So, you’re sat at your laptop ready to hit ‘apply’ to the latest remote job positions. You have confirmed that your internet connection is stable, and your video conferencing hardware is ready to go. But you hesitate. Are you really ready for this leap of faith into the world of remote work?

Remote Ready Reason 1: You already work flexibly 

Many remote workers begin their journey within their current company as a flexible employee. Remote work life isn’t always about travelling. The digital nomad lifestyle currently promoted all over the internet is just a small fraction of remote work. More often than not, working remotely means working from home. This means no commutes, spending more time with loved ones, and making your own schedule. 

If you already work from home a few days per week, you may have noticed some changes. An increase in productivity is one of the most common ones. There’s no better way to begin your remote work journey than easing into it within your current position. 

Remote Ready Reason 2: You have the right hard and soft skills

You’ll have the best chances to land a remote opportunity with a solid set of “hard skills”, or in-depth experience in a particular field. The more in-demand your skill set is, the better. Some current skills that are more in-demand than others include UX design, programming and performance marketing. However, other remote jobs become more readily available as well.  Especially in the IT industry, functions like accounting, finance, and HR are made available to remote candidates.

Remote workers not only need their expert skills, but particular soft skills as well. At acework, we include a soft skills assessment in our vetting process of all candidates. Those include, among others,

– Time Management

It’s important to know how to to use your time, so you can make the most of it. A flexible working schedule means that work is evaluated on outcomes, not so much on the time it took to complete it. This means it’s important to enable yourself to prioritise correctly, by building a structured work-life balance.   

– Self-reflection and awareness

Knowing yourself and how you work best will allow you to be productive over long periods of time. The key here is to know what motivates you, and how to deal with challenges when they come along. It’s also important to choose the right working environment and being self-aware so you can complete tasks that need to be done.

– Communication skills

Communication styles between companies vary, some rely more on written communication, others more on face-to-face calls. While you should know which environment you prefer, you should excel in both types of communication. Effective communication is a key component of successful remote teams. Therefore, all remote companies screen applicants specifically for synchronous and asynchronous communication skills (see below what that means). 

Without these soft skills, you may not be chosen for the dream job you thought you would be perfect for. To get the full free ultimate 16 remote-ready essentials checklist click here. 

Remote Ready Reason 3: You know your means for motivation 

As a remote worker, no one will look over your shoulder to check if you’re working. While this can be liberating, it may be challenging for those who get motivation from external factors. Find out what motivates and energises you to get your work done. This can be a location, rewards at the end of the day, people you surround yourself with. It’s important to have your sources of motivation clear, so you can pick the right team to work for, and ensure you’re performing at your best. Yes, theoretically you can work from bed, but will you be at your best? Rest assured, there will always be plenty of distractions. It’s important, not just for your employer’s sake, but yours as well that you are able to do what needs to be done. 

Reason 4: You’re tech-savvy

When there is no office and every one is based all over the world, it’s important to know your aids. Tools such as Slack, Google Drive, and Asana will be where you spend your time when you work remotely. They are the top tools used here at acework and a crucial part of our work. Ensure know the basics of popular remote work tools such as;

• Google Drive 
• Slack
• Asana
• Zoom
• Todoist…

just to name a few. Hiring managers will favour your application over the vast amount of applicants who don’t know the basics. 

Reason 5: You’ve nailed synchronous and asynchronous communication 

Without communication, there is no remote team. Communication is key when working with other remote team members because it means they can get in touch and you can collaborate. Emailing is a thing of the past, so once again it’s crucial to know what communication channels the company uses so you can stay in the loop. These may include Slack for messaging and threads, or Zoom and remo.co for virtual team meetings. Like email, video conferencing tools have evolved from Skype and feature more tools catered towards remote workers. Make sure you’re a clear communicator face-to-face, as well as in written form.

Pro tip: Know the Remote Players

Job boards have come a long way from their simplistic filter options like location and part-time or full-time. Still, they often don’t do a great job of showing fully remote opportunities. Luckily, more and more remote-focused job boards have cropped up. Similarly, there now is a range of well known remote-first companies, such as Zapier, Buffer and Automattic. You know you’re ready for remote work when you know the players in the space and how these companies manage large distributed teams. However, be aware that positions on remote job boards are usually over-saturated with a large number of applicants, so your competition will be fierce.

At acework we developed an in-depth vetting process to make sure both companies and candidates are ready for the remote work environment. Compared to a job listing site, we built a platform that matches you to opportunities based on your skills. We also match on additional requirements such as time zone, to ensure you have the best chances to start your remote career. Sign up here to become part of our network.