How to Get a Job that Works for You in the New Normal

We spoke to the work-from-home maestro, Foncho Ramírez-Corzo, about how to make the new normal work for you

Working from home was already growing in popularity before the global pandemic hit, confinement merely sped up its trajectory, according to the incessantly smiley Foncho Ramírez-Corzo (@cholutions). The consultant and entrepreneur, who teaches the Domestika course, Home Office: Working from Home Successfully, shared some tips, tricks, and philosophies that will help you or your business stand out in the market and help anyone make the new normal work for them.

Whether you’re out of a job or adapting your current one to new circumstances, his perspective will make your situation feel a lot more hopeful.

It’s understandable that everyone wants things to return to normal but things won’t be going back to how they were in 2019, explains Foncho Ramírez-Corzo. Businesses are realizing the benefits of having their employees work from home, digitally connecting with clients and staff across the world, and no office bills. But they don’t have to be the only winners.

Foncho worries that there is “a new gap opening between workers who are flowing well in this new environment and those who are not.” So, how do you make sure you aren’t left behind?

Build a good foundation

Set yourself up right. “People are trying to run businesses from a 3-inch screen on their sofas or their ten-year-old laptop that you can’t unplug from the wall because the battery’s broken,” says Foncho.

Think about what you need and can afford: a better internet service, a new laptop, a new desk, or just a plant to go on top of it, whatever is going to help you get your job done.

Not everyone has another room in their house to make into their office but identifying the tools and work environment you need and taking the time to set them up right will save you countless hours and a lot of anguish.

Things may never be the same again so make sure you’re in the best place you can be right now.

Family contract

One of the biggest problems for people who are just beginning to work from home is interruptions.
We all have different home lives and many of us are sharing their homes with flatmates and families. This is where the “family contract” comes into play and “it’s got to be signed in blood.”

This means every member of the household comes together to establish when work begins and ends. During working hours, “it doesn’t matter if they’re going to kill each other, you’re going to keep on working.”

If we can’t divide our work and home life physically, we have to at least do it temporally.

Be agile and humble

Don’t wait around for someone to tell you what to do.

Countless businesses are learning the hard way that, if they can’t evolve to deal with the current climate, they’re going to fail, whether they’re a restaurant that doesn’t deliver or a university that can’t provide high quality e-learning facilities their students need.

The same goes for individuals: the model that has made you successful for the last 15 years, may not be what works now. “The digital marketing I studied 20 years ago isn’t worth anything today.”

Be humble enough to accept that, let go, learn what a client needs today, and find out how to get it to them.

“The right knowledge is just a click away,” says Foncho. It can be overwhelming to think that everything you need to know can be found on the internet but it’s true. You just need to know how to look for it.

Foncho recommends looking for experts before expertise: if you google “how to use Facebook ads,” you’ll be met with 2,760,000,000 results. But, if you seek out experts in Facebook ads, or any other field for that matter, you’ll be able to find the people who know most about what you need and take top quality information directly from them.

Purpose

Agility is all well and good but any big change, personal or professional, requires introspection. As conventional office life is disrupted, we can take advantage of the new playing field to establish what we want to do and how.

While the new normal requires digital dexterity, don’t just change for change’s sake: take the time to sit down and work out what it is that will get you out of bed in the morning.

“You might be walking this path for the next 30 years so find your north and walk, you’ll get there.”

Get your story seen and understood

“This is the moment to develop your digital personality.”

We’re often warned that everything we upload will stay on the internet. But you can make this work in your favor. Once you establish who you want to be, you can curate your online profiles–“even Tinder”–to communicate that to other people.

“You’re building the script of your life and someone can follow that script.” If people know who you are, what you are about, and what you can do, they’re a lot more likely to employ you. By curating and being conscious of your digital reputation, you can ensure that your story is seen and understood.

Ctrl Z

And remember, the wonderful thing about life online is that you can always undo, go back and start again.

Foncho’s final message is that there’s no need to fear messing up. If it doesn’t go the way you planned: “press Ctrl z.”

If you liked Foncho’s tips and outlook, check out his online course, Home Office: Working from Home Successfully, to learn more about how to make yourself shine professionally from the comfort of your own home, using strategic tools, optimized workspaces, and a well-crafted digital presence.

You may also like:

- Launching your First Online Business, a course by Foncho Ramírez-Corzo
- Development of a Digital Media Plan, a course by Foncho Ramírez-Corzo
- Freelance: Keys and Tools to Find Success as your Own Boss, a course by Martina Flor