We generally advise our clients to engage someone with working experience for their remote roles, especially if they are hiring from overseas or from a different geographical location. It is easier to manage for both the company and remote worker if the latter already has work experience. That said, some clients would prefer someone younger, new to the workforce or a fresh graduate, due to the nature of the role or business, or to keep manpower costs manageable.
If you are new to the workforce and considering a fully remote role with a company whose core team is elsewhere, here are three challenges to be aware of and how you may overcome them.
Limited Learning and Guidance: Working remotely full-time and not having in-person interaction with your team and bosses means you are missing out on informal learning. You will likely have fewer opportunities to get quick feedback on your work or find it difficult to ask quick clarifying questions, which are crucial in early career development. In-person roles often provide more opportunities for learning through observation.
Difficulty Building Relationships and Understanding Organisational Culture: When you work remotely full-time, you are missing out on the informal physical interactions. This may make it more challenging to form relationships with your co-workers, seek out informal mentorship, and build your support network at work. Feelings of isolation and loneliness when working remotely can impact job satisfaction, your work performance and your career growth. Each company has its own work style, communication norms and cultural nuances. A fully remote worker will find it challenging to pick up the unwritten rules ro cultural nuances.
Having Self-Discipline: Remote roles demand strong self-motivation, time management, and the ability to work independently and deliver results with minimal supervision. If these are qualities that you are still developing, a fully remote job may be tough as a first job.
How to overcome these challenges as a fresh graduate or new to workforce? First, have awareness of the challenges that you may face when working with a fully remote arrangement. If you had an internship experience when you were studying, draw on those workplace experiences.
You will need to be intentional and proactive in seeking feedback to help you learn in your role. For example, suggest for regular check-ins with your superior or team, if such an arrangement does not already exist. Similarly, when you need help, take the initiative and ask for help - this facilitates developing relationships with your co-workers too. While it may be difficult to replicate informal interactions, whenever you have the opportunity during online meetings, do try to learn more about your co-workers at a personal level. If it is practically possible, you may want to explore having your company to arrange for you to meet the core team in their home location physically once or twice year.
A fully remote role has its opportunities, especially if it is a role or company that you are very keen in. Do carefully consider your ability to manage the remote role, your own work preferences, personality and even career goals, before deciding on the role. We hope this has been helpful food for thought for you.