How to Get It: Customer service is the biggest work-at-home field, with companies including Spiegel, Hilton, Best Western, HSN, 1-800-FLOWERS and many others using at-home reps. Fill out an application with staffing companies such as Arise, Alpine Access, VIPdesk, LiveOps, and Convergys, all of which vet the companies who are hiring through them. If you need benefits, search through a staffing company that will hire you as an employee (Alpine Access, VIPdesk and Convergys do this) rather than an independent contractor. If you're a contractor, you may be asked to pay a small fee (between $15 and $35) for a background check. While a fee can be a sign of a scam, independent contractors are responsible for their own expenses. Work From Home
"The biggest holdback against remote work for the past 20 years has been middle managers who didn't trust their employees to do it," Lister says. "And the biggest difference between managers who support it and those who don't is those who have done it." Now that the results are in from the grand experiment, Lister says she expects much of that resistance to melt away. Work At Home