10 Essential Skills You Need to Land a Remote Job
Anyone who wants to become a successful remote worker must include a number of special skills on their resume for a remote job. While most remote jobs are offered by tech companies, many industries offer the possibility to work remotely.
If you want that option, you must be able to prove you possess certain specific skills.
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1. Digital Communication Skills
If you wish to work remotely, learning how to communicate efficiently is a must. I’m talking about digital communication. This means knowing how to manage your email or how to initiate a video call to chat with your team.
Even more, you should know how to create reports that focus on sharing vital information with people who need it and also how to read and interpret them. These are vital skills that are needed in order to work remotely. So make sure you acquire them before anything else.
2. Time Management Skills
When working remotely, no one will be there to manage your time, or at what hour you must start working. One of the biggest advantages of working remotely is flexibility, which is great, but not for someone who can’t manage their own time.
John Tiler from SuperiorPapers said, “When I started working as a writer I had such a hard time managing my time. I was always late with my tasks and I was almost on the point of being fired. Keep in mind that a remote job requires a lot of discipline and dedication!”
3. Self-Motivation
Most remote jobs work like this: they give you a task that needs to be done in one week and they won’t tell you when and how to work. It’s your own decision when you start working on the task. Therefore, if your motivation is weak, you will have a hard time completing the task and keeping your job.
If you wish to work efficiently you should create a daily to-do list that will keep you on track. At the end of the day make sure to check off the things that were successfully performed throughout the day. It’s not hard, but motivation and discipline are mandatory.
4. Be Proactive
You can’t work remotely if you are not proactive . You have no one to tell you what to do or keep track of your progress, so everything falls on your shoulders.
Being proactive is an ability that is required at every job post, but it’s even more important when you’re working remotely. Working from a distance will mold you into a more responsible and disciplined person, and be sure to put something indicative of this on your resume.
5. Gain Tech Skills
Working remotely is impossible without the aid of technology. This doesn’t mean that you need to become an expert, but you need to know how to use project management tools (like Trello) and video-call software (like Skype). Becoming accustomed to these tools is essential if you want to work remotely.
6. Prioritization
In order to work effectively, you must be organized and properly prioritize your assignments. There are a few things you should be aware of before trying to prioritize your tasks, such as knowing your most productive time of day.
You should know exactly how your moods work and how you “work”. Knowing yourself helps you better prioritize your tasks.
7. Become a Team Player
Becoming a team player is a vital role you must take on in order to become a successful remote worker. Your team may be spread all over the world, so this is crucial.
Being a team player is probably one of the most important skills that someone who works remotely should possess. Without effective communication, a company that has employees all over the world won’t be able to develop and grow.
8. JavaScript Skills
JavaScript is used a lot this days. Web design is almost entirely based on JavaScript and the functionality and interaction between websites is maintained and created using JavaScript. Therefore, if you are interested in tech innovation, learning this programming language would be a great achievement that will propel you directly into the heart of remote working.
9. WordPress Skills
WordPress is the most popular platform for website creation. The language that was used to create WordPress is named PHP and the basics can be learned by people who want to become successful programmers. If you know how to use WordPress, you can easily create websites that can be used for a lot of things, like online stores, blogs, and other sorts of platforms. Knowing how to handle WordPress is another great skill that may help you become a remote worker.
10. Data-analysis Skills
Learning how to analyze data is a useful skill if you wish to work remotely. You can apply for jobs in the marketing, web development, and of course in data analysis. Everything is built on data, so this is a job that will never cease to exist. You may start by learning how to use Google Analytics. If you know how to work with data and how to interpret it you will easily get a job in this field.
Working remotely is like a dream come true for many people. You can do it! Imagine being able to travel all around the world and working from the most beautiful place. Everything depends on you to make this happen.
About the author: Joan Selby is a life coach, former teacher and fancy shoe-lover. A writer by day and reader by night. Find her on Twitter and Facebook.
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