Don’t let your tech career progression stall while working remotely. Use these seven strategies to help advance your career today. Learn more now!

Are you worried about your tech career progression if you work remotely?

After all, one of the biggest challenges you’ll face when working out of the office is that you don’t get to see your boss every day like you would in-house, and because of that, it’s a little harder to prove your value.

So you may be thinking - how will I get promoted if I don’t see my boss often enough because I work off-site?

The good news is that advancing your tech career while working remotely is absolutely possible, and you don’t have to give up on remote work or the perks that come with it and go back to a traditional in-house position to get ahead.

To do that, though, you have to take the reins and take matters into your own hands.

Fortunately, this article you’re about to read will show you how to do just that so you can level up your remote career starting today. 

Use these tips and you’ll level up your tech career sooner rather than later:

No matter what industry you work in, or whether it’s a remote or in-house position, if you don’t have an idea of where you want your career to go, you’ll end up going along with the motions for far too long and missing out on your true potential.

This sit-back-and-wait approach is a surefire way to let your career slip by, and it’s a costly mistake too many people sadly make.

To avoid that huge error, it’s crucial that you first sit down and map out how you want your career to go.

This task is as simple as thinking about your next move, what the next five to 10 years look like, and the level you eventually hope to reach.

Then, you can work backward to see what you need to do to make that happen.

Do you need to add more skills to your arsenal?

Maybe stay longer in your current role to eventually progress and move up?

Whatever those steps are, having a roadmap ensures you know what to do to get ahead. 

Once you have your plan, you can then move on to tackling the rest of the strategies on our list, including this next important one:

Unfortunately, it’s often far too easy to be “out of sight, out of mind” when working remotely, but that doesn’t have to be the case.

To avoid that from happening, try to overlap as many hours as possible with your boss so that you can be available and ready to chat whenever they need.

This strategy can help you stay top-of-mind, but it also ensures that projects run smoothly and that there aren’t any delays due to time differences.

When your schedule isn’t on the same page as your boss, practice good asynchronous communication skills (more on this next) so that you and your boss can stay on the same page at all times and avoid project hiccups along the way.

This step will go a long way towards making a good impression on your boss, which can help advance your remote tech career.

If you can’t overlap too many hours with your remote boss, and in between those hours you do overlap, practice solid asynchronous communication skills.

This communication style means that you don’t wait too long to let them know that you’re getting right on the task or problem at hand, and you respond as soon as possible.

Now, it doesn’t mean you’re glued to your laptop or phone 24/7, but that you respond in a reasonable timeframe that doesn’t keep your boss or anyone else on your team waiting too long.

Another important characteristic of asynchronous communication is that you provide all of the details necessary to answer a question, follow up with a reply, or keep the project running smoothly. This approach ensures that any delays aren’t coming from your end.

Being eager and on top of tasks also shows your boss that you’re a team player who wants the best for everyone involved, which can help when the time comes to discuss a possible career progression.

This next tip also has that same career-promoting power:

Another great way to stay top-of-mind and avoid being “out of sight, out of mind” is to try to “see” your boss as often as possible.

While you likely have regular work meetings, scheduling one-on-one personal meetings to check in is also crucial.

These can be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, depending on your boss's availability, but the key is to make sure they consistently happen.

Regular contact is key.

This valuable one-on-one time is a great place to discuss how you’re doing, what you can improve on, and any skills you could add to your toolbelt to help progress your career.

It’s also helpful for getting mentored, getting additional training, and asking for feedback that you may not receive otherwise.

All of this will turn into helpful intel you can use to progress your tech career, and it’s the perfect way to show your boss that you’re eager and care about moving up.

You’ve likely heard this tip before but, be honest, are you doing it?

It can be so easy to get lost in day-to-day activities that you forget to stop to jot down everything you’ve accomplished so far, but this is a big mistake.

When it comes time for your review or a promotion, it’ll be that much harder to try to pull this information together to prove your worth.

That’s why it pays to gather your accomplishments along the way and put them in a safe place for when the right time comes.

This accomplishment folder is also great on a personal level. You can pop into it whenever you’re having a rough day or need a little confidence boost.

In a few seconds, you’ll be able to see how far you’ve come and how much you’ve accomplished.

On top of that, if you don’t acknowledge your hard work, it’s even more challenging for your boss to do so.

They’re so busy and focused on their overflowing to-do lists that it’s even easier for them to forget all of your hard work.

But, by adding everything to this folder, you can bring it up when the time comes.

Both you and your boss will likely be surprised and impressed by everything you’ve accomplished so far.

This tip is a great way to advocate for yourself, and it’s a strategy no one, especially remote workers, should skip.

We feel the same way about this next tip:

Everyone’s motto should be: never stop learning.

No matter what career you’re in, things change.

Technology advances.

More people enter the workforce with advanced skills.

And staying in the same place with your skills is a recipe for never advancing your career.

That’s why you should actively add more skills to your toolbelt.

Whether that’s reading up on the latest industry news, taking notes from experts in your field, taking on more classes and certifications, or combining all of those things (our recommendation is this one), it pays to keep your skills fresh and updated.

Doing so will help you add value to your skillset and show your current boss and future ones that you’re an in-demand remote worker because you’re actively staying up-to-date.

This strategy will also help you command a higher rate because you can do more.

And if your current boss doesn’t see that, you can move on to the next one who does because of how much you’ve grown your expertise.

So keep learning each day and see how much faster you can get ahead in your remote tech career.

This next strategy can also help you do just that.

Whether you’re happy in your current role, or you’re looking for your next remote opportunity, it’s always a good idea to keep networking and growing your community of contacts.

You never know when your path will cross with someone who can help progress your tech career and help you achieve those big-time career goals you set out for yourself in the first strategy.

Putting that end goal aside, it’s great to network with like-minded individuals you can learn and grow from.

Then, should you ever need help looking for another role or advancing your career, you’ll already have a great pool of people to connect with, which will help when the time comes.

So keep networking, even if you love your role, because you never know where it could take you. 

While it may be true that advancing your remote tech career is a little harder to do since you’re not face-to-face with your boss in the office every day, it’s not impossible by any means.

By following the seven strategies we laid out in this article, you’ll put yourself in the perfect position to level up and progress your tech career.

Instead of picking and choosing your favorite tips to put into practice, try tackling all of them to really get ahead.

When you do, you’ll be amazed at how much of a career boost they give you.

So go on and advance your tech career today. Trust us, you have the power to do it, and it’s well within your reach now.