Remote working has become very popular since the usage of the internet increased in the past decade. Its popularity has especially increased following the COVID-19 pandemic. But not everyone is cut out for remote jobs, or at least some people have to learn a few things before entering that market. Learning the skills for remote working are more important than ever.
If you are interested in the nomadic lifestyle or just the freedom of working from home, you have to start somewhere. This article shows where to start if you want to become a remote worker.
Remote Work Soft Skills
Organization
Being organized is essential to any kind of profession for any job. In the case of remote workers, organizational skills are even more necessary. Remote employees more often than not don’t have someone to breathe down their necks about tasks. So knowing how to organize your time to make sure work gets done without pressure from coworkers or managers is a must.
Organizational skills also include knowing when to take time off for yourself. You have to be able to dedicate enough time for work while keeping a healthy lifestyle and maintaining relationships. Because remote working comes with flexible schedules, you will put your organizational skills to practice to get work done.
Attention to Detail
Paying attention to detail is one of the most important aspects of working remotely. Time is invaluable and remote teams have to optimize some parts of working relationships to meet deadlines.
That’s why it is imperative to review even the smallest details so you can deliver excellent work. You don’t have to be perfect, but significant errors that require many hours to correct should be avoided. Do the project right the first time by paying attention to the details.
Communication and Teamwork
Communication is a big part of the optimization of your remote work schedule. If you pass over errors when doing your job, the team will lose valuable time communicating to correct them.
Keep in touch with your virtual co-workers via group management programs such as Slack and Discord. That way, contacting them is only a matter of a few clicks.
Teamwork and communication are a must in any company, but they are easier to conduct when all the persons involved are at the same location. A remote team needs to communicate better to work harmoniously. Communication channels have to be open all the time to make sure everyone not in the office is working towards the same goal. Also, to save time, remote teams have to be concise in their messages.
At the office, people can walk into each other all the time. They can talk about projects or something personal. With remote teams, because communication takes longer through emails and other tools, it is better to go straight to the point. It goes the same with team meetings, that have to be optimized and constant to make sure everyone knows the progress of each project.
Self-discipline
Not everyone is made to work in a remote position, it requires a lot of self-discipline. Many professionals are used to a set schedule with co-workers and managers pressure employees to work. But it is very different when you are working from home as you won’t have anyone telling you what to do or checking if you are working or not.
Remote workers have to be self-disciplined to set their work hours and organize work throughout each day. It is hard not to get distracted by your smartphone or family members that live with you. A good option is to have a dedicated office space in your home and leave all possible distractions outside.
The Perfect Remote Positions
UX designer and developer
UX/UI Designers and developers are the creators of website visuals – be it on mobile or web applications. However, they not only design or develop the interface, they also have to make sure all components make for an intuitive and user-friendly experience.
To do this, they learn to know what the users want and show them what they need. A UX expert can also be a researcher who investigates the market and understands what it is lacking. Overall, this skill is an excellent choice for remote workers because they can do most, if not all, of their job responsibilities through the internet.
If you are interested, you can check the average salary for UX designers here.
JavaScript Developer
JavaScript is a programming language used to give websites interactive features not possible with HTML, another language used to build websites. JavaScript developers make animations, web applications, and many other features possible.
This language can be used to develop the front- or back-end of any website, and with the digitalization of our world, the need for web developers, especially those with JavaScript skills, only grows.
JavaScript developers can work from anywhere. In fact, web developers with different backgrounds are very coveted because they have insights into what the users want.
They can also work in the blockchain industry that has grown in the last few years. With the shortage of blockchain professionals, any company will accept remote workers for the chance to have an experienced employee.
Writer
With the present number of websites on the internet, writers are tasked with generating content. Writers can be experts on any topic. If you want to become a writer, there is probably a niche for your topics on the internet. And there are as many options to become a digital writer as there are topics to write about.
The best part is that people don’t have to get a college degree to become one. As long as you have decent grammar, you can write about anything and learn along the way. You could find a full-time job or work in freelance projects; either way, it is an excellent option for remote workers.
In Conclusion
These soft and hard skills will help steer your career path into remote working. Some of the professionals mentioned in this article have already learned in regular job positions and can translate their skills into the job they want. If not, they are easy to learn, but the point is to start now. Remote working is a very free lifestyle with the security of having a full-time job.
Artur Meyster is the CTO of Career Karma (YC W19), an online marketplace that matches career switchers with coding bootcamps. He is also the host of the Breaking Into Startups podcast, which features people with non-traditional backgrounds who broke into tech. You can find Artur at:
https://twitter.com/arturmeyster
https://www.linkedin.com/in/meyster