More and more jobs have gone remote since the pandemic started. Right now the remote job marketplace is extremely competitive so knowing which soft skills are crucial for success in the top remote career categories will help put job seekers in the best position possible. FlexJobs, the leader in remote jobs, and PAIRIN, a leader in soft skill development, has teamed together to identify the top 10 career categories offering the most remote jobs in 2020 and the skills job seekers need to succeed in these emerging remote careers.

“Remote job seekers face a very competitive job market right now, as remote jobs have become even more desirable in the current pandemic environment, and there are certainly more opportunities in some career categories versus others,” said Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of FlexJobs. “To help job seekers land a coveted remote job, FlexJobs is proud to partner with PAIRIN to not only identify where those jobs are available, but also help candidates understand the specific soft skills that are needed for them to stand out and succeed in those careers,” Sutton concluded.

Dr. Dan Hawthorne, director of I/O psychology and head of research at PAIRIN, conducted the research and analysis to identify the critical skills for each career category. “The COVID-19 pandemic forced many companies to break down pre-existing barriers to quickly adapt and move their workforces to remote work,” said Dr. Hawthorne. “Now that these organizations have the structure in place to support remote workers, it is expected that many will continue to offer remote working opportunities for the long-term. This, in turn, presents a bright outlook for remote work in the future,” Dr. Hawthorne added.

A “remote job” is defined as a professional-level job that allows the worker to work from home either entirely or part of the time. The ten career categories identified had job listings for the most remote jobs in the FlexJobs database from Mar. 1, 2020 through Nov. 30, 2020.  Included under each career category are the five most important soft skills, as identified through PAIRIN’s personalized, science-based research, that professionals need in order to thrive in that respective career. 

Computer & IT 

• Creativity – The desire to think, do, and express in ways that are different from the norm. This includes personal elaborations or variations on known or existing techniques.
• Originality – The ability to invent or independently conceive of ideas, methods, or products of the first order (underived), regardless of their usefulness.
• Objective-Analytical – The emphasis of logic and fact-based evaluating over feelings, suggesting clarity, thoroughness, and productivity. 
• Problem Solving – To discover, analyze, and solve a range of unfamiliar problems in both conventional and creative ways.
• Critical Thinking – To gather and objectively assess key information as a guide to belief or action. An intellectual process that uses analysis, conceptualization, synthesis, and evaluation.

 Medical & Health 

• Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify, and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance, products, or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Supportiveness – The drive to assist, protect, and provide for others in emotional or physical need.
• Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs, and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness, and Service Orientation).
• Accountability – To be answerable. To take responsibility for outcomes through appropriate use of resources, personal integrity, and self-monitoring.
• Compliance – Global tendencies to maintain self-discipline and conform to another’s plan, rules, will, or direction.

 Project Management

• Relationship Management – To use awareness of one’s own emotions and those of others to navigate interactions successfully. (Includes: Inspiration, Influence, Enriching Others, Cooperation, Change, and Conflict Management). 
• Collaboration & Teamwork – To combine efforts and resources with others toward a common goal. To work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams.
• Dynamism – Global tendencies to generate results through intentional, resourceful, energetic mindsets and behaviors.
• Productivity – To set and meet goals, even in the face of obstacles and competing pressures. To prioritize, plan, and manage work to achieve the intended results.
• Stress Tolerance – To endure pressure or uncertainty without becoming negative (e.g. hopeless, bitter, or hostile) toward self or others.

Sales

• Influential Leadership – The ability to positively persuade others’ choices by focusing on what is important to them and building consensus. 
• Conflict Management – The ability to effectively negotiate and resolve disagreements.
• Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs, and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness, and Service Orientation). 
• Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify, and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance, products, or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Assertiveness – Global tendencies to express and interact with boldness, enthusiasm, and confidence.
  
  

Accounting & Finance 

• Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs, and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness, and Service Orientation). 
• Compliance – Global tendencies to maintain self-discipline and conform to another’s plan, rules, will, or direction.
• Relationship – The drive to draw close and remain loyal to another person or people—to truly connect and enjoyably engage with them.
• Conflict Management – The ability to effectively negotiate and resolve disagreements.
• Critical Thinking – To gather and objectively assess key information as a guide to belief or action. An intellectual process that uses analysis, conceptualization, synthesis, and evaluation.

Customer Service 

• Supportiveness – The drive to assist, protect and provide for others in emotional or physical need.
• Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance, products or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Conflict Management – The ability to effectively negotiate and resolve disagreements.
• Stress Tolerance – To endure pressure and uncertainty without becoming negative (e.g. hopeless, bitter or hostile) toward self or others.
• Assertiveness – Global tendencies to express and interact with boldness, enthusiasm and confidence.

Marketing

• Flamboyance – The drive to impress or excite-to stir others through words or actions.
• Influential Leadership – The ability to positively persuade others’ choices by focusing on what is important to them and building consensus.
• Assertiveness – Global tendencies to express and interact with boldness, enthusiasm and confidence.
• Inspirational Leadership – The ability to uplift, enliven, fill and empower people with a compelling vision.
• Relationship – The drive to draw close and remain loyal to another person or people—to truly connect and enjoyably engage with them.

Education & Training 

• Cooperative-Practical – The moderation of reason and feeling resulting in calm, commonsense thinking – upbeat, attentive and realistic.
• Creativity – The desire to think, do, and express in ways that are different from the norm. This includes personal elaborations or variations on known or existing techniques.
• Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness and Service Orientation)
• Originality – The ability to invent or independently conceive of ideas, methods, or products of the first order (underived), regardless of their usefulness.
• Perspective – The ability to understand broadly, to coordinate knowledge and experience, and to provide clear-sighted and meaningful counsel to others. An aspect of wisdom.

Business Development

• Relationship – The drive to draw close and remain loyal to another person or people—to truly connect and enjoyably engage with them.
• Cooperative-Practical – The moderation of reason and feeling resulting in calm, commonsense thinking – upbeat, attentive and realistic.
• Enriching Others – Perceiving and reacting to others with acceptance and respect while supporting their development toward full potential.
• Self Assessment – To engage in self-reflection so as to determine strengths and limitations in one’s values, abilities and resources. 
• Critical Thinking – To gather and objectively assess key information as a guide to belief or action. An intellectual process that uses analysis, conceptualization, synthesis and evaluation.

Administrative 

• Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance products or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Supportiveness – The drive to assist, protect and provide for others in emotional or physical need.
• Flamboyance – The drive to impress or excite-to stir others through words or actions.
• Relationship – The drive to draw close and remain loyal to another person or people—to truly connect and enjoyably engage with them.
• Stress Tolerance – To endure pressure and uncertainty without becoming negative (e.g. hopeless, bitter or hostile) toward self or others.

For more information you can visit https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/top-categories-soft-skills-remote-jobs/ and https://www.pairin.com/the-ideal-skills-for-the-top-10-remote-jobs-of-2021/.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

RELATED STORIES

Study Finds Screen Fatigue Is Taking a Toll on Work from Home Productivity

How to Keep Your Routine with the Kids at Home

Survey Looks into Challenges Moms are Facing Due to Extended Working from Home

This Study Shows the Stress Working Parents Face Could Actually Cost Them Their Jobs

New Study Reveals How Praise Affects Students’ Behavior