Finding work abroad is no easy job

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Make big bucks from home!
The other major topic I have been hearing about has to do with readers wanting staying closer to home.

I have written extensively about work-at-home scams both in this column and on my blog, CareerDiva.net, but many of you keep sending me e-mails asking me if certain job offers are legit.

Of all the e-mails you all have sent me in recent months, not one of the jobs offers you’ve received via e-mail sounded real to me.

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And readers keep wanting me to recommend companies that offer telecommuting options. Unfortunately, I don’t recommend firms because I don’t want to be seen as endorsing one company over another. You’ll all have to do your research to figure out where these opportunities are. There are lots of sources on the Web, including the major job boards.

Also, don’t rule out applying to a company you know and like and asking if telecommuting is an option. More and more employers are considering this options for workers, especially in light of high prices at the pump.

While I won’t recommend companies, I will try to offer you advice on certain types of jobs or industries you can look into, and I’ll also try to answer any general questions you have on work-at-home offers you come across. So keep the e-mails coming.

Do not pay money up front
Here’s one from a women who lives in Chadwick, Mo.:

“Are there any legitimate work-at-home jobs for health care workers? I am a registered nurse. I have investigated several advertisements. However, most of them want money up front just to tell you where to look for a job. I would be very interested in any information or links that would assist me. I have a background in management, med surge, hospice and acute care. At this time, I drive 80 miles round-trip.”

OK, I can’t say this enough: Do not pay money up front to get a job. This is not how it works in the real world of employment. Requests for any money or personal information in e-mails or over the phone are scams, 99.9 percent of the time.

As for her options, Tim Schoonover with talent management firm OI Partners in Cincinnati offers some examples.

With a health care background, he says, she could get work answering medical questions from home via health help lines. Some insurance companies and nonprofits have these types of call centers, he says, including Aetna's Informed Health Line, the March of Dimes and the Arthritis Foundation.

In addition, Schoonover adds, she could also look into coordinating home health care services, managing recruitment of nurses for medical facilities, writing training materials and protocols or developing safety compliance protocols.

The key is paring your expertise and skills with jobs that can be done from a home base, and then actively going out and finding companies that could be a fit. Please don’t wait for offers to show up in your e-mail box.

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