1. Virtual Assistants: As businesses clamor to cut costs, it is often cheaper and easier for them to outsource some or all of their administrative duties.

2. Consultants/Advisers/ Coaches: This is a big category that includes everything from small business consultants, fashion consultants, financial advisers, and even life coaches. This kind of self-employed business opportunity is typically for those who are trained or experienced in a professional area.

3. Brokers: Being a “middleman” can turn into a lucrative business. Two of the best performing occupations to date include insurance brokers,as well as those who specialize in the sales of securities.

4. Writers: Freelance writers and editors require very little initial overhead. In the race to increase their content pool, many sites pay per article published or edited and/or give writers a share in ad revenue. There are also several sites where freelance writers can connect with potential clients and “bid” on the chance to complete a particular project.

5. Designers: Those who are trained in any kind of designing, such as interior, industrial, or graphic design, can promote their skills as an independent contractor.

In today’s world of high speed connectivity it would seem that finding a job that would allow you to work at home would be a breeze. If you have started looking, you will quickly realize this is a daunting task. Every where you turn, you will find get rich quick schemes or offers to start your own business that in the end leave you with a bunch of ebooks and an empty wallet. How do you find legit online work? The first step is to bring up the major job search engines used in you demographic area. The more popular ones may include Monster & Career Builder just to name a few. These sites are used by many Fortune 500 companies to locate job seekers just like you. The trick is to locate which firms are looking to hire home workers. One can easily do this by simply selecting a demographic area and using a keyword search that includes the word telecommute. The search should provide you an array of open positions.

The second step is to start an information collection session. In order to determine if you are being offered legit online work, you will want to complete a background analysis of the firm. You can start by doing a general search engine check through MSN, Yahoo or Google. Firms that have bad PR are typically lambasted across the web. You can certainly follow this up with a quick check with the Better Business Bureau. If you do check in with the Better Business Bureau, make sure you have the physical address of the firm headquarters. The search will yield two valuable tools, first you can determine if the business is in good standing & second you have completed any necessary background research to impress your interviewer.