If you have some skill in an area that lends itself well to telecommuting, try looking for intern openings. I found these job postings over at Loovya.com…
Loovya.com is an online dating community with a bit of a twist (which may just make it stand out amidst the masses of other online dating communities). Instead of surfing profile pages, their aim is to create an entire social network of singles who interact and then, hopefully, find their perfect match based on more than answers on a questionnaire. The company was founded by Frank Gordon (with impressive credentials) and is located in Stevenson, Maryland.
They currently list 3 job openings:
- Street Team Promoters
- Graphic Designer Intern
- Developer Intern
And here’s the “good part,” included in each of the job descriptions:
- Young energetic company
- Real world experience on a great product
- Casual hours
- Work from home and only have to come in for meetings
So there is the catch… that you might have to come in for meetings. I say might because if you’ve got insane qualifications, they may be talked into forgoing that requirement (or at least cutting down on the number of trips per year). If you’re located within reasonable travel distance to Stevenson, Maryland or if you just love to travel to Maryland every now and then, it won’t matter how many times you end up making the trip and the ‘getaway’ could easily become another perk.
All 3 job listings actually look like fun and getting your foot in the door in graphic design or web development with an internship could be a good way to start a work-at-home career.
To read the actual job postings and apply, check out Loovya.com Careers. To learn more about Loovya, I offer you this press release about it’s beta re-launch this past February:
New Dating Site Loovya.com Offers a Well-Rounded Approach to Match-Making
BALTIMORE, MD – February 5, 2008 – Loovya.com, the newest player in the thriving online dating industry, today announced its beta re-launch.
Built from the ground up, Loovya takes a fundamentally different approach to online dating by creating a more personalized, intimate sense of community. Where many competitor sites focus on giving members access to a database of other singles’ profiles, Loovya provides a multi-dimensional, well-rounded experience that goes beyond member profiles.
“We believe that men and women are inherently social and have the desire to interact and connect with one another,” says the Frank Gorton President and Founder. “That’s why we’ve created a fun, fresh, interactive environment that invites members to do much more than simply browse through page after page of flat profiles. Users will still have several ways to search for that special someone; but they can enhance their experience with tools and features that make it fun to stay and play for a while.”
One way the site supports this philosophy is through a host of slick tools, engaging features and interactive communication options, including:
* Online Journal: A free-form diary (part of your profile) in which you can make entries. There’s no questions or checkboxes — so the sky’s the limit on what you want to reveal.
* The Inside Scoop: An e-mail tool that helps you obtain a “second opinion” about a prospective match. You’ll have the chance to hear first-hand what a person’s friends have to say about him or her.
* Morning After Letters: Pre-written e-letters that save you from searching for the right words. Whether your first encounter was fabulous or a flop, these simply stated notes make your intentions known.
* Dating Doctors: E-mail insight from been-there-done-it dating veterans. Users can write to Loovya’s Dating Doctors for advice they may – or may not – want to hear.
* Love Advice Articles: A robust collection of online articles that covers complex topics on love, friendship, and everything in between.
* Instant Messaging and Video Chatting: Real-time chat capabilities that let you get a feel for someone’s personality. Scheduled for post-beta launch.To further strengthen its sense of community, Loovya plans to round out its members’ experiences by extending its offerings to the offline world as well. “Our ultimate goal is to add another whole dimension to online dating. By partnering with local sponsors in key cities, we can do things like build out an events calendar for our members,” says the Frank Gorton. “Events can range from cooking classes to dance lessons to travel excursions, and will serve as a great way to meet others in a casual, comfortable group environment.”
About Loovya.com Established in April, 2006, Loovya.com is a subscription-based online dating site, offering adults worldwide a fresh, fun and secure environment for meeting other singles. Loovya.com aims to add another dimension to the world of online dating by offering unique tools, engaging content, and a sense of community that extends beyond the online world.
Loovya.com sounds pretty interesting. Although, I am not too sure how I feel about finding a job opp on a dating website. I think I would rather focus just on the social networking/dating aspect.
Yeah – I’m not too hip on dating sites either, but the social aspect of Loovya makes it sound interesting and the fact that they’ve got intern job opportunities that tout telecommuting as a benefit definitely caught my eye. I figured there just might be someone out there looking to get their foot in the door somewhere and start building up their professional resume. 🙂
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel the tide is shifting slightly against telecommuting again. First, there is some small relief on gas prices. But more importantly, it seems most employers are in the driver’s seat with the tough job market. I think a lot of employees are just happy to have a job, and unwilling to bring the topic up.
I still feel the telecommuting revolution is inevitable, but I think it is going to be on hold until the economy gets back into higher growth, perhaps next year or 2010.
Mike –
I was quite thrilled to fill up my gas tank at $3.62 a gallon yesterday and I agree that many employees are just happy to have a job. But I also still see lots of employers struggling to find good employees, too, and offering a flexible work schedule and telecommuting options is still a strong benefit for attracting and retaining employees.
Telecommuting will continue to make gains in government agencies as well as the commercial sector and will continue to increase in numbers but perhaps you’re right that it will be a year or two before the higher growth rate of telecommuting appears!
Lisa,
Thanks for keeping my hopes up :-).
Absolutely, Mike!
No pay? No way!
When I began looking for legitimate work I could do from home I jumped on a lead in a forum posting that led to a trial period for the both of us. I didn’t have the experience she was looking for but I was hungry. She had a new business that she was hungry to build. I accepted her offer of a trial training period where I would not be paid for the time I invested…
I looked at it this way – I was learning additional skills that I could take with me in my job searching and while she wasn’t paying me for my efforts, she also wasn’t charging me for the knowledge she imparted. If it worked out, I’d have my foot in the door and if not I’d walk away knowing something I didn’t know the day before (so it was a win/win situation in my opinion).
Ten years later, I’m still a 1099 (contract worker), and still working for that same company in a variety of capacities – and still right here from home.
Volunteering and interning is the same way. While you don’t draw a salary, you learn and have those skills and experiences to take with you (and those things to list on your job applications or resume).
What I find hard to believe is that folks are willing to pay $39.95 for the latest “secret” report that promises high-paying, work-at-home jobs but aren’t willing to devote time to intern or volunteer as a way to building skills and opening doors for legitimate jobs.