From the Email Bag -- 'Why No Jobs in My State?'

Christine Durst and Michael Haaren
Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700
Lifestyle

Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I look at all the home-based jobs I can find online, but many employers don't hire in my state. How come? —Jackie in Los Angeles, Calif.

Dear Jackie: Much depends on the type of job or project you're seeking. For example, many writing projects, online research jobs, website tester assignments and IT jobs have no state restriction. Some customer service companies, on the other hand, restrict hiring to certain states. The reasons for restrictions can vary, but they include state tax laws, client-company preferences, the location of training facilities, etc.

Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I recently retired from my job as an executive assistant. I've heard about virtual assistants who do administrative-type work from home. Do you know of any companies that hire virtual assistants? —Alexandra in Ft. Worth, Texas
Updated: Wed May 01, 2013

Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I look at all the home-based jobs I can find online, but many employers don't hire in my state. How come? —Jackie in Los Angeles, Calif.

Dear Jackie: Much depends on the type of job or project you're seeking. For example, many writing projects, online research jobs, website tester assignments and IT jobs have no state restriction. Some customer service companies, on the other hand, restrict hiring to certain states. The reasons for restrictions can vary, but they include state tax laws, client-company preferences, the location of training facilities, etc.

Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I recently retired from my job as an executive assistant. I've heard about virtual assistants who do administrative-type work from home. Do you know of any companies that hire virtual assistants? —Alexandra in Ft. Worth, Texas

Dear Alexandra: Yes, there are several companies you can check out. One is Zirtual.

Per their website, "Zirtual Assistants perform a variety of tasks for their clientele within the personal/executive assistant spectrum. We like to think of our ZAs as concierge/assistant hybrids since you can handle anything from booking a flight to Paris, to researching chiropractors in Tampa, to managing a client's busy schedule." For details, see http://zirtual.com/careers/zirtual-assistants.php.

You might also have a look at Fancy Hands, which periodically hires virtual assistants for a variety of tasks. For details, see https://www.fancyhands.com/jobs.

Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I read some weeks ago that Yahoo had eliminated telecommuting. I'm about to have my third child and would like to work from home. I had minimal maternity leave for my first two children, and it was really distressing to me to have to leave my babies with caregivers and commute to an office. I don't want to do that again. But will I be able to find a work-at-home job? —Mary in Culpeper, Va.

Dear Mary: In the telework movement, the Yahoo decision was a bit of a fluke. More and more companies are not only permitting employees to telecommute, they're hiring them to work from home exclusively. Just a few examples include American Express, Apple, UnitedHealth Group and Amazon, but there are many more.

We alone have posted over 21,000 telecommuting job leads to our website (RatRaceRebellion.com), which represent well over 200,000 positions. The work-from-home movement is alive and well. Though much will depend on your qualifications and efforts, you should have plenty of jobs to choose from.

Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I think I must be the last person in the United States who has a dial-up Internet connection. I live in the country, and it may be some time before we get a high-speed connection. Most of the home-based jobs I see require broadband Internet. Is there anything I can do from home with a slower connection? —Tyler in Clovis, N.M.

Dear Tyler: Although most conventional jobs will require high-speed Internet, you can still do various types of freelance work with a slower connection. For example, most writing jobs don't specify a connection speed, and you might also have a look at courthouse research assignments.

For writing jobs, see JournalismJobs.com and ProBlogger.net. For courthouse research work, see http://sunlarkresearch.com and http://www.work4jbs.com.