Have a Computer? Have a Phone? Work at Home

From the moment I quit my "day job" and started working from home, I've consistently been asked for lists or directories of honest, reliable work at home opportunities. We all know how hard it is to start working for a business at home without finding out that you're part of some scheme. You don't want to be ripped off, and you want to be able to proudly talk about your work.

Work at home opportunities are perfect for many people. These "virtual" jobs allow you to be flexible with your hours, not have to send your kids to daycare, or work a second job with the ease of doing it in your own environment.

The opportunities I've listed here are real opportunities. They are not for someone who wants an "easy" job. Most of the employers require that you pass tests to determine that you are a great fit for their company, and they pay professional fees. All of these opportunities are focused on jobs that require you use a home phone (usually a corded phone is required) and an internet connection (high-speed cable or DSL is often a must).

In other words, these work at home jobs aren't for just anyone. They're for professionals who really love working with people one-on-one, helping find solutions to others' problems, and working on your computer a majority of the time.

Hey, if you're looking for the best jobs, you're going to want employers that are careful about screening their candidates. That's what we have here.

Accolade Support

A business dedicated to helping other businesses by providing sales, customer service, and technical support, Accolade Support hires remote agents who will work from their home office.

Remote agents are the core of what Accolade Support offers - and they work this way because having less overhead by hiring independent contractors allows them to spend less money, savings that they pass on to their clients that are growing monthly. Agents working for Accolade Support are expected to provide extremely high level service, performing a variety of tasks that range from inbound order taking to appointment scheduling, helpdesk support, and performing customer satisfaction surveys.

In other words, as a remote agent working for Accolade Support, you would be performing services for a business that is outsourcing their call needs.

What do you need to be a successful candidate for a position?

While different types of agent positions become available at different times, Accolade Support is currently looking for knowledgeable people to serve as PC Desktop Support Agents. For this particular work at home position, technical skills and the ability to troubleshoot PC and Internet issues are a huge asset, though some training is provided. A successful agent will possess fantastic customer service skills, because they're working with people who are frustrated and often upset. You should be able to both calm the caller and work with them to achieve a solution to their problem. Seriously, you have to want to help people here.

Pay is really great for a work at home job, starting between $10 and $12 per hour - and you can choose to work part time or full time. To read more about the qualifications and apply for a position, visit Accolade Support.

ACD Direct

ACD Direct is another company that relies on their work at home employees to have some customer service skills, but they're also great at pointing out all the reasons people choose to work from home in the first place: your commute is the length of your hall, you can work in any clothes you're comfortable in, and your cafeteria is as close as your own fridge.

Working at home for ACD Direct means handling calls that range from fundraising and tech support to order taking. Originally begun as a brick and mortar office in 2000, the company expanded into the virtual world in 2003 in order to provide a huge variety of industries the best support available.

And that support could be you.

The qualification focus of ACD Direct is on experience. They strongly prefer that you have call center experience, or call work from home experience. You also must have a quality computer with high speed Internet access, a phone, and an office space that provides complete silence. ACD Direct has a zero tolerance policy for background noise.

Before beginning work with ACD Direct, and periodically throughout your work at home career with the company, you will be required to complete training.

Sound right up your alley? Hit the application page for more information and to begin the application process.

Brandon Hall Research

This work at home opportunity is one of the coolest out there for someone who loves performing research (including students looking for an internship with a research project to work on), creating statistically based surveys and market analysis, and learning/teaching professionals who can write well on topics of interest.

Brandon Hall Research offers an extensive research library that is filled with topics of interest to corporations who are looking to implement the best technology and practices in their business. They also perform one-on-one services to help businesses make smart technology planning and purchases, as well as well-researched consultations that help bring businesses into a brighter, more prosperous future.

The application you fill out online for Brandon Hill Research to be considered for a work at home position highlights things like whether you have experience in performing interviews, conducting surveys, evaluating learning technology products, fact checking, proofreading and writing. You're also asked to provide some information about yourself, especially where your interests lie, as well as your experience and qualifications.

Based on your application, Brandon Hill Research will be able to determine where your services would be most needed.

You can learn more about Brandon Hall at their website, www.brandon-hall.com, or start your application here.

Intrep Sales Partners

Independent consultants working at home for Intrep Sales Partners are hand-picked to ensure that they can converse intelligently and easily with even the highest level prospects - business CFO's, CIO's, and CEO's. This is the very reason Intrep offers virtual, work at home positions. They're able to draw from a national pool of professionals no matter where they're physically located.

Some of the requirements you're asked to possess for consideration include: appointment setting, sales and marketing background, understanding of business-related software, and the ability to pass a personality and proficiency test.

Sure, you have to jump through a few hoops to land this work at home job, but you get to set your own hours and earn some great pay. To learn more about the company or begin the application process, visit http://intrep.com/people.html.

Live Ops

Definitely a job only for someone that can really motivate themselves and keep good records, Live Ops offers the most flexibility of any work at home opportunity I've run across. As a work at home agent for this company, you work as an independent contractor - essentially running your own business - that offers services to Live Ops. This allows you to seriously set your own hours, working as often or as little as you like.

Typically, agents handle order and support calls but there are a range of agent types that include opportunities for licensed insurance agents, financial services, inbound sales, outbound consultative sales, bilingual agents, and casual dining operators.

One of the truly great things about Live Ops is that you're paid for the actual time you spend talking to someone on the phone. You can commit to working any number of hours in ½ hour increments, but you can also go ahead and work at any other time when you find yourself free and needing something to do.

To learn more, check out what opportunities are currently available, or to begin or check on the status of your application visit http://www.liveops.com/become-agent/index.html.