When two of Noelle Frieson’s stay-at-home-mom friends were having trouble finding flexible employment, she knew she had found her next gig. Together, the three launched the first JobProsper event, a career fair focusing on work-from-home and part-time opportunities.
Now a recurring expo that attracts thousands of attendees as well as an online resource site, JobProsper offers something that’s hard to come by in the work-from-home market: Fully screened employers gathered under a single roof.
“We research every company that we bring in to the fair. We go through the Better Business Bureau first, and we don’t let anyone in that has less than a B rating,” says Frieson.
While many JobProsper attendees are parents with young children or retirees still interested in part-time work, Frieson points out that as working remotely has been made easier thanks to the Web, a wider range of applicants and companies are interested in less rigid employment.
“Surprisingly, we found everyday people coming out. A lot of people are tired of giving their lives to the office — they’re tired of their two-hour commute,” says Frieson. “We’re offering opportunities that you can fit into your regular life.”
Do your research
Work-from-home listings are full of scams, most of which are easy to spot if you know the industry. On Frieson’s red-flag list: Companies that require money to get started, those that have no telephone number or physical address listed and positions that don’t require an interview. Ultimately, she says, “You have to really understand what you’re getting paid to do and how you’re getting paid to do it.”
Follow Monica Weymouth on Twitter @MonicaatMetro.
