Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Advice from Clark Howard on "Work At Home" Opportunities

Would you like to work from home?Clark gets tons of calls from people who would like to do database or customer service work out of their homes. The problem is that there are many ripoff work-from-home outfits that claim they will find you work for an upfront fee. They are just trying to make a quick buck off you. Below are some sites Clark has checked out and determined to be legitimate. Of course, you should check them out thoroughly yourself before getting involved. Good luck!

alpineaccess.com - virtual call center provider using home-based customer service agents
convergysworkathome.com - be an independent contractor home agent providing customer care, human resources and billing services
intellicare.com - call center company that provides clinical and non-clinical telephone services to health plans, healthcare providers, and care managers nationwide
liveops.com - virtual call center using remote and home-based agents. Requires $30 fee for background check
msvas.com - this company has developed virtual assistant training programs for U.S. military spouses and U.S. Department of State Foreign Service spouses
workathomeagent.com - be an "at-home-agent" after getting certified
workingsolutions.com - be a home-based customer service agent

One bit of advice before you take the leap into a work-at-home opportunity: Take an inventory of your talent, add a dash of creativity to your thinking and come up with a plan that suits you. • If you sew well, do alterations for others.
• If you have a good grasp of a particular subject, tutors are always needed.• Good with a computer? Consider teaching others how to use one. You might also want to do computer work for college and graduate students. Try putting up flyers around your area as well as the local colleges and universities.
• Create personal websites for friends and neighbors. Parents might want to purchase one from you as a gift for a child. It can used for photos and 'firsts' as the child is growing. This makes a great gift to the parents of a newborn!
• Are you handy with crafts? Costume jewelery making and selling can be aimed at school-aged girls or adults, and all well-priced gift items sell well especially before the holiday season.

The list can go on as long as you align your talents with services or products others need. Be imaginative and create a job! If you choose to go the standard work-at-home route, heed these warnings from the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau

http://clarkhoward.com/topics/workathome_help.html

From Elizabeth: I don't know how long ago this was posted on Clark's website and some of these companies may or may not still be in business. The big message is that there are legitimate opportunities. You should research them and none of them should cost you a lot of money.

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