Not too long ago I wrote a rather snarky piece about Finding Telework, prompted mostly by people commenting and sending me emails wanting to know THE place online to find legitimate jobs. I braced myself for some strong feedback because I tried to speak the truth and let’s face it, total honestly isn’t always well received.
I did get some response but, to my surprise, the comments all had something good to say. And, even better, I ended up also learning about a new place to find telecommuting jobs online when Sara Fell, the CEO of FlexJobs, left me this comment:
This is a great article, and I love how realistic it is. Also, I’d love to chat about your experience and knowledge in this area sometime, if you’re game. And if you have the time, I’d love to hear your feedback on our new site, FlexJobs.com. We’re in the process of some great changes too, so keep an eye out. 🙂
Since then, I’ve made a cursory glance of the site, had some email communication with Sara, and eventually spoke with her on the phone nearly a month ago (time sure flies when you work at home). I’d promised to review the site formally, but didn’t want to do so without actually registering and taking in all it has to offer. It does have a spiffy logo…
so I registered and surfed the job listings and am pleased to say that it actually looks like it just might be well on it’s way to actually being the “The World’s Largest Telecommuting Job Site.” That is what the site touts, though I’d be more inclined to tout the fact that FlexJobs.com includes the most professional, legitimate flexible job opportunities on the web today. Of all of the job search sites I’ve seen, it certainly does merit a second look (or two, or three).
Other than the job listings themselves, another of the nicest features this site offers is its Article Index, with a section for both the telecommuting job seeker and the employer who’s considering alternative work-force ideas. Each section contains links to related topics in the news as well as articles written by FlexJobs folks, actually making them quite a useful resource – even if you don’t register and set up a profile or use the job search functions.
The job search feature is not too shabby, either. I found several jobs that would appeal to me if I were actively looking. FlexJobs allows employers to sign up and list job openings, but they also list other telecommuting jobs found floating around the web (I saw at least one from Craigslist and several from CareerBuilder as well as postings taken from individual sites who happen to compensate writers like About.com and eHow). If I can find everything in one place, that saves me a great deal of time.
The nice thing about the job listings is that prior to registering, you can still peruse the postings and often times the application process which isn’t always something that has to occur via your FlexJobs profile. For example, ChaCha is looking for Online Researchers. From that posting noted on FlexJobs, I can quickly determine the compensation range and the application process without having to register and log in.
However, If I were actively seeking a telecommuting job, I’d utilize everything that FlexJobs.com has to offer. I’d set up a very extensive profile, start reading every job posting, and apply for anything I felt totally qualified for. Attention to detail, diligent work, and making your skill set stand out above the rest is, after all, what it takes to land a good telecommuting position!
More About FlexJobs.com and the LoveToKnow Network of Sites
FlexJobs.com is listed as one of the family of sites in the privately held LoveToKnow Corporation. This online media company’s website holdings also includes YourDictionary.com, PublicBookShelf.com, and Adviceopedia.org. They are actually the perfect company to own and operate a telecommuting job search site in that there are actually no corporate offices for the LoveToKnow Corporation. Instead, it is a corporation comprised entirely of employees who… telecommute! That’s right. They collaborate and communicate electronically, using “innovative technology and workflow solutions to replace physical offices and face-to-face meetings.”
So they drink their own Kool-aid, they practice what they preach. As a matter of fact, the company background is quite interesting. Howard Love – LoveToKnow, get it – has started over 15 companies (and charities) over the past 25+ years and his flexible job structure has allowed lots of folks just like me to work from home with flexible hours. No, I don’t work for LoveToKnow, by the way. I just respect the business plan!
Here’s what the site says about their workforce solution:
LoveToKnow’s flexible job structure allows computer programmers, graphic designers, and other technical professionals to work from home with flexible scheduling. As long as deadlines are met, employees are free to choose working hours best for their schedules and their lives. As telecommuters, employees don’t suffer long, expensive commutes. The flexible schedule appeals to stay-at-home moms and dads, to workers who are geographically remote from technology opportunities, to people with needs that require them to work from home, and to those who simply don’t thrive in a corporate environment or who are not comfortable maintaining a regular “eight-to-five” work schedule.
Working for LoveToKnow gives employees maximum freedom within a team environment. Because they can easily communicate with each other, employees have the benefit of professional colleagues and team-based collaboration. Employees are evaluated on their accomplishments, contributions to company goals, and reliability and not on when they arrive at work or on how long they sit at their desks each day.
–LoveToKnow.com/Company_Background/information.html
So if you’re looking for telework, peruse the listings at FlexJobs.com. If you’re seriously looking and ready to tout your skills (instead of your situation) sign up and create a profile that highlights your skills. Take advantage of the profile tips and resume tools to be sure you’ve done as good a job as possible and then start applying for any positions you’re qualified to handle!
And yes, LoveToKnow is one of the featured employers over at FlexJobs.
Look like they are currently looking for a Director of Web Marketing and a Senior Web Developer.
July 3, 2008: Important FlexJobs Update
Thanks for the link. I’m going to definitely check this out when I have more time.
Thanks for the link, I’m going to check it out.
Is there an internet site that lists organisations or employers that are seeking volunteers that want to gain some experience in a particular discipline? I am seeking an opportunity to develop copyediting, proofreading and writing skills.
gilles – You know, I’m sure there is such a beast out there. But if there isn’t it would be a great resource to compile! Last November I touched on the subject here (Volunteer Your Time Online) but it would be a good idea to visit that same subject again.
If I were looking for organizations that used volunteers, I’d actually search by discipline instead of searching for a general site. So in your case, I’d try some simple searches to find organizations that are looking for volunteers in proofreading and copyediting. I searched for volunteer proofreading and found Distributed Proofreaders. Here’s how they describe themselves:
For broad sites that list lots of volunteering opportunities across the board, I’d try VolunteerMatch, Network for Good, and servenet.org.
Are there any FlexJobs alternatives?
I used to browse FlexJobs, never finding the perfect match. Half the jobs wanted an insane amount of experience, a quarter of them required a specific geographical residency, and the rest paid lousy or had another flaw. I like browsing various options, but, until I’m sure, I don’t want to cough up $15 a month and not see any results (i.e. jobs hired in).
While I do wish FlexJobs could have remained a free option, I also understand that it takes time and resources to actually pre-screen telecommuting positions being posted by companies looking for workers. I can only imagine the amount of spam and junk they have to weed through to get to any legitimate openings.
If you’ve browsed FlexJobs (perhaps back when it was still free to do so) and know there aren’t any offers there that appeal to you then you would be crazy to pay the subscription fee to see what’s in their index of job openings and you should definitely be looking for alternate ways of finding appropriate work for your specific situation.
If I were looking for telecommuting work, I’d actually rank FlexJobs high on my list of places to “be” in today’s Internet. But to successfully be there, you should have your profile perfected, taking advantage of everything they offer there to help you land a job you can do. The idea isn’t to pay the subscription fee with no end in sight, but to use the resource to it’s full potential until you get a job you’re willing to take.
If you are looking to gain experience copyediting, proofing, etc. Then elance.com might be a good way to go. You could charge low prices and you would get legitimate experience. However, it would require you to learn as you went, but most of the people I know who use this service go in knowing that if they take the low bids, they may get someone working on gaining experience and are willing to work with them on that basis.
I would not recommend Flexjobs.
1. You cannot view jobs in order to make a sound judgment about the site, without subscribing.
2. All telecommute jobs on the site are for US citizens. If you aren’t one, do not waste your time. Flexjobs does not explicitly state that before you register.
Hi Steve, I’m CEO of FlexJobs and just wanted to follow up on your points. You’re right that you can’t see the complete job listing before signing up, but you can see the job title and a staff-written short description of the job. Since we offer a full money back guarantee, if someone wants to try our site and aren’t satisfied during ANY time in the subscription (day 29 of a month subscription, for example), we will happily and promptly refund.
Most of our jobs are US-based, but not all. There are a decent number of international jobs (about 100), and we have just added a new Search by Geography feature this past week to make it easier for folks to search. This is new, and to be honest we’re still populating it, but if you want to check it out, Telecommuting Jobs by Location. AND, per your feedback, I have added a note that most of our jobs are for US folks on our About page on the site.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we hear your feedback — and any feedback we get! — and are always working to improve our site.
Thanks again, and if you have any questions, feel free to call or email.
Sara Fell
sara at flexjobs dot com
866-991-9222
Frankly, it hasn’t been the best use of my hard earned dollars so far. A lot of the jobs posted on this website are culled from employers websites then edited and posted on flexjobs. On two occasions the job postings as re-written by flex jobs was posted four months after the initial posting from the employers website. An example of such indicators on Flex jobs website is “Researched & Written by FlexJobs Staff” which is practically all the jobs! A lot of the job postings are culled from the net. Seriously? Just one more example of someone using their brains to make money!
I’ve enjoyed these comments and am impressed with the replys from Flexjobs. I would like to know if all positions on the site are high tech.
I want a part-time job that’s straightforward and easy to follow on the computer.
Thanks
Wow…paying to look for a job sucks.
I am immigrating currently and was looking for telecommuting work, so I signed up for Flexjobs. I bought the full year subscription, looked for a couple of months, and realized that it wasn’t going to work out for my situation. So I asked if I could get the refund they promise -thinking it would be close to impossible- and they said absolutely. Awesome! It was in my paypal account the next day. That said, I think Flexjobs seems like a great site to find telecommuting work- totally legit. I hope to sign up again once I’m more settled.
@smishsmash: Awesome! It’s good to know they honor their refund policy if you don’t find it a good fit.