If you’re up to speed on trending social media posts, we’re sure you’ve seen this one come across your feed in recent weeks:
Your response might be something like: Landing a remote job.
Understandably so. Now more than ever, it seems nobody wants to work unless it’s from home. That said, how in the world can you possibly stand out from the crowd? With the top work-from-home skills in your corner.
While a quick Google Search will give you a lengthy list, we’re sharing our five favorite remote skills. The following have proven to play an important role in helping our Instant Pros go for the gold and land a remote job!
1. Digital Communication
As you’ve probably already experienced, communication in a digital environment can pose some challenges. There can be a lot of noise, messages get lost in the shuffle and, unfortunately, misunderstandings can occur given the absence of tone and body language.
That’s why it’s important to have clear, effective and polite digital communication skills. At Instant Teams, most communication happens using remote communication platforms, like Slack, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. The same can be said for many other fully remote companies. Familiarize yourself with these tools and how to use them so you can seamlessly integrate yourself into a new remote team.
Need a hand? Visit the website of each respective tool listed above for helpful demos and guides, and even browse YouTube for tutorials.
2. Organization
No matter the environment, a disorganized team member can cause frustration. No one appreciates the person who misses a meeting that’s been on the calendar for weeks — not to mention someone who is chronically late on assignments and fails to follow predefined processes.
To avoid those scenarios, many remote teams use platforms (see the next section for a full list) that streamline project management and communication. Stay organized on these platforms and implement a system of your own (whether digital – think a calendar – or tangible – like a planner or whiteboard) to keep track of all the moving parts and pieces of your remote job.
3. Tech-Savvy
Remember those digital communication platforms we mentioned earlier? Well, they won’t be much help if you don’t know how to properly use them, in addition to myriad other remote work tools. That’s why no matter the remote opportunity you’re looking for, you need to have a solid degree of tech-savviness.
Common tools and software used by remote teams include:
- Asana, ClickUp and other task management platforms
- Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail, etc.)
- Grammarly
- HubSpot
- Slack
- Zoom
4. Time Management
This work-from-home skill is twofold: On one hand, working remotely can make distractions more apparent. Not to mention, you don’t have a boss peering over your shoulder or in-person team chats to rev up your motivation. And on the other hand, burnout can sometimes be inevitable as your tasks are easily accessible, making it more difficult to hit the “off” button when the traditional workday comes to a close.
All that to say, finding success as a remote team member requires focus, dedication and solid time management. Create a clean, distraction-free workspace where you feel inspired. Check your digital team communication channels and frequently prioritize your to-do list. And experiment with a routine that works for you so you can find your ideal work-life balance.
5. Adaptable
In today’s world, things can change quickly. Companies are continually advancing and evolving their systems, software and strategy to stay ahead of the curve. That’s why it’s essential to prove you have what it takes to learn new skills and tools and are open to change. You want to be someone your team can count on when hiccups arise.
For members of the military community, this should be nothing new for you! You thrive when new situations and circumstances force you to pivot your course of action. So – go ahead and put a big fat checkmark next to this skill.
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You may have been wondering whether or not you have the skills to stand out in the remote world. And for good reason – frequent moves and the demands of military life can make it challenging to grow or change careers. But wonder no more: You now know the top 5 work-from-home skills that have helped our own Remote Team Members land and expand on remote teams.
So, we’ll leave you with some homework:
- Take the five skills we shared above and consider whether or not you have them in your toolkit. If there’s room to grow on a few, there are plenty of resources and programs available to skill up.
- Create or update your Arti profile, paying close attention to the Relevant Skills section*. Build it out to the fullest, while referencing this list of essential work-from-home skills.
*Why pay close attention to the Relevant Skills section? Because our exclusive skill-based matching technology focuses on you and your one-of-a-kind skills, pinpointing the best match out of the remote team positions we have available.
