10 Must-Know Things About Finding A Remote Job: Tips and Hacks

Reportedly, approximately 5.6 million workers worked from home in the UK according to a survey back in 2020, which was a figure strongly influenced by the Coronavirus epidemic. However, remote work was already rising rapidly in its popularity before this major catalyst for change. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the ILO estimated that 7.9% of the world’s workforce (260 million workers) worked from home permanently. They included teleworkers, industrial workers, artists, self-employed business owners, and freelancers.

As digitisation and the shift to the remote-friendly working culture have been progressing, remote and hybrid work has become a more practical option to choose for companies and their employees. It is reported that 55% of businesses globally offer some capacity for remote work. In today’s labour market, the opportunity to work from home has become a critical factor in hiring decisions. Both employers and their staff have duly noted the benefits.

For professionals looking to better their careers, there are a plethora of remote job alternatives available right now. You simply need to know where to hunt for the ideal work and how to position yourself in the distant market to be more marketable.

This article discusses 10 tips and hacks to accelerate your success in landing the remote job of your dreams.

10 Tips For Finding A Remote Job

Tip #1: Learn to recognize bogus job postings

Tips for finding a remote job -- beware of scam and bogus jobs.
Tips for finding a remote job -- scam remote jobs ask for money to land a job. It's scam.

Unfortunately, the internet is full of job fraud and shady job offers. Many of these are scams that lead innocent people astray and trick them out of their hard-earned money. It’s always worth watching out for job scams and these four factors are the typical characteristics of job scams

  • They’re requesting personal information way more than what is necessary, such as credit card info. 
  • They claim to pay a huge salary for very simple requirements or low job qualifications — too good to be true.
  • They want you to pay a fee to apply for the job. 
  • There is no trustworthiness or credibility in the company. Often, they have a very poor company reputation on the internet.

It’s a good practice to check on the internet if the company or the position is reliable enough before jumping into applying for a job position. You will probably enjoy checking out company review sites, for example, GlassDoor or Indeed.com.

Tip #2: Use Remote-Specific Job Boards

Remote job board that features worldwide remote jobs in plenty of job categories and different industries.

When looking for the best remote jobs online, you should start by looking at job boards. Although you might be able to find some remote jobs on general job sites like Indeed, you’ll have better luck and save time heading to more specific niche job boards that focus on remote positions. For example, Smart Workers Home is a fantastic resource for anyone who works in programming, marketing, copywriting, sales, or customer service. Other helpful sites for seeking remote work include We Work Remotely and FlexJobs.

With remote job boards, you’ll be surprised at the number of remote positions that are valid that you couldn’t find from other general job sites.

Tip #3: Get an agency to help you

If you’re struggling to find remote opportunities, getting in touch with a recruitment agency can be a way to get by. With the help of recruiters, your experience in finding the right job for you can be seamless and everything might be easier than yourself trying alone.

If you get remote recruiters that work for you, they can look for tailor-made positions that match your skills and work experience, it’s often time-efficient to land a job with them because agencies have a pre-established network for talent provision. As a result, the entire job-hunting process can be faster and more effective and there’s no exception when it comes to finding a remote job too.

Tip #4: Network to find remote jobs

Networking to find remote jobs. LinkedIn is one best way to do networking with the employers or hiring managers that you want to work for.

Networking is important. According to Lou Adler’s survey (the CEO of The Adler Group), a whopping 85% of all jobs are filled via networking. The most efficient strategy to land your dream remote jobs is to build a network around your passion field and use that network to find open positions. Networking takes time, but it will pay off in more ways than you might imagine. Everyone advises you to grow your network, but no one teaches you how to do it. Here, we’ll show you how.

Where can you find people to network with about job opportunities?

  • Your email contact list
  • Linkedin connection
  • Twitter and direct messages
  • Slack channels
  • Facebook groups or private messages
  • Community job sites

Here are some pointers for interacting with people with whom you have a connection: 

  • Inquire about their position, business, or projects. 
  • Consider how your passion and profession might assist others. 
  • Refer to a previous discussion. 
  • Please keep your message to a minimum and be kind to them. No one has time to read an email that is too long. 
  • Make it easy for them to refer you to another company in case of rejection.

Tip #5: Keep Your Resume Up To Date

Source: https://www.mrlcg.com/

When your resume is up to date, you are able to make sure it is aligned with the qualifications required for the position you’re applying for, boosting your chances of landing an interview.

A professionally edited resume can also help prevent information that would cause a prospective employer to rescind any offer extended for consideration, such as an unintentional lie or omission. Your job landing success could be determined by how well you prepare and present yourself from the moment of submission.

In addition, making your resume look unique can help you stand out among the folk which at last, leads to a higher possibility of achieving a role.

So what’s the best way to format your resume?

At its core your resume will be made up of your current and past employment — it’s where the hiring managers will spend most of their time. One crucial thing to make sure of is to get the layout of this sector tidy and well-organized. Listing the information in a frenzied way doesn’t help the hiring manager engage with it.

A good way to make your previous/current employment section readable is to start with your most recent job first and on in descending order. Similar to the top of your resume, you need to include the dates of your employment, job title, the company name, the location you were based, and a one-line summary about the company. 

Including a short summary/outline of the role in your resume is also recommendable. Make sure you write about quantified results in your role, not just buzzwords. With your potential employer wanting to understand your previous roles in more detail, bullet points your key responsibilities followed by any achievements and/or projects that you have excelled in. For instance, if you work in the commercial industry, highlight your previous performance against targets. For project-based positions, highlight achievements against budget and timescales.” says Harley Lorence, Managing Director of MRL Consulting group

Lorence says that on a resume, only two things stand out to him as a technology recruiter; “the candidate’s previous work experience, including the length of time spent at each company, and the key software languages used, which demonstrate your technical skill level in your field.”

Tip #6: Go the extra mile in preparing for your remote interviews

When hiring remote workers, the majority of businesses will employ remote hiring techniques. As a result, you must be prepared to participate in video interviews because you can do your interview from any location, and choose a place that will work the best for the professional first impression during the interview. 

Make sure the area is well-lit, quiet, and clear of clutter or distracting sights that could interfere with the interview. Make sure your gadgets are in good working order by double-checking them: 

  • Clean the lens of your camera. 
  • The microphone on your laptop or computer should pick up audio without issue. 
  • Set the volume to as clear as you are comfortable. 
  • Download and familiarise yourself with the application you intend to use for the interview.

Have a notes sheet to hand to assist you through the interview. This could be highlights of your most relevant experience, key pieces of information about the employer you’re interviewing with, and some questions to ask.

You should look presentable even if you are being interviewed from the comfort of your home. How to dress for a remote job interview is the same as in in-person interviews.  

It’s tempting to dress only for the section that will be seen by the interviewer, but it’s best to wear it completely. Dressing up for the interview might make you feel more at ease, develop confidence, and get in the zone.

Tip #7: Show that you’re tech-savvy

One of the most important aspects of working remotely is being tech-savvy. The more proficient you are with a computer and software that allows you to work from home, the more likely you will find remote work.

One of the most important aspects of working remotely is being tech-savvy. The more proficient you are with a computer and software that allows you to work from home, the more likely you will find remote work. Unfortunately, you can’t do today’s remote work by email.

Communication skills are also crucial, and you’ll want to demonstrate them on your resume and during the interview. List relevant education and skills, and don’t forget to include your technical abilities. These will aid hiring managers in determining which individuals are best suited for a remote work contract.

If you’re not sure about the competencies you’ll need as a remote worker, start by brushing up on the following basics:

  • Video Communication: Video conferencing is a method of communicating via video. Face-to-face interactions are often essential to the success of large-scale remote projects. 
  • Office Kit – there’s a strong chance you’ll need to know at least one of the three in your job, whether it’s Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. It is preferable to become acquainted with them sooner rather than later. 
  • Tasks and project management tools: Project Management Tools like Trello, Asana, and Basecamp are often used for efficient coworking in a remote work environment.
  • Virtual Collaboration tools: Because remote businesses lack a centralised office, you’ll communicate with your team members via tools such as Skype, Slack, Zoom, and email.

Tip #8: Send thank-you notes to recruiters and interviewers

Always thank the recruiters who interviewed you for the remote job you applied for with a thank you note.

Here’s a sample template:

Send thank-you notes to recruiters and interviewers to well maintain relationships with them. That way, the success rates for landing a remote job increase.

Tip #9: Follow up politely if you don’t hear anything

Let’s suppose you haven’t heard back from the hiring manager in a while. And in that case, it’s necessary to send a polite follow-up letter stating that you’re still interested in the position and would like to know if there have been any updates on the hiring process.

Here’s a sample template:

Tips on Finding a remote job -- Follow up politely if you don’t hear anything

Tip #10: Accept your remote job offer!

Yay, you did it! You succeeded in finding a remote job. You made it through the final phases of the interview process, and the employer made you an offer. Phew, the hard part is over, right? Not exactly. You still have one thing crucially important left — accept the job.

But before accepting and giving notice to your current company, remember to negotiate your offer and make sure it is a suitable fit for you.

Wrapping Up – Key Takeaways on Finding a Remote Job

Finding a remote job can be challenging — many people say it’s a full-time job in and of itself. However, there are a few tactics that will catch a hiring manager’s attention. 

While effective tips and hacks were discussed in this article, all the advice boils down to these 3 key elements to make you succeed in landing a remote job:

  • Your unique competence: Having special abilities or qualifications is key to standing out among competitors and other job candidates.
  • Effective Demonstration: Having great qualifications alone isn’t enough. But what matters next is how to let the hiring manager know you are special enough among a pile of other hundreds of job applications he/she received.
  • Networking: You might think this isn’t fair. However, it’s the world and reality that the hiring manager should favor someone that he/she knows more than other strangers. Then now what? Adjust yourself to the rules of the game and start to build your network in your target industry. (LinkedIn !!)

Best luck with landing the remote job of your dreams!

P.S. You may be also interested in checking out Top 10 Highest Paying Remote Jobs in 2022

MRL Consulting Group

MRL Consulting Group is the longest-standing global semiconductor recruitment company in the world. Operating across EMEA, DACH, APAC and the Americas, MRL understands the complex requirements of this specialist market and has been trusted by the biggest tech names in the world for over 25 years.

One Comment

  1. Lindsey John

    Fantastic tips for finding a remote job! Creating a dedicated workspace and leveraging online platforms are game-changers. Thanks for the valuable insights!

    Reply

Leave your thoughts