Have you ever wondered if you can actually do your job from home, like, permanently? Many of us have learned in the last year that it is actually possible. And can save us a great deal of time and money! Last week, we touched on some ideas for pitching taking your job home and working remotely…let’s now look at some positions that are typically NOT remote that you CAN switch to remoted…
Writing.
This is a very general category – if your main job is to ‘write,’ you can do this from home. Here are some actual positions that might be under this category:
- Technical Writer. You might write articles for company websites, policies and procedures, handbooks, etc…either way, this one is EASY to do from home – or the beach!
- Freelancer. Do you write for blogs, companies, magazines, newspapers? You probably didn’t need me to list this one, because you are probably already working remotely.
- Editor. Maybe not technically a ‘writer’, you still do a lot of writing, correcting, or rewriting…this, too, can easily be done remotely.
- Journalist. Well, you’re on the move pretty much all the time, anyway right? Unless your a video journalist, this one is easy to take home, thought you may want to plan to be in the office to pitch and discuss ideas and plans once or twice a week. Even if you are video journalist, there are so many inexpensive and portable accessories you can carry with you, it may actually be doable!
- Author. The best for last, right? Thank you for keeping us entertained, informed, and well read! You, too, likely already have a home office. Keep it coming!
Tech Guru.
Yes, I just made that up – listen, if you haven’t already taken this one home? WHY NOT? Here are some techy positions you might hold or be qualified for:
- Software Engineer. This could be anything from in-house systems development to mobile gaming to nationwide data systems. You know who you are, and you know we all wish we had your foresight to study this field.
- Web Designer. Maybe your the one who creates and keeps the web page up to date, current, and working smoothly? You’ll need to be able to work closely with those software engineers to make things happen, but you can 100% take this one home.
- XI/UI Designer You’re the crazy genius that makes everything easy for the standard consumer…without you, nothing would work. Maybe working remotely would keep more in touch with how things actually function in the real world, away from the office?
Digital Marketing.
You’re the ones that make us want the things. My daughter is your prime target. ‘Product placement’ works for her. She ads things to our grocery list that she people eating in movies or T.V. Shows. Seriously.
- Social Media Strategist. You write and plan social media contest for your company, or multiple companies. Either way – most of this job is done online anyway, so why not from home?
- Email Marketing. Companies spend a lot of money to maintain and market or re-market their email lists. It’s not going away anytime soon. Easy to do from home – if you’re not already, check out last week’s post to see how you can talk to your boss about getting out of the office…
- Content Marketing. Most of your work likely consist of creating content, or recruiting talent to create that content…easy peasy remote. you’ll just want to be sure to stay in touch with what your company wants to see, and have a good handle on best practices for follow up.
- Graphic Design. Since most of graphic design work is now done digitally, this is an easy one to take home, as well. You may even find it inspiring to work in local hot spots or parks, where you can people watch.
Accounting.
If you’re doing the books for a company, organization, or individuals, as long as you have a secure place to work and are diligent about cyber security and protecting your data, take it home, baby!
Sales & Account Management.
In this day and age, being a salesman, depending on what you’re selling, often works best if you travel to your potential customer. Think of the time and energy you’ll save by leaving from home? Here, you’ll just want to ensure that you have the personal and business skills to stay on top of your work, be consistent with follow-ups, and keep your coworkers and sales team up to date on your current prospects.
At this point, many meetings have gone virtual…so, unless you’re selling something that you really need to see the lay of the land, you should be able to complete 90-100% of your work at home.
If you’re the ‘after the fact’ account manager, be sure to stay in touch with your sales team in case you need them, or they have any updated information for you.
Human Resources.
This one can be a little tricky, and really might depend on the size of your organization, and what your actual job tasks are. It may be that 1-2 day a week in office schedule would work best. Indeed lists 12 types of Human Resources Positions HERE. I’ve listed those, below, along with brief thoughts on whether those will function properly remotely based on my knowledge of the roles, and the descriptions on Indeed. You will, of course, want to discuss your specific duties with your employer.
- Employment Specialist. Much of your job will require off site work and meeting with potential candidates. As long as you stay in touch with the needs of the company and who you might be hiring for, this can be done remotely.
- HR Assistant. This role will vary greatly from company to company; When I large, old school, and/or factory type settings, it’s probably best to be on site. When I think of companies with modern structures and day to day operations, it could absolutely work.
- HR Coordinator. 100% could be done remotely.
- HR Recruiter or Recruitement Manager. Also could be done remotely, although you might want to consider the practice of meeting with potential candidates for onsite interviews when appropriate. Being greeted by a familiar face can set recruits at ease and let them know that they are not only welcome, but important to your company. As Manager, it will be important to meet either virtually or face to face with other department Managers in order to ensure you know their personalities and needs, and what else is going in the company. You’ll really want to have a handle on the pulse of your organization.
- HR Generalist, Manager, or Director These one, like others, will depend on the size and structure of your company. Because regulatory compliance is part of the role, it may be important to be onsite.
- Labor Relations and Employee Experience. Most of this job can easily be done remotely. However, one of the most important skills here is communication. Depending on the circumstances, face to face communication may be best. There will also, too, be face to face meetings and hearings. Much of the job, though, can easily be done from home.
Personal Assistant.
If most of your actual work is done on the computer or phone, you can take this job remote. If your employer wants you by their side, handing them things and/or talking and listening as the day goes by, you’re going to have to show up at the office.
A couple of other positions that might fall under this category, or at least be similar in design, and could be considered:
- Receptionist. (if your lobby/main location is closed to the public). If you’re basically answering calls and forwarding them, can that reasonably done from home? If it’s part of your role to great visitors, this may not be viable. Many physicians, for example, are now seeing patients remotely. Depending on the size of the practice, it may be beneficial to have a single individual responsible for coordinating these appointments.
- Bookkeeper. As long as you have practices in place to get the information you need, and it falls in line with company policy, this could absolutely be done remotely with file sharing. You’ll want to be sure, of course, to ensure that files are secure.
- Counseling, Teaching, Training. Seems strange to lump these all into one category, I know. But – it will make sense. We’ve seen over the last year that our teachers can teach anywhere – whether they be school teachers, fitness instructors, or company trainers. Sure, it helps to keep everyone’s focus and you have more opportunity for hands on if you’re in person – just consider how vital that is to what you’re teaching. In fact, I learn well by listening and doing other things – I try to make ‘other things’ taking notes. I may never look at those notes, but it adds that kinesthic level to the learning that can be critical. As for more personal positions, like counseling, tutoring, or more in depth training & therapies, if the work can be done remotely, and you can ensure the privacy of your clients/students while in session (at least on your end), and the security of their personal data, I say go for it. Just be sure that your clients/students understand the importance of safe practices on their end, and whether or not you will be recording any sessions (audio or visual). You may need to take this decision on a case by case basis. I can’t speak to privacy laws, or the guidelines set by your organization. It may be a chat worth having with your boss!
YOUR JOB.
Chances are, if you’ve made it this far down in this post, you were REALLY hoping to see your current position listed…
Sweet pea, just because it’s not here, doesn’t mean it can’t be done…it’s simply unreasonable to try to list every position in existence…tell me what you do, in the comments, and I’ll see if I can break it down to a remote position.
Check out this post for ideas on how to approach your current employer with the idea of working remotely.
We’ve only barely scratched the surface here…if your current job isn’t remote now, can it be? If not, and that’s what you are working towards, perhaps some of the positions listed above will give you a jumping off point to do some research.
