Working from home skill sets: The Journey Begins 

Finally, you have decided on which online platform/company you will be working with, but there are certain steps you’ll need to take to be successful. Working from home isn’t much different from working in an office, the only difference is that you are working from the comfort of your home, time management, work quality, one’s initiative, and meeting the company’s qualities and expectations are key factors to keep in mind. There is a big difference between landing a “gig” and developing a career working from home. In this post, we will be discussing some skill sets to master to be successful at your craft.

Customer Service

Customer service is both a type of job and a set of job skills. As a job, customer service professionals are responsible for addressing customer needs and ensuring they have a good experience. As a skill set, customer service entails several qualities like active listening, empathy, problem-solving, and communication. While this might sound pretty mundane, it is a  very important skill to have as pretty much all aspects of working from home are related to customer service in one way or another. It is vital to exercise due patience in cultivating such a skill set. practice, attend webinars, and seek some form of training certifications as this can propel you in your endeavor. 

Grammar and Punctuation

Grammar is the “rulebook” of English and determines how words function together to form meaning in sentences. One essential part of this is “punctuation”, which is the use of symbols that connect words and sentences. Incorrect punctuation results in poor sentence structure and, therefore, “grammatical structure.” As insignificant as these particular skills may appear, these can and will block you from as early as the initial stages of application in landing that job. It is imperative to develop this overlooked skill.

Typing

Typing is a useful skill for any professional since technology is a large part of nearly all industries. You can develop and improve your typing skills through practice, exercises, and classes. It’s helpful to learn techniques such as hand placement and memorizing the keyboard. You can practice transcribing by typing dialogue for your favorite film as you watch.

Communication

The ability to speak and write improves your language skills and contributes to having a higher comprehension level. Being able to communicate both written and verbally is essential, since the fundamental aspect of working remotely is to be an excellent communicator. You can develop excellent communication skills in a variety of ways including, observing good communicators, taking public speaking courses, practicing writing and speaking with others, and taking part in a workshop to develop your skills.

Editing

Editing skills are abilities to read written language, identify errors, and correct them. This skill relies on a wide vocabulary, strong comprehension, communication, and grammar usage. Editing promotes accuracy in for example being a transcriber. You can become a skilled editor by pursuing language courses and volunteering to proofread for others to gain practice. To develop editing skills, it may be helpful to earn an English degree. An English program provides instruction and experience to develop strong editing abilities.

Time management

Time management is the ability to plan and organize your tasks to complete them in a suitable amount of time. This may help promote productivity and help you meet deadlines.  Time-management skills can help keep you on task. Time-management skills may also help improve your quickness without losing accuracy. You can develop habits to improve your time-management skills, such as creating to-do lists and prioritizing your tasks. It’s also useful to keep your work area organized and keep orderly records of your transcriptions.

Comprehension

Comprehension is the ability to understand and interpret meaning from the information you hear or read. This is an essential skill because it aids in ensuring accuracy. Being able to comprehend others’ speech is also valuable in improving your communication skills. When you have a high level of comprehension, you understand others well and can also respond thoughtfully to them. To improve your comprehension skills, it’s useful to read and think critically about the information you consume. Learning how to use context clues and improve your vocabulary can also help improve your ability to comprehend information.

Computer skills

Computer skills are abilities to understand computer functions and use technology to perform tasks. Working from home requires only basic computer skills. This includes being able to open documents and use common applications such as Microsoft Office, social media platforms, and email. Familiarity with technology is useful because most jobs often involve using audio devices, video, and a device and application. Sometimes more advanced computer skills in knowing how to use specific software applications are required. You can develop computer skills by taking classes. There are online courses to learn the functions of specific applications. Practicing at home on your laptop or computer can also help develop computer skills.

 Flexibility

Flexibility can help you adapt and adjust yourself or your plans to your situation. This skill is useful when performing required because you may have technical issues or have difficulty keeping up. Flexibility enables you to troubleshoot and resolve your issues. You can develop skills of flexibility by improving your ability to solve problems and practicing patience. Being open to changes is also an important aspect of flexibility.

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