How To Make Money Doing Research For Other People

Many people assume that they have no marketable skills that other people would want to use, but in the vast majority of cases that simply isn’t true.
You might think that because you can’t write, you can’t make any money. Not true. Can’t design or draw anything either? Not a problem.
The solution for many people is to take on simple research jobs for other people who don’t have the time to do it themselves. The word ‘research’ tends to bring to mind stuffy libraries and reams of paperwork but that isn’t the case nowadays. Thanks to the internet research can be a quick and easy task, and the fact that some people still don’t have the time to do it themselves means big money opportunities for you.
The great thing about offering up your skills as a researcher is that you don’t necessarily have to specialize in any one particular area. One client might need information on keywords that other websites use so they can determine how to structure their own site content. Someone else might want to get information about a particular subject so they can write a book about it. No matter what job or field the client is in you can be certain that they will need to research various things at different points in time, and if they don’t have time to do it themselves you can be there to do it for them – in exchange for a fee.
The key to getting work is to look in the right places. You can offer your research skills through websites such as Elance and Get A Freelancer; these sites enable you to search for jobs in specific areas, so you can look through all the research work available and only apply for those ones you feel confident about doing.
The idea is to work up gradually and take on larger jobs as and when you feel ready to do so. Smaller and easier jobs are ideal for starters when you need a bit of confidence to get going. Remember that many research jobs will be quick and easy; they aren’t offered because the person offering the work cannot do them from a capability point of view, they are offered because they simply don’t have the time.
Once you have got a few jobs under your belt you should take the time to set up a website for yourself so you can promote your research skills to a wider audience. This could bring in extra clients and you can also take the opportunity to mention work you have already done. Make sure you list some diverse jobs so that you can demonstrate your ability to do a wide range of tasks, and mention any particular areas of knowledge that you have as well.
In short, there are plenty of chances to earn some decent money in this arena, and what’s more you can fit your work in around your other responsibilities. So long as you can meet the deadlines imposed by the people wanting the work, you won’t have any problems at all.
Fancy trying this yourself? If you do, be sure to leave us a comment before you start looking for that first job!