In the wake of these unprecedented times, it seems like everyone has lost something over the past few weeks. If that “something” for you has been your office space or even the ability to do your job itself, you may have begun sussing out any potential alternatives to hunt the right remote job.
If you have never worked remotely before, it can be a struggle to understand how it works. You may be asking yourself questions like, “how can I adapt my in-office work strategy to a home office?” Or, “who is even hiring remote workers and how can I find them?”
In this article, we’ll go over a few of the things that are worth considering while looking for the right remote job. Hopefully, this will give you a starting point for your remote work search, and allow you to figure out how working remotely could work for you. Let’s go.
What would “home office” look like for me?
This is a personal question that requires a bit of personal reflection; during the current lockdown situation, you are likely looking for something that you can do comfortably from home on your own time. Extrapolating that vibe into “normal” times, though, might mean working from hostels, hotel rooms, coffee shops, co-working spaces around the world…you name it.
If you’re able to work from anywhere, remote work will likely come a bit easier for you. If you need an environment that emulates a working office, though, you may (eventually) consider signing up to work at a co-working space nearby. That way, you’ll still have some office energy while working independently.
What are my negotiable and non-negotiables?
The main selling point for many folks when they choose to pursue remote work is that it’s flexible, both in time and space. Working hours may be set but they don’t have to be, and as mentioned above, you can stay in one spot or hop all over the place.
When looking for the right remote position for you, you’ll need to know what you are willing to negotiate and what you aren’t. This goes for your abilities to set or not set working hours and office spaces, but it also goes for pay (hourly, deliverable-dependent, or salary?) and whether you need direct access to supervisors or you’d be just fine working independently. It’ll be easier to decide where to apply if you already have answers to these questions in the back of your mind.
What are my marketable skills?
If you are not currently working (or have never worked) for a company that can feasibly go remote, then it may be challenging to comprehend where you would fit into such a scheme. This feeling is completely legitimate; it isn’t always an easy thing to navigate.
Because of this, it’s helpful to take stock of not only what your resume says about you, but what you know about you. Are you a talented writer, passionate about public education, gifted in marketing or public speaking or the arts? What are your certifications and where do you thrive? Chances are, there is a remote position out there that could easily be filled by someone like you.
Where should I look?
Alright, but how do you find such a position? As it turns out, searching for a remote job is not so different from traditional job-hunting. Similar to a Glassdoor or Monster search (but for remote positions) FlexJobs and Remote.com are great places to start for a general perusal of what’s out there.
If you’re looking mostly for side hustles that cater to one of your particular talents, there are plenty of companies hiring. TranscribeMe is great if you’re looking for transcription work, Chegg is always hiring new online tutors for a variety of subjects, and depending on your qualifications, you can become either a language teacher or language tutor through italki. Again, it pays to take stock of your marketable skills!
For steadier income and projects, one of the best places to start is Upwork, a site specifically designed to connect freelancers with agencies. This way, you won’t have to sift through the positions that aren’t relevant and you’ll be able to specify your search based on your industry. Through Upwork, you can look for remote work in writing, data science, customer service, sales, design, administration, and more.
Regardless of where you start, it’s just important that you do. With these tips in mind, we hope you’re feeling more confident in beginning your search and we wish you a very successful hunt for your next remote position!
