BASIC SKILLS THAT EVERY ONLINE PROFESSIONAL SHOULD HAVE
If you really want to work at home, you need to take stock of the skills that you have. There are a few indispensable skills that an online professional needs to possess. I will be listing these skills and provide links to some sources that can help you develop each skill that I will be mentioning.
COMPUTER SKILLS – I know — this is a no-brainer. An online professional should at least know how to use Microsoft Office, particularly these two applications — MS Word and MS Excel.
There are free tutorials available all over the Internet. You can even go to YouTube and type “Microsoft Word tutorial” or “Microsoft Excel tutorial” in the search box.
If you want to learn more and improve your MS Office skills, there are a lot of free tutorials on the Internet. Here are some websites that you can visit:
- Education Online for Computers (with PDF documents available for download)
- Training by Email (for MS Word, MS Excel, and MS Outlook Tutorials)
- Basic Excel Tutorial
- Microsoft Excel 2007 Tutorial Videos
- Excel Tip (for advanced users)
- Microsoft Word 2007 Tutorial Videos
TYPING - An online professional needs to have a typing speed of at least 40 words per minute in order to work efficiently. You need to build not only speed, but also accuracy. In fact, accuracy should be prioritized over speed.
Here’s the link to a website that provides a list of typing tutors that are either freeware or shareware: All The Touch Typing Tutors
COMMUNICATION SKILLS — Good communication skills are essential if you want to land an online job. English is one language that you need to master, unless you’re working with an employer or clients that speak a different language.
There are three communication skills that are worth developing: oral, written and listening. Those who have good oral communication skills can apply as virtual assistants and work-at-home telemarketers, and contact specialists (call center agents or answering service agents). Writing is a good skill to have as there is a huge market for writers online. Good listening skills are vital for transcriptionists and contact specialists.
Here are some websites you can visit that can help you improve on your English grammar:
If you would like to improve your listening skills, I recommend that you listen to podcasts and try to transcribe what you hear. Listening to podcasts will also help you acquire an “ear” for grammar. You will begin to develop that intuitive sense as to whether the sentence you read or hear is grammatically correct or not. One of the nicest things about transcribing podcasts is that you learn about a variety of subjects while you develop two basic skills — typing and listening.
Here are some websites where you can download podcasts for free.
You can download Express Scribe, a free transcription software (the best I have ever used so far) by clicking on this link: Express Scribe
To best way to develop writing skills is to write, write, write. Keep a journal. Show off your writing chops by keeping a blog. Submit content to get-paid-to-write sites.
The best way to be a better speaker is — you guessed it — talk, talk, talk. Join the Toastmasters’ Club nearest you. If English is a second language to you, you can ask someone who is fluent in that language to converse with you in English.
Keep in mind that people are not born with these skills. They are acquired and developed through constant practice. You build confidence through competence — confidence both on your part and your employers' part. So get moving! :)
By the way, here's another website that could help : Skillswise
0 comments:
Post a Comment