Have you ever thought, “I have all these talents. I wish there was a way to market them and get paid?” Or maybe you feel overwhelmed with work and wish there was a place to temporarily “hire” someone to help you work with it all? The good news is that a revolution called microjobs has taken over the internet and made it possible. Thousands of freelancers around the world use specially designed websites such as Fiverr.com, Gigbucks.com and many others to sell their talents to potential employers. Freelance microjobs are a great way to earn extra money.
What is micro work?
Microwork is defined as a series of small tasks that are disconnected from a larger project that can be done over the Internet. Leila Chirayath Janah of Samasource first coined the term ‘microwork’ in 2008. To help the world’s poor, Samasource’s business model revolves around breaking down digital jobs into small units and outsourcing them to the poor so that they can make money. Let’s take Gigbucks.com as an example to further explain the definition of micro work. On Gigbucks, freelancers create ‘gigs’. These gigs indicate what they will do for a certain amount of money; usually they start at $5. For example, a freelancer can post a gig saying he’s writing an article for $5. Potential employers can browse through all the posted gigs and choose who he or she thinks would be right for the job they need to do . Once the freelancer and employer come to an agreement, the employer deposits the money into the freelancer’s account and gets to work. Once the freelancer has completed the work and is approved by the employer, the freelancer will receive payment. After the gig is complete, the freelancer and employer are free to split up or rejoin as needed.
The benefits of micro work
In a world where computers run everything, work can be done from home and people are looking for ways to save money, micro work makes a lot of sense. For freelancers, microjobs are a great way to earn extra income while working from home. While not intended to replace “regular” jobs, many people make decent money doing these gigs online. While it may not seem like much to get just $5 for a job, the goal of microjobs is to complete multiple tasks that are easy to complete and don’t take much time. In order to get more assignments from more employers, the reputation system ensures that good work does not go unnoticed. Employers are encouraged to leave positive reviews when a freelancer does their job well and does it well. Potential employers see this positive review and are therefore more likely to hire freelancers. Freelancers can make a lot of money, but it all depends on how much time you are willing to put into the business.
Microjobs are a win-win situation for employers. Hiring someone to do work you don’t have time for can help employers meet deadlines, save money, and free up time for other things. No worries about costs, no long-term obligations or benefits for employees and less stress.
As the internet continues to grow and evolve, so do work from home opportunities, such as micro-jobs. This is the wave of the future and more and more people are taking advantage of it. It won’t be surprising if this revolution becomes a multi-million dollar industry in the near future.
