Are you among the many people suffering from the effects of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)? Are you losing income because of community quarantine or lockdown in your area? With COVID-19 wreaking havoc across countries, many companies, even large corporations have closed their doors and stopped operations in an effort to fight against the proliferation of the virus. Consequently, many are losing their jobs and their means of living.
Some companies have offered work at home arrangements for their workers, but others are not as lucky. If you are one of those who have not been given the work at home opportunity by your employer, believe that it is not the end of the world. There is hope for you just yet. The Internet offers a number of opportunities for those who are willing to work from the comforts of their homes.
Wondering what type of jobs you can do while under home quarantine? Here are some ideas that you might want to try and get your hopes up a bit.
Be a Search Engine Optimization Specialist
Search engine optimization (SEO) specialists are individuals whose main line of work is analyzing client websites and performing necessary protocols that will help make the website become more visible to search engines. You do not have to work full time for this type of work at home job as many employers seeking for the services of such professionals may require only a portion of your time. Most website owners may also offer flexible working hours for this type of job.
To become a search engine optimization specialist, you must have the following skills and qualifications:
- Knowledge and understanding of search engine optimization (a quick run-through across Google can help you obtain the required knowledge)
- Ability to perform keyword research
- Familiarity with on-page and off-page optimization
- Deep understanding of marketing and human psychology
- Knack for writing information-rich content for a digital audience
If you are wondering where you can find jobs for search engine optimization specialists, feel free to check out Appen. I learned they are looking for individuals to fill the position in their company.
Disclaimer: I do not work for Appen as of this writing. I only came across their listing at craigslist.com.
Apply as a Proofreader Online
If you have excellent English language skills, have a knack for finding faults in grammar and correcting them, keen to details, and have no problem reading loads of grammatically wrong content, then you might as well use your talent and apply as a freelance proofreader online. There are many online companies and even individuals who are constantly looking for professionals to proofread documents for them. If lucky, you might even find a long-term proofreading job that will be enough to cover all your monthly expenses while on lockdown.
A good example of such companies is Scribendi. They are constantly looking for qualified professionals to fill the positions of proofreader and copyeditor in their company. They also provide good compensation, so you might want to check them out.
Work as a Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistant jobs are among the more lucrative work-at-home jobs you can find online. If you work as a customer service representative before the lockdown, then this work-at-home job is perfect for you. Virtual assistants mostly deal with customer service as well, but they are primarily done online and at the comfort of home. The following are some virtual assistant job responsibilities:
- Answering phone calls and emails
- Making phone calls if necessary (depends on your job description as per your agreement with the company)
- Creating power point presentations as required
- Performing online market research
- Providing awesome customer service remotely
- Managing contact lists
- Scheduling meetings
- Providing administrative support to a remote team
As a virtual assistant, you should have the ability to work with less supervision. In addition, you should at least have knowledge in MS Word, Excel, and some of the most popular and current technologies, such as VoIP. You should also have excellent phone and email communication skills, as well as solid organizational and time management skills.
Wondering where to find Virtual Assistant jobs? Check out Upwork.com and other online bidding sites. You may also search on Google using the keyword “Virtual assistant jobs” or “wanted virtual assistants”.
Work as a Social Media Manager
Social media marketing has become an important aspect of any growing business. It is a means for them to reach a wider audience without having to shell out a huge budget. The main responsibilities of a social media manager include, but are not limited to the following:
- Administering social media marketing and advertising for clients or companies
- Developing brand awareness and enhance the online reputation of a company
- Generating inbound traffic through the use of good SEO strategies
- Performing deliberate planning and set goals for the company
- Gaining more fans for the brand and help turn these fans into customers
- Cultivating leads and sales
As a social media manager, you are expected to be able to establish a good connection with customers and to be able to attract more buyers. It is important, therefore, that you have good interpersonal communication skills and that you can write good content or be able to promote them in popular social media sites.
You think you have what it takes to become a social media manager? Why not start sending your applications now?
Apply for Data Entry Jobs
Data entry jobs are probably the easiest types of work-at-home jobs you can find online. If you have excellent organizational skills, can type fast, have keen attention to details, and are computer savvy, then you are probably qualified for data entry jobs.
Data entry jobs often include the following responsibilities:
- Entering data into computer databases
- Collecting data and verifying their accuracy
- Managing data and organizing files
- Maintaining record keeping of all files
- Gathering and extracting information from various sources
Like many other jobs, starting work in data entry may be a challenge but if you persevere, this type of work-at-home job may prove to be a big help in your finances while you are quarantined at home.
Become a Call Center Representative
You might think that being a call center representative requires working in an office and commuting to and from work. But do you know that some of those call center agents who take your calls when you have problems with your Internet connection, credit cards, or what not are actually taking calls from the comfort of their own homes?
Being a home-based call center representative requires interacting with customers through phone calls, emails, and VoIP. Depending on your agreement with the employer, you may be required to do outbound phone calls or just answer inbound phone calls from clients. You are also required to answer emails from clients. Other main responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Managing and resolving customer complaints
- Identifying issues and escalating them to remote supervisors if needed
- Selling products to customers
- Providing product and service information to customers
- Placing customer orders in the company’s computer system.
- Performing follow up calls to customers
- Completing call logs and reports
- Routing calls to appropriate resources
If you wish to become a home-based call center representative, you must be proficient in certain computer applications, have excellent typing and data entry skills, and excellent listening, verbal, and written communication skills. You must also have enough patience to handle extremely stressful situations, such as when you get to talk to irate customers.
The jobs listed above are not the only options if you are serious about working from home, pandemic or not. Other online jobs that offer lucrative incomes include online tutorial jobs, voice overs, accounting jobs, copyediting, transcriptions, web developing and programming, affiliate marketing, translations, and many more. Opportunities offered online are actually endless.
If any of the jobs mentioned here do not fit your qualifications and preferences, feel free to use Google to find the best home-based job that will work for you. You may also click here if you want to know where to find work at home jobs online.
