15 Essential Skills That Make You Irresistible to Remote Employers
Before the global health crisis of 2020, remote work was the exception and not the norm for many jobs. When the lockdowns started, many office workers began working from home. Today, remote work has become normalized and even expected in some instances.
Organizations that hire remote workers are betting on them to fulfill the requirements of their jobs without the direct supervision they would receive in an office setting. This means remote workers must possess specific abilities that make them appealing to organizations. Here are the skills companies offering remote work look for in current and potential employees.
1. Time Management
When you’re in the office, it’s easy to be mindful of the time and the tasks you must complete before the end of the workday. Working remotely makes that challenging because your home or offsite setting isn’t as structured as in the office.
Employers offering remote work want to know that you can complete your tasks effectively and manage your time efficiently. This includes planning your day, organizing your work, and prioritizing your work in order of importance.
2. Adaptability
Whether you work in an office or offsite, you must always be prepared for the unexpected. Deadlines get pushed up, new, higher-priority projects are assigned, and meetings are postponed or canceled.
Working remotely means dealing with the unexpected, plus some things because you’re working more independently. It’s important to deal with sudden change, even if you feel it’s unfair. Having a too rigid mindset isn’t the best approach for remote work.
3. Motivation
It’s easy to get motivated when you have to get up and get ready to go to the office. You know that if you don’t show up and work, that will negatively affect your income. Getting that paycheck is a powerful motivator.
Working remotely, you don’t feel the same urgency to leave the house to beat traffic or catch your train so you’ll arrive on time. Getting complacent and losing the drive to get up early is easy. Treating your morning routine the same as if you’re working in the office is noticed and appreciated by employers.
4. Collaboration
Remote work means you’re physically working alone, but that doesn’t mean you’re alone. You’re expected to work collaboratively with others, some who may be in the office, and others who may be remote workers like yourself.
By demonstrating your ability to work collaboratively, you’re showing that you understand you’re a member of a team and are capable of working well with others in a professional, efficient, and effective manner. This includes giving and receiving constructive feedback.
5. Communication
The importance of communicating with others coherently and professionally cannot be overstated. When working in an office, you benefit from in-person communications, which leave little ambiguity.
Working remotely poses the challenge of being misunderstood, especially when communicating by email or direct messaging. Always articulate your messages politely, professionally, and respectfully, and you can’t go wrong.
6. Problem-Solving
Problem-solving is more than just figuring out how to resolve issues as they arise. It also includes the methods used to solve problems. These methods typically involve using critical and analytical thinking skills, among others.
The ability to communicate, a willingness to listen to others, strong research skills, and decisiveness are all practices you should be adept at when solving problems. They develop over time but are invaluable as you seek remote work.
7. Cybersecurity Awareness
You don’t have to be a highly trained cybersecurity expert to understand its importance, especially on the job. Everyone, particularly remote workers, should have a basic knowledge of what cybersecurity is and the role it plays in ensuring a company’s data is secure.
When working remotely, it’s essential to have private, password-protected internet, like your home setup. Companies may frown on using public Wi-Fi available at coffee houses and fast food restaurants unless they have a VPN (virtual private network). Knowing password protocols is also essential.
8. Organization
One of the most basic traits a remote worker must possess is organizational skills. You must not only carry out your duties effectively but also keep your work product and work area organized.
This includes arranging your digital files so that they are easy and quick to locate. The same principle applies to your physical workspace. An organized space equals an organized mind.
9. Computing Skills
Unless you have worked for a company since the 1950s, you’ll need computer skills to land a remote job. If you’re applying for a tech company job, you know your computing skills have to be exemplary. For all other occupations,understanding computing basics and a willingness to learn is enough.
Learning to type is extremely helpful. Understanding how the company email system works and how to use software programs like Google Sheets and Google Docs or Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word is critical. You don’t have to be an expert, but developing these skills goes a long way with employers.
10. Discipline
A significant difference between in-office and remote work is having discipline. When you’re in the office, you better understand what’s expected of you from the company dress code to your starting time.
It’s easy to become less disciplined when you’re working remotely. Instead of waking up hours before your scheduled start time, you wake up 10 minutes early. Instead of focusing on your work, you’re distracted by things going on in the house. It takes a great deal of discipline to stay focused while working remotely.
11. Collaboration Tools Usage
Proficiency with collaboration tools doesn’t mean being an expert in all of them, but understanding how to use them is necessary for remote workers. Usually, if you’re proficient in one of them, it’s easier to learn how to use others.
If you know how to use Google Meet, you can easily pick up Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Webex. If you’re familiar with Dropbox, then you can understand how Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive function. Be open to learning!
12. Strong Work Ethic
Demonstrating your strong work ethic in the office is easy because your superiors are around, and you want to make a good impression on them. Working offsite, it’s easy to fall into the mindset of “out of sight, out of mind,” and start slacking on work responsibilities.
That’s the mentality that makes organizations wary of allowing remote work. That’s why it’s important to show that the level of effort you put in at home will be the same high level of effort you put in at the office if not more.
13. Independence
Remote workers must be able to do their jobs without being reminded to do them. If you’re handed a task in the office, you complete it. The same principle applies to working away from the office. Working independently doesn’t mean doing whatever you want. It means being trusted you’ll carry out your work responsibilities on your own.
Being given that kind of independence when you work remotely can be thrilling, and you may think you can get away with not giving full effort because no one is there to watch you. Believe me, bosses know you’re not working when you’re supposed to be.
14. Accountability
Accountability for your work is a major skill employers look for in remote workers. If you’re given a task or project, you accurately complete it before the deadline. If you make a mistake, you take responsibility for it instead of playing the blame game.
Accountability doesn’t only mean answering to your superiors; it also means showing responsibility when working collaboratively and taking ownership when you’re tasked with meeting client expectations.
15. Leadership
Some people are born natural leaders. If this isn’t you, that’s okay. You can develop the skills required to become an effective leader, whether you’re leading a team or an entire department of workers.
Showing support, offering assistance, and giving constructive feedback are all part of being a leader. Setting an example of how you want others to act by demonstrating those behaviors and taking accountability are all traits of a good leader.
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