How many times have you started reading a job ad only to get to the part where it is “data entry work” and roll your eyes? For me, the words “data entry” send up a red flag, since so many data entry jobs are associated with online freelancing scams. That’s not entirely fair, though. There are actually legitimate data entry jobs out there – and they pay just as well for your time as writing jobs.

Point in case: In the past, I worked for a company putting together a huge database of books – I enter information like the author, ISBNs, summary, character information, setting, etc. The pay didn’t blow me out of the water, but it also wasn’t the lowest paying gig I ever have. I was paid weekly and worked for them consistently for several months – so yes, it really was legit.

That’s not to say that crap jobs don’t exist as well. The problem is weeding them out. Here are some things to look for in a data entry job:

• You’re paid regularly and according to how much work you do. There’s no commission or selling involved.
• The job makes sense. If the job seems like “busy work” of some kind, and there’s no real point to what you’re doing, you might want to reconsider taking the job, because something is fishy.
• You don’t have to pay for “leads” or any kind of other information.
• Their data entry system is easy to use, or they pay you for training hours.
• They offer you contract.

Have you ever taken any data entry work? The job I mentioned above was my second go at this type of freelancing. The first was compiling contact information for certain medical services in each state. That project actually paid extremely well for my time, so once again – don’t discount data entry work right off the bat. Some projects may actually be good for you.

A version of this post, written by me, was first published on b5media’s Bizzia website. It is reposted here with permission.