One of the few positive things that the COVID-19 epidemic has brought to our society is the realization by most employers that many people can work remotely without losing productivity. And ordinary citizens also assessed the pros and cons of working from home. Not everyone, of course - many professions are technically unable to perform their duties remotely.
But those who can, are now more and more actively looking for vacancies where they are given such an opportunity. So now we will tell you in detail about all the stages of looking for work from home and even give some useful tips from personal experience.
What you need to know about how to start working remotely
Main organizational points
The first and most important point: the effectiveness of your work from home depends only and exclusively on your ability to self-organize. With which some people have very big problems. Unfortunately, they are simply not able to concentrate on a specific task for a long time, if there is no checker standing behind them, in the form of a team leader or a boss. However, such a minority.
So how can you work remotely without external control? Due to internal control. That depends on self-discipline. Fortunately, this skill can be developed, and quite simply. You only need to think, consider and plan the next moments.
Mode of operation. The main advantage of working from home is the ability to make your own schedule. Unless, of course, you are required to attend the mandatory morning meeting at 8 o'clock. But even for a freelancer who is not subject to such restrictions, it will be more convenient if he always gets up at the same time, assigns the same deadline to work, and takes breaks at strictly scheduled moments. Adherence to the exact schedule disciplines and adjusts to the working order.
Workplace. I have met people who can work quite effectively with a laptop while lying in bed. To be honest, I am one of those people. But this option is not suitable for most. Therefore, it is better to organize a special workplace, which should even be visually separated from the rest of the apartment, for example, by a screen or a closet. Also, this workplace should not have any extraneous things, and it should be in perfect order. So get into the habit of cleaning it every day. It also adjusts to the desired order.
Working clothes. You've probably seen tons of funny videos of people participating in a video conference but only looking solid above the waist. So, this is a really working method, which also sets the mood for work. A shirt with a tie or a formal blouse automatically takes you out of your usual relaxed state at home. And, of course, they allow you to look decent at work meetings.
Schedule. The main disadvantage of working from home is the difficulty of persuading loved ones not to distract you at this time. It is good if there is a separate room where you can lock yourself away. But if it is not there, you will have to convey to wives, husbands and children the fact that your presence at the computer does not mean that you can be pulled to solve various household issues. It is more difficult with cats - it is impossible to convince cats of this. On the other hand, during your legal breaks, as well as after finishing work, this ban is lifted. Even, on the contrary, doing household chores is a great way to switch your attention and relieve your brain a little. An alternative is to go for a walk. Fresh air and moderate physical activity will certainly benefit you. And no, smoking breaks are not considered physical activity.
Creating a resume
A moment that everyone who learns how to work from home goes through. Freelance, remote work, part-time employment - it doesn't matter. It's just the easiest way to tell the employer about yourself, your skills, abilities and "track record" that doesn't even require your presence. Therefore, a correctly prepared resume significantly increases your chances of getting an interview.
The only problem is that for each employer there is something different about what is "right". For some, a Word document with brief biographical data and references to past work is sufficient, while for others, a full-fledged presentation with a visual demonstration of achievements is sufficient. But honestly, it is better to overdo it than to underdo something when it comes to writing a resume.
For the convenience of this process, even special resources have been created. For example, canva.com , which allows you to add elements of visual design, or zety.com , which allows you to structure information as clearly and clearly as possible. There are both paid and free resources. And all of them will be useful to you in any case.
For some professions, it is extremely important to have a portfolio - a list of finished works that a person is proud of and that testify to his high professional level. And quality is more important here than quantity. Better to give 5 really good examples of your professional skills than 25, but average in quality. There are also special resources for hosting such portfolios.
For example, behance.net for designers or linkedin.com for people of all professions. The second option is especially popular among residents of Europe and the USA. It is better to carefully study each resource, review other people's examples, to understand how to position yourself from the best side. You can also post your work on social networks, such as facebook.com .
One of the most effective ways to increase the value of your resume is to list all the courses you have taken and the certificates you have received. We are, of course, talking about paid options, such as prjctr.com . Simply having a certificate shows that you have additional skills that employers value very much. Especially when it comes to confirming knowledge of the English language at the C1 Advanced level.
How to find a remote job
To begin with, you need to decide what exactly you can do, what you want and what you are ready for. Yes, there are 3 different categories. For example, I can translate texts related to medicine from English - knowledge, education and experience allow. But I don't want to do that. But I am ready if they pay very well. Therefore, make a list of possible jobs and evaluate it according to these three points. This will allow you to search for vacancies more purposefully.
Where to look for them? There are many options. On the same facebook.com, there are groups like: "Looking for a job", where people drop their resumes, and employers - possible vacancies. The option is simple, but not very convenient because everything is bad with the structure and the search is not very well organized.
Another way to find remote work is thematic portals, such as work.ua , robota.ua , djinni.co and others. Here is a good search, and the ability to download resumes, and mailing lists about selected vacancies, and much more. It is often even possible to search for offers that provide work-from-home jobs.
If for some reason you are not interested in permanent work from home online, you can try freelancing. But I'll be honest - it's much more difficult, more inconvenient and scarier. The main problem is reliability.
The fact is that even on respected resources, such as freelance.ua or freelancehunt.com , there are often people who do not pay for the work done. The resources themselves almost do not regulate this moment and do not help to get their money. The reputation system saves the situation somewhat, but even it does not guarantee protection from unscrupulous customers.
In more than 10 years of freelancing, despite all my caution and experience, they managed to dump me once. And it will be even more difficult for beginners. But this is a great option for how to work remotely without experience. Yes, for a minimal fee. But in the process, you will gain the necessary knowledge and begin to replenish your portfolio. This is the way I went at one time.
If you speak English at an advanced level and your professional skills are high, you can pay attention to upwork.com . This is a resource on which residents of Europe and the USA are looking for work. Therefore, even though there is huge competition, if you are lucky, you can count on a very decent salary. Plus, they monitor the facts of fraud much more closely there and actively fight against it.
Interview
The most difficult point for most people is how to work remotely on the Internet. You may have no doubts about your practical skills, but you may not be able to present them properly. After all, before you are invited to a profile interview, you will have to go through the "7 circles of hell" in the form of HR specialists. Which will assess your ability to communicate, present yourself, answer provocative questions and resist stress. First - in the form of a short telephone interview. Then - in the form of a more serious and long video call, or even a visit to the office. And only if everything goes well, you will be admitted to the technical stage.
Of course, there are exceptions when you will be immediately referred to a specialized specialist for assessment of specific skills, but this does not happen as often as we would like. So a lot of novice specialists with decent skills fail at the interview.
Useful tips for working from home
From personal experience, we can say that 2 fifteen-minute breaks and one half-hour break are not the best option. It is much more effective to rest for 15 minutes every hour. Why? And because you have been used to this kind of regime since school.
A great temptation for a freelancer is to work from home as long and intensively as possible. No days off, 10+ hours a day. Especially if there is a task. After all, you are not paid for sitting online, but for specific results. So, DO NOT DO THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. This can lead to rapid burnout - you will literally get sick of work, so productivity will drop significantly. Again, personal experience.
No distractions. When working - no social networks, funny pictures with cats, correspondence with colleagues off topic. During breaks - you can. But no more than 15 minutes.
The best way to look for work from home is through recommendations from friends. You'd be surprised, but word of mouth and personal recommendations work far better than thoughtful interviews and carefully crafted resumes. However, you will need a good portfolio here too.
Always clearly fulfill the tasks set by your superiors and keep in touch with them. And always clarify if something is not understood. It's better than having to redo everything later. This simple rule is the key to effective remote work.
Never delay the matter until the deadline! Although there is a certain category of people who effectively solve tasks only when "another 5 minutes will be too late" - this is an extremely unproductive method. Because the deadline almost always falls by a day, or even 2, the quality of such work needs to be better, and there is still no time to check errors and correct them. So my advice to you is to try to submit everything 2-3 days before the deadline. Or sooner if possible.
Conclusions
Remote work in Ukraine continues to be extremely relevant even after the recession of the Covid-19 wave. Simply because many specialists were forced to leave their place of residence due to the threat of missile attacks.
But some of them were able to keep their jobs precisely because they switched to remote work. And some organizations suddenly realized that working from home for most employees allows them to save money, for example, on renting office space and other important organizational issues. So more and more vacancies offer applicants remote work. And one of them may turn out to be exactly what you need. So - good luck in your search!
