How to Showcase Your Professional Growth When Working Remotely

Remote work may sound like a dream, but there are a few drawbacks that we must acknowledge. For one, it can be isolating. You may struggle to connect with coworkers, and more importantly, you’ll struggle to connect with your boss.

So, how do you showcase your professional growth when working remotely?

In this post, we’re going to cover ways you can connect with your boss and show off your skills while working from home.

Keep good records

If you want your boss to remember your good deeds, you may have to remind them. And if you’re like most of us, you’ll need to keep track in order to remember yourself.

Take notes of all your work accomplishments and keep a running list of everything you did exceptionally well. This list isn’t for bragging, though. It’s usually a good idea to remain modest until it’s time for a performance review.

When that review rolls around, you’ll be ready with all the reasons why you deserve a promotion. You can also use that list on a resume or cover letter if you feel that your professional growth is stunted where you are. A list of tangible career accomplishments will really help you build a resume employers notice.

Schedule check-ins

Plan to check in with your boss daily or weekly (depending on the type of work you’re doing). This can be a conversation or an email. Just be sure to keep your boss’s time in mind.

These check-ins should be a way to offer peace of mind. But if they begin to drain time from your boss’s busy schedule, they’ll have the opposite effect.

Be the team player

It can be difficult to work as a team when you’re all scattered around town. So it may be a good idea to grab the reigns and keep everyone feeling unified. If you can help the team band together and act as a de facto leader while working remotely, you may find yourself in an actual leadership position later.

While you’re leading, remember that leadership isn’t about bossing people around. Your efforts will be counterproductive unless you get results — which means that your coworkers must want to work with you.

Take on more responsibility

Studies have shown that remote workers are often more productive. And if you are actually able to get more done in less time, consider taking on more responsibility. As you’re flexing these productivity muscles, choose your new responsibilities wisely.

You’re going to want to look for things you can do well, but avoid anything that feels like busywork. If you can use your free time to streamline things and make everyone’s jobs easier, your boss will look upon your time favorably. In fact, they may even wonder what else you can do if they free up some of your less important tasks.

The goal here is to show your value and make your boss think about how to make better use of your many talents. Keep this in mind as you’re deciding how to spend any extra time you may have.

Separate work and personal life

So many employees and entrepreneurs are struggling to create a work-life balance that actually works for them. COVID-19 and forced remote working have thrown a wrench into everyone’s lives. And if you aren’t used to working from home, it can be difficult to know when to call it quits.

When your kitchen table is your office, it’s tough to know when to clock out.

And this is a slippery slope. You might think working extra hours will get you brownie points, but mixing business with your personal life can have the opposite effect. If your work hours are loosely defined, you may find that you’re not as focused during the actual workday — and you may even use some of that time for personal errands.

You may end up working the same number of hours, but you can bet that your boss won’t understand why you’re at the park with your kids when you should be on the clock. If you want to stay in your boss’s good graces, try to stick to a regular work schedule.

Working remotely is a dream for some, but it can quickly turn into a nightmare unless you keep on a tight schedule and record your work.

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