Being a first-time remote worker can be daunting.
After all, working from home (WFH) can feel vastly different from an office job.
You don’t have to see your bosses or co-workers every day. Thus, there is less pressure to interact.
While it can feel freeing for a couple of weeks, it can also be lonely.
Still, many people can make it work—but not without encountering the typical pitfalls rookie remote workers trip over.
Here are some of the most common career mistakes to avoid to get to a flourishing WFH career faster.
Vague Career Goals
First, you shouldn’t get into remote work if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want to do.
What is it that you want out of your career?
Do you want to climb the corporate ladder? Perhaps lead your own team someday? Or do you simply want to have a stable job that pays the bills?
Everyone has different goals, and if you don’t figure out yours soon, you might end up job hopping.
(While job hopping can be a smart career move, doing it too often can be a red flag to recruiters.)
You must identify your strengths and weaknesses and align these with your career objectives.
This way, you have an idea of what areas to improve on so you can achieve your goals.
Not Upskilling
The world is constantly evolving. Many workers—including remote employees—face the threat of AI.
So how can you stay ahead of the game?
One way is to update your skills.
Take time out of your day or week to learn something new. It could be a skill to augment your current ones or an entirely new set to help you establish another career path.
You also give yourself a competitive edge against your competitors—and perhaps even technology.
Make it a priority to pursue both personal and professional growth.
Neglecting a Healthy Work-Life Balance
Another one of the most common career mistakes remote workers make is getting too wrapped up in hustle culture.
However, this is understandable considering the skyrocketing prices of almost everything these days.
Still, it’s not worth sacrificing family time and your health to get more work done.
Let’s face it, your job will replace you within a moment’s notice as soon as you are gone. Your family, however, will miss you forever.
Thus, take time to prioritize your physical health, especially if you are getting older.
Further, don’t take your mental health for granted. Make sure your remote work environment has a healthy culture.
Not Seeking Out Reliable Senior Employees
Lastly, surround yourself with people who inspire you.
Admittedly, it can be difficult to trust anyone at work because you still need to maintain certain boundaries.
However, if you can, find people—like senior employees—to look up to. Not only will you gain tips and tricks on how to become efficient at work, but you also learn valuable life lessons.
What’s more, they can also be a great addition to your network and can potentially help you land a job, if you need one.
Avoiding Common Remote Career Mistakes
Making blunders in both life and work is normal because no one is perfect.
What matters is that you learn the lesson each time.
So if you are just starting your remote working career, it’s best to avoid the common mistakes we just mentioned.
As they say, hindsight is 20/20.
On that note, if you are hoping to finally work online and kickstart your WFH career, check out Remote Staff’s job listings. It lists remote jobs across several industries so you are sure to find a role that best fits you.
What makes Remote Staff unique is its after-hire support, and so we are with you at every step of your remote working career.
Sounds interesting? Register with us today!
