Do you happen to come home after a long day of work and wonder why you are doing it at all? Maybe you want to finally find your dream job and earn without leaving home? That’s the kind of opportunity remote work offers. However, can everyone work from home? Is it possible to make money from anywhere on earth without moving from a chair? In this article you will learn how to find a remote job so you can do the work of your dreams.
Spis treści:
Wstęp
Remote work is a growing phenomenon. Many people choose to work this way if it is possible in their industry. Unsurprisingly, statistics on remote work show that about 23.7% of the US population works from home at least some of the time. The number of full-time remote workers is approaching 5 million. Moreover, 99% of people say they would like to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers. Why does it look like this?
A post-pandemic world – increasing interest in remote job
It is probably no surprise to anyone that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on this state of affairs (click tutaj to read more). People had to adapt to the new realities of work from day to day and move their daily business activities to their homes. The temporary solution that remote work was supposed to be, has already taken hold in society around the world.
People have noticed that remote work is not so bad after all. On the contrary! The opportunities it provides definitely make life easier and help maintain the so-called work-life balance.
Source: Own graphics based on data from
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1122987/
Benefits of remote job
If you are thinking about changing your work mode to a remote job, it is worth taking a look at the benefits of working from home.
Flexibility = work life balance
Remote work strongly facilitates a work-life balance. Not surprisingly, it is an ideal work style for women, especially moms. Taking care of a young child requires a lot of time and a lot of energy. Reconciling raising a child with work is quite a challenge. However, remote work is generally characterized by great flexibility. Therefore, it is a great convenience for parents who have to take care of their children on a daily basis.
Saving money
There is no denying that we can also save money on remote work. We don’t have to commute to the company’s headquarters every day, whether by car or public transportation, so we could save not a small amount of money. We can spend it on other things, for example, self-development, further training in the occupational area, investments or simply pleasures like going to the cinema or shopping.
Increase productivity
It may be surprising, but remote work doesn’t make people lazy. Also, it doesn’t disrupt their work time organization at all. As the results of a study conducted by Dr. Anthony M. Diercks show, productivity increases when someone working remotely. This happened after the coronavirus pandemic.
To be honest, this is nothing unusual. People are more eager to work when they can work comfortably in a place they like. They then have a sense of much more freedom and can be more flexible in their actions.
Opportunity for people with disabilities
Remote work also brings a host of benefits for people struggling with a variety of disabilities on a daily basis. Thanks to it, they don’t have to move anywhere, which makes their lives more comfortable. Also, not all workplaces can be adapted for such people. Working remotely increases the possibility for people with disabilities to get jobs they couldn’t manage in a stationary mode.
Work from anywhere in the world
Do you dream of long-distance travel to Asia, Africa or Australia, but work limits your time to realize these dreams? By working remotely, you will be able to earn a lot of money and pursue your travel passions at the same time.
To work remotely, you mostly don’t need anything more than a working laptop and access to the Internet. Your employer usually doesn’t care where you work from. The most important thing is your commitment and efficiency.
If you are a disciplined person who effortlessly combines your private life and passions with work, a remote job will definitely be for you.
Your own workspace
Many people are overwhelmed by the responsibilities of daily office work. This is especially true for secretive and low-talking people, known as introverts. For such people, peace of mind and independence at work are important. They like to decide their own schedule, prioritize tasks, and how they will organize their workspace. Remote jobs make this fully possible.
You work on your own comfortable equipment. You can brew your favorite coffee when you want or turn on relaxing music to help you think. Such comforts are only provided by working from home, in your own independent space.
Source: Freepik (@Dragen Zigic, @freepik)
Can your profession be practiced remotely?
Before we get to the most important part, which is tips for finding a remote job, it’s worth answering the question, can the work you’re doing or have done so far be conducted remotely? If so, this is certainly a big help for you. You’ve been working in your field for a while, maybe you can even describe yourself as an expert in that area. This makes the transition from stationary work to home office much easier.
But what if you’re dreaming of a completely new industry that you’ve wanted to work in for a long time? Unfortunately, various limitations in the form of ignorance or fear have prevented you from changing your profession. Nothing lost! Re-branding is a normal thing these days.
To change your profession, you don’t have to go to a new college or look for additional trade schools at all. Today, much of the information you need to start in a new area is provided by the Internet.
There are millions of kursy online, vocational trainings, webinars available there, which will allow you to get accustomed to new issues at the beginning. With them you will gain the necessary basic knowledge of the industry.
It’s also worth checking social media, where people are increasingly running accounts designed for people who want to change their current profession. They help them do this and offer materials on the basis of which it will be easier for you to change occupation.
To make sure you choose a sector that will allow you to work remotely, check out what positions are currently the most popular and allow you to work from home.
Professions that allow you to work from home
Currently, there are many industries and professions on the market for which remote work is the norm. This, of course, has to do with digitization in general and the convenience of work. With remote work, we don’t have to commute to meetings, we just need to connect online in our virtual office. Most such jobs are in the IT field, but you don’t have to work only in this industry to find remote work.
Source: Own graphics
Here are some examples of the Highest Demand Remote Jobs of 2024:
Digital marketer
Customer service representative
Sales representative
Data analyst
Social media manager
Software developer
Medical writers
Graficy
Project managers
Machine learning engineer
For more examples of remote professions, kliknij tutaj.
Full-time or extra job? How would you like to work remotely?
When you make the transition to remote work you need to consider whether it should initially be your primary, full-time job or just an extra job.
It’s worth remembering that finding a job often doesn’t happen overnight. This requires at least a few or several days. Also, not all job advertisements offer full-time remote work. Sometimes you will find a part-time offer.
That’s why it’s a good idea to look for a part-time remote job even before the previous job ends. This will be a guarantee that you won’t be left without financial resources for a while.
Once you have switched completely to a new mode, you can then increase the time dimension to full-time or look for another full-time remote job.
10 tips for landing your dream remote job
Source: Own graphics
Clarify the area in which you want to work remotely
First, you need to determine in which field you want to start working remotely. Today, many industries allow remote work. Therefore, it is important to narrow your search to the specific areas and positions that interest you.
You need to do your research and know the differences in the competencies required for each position. This will make it easier for you to choose the best position for you that fits your character, personality and skills.
Improve your resume for remote job
Basic part of preparing to find your dream job is updating your resume. You need to tailor it to remote job advertisements.
Be sure to write that you are looking for a remote job. It is also worth adding what mode you are interested in. Many job ads provide for a hundred percent remote model as well as a hybrid model, where you will spend part of your time at the company’s headquarters. If you aren’t interested in such a solution, it’s worth including this in your resume.
Present your skills useful in remote work
A very important aspect when you are looking for a job is to show your advantages, especially useful during remote work. You can divide them in your resume into hard and soft skills.
Emphasize that you are highly organized, and that working from home is no obstacle to excellent planning of your activities. Show yourself to be an expert in what you know well. If you haven’t dealt with some issue, write that you are open to learning and getting more training.
If you want to work remotely, it is also important to be familiar with virtual office environments, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. You need to be well versed in these types of programs and their tools, such as Excel or a program for creating multimedia presentations.
Also, don’t forget to list what other additional programs you know. Any of them can be useful in your new job and guarantee you a position. Whether it’s Photoshop, Canva, Illustrator or Google Analytics and Search Console. Each program listed according to your competence increases the chances of hiring you at the company.
Prepare your portfolio
How do you stand out from the many quite good candidates for the job you are applying for? There is a way to do it. You have to show what you can do. Not only in theory, but also in practice. This will increase the probability on how to find a remote job.
You probably think you’ll be able to do this at the job interview. However, a significant number of candidates are rejected by the employer even before the interview takes place, at the initial verification stage. So how to deal with this situation?
It will be a huge advantage if you prepare your own portfolio. This is a collection of projects you have created. Not only those that have gone into effect, but also those that have been completed only at the planning stage.
If you’re worried that you don’t have any such works so far, nothing is lost. You can also include sample works in your portfolio that you can start creating for yourself. This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your skills in practice. This way you will show your creative thinking, approach to the problem and suggestions for its solution, as well as your technical skills.
Search portals offering remote work
To start looking for remote jobs, you need to know where the best place to search is. There are many platforms available online that allow you to find a job. You’re probably familiar with a few of them, for example Linkedin or Indeed. These are some of the largest industry portals. Unfortunately, they are not ideal for finding a remote job, due to its difficult search.
A much better idea might be searching for remote jobs on portals specially designed for this purpose. You can also filter your search by the amount of time you want to devote to remote job.
Here are some suggestions for this type of portals:
FlexJobs
JustRemote
Remote.com
WeWorkRemotely
Remote.co
Jobspresso
Working Nomads
Pangian
Source: Freepik @luis_molinero
Contact specialized recruiters
An excellent option may be to contact specialized recruiters who can help you get through the difficult process of searching for your dream job. A good recruiter will be able to identify jobs that match your skills and experience, because they have access to more resources that are not available to the public.
It’s worth preparing for your interview with the recruiter so that he can best tailor the search to you. Give him as many details as possible about your dream job: the dimension of your hours, your skills, the positions you are considering and other useful information. It is also necessary to provide the recruiter with your resume.
If you use this option, then you will increase your chances of finding the perfect job for you. The professionalism of the recruiters, their expertise and knowledge of the industry will certainly help you achieve your dream goal.
Participate in remote work events
Another possibility is to take part in events related to remote work. Participation in such meetings will not only help you find a job but also organize your knowledge about remote work.
You will be able to approach the subject professionally and plan your actions. This will facilitate the achievement of your desired career goals.
Prepare for your online interview
The most stressful and at the same time the most important moment if you are looking for a remote job may be the job interview. If you get to its stage, it will be the perfect time to show how valuable an employee you are. So, it’s very important to prepare for it properly.
Recruitment interviews for remote jobs are most often conducted online. So you need to remember to organize your space around you. A camera is required to be on at the time, so make sure that the areas the camera will cover are in order. Also be sure that the equipment on which you will connect with your potential employer is working and the battery is charged.
When it comes to the interview process, you need to be ready for questions about your past experience of remote work. You’ll also likely be asked about the remote tools and programs you’ve worked on so far.
This is also the time when you should mention your previously sent porfolio. At this moment you can tell more about your previous work and projects.
If you want to do well in the interview, you can also learn more about the business of the company you are applying to, its history, structure and the position you are interested in. Such things are usually appreciated by the employer.
You will also need to specify the amount of time you are able to devote to remote work and its mode.
Remember that a job interview is not an exam. And you have the right to ask questions and learn more about the company and the position you are applying for. Don’t hesitate to ask questions to avoid any doubts. After all, this is about your dream job. So don’t be shy to talk and seek answers to your questions.
Beware of scams in remote work ads
Unfortunately, if you are looking for remote work over the Internet it is inevitable to encounter scams. Especially be careful if you are doing it for the first time.
Beware of slogans like “fast earnings”, “above-average salary” and of extracting unnecessary and sensitive data from you.
Watch out for suspicious or inactive links too. Also, repeated advertisements are not a good thing. Too nice description and too profitable working conditions may also look suspicious. But does it mean that remote job ads are only true if they don’t have favorable terms?
Of course not. There are ads with many benefits and a large salary amount. So how do you distinguish “junk ads” from the real and legitimate ones?
Try to verify the company or person you are applying to. Check if the company has a registered permanent establishment. Also look for reviews on online forums. However, keep in mind that every opinion is subjective and may not be entirely true.
Get ready to work remotely – your own office space
Even before you get your dream remote job, you need to think about how you want to organize your workspace and your time. This is an extremely important issue. Research shows that 80% of young employees working remotely don’t even get out of bed to start work. This can have an adverse effect on the physical health as well as the mental health of these people.
It is no less important to organize your space at home if you choose this type of work. It’s best to have your own corner to work in, where you won’t be disturbed by anyone. Organize your desk. Equip it with the necessary items, for example notebooks, pens, a lamp, etc.
You also need to work on appropriate electronic equipment. Companies commonly provide business devices, but not always. You need to invest in a good computer or laptop for working and connecting with your colleagues.
Also schedule yourself a calendar for work and rest. This is extremely important when you work remotely.
If you choose to work remotely take care of your movement and fitness after the workday is over. Remote mode makes it much easier to work, but it also adversely affects our health. That’s why physical activity is so important in this case. Go for long walks, ride a bike or work out at the gym. Any type of exercise will be positive for you and your health.
Source: Freepik @freepik
Summary
It is not simple to find a remote job. You have to prepare hard for it and know what you really want. But if you’re really sure about your choice, there’s no reason to wait. Nowadays, when we have such easy access to information and education, it’s worth considering what you would really like to do professionally to fulfill your dream of working remotely.
