by Faye Westlake Newman

Created on: May 28, 2009   Last Updated: May 29, 2009

Are There Any Real Online Jobs Out There?

There is No (Work) Place Like Home

In an environment where top jobs fill rapidly and experienced candidates compete to attain positions for which they are overqualified, many people are looking for work in their own spare bedrooms, and finding it.

Scores of employers recognize that providing premises, furniture, and equipment is less cost effective than hiring people to work at home on their own computers, in their own space. Catalog retailers use home workers to take orders and sell products; major banks, financial institutions, and utility companies hire individuals to answer billing queries and order or change services.

Customer Service Representatives are not the only employees earning a living in their cutoffs and Nikes or house slippers. One entertainment corporation whose name is a household word throughout the world pays six-figure incomes to individuals working from home, who administer massive computer networks.

The next time you buy an auto insurance policy online or over the phone, you may be dealing with a licensed agent sitting in his family room with a laptop and a telephone. You may be reporting your accident to a claims taker in a fifth floor walkup apartment in The Bronx. He may be in a wheelchair, or his crutches may be leaning against the desk. He may be 29 or 69, and neither you nor his employer is particularly interested in his age.

Most commonly, such employers use secondary entities, much like employment agencies, who hire and train home workers, pay their wages and benefits, if any, and bill the costs back to companies who use the worker's services for a profit. Arise, Cloud 10, and Accolade are examples of companies who hire and train people to perform specific services for corporations such as Citibank, Mastercard, and AT&T. At least one major manufacturer of Information Technology uses home workers and farms out their IT skills for incomes commensurate with their knowledge and expertise.

Does age matter? Proving age discrimination in any employment marketplace is difficult. Unless there are convincing statistics available, only the interviewer knows if she considered age in the hiring process. However, in the virtual workplace, providing a birth date is frequently optional. The fact that a recruiter interviews candidates via telephone further reduces the likelihood that a she will consider a few or many gray hairs. Telecommuting appears to offer mature job hunters a more level

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