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Working Remote – Part 2
Working remotely is a current topic on many people’s radar. Two-thirds of US companies have employees who are remote workers. We’ve had a huge amount of interest in this type of employment and if this sounds like the kind of job you crave, we’re here to help you achieve this goal.
Last time we talked about why people love remote work and why it works so well for them and for employers. Today we’re going to look at the pros and cons, see what industries/niches and specific job titles are out there, and how to find them.
First up let’s talk about if you are a good fit. Time to do a little self-analysis.
Are you self-motivated? Ideally a self-motivated worker:
- needs little structure
- can avoid distractions and set boundaries
- is able to avoid complications that might arise in the home environment
- is fine with being isolated
Are you a strong communicator? During remote work much of your communication will be non-verbal. A remote worker who communicates well will have:
- a positive personality that is evident through written communication
- the ability to be proactive with reaching out to customers and employees to stay in the loop
- a structure set up to ensure regular communication occurs
Let’s talk now about some of the cons you may experience when working remotely. I would say the number one frustration I’ve heard from clients who have worked remotely over a period of time is that they feel isolated. Not everyone is comfortable or at their optimum level of productivity when being alone most of the time. Many people love it but some really crave the in-person connection. I’ve had a number of clients go back to working on site because of this.
Another hurdle for some may be the workday can feel like it never ends because it’s in your physical space. Unless you are very structured with setting boundaries, your work may cross into your personal life. On the flip side you may be underworking, which puts you at risk for not maintaining steady employment.
Feeling left out of company gatherings, celebrations, and onsite meetings is a big one to consider: all that goes on in a classic work environment daily; the interactions, feedback, and teamwork that you may miss out on by not being physically present. This is something you need to consider.
Advancement is often reduced when you are working remotely. I have had plenty of clients who are very high up in their careers, VP level, who are working 100% remotely and were able to climb the ladder in that format. But I do have to say here the majority of people will struggle with being able to advance unless they’re very proactive and their employer is set up to support the advancement of remote workers.
Now that we’ve listed some pros and cons, the next question is where can you find remote work? A standard guideline to keep in mind is that only 20% of positions get filled through job site postings. Most are filled through a network. But the sites that we have found to be good ones for remote work specifically are:
Surprisingly the worst sites for finding remote work are:
- Indeed
- Monster
What industries do most of the remote work opportunities come from? Some of these may surprise you –
- Healthcare
- Technology and the internet
- Financial services
- Education
- Manufacturing (primarily production analysts)
Let’s talk now about specific departments. Facilities and operations IT: this can be monitoring, supporting the metrics and functioning of businesses which can be conducted specifically working remotely. Customer support: we’ve all experienced this. Anytime I call Apple for help with my iPhone or my iPad, I’m almost always speaking to someone who’s working remotely. They provide excellent service. Those employees seem to be having a good time with it.
Sales very frequently are some of the top positions to be advertised as remote. And that ties to financial services. Also administrative which can be virtual project management.
An important tip for your search for remote work as you’re wondering what niches may look appealing to you is this: Use the phrases remote job; telecommuting job; virtual job versus work from home because you’ll get more scams using work from home. This probably goes without saying, but if it looks too good to be true it’s probably too good to be true!
And here are some specific titles that pay well working remotely:
- iOS developer
- Customer success support engineer
- UX researcher
- Business analyst
- Dev ops engineer
- Sales
- Product designer
- Project management
- Attorney
- Benefits Administrator
- Recruiter
Does your position or specialty exist remotely? If you’re not sure about that, do a keyword search. Here is an example I came across just recently: violin instructor remote. This article was about a woman who makes over $100,000 a year teaching violin instruction remotely. She’s got clients all over the globe, and she makes great money doing that. So put whatever niche you’re considering – that would be your job title – and then the word remote and see what pops up through your search engine.
Another strategy is to ask yourself “Could I work remotely for my current job?” You may want to propose to your present employer that you work remotely. Employers are getting on board and are more open-minded about this type of work than in years past.
Next time here on the blog we’ll look at traits employers are looking for in remote work, how to get found by these employers, how to structure your portfolio, remote productivity tools, interviewing and landing remote work.
