Any Filipino professional can become an outsourced staff. Yes, that includes you. Gone are the days when only customer service and technical support representatives, collectively known as call center agents, are the only outsourced staff working in the business districts of Makati and Ortigas. Today, more IT people (web designers, web developers, web administrators, software engineers), marketing and personal assistants, accountants, and copywriters have turned into virtual staff - working in the comforts of their own homes.

It's a leap of positive corporate change in the workplace - from the office to your homes!

Taking Pride in Home-Based Work

A traditional but distorted view of working from home is that it is not as dignified as working in the office.

But the beginning of the computer age has made it possible to work away from the office. The internet has made almost everything possible - remote file retrieval, file storage, emailing, web browsing, etc. This new sense of accessibility has made working from home a matter of pride and commitment.

But wait. By work at home, we don't mean staying at home, sitting back and watching your money grow. It only means that it is now your sole responsibility to make both your finances and professional career flourish!

Becoming part of the staff outsourcing industry requires as much hard work, perseverance and dedication as your former office-based jobs. The only difference is that you'll no longer be spending so many odd hours commuting in hell-raising traffic or weather conditions, or spending a good portion of your hard-earned money on clothes, transportation and meals.

As a dedicated outsourced staff, you will be given specific tasks directly from your offshore staff contractor. If you are an IT professional, you might be tasked to design several web programs strictly under a certain period of time. Thus, as an IT offshore staff, this calls for self-responsibility. Time is of the essence in all of your projects and tasks, so a sense of time management will help you a lot.

Moreover, your offshore employers are results-driven so your talents as an outsourced staff will be continuously challenged thereby promoting growth.

So you want to become an offshore staff? Let's see if you have what it takes ...

First, a good command of the English language is a primary qualification. This does not include only your speaking skills but the other three macro communication skills - reading, listening and writing. Your offshore employers will be coming from English-speaking countries, say Australia. You will be talking to your Australian employer on the phone to give you several instructions and pointers regarding your work. If you have any questions, clarifications, or complaints, you may put across what you want to say over the phone. hence, your English-speaking skills will be of great use here.

Its communication counterpart - listening - will also play an important role. The phone is not only the electronic means of communication between you as a virtual staff and your offshore employer.

The internet is equally a useful and handy means of communication and information. Email allows you to apply your reading and writing skills. For offshore copywriters, your writing skills (and deadline-beating) skills will be put to the test every working day.

Since the previous paragraph has mentioned the internet, a reliable desktop or laptop with a fast broadband connection makes this requirement functional essential. The primary mode of sending results and receiving offshore tasks is the internet. Although modern gadgets, such as the mobile phone and the PSP, offer superb internet access through wi-fi, it is difficult most of the time to accomplish several tasks.

For example, if you are an offshore copywriter, a reliable word processor, such as the Microsoft Word, is a necessary tool. Typing your 1000-word articles on phone will be a challenge because of the keypad and the small size of the screen.

If you are an offshore web designer, a software necessary for the completion of your task will also be very useful. I guess this kind of software is difficult to install on the mobile phone. Most useful software are easily accessed using the desktop and the laptop. Anything smaller than these two might pose a lot of difficulties in the achievement of your task. Web browsers, say Internet Explorer, Safari or Mozilla Firefox, are better used on desktops and laptops too.

The third major requirement is your workplace. As an offshore staff, your home is your workplace. Your kitchen and dining room is your pantry. Your living room is your reception area. But you have to find your quiet place that will serve as your cubicle where you can accomplish all your tasks with less or no distractions.

How Fast You Want to Go Depends On YOU...

Speaking of distractions, your home is also a sanctuary of temptations that may veer your focus away from your work. The television, especially when it is equipped with cable, can grab your attention. Other electronic media (the radio, game gizmos, and others) and print media will surely lure you away from your work. But your greatest enemy is your best friend - the internet.

Being the compendium of all knowledge, trivial or not, the internet is your temptress right under your nose and at your fingertips. A private place away from distractions plus a strong will and determination to accomplish your tasks are essential to fight off these temptations.

Lastly, working from home requires a lot of determination, diligence and discipline. You must have determination to accomplish your tasks, deliver results and meet the deadline. This mental preparation necessarily leads to diligent action so as to meet the needs of your offshore employer. Discipline is also the key to realize your objectives and reach your goals.

If you have all these requirements, working from home has become a lot better than in the office.

For more information on work from home It jobs visit www.remotestaff.com.ph