If you’ve been curious about taking on more flexible jobs and working from home, you’re not alone. Remote work is on the rise, and its future looks bright. But if you’ve never had a remote job before, it’s tough to know how to get started.The good news is, working from home has never been easier. Here are nine steps to get started as soon as possible.
1. Find out if your current boss will allow you to work remotely
Think about whether or not it’s possible to do the work you do from home. This will depend on the type of work you do and your employer, but you won’t know for sure until you ask. If your boss is hesitant, perhaps you could work from home once or twice a week until you have earned the company’s trust.
2. Update your resume
Assuming you won’t be able to turn your current job into a remote position, you should update your resume and add any experience you think is relevant to the type of flexible job you want. Include any actual remote work you’ve done, and list all the skills you have that will translate. For example, mention any video conference and chat platforms you’re familiar with, and play up your online communication skills.
3. Apply for jobs
If you’re working already, you may decide to wait until you have remote work lined up to quit your job. But if you’ve been out of the workforce for awhile, you can start applying whenever you’re ready. Appen always has openflexible jobs you can do from anywhere, and nearly every major job site has a “remote” filter you can search.
4. Do some reading
There are all kinds of blogs, articles, and newsletters that cater to the work-from-home life. You can get tips on what it’s really like, links to job leads, and hear success stories, all without spending any money. This is great “job training” you can do on your own time.
5. Build your workspace
Whether you dedicate a spare bedroom to serve as your home office or just carve out a corner of a room for your desk, setting up a workspace is very important. Not only will it help you stay organized, but it will also help you take your work more seriously.
6. Set official work hours
One of the best parts of working from home is setting your own work hours. You can figure out when you’re most productive and plan accordingly. That being said, it’s not always easy to find a healthy work-life balance when you work remotely since your work is practically always right in front of you. Giving yourself office hours (and sticking to them) will keep you on schedule.
7. Choose a planner or project management tool, and use it
Keep track of your to-do lists and assignments with a planner or project management tool. If you’re working several part-time jobs at once and applying for others, you’ll be able to keep track of everything in one spot. A personal planner or project management tool is also a great place to keep track of your hours, finances, and work-related expenses.Some people like the ease and convenience of tracking their tasks in a Google Doc or spreadsheet. There are also plenty of free task management apps out there to assist you, such as Asana, Basecamp, and Trello. If none of those solutions feels right, you can always invest in a good old-fashioned paper planner to keep track of your tasks.
8. Stick to a routine
While a flexible schedule is one of the best parts of working from home, you should try to have some sense of routine in your day. Work during the time periods when you know you’ll be productive, but step away to eat lunch, exercise, and socialize with other people.
9. Be willing to learn new skills
Flexible jobs are just that — typically, flexibility is required. If you see a lot of tasks you’re missing out on because you’re not qualified, take the time to get the proper training or teach yourself. This will increase your income and look great on your resume.Working remotely can be a lot of fun. And while it might seem overwhelming at first, all it takes is motivation and time management skills.—
Ready to get started? Check out our flexible, work-from-home jobs
The most accurate transcribed text comes from high-quality audio recordings. How can you make sure your audio is as good as it can be, and what happens if your audio is not up to scratch?Appen’s transcribers are the best in the business. But when presented with a poor-quality audio recording, even they have got their work cut out.
There are several ways to ensure clear, crisp audio for speech to text, both during and after the recording.
At the time of recording
Some simple steps you can take to get great quality audio include:
Always use the best quality microphone you can afford.
Choose your location carefully to avoid background noise and interruptions.
Switch off all equipment in the room, for example air conditioning, as well as any computers or laptops that aren’t needed.
Also turn off mobile phones, or switch to airplane mode – even on ‘silent’ a mobile phone emits a signal that can interfere with a recording.
Close all doors and windows and make it clear to colleagues that you’re recording.
Explain to participants that the microphone is sensitive. Don’t rustle papers nearby or put documents on top of it.
Position speakers close to the microphone.
Test the recording equipment before you start and make sure you know how to operate it.
Brief your participants to avoid over-talking or interrupting – they should speak one at a time and as slowly and clearly as possible.
If times, dates or numbers are mentioned, make them as clear as you can, to avoid inaccuracies or inconsistencies.
After the recording
Sometimes, despite best efforts, the quality of an audio recording is less than perfect. In this situation, there are a few things Appen can do to help.
The first step is to flag the issue. When the person tasked to transcribe the audio can’t hear what’s said, they type the word ‘inaudible’. If this happens a lot in a transcript, the transcriber will alert their supervisor, who’ll let the client know at an early stage that the transcript might not be as accurate as either they or Appen would like.
That said, transcribers can themselves take steps to reduce the number of ‘inaudibles’. At Appen, transcribers routinely use the best quality, over-ear headphones. They can also slow down or speed up a recording, or try to enhance the audio, using a professional sound card like SoundBlaster.
In some cases, for example, if a recording is very old, in an unusual format or has been made in challenging, perhaps even covert conditions, a more specialist audio management ‘fix’ is required. Depending on the circumstances, Appen may be able to:
Cut down on interference or ‘hiss’ using noise reduction software.
Smooth out variations in volume using an audio ‘compression’ tool.
Reduce distortion by converting audio files into different formats.
Enhance a recording’s clarity, by manipulating the audio channels.
It’s always easier to take steps at the outset to ensure you get the best quality recording possible. But if your audio’s not perfect, don’t despair – with Appen’s help, it might still be possible to get an audio-to-text transcript you can use.
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Contact us to learn more about accurate, high-quality audio transcription services.
4. Do some reading
4. Do some reading
Some people like the ease and convenience of tracking their tasks in a Google Doc or spreadsheet. There are also plenty of free task management apps out there to assist you, such as Asana, Basecamp, and Trello. If none of those solutions feels right, you can always invest in a good old-fashioned paper planner to keep track of your tasks.
After the recording