目前，在撰写本文时，世界上大约一半的人口处于封锁状态。对于许多人来说，这意味着他们的收入流(income stream)中断，更糟糕的是，当一切都结束时，也许没有工作可以回去了。
如果是你，那么现在是时候将在家中的空闲时间变成富有成效的时间了。您可以在网上找到(can)工作，在家工作也能过上体面的生活。以下是帮助您实现目标的基本注意事项。
自我评估您的在线工作技能(Self-Assessing Your Skills For Online Work)
您可能已经学习或接受过特定职业的培训，但这并不意味着您多年来获得的技能只能用于那个狭窄的领域。尽量不要从职位(job title)的角度来考虑自己。相反，想想你在你的武器库中拥有的个人技能，然后确定可以通过数字媒体应用的那些。
如果您有良好的时间管理(time management)技能，您可以找到在家工作的在线工作作为虚拟助手。如果您擅长客户关系，那么社交媒体经理的角色可能对您有用。尝试将您的技能列为关键字，这将在实际求职(job hunt)开始时派上用场。
在被困在家里的同时，您也可以以一种新的方式从事一些职业。例如，如果您是一名摄影师，您可以专门为图库摄影(stock photography)网站创建和销售照片。
最重要的一点是换个角度思考。不要给自己贴标签，而是将您的全部技能组合视为可以重新排列以执行不同角色的构建块。
如何提升自己(How To Upskill Yourself)
好的，所以你已经列出了所有技能，但事实证明你有一些差距。当然，您是一个善于交际的人，但您实际上并不了解成为社交媒体经理的技术方面。也许您在隔壁办公室担任某人的私人助理没有问题，但您不确定如何为另一个国家的某人处理它。
好消息是，您可以通过使用在线资源来提高自己的技能，从而快速填补这些技能空白。YouTube是一个很好的免费信息资源，但您需要注意这些信息的准确性。您还可以参加许多免费的在线大学(online college)课程来完成在线工作的技能。
在哪里寻找在线工作(Where To Look For Online Jobs)
在线工作的世界在过去几年中爆炸式增长，您可以找到包含工作列表和工具来管理您的工作的大型平台。有些是一般性的，有些(nature and others)则更专业。
例如，Genero专门针对影视专业人士(film and TV professionals)，而ProBlogger则为作家提供机会。是否有适合您自己专业的网站总是值得一看，但这些是最好的通用在线自由职业网站，可以找到在家工作的在线工作：
这只是冰山一角。像这样的网站还有很多，但要坚持使用具有良好支付安全(payment security)政策的信誉良好的网站。
如何申请在线演出(How To Apply For Online Gigs)
这些平台通常会在全球工作板上(job board)列出演出，您应该使用您之前放在一起的关键字列表来缩小范围。使用您的技能关键字或特定角色（例如“科技博主”或“社交媒体经理”）搜索在家工作的在线工作。这有助于缩小与您无关的工作范围(t relevant)。
在为查找您的小巷的演出编写应用程序时，请记住以下几点：
- 阅读整个职位(ENTIRE job)发布以及所有要求。
- 研究其他类似的自由职业者对此类工作的收费。
- 遵循(Follow)客户要求的所有指示。
- 简明扼要。
- 准确概述(Outline)您将为客户做什么以及为多少。
- 如果可能的话，包括(Include)类似工作的例子。
- 检查你的拼写和语法。
- 不要找任何借口，确保你给人的印象是自信和自信。
- (Ask someone)如果您还不舒服，请让其他人阅读该应用程序。
- 再次检查您的拼写和语法(spelling and grammar)。
完美的应用没有通用的配方。你能做的最好的就是用你选择的语言正确地写作，要有信心，不要浪费客户的时间，并准确地告诉他们你能为他们做些什么。
期望(Expect)您的大多数应用程序无处可去。这不是个人的，只是继续下一个。
如何在线面试王牌(How To Ace Interviews Online)
当您的应用程序收到客户的回复时，您将进入面试阶段(interview phase)。客户非常喜欢您的应用程序以获取更多信息，现在是您达成交易的时候了。
有些人会想要视频通话(video call)，所以要准备好通过Skype 或 Facetime(Skype or Facetime)等方式进行面试。
无论(Whether)是通过短信还是实时电话，倾听客户的意见并回应(client and respond)他们的要求。不要(Don)自愿提供(t volunteer information)不相关且客户不需要(client doesn)知道的信息。
在协商付款时，请牢记研究其他人收取的费用。如果钱不(Don)值得(money isn)，不要害怕放弃潜在的演出。客户将支付他们认为工作价值的费用。如果这不符合您的需求，那么每天每分钟都会不断发布新的演出。就(Just)让它过去吧。
多年来我们学会的一个杀手锏(killer trick)是向客户保证，如果他们对您的工作质量不满意，他们不必付钱给您。提供付费试用期(trial period)，让您展示自己的能力。如果客户觉得给你一个机会没有坏处，他们更有可能雇用你。当然，如果你真的做得很好，你也没有坏处。
如何获得报酬(How To Get Paid)
所以你得到了演出，你做了工作，客户准备好付款了。恭喜(Congratulations)！除了(Except)，你是如何真正拿到钱的？这个问题的确切答案因国家和平台而异。
然而，一般来说，像PayPal这样的服务几乎得到了普遍支持，而像Payoneer这样的专业支付提供商可以很快地将钱送到您的手中。在一些国家，零工平台也可以进行本地银行转账，这可能是许多人获取资金的最便宜、最方便的方式。
这些是您作为数字游牧民、远程工作者和自由的前公司奴隶的光明未来需要了解的核心内容。对每个人来说，时间都很艰难，但不必比必要的更难。
How to Find Online Jobs To Work From Home
Right now, as this is being written, about hаlf of the world’s population іs under lockdown. For many people this means a breаk in their income stream and, even worse, perhaps no job to go bаck to when іt’s all over.
If that’s you, now’s the time to turn those idle hours at home into productive ones. You can find online jobs and make a decent living working from home. Here’s the basic set of considerations to help you get there.
Self-Assessing Your Skills For Online Work
You may have studied or trained for a specific profession, but that doesn’t mean the skills you’ve acquired over the years can only be used in that one narrow area. Try not to think of yourself in terms of a job title. Instead, think of the individual skills you have in your arsenal and then identify the ones that can be applied through a digital medium.
If you have good time management skills, you could find online jobs to work from home as a virtual assistant. If you’re good at customer relations, maybe the role of social media manager might work for you. Try to list your skills as keywords, this will come in handy when the actual job hunt begins.
You may also be able to practice some professions in a new way while being stuck at home. For example, if you’re a photographer, you could create and sell photos specifically for stock photography sites.
The most important point is to think differently. Don’t label yourself, but think of your total skillset as building blocks that can be rearranged to perform different roles.
How To Upskill Yourself
OK, so you’ve got all your skills listed, but it turns out you have some gaps. Sure, you’re a people person, but you don’t actually know the technical aspects of being a social media manager. Maybe you had no issue being a personal assistant to someone in the next office, but you’re not sure how to handle it for someone in another country.
The good news is that you can quickly fill those skills gaps by using online resources to upskill yourself. YouTube is a great resource for free information, although you’ll need to be careful about the accuracy of that information. There are also lots of free online college courses you can take to complete your skill set for online work.
Where To Look For Online Jobs
The world of online work has exploded over the last few years and you can find massive platforms with job listings and tools to manage your work. Some are general in nature and others are more specialized.
For example, Genero is specifically for film and TV professionals, while ProBlogger has opportunities for writers. It’s always worth checking out if there are sites for your own specialities, but these are the best general online freelancing sites to find online jobs to work from home:
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more sites like this, but stick to reputable sites with good payment security policies.
How To Apply For Online Gigs
These platforms usually list gigs on a global job board, which you should narrow down using the list of keywords you put together earlier. Search for online jobs to work from home using your skills keywords or specific roles such as “tech blogger” or “social media manager”. This helps narrow down the jobs that aren’t relevant to you.
When writing an application for a gig that looks up your alley, keep the following in mind:
- Read the ENTIRE job posting along with all the requirements.
- Research what other similar freelancers have charged for this type of work.
- Follow all of the client’s requested instructions.
- Be concise.
- Outline exactly what you’ll do for the client and for how much.
- Include examples of similar work if possible.
- Check your spelling and grammar.
- Don’t make any excuses, make sure you come across as confident and self-assured.
- Ask someone else to read the application if you’re not not comfortable yet.
- Check your spelling and grammar again.
There is no universal recipe for the perfect application. The best you can do is write properly in the language of your choice, be confident, don’t waste the client’s time and tell them exactly what you can do for them.
Expect most of your applications to go nowhere. It’s not personal, just move on to the next one.
How To Ace Interviews Online
When your application gets a response from a client, you’ll enter an interview phase. The client likes your application enough to want more information and now is when you get to seal the deal.
Some people will want a video call, so be prepared for an interview over something like Skype or Facetime.
Whether by text or in a live call, listen to the client and respond to what they ask. Don’t volunteer information that isn’t relevant and the client doesn’t need to know.
When it comes to negotiating payment, keep your research of what others have charged in mind. Don’t be afraid to walk away from a potential gig if the money isn’t worth it. Clients will pay what they think the work is worth. If that doesn’t align with your needs, there’s a constant flow of new gigs being posted every minute of every day. Just let it go.
One killer trick we’ve picked up over the years is to assure the client that they don’t have to pay you if they aren’t happy with the quality of your work. Offer a paid trial period that lets you show what you can do. If the client feels like there’s no downside to giving you a chance, they are more likely to hire you. Of course, if you actually do good work there’s no downside for you either.
How To Get Paid
So you got the gig, you did the work and the client is ready to pay. Congratulations! Except, how do you actually get the money? The exact answer to this will vary from one country to the next as well as by platform.
In general however services like PayPal are almost universally supported and specialized payment providers such as Payoneer can get the money into your hands very quickly. In some countries the gig platforms can do local bank transfers as well, which may be the cheapest and most convenient way to access funds for many people.
These are the core things you need to know for a bright future as a digital nomad, remote worker and freed ex-corporate slave. Times are hard for everyone, but they don’t have to be harder than necessary.
