Working from home jobs have never been more common and accessible, particularly with the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the number of people working from home jumped 8.4 per cent to over 40 per cent as of August last year.

Additionally, with the rising technological advancements and internet speeds, there has never been a better time to pursue work-from-home opportunities, regardless of whether you are a business owner or work for someone else.

Here are 10 popular working from home jobs.

#1 – Transcriptionist

A transcriptionist is someone who converts speech or audio recordings into written or typed text, and typically, they specialise in one of three categories — medical, legal or general.

A transcription course will give you the skills and knowledge to work in this sector, but also grant you a competitive edge as your certification is typically transferable across industries. It will develop your keyboard skills, enhance your ability to understand and respond to instructions, communicate with a range of internal and external clients, and use the appropriate medical or legal terminology. You will learn how to plan documents, draft text and produce documents of different complexity, gather, organise and present workplace information, and transcribe from an audio source using keyboarding techniques to produce accurate texts. Ultimately, it will allow you to work as a freelance transcriptionist or as a sub-contractor for a company that outsources these services.

#2 – Social Media Manager

Without strategies to break through the clutter of a noisy digital world, an organisation can’t harness the power of social media, engagement and marketing. Studying a social media course will teach you how to interact with customers online to maximise engagement through social media.

You will learn how to review, compare and use different types of social networking tools and applications, develop a web presence using social media, and apply marketing communications across a range of industries.

#3 – Content Writer

The world of freelance writing is highly competitive. Successful freelance writers not only have good writing skills, but they also have the “nose” for a good story, are experts in their chosen writing field, and have the ability to write quickly and succinctly.

Courses in freelance writing will teach you about different writing techniques, how to access new contacts, and how to write critiques, columns, newsletters, reviews, biographical stories, news articles and radio and TV scripts. They will also give you insights into educational, scientific and fictional writing, and sharpen your writing skills in the areas of theme development and sentence structure, including using inductive, deductive, descriptive, chronological, flashback, analogy and cause and effect concepts.

#4 – Recruitment Manager

The recruitment sector offers a range of working from home jobs that can shape the culture and success of an organisation in terms of attracting and selecting staff, and helping people find their dream job. Recruitment courses typically explore HR and recruitment strategies, including forecasting and workforce planning.

They can teach you about interview techniques and preparation, how to write a job and person specification, conduct a job analysis, and explore recruitment sources and methods. They can also give you insights into managing the recruitment cycle in alignment with organisational objectives, provide services that assist in retention and successful candidate management, and develop and implement prospecting strategies to expand your client base.

#5 – Bookkeeper

Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions and is part of the process of accounting in organisations. With the thousands of small organisations operating in Australia, many seek to outsource the bookkeeping side of the business.

Bookkeeping courses will typically teach you how to extract interim reports, process financial transactions, prepare financial reports and establish subsidiary ledgers and accounts. They will also give you insights into manual and computerised bookkeeping systems, policies and practices, compliance, payroll and business taxation requirements. Armed with your Tax Practitioner’s Board registration, you’ll be all set to work from home for an organisation or even set up your own bookkeeping business!

#6 – Graphic Designer

Graphic design involves problem-solving and visual communication through the use of illustrations, photography and typography and is a role that is in demand across a range of disciplines. A graphic design course will give you the skills to work in a complementary profession, including in marketing and advertising and across a range of commercial sectors from construction, retail, medical and real estate to tourism, education and health and fitness. And the list goes on!

These courses typically teach you the fundamentals. You’ll learn layout design, choosing images and formats, colour theory, and illustration techniques and methods for a range of collateral from brochures and business cards to websites and other online marketing tools. They also offer insights into design systems, logo creation, and how to bid for relevant projects and then take the design brief.

#7 – E-commerce Specialist

Commerce is increasingly based on electronic technology and having these skills is critical for new online business owners or those who are keen to extend their online sales skills to take their business (or someone else’s!) to the next level. It is one of the ideal working from home jobs as all you really need is the appropriate digital technology!

E-commerce courses will typical teach you about the foundations of online commerce and the elements that are central to an electronic marketplace. They will also give you insights into effective sales strategies for online business success, how to develop a range of internet marketing strategies and how to optimise sales for your online business.

#8 – Distance Educator 

One of the biggest challenges of the COVD-19 pandemic has been in education, and distance education has become the “norm” for many Australians over the past two years. A distance education course will typically teach you about the adaption of teacher-learner models, the advantages and disadvantages of distance education, and the different styles of delivery.

It will also help you develop skills in the support of distance education students, from counselling, assignment help and career advice to structuring exercises, video conferencing and facilitating work in small groups.

#9 – Web Designer

Information technology (IT) is a vital contributor to almost every industry and is an in-demand profession with many opportunities. An IT course can provide you with the foundational knowledge you need to understand the operations and components of computer systems. It can teach you how to select, configure and use computer operating systems and basic computer hardware and software.

Discover insights into network security, how to design and create a basic markup language document (HTML) and manipulate digital images for website development. Plus, learn how to design and produce publications and documents using publishing and word processing software.

#10 – Small Business Owner

Perhaps one of the more obvious working from home jobs is a business owner.

A small business management course is the ideal way of understanding the business environment and managing your business through all its stages. They will typically explore how to identify and comply with legal, regulatory, insurance and taxation requirements. You may also learn how to develop marketing and risk management strategies and a viable financial plan for your business. You’ll also learn how to research and develop an integrated plan for achieving business goals and objectives. Plus, discover critical recruitment and HR processes.

 

The business landscape has changed dramatically with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. So if you are considering a career change or keen to up-skill in your current profession, there are a variety of working from home jobs that could entirely change your life!