Mystery Shopping, Secret Shopper Jobs – Legit or Scam?

Mystery shopping / secret shopper jobs pay you to shop. Does that sound too good to be true? Read more to know if these are legitimate jobs or scams.

Getting paid to shop or to buy a certain brand? How nice that would be! Seems like a dream job but if you are a mystery shopper, this is exactly what you will be paid to do.

What is Mystery Shopping?

Mystery shopping is a form of market research, where companies evaluate the quality of its own product or service through certain people trained to make observations about the same.

Many companies today hire people who are also their target customers to use their products or services and evaluate the same. By doing this, the company gets a fairly unbiased consumer feedback which helps them correct setbacks if any, and improve their service or products.

Is it Legit or Scam?

Many companies have a database of secret shoppers, along with online training system and a test thereafter, which will decide if you can be a mystery shopper for a company or not.

Every company will require the mystery shopper to audit and evaluate its product or service on different parameters. They will be asked to visit a store or an outlet and try out the service or product, observe various aspects and accordingly fill and submit a questionnaire on the basis of the visit, provided by the company.

The questionnaire may include many minute details and the mystery shopper is expected to answer each one of them fairly. After the questionnaire is submitted, the company compensates the secret shopper accordingly.

Things to Watch Out for as a Mystery Shopper

Like every online job, beware of frauds. If a company asks you to pay for being a mystery shopper, refrain from signing up unless you have read real good reviews about their services.

Make sure you read the terms and conditions of payment before you sign up

Make sure you attach all documents related to the expense you incurred while travelling etc. and send it across to the company for reimbursement.

Summary

Mystery Shopping/Secret Shopper Jobs allows companies to audit their own products or services. You will be trained by the companies who hire you and compensated on submission of the evaluation. Whoever said you can’t bake the cake and eat it too! Mystery Shopping/Secret Shopper Jobs lets you do that!

Work from Home Customer Service Jobs Online

Find work from home customer service jobs online. Several opportunities exist in this area considering the ever increasing requirement to support clients 24×7 and in a cost-efficient way.

Companies have realized that one of the important factors to ensure their customer base remains satisfied is to have a responsive customer service, and to ideally support them 24 days in a week, 365 days in a year.

So with the cost factor in mind, and the growing importance on the quality of service to customers, many customer service jobs today are outsourced to people who work from home so as to attend to the customer needs in a very cost effective way.

Types of Customer Service Jobs

There are different types of customer service jobs that can be done from home such as:

Talking to Customers over the Phone

Many companies today face a problem of not being able to service each and every customer after sales or find it difficult to answer many customer queries at a time. Cut throat competition in the market has forced companies to set up virtual call centers or employ people who can answer customer calls from home. Many of these are on shift basis wherein a company would require round the clock assistance to answer customer queries or take down orders at all times of the day and night.

Through online services-chat, email, websites etc:

With the growing use of internet, many customers write to the company through their websites or email addresses. In which case, companies hire customer service assistants who work from home and take care of the online customers. It could be anything from a query to a feedback to an order placement. Lately, customers even approach companies through chat.

Social networking has taken marketing and customer service to another level altogether. With many of people either “tweeting” or on “FB”, companies even require services such as blogging or posting messages on social networking sites etc. which can be easily fulfilled at the comfort of your home.

What do Companies Look For?

As an online customer service executive, you need the following:

Computer and good speed internet access

Knowledge about the company’s products and services

Fluency with the language and accent

Basic Knowledge about social networking sites/email/chatting etc.

Dedicated phone line to receive calls

Summary

Service is an integral part of every company. But with growing customer base, companies are now hiring professionals who can service customers from home. Receiving calls, online services etc. are all outsourced to work from home Customer Service staff. So watch out for such online Customer Service Jobs!

Virtual Assistant Jobs & Services from Home

Find virtual assistant jobs & services. You can work from home on all these office / personal assistant opportunities.

In an age when everything is outsourced, the concept of virtual assistants has also gained immense popularity and plenty of opportunities exist in this area.

Virtual Assistants Job Profile

A virtual assistant is someone who conducts all the responsibilities of a secretary or administrative work as is done in office, except that a virtual assistant does all this online from his/her home. There is no specific framework of what falls in the purview of a virtual assistant’s profile.

Some of the jobs undertaken are as follows by an online personal assistant includes:

Sending out mailers or any other correspondence to clients/interview candidates on behalf of the company.

Calling and fixing appointments on behalf of the company.

Compiling reports, tracking sales figures, PPT presentations etc.

Making travel arrangements for the company representatives etc.

The above are just a few examples of some of the job profiles for a virtual assistant. Depending on how big or small the hiring company is, virtual assistants can undertake a variety of roles.

Skills Required for Virtual Assistant

Unlike some other online jobs, a virtual assistant may have to juggle with many things at once, hence they will require a decent configuration computer back up at home to support them.

Computer with good speed internet access is a basic requirement.

Basic software’s such as Excel, Word, PPT etc will be helpful.

A phone or a cell phone to call and communicate.

Video chatting/conferencing software such as Skype etc.

Over and above this, the company hiring you as a virtual assistant may have some additional requirements which may be needed for smooth transactions.

Payment for a Virtual Assistant

There are no fixed rates as such that you can charge as a virtual assistant. Companies may not pay a virtual assistant as much as an office assistant but you could always quote a good amount on the basis of your knowledge, expertise and experience.

Summary

Companies today are looking for more and more virtual assistant services. Virtual assistants work just as much as a personal assistant at work and with the help of internet and other software they are able to manage the day to day tasks by working from home. Companies in turn find Virtual Assistant Jobs & Services much more cost-effective and less cumbersome to maintain.

Online Editing, Copy Editor Jobs

Several online copy editing jobs exists, if you have a passion for writing. If you are interested in pursuing a career as copy editor, you can definitely start by picking up these freelancing opportunities.

Writing content, editing, proof reading, does all this sound exciting to you?

If you have the skill for writing, you should explore a career in online editing or freelancing and work towards becoming a professional copy editor.

There are many online jobs available, especially around writing.

However writing, editing, proof reading or freelancing as a copy editor requires good writing skills. It is especially helpful for all those who intend to pursue a career in writing and need some sort of experience to gain a foot hold in the industry.

Even journalists, critics, specialized content writers opt for freelancing projects that they work upon from home. Many book authors proof-read their manuscript through freelancers who tweak it and correct it wherever required.

Skills Required

A good command over language is a basic requirement.

Most companies have online language tests to qualify for the job.

Some companies require specific knowledge of certain fields. For e.g. a pharma company may insist on previous experience in the pharma industry etc.

Scope of Online Editing

Today, many newspapers, magazines, publishing houses outsource editing jobs to freelancers in order to meet the time deadline and to save cost.

Online journals, websites, encyclopedia etc .

Professionals in the field of medicine, law, engineering etc are required to proof read journals

Challenges with Online Editing Jobs

Every online job has its risks associated with it, in this case, the work-provider (employer) may not pay you after the work is submitted. Hence, it is very important that you accept work only through reputed sites and not work with anybody directly.

At times, there is considerable delay in payment. You could collect part payment after 50% of the work is completed and the rest immediately after the complete submission is made. This applies mostly to offline work opportunities, since online websites have several safeguards to ensure you are paid on time.

The Employer may terminate the project due to unsatisfactory work or refuse to work with you again if you so a shoddy job.

Summary

Today, many companies require professionals with good language skills to proof read or edit journals, articles or online websites etc on a freelancing basis. The scope of online editing is immense with the changing dynamics of the industry. Hence, if you are good at writing and want to work from home, you can opt for various online copy editing or proof reading projects.

Online Typing Jobs & Work from Home Form Filling Jobs

Find several online typing jobs & work from home form filling jobs. There are plenty of opportunities such as filling survey forms, signing up on websites, data entry and clicking on a link. Read more here.

I’m sure you would have heard that it is possible to get a part time job on the internet and work from home opportunities. The easiest opportunities that require just basic computer skills are the online typing jobs.

There are many people who have opted to work from home and make a decent income with simple typing and data filling jobs that earn them a good income.

Work from Home Typing Jobs

Here are a few options that are available – filling survey forms, signing up on websites, data entry or clicking on a link etc, of which data entry or typing job are simple and quite popular because of their simplicity.

All it requires is a desktop or a computer to work on, with internet facilities for you to start working.

Many housewives, college students etc have found this method as an easy way to earn extra income. All you have to do is register on the website of a company. Once the registration process is completed, the company will send you directives with regards to the job to be completed.

Data forms will be mostly emailed to you and after filling it up, you will have to submit it online after which the payment is done either monthly or after a couple of numbers of forms. You can earn anywhere from a few dollars to a 20-30 dollars per day, depending on the number of hours you put in.

Beware of Scams

With online job scams becoming widespread, how do you determine if a company Is genuine or not? You should check on the following:

Most companies have a fee for registration. However, if the fee happens to be a huge amount, refrain from joining in.

Research is very important. Check online for any news on the company/ website that offer you online jobs. You also have many forums where people discuss such websites.

Summary

Online typing jobs are very simple to execute and that is the reason they are so popular. There are many companies offering online typing jobs; all you need is the basic infrastructure that involves a computer and an internet connection, to work on. With the flexibility of working from home, you can earn a decent income doing online typing jobs from the convenience of your own home.

Online Tutoring Jobs – How to Become an Online Tutor

There are plenty of Online Tutoring Jobs and opportunities available on the internet. Read more to know How to Become an Online Tutor.

Online Tutoring Opportunities

With technology making it easier and cheaper to connect to remote countries and places, it is easier today to avail the services of good teachers right from your home, at a fraction of the cost that your local teacher would charge.

With both parents working full time nowadays, and to add to that a scarcity of good tutors means there is always a demand for good tutors who will also take care of their children homework.

There are many online tutoring services/entrepreneurs who have sensed a business opportunity here and have sites where people looking for online tutoring jobs can register, and parents looking for tutors can avail of their services.

What Infrastructure is Needed?

If you intend to make a decent part time income from home teaching Math, Science or any other subject, then you will need to ensure that you have the requisite infrastructure to be able to conduct online tutoring classes.

You will need the following:

Personal Computer and Broadband connection for Internet

Microphone and Headset

Pen Tablet – An important tool in online tutoring, its important for free hand writing and making diagrams

Advantages of Online Tutoring Job

Good hourly pay compared to other work from home online jobs ($8 to $15 per hour on an average)

Tutoring possible at your own flexible time, or you can choose to work any time of the day or night

Online tutoring opportunities set to grow in the future

How to Get an Online Tutoring Job?

There are a couple of ways you can approach this.

Having prior experience in teaching definitely helps, especially if you are going to register on a big site that has several tutoring jobs listed. They will check your resume and based on your experience, offer you suitable online jobs.

Another was is to build your own website, and offer your tutoring services online.

Summary

Online tutoring job opportunities are going to increase in the future and you can definitely advantage of that if you intend to work from home. Most companies recruiting for online jobs require that you have a college degree, teaching experience, and knowledge of the subject area that you will be tutoring, so it is important that you start brushing up on your knowledge of the subjects. An online tutoring job can also be very satisfying, as you help the students improve their grades.

Online Auction Sites and Services Reviews

How to make money with auctions sites online? Here are reviews of online auction websites, services, and other resources which can help you make money online from home.

Not sure if you want to try out the various online opportunities listed here, to make money from home?

How about giving online auction sites a try?

How Does it Work?

As the name suggests, these sites offer web services that permit users to post items for sale. Other users, who are interested in your product, then bid for the said items and the buyer who bids the highest gets the product.

What Can You Sell?

Almost anything!

You can start small, like selling a book, or your old camera, or your old video game, sort of garage like sale.

As you get a hang of it and feel like trying out bigger things, you can sell wholesale type goods through your online retail store.

You Can Save Money As Well

Once you start understanding the intricacies of how online auction sites work, you can use it to save money as well on your shopping.

By employing the right bidding strategies, auction sites can help you save money on your purchases.

What to Look For?

What should you look for in Online Auction Services, if you decide to start selling items through them?

Fees: Some online auction services may charge registration/listing fees and/or final value fees, especially to sellers. Though a free service is preferable, paying a fee could help you market your products to a much wider user base.

Security: This is very important factor for online auction services provider, especially for buyers who would be keen to buy from a reputable source. Most online auction sites have a feedback mechanism where buyers/sellers can rate each other based on their shopping experience.

Support: A comprehensive customer support system always helps to provide users with a good experience, which makes them come back to the auction site often.

Summary

If you like selling physical goods, a cost effective way to do that is open an online store. This can easily be done through online auction sites/services. Start small, learn the intricacies of the system, then scale up, and you will surely be on the path to making money from home through online auction sites/services.

Make Money Playing Games

If you enjoy playing games, you can make some supplemental money online. There are online opportunities that pay you to play games, such as video game testing, online web gameplay, gaming contests, and more.

This is something which should be done only if you have a passion for playing games, be it offline or online.

If you are going to do it just because you read somewhere that there’s money to be made, then probably you may get bored after some time without actually making any money.

Even otherwise, it’s difficult to make a full time income from playing online games, but you can definitely hope to make some supplemental income.

What are the Requirements?

A passion for playing games is required. You will have to sign-up for several sites that offer cash prizes to high-ranking players.

You can even take part in web tournaments. Some of them may require you to pay an entry fee but the winner is guaranteed to receive a prize.

Though you may argue that this is similar to gambling, but the fact is that this is still a game of skill, and no element of luck is involved.

Another thing to note is that you will have to upgrade your computer to have a better graphics card, if you want to enjoy playing these online games.

Why Do You Get Paid Playing Games?

Most sites earn revenue by displaying ads on their sites, most of which is related to the games that you play online. And it is from this revenue that a portion of it is passed on to the gamers.

That’s the reason you will find so many sites that offer to pay you just for playing their games.

Can You Get a Regular Income?

Though you get paid playing games online, certain sites will pay you only if you are highly skilled at playing certain games. Besides, most of the good sites require that you pay an entry fee to participate, which discourages most surfers.

A more stable alternative is to become a video game tester. It requires a bit more seriousness on your part but you can get paid hourly and the work involves writing reviews, or assisting developers during alpha and beta tests.

Summary

If you have a passion for playing games, you can definitely make some money online. Though making a full time income is becoming difficult, you can earn a nice supplemental income. So upgrade your computer now and look for that perfect gaming opportunity that will make you some money.

Is it Possible to Get Paid to Surf the Web?

Get Paid to Surf the Web

Is it Possible to Get Paid to Surf the Web? The internet is not just a place to look for information but it also provides plenty of opportunities to earn some cash. Read more here.

Till a few years back, people would only come on the internet if they were looking for some information.

Over the years, it has become a very popular medium to interact with your friends, more of social networking.

With the tremendous increase in the number of people surfing the web, and a vast majority of companies spending a considerable chunk on online advertising, there are plenty of opportunities to earn money on the Internet.

So is it really possible to get paid to just surf the internet, without having any technical or special skills?

Yes, you can. Even if you know just the basics of how to browse the internet, send emails, and know how to use word.

Here are some of the easier programs that will let you make money surfing the net.

Reward Programs

There are various sites that offer reward programs such as:

Reward users for browsing the Internet

Pay cash to members for participating in online offers

Rewards members for new referrals and for signing up for special offers

Provide a reward program to earn gift cards from merchants

Online Surveys

Again, this is pretty easy stuff to earn some cash. You just have to sign-up for receiving paid surveys.

The surveys will have simple multiple-choice questions asking for your opinion. There is no right or wrong answer, just your opinion.

Every survey that you complete will fetch you some points and when it reaches a particular threshold, they will pay you the money.

So you definitely get paid, may be not enough to pay your mortgage, but definitely can pay off some bills.

Read Email Offers

If you know how to send and receive emails, you can earn some dollars here.

There are sites which will pay surfers to read email offers from third-party companies. You just have read an email and click on links. That’s it!

You will get a few cents for every email but then if you read substantial amount of emails, you can make decent bucks.

Mechanical Turk from Amazon

Another option you can consider is checking out the MTurk program of Amazon.

Jobs that cannot be done by computers are posted here. The tasks are simple and can fetch you a few cents to about $5 for every task.

What do you need to do?

You will find various types of tasks listed there but most tasks will involve writing product description, writing reviews, posting on forums, etc.

Summary

There is definitely money to be made money surfing the web, but if you are just starting out go after the ones that sound legitimate and does not promise you tons of money overnight. Register with a few sites that offer work-online programs, stick to it for some time, and when you have made some money move on to another type of work. So enjoy getting paid to surf the web!

Online Surveys – Best Paid Survey Sites, Companies & Jobs

Online surveys offer you the opportunity to get paid free, by spending only a few hours in a day. Find out the best paid survey sites, companies & jobs.

What is the Work Profile?

Simply stated, this work involves filling online survey forms!

You register with a company that provides paid online surveys work, and then start filling in those forms.

Why Companies do Surveys?

Companies providing online paid surveys job from home need inputs on various parameters and from various people, as part of their market research.

Some of the information that companies could be interested in include:

How much do households spend monthly and on what?

Who in the family decides what home products need to be purchased?

How much do Parents spend on purchasing baby items

How much time and money do Teens and college students spend on movies, games, sports, and other things

and many more such things…

How Can You Benefit?

Anybody looking for extra cash, working from the comfort of your home, should consider online paid surveys work.

Reputable paid surveys companies will always provide countless surveys for people to fill in, so the money can be continuous.

What Prior Experience is Required?

No special experience or skills are needed for this job. All the instructions are clearly provided on how to proceed.

Since these online paid surveys jobs are offered worldwide, you will need to have basic English knowledge to understand the instructions, as well as have basic internet browsing experience.

Where to Find Legitimate Online Paid Surveys

There are sites that offer legitimate online paid surveys job that can be worked upon from home.

Though most of the websites providing paid surveys work claim to be free, there is usually a small amount to be paid up front, post which, you can register and start receiving the surveys.

In terms of payment, you can expect to receive payment of around $5-$100 per survey.

Depending upon the company, you may get paid instantly or at the month-end for your job. Reputable paid surveys companies usually will pay you promptly for your completed surveys.