This article will discuss how to know if a work-from-home job is legitimate, and that you're actually making money.

If you're asking yourself, "do I work from home," or if you're looking to take the plunge and become a remote worker, you've probably spent a lot of time browsing the web, talking to friends, and reading through sites like Monster.com and Hubspot.

Many of the job postings out there are for work from home jobs that require very little research on your part.

Although I'm going to outline a few common red flags below that you should look for, there's a whole host of things to consider before jumping in.

Why are you suddenly interested in becoming a remote worker?

I want to be clear on the question of why you want to work from home. This is the most crucial part of getting a work-from-home job, and oftentimes, it's the reason why people don't successfully freelance or work from home in general.

You want to decide if you want to be able to work from home on a few key terms.

First, do you want to work from your home office? This would involve a different setup to that of the typical, but there's no reason you can't make it work if you set your mind to it.

Second, do you want to work from home for a specific company? In the short term, if you're working with a particular company, you're more likely to be able to be more flexible in your work.

If you're an editor, you may be more likely to want to work for a company with a global marketing team.

Third, is this a job that you can do over a very long time frame? If you're trying to freelance, which will take a while to start making money, you're less likely to want to commit to a project that you may or may not get paid for.

However, in the world of work from home, you may be able to do a project or freelance position in a very short amount of time.

Of course, these aren't the only reasons, but these are the key ones that you'll need to consider before pursuing a work-from-home job.

What is your preferred setup for your work-from-home job?

What will your home office look like? Where will you work?

Are there certain places that you work best from? What will you be doing?

Take a look at the company web page to get an idea of what they're looking for.

Can you write copy and pitch for their company? What kinds of assignments have they offered in the past?

If you're a writer, can you create content for your website? Have they accepted or rejected your pitches in the past?

If you're familiar with the work of the company and have pitched before, this could be a sign that you're a great fit.

It could also mean that you're a very talented writer, or have experience pitching before and that they want to hire you again.

If you're relatively new to writing, you may be asking yourself, "where do I begin?"

Think about how often you write, and your voice. Does the company's style suit your style?

You may need to make a ton of changes, or even create content for a period of time to truly understand the company.

Are you able to build a rapport with your clients?

For a freelancer, building a rapport with your clients is a key part of succeeding. Many freelancers simply won't feel like they're a good fit if the client isn't willing to get to know them and give them time to get to know you.

You want your clients to want to work with you.

In the world of work from home, you may want to build a rapport. However, you may not know-how.

You may not feel confident enough to be the "go-to" person.

There may be a time crunch, so you need someone fast, or you may not have a lot of time to chat. Consider your pitch and how you will approach the task.

Even if the job starts as writing a few blog posts for your client, think about the best way to pitch it, how you'll approach your client, and the fact that you may need to get to know them before you start working with them.

For instance, you may be working on some sort of promotional video. How will you pitch this?

Do you have a pitch for this type of work? Do you have the proper equipment?

Think about what types of blogs the company wants.

Does the company have a blog that they want to write for? Do they like online content?

If you're writing for a client, do they write about the same topics that you do? Does the company want to start a blog?

Are they interested in guest posting? Think about your target audience.

Even if you're writing for an online marketing company, you're more than likely writing for the company's target audience.

How to get paid?

Payments for writing can be difficult to figure out. Freelancers typically need to know exactly what the work is going to be to properly budget it and prepare accordingly.

There are many different ways to earn money writing. However, many freelancers don't often get paid enough to live on.

In many cases, they need to have multiple streams of income to earn enough to live off of. Also, some online companies, like many content mills, will take payments but don't pay much, or not at all.

You're working to get paid to write and post your content.

Does the company that you are working for pay you a flat rate? Do they have specific deadlines?

Can you start the first or second day of the week?