Jobs Monster

Friday, September 10, 2021

The 20 best work from home jobs

You've got the skills, now find out how to make the switch to one of these 20 jobs best suited for working from home.

Remember when your home was just your home? Your kitchen table had food on it, not folders? Your dining chair didn’t have to provide lumbar support for eight hours a day? Across the globe, the pandemic brought offices into living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms, and that trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Boot the family or the cat off the sofa. It’s your workspace now.

The top 20 work at home jobs

If you’ve got the skills, working from home requires just a laptop and a good internet connection. But not all industries make it possible. We’ve ranked the top 20 based on how easy they are to do remotely, as well as giving you our top tips on how to land the job for yourself.

1. Web Developer

Web development can range from designing websites to building the code that makes them work. If you know how to do it, your skills are in high demand. The sector is expected to grow by 8% over the next decade, with almost every industry depending on it in some way.

It’s a job that really lends itself to the working from home lifestyle. When you’ve got the skills to bring websites to life, it doesn’t matter if you do it in your suit or your pajamas.

Check out all: Web Developer jobs and remote Web Developer jobs

2. IT support

Where would we be without IT support? Probably not on this blog, for a start. They’re the people who keep everything running, fixing big things like brand new system installations through to the more annoying things, like Keith in admin who’s forgotten his password for the third time this month.

It’s a great home working job. You’ll need skills in computer literacy, coding, mathematics and customer services to get in on the act, and probably a whole heap of patience. (No Keith, ‘password123’ isn’t strong enough).

Find all: 183,000 IT jobs and 26,000 work from home IT Support jobs

3. Virtual assistants

The job of a virtual assistant was designed to be done from home. It says it in the name. You could find yourself doing a little bit of everything, for one company or many at the same time.

Daily tasks might involve accountancy, administrative duties or even marketing, all of which can be done wherever you fancy.

Browse all: Virtual Assistant jobs and work from home Virtual Assistant jobs

4. Translators

Translate from your kitchen. Translate from the bath. Translate from the garden shed. So long as you know how to speak and write in two different languages, you can translate from pretty much anywhere.

Courts, hospitals, the police and schools are just some of the places that depend on translators to get their message across, and if you’ve got that certain je ne sais quoi (or ‘I do not know what’ if we were to translate it) you could provide an indispensable service.

Explore all: Translator and Interpreter jobs

5. Counselors

Zoom quizzes got old pretty quickly, but Zoom counseling sessions could be the future. Clients can now dial into sessions, meaning you can offer therapy and advice from the comfort of your home.

You’ll need various qualifications to become a counselor, but one thing you won’t need anymore is the relaxing leather sofa.

See all: Counselor jobs and Counselor work from home jobs

6. Legal assistant

Picture the scene: the Law & Order theme kicks in (it’s called "Dun Dun," if you’re wondering), you put your briefcase down, open it up and reveal the paperwork that will blow the case wide open. You’re a legal assistant, and you could be dealing with anything from criminal cases to copyright claims or corporate legal proceedings.

This job is often at the start of a legal career, and you’ll need qualifications or a law degree to get your foot in the door.

Browse all: Legal Assistant jobs and Remote Legal Assistant jobs

7. Teachers

Hail to the teachers. While many of us had to cope with working with our kids at home throughout lockdown, you guys do this for a living! As schools begin to open up again, there could be opportunities for a blended approach to working, with many universities and colleges continuing to deliver virtual lessons for the time being.

You’ll need teaching qualifications to get started, although higher education values career experience too.

Check out all: Education jobs or the 58,000 work from home Education jobs

8. Banking

Going to the bank no longer means heading out to a big building with marble floors. Now it often means heading online or tapping on an app, which has resulted in many of the jobs in the industry moving to remote.

Finance is packed with work from home opportunities for all kinds of backgrounds. Bank managers, loan officers, customer support teams and even app developers are all in high demand.

Explore all: Banking jobs and these remote Banking jobs

9. Social media managers

Whether you’re fond of Facebook, talented on Twitter or trending on TikTok, your skills could help businesses market to the masses and go viral for millions of people. Social media is big news. It’s how many brands speak to their customers, and how even more customers talk back to the brands. If you know how to use it well, you can work from home to conjure up campaigns, hashtags, gifs and more.

You’ll need a creative mind and a computer. An ability to perform TikTok dances is optional.

See all: Social Media jobs and Social Media work from home jobs

10. Insurance

We wouldn’t usually call insurance companies trend setters, but many of their employees were already working at home before the rest of the world was talking about it.

Most of their support teams are based remotely, and if you’re as good with numbers as you are with speaking to customers, you could be joining them. The field is predicted to grow by 5% in the next decade. You could grow with it.

Find all: 238,000 Insurance jobs and these 35,000 Insurance work from home jobs

11. Writers

Writing is a career that has long been done remotely. On an oak desk, in a library packed with leather-bound books, or in a coffee shop, ideally. We wrote this blog staring out across the ocean for inspiration. If you’re good with words, there’s a place for you in marketing, education, journalism and publishing, although it is a very competitive industry.

Entry level jobs can be gained with a relevant degree or some writing examples, but more senior positions need lots of experience and hefty portfolios. Get your pen out and start scribing.

Browse all: Writing jobs or the remote Writing jobs

12. Transcribers

When you work as a transcriber, it’s your job to take voice recordings from experts in either medicine, law or education and turn them into written reports. It’s ideal for working from home. In fact, the quiet your own home affords you makes it work even better.

A good understanding of industry language might be useful for this sort of role, as well as an excellent grasp of English.

Explore all: Transcriber jobs

13. Data entry specialists

There’s so much data in the world and someone needs to make sense of it. That someone could be you. Your role here would be to take things such as bills, medical records or legal forms and input them into the right systems.

If you understand IT and have clear communication skills, you can easily work from home in this field. It doesn’t matter where you do your data entry, just where your data is entered.

See all: Data Entry Specialist jobs and remote Data Entry jobs

14. Graphic designer

Can you make things look good? Can you specifically make things look good in Adobe software or online? Does the question of “Can you make the logo bigger?” send shivers down your spine? Then you could be a great graphic designer. There are plenty of graphic designer jobs in marketing and advertising sectors, and many of them can be done from home.

Polish off that portfolio and get applying.

Check out all: Graphic Designer jobs

15. Customer service

Whenever you call someone about a product, to place an order or to change your details, there’s a good chance you’re speaking to someone in their home office/kitchen/pajamas.

Customer service is key for most industries, and the main skills you’ll require are good people management and solid organization.

Find all: Customer Service jobs and remote Customer Service jobs

16. Software developers

Do you know your jQuery from your UmbrellaJS? Do you also know other types of coding language? You could be a software developer, working for creative start-ups, marketing agencies, big industries or anywhere else that produces digital content.

The area is expected to grow by a huge 22% (!) over the next decade, so if you know how to code, design and develop, you could have the skills to pay the bills.

See all: Software Developer jobs or remote Software Developer Jobs

17. Usability testing

All websites and apps need testing before they go live. That’s where you’ll come in. Your job will be to effectively try and break things online, something you can easily do from home. Break the internet in bed, break it over breakfast, break it wherever you like.

Training (and salary) for this role varies hugely. Some companies prefer ad hoc usability testers to work for a few hours, while others will offer full time work for constant checking.

See all: Usability Tester jobs

18. Nursing

Not all heroes wear capes, and the biggest heroes from the past year and a half wear stethoscopes. Remote healthcare has grown rapidly recently, with virtual appointments helping cut down waiting times and allow vulnerable patients to get the help they need from home.

If you’ve got medical training, a career in nursing (or any healthcare for that matter) could be hugely rewarding and truly invaluable.

Explore all: Nursing jobs and remote Nursing jobs

19. Event planner

If you have a background in hospitality or tourism, event planning could be the perfect career move. While you might have to visit potential sites, the majority of this job can be done from home, allowing you to plan conferences, parties, weddings and more without ever heading into an office.

As things gradually start to open up again, events will be on everyone’s agenda.

Browse all: Event Planning jobs

20. Accounting

If keeping accurate financial records is your bag, a remote role in accounting could be a great way for you to take your office home.

You’ll need a good grasp of accounting practices and a qualification to be considered. You’ll be the backbone of many companies, and responsible for everyone’s paycheck. No pressure.

Check out all: Accounting jobs and remote Accounting jobs

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

When – and how – to bring up salary during an interview

Should you even bring up the topic of salary at all or wait for the employer to take the lead? And if you do raise the subject, how and when should you do it?

Some topics are just awkward to bring up in a conversation – like a messy breakup or whether those lips are real or enhanced.

Another awkward subject? Discussing salary during an interview. You don't want to come across as money hungry, but you also don't want to be blindsided by a less-than-desirable offer.

So, do you even bring it up at all or wait for the employer to take the lead? And if you do raise the subject, how and when should you do it?

While every situation is different, and the answer may vary slightly depending on your circumstances (the type of company, the level you're at, etc.), here are some general rules.

Time it right
The problem with bringing up the salary topic too early in the hiring process is that it can take the focus away from the case you're trying to build for why you should be hired.

"The goal in an interview is to convince the company that you are the best person for the job," says Susan Peppercorn, a Boston-based career coach and CEO of career coaching firm Positive Workplace Partners. "By bringing up salary before this happens, the job seeker runs the risk of making money the focal point of the conversation rather than their fit for the job."

That's why most career experts will tell you to wait until you have an offer, or at least have strong signs of an offer, before broaching the subject. To that end, Peppercorn says that not until you hear questions like "When are you ready to start?" or "Can you provide references?" is it appropriate to ask about money.

"The best way to ask the question is to say something like, 'I'm very interested and excited about the opening in your company, and I'm sure that I will be able to meet your marketing challenges. Can you explain the compensation for this position?'" Peppercorn says.

Let the employer do the asking
If you're unsure about when or how to ask about money, it's often best to let the employer take the lead. However, as Certified Career Coach Cheryl Palmer points out, this doesn't mean that you should be totally passive on the topic.

"The job hunter needs to be prepared for the conversation about salary because the employer may bring it up before actually making the offer," Palmer says. "It is fairly common for recruiters to call candidates for a phone screen and ask them what their salary requirements are. This is a way of screening out candidates whose requirements are not in line with what the company is willing to pay."

Even before a phone screener, you'll likely get a question or two on the job application about your current salary and desired range. So, the employer will already know whether or not you're in their ballpark going into the interview.

Have a range in mind
When the topic does arise, answer questions about desired salary by providing a range. That way, you don't back yourself into a corner by throwing out a specific number that's either too high for them to consider or lower than what they had in mind. You can determine that range by doing research on average pay for the occupation via sites such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics or Salaries by CareerBuilder.

Know your worth
Regardless of who brings up salary, or when it happens, you should know what you're worth so you can be prepared to defend your desired salary going into negotiations. "Understanding your value will help you enter negotiations with a realistic outlook," says Frank Gentile, a director at Professional Staffing Group.

Another way to prove your value without even bringing up salary is to monetize your skills when discussing them during your interview. "Where it's appropriate, frame your work in terms that show real monetary value," Gentile suggests. "For example, customer support skills can be framed in terms of how much time or money was saved by resolving issues faster."

So, the next time you're struggling with the salary conversation, avoid a situation like these awkward interviews, and come prepared, time it right and take cues from the employer.

Monday, September 6, 2021

50 companies hiring entry-level workers now

Looking to get work experience? An entry-level job, even if it’s a part-time job or seasonal job, is a great way to fill out your resume.

Monster staff

Trying to find a job but feeling a bit overwhelmed? Getting your foot in the door of the workforce can often seem like a messy prospect, but as our stats prove, there are loads of entry-level jobs available at great companies now hiring on Monster. Whether you're looking for your first job ever or you are making a career change, entry-level jobs are the first step on every candidate's career ladder—and the sky's the limit. Ready to take the first step? Read on!

Using data provided by the Gartner TalentNeuron tool, we identified the top 50 companies now hiring with the most new job listings for entry-level workers on Monster over the past 30 days.

XPO Logistics, Henkel, Apria Healthcare, IMobile, and Honeywell top our list of companies with new open entry-level jobs. There are plenty of industries represented, from technology and health care to finance and retail. Click through the full list of jobs available at the companies below to see if one would be a good fit for you. Remember, companies are adding new jobs all the time, so bookmark this page and check back frequently.

Companies now hiring entry-level jobs

Find all entry-level jobs on Monster.

Job search next steps

Entry-level jobs are in no short supply, as you can plainly see. Now that you know the top companies hiring, it’s time to get your application in front of employers. Want some help with that? Join Monster for free today. As a member, you can upload up to five versions of your resume—each tailored to the types of jobs that interest you. Recruiters search Monster every day looking to fill top jobs with qualified candidates, just like you. Additionally, you can get job alerts sent directly to your inbox to cut down on time spent looking through ads. Don't wait around another day. Let Monster help you kick-start your career.

Saturday, September 4, 2021

How resume skills became the most important factor in hiring

Learn to identify your skills — and use them to get a new job.

Today’s competitive labor market is as wild as the Old West, and when it comes to hiring, there’s a new sheriff in town: skills.

The seismic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic has fractured neat, linear career tracks and shifted the balance between hiring managers desperate to fill open positions and job seekers looking to earn more for their hard work. As a result, where you’ve worked in the past isn’t quite as important as what you can do now — and what you’ll be able to do in the future. In other words: your skills are your greatest asset.

Skills will get you hired

We recently teamed up with The Harris Poll to pick the brains of thousands of hiring managers and workers, and it turns out those brains were full of all kinds of fascinating things. But one thing in particular jumped out: people are getting hired because of their skills far more often than they used to be. Let’s break it down with some bullet points:

Hiring managers’ top priority for 2021 is skills-based hiring.
Moving forward, 85% of hiring managers will focus less on candidates’ prior titles and more on job skills and experience.
So-called “soft-skills,” like communication and organization and time management, are superpowers. The overwhelming majority of hiring managers says they are important; more than half of hiring managers say they are very important.

88% of hiring managers say they hire based on soft skills, then provide job-specific training.
And that’s exactly what workers want; 89% of them say they’d be comfortable starting a job based on their core skills, expecting to learn more as they settle into the role.

Why this could be good for the labor market overall

Even before the pandemic, storm clouds were gathering over the labor market. The skills job seekers had cultivated weren’t matching up with the abilities hiring managers needed. The growing inconsistency came to be known as the skills gap, and despite efforts to fix the problem, a variety of factors have made it an ongoing challenge that is impossible for workers and hiring managers to ignore.

In 2019, 23% of workers felt they did not have all the skills necessary to advance in their careers.

But today, that number has nearly doubled to 44%.
Hiring managers are even more worried about the skills gap; 69% say it’s a concern.

The good news is that skills-based hiring may be an antidote. By hiring people based on core skills, then providing training, employers give people a chance to gain new skills, level up in their professional lives and advance their careers. And a better-trained workforce with a diverse set of skills is sure to help close the skills gap. Still, training is easier said than done. Only 31% of workers strongly agree that their companies are providing good on-the-job training. And when companies don’t pony up, the burden of training falls to workers, 65% of whom have taken a class or workshop outside of work to learn skills they need for their jobs.

Though training isn’t a universal opportunity just yet, the good news is that hiring managers and workers agree that it’s a necessity:

89% of hiring managers say an increased emphasis on training and development would be beneficial to all employees.

91% of workers say the same thing.

Use your skills to find a new job

If you’re looking for a job, the skills section of your resume is your best friend. Distill all your work down into the skills you used to get things done, and list them prominently in the skills section of your resume. Here are some marketable skills you might want to include (or learn):

• Communication. Show people that you're a good talker and a good writer. You can get your point across in a professional way.
• Teamwork. Offer evidence of when you’ve worked well with other people and the results you achieved together. It makes the dream work, after all.
• Adaptability. Things change, so prove you can change with them. Maybe your business updated its systems and you helped train your team on how to use them.
• Problem solving. Talk about how you provided solutions to issues, especially if those solutions brought in more money or made something easier.
• Creativity. Let your creative side shine. Some jobs will depend on this and will want to see how you’ve come up with ideas and brought them to life.

If you have the right skills, you’ll be empowered not just to get a new job, but to enter a new industry altogether. More and more workers are looking to bring their expertise to bear on entirely new fields. Transferable skills — those skills you developed in one type of work that apply to other types of work — are like a job market passport. If you’d like to identify your transferable skills, check out our comprehensive guide on the subject. In the meantime, here are some examples of how someone might apply their transferable skills to switch jobs:

Old position	Transferable skills	New position
Salesperson	Industry knowledge, verbal and written communication, writing, budgeting	Marketing manager
Restaurant manager	Customer service, communication, staff scheduling, management experience	Retail supervisor
Waiter/Host	Time management, interpersonal skills, hand-eye coordination	Delivery driver
Cashier	Problem-solving skills, professionalism, verbal communication	Customer service
Homeless shelter volunteer	Empathy, ability to perform physical tasks, communication of complex topics in accessible language	Home health aide

Top skills to put on your resume

We recently did some digging to find out which resume skills are the most in-demand right now. Here are the top three:

Customer service. If you can deal with customers, you’re in demand — customer service is listed on 5.8% of all our jobs. It’s the skill hiring managers want more than anything else.
Sales. Prove you can sell and you’ll do a good job of selling yourself. Sales is listed as a skill on 4.55% of our jobs. If you’ve got it, people want to see it.
Business development. Hiring managers want to see that you can bring in the big bucks, manage projects and run with new ideas. Business development also shows that you’re a good networker — another soft skill that delivers solid results.

What else you should know about skills

To recap: it’s more important than ever to frame your work experience through resume skills.

Hiring managers want to hire people based on their skills, then provide job-specific training.
Still, many workers work on developing new skills outside of work by taking classes, participating in workshops or volunteering.
The skills section of your resume is very, very important.

Customer service, sales and business development are currently the most in-demand skills.

Workers and hiring managers agree — building the workforce of the future means we all need to focus on what we can do, not just where we’ve been. So if you’re ready to find your next job, it’s time to level up those skills.