With the rise of remote work and flexible job opportunities, sites like FlexJobs have become increasingly popular for people looking for legitimate work-from-home positions. But with so many sketchy job boards out there, it’s natural to be skeptical about the legitimacy of FlexJobs.
What is FlexJobs?
FlexJobs is an online job board and search engine that focuses exclusively on remote, flexible, and freelance job opportunities. The site was founded in 2007 and has steadily grown in popularity over the years. As of 2023, FlexJobs claims to have over 100,000 legitimate, hand-screened flexible job listings across more than 50 career fields.
FlexJobs requires an annual subscription fee of $14.95 per month to access their database of job listings. This paywall helps keep scam job postings off the site, as scammers are less likely to pay a subscription fee just to post a fake job ad. The site also has a rigorous screening process for employers to ensure legitimacy.
How does FlexJobs verify employers?
All companies and recruiters posting jobs on FlexJobs must go through a credential verification process before their jobs are listed on the site. This involves:
- Checking the company’s business references
- Confirming the company’s legitimacy through public records
- Verifying direct contact with a company representative
- Researching the company online for any suspicious activity or negative reviews
FlexJobs claims to reject over 95% of companies and recruiters that try to post job listings on their site. Their screening process is meant to weed out any suspicious, unverifiable, or fraudulent employers.
What types of jobs are on FlexJobs?
Some of the most common categories of remote jobs posted on FlexJobs include:
- Customer Service
- HR and Recruiting
- Project Management
- Education and Training
- Marketing
- Editing and Writing
- Sales
- Accounting and Finance
- Healthcare
- Technology
Jobs come from a diverse mix of small businesses, nonprofits, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in between. Some notable FlexJobs employers include Amazon, Dell, Hilton, Salesforce, Uber, and Vistaprint.
What do users say about FlexJobs?
Overall, reviews of FlexJobs from members tend to be overwhelmingly positive. Here are some pros that users frequently highlight:
- High quality, vetted job listings from legitimate employers
- Good customer service and support team
- Useful search filters and custom job alerts
- Valuable resources on remote work best practices
- Worthwhile for those serious about finding remote or flexible work
Some of the most commonly cited complaints include:
- Membership fee is required to fully use the site
- Not as many entry-level or freelance jobs
- Repeat/expired job listings sometimes slip through
But overall, most reviews indicate high satisfaction with the quality of flexible job opportunities available through the site.
What employees say about FlexJobs companies?
To further evaluate the legitimacy of employers posting jobs on FlexJobs, we can look at reviews from employees working at these companies. Here are some patterns that emerge:
- Most people report positive experiences working remotely for companies found through FlexJobs.
- Hiring processes are generally smooth and professional.
- Salaries and benefits tend to align with industry standards.
- Remote work policies are flexible and accommodating.
- Opportunities for career growth and learning.
While each company will be different, employee reviews reinforce that the jobs on FlexJobs do come from legitimate businesses with competitive remote roles.
Does FlexJobs have job scams?
While FlexJobs aims to be scam-free, no job platform is immune to occasional fraudulent job postings slipping through. Common signs of a potential job scam on FlexJobs include:
- Jobs that seem too good to be true with high pay for simple work
- Vague or generic job descriptions
- Requests for personal information like bank accounts or SSN
- Poorly written job posts with bad grammar
- Jobs requiring you to pay for “training” or “start-up costs”
FlexJobs emphasizes that users should report any suspicious job listings they encounter by using the “Report Job” button so they can promptly investigate them.
How does FlexJobs compare to other job sites?
Compared to major general job boards like Monster, CareerBuilder, or ZipRecruiter, FlexJobs key advantages are:
- All job listings are thoroughly vetted and verified
- Focus specifically on work-from-home and flexible jobs only
- Intuitive platform for finding remote opportunities
- Much lower chance of encountering scam job postings
The main downside is the paid subscription model. However, this helps FlexJobs ensure quality over quantity when it comes to their job listings.
For job seekers specifically interested in legitimate remote, freelance, or flexible work, FlexJobs stands out as a trusted source of opportunities not found on generalist boards.
Does FlexJobs have a money-back guarantee?
Yes, FlexJobs offers a 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee on all paid memberships. If you are unsatisfied with the site for any reason within your first 30 days, you can contact their customer service team to receive a full refund of your membership cost.
Is FlexJobs worth it for job seekers?
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Access to quality screened remote and flexible job listings | Relatively expensive monthly membership cost |
| Legitimate employers and hiring opportunities | Not ideal for entry-level or gig workers |
| Robust filtering tools to find the right fits | Repeated/expired listings occasionally get through |
| Great customer service and refund policy | Limited direct interaction with employers |
| Saves time spent vetting sketchy job boards | Some navigational/interface quirks |
Overall, FlexJobs is worth considering for job seekers, remote workers, military spouses, caregivers, or anyone seriously pursuing legitimate location-flexible positions. The site’s specialty in vetting employers makes it stand out compared to sifting through traditional job boards.
However, the membership fee may be prohibitively expensive for some users – especially those interested in freelance gigs rather than steady remote employment. The value proposition depends largely on how extensively you plan to use the site’s resources.
Conclusion
In the remote work era, FlexJobs has established itself as one of the leading flexible job boards for screening legitimate work-from-home opportunities. While no service can guarantee perfection, FlexJobs’ rigorous verification processes, positive user reviews, and trusted remote-work employer base indicates that the site is overwhelmingly legitimate for the vast majority of users.
Some fake job postings may occasionally slip through the cracks. However, FlexJobs’ active screening and member-reporting capabilities make this far less likely compared to many popular general job boards. While you should still be cautious of anything suspicious, FlexJobs remains one of the best options for safely uncovering viable remote and flexible job openings.
