Mark Dyson, Author at Job-Hunt

How to Keep Your Skills Sharp While Working From Home

Mark Dyson — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:49 +0000

Do you work at home, but yet, feel your skills are becoming dull? It depends.

According to Flexjobs recent survey* of working mothers, 64% feel they are more productive at home.

Yet, many work-at-home (WAH) professionals feel challenged to keep up with trends and to learn the new skills necessary to stay employed and well-paid.

Like your work, you can also do this important learning at home. Professionals need continual skill refreshment to remain productive for their job and add value to their work and career.

12 Ways to Sharpen Your Skills While Working at Home

I like to share the resources and tools I used. These helped my career growth and sharpened my skills:

1.Webinars and teleconferences

Most organizations provide continuing education online via streaming or on-demand, making it accessible around the clock. Depending on the organization, an additional charge occurred by the user, and possibly, not included in the membership cost.

You can also check to see if the organization put last year’s webinar or teleconference on YouTube for free. Depending on the industry, last year’s information is useful after a year or two.

2. Podcasts and vlogs

Niche podcasts and vlogs (video blogs) are often part of an industry organization’s library for members. Podcast directories and libraries house many subjects from different angles.

Most smartphones have a place to download and store podcasts and vlogs so you can listen anywhere. As I mentioned, creating and hosting a podcast not only a closer network but also learning opportunities.

3. Collaborations

Work with other WAH professionals who are keeping up with industry trends on articles, videos, and online presentations.

If you are older, work with a younger peer who knows how to use online tools. Older workers would benefit working with younger professionals to help remove the “too old” stigma.

Younger professionals will learn how to apply and present knowledge and gain knowledge about many aspects of successful careers from older professionals who have learned from (sometimes painful) experience..

4. Volunteer

There are non-profit organizations who work with professionals to pilot their new but unpolished skills. There’s often a significant learning curve, and it benefits both parties.

The generosity environment breeds people will vouch for the value of your abilities. It’s an excellent way to get a few recommendations and endorsements on your LinkedIn profile and give your profile additional visibility.

5.Train others

Maya Angelou once said, “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.” It’s easier to become fulfilled today once you start helping others become fulfilled.

Training others is more than just passing the time with billable hours. Training is purposeful when you’re passing on to others what has fulfilled you.

6.Create networking opportunities

Meetups are a great way to curb the feeling of being on an island. Events are a great way to get feedback on innovative ideas you would value.

Every social interaction is a networking opportunity. Church, hair salon, barbershop, or the cleaners are all networking opportunities. One piece of advice or one person can change the trajectory of your efforts. Don’t waste an opportunity.

7.Read with your local public library, “Libby,” and YouTube

All you need is a local library card to access digital and audiobooks. Libby is a free app available on iOS and Google Play.

You borrow and return books from your library using your app for all transactions. You access the books like you do at your local library.

YouTube is useful for audiobooks. I found and listened to Chris Voss’s book Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It for free. You can find older classic business and career books there.

8.New certifications of a different skillset

Toastmasters is just one way to polish a skill that crosses many platforms. Getting the advance certifications encourages you to master this highly useful transferable skill.

Certification programs also provide networking opportunities, both online and offline. My training certification process and short practice added valuable insights into my writing and consulting with job seekers.

There are many parallels in the way people approach fitness and job search. I’m sure there are many other similar parallels of interest to sharpen your skills in working from home.

9.Participate in industry organization contests

The competition will test what you know and exploit what you don’t know. Failed to place?

Get the training and then come back for the win. Contests can help familiarize yourself with the cutting edge of trends. The competition also will bring out the best of your access at that time.

When you do place first, you can use the accomplishment to promote you, your services, and expand your brand.

10. Don’t forget LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, Skillshare etc.

All of these services have mobile apps you can use anywhere. Udemy often offers classes at a 90% discount, so it’s worth watching for the offers. Theses on-demand classes are available anytime.

11. Think Tank groups

There are several forums and Facebook groups I belong to as it helps my perspective of my industry. One is a writing group, and the others are with career professionals as part of a larger organization.

It doesn’t hurt to pay to join these groups although you may find some for free. The paid groups motivate you to get value because you paid to do so. I belong to a couple of free ones. They don’t offer the cost as the paid ones. But everyone’s experience is different.

12. Professional associations

Small, local professional associations may exist as well as local chapters of national and international organizations. These can be great sources of learning in seminars and professional certifications (in person or recorded), even emailed newsletters.

You may also find opportunities to join association-member-only social media, like a Facebook group, where insider information may be shared. These groups can be excellent sources of information about the local market for your work plus opportunities to learn and a great environment for the networking that helps you remain employed.

Just because you’re a WAH professional doesn’t mean you have only to use the tools an employer tells you to use. If fact, your best career advancement and tool sharpening strategies is on your dime.

The Bottom Line

Forge forward and increase your marketability to its full potential because an employer will only provide what is necessary for them. You own your future. For me, podcasting has created a networking ecosystem, and even if no one listens, I’ve talked with hundreds of professionals in my industry. Many of them follow trends, and some are innovators who pointed to other resources to enrich my learning.

More About Work From Home Jobs:

* FlexJobs survey

About the author…

Mark Anthony Dyson a career-advice writer and consultant who loves helping people discover their ideal career. His award-winning blog and podcast, “The Voice of Job Seekers,” has provided job-search advice since 2011. Follow and connect with Mark on Twitter (@MarkADyson) and LinkedIn. To read more of Mark’s articles and listen to his podcasts, visit his website: TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com.

The post How to Keep Your Skills Sharp While Working From Home appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Successfully Launch Your New Remote Job: The First 90 Days

Mark Dyson — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:49 +0000

Congratulations! After several years of re-imagining your life and work, you now have a work from home job! No more transit fares and long time spent in transition between work and home. Yea!

However, joining a new employer and new environment without our boss and colleagues present is a new experience for most of us.

Be aware. As COVID-19 has changed many things in our lives, the way companies operate and communicate work and expectations has also changed. And, we do not always know what we are doing when we try to adapt to those changes.

Remote work varies for different professions and for different employers. The pandemic has changed the world for us, sometimes dramatically.

Before You Start Your New Job

Hopefully, you have continued some research on the company to get more specific information about its remote-work culture.

Maybe your new employer has provided a list of things you should have to be well-prepared for your first day of work. If not, I have suggestions for things you should know and do before your start date:

1. Understand the logistics expectation.

In the past, you would have had a dedicated home phone line for your work when working from home. Today, you will likely need to have much more for your home office.

The equipment, phone line, Internet connection, and other accessories may be provided by the employer or you may be expected to provide these yourself.

2. Check your home’s Internet connection and support.

You likely already have a connection to the Internet with Wi-Fi connecting the TV, computer, and other devices in your residence. However, you may need to increase the speed, upgrade your Internet connection plan, or connect your computer directly to the Internet. You may also need a separate IP address dedicated to your workspace in your home.

Your employer may or may not cover added costs.

3. Understand how to use video.

You were introduced to the company’s chosen video platform when you interviewed for the job. Less is more applies to video appearance and especially your background. Sure, you can use the platform’s virtual background, but it’s easier to use an organic background. By creating your background, you control what people see.

Marc Miller, the founder of Career Pivot, says, “Watch what’s behind you and the Zoom backgrounds. And I tell people not to use them because I want the focus on you. What’s behind you, brands you.”

4. Know what communication tools (other than video) you need.

Onboard communication should provide the tools you need to participate in any department or company-related engagement. Ask for the software specifications to match your computer’s capabilities and clarify who will facilitate the process.

You will also need to be clear about the security software you will need to use and whether the company supplies it and is responsible for installing it. Your team might use some of the mainstream apps, and you will need to familiarize yourself with them.

Success Strategies in the First 30 to 90 Days

The first few days and weeks in a job introduce you to your manager and co-workers. Succeed by paying careful attention to your interactions with them.

1. Establish your brand early.

When you are new to the company, you need excellent communications to establish a solid reputation with your boss and other employees and team members. Although you primarily determine how you communicate it, you will need to, as Miller says, “…decide how you want to be perceived, and that’s your personal brand.”

2. Optimize the way you learn best.

Not everyone can sit in a classroom, read all day, and learn the job basics. Neither can everyone watch, relax, listen, and comprehend information from a video recording.

Find out how the data is being delivered, and choose the method that best fits your learning abilities.

3. Learn the map(s) to success.

How have your coworkers succeeded at learning and adjusting to the team, company, and work environment? They all have likely worked together for some time. No one has the same learning style, but know what techniques are useful for you.

Whenever possible, ask your boss and new colleagues about their work experiences, especially with this employer. What were their big successes? What are the potential problems you might be facing?

4. Right questions are the best tools for quality co-worker connections.

One of the few barometers your co-workers have is your questions to them. They can gauge the quality of your understanding by the questions you ask.

Try to ask questions to more than one person to help you understand the culture and the team’s MO (modus operandi). Questions such as, “What are the current challenges the team is facing right now?” and “What are the current priorities?” are useful gauges to team communication, get up to speed, and learn how and where you can contribute.

5. Network frequently outside your department.

Although you will not attend inter-departmental meetings in person, make the best of virtual meetings. Look for opportunities to collaborate, inquire, and engage. Getting a broader vision of the company may bring future career-advancement opportunities.

Understanding how other departments work helps you understand how the organization works, especially if your work complements others within the organization. There may be an opportunity to solve existing problems and that can serve as a feather in your cap. You also get a sense of your department’s brand throughout the company and opportunities to contribute can come directly from those conversations.

6. Connect with your boss often.

Good bosses respond when employees are transparent, open to correction, and clearly understand where you are. What’s great about using video is they can also read your body language and use it as intel to address concerns. As a new person, you’ll benefit the most if you’re easy to correct and reset. It’s up to you to make it easy for your boss to do. You may feel it’s your responsibility to succeed, but a good boss will set you up for success.

7. Add value quickly.

The right questions can add value quickly, but solutions are why they hired you. If you can make your solutions a collaboration with your team, you can win early and often.

Making your suggestions about solutions and how to solve past problems will make you a part of the team quickly. Fresh eyes and ears often bring an unseen perspective and invite more partnerships and opportunities to shine.

8. Don’t forget professional development.

What are the skills the company or department does not train you for that you will need for the future? You are responsible for the future of your career and preparing for the next steps. If a promotion does not happen with this company, you may decide to go elsewhere.

Strategize for your next potential career move constantly, including when you start a new job. If we have learned from all economic downturns, we should know there are no announcements to warn of the next downturn.

It Is OK to Cry, “UNCLE!”

Not every job will fit before the 90 days are up, and this inevitably builds anxiety. Perhaps the job is a good fit, or perhaps it is not.

However, there’s nothing wrong with powering through until you find something else. If your performance is not meeting expectations, then you do not have much time. Try to be at peace no matter the outcome. You will find another remote position, and you can learn from the one that got away.

The Bottom Line

For many people, working from home will be a career highlight and a powerful experience. People who succeed put a lot of thought into making it productive for the sake of their livelihood. Undoubtedly, successful transition to your new job will likely not be seamless. A new employer, new co-workers and boss, new expectations, and likely new technology will take a period of adjustment. You will need to be present and responsive throughout every part of onboarding and the months ahead. The results should allow you to increase your production, value, and positively impact your new company.

Are you looking for a remote, work-from-home, or flexible job? Visit our partner site FlexJobs to find verified jobs in many different categories, including journalism jobs, remote banking jobs, voice over jobs, and more.

More About Work From Home Jobs:

About the author…

The post Successfully Launch Your New Remote Job: The First 90 Days appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Increase Your Work-From-Home Efficiency: 9 Handy Tools for Remote Workers

Mark Dyson — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:49 +0000

I remember travelling to an east coast client meeting in 2010 and needing a document I forgot to bring with me.

Fortunately, I had a copy in my Dropbox app (more below).

I went to a desktop computer, accessed Dropbox, and downloaded that file.

Everyone looked at me like I had superpowers then because many people had not seen anyone use the Dropbox app.

Today, with the growing concern about avoiding exposure to the Coronovirus (COVID-19), working from home (a.k.a. “remote work” and “telecommuting”) is becoming more popular with both employers and employees.

But, working outside of an office may be very challenging without the right tools to use.

Working From Home Is Increasingly Popular

World at Work reports 43% of U.S. businesses will allow remote work within the next year. Another report, from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, states older workers (ages 40-65) are more likely to work from home.

As you can see in this chart, working from home is growing in popularity.

The percentage of people working from home has increased 159% in the last 12 years.

This increase in remote workers requires the right tools to meet or to exceed productivity and connectivity expectations from employers.

9 Tools for Work-from-Home / Remote Workers

The best tools for the modern remote worker can destroy the ceiling on limitations. As a remote worker, you will be responsible for ensuring your work products, communications with your distributed team, stakeholders, and clients are as seamless as possible.

These tools are essential, not just a luxury, to bring value to your work and the virtual workplace.

Working remote tools are mobile-friendly and cloud-based yet easily accessible to you, your team, and your clients.

Below are 9 apps for both laptop and mobile phones, Mac and Windows, that I find helpful.

To Stay Organized and Up-to-Date

Slack

Slack is a chat room or workspace for team members to communicate on a project continuously. The project management app Trello can be used with Slack to include remote clients.

This article explains how both apps work together on projects, when multiple people are collaborating and sharing ideas, can exchange files and links in real-time. Remote workers can also converge on concepts, work products, or casual conversations using video.

Zoom/Skype/FaceTime/Google Duo

Working away from the human, face-to-face touch of team members can be very lonely. For a remote worker, seeing someone’s face is the best connection you can have to conduct business without a personal touch.

All four apps are useful to distributed teams for face-to-face communication for real-time conversations. Only Zoom offers FREE audio and video recording for a one-on-one discussion. Zoom also provides 40 minutes FREE for multi-users.

Dropbox

Where will you store the volume of work you are doing as a distributed worker? A virtual file cabinet!

I’ve been a Dropbox user since 2010 and have files safely stored and secured since. It’s similar to a file cabinet, but it’s portable.

If you or your team needs a cloud solution for file storage, they offer a free version or, for a small cost, a version multi-user business account. Both are excellent ways to maintain private files and to keep them accessible to clients.

It syncs to all mobile devices. The mobile app offers additional password security, primarily when files exist on your mobile device.

Evernote

If Dropbox is like a file cabinet, then Evernote is a portable note pad or notebook.

For years I used the free version, but a year ago, I caught the yearly $40 special and bought the subscription. With its scanner, you can store multi-page documentation in a digital format.

The search for terms makes it easy to save passwords, credit cards, or documents, and it’s as secure as Dropbox’s settings for security. You can even send your remote work team notes from your Evernote.

WhatsApp (messaging across the world)

Remember those expensive phone call and text message from your mobile phone plan? Yeah, me too.

The solution to an international distributed team is the WhatsApp that allows you to text, video message, or share links to anyone. The big draw for this app is the money it saves on international text messaging, voice, and video calling.

Signing Documents

Receiving digital documents are annoying if you need to print, physically sign, and scan to send the signed document back. DocuSign is my personal choice for a mobile app to help you sign documents, business or personal, on the go.

DocuSign is easy to implement when receiving a PDF file or Word document, signing it, and sending it back. Or import documents from cloud services such as Google Drive, Evernote, or Dropbox to sign and save to the portal of your choice.

To Communicate Securely

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Your company or client may provide some security software making your work products more secure. But, anytime you work away from home on another WiFi network, for additional security, you need to use a VPN.

I have a subscription to IP Vanish, making my IP address invisible on any WiFi network safe from predators who want to attack you via your Internet use.

Norton LifeLock has a suite to include VPN and a security suite to use its software on all of your mobile devices. Your device can reach the network and encrypts your IP to protect against cyber predators, and conceals your personal information.

WiFi Map

Even when on vacation, a client or coworker may need a signature, confirmation, or a video call from you.

WiFi Map helps you find the nearest available WiFi network. Although the strength of WiFi signals are not created equally, at least the app will provide options.

I was once at a Starbucks near a wireless mobile store where the mobile WiFi signal was so powerful, it was much faster to connect using it rather than the Starbucks one. Both showed up on the map, but, in my case, it did not matter which had the stronger signal.

Password Manager

Add another layer of security by using LastPass free version. It allows you to store passwords through all of your devices.

Since safety and personal information for all apps are essential, strong passwords are a crucial part of maintaining security. If you have more than one device, this is a helpful app to use.

You may consider their low price of $3 per month for the premium, but read this article to understand the difference between free and premium versions.

More: How to Work From Home: 7 Tips

The Bottom Line:

These tools will provide a powerful distributed work experience for remote workers when time is invested. They are not just productivity tools, but also communication necessities needed across all mobile devices. Most of the useful mobile tools are budget-friendly and, usually, adaptable to the remote work experience you desire

Are you looking for a remote, work-from-home, or flexible job? Whether you’re a recruiter, case manager, freelance writer, or you’re still finding the right job for you, our partner site FlexJobs can help you find great remote, work-from-home opportunities.

More About Work From Home Jobs:

About the author…

The post Increase Your Work-From-Home Efficiency: 9 Handy Tools for Remote Workers appeared first on Job-Hunt.