Remote Work Job Search Guide How to Find a Remote Job - Career Sidekick

Remote Work Job Search Guide How to Find a Remote Job - Career Sidekick Remote Work Job Search Guide: How to Find a Remote Job Remote Job Search / https://www.edenscott.com/blog If youre starting a remote work job search or wondering how to find a remote job, then this article is for you.After working as a recruiter for 5+ years, Im going to share how you can find full time remote jobs so you can work from home and ditch that painful commute!Well start with how to find remote opportunities to apply for (Part I). Then in Part II, well look at how to make employers want to hire you for these highly-competitive positions.There are a couple of big mistakes people make when looking for remote jobs, so Ill cover those too so you dont waste any time and only take the steps that are MOST LIKELY to get you a remote job quickly.Lets get startedHow to Find Remote Work Jobs: Part I Where to Find Jobs to Apply ForAs a Recruiter, I focused on full time/permanent positions, so thats what Im going to write about here how to find a full-time remote job.However, everything Im going to share can work for finding a part-time remote job, too!Her e are the best tips for how to search for remote jobs and find remote positions to apply for:1. Choose the Right Industry/FieldIf you want to find a remote job, you need to be looking in a field of work where its possible to work remotely.So before you search for remote jobs, its really important to think about your career path and whether its going to allow for remote work.And if not, youll need to adjust.Some jobs just CANT possibly be remote.For example, if youre a nurse thats working with patients, youre going to need to show up each day, right?So look at your education, work experience, and overall background, and think about which industries and fields of work align with that, while actually allowing remote work.And then go pursue those opportunities.Here are some very common fields where remote work is at least possible/feasible. This is not an exhaustive list, just some ideas to get you started:Phone salesCustomer support (phone, email, etc.)Graphic designProgrammingWritingM arketingSocial Media ManagementAdministrative support (sometimes)Data entryResearch (sometimes)2. Research Companies Before ApplyingApplying for random jobs and hoping they offer remote positions isnt a good strategy.You need to know who youre applying to, and what their track record is of offering remote work (if they offer this at all).Keywords you can search for when looking for positions online:RemoteTelecommuteFrom homeThings to try to notice and pay attention to during your research:How long have they been offering remote roles?What percent of people are remote?How long does the average remote person stay? etc.The bottom line is: Its going to be much easier to convince employers to let you work remotely if theyre already letting other people.You want the path of least resistance. You dont want to spend years trying to convince some stubborn, old-fashioned employer to let you be their first remote employee, right? That sounds TOUGH.3. Look at 100% Distributed/Remote CompaniesTh is is one way to make sure youll have a remote position if hired.Some companies are 100% remote or distributed. Everyone is home-based.While its still not extremely common, there are a number of startups and technology companies set up like this.Last I checked, Automattic, the tech company that makes the software that this website CareerSidekick.com is built on (called WordPress), is 100% remote. And I believe they have 100+ employees!Heres a map of their employees around the world, from their website:4. Look at Start-Ups (Even if Theyre not 100% Remote)With some Fortune 500 companies like IBM calling their remote workers back to the office, many smaller companies and startups seem to be embracing remote work right now.Heres a good job board for startups only:https://startup.jobs/And you can find more by searching, Startup Jobs or Startup Job Boards on Google.5. Search Remote-Only Job BoardsThis is different than looking for 100% remote companies in this tip, youre searching for jo b boards that only feature individual roles that are remote.They might be with companies that arent primarily remote companies, but thats okay.As long as they offer remote jobs, thats what were looking to find!We have a list of the 50+ best tech job boards, which might be worth a look overall since tech is one of the most common places to find remote jobs but first, we recommend these three specificremote-only or remote-focused job boards:https://www.flexjobs.com/https://weworkremotely.com/https://remotive.io/find-a-remote-job/https://remoteok.io/6. Compile a Master-List of Remote EmployersAs you do this research and search for remote positions, start building a master-list of employers that allow remote work.Even if you dont see a relevant job right now for that employer, put it on the list so you can check back later!If you keep adding to this Master List through your career, youll have an easier and easier time of finding remote positions to apply for.You can look on individual c ompany pages to see if any positions mention the option to be remote.You can search employer reviews on sites like Glassdoor, specifically looking for keywords like remote.You can ask around in your network, too. Ask colleagues and friends if their companies allow remote work, and for what types of positions.If youre committed to finding remote work its worth building this master-list and adding to it each time you find a new employer offering remote work!7. Network Like CrazyJoin Facebook groups like RemoteLikeMe.You can also look at LinkedIn groups but I personally have never found good, active LinkedIn groups on any topic other than job searching. Facebook groups are just much better communities, for now.Then, talk to people who are working remotely and ask them if they have any tips.Ask for one simple thing to start. (If you ask for a huge favor upfront, people arent going to help you).Ask if they have one tip, or if they did any one particular thing that helped them find a remo te job.As you build your Master-List of remote opportunities (mentioned above), try to build a network of people who are working remotely or interested in finding remote jobs, too.Youll be able to help each other, youll hear about more opportunities, and youll gain good knowledge on how to convince employers to hire you for these jobs!(More on that last topic is coming up in the next part of this guide, so keep reading).8. Know the Difference Between Remote and Work From HomeMake sure youre using the right keywords when trying to find remote jobs to apply for.Typically, positions listed as remote will allow you to work from around the world, or at least within the country or within the timezone. (For example, a position listed as remote might not let you work in Europe, but theyre likely to be okay with you being based in Florida.Whereas, positions listed as work from home are more likely to want/expect you to be in town.Youre allowed to work from home, but theyre less likely to be okay with you living across the country or in another country. And they may want you to come into the office sometimes (For example once per week).This doesnt happen with true remote positions, except for maybe a quarterly or annual meeting where the company flies everybody in to get some face-time!There are exceptions to this rule but thats what to expect in general with these different keywords in online job postings.How to Find Remote Work Jobs: Part II Convincing Employers to Hire You in the InterviewIn Part I, we covered how to search and find remote jobs to apply for.Now lets look at how to actually convince them to hire you in the application, cover letter, interview and more.These jobs are competitive and youll need to have a plan for how to stand out and impress these employers. Fortunately, Im going to share multiple ways to do this.9. The Hiring Process is Your First TestThe minute you begin communicating with an employer for a remote position, theyre paying attention to how you communicate and respond!These skills are super important for a remote job, so realize that this back-and-forth communication is your first test.Communicate clearly, and make sure your messages arent vague or confusing.And be attentive/responsive! Dont let messages sit or slip through the cracks. Respond to everything in a reasonable timeframe. Try to respond within 24 hours, and within 4 hours during regular business hours.10. In Interviews, Prove Youre a Self-StarterCompanies offering remote jobs want to hire people who are self-motivated, so you absolutely need to show them this.In your interview, give examples of how youve taken responsibility for your work in the past without needing instruction or close supervision.Show that you dont wait for your boss to tell you each little thing to do you identify problems on your own and solve them, you find opportunities and pursue them, and you make suggestions for how to improve the company.Stories about a time your boss was ou t sick or traveling, and how you handled it, are always great.Here are a couple specific questions you might hear on this topic:How do you make decisions?Do you prefer to be micromanaged or given more room to work?What type of boss do you work best with? (This is similar to the question above; just another way you might hear it asked)Why will you do well in this job?Whats your leadership style?11. Be Honest and Clear About What You WantIf youre talking to an employer about remote opportunities, and this is exciting for you, be honest about it with them.Dont try to hide it or feel pressure to act like its no big deal.I interviewed for a job a few years ago with a companythat was completely remote/distributed, and I REALLY wanted this job.But I wasnt honest with them about how exciting this was to me.In fact, I didnt even tell the truth about how I found them when they asked, how did you hear about this job?(I had found them because I was searching specifically for remote opportunitie s but I tried to make it sound like I just stumbled across the job).While you never want to sound like you ONLY care about the job because its remote, its okay to talk about why youre attracted to working remotely!Tell them youd love a chance to work remotely because you think its the future of how companies will operate, and you feel itll make you more productive and more successful in your work.12. Be Ready to ACE all the Common Interview Questions Companies AskThere are two reasons this is so important.Companies are going to ask you a lot of questions about why you want to work remotely, to make sure youre pursuing this for the right reasons. Theyre initially skeptical.Remote jobs get a TON of applicants so its very competitive. That means theres no room for mistakes in the interview!So be extra-prepared for all the top questions employers ask.You can find a list of the top 14 questions and sample answers HERE.And then be ready for questions about why you want their specific job, and why you want to work remotely too.Questions like:Why do you want this job?Why did you apply for this position?Why do you want to work remotely?Have you worked remotely in the past?Tell me about a time you worked with little or no supervision?You need to stand out and be memorable in the interview if you want to get hired for a remote job. Theres always competition for these positions!13. On Your Resume, Show Your Communication Skills and Ability to Hit Goals On-TimeWhen it comes to writing your resume to get more interviews for remote positions, youll want to highlight a few key things:1. Try to show that you communicate well with team members, your boss, and members of other teams.Show you coordinated with people in projects, communicated clearly, etc.If you led meetings, projects or other efforts, mention that.Mention anything that shows off your communication skills.Youd want to put all of this in your resume bullets and your employment history section.Heres an example of so mething you might say:Led multiple projects while coordinating efforts across three teams and 20 employees. Maintained project deadlines and milestones through frequent communication using chat, phone, video, and in-person meetings.2. Show off your ability to hit deadlines and be on-time with goals.If you want a company to hire you for a remote job, you need to show them youre going to deliver results, and do it on-time.So on your resume, try to put a few bullets showing how youve delivered great work on-time or ahead of schedule.Along with putting this type of info into your bullets and work history, consider writing a brief resume summary section to show off these abilities too. (This is instead of an Objective at the beginning of your resume, which is generally a waste of space for most people).14. Leave Personal Reasons Out of ItThis tip is super important for finding a remote position.Dont bring your personal life and problems into the conversation when describing why you want the job!If you say you have two young kids at home, youre basically just telling the employer your workplace is going to be ultra-distracting and unproductive.Im not saying to lie, but the first thing you mention when talking about why youre excited to work remotely better not be personal needs/reasons, or you wont get the job most likely.This is true on your cover letters, your interview answers and everywhere else youre communicating with employers and hiring managers.15. Show Companies How Remote Work is Good for THEMIn general, employers dont care about your personal life and needs. They want to know whats in it for them.(This is just human nature people are self-interested. And hiring managers are people, too)So, if you want to get a full-time remote job, make the conversation about THEM just as much as its about you.Talk about how youre more productive at home, how youll be able to work more because you wont be commuting, etc.Those are things that will directly benefit them.Ma ke sure you take their perspective and think about their side before hopping onto a phone interview or going in to meet a company.16. Have a Great Home Office Setup Ready to UseIf youre going to be doing video interviews, or even if not, employers are going to want to see your home office (or at least hear about your setup).If you tell them youre ready to work remotely, they want to hear about how this will go!So make sure you have a quiet, great-looking space with plenty of room to work distraction-free to show off and talk about with employers.If you dont even have a designated workspace thats clean, organized and ready to go, then you really need to put a bit more time into thinking about why you want to work remotely, and how badly you want this.Consider getting a good webcam and microphone or video calls.Buy a nice desk or table.Make sure your internet connection is super-fast.Take the extra steps to get yourself ready BEFORE landing the job, and youre far more likely to get jo b offers from employers for remote positions.This will make you seem more confident in the interview too, because when they ask about these topics, youll be excited to talk about it rather than nervous/timid.17. Dont Leave the Planning Up to ThemShow them you have a plan to succeed after they hire you.This includes your home office setup (mentioned above), but also HOW youll use that setup to succeed.How will you learn the role and get up to speed quickly?How will you communicate with the team on an ongoing basis?Phone calls arent enough. Show employers you plan to make the extra effort to integrate with their team and company culture via video chats, instant messenger, etc.(This will depend on what the company already uses. This is a great question to ask in the interview.This might also include visits to the headquarters or a regional office during the first year.Ask what other people have done, and make suggestions/take initiative to show youre thinking about this.Dont passively wait for them to dictate how everything is going to be.Employers want to hire people who take action and take initiative for their remote jobs. They want self-starters.Show them this, and youll immediately boost your chances of finding a fulltime remote position!How to Find a Remote Job Quick InstructionsMake sure youre working in an industry or field where a remote job is possibleResearch companies before applying to learn about their history of offering remote workApply to startups; they tend to be more open to a remote work arrangementSearch online for remote or distributed companies; these companies are completely remote, from the CEO to entry-level workersSearch online for job boards that focus on remote jobs onlyShow employers youre a self-starter and that you take initiative in your workShow employers you have great communication skills and are able to hit goals on-time in your workDont mention personal reasons when explaining why you want to find a remote job; talk about ho w you feel youll be more productive and be able to focus on your work more when working remotelyMake sure you have a great home-office setup so you can show employers that youre ready to produce great work for them in a distraction-free environmentHave a plan in place for AFTER youre hired. How will you learn the role, meet the team, stay connected, etc. Dont leave this entirely up to them; you need to take initiative if you want to convince employers youre ready for a full-time remote job