Remote Job Hunting 101: Strategies for Success

Remote job hunting has become increasingly popular, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote jobs provide flexibility and work-life balance that is hard to achieve with traditional jobs. However, finding remote jobs can be challenging. This article will provide updated tips for finding remote jobs.

Focus On Your Goals

What are your career goals? I don’t mean the cliche of “where do you see yourself in five years?” Not everyone knows that at all times. But overall, where do you want your career to go right now? Do you want part time work or full time? Flexible work hours or a set schedule? Do you have a long term plan for your career?

Remember that your long term plans don’t have to all be about a fabulous career. We don’t all dream of being a Fortune 500 CEO. It’s entirely reasonable to want a career that has benefits and pays enough that you can enjoy your hobbies, have fun with friends and family, and so forth.

Use Social Media and Networking

This may be one of the most important remote job hunting tip I can offer! When you’re looking for work, let people know! It doesn’t matter if they’re in the industry you’re aiming for – they may know something or someone you don’t.

Networking can be in person as well as online. Talk to friends and family about what you’re looking for. If it won’t risk your current job, share that you’re looking on social media as well. Not just on LinkedIn – mention it on other social media as well.

Write A Strong Cover Letter And Resume

Sure, you can write your own resume. You may even do a good job of it. But it’s also possible that you need help to create the right resume for the job you want.

When your job hunt isn’t producing results, getting someone else to look over your resume and make improvements may change things. There are loads of professional resume writers out there. It can be hard to choose the right one.

Paying a professional isn’t your only option. You could post your resume on r/resumes and ask for feedback. There’s no guarantee that you will get any useful responses, but you can also look at the resumes posted by other users and the advice they got.

A new option is to use an AI resume writer, such as ChatGPT. While these are far from perfect, you can get some pretty good resume advice if you use them correctly. Make sure it gives you an accurate resume, of course!

Post Your Resume Online

Indeed, LinkedIn, etc. This may not get you much of anywhere, but there’s always a chance. Be cautious whenver you get a response, however. While a legitimate recruiter in your industry may contact you, there is also the risk that a scammer will. Make sure that the person contacting you is who they say they are and represent the opportunity they say they do.

Check Company Websites and Job Boards

Most companies post their job openings on their website or job boards. Now that more companies are open to remote workers, you have a lot more options during your remote job hunt.

It’s easy to start with the usual job sites, such as LinkedIn and Indeed. In fact, those are perfectly valid choices, as they will allow to you search for jobs that say they are remote. But there are lots of websites that specialize in remote jobs. Here are some to consider:

• FlexJobs: FlexJobs specializes in remote and flexible job opportunities. They have a vast database of remote jobs across a variety of industries. There is a membership fee.
• Remote.co: Remote.co is a job board that focuses exclusively on remote job opportunities. They work with companies across many industries.
• We Work Remotely: We Work Remotely has been around for over a decade. They don’t pull their listings from other sites – companies have to pay them to list their jobs. They have a community on Slack for job seekers.
• Working Nomads: Working Nomads is a job board that focuses on remote jobs for digital nomads.
• Remote OK: Remote OK is a job board that features remote job opportunities across a variety of industries. They have job postings for both full-time and part-time remote jobs, as well as freelance and contract opportunities.
• Home With The Kids Job Board: You didn’t think I’d skip mine, did you? The Home With The Kids Job Board offers a variety of remote job listings and links to companies you can check to see if they’re hiring.

When in Doubt, Apply

It’s easy to get discouraged when you see a long list of requirements for what otherwise sounds like your dream job. It looks like they want someone way better than you.

You need to remember, however, that job postings are more of a wish list in many cases. Employers list every skill they want their new employees to have, but know that they may not get it.

I don’t mean you should ignore the truly vital job requirements listed. If the job requires that you speak a particular foreign language and you don’t, you probably shouldn’t apply. But if you have several of the skills they want but are missing a few, it may be worth applying anyhow. Customize your resume to emphasize the skills you do have and give it a try.

Be Realistic About Your Work Conditions

It’s easy to fantasize about how working at home will go while remote job hunting. You’ll do an amazing job, both as an employee and as a parent to your kids. You’ll handle all distractions deftly so that they don’t interfere with your productivity. It will be the best decision of your life.

The reality of remote working is often different from what you might expect, especially if you have kids. There’s an excellent reason why many work at home parents still use daycare. Kids have needs that don’t go away just because you need to work.

Also, consider what it really means to work at home. The TV is right there. So is your personal computer and phone. And then there are the household chores just begging to get done. Don’t even get me started on the temptations lurking in the refrigerator and pantry.

Practice keeping to a work schedule while remote job hunting.

Don’t Settle Unless You Have To

You may desperately need a new or better job. It happens. There are times when you should settle for the job you can get, rather than the job that you want. The simple reality is that you need to earn money to pay your rent or mortgage, buy food, and so forth.This doesn’t mean you should always settle for the easy to get job. If you can afford to have a longer job hunt, make the most of it! Keep looking for the kind of job you really want.

That said, if you have to settle for a lesser job because you flat out need the money NOW, don’t feel bad. Lots of people work jobs because they need the money, not because they love their work. Remember, you can keep looking even after you get a job. Settling for less doesn’t mean you have to stop remote job hunting, especially if you had to settle for an outside the home job to pay the bills.