So You Wanna Work from Home?

Lots of people are working from home. It just makes a lot of sense. A lot of companies care more about your work product than about having you sit in their office every day. But if you’re going to take the plunge, there are skills you need to be successful at it. Here are the top 5.

1. Get Organized.

You are now fully in charge of you getting stuff done on time. Maybe you’re working across different computers. This means you have to make sure you have quick access to your work and a good handle on the tools that will help you work remotely. It’s up to you to really understand how to use the project management tools like Trello and Wrike as well as the file sharing tools like Google Drive and Dropbox.

2. Communication and Diplomacy.

You can’t get mad at people if they, say, forget to put something in Dropbox for you or email you a file, especially if they’re at the office and you’re not. What they’re likely to say is that the real reason the problem occurred was because you were offsite, and you don’t want to be perceived as a problem. Communicate as much as you can, and be patient with people.

3. Time Zones.

Don’t screw up meetings by getting the time zone wrong. It’s an amatuer mistake that will cause people to quickly lose confidence in you.

4. Motivation.

You simply must be a self-starter. You can’t rely on a manager to keep you on track and in gear. It’s the price you pay for independence, and it’s totally worth it.

5. IT DIY.

As more of a lone eagle, you’ll need to solve problems on your workstation. So watch all the tutorials before you lose your internet connection.

Working from home can be great, but be honest with yourself. How much do you like chatting with people and having lunch with workmates? Maybe working in your pajamas isn’t all that great after the first week or so. But if you decide it’s for you just get the 5 aforementioned ducks in a row and you’ll do fine.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.

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