As with many things technology has opened up the opportunity to work from home and actually be successful in getting through your to-do list but do you think you could do it full-time? Is a telecommuting role something you should look for in your job search?
You need to be a person who can set up a task list and get through it without a whole lot of prodding.
There are benefits to both the employer and the employee – the most obvious being financial savings. As a telecommuter you are will be time and money on the commute and your employer is saved the expense of the real estate you’d take up in the office.
But like every situation there is a downside and telecommuting has it’s fair share. Being a remote worker can get lonely. Think of the coffee breaks, lunches out and water cooler talk that would no longer happen. If you are a person who feeds off the energy of others then a home-based role is not for you unless the work you do can be done at a coffee shop! You also may have trouble building relationships with your team and colleagues, making it challenging to lead them or get things done.
To be successful you have to make sure you have the right skills and outlook. In their article, Basic Skills Needed to Find Your First Telecommuting Job WAHM.com offers a list of skills that everyone, not just a work at home mom, needs to secure a telecommuting position. Some of these are:
Computer Skills
You won’t be much benefit to your employer if you are not good with a computer and technology. Your computer will be THE most important tool to you. If you are not comfortable with the basic applications used on computers it would be a advised that you take a course and learn the basics before you start a telecommuting job search.
Soft Skills
Soft skills – customer service and being good with people are skills that will serve you well in any role but especially if you are working remotely. You will mostly use emails and phone calls to reach your counterparts and clients so your personality has to shine and hopefully it is one of service, patience and understanding.
Organization and Time Management Skills
You have to be organized and a self-starter if you are going to work remotely. You need to be a person who can set up a task list and get through it without a whole lot of prodding. There isn’t someone watching over you to make sure you are doing your tasks and focusing on producing quality work. If you are easily distracted by what is on the daytime talk shows or your gaming system calls your name then you might want to ask yourself if you truly could be successful working from home.
If you have the three skills detailed above mastered and feel that telecommuting is for you, you can start to search out available roles. Most telecommunicating roles fall in to the following categories.
- Customer Service
- Call Centers
- Sales
- Proposal and Report Writers
- Software Development
- Programming and Tech Support
- Project Work
- Internal Consulting
- Financial Analysis
- Medical Records and Transcriptions
- Claims Adjusters
- Writers
- Graphic Designers
- Editors
- Accounting, Billing, Receivables and Invoice Processing
- Data Entry
- Order Entry
- Marketing
- Human Resources