The internet has changed a lot of things, and where once there used to be a lack of opportunity for certain demographics to earn without going out of their way, the internet has created this opportunity. Remote jobs, for example, are a god-send for moms who want to work from home to pay their bills.
Remote jobs provide them convenience and flexibility to juggle parental duties and their own career aspirations with ease. If you are a stay at home mom looking to venture into new areas, you would be surprised at the number of options available to you.
Once you have sifted through the list of legitimate moneymaking jobs for stay at home moms, it is time to start prepping your skills to stand out from the competition!
Before we explore what employers want in their ideal candidate, let us discuss the nature of remote jobs to give you some clarity on how to streamline the application process.
Remote Jobs on the Rise
Remote jobs allow you to work outside of a traditional office setting in a ‘remote location,’ usually from home. This allows you to evade the hassle of long traffic lines and to be available to your family at home. Sounds great, right?
However, remote jobs still pay you so there are certain aspects that you need to be careful about. Albeit versatile, work from home is no walk in the park. Much like conventional jobs, it also requires dedication, commitment, and professionalism.
Blogging, affiliate marketing, customer service, and tutoring are some examples of remote jobs that allow you freedom but still require results. Employers offer work from home jobs to boost employee productivity.
Research proves that work from home employees can be 13% more productive than in-office ones. If that drive is not present, no employer is going to hire a laid-back person who is unable to deliver.
5.2% of Americans reported working from home in 2017, highlighting this cultural paradigm shift. Since there is increasing competition for remote jobs, moms should know what qualities employers are looking for when hiring remote employees.
Here is a list of 10 skills you should be aware of before applying for a remote job.
1. Communication Skills
Understanding the nature of remote jobs is vital if you want to move forward searching for one. When you think of working remotely, you don’t imagine working with coworkers or being part of a team that collaborates together. However, this is far from the reality of most virtual jobs. Though there is plenty of work from home jobs that require you to work independently, in most cases, you still need to communicate with team members through online programs, emails, instant message platforms, and virtual meetings.
Communication is crucial to remote companies so that aspect should shine through your resume, emails, and your personality when applying.
Make sure you use simple and interactive language with no typos and practice brevity. Your employer does not want to read long pages so try to compile the resume within a page or two.
2. Passion
Your remote job application should convey a sense of enthusiasm towards the role you are applying for. The problem is that employers tend to think stay at home moms are simply bored and might opt for a remote job half-heartedly.
You need to change that perception by showing a drive for the job even if you are actually just working for the sake of it. Play smart and sound confident in your decision, and avoid an insipid tone.
3. Proofreading Skills
As mentioned above, your communication needs to be flawless to be noticed by employers. Especially, if you plan to work as an account manager or in content management, make sure you exhibit strong proofreading skills. An email, a resume, or any other written interaction with typos will put the employer off.
Companies weed out 90% of candidates due to lack of a cover letter and grammatical mistakes upfront, so be careful!
4. Digital Skills
The advent of a digital era sees a burgeoning rise in remote jobs. This proves handy for stay at home moms but you need to convince the employer of your contribution to the company. How do you do that? While it varies for every role, remote job companies generally want a tech-savvy employee.
Moms are usually the center of jokes for being clueless about technology and that is okay! You can always brush up your digital skills by taking online courses.
Let’s make this simple for you. Along with basic computer skills, moms can also try to acquire one or more of the following digital skills to make their application stand out.
- Knowledge of collaboration apps like Basecamp or Slack to allow multiple people to communicate about a project, integral to remote jobs
- Knowledge of video communication apps like Zoom
- Knowledge of platforms like Microdot Team to Google Docs to allow remote job workers to stay on the same page
5. Customer Service Skills
A number of companies offer remote customer service roles. In order to be an ideal candidate for this role, moms can attach short cover letters showing how motherhood has taught them patience, rendering them suitable to deal with irate customers. This personalized touch is sure to strike a chord with the company. Also, obviously, be sure to mention any customer service roles you’ve held prior to becoming a mother.
Even if you will not be interacting directly with customers, the employer wants to know you can handle yourself when an unexpected, disgruntled customer contacts you through email. Also, many remote jobs involve handling the employer’s customer support platform, so it’s crucial you show your professional ability to handle customers.
6. The Right Cultural Fit
A report showed one-third of workers in the USA were willing to switch to a remote job. In light of the rising competition, stay at home moms need to ensure they are the right fit for the remote job.
Since remote jobs allow you to exert more freedom, employers prefer workers who display the following characteristics:
- Maintain a positive attitude and outlook no matter how tired you are from baby duties!
- A sense of humor in some areas that demand creativity like writing
- An open-mindedness to adapt and collaborate
- The ability to respectfully disagree as you may be interacting with other people who you may not gel in with
Once you portray this wholesome image, you are good to go!
7. Independence
It is important for you to display a sense of ownership so the company knows they are delegating the task to a responsible member (and who could be more dependable than a mom, right?).
You can do this by taking initiatives, mentioning any DIY projects you have done and play your mom card to highlight that you take charge without supervision.
Since 28% of remote companies see women in leadership roles, your employer will be able to identify with your situation better so use it to your advantage fully.
8. Teachable
Most moms shy away from applying for remote jobs due to a lack of technical skills and knowledge. Guess what? You really don’t need that to be a stand out applicant.
Employers would much rather prefer someone who has the drive to learn (the entrepreneur’s way) than a know-it-all. Some companies need employees who are teachable, rather than qualified, so they can shape their work ethic accordingly. If you execute this crucial aspect, you will get the job for sure!
Let’s quickly go over ways you can become more ‘teachable.’
- Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses
- Ask for help where you are stuck
- Be receptive to feedback and criticism
- Agree to disagree (cannot stress this enough!)
- Always be willing to learn
9. Professionalism
Just because you are a work at home mom and have a myriad of other duties, it does not absolve you of responsibility. When you apply for a remote job, the company expects the same level of professionalism and dedication as in traditional work.
Make sure you mention this aspect in your cover letter that you fully understand that you need to keep your personal and work life separate even if you are working outside of a conventional office. Since employers might be a tad bit hesitant about distractions at home, ensure them that you are self-disciplined and can get work done amidst family distractions.
Make sure you stay far, far away from excuses like ‘my baby is sick’ and so on. While this may even be true, your employer might label you as dodgy.
Assure them you would be one of the 23% of workers who would be willing to work after hours to complete a task at a remote job.
10. Internet Skills
Knowing how to navigate your own computer and how to resolve IT issues when they arise is a skill that may acquire over time, but basic knowledge is something to think about before trying to work from home.
Also, there will be instances that your power shuts off or you simply need to escape the household perimeters to get work done, so it’s beneficial to know what you’re doing when connecting to wifi at your local coffee shop or a friend’s home.
Lastly, you need to make sure you have a functional internet connection since remote jobs are mostly of a digital nature. Get the fastest internet connection possible to make interviews, meetings, and getting your work done a flawless experience. Nothing screams more unprofessional (and out of your control) when you have to tell your boss that your connection is bad or you can’t keep up with scheduled timelines due to connectivity if it’s happening on a daily basis.
Apply to Work Remote!
Now that you are aware of 10 of the basic skills employers want in their remote candidates, you can feel more confident going into the process of applying for jobs. If you need to brush up on any of these skills or qualities, don’t drive yourself mad in doing so. Just do your basic research to learn more. Some of these can be learned over time or will come naturally as you begin working from home.
And, of course, be sure and mention these skills on your cover letters or implicate them during your interviews. Good luck and may these skills be with you!