10 Tips to Excel in Remote IT Jobs

The Crucial Steps to Remote IT Career Success

Remote IT jobs are integral to today’s U.S. economy. Compelled by the coronavirus pandemic, tech businesses switched many of their employees to working from home. However, this isn’t a new phenomenon.

As long ago as 2017, Gallup’s State of the American Workplace found that 57% of employees in IT jobs spent at least some of their time working remotely. Perhaps the pandemic has accelerated the move to a more remote workforce.

With many jobs in IT ideally suited to working remotely, we thought it was time to share a few tips to help you enjoy a successful professional and personal life balance when working remotely.

1.    Improve Your Time Management

Take responsibility for your working day. Start allotting time for:

• Routine tasks when you’re less productive
• Highly creative tasks when you’re most motivated and energized
• Breaks to recuperate

You no longer have the structure of an office, with people telling you when to do things. A great perk to some, but detrimental to those who don’t plan their day.

2.    Create Your Space

You need a dedicated space where you can focus only on work, and walk away from when you’re finished. Set the ground rules for when you’re in this space, keeping disturbances and interruptions to a minimum.

3.    Invest in Collaboration

32.2% of fully remote employees prefer in-person communication. This is no longer possible when working remotely, but that mustn’t cancel out collaboration with your colleagues.

Commit to scheduled meetings and give them your full attention and contribution. The more invested you are, the more you’ll get from them, and you’ll have a much-needed interaction boost.

4.    Don’t Let Your Skillset Go Stale

Just because you’ve shifted to remote work, doesn’t mean your career development is on hold. Grab opportunities to learn more within the organization. Ask your employer how they can help map your future. Consider areas you need to improve on, or a field you want to transition to as a specialty.

5.    Manage Your Mindset

Check in with your mindset now and again. Think about how you feel on a Sunday evening – do you dread work on Monday? At the end of the working day, do you switch off?

Tap into the causes of any question marks and consider how they could be resolved. Your mind is like any other crucial muscle or organ in your body – look after it.

6.    Maintain Regular Hours

Clarify your actual working hours, and don’t let your work invade your personal time or you risk burnout.

7.    Figure What Works for You

Working from home is a work in progress. Don’t beat yourself up if you make tweaks that destroy your productivity. Take the time to assess what works best for you and carve your perfect working routine from it.

8.    Take Your Breaks

Schedule a unified break with your colleagues so you’re all reminding each other when it’s time to switch off and reboot. Walk away, switch off, and come back re-energized.

9.    Ask for Help

Ensure you know where to find help, be it tech glitches, burnout, or home situations that may affect your day. If others know about it, they can support you.

10. Review Your Role

You should have regular one-to-ones with your manager, to raise any concerns and discuss your professional growth. If your thoughts and plans fall on deaf ears and you lack the support you need to succeed in and enjoy your remote tech job, you’re at risk of a stalled career and an unhappy professional life that hampers your work/life balance too.

If this is the case, it’s time to reconsider your next steps. A specialist tech staffing agency will help you access the job opportunities that give you the tools you need for a successful life in remote IT jobs.

See Remote IT Jobs in a New Light

It’s true that tech companies have faced many challenges in demanding and volatile circumstances. They have had to adjust to maintain business momentum.

The above tips are crucial to tech staff when working remotely. If your employer is failing to provide the support and tools you need, it may be time to get in touch with NexTech.

We are specialists in the tech industry, and have matched up thousands of IT candidates to perfectly-complimenting jobs. Your skills are in demand. So contact NexTech today and we will help you take the next steps you need to excel in remote IT jobs.