This is a different review from what we normally do here on Work at Home Adventures. FlexJobs.com is not actually a site where you apply to work for them. Rather this is a job listing site. Our mantra here is that you should never, ever have to pay to work from home unless you are investing in a business (like direct sales.) When a reader contacted us and asked our opinion of FlexJobs, because they do charge a fee, we felt we needed a closer look. I signed up for a one month subscription, and got to work digging around. Here is what I found.
What is FlexJobs.com?
If you have ever done a general search for work-at-home jobs, it is likely FlexJobs has popped up in the results. They list ads for jobs, but you have to pay for access. The fact is, you could find these job listings yourself free of charge. They know this, but they feel the service they offer is a better option. They do all the leg work for you, and they weed out the scams. All you have to do is log on, look through the listings, and apply to those that interested you.
So What Am I Paying For?
FlexJobs makes it clear on the site why they charge a fee to job seekers. They feel that they can offer a better service if they do not have to find funding through advertising, and if customers do not have to wade through ads to find what they are looking for. They also want to encourage employers to post legitimate job opportunities with them, so they do not charge a fee to employers, only job seekers.
Is it Worth the Money?
Well, it depends. From what I can tell, they do what they say they do. The job listings I looked at were not your standard Craigslist postings. There were actually some from individual companies and other jobs sites that I had not heard of but that appear legitimate. There are listings from other more common sites such as newspapers and Craigslist as well, and some jobs are advertised directly with FlexJobs by the employer.
If you have the money to spend, it could be worth it. It is important to remember you are paying for a service, not a job. They personally screen each and every job listing so that they can guarantee that there are never any scams listed. Back in 2009 a poster in a forum noted that they must be a scam because they charge a fee, and the CEO of FlexJobs responded on the forum. She made all of the points previously discussed here. She also noted that the decision to charge a fee was difficult, but it was the only way to make the service what it was meant to be, which was a way to find these types of jobs without having to weed through advertisements and scams.
What is the Catch?
Obviously if you are looking for a job, you likely have little extra money lying around for anything. There is no guarantee you will be hired for any of the jobs you find, so you could be wasting your money. Of course some would say you are saving time and sanity, as well as protecting yourself by avoiding scams.
How Much Are We Talking About?
The monthly fee starts $14.95. I actually found a coupon code [FJALUMNI] that made it $9.95, so be sure to look for codes if you do decide to sign up. If you sign up for more than one month at a time, you get a better deal, and you can cancel at any time. Be aware however, that if you cancel in the middle of the month, your fee will not be prorated for that month. You can ask for a refund of any remaining months paid ahead, and they do state that you can ask for a refund if you do not feel that they provided the service they promised. Be aware also that if you want to sign up for one month only, you have to cancel your membership to avoid being charged automatically each month.
Conclusion
With FlexJobs, you are paying for a service, not a job. From all appearances it is a pretty good service, and they do offer to give your money back if you are not satisfied. I have not found where anyone has had trouble cancelling or getting a refund. What is comes down to is whether or not you have the money to spend, and whether you feel the service would benefit you. You can do it yourself, and a lot of us do, but having the hard part done for you would probably be nice as well. In short, FlexJobs seems to be a legitimate paid source of work-at-home job leads. The only question is whether or not you care to pay for the convenience of having the leads all in one place and the comfort of knowing you are not dealing with scams.
Visit FlexJobs.com to learn more.
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Great article! I have heard of people having good luck with Flexjobs and others not finding anything because the demand is so high for WAH/Flexible positions. I tell people to search indeed and enter the position name + telecommute to see what comes up for free. Thanks for the article!
I have heard a lot about Flex Jobs, and while I typically don’t advise anyone (especially if they don’t have the money to spare) to pay for work at home information since it’s already out there for free, I can see how a service like this might be worth it if you can afford it and really don’t want to do the legwork yourself. And it is good that this site gives you legit listings instead of scammy ones like some other paid services probably do.
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Excellent information!
Thank you!! Thank you. I have heard about them for several years now and was worried the listings were not legit! I just might give them a try because they seem have a good variety of jobs especially in the areas I target such as translation.
Nice review, Faith.
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Good job, Faith. I have often wondered about FlexJobs too, since it does charge a fee. My local writer’s group has its own database of jobs (members only) but occasionally will have a link to a FlexJob listing if in our area. While I certainly do trust my writer’s group, anyone can get “sucked into” something.
Like so many of you, I have wondered if it would be worth the investment. So, good review and investigation.
I follow them on Twitter and from what I’ve seen they’re not out there to scam anyone. Now and then, they’ll hold a contest to win one month’s free subscription so it’ll be worthwhile to follow them and enter their contest if you want to know if it’s worth paying for their service.
Sophia, about how often do they hold contests on Twitter? Every three months? Every six months?
Their last contest for a free one month Membership was held on Aug 29th. Looking back, they had it weekly in August, but nothing in September.
I use flexjobs so was surprised to see the heading of this article. I would say that if you’re not actively looking for a job, then don’t sign up for this service. I’m not actively looking (although I should be) but I signed up for a 1-year subscription (with a coupon code). I rarely log in, although I’ve logged in more often in the most recent few weeks.
I like the service they offer – I don’t have to weed through anything to look for a job. They’ve done that work for me. They’re also on linked in, and I joined their linked group before I paid for their service. The responses from other users is what prompted me to join. I do also follow them on twitter and facebook although I’m rarely on either.
So, if you’re on the fence, maybe try following them on linkedin to see what others say and make your decision that way. Also, I just googled “flexjobs coupon code” or “flexjobs promo code” to find a good discount. It saved me over 1/2 if I remember correctly.
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