Are you familiar with the process of applying for a job? If yes, you've already known how difficult it is to pass the interview successfully and the painful days of expectation of receiving the answer from a company. The matter is even worse if you are a military spouse: you spend hours looking for a suitable vacancy, then spend days applying for a job and when you finally pass all the circles it's time to PCS.
Fortunately, we are lucky enough to live in today's rapidly developing world when there is no need to go outside without an emergency. With the ongoing pandemic, home jobs have become an integral part of our lives. More and more companies offer remote vacancies having employees all over the world. So if you’re looking for a career with longevity that can be packed up and taken with you anywhere you go just like you do with your household stuff, you’ve come to the right place. Let's take a quick overview of the most common military spouse jobs.
#1. Web Designer
A web designer is a person who creates modern and eye-catching web pages with the help of graphic editors. The main task of a web designer is to make the interface convenient and attractive for website visitors. When the Internet was only born to become a web designer people had to have corresponding education, but not now.
You can become a web designer at any age, and quite quickly with the help of courses or on your own. To do this, it is not necessary to be an artist-painter, only a sense of style is enough. Skills required for web designing:
- Proficiency with design software;
- Knowing of the basis of coding language;
- Strong visualization skills.
Being military spouses means taking care of the household, that is why a web designer is a perfect solution for those who do not have much time because this career doesn't require any specific knowledge. According to PayScale data statistics, a regular web designer's salary is $58,637 per year.
#2. Technical Writer
Beginners in remote jobs usually start from copywriting which is extremely famous among other careers. The main task of a copywriter is to create advertising, and SEO texts, as well as various technical and informational articles. Having collected even a small base of regular customers, you can achieve stability and reach profitability of 2-3 hundred dollars per month even if you are a beginner author. So if you have perfect writing skills it is enough to work as a technical writer. Among the skills needed for technical writing we can highlight:
- good grasp of technology;
- strong writing ability.
Unlike a web designer, a technical writer needs only the ability to write and a PC. Therefore, if you are just starting to explore the world of remote work and you have quite a bit of time due to frequent PCSs, copywriting is what you need. PayScale research statistics show that a technical writer’s average pay is $60,103 per year.
#3. Customer Service Agent
Technical support is a service for providing technical assistance to users of an IT product. It is provided by the service or IT department, which is contacted when something is broken, the program is not installed correctly, or some other technical problem. A technical support specialist is a person who provides assistance in solving a problem and advises users on their questions.
These days the demand for online shopping is increasing thus a lot of people are looking for help via online chats and emails. Such major businesses as Amazon or Google turning their customer support into remote jobs. The main responsibility of a support agent is to calm down the customers and provide the best experience of the service a customer buys. Required skills to apply for customer service agent:
- patience;
- good communication skills.
So if it's easy for you to find a common language with other people and you like helping people, a customer service agent is a perfect job for you. PayScale data analysis proves that a customer service average salary is $41,590 per year.
#4. Recruiter
As well as a customer support agent, a recruiter’s job requires strong communication skills. A recruiter is a specialist engaged in the search for candidates who analyzes incoming resumes, looks for suitable specialists on job boards, in social networks, publishes vacancies, and takes interviews. To apply for a job as a recruiter you need to have:
- people and communication skills;
- analytical skills;
- understanding of the industry (or industries) you’re recruiting for.
According to PayScale research, the average pay is approximately $59,474 per year. Besides the fact, a recruiter is a perfect remote job, it is a great opportunity for you to help find good jobs for military spouses who lost the hope to find good remote opportunities.
Benefits of Working Remotely
Besides a career in the IT field, you can also try to work as a tutor, digital marketing, transcriber, etc. If you decide on work from home, most likely you are the one to build your work schedule and work at a pace that suits you. If you are tired, you can take a break or break the work into two stages - in the morning and the evening, and spend most of the day doing your own thing e.g. doing housework, taking care of kids, etc.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).