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Everyone wants a job they can love, right? You hear it all the time: do what you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. While that may not be literally true – work is work! – finding the opportunity that’s a good fit for your personality and helps you feel empowered to succeed is important. That’s why I’ve put this list together for you: 11 jobs recommended frequently to newcomers, inspired by the wonderful, enthusiastic members of my community.
Ready to find your next great work-at-home gig? Look below.
Note: Job details can change at any time. Please refer to the company’s website for current openings, requirements and information.
1. Alorica
Alorica is one of those great companies who offer outsourced communication solutions for their clients and actually hire remote workers as employees. That means they take your taxes out of your paycheck for you and you get benefits – you’re not an underpaid independent contractor with Alorica. Easy to see why people love this, right?
If you’re interested in providing customer service on inbound calls, see if Alorica is hiring in your state and get your application submitted. Just make sure that you have a quiet home office to work in and a landline for taking calls. You must also have a high school diploma (or equivalent) and take both a job fit assessment test and a behavioral assessment test.
What people like about it: This is a W-2 position and scheduling is in 30-minute increments.
I’ve reviewed the Alorica at Home work-from-home opportunity more extensively in this post.
2. Amazon
Amazon is a household name, so having the opportunity to work for them from home feels like an awesome opportunity. Especially since they also typically hire remote customer service reps as employees – not independent contractors – and sometimes have full-time positions available. Given the volume of orders and customer inquiries Amazon deals with every day, even their part-time hours are respectable – if you’re part-time with them, they want you to be available 20-29 hours per week.
There are some location restrictions for working with Amazon – basically, they have a list of 30 states they’re hiring from, so check that list before you apply. You also need to have at least one year of customer service experience for this position and a high school diploma (or equivalent). One of the best ways to get started with them is to look out for their seasonal hiring periods – like when they’re gearing up for the winter holiday shopping season – get on board as a temporary worker, and then impress them with your performance so you’re invited to stay.
What people like about it: Great seasonal position.
Find out more about Amazon work-from-home opportunities in my thorough breakdown.
3. Apptical
Apptical is a telephone interview and inspection service performing risk management services for various insurance providers (from medical insurance to life insurance to long term care insurance). They’ve been around for 30 years, pride themselves on innovation, and have been working with work-from-home agents for over the last 10 years. Folks have praised them for being a stable remote work opportunity.
They most often are looking for folks bilingual in English and Spanish who can provide good customer service while intelligently conducting their interviews. The bilingual part isn’t required, however. It helps if you have some background in the medical or insurance industries, but that’s not a requirement either. They also offer incentive-based bonuses and their busy periods tend to be late in the year.
What people like about it: A few people have said they have been here for many, many years and make good money.
You can find out more about their current job opportunities here.
4. Blogging
Who doesn’t want to be their own boss, writing about something they’re passionate about? From my own experience and hearing about the experiences of others, I know that blogging is an incredibly rewarding endeavor that can reap serious financial rewards. You just need to find your niche, and be consistent in your blog strategies. If you’re a blogger, treat it like your job – because it is!
When you’re ready to start your own blog, you can get started for around $100 (or less) for a domain name and hosting services for your first year. Make sure you start smart and follow through – define your niche, write to your audience, and start collecting email addresses for a mailing list from day one. And don’t neglect affiliate marketing.
What people like about it: The flexibility and income potential.
I’ve got tons of Blogging 101 resources for you here on my blog, and in my free email series.
5. Kelly Services
Much like their physical office locations, Kelly Services’ home program – KellyConnect – focuses on connecting temps with available positions in many different industries, from education and government to IT and customer service. People seem to love working with KellyConnect because they’re supportive and provide their remote team with opportunities for career growth.
If you’re an amazing multitasker with great customer service skills, KellyConnect’s inbound virtual call center is waiting for you. Their Tier 1 Advisors make between $13 and $15 per hour, and they offer bonuses – starting with a $500 training completion bonus after 90 days. (Note: Pay rates and bonuses can change at any time. Please check the job description for current rates and offerings.) You must have a high school diploma (or equivalent) and appreciate getting paid weekly.
What people like about it: Kelly is a trusted name both as a local temp service and a company hiring remote workers.
Check out my interview with one of KellyConnect’s supervisors here on my blog.
6. Lionbridge
Lionbridge is a popular choice for the nature of their flexible and temporary work – since they have people working on assessing ads or search results or even maps, the volume of work available for the assessors ebbs and flows. People who’ve worked for Lionbridge in the past have praised the ability for them just to work an hour or so a day at times of their choosing.
In this position, assessors are provided with a set of guidelines to use when evaluating various items (like search results) and then provided with examples to evaluate. Search engine evaluators, for example, are given search terms to plug into the relevant search engine and review according to their guidelines.
What people like about it: fair pay and flexibility. A good side gig.
If you’d like to know more about Search Engine Evaluator gigs, check out this post on my blog.
7. Measurement Inc
Measurement Inc is another assessment company, but this time for scoring performance assessments. Their Readers and Evaluators are highly-trained and well-educated, giving MI an excellent reputation with their clients. They also have an excellent reputation with their remote workers – many people have said how rewarding the work is grading essays from students all over the US.
If you’re interested in becoming one of their Evaluators, you must have at least a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent foreign degree). They’ll also ask you to complete a writing sample and provide professional references. They tend to hire seasonally, and have a ton of work available during their peak seasons.
What people like about it: Quite a few people in my community have worked here for years. They really enjoy the work. The downside is it’s seasonal.
Learn more about this opportunity here on Measurement Inc’s site.
8. Shipt
If you don’t mind running errands for other people – and I’ve heard from many folks who don’t – you can go grocery shopping for others and get paid to do it! Shipt is a membership-based service which hires shoppers on a part-time or full-time basis to run to the shop for their members. Some of Shipt’s most-praised points are that they pay their shoppers for referring new members and shoppers, and have an app that makes it a breeze to work whenever you have time.
If you’d like to apply, you should be 18 or over, have a valid driver’s license and car insurance, a vehicle made in 1997 or newer, and insulated cooler bags. Getting started with them is a matter of applying and being interviewed. If you’re approved, you can look forward to making a decent wage and setting your own schedule. You also get a free Shipt membership.
What people like about it: Flexibility.
You can get all the details of the Shipt gig here on their site.
9. SYKES
Sykes Home is another outsourced customer service provider, employing thousands of work-from-home agents in their virtual call center. If you’re the type of person who loves assisting others and learning new things, Sykes offers a rewarding program of work. I’ve heard often from Sykes Home employees who praise the company for their great work-life balance and flexible scheduling.
The application process with Sykes Home involves multiple assessments to determine your capabilities, followed by an interview and finally an offer if they choose to offer you employment. Sykes provides paid training, health benefits (including vision and dental), performance-based bonuses, and consistent schedules. Make sure your home office meets the requirements before you apply – those include a PC running Windows with high-speed Internet access, two headsets – USB and corded, and a landline.
What people like about it: W-2 position. Some people report having a full-time schedule.
To learn more about the Sykes Home program and its requirements, click here.
10. U-Haul
U-Haul runs a virtual customer service center for their customers to call in with questions and to make reservations for their equipment and services. It’s straightforward customer service work with some upselling involved – whatever services might work best for U-Haul’s customers. People say they love working for U-Haul because they’re not micromanaged, have the freedom to do their job effectively, and have great training.
Most call center positions with U-Haul deal with sales and reservations, and calls from all across the United States are routed to the virtual customer service center when individual stores are closed or not able to answer their phones. That means you’ll need to be extensively familiar with U-Haul’s offerings, and ready for back-to-back calls.
What people like: W-2 position. Fast-paced.
Still not sure if U-Haul is the right opportunity for you? Check out my breakdown here.
11. VIPKID
Does teaching Chinese kids English as a Second Language sound like something you would enjoy doing? You should check out VIPKID’s teaching opportunity! There are tons of work-from-home teachers out there – many with no previous teaching certification – telling us how much they really enjoy doing one-on-one video call-based lessons with these students in China.
Working with VIPKID means bringing a positive and energetic attitude to play in 30-minute lessons; they prepare all the lesson materials for you, so you simply review the lesson plan and teach as directed. To qualify for this position, you need a Bachelor’s degree and to have at least one year of full-time experience teaching, coaching, tutoring, or working with students. You have the opportunity to earn a pretty decent wage once your bonuses are factored in!
What people like about it: Flexibility, pay and fulfilling work with students
Learn more about VIPKID here. If you’d like to learn more about ESL tutoring in general, click here.
Are you ready to discover that work-from-home job you will love? Don’t wait! Select your favorites from my list, get out there, and apply.
