6 Popular Work-at-Home Jobs for Every Skill Set

Why drive into an office if you don’t have to? With more and more remote working opportunities popping up every day, the possibility of working from home has never been as attainable as it is now.

With a high-speed internet connection, a home office setup, and a quiet work environment, you can skip the drive and start exploring work-at-home opportunities.

But finding a work-at-home job can be a daunting task when you don’t really know where to start. With all the different online jobs out there, it can be a chore deciding which type of job is right for you, determining which jobs you’re qualified for, and then finding companies that are hiring.

In this article, we’re going to go over some of the most popular work-from-home job opportunities available today. We’ll talk about different types of remote jobs nearly anyone can get and a few places you can start looking to find work.

1. Complete Miscellaneous Tasks

Let’s start this list off with the home-based opportunities that nearly anybody could get today. Completing miscellaneous tasks like taking surveys and testing websites have extremely low barriers to entry, however, they don’t pay nearly as much as other opportunities on this list.
Depending on which role you take, you might be compensated in a few different ways. This could be through a PayPal payment or a point-based system that rewards you with prepaid credit cards, gift cards, retail products, or sweepstakes entries.

Online Surveys

Getting paid to take online surveys is an excellent way to get your feet wet in a work-from-home position. Pretty much anyone can sign up to take surveys and get paid in the process.
Consumer surveys help companies improve products, advertisements, and in-store experiences. For example, you could be tasked with watching a few TV advertisements and then answering questions regarding what you saw.
If interested, a great place you can start is online survey companies like Survey Junkie or Swagbucks.

Product Testing

Testing products is nearly the same thing as taking online surveys, however, with this opportunity, you’ll be given products to use and review. In most cases, you’ll even be able to keep these products after you’ve completed the product survey.
The types of products that you’ll have the opportunity to review run the gamut. You may encounter food items, cosmetics, kitchenware, toys, and nearly anything else.
Once you try out the products, you’ll complete a thorough survey that will help companies develop products before they hit the shelves of your local stores.
One unique product testing company that bridges the gap between companies and online influencers is Influenster. By signing up, you can receive free products for providing input on products and promoting them on your social channels.

Test Websites and Apps

Similar to testing products, companies want to work out the kinks of websites and apps to enhance the overall user experience. By letting consumers like you test their websites and apps, they receive critical feedback that informs future development.
The process is pretty straightforward — you’ll be given a set of tasks that you must complete and then report on your experience. In some cases, this includes self-reporting your opinions.
In other cases, your screen may be monitored and recorded as you walk through the tasks to show developers areas that may need improvement. Two popular companies that offer these types of paid opportunities include BetaTesting and UserTesting.

2. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants are like the Swiss army knife of online work. Virtual assistants are employees who can help companies and professionals in a variety of ways. This could include handling administrative tasks, monitoring social media channels, maintaining a professional’s calendar, and much more.
Virtual assistants — or VAs — are independent contractors that can come on board and start helping out in any way that seems fit. Typically companies or professionals begin to get swamped by the day-to-day administrative tasks and need an extra helping hand.
If you consider yourself to be an organized, quick learning, and versatile worker, then a virtual assistant job might be the perfect fit for locking in a steady paycheck online.

3. Customer Service

Online customer service roles are one of the more popular remote working opportunities out there. These entry-level roles consist of interfacing with customers to answer their questions, solve their problems, and ensure they remain satisfied with the company you work for.
When you hear customer service, your mind might jump straight to a call center. While yes, phone support jobs are quite plentiful, these aren’t the only types of customer support roles. You can also be in customer service and never have to touch a phone.

Chat Support

Customer service through online chat support is a popular choice for many companies. Customers are increasingly turning to chat support agents on websites to solve problems they have, rather than waiting to talk to a customer service representative on the phone.

Social Media Moderator

Social media moderators are in charge of a company’s social media page. When it comes to customer service, you’ll be responding to questions that customers have through your company’s social channels. This will also include passing customers along to the correct point of contact within the company who can help solve their issue.

4. Online Teaching

Teaching online is another way you can lock in some flexible online work. Since you’ll be responsible for educating students, you may be required to have a few years of experience teaching, a bachelor’s degree, or teaching certifications, however, this isn’t to say that you have to be an experienced teacher to get a job.
Let’s look at a few of the more popular teaching options.

Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL)

Millions of Chinese speaking children all over the world are learning to speak English. This provides an enormous opportunity for you to find online employment as their English teacher.
As an ESL teacher, you’ll have a steady stream of classes and students to teach. To give you an idea, you’ll be teaching lessons and interacting with students through video chats all around the world. If you’d like, you could take on as many classes as you can handle and fill up a full-time schedule.
The requirements for becoming a teacher will vary depending on which platform you go through, with some requiring college education or TESL teaching certifications.

Tutor

Online tutors are a little more versatile than ESL teachers. As an online tutor, you’ll give guidance to students on specific curriculum.
The level of guidance will also vary. You could be helping students with homework questions, preparing them for SAT tests, or teaching them advanced mathematics — it really all depends on the student and which platform you work for.

5. Freelance Opportunities

There are freelance opportunities for every skill set and job title out there. If you specialize in a certain area — like writing, proofreading, or editing — then there are countless job postings for you to browse.

Writing

One of the most in-demand employees on the web are people who can write content for blogs and websites. Companies are always looking for writers to create great content that drives visitors to their site.
If you fancy yourself a pretty good writer and have a general understanding of how SEO works, then you should be able to quickly pick up part-time writing work and start earning extra cash on the side.

Proofreading and Editing

With all the writing out there driving traffic to websites, who’s going to proofread and edit it? That’s where you come in.
Proofreaders and editors help writers polish their writing and prepare it to go live. Before any piece of writing goes in front of consumers, there’s either a proofreader, editor, or both giving it a once-over to make sure there aren’t any grammatical errors or misspellings.

6. Direct Sales Companies

Direct sales companies provide you with an opportunity to make commissions from selling products to other consumers. This will require you to buy products from the company you work for and then sell them for a commission.

Some of the most popular direct sales companies that you may have heard of are Mary Kay, Avon, and Tupperware. These companies make money by having people like you sell their products for them, giving you a chance to earn money on the side.
Direct sale companies aren’t for everyone, but it’s worth looking over a list of direct sales companies and the opportunities they offer.

Start Searching Now

Now that you have a pretty good idea of what’s out there in regards to online jobs, it’s time to begin your job search.

If you need a place to start, head over to our remote job board list or one of the many links under each section above.

Finding an online gig may be easier than you think. It’s time to give it a shot!