You might have heard about micro jobs by other names: micro tasks, small jobs, GPT (Get Paid To), or even freelancing. Micro jobs, by our own definition, are jobs that can be performed in a short period of time and the work is done in some fashion through the internet. Read on for our beginners guide to micro jobs.
All micro jobs begin on the internet at websites that provide a platform for exchange: buyers looking for tasks to be done and those looking to sell their time to do that work. But that doesn’t mean the actual work is always done online. In this guide, you’ll see there are a number of different micro jobs options.
They fall into a few different categories:
Freelancing
A website or application lists services needed or you offer your services on the site. Sometimes the fees are set but often you negotiate the fee or bid like at an auction. The administrator of the site takes a commission on all completed transactions. The big difference in this category is that you can also advertise your services on the site.
You are usually offered a means of rating both those who pay for services and those who perform the tasks. You focus on doing your tasks well to get better ratings, thus building your reputation on the site. And a better rating/reputation leads to better fees and/or more work. You send your finished work through the website for evaluation and then payment.
Some examples of the types of tasks available: writing, advertising, logo design, SEO (search engine optimisation), copy-writing, proof-reading, translation, programming, website development, video editing, transcription, etc. The list is much longer but this should give you a good idea of the scope.
Crowdsourcing
These websites (or applications) are run by vendors working with client companies that break larger project work into many smaller tasks. Each small task is then farmed out on the website where they provide lists of jobs available with set fees.
You browse the list of jobs and accept the task you like. You then complete the task, according to the instructions given, and ensure you finish within the timeline needed.
These sites generally list smaller, quicker tasks and that also means lower fees. But at least it’s clear – vendors list a job with a fee, you accept the job, you do the job, and then you get paid for the job. You submit your results through the website when you’ve completed the task.
Some examples of tasks available: information gathering, translation, data processing and verification, user experience research, content evaluation, proof-reading, data cleanup, web research, taking surveys, categorising images, etc.
Merchandising
Merchandising tasks focus on products or services in retail stores. The websites still list the jobs available and you apply for the jobs, but you need to be onsite at those stores to do the tasks.
The types of tasks you might perform price checks, display inventory, product surveys, service evaluation, etc. It is very likely that you’ll need to take photos with your smartphone to prove all of your work for these types of tasks. You complete your reports online, including your photo proof, and you’re paid once it’s been evaluated and accepted.
Personal Support
The personal support tasks are probably more familiar to you. The websites are there to list the jobs but the tasks are in-person: making deliveries, handy person services, cleaning services, and other odd jobs.
These tasks have you engaged more with other people and you need to be on-site for most of this work – they are not work-from-home options. You might even possibly be working with a team of other people, again in-person.
Common Features
Regardless of the type of micro job they usually have a number of things in common:
- Internet access – all micro jobs require you to be online at some point in the process. A lot of micro jobs need you to own or have access to a smartphone so you can take photos during your tasks.
- Lower than minimum wage – these jobs are not going to make you rich and typically pay you lower than minimum wage
- First come, first served – you will be competing with other people looking for jobs so you need to accept the tasks quickly and also complete them quickly to earn a good reputation on the sites
- PayPal – most micro jobs are paid through PayPal so you need to ensure you have an active, verified account
- Deadlines – all of the micro jobs will have deadlines you need to meet otherwise you may not get paid
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Conclusion
Micro jobs can be useful when you have small bursts of time available as they are generally quick and don’t require a lot of time. They’re also useful if the time you have available is outside of typical working hours as you can do many micro jobs on your own schedule.
Just keep in mind, even with this beginners guide, you are not going to get rich with micro jobs!
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