4 work-at-home jobs to keep in mind

Customer service agent

• Preferred education: High school

• Essential skill: The gift of gab

When you dial a company’s help line, the call typically goes to a mega call center somewhere. But increasingly, customer service calls also route to home-based agents, who answer questions, complete forms and log complaints through their computers. Hours are flexible and few firms require specific education or experience. Training (usually paid) is provided, and you will be expected to have phone and Internet service that meet minimum standards. Also expect to undergo a credit and background check. SYKES Home Powered by Alpine Access, Convergys and West Corporation rank among the major employers. All three are highly rated by the Better Business Bureau, usually hire agents as employees rather than contractors, and offer benefits such as paid vacation and medical insurance to full-time workers.

Tech support

• Pay: $17-$29/hour

• Preferred education: Associate or bachelor’s degree

• Essential skill: Fluency in geek-speak

Computer nerds and A-V types can make solid salaries in tech support, where demand is high and hours flexible. Working out of home offices, such techs generally serve as the first point of contact for customers troubleshooting everything from laptops to televisions to MySQL servers. Some work directly for major brands and retailers, such as Apple and Best Buy. Apple’s at-home workers are hired as employees, not contractors, and receive perks such as iMacs for business use and about $600 a year in reimbursement for Internet service. But job seekers should also consider third-party support providers, including PlumChoice, which handles tech support for Fortune 500 companies.

Virtual assistant

• Preferred education: High school

• Essential skill: Ability to juggle calls and clients

A virtual assistant does everything a traditional assistant might do, from scheduling appointments and maintaining records to preparing memos and reports. Most VAs are contractors, not employees, and they operate out of their homes as independent businesses with multiple clients. Newcomers can market themselves to potential clients through local business groups, Facebook and Twitter, and the International Virtual Assistants Assocation jobs board. Zirtual, a Las Vegas-based company that provides virtual assistants for busy professionals nationwide, hires full-time and part-time assistants who must be able to work specific hours each weekday.

Online tutor

Not everything needs to be included on your resume. Sure, that summer after your sophomore year in high school you spent painting Old Man Murphy’s siding may have taught you a lot about character and commitment, but it probably doesn’t belong on the current summation of your experiences. In case you’re wondering what belongs and what doesn’t belong on today’s resume, here’s a list of things to avoid:

Unnecessary text: What are the first sayings you should realize when you’re putting together a new resume or revising the old one is that former formatting rules aren’t really necessary. In fact, they were never necessary in the first place. There’s no need to include “Email” before listing your email address or “Phone” before your number. If a company you want to work for needs to be told what those words with that funny, little circle-a symbol mean, you probably don’t want to work there anyway.

Cliches: Any phrase like “hardworking,” “punctual” or “responsible” is hopefully stating the obvious. We’ll just assume that you don’t coast through the day, that you don’t show up for work 45 minutes late and that you don’t spill coffee all over the floor at least once a week without ever cleaning it up. While it may seem like you’re laying the groundwork for some of your bigger and more important traits, you’re taking up valuable space with qualities that are a given. And besides, no one’s going to admit being a lazy, chronically tardy, blame-shifter when they apply for a job. If you have enough examples of your experience, skills and achievements, you shouldn’t need to boost your resume with unnecessary words.

Your personal info: There are people who like to include their marital status, age or religion — or obvious hints about them — on their resume or cover letter in the hopes that it may personalize their relationship with a potential interviewer or draw some attention to something about their lives that a hiring manager might consider a plus. Don’t do it. Many HR professionals will tell you they get a little nervous when they see unsolicited personal information on resumes and applications because they feel like they will then have to resist the urge to use bias in a place they wouldn’t even consider using it in the first place.

Photos: In keeping with what’s been stated above, don’t include a photo of yourself on your resume. Unless you’re applying for a specific position that advertises openings for candidates with the best smile, most freckles or best ’80s hairstyle, there is no reason to include your photo on any job application or resume. Frankly, it’s kind of creepy.

Irrelevant jobs: Unless there’s a direct reason why a job more than 10 — OK, 15 — years makes you a good candidate for a particular position, there isn’t much reason to mention it. And if you need to mention to fill some space, keep it simple. Don’t use the same approach you use with your current or recent job. Simply state the job, the title, the location and the timespan and that’s it. Think of your resume as a password. You’re trying to gain access to a particular place. Just like logging into your email account, there’s no need for extraneous letters and numbers. Use only what you need.

Warnings: Even subtle descriptions of something like your age aren’t helpful. You may think that your letting a potential employer know you’re over 50 will spare you from being turned down for a position down the road but it’s not good practice. Aside from the obvious age-discrimination issues, your age is insignificant when companies — and the apps they use — sort through the initial pile of resumes. If you’re nervous about letting people know that you’re older than the average candidate, don’t be. Your experience will state that in ways your age can’t anyway, so get over it. Besides, if you’re what the company is looking for, and they’re honest about their goals, they won’t care if you’re 25 or 55.

References: You don’t have much space so don’t include names, titles and contact information for the people you assume will give you a glowing recommendation. In fact, don’t bother with the standard line of “References available upon request” either. That’s sort of a given. If a company’s job ad indicates that they want a list of references when you first apply, that’s one thing, but offering up the names of others when you haven’t even made it beyond the first wave of filters is a waste of space and time.