Ever receive an email that told you that? Or what about ‘Home typing out and submitting online forms’.
I recently received two badly formatted emails offering me work at home ‘typing out forms’ and submitting them online, just doing 30wpm. Or how about the one that says you can ‘make $250-$2250+ per day working only 30 minutes?. Sound to good to be true? Check out my proof of earnings above. No experience or special skills are required!’
There wasn’t anything ‘above’ for me to check out – must have been too good to be true! 😉
I don’t know anyone who types and earns $250 per day for working only 30 mins but if you do, please introduce me to them!
The point of this post is there are a lot of scams like this out there and if you’re desperate for work, and particularly work at home, you might just start believing stuff that you would ordinarily ignore. KMT
scam, spam, work at home, typing job, too good to be true
Karalyn Eckerle says
Kathie:
The sad part is a lot of people will get roped into these schemes and spend money they can ill afford — just to get nowhere. Aside from the obvious misconception of get-rich-schemes bailing us out when we need help, I think those of us working as VAs need to be careful not to propound the same misconceptions on those seriously looking for work.
I’m not pointing fingers at beginners, because we were all beginners at one time or another. However, having worked as a VA for many years, one of my biggest concerns is the idea that ANYONE can be a VA and work from home. From my perspective, the success of a VA depends on her ability to function independently and appropriately in her given field. If a person has never worked in an office environment and has not diligently worked his/her way through the variety of problems, protocols, and procedures by which the business world operates, it is folly to expect them to independently provide their clients with the same professional services that client would receive in a regular office. Those professional services will often make or break the client’s public persona. So, if the VA is unable to service his/her clients in a truly professional manner, the gains generally found in utilizing the services of a VA will be lost.
My reason for raising this issue is the consistent increase in ads about becoming a VA which appear to be addressed to people with little or no professional experience. And, if my email is any indicator, this is translating rather quickly into a long list of under-qualified or semi-skilled individuals who are attempting to establish themselves aa VAs and are looking to the rest of us for help.
I am more than willing to help anyone get started in a profession — and have consistently done so in the past. But virtual assistance work is one area where I think true office experience is the key to success. Just as many young temps coming into an office need help learning the ropes, it seems to me that those who aspire to become Virtual Assistants would do well to get some firsthand experience in their chosen field before they attempt to launch an independent career.
Regards,
Karalyn Eckerle
http://www.cardinalpointva.com
Kathie Thomas says
Thanks Karalyn for your detailed comment – totally agree with you! And this is one of the reasons why I developed this blog, to help educate new VAs, existing VAs and the general public about our industry. I’ve also written many articles about it as well and moderate two VA forums. It’s so important for VAs to continue in a professional manner and learn from those who are already very experienced.