlexJobs has a team of researchers who scout and verify all the jobs on the site. Using FlexJobs for your retirement job search means you’ll stay safe and have access to only real remote opportunities while streamlining your efforts.

Are you looking for a remote, work-from-home, or flexible job? Visit FlexJobs to find verified jobs in many different categories, including public relations jobs, online writing jobs, proofreading jobs from home, and more.

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How Does a Remote Job Work?

Brie Weiler Reynolds — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 14:59:00 +0000

Office-based work has been the norm for so long that we all pretty much understand how that works.

Commuting. Start and end times. Schedules. Benefits and perks. These are widely held norms in office-based jobs, but how does all of this work when you work remotely?

Here’s what you need to know about how a remote job works:

1. There’s No One Way to Work Remotely

Each company will have its own specific requirements, rules, and standards for remote work. Because each company designs its remote work program differently, each part of a remote worker’s day may be different depending on where they work.

You can learn a lot by carefully reading a remote job description to find out if the employer has set schedules or flexible hours, if it provides equipment, and so on.

Also, ask about the company’s approach to remote work during job interviews to get even more details, and research the company on sites like FlexJobs or Remote.co to learn about its remote work program.

2. Most Remote Jobs Require Workers to Be Based in a Certain Location

According to FlexJobs’ remote job data, about 95% of remote job listings require a worker to be based in a certain location. That means only 5% of remote jobs are true “work-from-anywhere” jobs.

The most common reasons for requiring remote workers to be based in a certain location, like a state, country, region, or time zone, include legal and tax issues, professional licensing, on-site training or meetings, travel requirements, or to be close to clients.

3. Some Remote Jobs Have Set Schedules, and Some Are Flexible

When it comes to schedules, some remote jobs require you to work during “business hours,” during “core hours,” or according to your own schedule.

Business hours might differ from company to company. For example, this could be the standard 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or a bit different.

Core hours are usually a block of three to four hours midday when most workers will be working. This way, you’re guaranteed to have some overlapping work time with your coworkers.

Another option is a completely flexible schedule, where you set your own hours. Your only requirement in these situations is to work a certain number of hours each week.

4. Remote Workers Are Often Responsible for Their Own Technology

There are four ways remote workers get technology and equipment for their home offices:

A company may have remote workers use their own equipment, provided it meets certain specifications (for example, a certain internet speed, a landline phone, or a laptop that is no more than four years old).
A company may have remote workers use whatever equipment they have on hand, as long as it can get the job done.
A company may provide specific equipment (laptops, headsets, etc.) for its remote workers to use.
A company may provide a stipend to help remote workers purchase new equipment on their own.

5. Remote Jobs Provide Pay Benefits Like Any Other Job

Remote jobs are subject to the same laws regarding the provision of benefits that traditional brick-and-mortar companies abide by. So, if a company provides its in-office employees with health insurance, 401(k) plans, vacation and sick time, and other similar benefits, those benefits should be available to the remote employees as well.

The only difference is in whether a remote worker is an employee or a freelancer. Freelance remote workers are always responsible for their own benefits.

For more benefits information, an article from The Balance about the types of employee benefits and perks does a great job breaking down which benefits employers are required to provide to employees, including remote employees, and when.

There are specific rules and regulations for each type of benefit, like COBRA, disability, family and medical leave, minimum wage, overtime, unemployment, and workers’ compensation, so be sure to read about each benefit to see what an employer may be required to provide.

6. Remote Employees Get Paid the Same Way as In-Office Workers

Depending on whether you’re part-time or full-time, as a remote employee, you’ll be paid either by salary or by the hour, just like in an on-site job.

Again, the only difference comes with freelancing. As a freelancer, you may be paid by the hour, by the project, or by retainer, depending on how you and your clients agree to your payment structure.

Similar Structures, Unique Designs

As you’ve probably noticed, remote jobs are structured very similarly to traditional, in-office jobs. However, each company designs its own remote work program, so each remote job will be different in some ways.

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Top Work From Home, Remote and Online Jobs

Brie Weiler Reynolds — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:49 +0000

As you might have noticed among your own friends and acquaintances, the number of people with work from home jobs has grown quite a lot in recent years.

Of course, we have seen a dramatic increase as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic as large employers like Google, Apple, Twitter, Facebook, American Express, Nationwide Insurance, and many others move work out of corporate offices, at least temporarily.

Analysis of the latest U.S. Census data by FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics finds that the number of people working from home, also called working remotely or telecommuting, increased 159% between 2005 and 2017.

Below find a list of the top fields that have seen an increase of more than 50% in remote jobs posted since March 1, 2020.

Even more interesting are the details about who, when, where, and what people are doing in the remote work space.

In this overview, you will learn about who is working remotely, the most common types of remote jobs, and the top companies that hire remote workers. We will end by discussing how you can work from home, too.

Who Is Working From Home?

First, let’s look at who is working remotely.

The 159% increase in remote workers since 2005 measures employees who work from home at least half-time, which is about 4.7 million people in the U.S., up from 3.9 million in 2015.

This does not even include the number of employees working remotely less than half-time, people with a remote side hustle, freelancers who work from home, or solo business owners. The truth is that the number of people who work remotely is much larger than 3.9 million.

Assumption: It’s often thought that remote workers are mostly young people with digital nomad jobs working for start-up companies, and usually making less money than in an office job. But the truth is far from that.

Reality: The average remote worker is 46 years or older, has at least a bachelor’s degree, and earns a higher median salary than an in-office worker, according to the 2017 State of Telecommuting in the U.S. report which is also based on U.S. Census data.

Remote work is more common among employees over 35 years of age and most common among baby boomers.

And as further proof of remote work’s growth, the report found that in more than half of the top U.S. metro areas telecommuting exceeds public transportation as the commute option of choice. It has grown far faster than any other commute mode.

The Most Common Work From Home Fields

In some cases, the types of jobs that allow people to work from home are what you might expect, but there are some surprising fields offering remote work as well.

These top career fields for remote work have increased more than 50% since March 1, 2020:

Computer and IT
Customer Service
Accounting and Finance
Project Management
Marketing
Sales
Mortgage and Real Estate

And these are only seven out of 55 career fields reporting remote job listings, so there are definitely many opportunities outside of these top fields.

The Most Common Work From Home Job Titles

What specific types of jobs can be done from home? There’s a huge variety of jobs you can do remotely, but these are some of the most common job titles offering remote work options:

Accountant
Engineer
Teacher / Faculty / Tutor / Instructor
Writer
Consultant
Program Manager
Project Manager
Customer Service Representative
Business Development Manager
Account Manager / Account Executive
Recruiter
Sales Representative
Web Developer
Medical Coder
Territory Sales Manager
Nurse
Data Analyst
Editor
Case Manager
UX/UI Designer

Here’s a list of popular job searches.

These include both employee and freelance roles, and offer full-time jobs or part-time remote jobs and other flexible work options.

When looking for remote work, one important thing to keep in mind is that scams are unfortunately prevalent in the work-from-home job space. Job-Hunt’s list of five major types of online job scams is a good place to learn more so you can steer clear and find legitimate opportunities.

Employers Hiring People to Work From Home

As you might expect by now, the types of companies that hire people to work remotely are just as varied as the jobs that can be done this way. FlexJobs compiles a continually updated list of top companies hiring for work from home jobs out of over 54,000 companies.

The list includes companies from 18 different industries headquartered in 10 different countries worldwide. These jobs may be “100% remote work,” partial remote work,” or “option for remote work.”

Here are the top 20:

Appen
Lionbridge
VIPKID
Liveops
Working Solutions
Kelly Services
EF – Education First
SYKES
Concentrix
Williams-Sonoma
UnitedHealth Group
LanguageLine Solutions
TTEC
TranscribeMe
Humana
Cactus Communications
Transcom
BroadPath Healthcare Solutions
Dell
Aetna

Other well-known organizations on the Top 100 list include Amazon, Hilton, SAP, ADP, U.S. Department of Commerce, Cisco, Salesforce, CVS Health, American Express, and Johnson & Johnson. Rounding out the top 100 are many other companies large and small.

**Can You Work from Home?**

If you’re reading this article, you’re probably wondering whether you could work from home (if you’re not already working that way).

Does Your Current Job Qualify?

For anyone who wonders whether his or her current job can be done from home, evaluate your situation by answering these questions:

Does anyone else on my team, in my department, or even at the company work from home regularly?
Does my manager seem open to flexible work options like remote work?
Are there any company or HR policies related to remote or flexible work? Is there a formal request process or does it seem more casual?
What would this actually look like for me? How often would I like to work from home?
How would I work from home? What about creating a home office space, managing the people I live with, and communicating with my team? What do I already have that would make it successful, and what do I need?

Hopefully, you could do your current job from home. But, if you might need a change…

How to Find a Work-From-Home Remote Job

If you’re looking for a new job that lets you work remotely, here’s how to start your search:

Research the types of jobs you are qualified for and would enjoy to see if they often offer remote work options. Sites like FlexJobs.com and Remote.co are a good place to start your research for both jobs and companies that commonly let people work from home
Revise your resume to include any previous remote work experience you might have (occasionally or often, paid or unpaid, school or work). Also include your best skills for remote work (written and verbal communication, time and task management, working independently, being a good self-manager, and having a growth mindset).
Start talking to friends, family, and professional acquaintances about remote work. You’ll be surprised how many people you know are already working this way. Ask them how they started working remotely and what tips or advice they have for your search.

If you are considering working from home, do some research, find out companies’ policies, and develop a plan to land the right remote job for you. You can also explore other ways to earn money at home.

The Bottom Line

Remote work has made the transition from a nice perk to a standard way of working. Working from home is becoming increasingly popular with no signs that the popularity will decline in the near future. Considering the options available — working as a “remote” or “telecommuting” employee, as an independent contractor with clients, or as a business owner running a business –the growth in working from home is much more likely to grow as time passes.

Are you looking for a remote, work-from-home, or flexible job? Visit our partner site FlexJobs to find verified jobs in many different categories, including communications jobs, remote bookkeeping jobs, social media jobs, commission jobs, web jobs, designer jobs, physics jobs, agriculture jobs, HTML jobs, and more.

More About Work From Home Jobs:

About the author…

Brie Weiler Reynolds is the Senior Career Specialist and Career Coach at FlexJobs.com. FlexJobs is the award-winning site for telecommuting and flexible jobs, listing thousands of pre-screened, legitimate, and professional-level work-from-home, flexible schedule, part-time, and freelance jobs. Brie and her colleagues provide career coaching and resume reviews through the FlexJobs Career Coaching program. Find Brie on LinkedIn and follow @briewreynolds on Twitter.
More about this author…

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How to Find High-Quality Gigs and Freelance Jobs

Brie Weiler Reynolds — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:48 +0000

Whether you’re a seasoned freelancer or just starting out with contract work, the freelance job market can be a challenge to navigate when you are getting started.

One major reason is that there isn’t an easy-to-recognize definition of freelancing or freelance jobs.

The language often gets intermingled with other forms of work like that found in work-from-home, temping, and sharing.

While those aspects of the job market are similar to freelance work, they’re not exactly the same.

So, if you’re in the market for high-quality, professional-level freelance work, where should you focus your attention and energy?

In this article, we’ll go over leveraging your network to find and grow your client base plus the different types of freelance job sites, their pros and cons, and what freelancers should look out for when searching for freelance jobs.

Reach Out to Your Past Employers and Networking Contacts

What’s one of the best sources of freelance work? Past employers!

If you’ve ended your previous employment on good terms, and you maintain a decent networking relationship with the people you used to work with, it’s worth it to reach out and offer your freelance services to former employers.

They already know what you’re capable of, and they may have some projects that could use your expertise.

Pitch Yourself to Potential New Clients

While you’ll find a good amount of opportunity in online job ads and with previous employers, it’s also important to pitch yourself to new clients.

As a freelancer, your success is based on growing and deepening your client base. Clean up your professional online image, create a simple website, blog, or portfolio, and start reaching out to potential clients. They might be local businesses, companies you find through online research, or connections you have in common with your current network.

Leverage LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media carefully and professionally. Be visible, making your expertise visible, but protecting your online reputation. As employers are recruiters research job candidates, so do employers who are in the market to hire freelancers

3 Types of Job Sites to Find Freelance Work

Job sites can be helpful for finding freelance work, which surprises many people.

1. “Big Box” Job Sites

These are the “one size fits all” job boards that list millions of open jobs, including both freelance and employee jobs.

While it can be nice to find all sorts of listings in one place, it can also be overwhelming. And because it’s fairly easy for employers to post jobs to these sites, it’s also easy for scammers to post fake positions.

2. “Task” Job Sites

These sites do have a lot of freelance jobs, but they probably aren’t the professional-level jobs you’re interested in. Instead, they are quick tasks ranging from helping someone pack their house for a move, to mowing a lawn, to decorating for a birthday party.

Most claim to help you find a job in minutes, but only if you’re looking for quick, one-time projects involving chores and related tasks.

3. “Niche” Job Sites

Now we’re getting to the good stuff. There are thousands of smaller, niche job sites that cater to a specific group of people to help them find jobs.

Niche job sites might focus on people of a certain profession, location, age, job flexibility, or job status — including freelance jobs. These smaller sites won’t have millions of listings, but they’ll probably have more jobs you’ll actually want to see.

What to Look for to Find High-Quality Freelance Jobs

Without a strategy, you’ll be overwhelmed with options. Follow these steps to focus your attention where you have the greatest likelihood of success.

Narrow Your Search Parameters

Most job search websites will have an option to narrow your search results by selecting “freelance” or “contract” in the search criteria. Other keywords and search options to look for include:

Project
One-time
Temporary
Occasional

As you gain experience, note the keyword searches that work best for you.

The Bottom Line

On the one hand, there are more resources than ever before to find freelance work. But on the other, all those resources mean it’s easy to feel weighed down by the possibilities. Don’t let yourself get stuck.

If you want to find high-quality freelance work, start by looking for niche job boards that cater to freelancers, or to your profession, or even to your location. Reach out to your networking contacts to drum up new business, and create a bucket list of companies you’d like to do freelance work for—then send them a great pitch.

As a freelancer, you’ve got a lot to offer in terms of expertise, time, and attention. More companies are valuing the work that can be done by freelancers.

The key to finding those high-quality opportunities is to focus your search and put yourself out there as a trusted freelance professional who companies will want to hire.

More About Contracting/Freelancing:

About the author…

Brie Weiler Reynolds is the Senior Career Specialist and Career Coach at FlexJobs.com. FlexJobs is the award-winning site for remote jobs and flexible jobs, listing thousands of pre-screened, legitimate, and professional-level work-from-home, flexible schedule, part-time, and freelance jobs. Brie and her colleagues provide career coaching and resume reviews through the FlexJobs Career Coaching program. Find Brie on LinkedIn and follow @briewreynolds on Twitter.
More about this author…

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Is Freelance Consultant Your Next Career?

Brie Weiler Reynolds — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:48 +0000

Consulting is one of those career field buzzwords that is a bit vague and undefined.

It sounds as though almost anyone can start a career as a consultant, but what does that mean, exactly? And how do people typically get started as freelance consultants?

To begin, let’s define what consulting is, and who typically does it. It’s a vague word because of what it describes:

Essentially, consultants are people with particular areas of expertise, and they’re found in almost every career field. Freelance consultants are hired by companies and organizations to tackle problems and provide solutions.

They might help map out a company’s next strategic market move, or assist in figuring out a shift in the company’s operating processes to make them more productive or streamlined.

Simply put, consultants provide an outsider’s perspective to help companies and organizations in their particular area of expertise.

Is Freelance Consulting Right for You?

Wondering if you’ve reached that point in your own career? Ask yourself these questions:

Do I enjoy being relied on by other people in a professional capacity?
What is my area of expertise, or which subject(s) would I feel comfortable consulting on?
Am I naturally prone to helping teach people, or guide people, through processes and information that I understand better than they?
Do I have any certifications or qualifications that set me apart from other people in my field?
Do I have a network of people through which I might find consulting work?
Is influencing other people and providing my professional opinion something I enjoy?
Am I ready to be responsible for my own business, including taxes, invoicing, benefits, and finding a steady stream of income to support myself and/or my family or dependents?

If you answered yes to most of the questions above, freelance consulting might be a good possibility for you. Your next step is to choose the best route for you to take to launch your new career.

4 Routes to Your Freelance Consulting Business

Depending on a person’s needs, both personal and professional, each of these routes has merits and downsides:

1. Build up a resume as a traditional employee, and then go solo as a full-time freelance consultant.

Rosetta Thurman, president of Thurman Consulting, took this route when she started feeling that her full-time job just wasn’t challenging enough.

“What helped was that before I even submitted my resignation letter, I had already secured two contracts that provided a guaranteed stream of work for a defined amount of time,” she explained in the IdealistCareers.org article, “Why I quit my full-time job to start a new career as a consultant.”

2. Take on freelance clients while working full-time.

Jess Eddy, a user experience consultant based in New York City, explains that when she was still working full-time, she started picking up freelance clients on the side.

“I had a chance to really strut my stuff and take everything I’ve learned and try to do it myself. It was tiring but it gave me the chance to walk before running. To test what it was like to work with clients but also have my very big safety net of a full-time job,” she wrote in the blog on her website JessEddy.com.

3. Decide to shift your professional life, leaving a full-time position for part-time or occasional consulting work.

When Heather A. decided to go back to work after being a stay-at-home mom for over two years, she knew she didn’t want a full-time work schedule.

As she described, “I was not ready to work full-time out of the house in a demanding job, like I had prior to becoming a parent,” said Heather. Instead, she found three freelance, part-time jobs she could do from home.

4. Go to work for a consulting firm (either as a contractor or an employee).

This is a fairly common track for recent college graduates who join major consultancy operations in fields like accounting and finance, or business operations, but it’s an option for professionals at all levels. In each industry, there are specialized consulting firms, so conduct research to find which of those hire people with your skills and background.

The Basic Requirements for Freelance Consulting

As you can see, people get into the freelance consulting business in a number of different ways, but the common thread is this:

Freelance consulting becomes a viable career option once a professional decides they have the expertise, experience, knowledge, skills, and connections to consult.

In reading a variety of people’s stories on how they started freelance consulting, one theme became clear:

People who decide to become consultants feel a real passion for their subject of expertise. They are excited to help people and businesses with the knowledge they have and the passion they’ve cultivated.

If you’re already feeling that sense of excitement and continuous curiosity in your own expertise area, you might just have the makings of a freelance consulting career.

More About Contracting/Freelancing:

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The Top 10 Career Fields for Freelance Jobs and Gigs

Brie Weiler Reynolds — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:48 +0000

Freelancing is one of those career moves we often hear about people making, but many of us aren’t quite sure what it means or whether freelancing is a good option for us, too.

In this article, we tackle one aspect of the freelance world — which career fields are the most compatible with freelance work — by examining the top career fields for freelance and gig jobs.

As reported on Fast Company, researchers at FlexJobs.com analyzed job posting data over a period of four months to determine which career fields had the most freelance jobs posted during that timeframe.

Top 10 Fields for Freelance Jobs

Out of thousands of job listings, and from over 50 career fields, it was determined that these were the 10 career fields with the most freelance opportunities:

Computer and IT
Administrative
Accounting and finance
Customer service
Software development
Medical and health
Project management
Research
Writing
Education and training

Common Freelance Jobs in the Top 10 Fields

In looking at the top 10, some fields are well-known for their acceptance of freelance workers (computer and IT, software development, project management), but other fields are more surprising (education and training, medical and health, customer service). In each of these fields, a variety of freelance jobs are available.

When it comes to computer and software-related freelance jobs, titles like developer, engineer, desktop support, systems analyst, and quality assurance tester are commonly listed as freelance jobs.
In the administrative and customer service fields, freelance jobs like customer service representative, administrative assistant, human resources coordinator, accounts clerk, support specialist, and paralegal are listed regularly.
Accounting and finance, as you might guess is a career field with a fair amount of accountant, financial analyst, financial specialist, and regulatory analyst freelance job listings.
And project management freelance jobs (almost all with the titles of project manager or project coordinator) are found at companies large and small, in a variety of industries.
If you have a way with words, freelance writers are hired to craft content like how-to guides, technical manuals and documents, expert tips and advice, news, classroom curricula, social media messages, and other types of copy for print and digital media.
Education/training, medical/health, and research are three fields that aren’t as well-known for their freelance opportunities. In education, common freelance jobs include teacher, assessment consultant, instructor, lesson writer, and instructional designer.
Freelance medical and research jobs are found with titles like research assistant, scientist, medical manager, clinical research associate, quality risk manager, and case manager.

When you are looking for opportunities, use these job titles for your searches. Also use these job titles, as appropriate, in your LinkedIn Profile (like your LinkedIn Professional Headline).

How to Land a Freelance Job

Whether you’re interested in freelancing on the side, or starting a full-fledged career in contract work, here are some specific tips to get started. And you’ll find even more tips for discovering high-quality freelance job listings here.

1. First, assess your skills, experiences, and expertise areas.

Most employers want to hire freelancers because they can hit the ground running and get up to speed quickly.

Depending on your career background, you may be qualified for several different kinds of freelance roles, so do a self-audit to determine where your strengths and expertise lie.

2. Next, start looking at freelance job listings to learn how to market yourself.

Pay attention to what the employers need, and how they describe the qualifications they’re seeking. Then, make sure your professional presence conveys all of the qualifications you meet.

On your LinkedIn profile, resume, online portfolio or simple website — basically everywhere that an employer might research you, tell the same story about your skills and qualifications.

3. Start Applying!

As seasoned freelancers will tell you, you can’t be hired for freelance work without putting yourself out there.

While some people have clients who come directly to them for work, the vast majority are pitching themselves and applying to freelance jobs on a regular basis — at least initially.

Every freelancer gets rejected, and most experience rejection regularly enough to become fairly used to it, which is a good thing. The more you put yourself out there as a qualified freelance professional, the more jobs you’ll land.

The Bottom Line on Freelance Jobs and Gigs

Knowing the most common career fields for freelance jobs can be helpful in pinpointing your search for freelance jobs. But don’t let yourself be trapped into these 10 fields alone. The top 10 were determined from over 55 career fields, and all of them offered some level of freelance work. That means if your path doesn’t clearly lie in one of these 10, you still have a lot of opportunity in which to find your freelance success.

More About Contracting and Freelancing:

About the author…

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Getting Started as a Freelancer / Contractor

Brie Weiler Reynolds — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:48 +0000

If you’re considering freelance work, you are not alone.

It’s estimated that over 55 million professionals in the U.S. are freelancers, according to data from FreelancersUnion.org, a number that grows every year.

And that work can take many forms — from being a full-time freelancer to working side gigs and occasional projects.

But if you’re new to freelancing, where should you begin? How do you figure out what you’d be good doing as a freelancer, how do you find paying jobs, and what do you need to know about freelancing and self-employment before you get started?

Let’s dive into each of these topics.

Figuring Out Your Freelance Focus

Perhaps the most obvious step towards freelancing is to figure out what you actually want to do as a freelancer.

Freelance jobs are offered for practically any career field imaginable.

This means there are many options to choose from, but that variety can be overwhelming. Start by asking yourself a few questions to pinpoint where your freelance talents are.

Consider:

In my current — or recent — work, what tasks or projects have I most enjoyed?
Where do I feel my strongest skills are?
Do I have any particular area of expertise?
What are people always asking for my help with?
What work do I enjoy most?

When you have identified your interests and strengths, you will be able to focus your efforts, increasing your probability of success and work satisfaction.

The Most Common Freelance Career Fields

Freelancers generally choose a niche area where they are most effective — where they feel confident in their ability to do the work.

The most popular freelance career fields are marketing, web and software development, accounting, teaching and tutoring, and graphic design jobs.

Other common freelance careers include project management, writing, social media, data entry, proofreading, consulting, and research.

Freelance jobs can be full-time or part-time, long-term or short-term, and in all levels, from entry-level to executive. Even if your area of expertise or field of interest isn’t listed here, keep researching to find potential opportunities.

[For more options, read the Freelance and Contractor Fields and Industries article.]

How to Find Paying Freelance Jobs

The Internet has certainly made the dive into freelance work a bit easier for professionals.

Job search websites will typically allow you to narrow your search criteria by selecting “freelance” or “contract” as a job type.

There are also job search sites like FlexJobs.com dedicated to freelancers, where you’ll find many contract listings. It’s extremely important to review each job search site you use before diving in too deeply. If you use a job board, make sure they list quality, legitimate jobs, have a job screening process, and protect you from job scams.

Other options for locating freelance work include:

Your current and past employers to see if they need any projects completed.
Contacts in your professional network who know of freelance projects at their companies or through their own contacts.
Potential new clients who might be a good fit for what you have to offer.

[For more information, read Landing Freelance Jobs: How to Market Yourself.]

Determining Your Freelance Pay Rate

One of the concerns people have when they start freelancing is finding jobs that pay well enough. There are plenty of scary stories floating around the Internet about freelancers who’ve been offered very low rates for too much work.

When you’re first starting out, it can be difficult to determine where to spend your job search efforts and to figure out how much you might get paid.

One option is to do some math related to your current pay, particularly if you’re going to freelance in the same field as your job.
- Crunch your current salary’s numbers to figure out much you’re making now by the hour, the project, the month, and the year.
- Don’t use your take-home salary for your calculations. Be sure to use the “gross” number before all the deductions for taxes and also add the total cost of benefits like insurance which you will be paying yourself as a freelancer.
Research other freelancers doing the same kind of work to see if you can learn what they charge.
You can also use sites like Payscale.com and Salary.com to see hourly and yearly salary information for a huge variety of fields.

The resulting numbers won’t be exact, but these numbers will give you a baseline. And, remember, the “market value” of your services may be much higher than your salary, particularly if you have a rare specialty that is in demand. Or, it may be lower if many people with the same skill level are competing with you for the same clients.

If you’re going to start freelancing in a field different than what you’ve been paid to do in the past, look at current job ads in that field. Whether they’re for employee or freelance roles, any jobs that list a salary range or hourly rate will give you some idea of where your own rate might be.

Or, use some of the freelance rate calculators found on the web to determine your rates. YourRate.co is a very simple calculator, while Motivapp.com’s Free Hourly Rate Calculator is much more complex. BeeWits.com Hourly Rate Calculator is somewhere in the middle.

[Read Managing Your Finances as a Freelancer/Contractor for more information.]

The Basics of Self-Employment as a Freelancer

Some people don’t realize this, so in case you didn’t make the connection, being a freelancer is very much the same as being self-employed.

You are your own business, and should think in those terms in order to find success as a freelancer.

Consider some of these basic points as you head down the path towards freelancing:

Freelancers set their own hours and keep track of their own administrative tasks like expense receipts, appointment scheduling, computer/technology issues, invoicing/billing clients, and paying appropriate employment-related taxes.
Depending on the nature of their work, freelancers may want to incorporate in order to protect personal assets from liability.
Freelancers also have to become comfortable marketing themselves and their services to potential clients, and forming and maintaining client relationships.

Finding an accountant you trust can help to answer many of your questions related to becoming a freelancer. And there are many online communities for freelancers in every field: the Freelancers Union and the Freelance Writers Den, for example. Research to find support networks as you venture into this new way of working.

[Read Is Freelancing Your Future Career? for more information about the potential benefits of freelancing.]

Bottom Line

Freelance work can be a freeing, independent way to work if approached the right way. As you prepare to start freelancing, either as a side gig or as a new career entirely, research your particular field to find the best niche resources available to you.

More Information:

“Freelancing in America, a National Survey of the New Workforce” – the Freelancer Union study
Landing Freelance Jobs: How to Market Yourself
Evaluating Freelancing as a Business
How Contracting Battles Unemployment
Freelance/Contractor Fields and Industries

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Why Smart Professionals Are Considering Gigs / Freelancing

Brie Weiler Reynolds — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:48 +0000

Working on “gigs” or freelancing is a growing trend—there’s no denying it.

About one third of all U.S. workers are freelancers right now, and that number is predicted to grow to more than 40 percent of all workers by 2020, according to a study by Intuit.

But, if you’re interested in testing the waters or growing a freelance career, it’s difficult to know what you’re getting into.

Let’s take a look at why freelancing is growing, and what that means for all professionals.

The Freelance Economy Is Growing

As with most shifts in how we work, there are several factors feeding into the growth in freelancers over the last several years. Individual professionals have different reasons for working as freelancers, and companies have their own motivations for hiring more freelance workers.

These are some of the top reasons for the increase in freelance participation:

Changing Generations

Part of freelancing’s growth comes from a generational shift.

According to a report by FreelancersUnion.org, 38 percent of millennials are freelancing, compared to 32 percent of those over 35 years old.

A survey conducted by FlexJobs.com found that 39 percent of millennials want to be freelancers. And 33 percent would ideally choose to work part-time for a company while doing freelance work on the side.

The 2015 Millennial Majority Workforce Study by Upwork found that 79 percent of millennials would consider quitting their current job to freelance. As more millennials, who are already the largest generation at work today, enter the workforce, it appears likely that freelancing will continue to rise.

Changing Work Priorities

While this trend is also somewhat driven by millennials, it also appears that all generations are undergoing a transformation in terms of how they prioritize work and life.

A FlexJobs.com survey of over 2,600 professionals searching for flexible work found that their top motivators included better work-life balance and family needs.

People are even willing to give up traditional work incentives, like pay and benefits, to get flexible work options. Thirty percent of respondents said they would take a 10 percent or 20 percent cut in pay. And 24 percent are willing to forfeit vacation time.

That pairs well with freelancing, where professionals are in charge of their own salaries and benefits. People seem less hesitant to try freelancing, even though it doesn’t come with built-in healthcare coverage or vacation time.

The Potential for Better Pay and Easier Hiring

The FreelancersUnion.org study also found that 77 percent of freelancers make the same or more money than they did before they started freelancing.

In addition, it appears that freelancers are fairly optimistic about their chances of getting hired. Thirty-one percent of freelancers said they can find a gig online in less than 24 hours.

What the Growing Gig/Freelance World Means for Professionals

People who are in the market for a new job might want to consider gigs/freelancing.

Hiring managers are reporting plans to hire more freelance workers over the next several years. And certain professionals are particularly in-demand when it comes to gigs.

For anyone interested in a freelance career, or even freelancing on the side, it’s important to research the possibilities and pitfalls.

More Companies Will Hire Freelancers

The survey by Field Nation and Future Workplace also found that freelancing hiring is projected to rise through 2020. Thirty-three percent of companies estimated that they’ll hire 10 to 30 percent more freelancers in 2018. And when asked about their plans through 2020, 60 percent of companies surveyed said they planned to hire more freelancers.

Certain Career Fields Have More Freelance Jobs

Current freelance hiring trends show that companies are hiring for freelancers from several key career fields. Fast Company reported on the top ten career fields for freelancers, with data from FlexJobs.com.

Professionals in any of the following fields will find more freelance opportunities than in other fields:

Check out Freelance/Contractor Fields and Industries for a list of fields for all kinds of contractors.

The Most In-Demand Skills Are Evolving

In the same article, it was noted that some skillsets are far more in-demand than previously. Demand for “content marketing” skills is up 136 percent year over year. Knowledge of “user experience design” has risen 141 percent, virtual assistants saw an increase of 53 percent, and electrical engineering jobs are up 51 percent.

Freelancers Are Self-Employed

Much like running your own business, anyone who becomes a freelancer also becomes responsible for their own business expenses, taxes, invoicing, and client relationship management.

Managing those aspects of being a freelancer is different from being an employee who collects a paycheck with taxes already deducted. It’s a change of mindset plus added responsibilities.

Learn more about this aspect of freelancing: Getting Started in Gigs/Freelancing, Managing Your Finances Doing Gigs and Freelancing, and How Do Freelancers Get Paid? A Guide to Rates, Invoices and More.

Freelancers Must Educate Themselves

Unlike in a traditional work environment, where managers may provide insight into the skills professionals should develop, the conferences they should attend, or the industry knowledge they should acquire, freelancers must rely on themselves for advanced education.

For those interested in freelancing, it’s vital to stay current on industry trends, technical skills, career field networking opportunities, free and paid learning options.

Any specialties or niche expertise areas developed along the way will help freelancers to stand out from the pack of growing, enthusiastic professionals.

The Bottom Line

Freelance/gig work as a career is growing and, for professionals, that might mean venturing into the gig arena whether or not they intend to. There are a number of potential benefits and downsides to freelancing, so learn as much as possible about freelancing before making the leap. And know that there will be plenty of company if and when you do.

More About Contracting/Freelancing:

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Remote Jobs in Retirement: What You Need to Know

Brie Weiler Reynolds — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:48 +0000

When it comes to working in retirement, flexibility is the name of the game.

According to a paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the number one perk older workers want is flexibility.

Over thirty percent of people would keep working past age 70 if they had flexible work options. Without those options? Only 17% say they’d keep working.

If you’d like to work well into retirement but would prefer to work from home rather than commute to an office, you’re not alone.

Across all age groups, the top flexible work option desired by professionals at all levels is remote work, according to a FlexJobs survey of more than 7,000 professionals.

And because remote work has grown so much — 91% in the last 10 years — there are more opportunities than ever to continue your career from the comfort of home.

But how, exactly, does one go about starting to work from home? There are so many ways to approach remote work in retirement, so let’s break down all the options.

Types of Remote Work for Retirees

Remote work can be found in two main forms: traditional employee jobs with full- or part-time schedules and freelance or contract jobs. Let’s define what each of those look like.

Employee Jobs with Full- or Part-Time Schedules

In a remote job where you’re an employee, you’re treated just as you would be if you worked in an office for an employer. The pay would come in the form of an hourly rate or salary with regular pay schedules.

Whether you’re working remotely in a professional career field like finance, or something more scaled down like part-time retail (yes, remote retail jobs do exist!) you will likely be working as part of a team.

Depending on the scope of the job and the size of the employer, you may be eligible for benefits like health insurance and paid vacation time. The main difference between this and a more traditional on-site employee role is only your location, since you’d be working from home.

Freelance and Contract Remote Jobs

The terms “freelance” and “contract” are used interchangeably, along with 1099, consultant, and other related words to mean that you’re essentially working for yourself as a business-of-one, taking on projects from clients which are often companies. Remote work has opened up the option of freelancing to many people who otherwise might not have tried it.

Being a freelancer means you control your hours, your clients, your projects, and your work environment. But you’re also responsible for paying employment taxes, sorting out your own business expenses, and providing your own health insurance, vacation time, and other benefits.

Also, as a freelancer, you may be paid for completing a project, rather than an hourly rate, so income does not always come in on a reliable schedule. There’s a lot of freedom in freelancing, but also a lot of added responsibility.

Finding Remote Employee or Freelance Jobs

Remote jobs come in a huge variety of forms.

Seven of the fastest growing remote job fields in 2020 include:

Art and creative
Bookkeeping
Internet and ecommerce
K-12 education
Graphic design
Translation
Math and economics

Each of these categories saw remote job listings grow more than 40% this year.

The 10 most common remote job titles are:

Accountant
Engineer (civil, mechanical, electrical, etc.)
Teacher or faculty
Writer, consultant
Program manager
Project manager
Customer service representative
Business development manager
Account manager or executive.

And the companies hiring the most remote workers come from a huge variety of industries such as:

Computer and IT
Medical and health
Sales
Education and training
Customer service
Accounting and finance
Human resources

Some of the more well-known remote-friendly companies are:

UnitedHealth Group
Williams-Sonoma
Intuit
Amazon
Hilton
Salesforce
Johnson & Johnson

Whether you want to be an employee or a freelancer as a remote worker (or you might be open to either scenario), there are two main ways to find remote jobs.

Online Searching

Job search websites specializing in remote work have become more common. Sites like FlexJobs and Remote.co focus on professional-level remote jobs that are offered after a typical job application process. Upwork and Fiverr offer very short-term freelance project work and quick jobs in a bidding-style platform. For a full list of online sources for remote work, the training platform, Skillcrush, offers a list of the 25+ Best Sites for Finding Remote Work, which is updated annually.

Previous Employers

Some people have success reaching out to former employers and professional contacts to inquire about opportunities to contribute in a remote capacity. It’s worth reaching out via LinkedIn or email to inquire about projects that need additional support, or if there’s the chance to fill in for someone who’s on leave or an extended vacation.

It’s also worth staying connected to professional associations or groups you have been a part of during your career. Personal connections are often involved in landing a job of any sort, including remote jobs.

Applying for Remote Jobs

Resumes and cover letters for remote jobs should address a few key points (in addition to your qualifications for the actual job) to demonstrate that you’d be a productive, trustworthy remote worker.

Previous Remote Experience

If you have ever worked remotely before, even occasionally, note that on your resume and in your cover letters. This also includes if you have worked a lot at a distance from other folks. For example, you may have worked in a different location from team members, relying primarily on phone, email, and web conferencing to collaborate and accomplish your work.

Remote-Friendly Skills

Employers also want to hire remote workers who have outstanding written and verbal communication skills, especially across phone, email, online chat or instant messenger, and other digital mediums. Other skills that make you stand out as a trustworthy remote worker are time and task management, the ability to focus, and being comfortable with technology and basic troubleshooting.

Digital Communication Tools

On your resume, include a Technical Skills section that lists any digital platforms you’re familiar with. GoToMeeting, Slack, Google Drive (Docs, Sheets, Slides), Zoom, and Skype are some of the most popular tools used by remote companies. This section should also list programs and digital services you’re familiar with such as Microsoft Office Suite, Salesforce, computer programming languages, and anything else that shows you’re technologically savvy and up to date.

The Bottom Line:

Because it provides people with the chance to stay professionally active and earn an income without having to commute to an office, remote work is increasingly a good option for working in retirement.

Are you looking for a remote, work-from-home, or flexible job? Visit our partner site FlexJobs to find verified jobs in many different categories, including remote project manager jobs, interior design jobs, typing jobs, remote fashion jobs, and more.

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Increase Your Income with a Second Job as a Freelancer

Brie Weiler Reynolds — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:48 +0000

If you’ve been toying with the idea of finding a second job to supplement your income, you’re not alone.

In 2017, 4.2 million workers in the U.S. with full-time jobs had a second, part-time job, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ “Multiple jobholders by selected characteristics” report.

For reasons like paying off debt, saving for retirement or college, creating a savings nest egg, funding hobbies and travel, savings for holiday expenses, or even giving to charities, people often seek out supplemental jobs that they can do on the side in addition to their full-time work.

But, while finding options for second jobs isn’t necessarily difficult, there are several issues to consider.

Fitting a Second Job Into Your Life

If you’re already working full-time, the biggest concern is probably how to fit a second job into your already full daily schedule.

To figure out how to fit a second job into your schedule, here are two of the first steps you should take before you start searching for opportunities:

1. Assess your needs and abilities.

If you have additional responsibilities and obligations outside of your full-time job, they’re going to cut into the amount of time you can realistically devote to a second job.

Ask yourself questions like:

How many hours are you able to devote to a second job?
What sorts of work would I like to do, or am I able to do on the side?
How much money am I hoping to bring in with a second job?
Do I need steady part-time work, or would freelance or occasional projects be an option?

Your answers to these questions will help you focus your search.

2. Talk to other people who work second jobs, and do your research.

People who are already supplementing their incomes with second jobs will be able to give you a realistic idea of what you’re getting yourself into, and they can help you avoid common pitfalls and obstacles. If you personally don’t know anyone who does this, the Internet is awash with (mostly) helpful articles featuring advice from people working two or more jobs.

The good news is that, as flexible and remote job options are growing, it’s also more possible to work a second job from your home, or to find a supplemental income job with a flexible schedule. By targeting remote, telecommuting, and flexible schedule jobs in your search, you’re more likely to find second jobs that fit your needs.

Finding a Freelance Job That Works for You

At FlexJobs, our team regularly analyzes the job listings in our database to find common jobs in different categories.

For supplemental income jobs, FlexJobs researchers have identified several types of jobs that are often available, and that fit a wide variety of career interests and professional backgrounds.

These are the most common and flexible supplemental income jobs:

Tutor

Tutoring can be done remotely from home or in person for local organizations. Additionally, your skills can be used to tutor primary or secondary children and college-level students as well. Many organizations seek tutors year-round and for various subjects.

Writer

These positions can come in a number of forms including remote, part-time, and freelance. You might create online content for blogs, write news-based articles, or contribute to business and education documents.

Consultant

Individuals and businesses hire consultants for a range of projects including design, education, healthcare, business, and IT. Consultants work on a project-to-project basis, and may work on-site or from home.

Data Entry Specialist

Data entry jobs are available for people who enjoy working with details and research, and these roles are typically very flexible, allowing people to set their own hours, or work alternative schedules outside the typical 9-5 work day.

Brand Ambassador

In this role, outgoing and self-motivated people may find a good supplemental income job. Companies hire brand ambassadors to create buzz surrounding their products and services. These roles are typically done at various on-site locations.

Interpreter

Bilingual speakers will find interpretation and translation jobs as excellent options for income supplementation. Remote and flexible, interpreters are hired to provide communication services for a huge variety of industries, including medical/health, business, and finance.

Transcriptionist

People with excellent typing skills and a keen attention to detail may be well-suited for transcription jobs. Typically, these jobs are remote positions that require the transcriptionist to listen to audio and video recordings, transcribing what is said.

Social Media and Search Engine Evaluator

These part-time, remote positions are for people who have a good amount of experience using social media and searching the internet (not professionally). Social Media and Search Engine Evaluators are hired to help improve the relevancy of search engine results and news feeds for client companies.

Customer Service Representative

More companies are hiring people with excellent communication skills for flexible and part-time customer service roles that can be done from home. These typically involve taking in-bound calls, assisting callers with questions and issues, and sometimes the jobs have a sales component.

Bottom Line on Second Jobs

Many of these jobs may be done from home which makes fitting them with a full-time job easier, particularly for parents. However, different employers have different requirements, so use the list above and your answers to the two questions as a starting point. You may find a job that’s not on this list works best for you.

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