9 Tips to Start Working Remotely
Does the thought of quitting the regular 9-5 work style appeal to you? Do you consider the daily routine of getting out of bed, wading through traffic, and showing up at work boring? Then, welcome to the remote era. Of course, it would be very comfortable to get out of bed whenever you feel like and finish up work-related tasks at your convenience. This is what working remotely is about.
The nature of jobs in the 21st century is evolving. Firms and organizations realize that they can cut down on the costs of financing their labor and setting up an in-house working environment. Giving their staff the opportunity to work from home or remotely is fast becoming the norm. So, are you looking to ask your employer to allow you work remotely? Or are you thinking of leaving your current job to build a career that’s more flexible and allows you to work from anywhere? We’ve got great and effective tips to help you kick-start your journey as a remote worker.
Understanding Remote Work?
We are seeing the concept of working from home growing in popularity. Remote work is basically about flexible work. It means that you can work while you travel or work from any location of your choice, preferably your home. You also get to choose your work hours without the need to show up at the office daily.
While freelancing may be related because freelancers can work remotely as well, remote work most often implies that you are employed by a company on a part-time or full-time basis but can work from any location of your choice. You no longer have to sign in at 9:00am and sign out at 5:00pm.
Remote work is geared towards increasing how productive you are by allowing you to create a schedule that is ideal for you and your employer. You’ll choose your work hours and be paid as you complete tasks or deliver results. This gives you even more time for yourself to do the things you love such as
- Spend more time with family
- Go on vacations
- Take a course
- Learn a new skill
- Have more time for yourself
- Benefit from an improved work-life balance, etc.
9 Tips to Start Working Remotely
Working remotely may put you on the path to a more satisfying life but getting started can be challenging. Making the transition from a traditional work environment to a more personalized workspace may present some uncertainties. To help you start off in the right direction, here are 9 tips for you to start off as a remote worker:
Getting Started With Working Remotely
It’s a great decision that you’re making to transition into the remote era. To begin, evaluate your situation first. Decide whether it is really possible to work from home or another location different from your workplace. Does your employer have a problem with allowing you to have more flexibility in your schedule? Another idea is to assess your network or use a reputable website like Remote Era to find jobs that you can perform remotely.
Explore the world of freelancing
If you’re looking to transition into the world of digital nomads, freelancing is a great idea. Becoming a freelancer involves looking for projects and tasks that you can complete from the home. What job are you currently working at? Is there a possibility of transforming it into a freelance gig? If there is the option of flexibility, you might want to consider working as a freelancer. For example, do you work as a content writer or social media manager for a company? These are the kind of jobs that are flexible enough to transform into remote jobs.
Get a niche skill
If you’re keen about working remotely, you should be able to show that you can offer value. Having a niche skill that you can leverage is a perfect idea. Your niche skill increases your worth and makes employers more willing to let you work remotely so they can benefit from you. That way, companies will be forced to let you work on your own terms.
Hone your skills to perfection
Now that you’ve decided on your niche skill, you need to fine-tune it. If you must really stand out as a person of value, you need to show that your skill is superior. You will find that many jobs in the remote era are connected to tech but this doesn’t mean that all of them are. There is great demand for non-tech skills as well. For instance, a good non-tech skill is Marketing. Make it a goal to be the best that you can as a marketing expert and companies will be willing to hire you to work remotely. And they will hire you on your own terms as long as you can guarantee results. So, a rare skill and become an expert at it if you can.
Ask your employer to let you take on a remote role
Talk to your employer and request the opportunity to work remotely. Explain why you feel you’d perform better as a remote worker and how the company will benefit. You could also suggest a trial period to see if it works to prove that it actually can. Your employer will eventually see that you’re not trying to evade responsibilities.
Start small
Small steps eventually lead to better opportunities. You can start by looking for one-off projects. You could also take up remote work as a side gig to make some extra cash. Over time, as you begin to find your footing in the remote work sector, you can make a full-time transition and begin working on long-term work from home projects. Slowly and steadily, you can go from earning on the side to adopting a remote working lifestyle.
Remote companies have a culture – learn it
One of the most important factors that remote companies look out for is TRUST. A remote employee may be thousands of miles away and wants to be sure that they can count on you to do the work. Resourcefulness, initiative, and great communication skills is what companies want to see in a remote worker. People with these qualities easily adopt the culture.
How do you find out what the culture of a prospective company is? This is where you show your initiative. Rather than focusing on the job description alone, dig deeper to understand the vision, beliefs and mission of the company and its team. What do they stand for? What is their story? All of that information can be gotten online. You may check the company’s blog, website, or ‘About’ pages. Check it out on social media and how it interacts with its audience. Follow its employees to see how they collaborate remotely because they will become your future coworkers. What tools are they using to share information to improve productivity? Getting insider knowledge will portray you as the real deal to your employer.
Build your personal brand
Remember that choosing to become a digital nomad or work remotely means that you may never have a face to face meeting with your employer. But what would it look like if they already like you before getting on your first video call with them? Awesome right?
This is where personal branding comes in. When your employer looks up your name on search engines, what do they see? Is there sufficient professional information about you online to tell them who you are?
It is your obligation to help your prospective employers see what kind of person you are in terms of your skills and personality. You may have to create a blog or build a professional portfolio where you showcase your skills and talk about projects that you’ve accomplished. You can explore social media, as well. Show that you are an expert who is passionate about the topics that matter. With this, a potential remote company looking to employ can see how you fit into their plans instantly.
Do not always count on luck. You need to put in conscious effort to build a connection with the kind of remote companies you want to work for. Find out the platforms that they are hanging out. That’s where you should be too.
Network! network!! network!!!
Be a networking person and realize that you can connections can come up from anywhere. Yes, your dream remote job may land in your laps from somewhere unlikely. Keep an open mind and continue to preach your skills and the things that interest you to the people that matter. Small opportunities to showcase your skills can lead to full-time remote work for an employer.
Don’t Hold Back – The Remote Era is Here
There’s so much you can do once you have an internet enabled device. With the option to work from home, create your schedule, and earn more, remote work is the next big thing. The tips in this article are practical and should get you started. Of course, you now have more freedom and no longer have to worry about the 9-5 routine.
