According to Flexjobs, a leading remote job listing platform, 3.9 million Americans or 2.9% of the total U.S. workforce work from home at least half the time. Moreover, remote job listings on the platform increased 51% from 2014 to 2017.
There’s a reason for this whopping growth in remote jobs. Who wouldn’t mind controlling their own schedule, where they work from, and foregoing the commuter stress.
So how can you land a job that’s remote? Be that wanderlust digital nomad you envy as you scroll through your Instagram feed? When you look around various job boards and most remote jobs are for highly qualified professionals in software development, marketing, or project management. It can be a bit intimidating to get started…
Fear not, here are a few tips on how to land that dream remote job, even if it means you’re not currently the best-qualified candidate.
1) Know your strengths and weaknesses
Start by getting crystal clear on what’s working for you right now and isn’t. Highlight your strengths in terms of technical skills and soft skills, and where the gaps might be. This helps you figure out the level of effort required in getting a remote job and the necessary steps required.
For example, if you’re not particularly technical in nature and have no experience or interest in software development. Well, this means you need to explore non-tech focused job boards for remote opportunities.
It can also mean, if most of the postings are technical in nature, it’s time to invest in building such a skillset if going remote trumps your passion for the job itself.
Do your research and make a list. Having this clarity from the get-go means you’re investing your energy in finding jobs that you have a good chance and passion for.
Once you have a crystal clear idea of your strengths and weaknesses, you can use them to convince a remote employer to take a chance on you, because you’re a great fit for the role despite the technical gaps.
Fingerprint for Success is a great resource if you need a help uncovering your own natural strengths and ‘blind spots’.
2) Be creative with the search process
While there’s tons of remote job board out there such as We Work Remotely or Flexjobs. Take it a step further by personally looking up great remote companies to work for (you can find our short list here) and personally reach out to employees on LinkedIn to learn more about the company and showcase your skillset and culture-fit.
Remote communities are also a great way to get to know digital nomads out there and the companies they work for (e.g. NomadList). Join them and build genuine relationships by participating in discussions and meet-ups they host. If there’s an opportunity at a company someone knows you’re a good fit for, well there’s your warm lead to an interview. After all, your chances of getting an offer are roughly 6% higher if you were referred by someone in the company you’re applying to work for than if you weren’t.
3) Keep the focus on your soft skills that show you’re adaptable and have what it takes to learn quickly
Certain characteristics are key to successfully working remotely. Sure, you need the technical skills to get the job done such as programming or UX design, but at the same time now you’re in a world where you need to manage your own time and workload. Working remotely takes a lot more than just having a fast internet connection…
This means it’s key to emphasize the following characteristics which are as equally important as technical skills to any remote job you’re applying for:
- Show you’re self-motivated – highlight extracurriculars or projects you dedicate yourself to on the side.
- Highlight ways in which you efficiently manage your time and stay organized. Juggled multiple things at once before? Talk about this and touch upon the techniques you used.
- Come across as relatable and a quick learner. Try to highlight tools used commonly in remote companies such as Slack, Trello, or Toggl that have helped you stay productive and how you’re familiar with them in your past experiences. If you haven’t used any, talk about how you’ve picked up new tools quickly and that you have it what takes to learn on the job.
4) Build any essential missing skills by taking weekend courses
If you’re lacking the core competencies for the job you’re aiming for. Try building these skills in your spare time by taking on various online courses. Great places to upskill are massive open online course (MOOC) platforms such as Udemy or EdX.
Udemy boasts over 80,000 courses you can choose from and contain some very digital nomad friendly programs such as ‘Web Developer Bootcamps’ and even soft skill development such as ‘Job Interview Training’.
Similarly, EdX on the provides the same breadth of courses but goes a step further to offer you accredited certifications and degrees from world-leading institutions such as Harvard or MIT.
Both offer self-guided courses that you complete at your own leisure which makes it perfect to boost your qualifications and more attractive to remote job employers.
And it pays off, a Harvard study found 72% of survey respondents reported career benefits and 61% reported educational benefits from participating in MOOCs.
5) Persistence is key…never give up
It can be challenging if you’re facing rejection after rejection for your first couple job applications. However, persistence is key and a good way to keep at it when the going gets tough is to:
- Stay inspired by others who’ve already gone remote. Read up on success stories and follow popular digital nomads on social channels.
- Have someone keep you accountable. Find someone else through the remote community forums that are also on the hunt for a remote job just like you. Set time with them regularly to chat about what you both are struggling with and lessons learned so far.
Having the right mindset is key to finally breaking through and landing that remote job offer. If anything, this tip is the most important one!
In summary, the remote job industry continues to grow and more employers are catching on to the benefits it offers to employees. The barriers are lowering and hopefully, the above tips can get you started on successfully landing a digital nomad gig in no time!
Happy job hunting!
xx Stina 💛
