11 Signs You’re Ready for a Remote Job | FlexJobs

You’ve been doing the 9-to-5 routine for your entire career. Your commute gets you up at ungodly hours, and you’re well-acquainted with road rage. Perhaps it’s time to seek out some work-life balance and find yourself a remote job!

It’s no secret that remote workers benefit from reduced stress, no commute, increased productivity, and more. If you’re thinking about changing jobs, we’re covering a few ways to know if you’re ready for a remote job.

Signs You’re Ready for a Remote Job

1. You’re Excited By Remote Work

Are you fascinated (and envious) when you meet “real” remote workers? Does the idea of seeking remote work flit through your head on a regular basis, even if you try to suppress it? Do you stop to read articles like this one?

Perhaps the greatest sign of readiness to find a remote job is that the thought of one stirs your spirit and makes you smile!

2. You Thrive When Working Alone

Working remotely means spending most if not all of your working hours alone. While you’ll be part of a team, you’ll also need a high tolerance for working independently.

If you’ve worked from home during a sick day or have gone into the office early before anyone’s arrived to find yourself knocking out a ton of work, you may be ready for a remote job.

3. You Have Top-Notch Communication Skills

Perhaps you have coworkers or a boss who is off-site. Or, maybe your company uses internal communication tools with in-office employees.

If you find yourself using online tools to communicate with coworkers more than in-person conversations, this will set you up well to work remotely. Working away from the office means you’ll need to stay connected with coworkers and bosses. Excelling at regular, clear online communication shows an inclination for remote working.

4. You Can Navigate Technical Problems Yourself

The ability to fix technical issues on your own can be a sign you’re ready for a remote job. When working from your home office, it’s inevitable that you’ll run into computer problems, internet problems, and more. The more you’re able to troubleshoot and fix these things yourself, the better.

Companies want to hire people with a strong grasp of basic troubleshooting skills. While calling someone or using the company’s IT department is always an option, you’ll be better off relying on yourself for common issues.

5. You Know How to Deal With Distractions

Working in an office is full of distractions—coworkers stopping by your office, noisy printers and office equipment, phones ringing, and more. And though working from home has its share of distractions, if you’re able to avoid in-office distractions with zen-like focus, you’re probably cut out for a remote job.

6. You Loathe Your Commute

For some people, driving or riding public transportation is no big deal—pop in an audiobook and relax. Others are significantly stressed out by traffic and crowds, especially during inclement weather. They can add hours to your day. Even the shortest commute can be maddening if there are unexpected accidents or construction.

If you loathe your commute, you’re not alone. A remote job is a fantastic solution that reduces your carbon footprint, saves you tons of gas money, and alleviates stress.

7. You Have Health Issues

Whether you would benefit from an individual bathroom, a midday nap, or the flexibility to arrange your schedule around doctor’s appointments, remote work helps people with ongoing health issues maintain employment.

Greater control over the environment and the ability to choose when and how work gets done often boosts confidence, lowers stress, and leads to amazing output.

8. You Need Some Flexibility

When you were fresh out of college, working a 9-to-5 job wasn’t an issue. But perhaps life has shifted, and you now need schedule flexibility.

Reasons can range from taking care of an elderly parent to going back to school to needing to get kids off to school. Whatever your reasons, work flexibility is definitely a top sign you’re ready for a remote job.

9. You Want or Need Better Work-Life Balance

Along those same lines, needing better work-life balance is another sign you’re ready for a remote job.

Your current job may be “not bad” or even satisfying in many respects. But you have very little time to spend with the kids, you spend more on takeout than weekly groceries, and you’ve given up your workout routine because there aren’t enough hours in the day.

When you can’t strike a good balance between professional and personal spheres, it may be time to consider how remote work could promote harmony.

10. You’re More Productive When You Aren’t in the Office

Do you find that when you really need to plow through a project, you’ll often take work home with you and work from the peace and quiet of your home office?

Maybe it’s because your company’s office has too many distractions, or you just feel like your productivity increases when you’re in a more comfortable setting. Whatever the reason, this is a huge sign you’re ready to start working from home!

11. You’re Always Asking to Work From Home

Are you constantly trying to ask your boss to let you work from home for one reason or another? If so, you’re probably ready to make this a more permanent thing.

Depending on the type of job you have, you may be able to work remotely full-time, part-time, or at least one day a week. Pick apart your position to find the aspects of your job that don’t require you to be in the actual office. It might be data entry, research, writing, or digitizing documents.

Make a list of all the job duties that can be done from anywhere. Once you’ve got that, you can start making a stronger case for being able to work from home.

When You Know, You Know!

If some (or all!) of these signs resonate with you, you’re probably more than ready for a remote job. But first, read up on the skills you’ll need to be a successful remote worker:

Then, check out some tips and tricks for landing your new remote job:

And finally, when you’re ready to begin your remote job search, FlexJobs is here to support you.