Many people want to work from home, but it can be difficult to find legitimate home based careers.  While there are several positions available, most sound too good to be true – and they may be.

Besides doing your research to ensure that your job and the company you work for are legitimate, there are some other ways to sort through the noise of less-than-ideal work from home jobs.

Set Alerts

Alert services such as Google Alerts allow you to set notifications via email on certain topics.  If you set an alert for “work from home position,” you will get periodic emails when a phrase matching this description appears in any online news.

While this may not seem like an ideal method, it can help you to find home based careers that are advertising in non-traditional ways.  It can also alert you to work from home job sites, which are great starting points for your home based search.

Be Specific

The best way to get a legitimate home based career is to look on specific job boards and sites that specialize in this niche. Sites such as HireMyMom.com only post legitimate jobs, and even eliminate any MLM and network marketing positions as well.

While all work from home niche sites and boards may not screen, they are a starting point.  It’s less than likely that you’ll find many legitimate work from home jobs on general job sites such as Monster, Indeed, and so on.

Use LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be helpful in any job search, but especially for virtual jobs.  When you search at the top of the homepage, you can type in phrases such as “social media telecommute” and find a wide variety of virtual positions available.

Since LinkedIn requires a substantial job posting fee, the jobs are more likely to be legitimate.

Always Network

Networking is and will always be your #1 source for job leads.  When you tell your contacts and networking colleagues that you’re in the market for a home based job, they’ll keep their ears open.  Also, many companies, small businesses, and entrepreneurs need administrative, social media, and other home based jobs completed, so you may just be in the right place at the right time.  It’s always best (and easiest) to consult your network first and foremost!

Overall, always do your own due diligence when seeking a work from home career.  Even the most legitimate sounding jobs can turn out to be duds, but asking the right questions to ask in the interview can help.  If you do this, and only accept jobs that have tasks and companies that you feel are appropriate, you’ll be well on your way to a legitimate home based career.