Finding and Securing A Remote Job

There are always going to be pros and cons to every job you work. Depending on who you are, a con might be having to commute to an office every day. This, of course, can be remedied by taking a remote job that lets you work from home. As long as you have a stable internet connection and a way for the company to get ahold of you, working from home can be a great way to save time and money outside of work. (And you can’t beat calling into morning meetings wearing sweatpants.)

Woman sits in her home office working on her laptop at her remote job

But do you know how to get a remote job? It’s not feasible for all jobs to be remote, so there’s somewhat of a limited window of opportunity for finding and securing remote work. We’ll dive into the following questions to get you started:

What is a remote job?
What are the pros and cons of a remote job?
How do I protect myself from work-from-home scams?
How do I find a remote job?
What do I look for in a job description?

What is a remote job?
A remote job is work that’s done outside of a central office. Remote work can be done from anywhere, whether it be a home office, coffee shop, or a picnic table at the park. When looking for a remote job, you might also see some that are listed as “hybrid.” This means that you can spend some of your time working remotely, but the company requires you to come into the office at least once a week for work. It’s important to know the difference when you apply for jobs, so you can understand the expectation from the start.

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What are the pros and cons of a remote job?
The benefits of having a remote job can be outstanding when looking at them from the surface: no commute, zero (or minimal) dress code, and you can create your own work environment. However, remote work isn’t for everyone. It requires self-discipline, good home-office tools, and a lot of organization. Ask yourself the following questions when trying to decide if getting a remote job is for you:

Do I need the office environment?
Do I prefer to keep working at the office?
Do I enjoy having time to decompress during a commute?
Am I self-motivated enough to efficiently work independently?
Is freelance work an option for me? (Freelancers have a better chance of working remotely since they aren’t technically employees of a particular company)

“Scammers often create fake companies to lure you into sharing personal information. Look out for certain red flag phrases like “quick money” or “unlimited earning potential.””

How do I protect myself from work-from-home scams?
There are so many small businesses out there looking for freelancers, part-time employees, or anybody to help grow their company that you’ll come across plenty of companies you’ve never heard of. Most of these companies are legitimate and will hire you for work. However, scammers often create fake companies to lure you into sharing personal information. Look out for certain red flag phrases like “quick money” or “unlimited earning potential.” Yes, there are dream jobs out there that offer ideal pay, perfect benefits, and remote work, but if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

How do I find a remote job?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have switched to a full-time remote workforce. This shift has made it much easier for companies to accommodate employees who prefer to work from home. This makes it easier to find remote work with more companies, so you can search companies you’d like to work for and see if they offer remote work.

Internet job boards get thousands of remote jobs posted to them by employers and talent agencies every day. Everywhere from Indeed to LinkedIn always have a massive selection of remote jobs, it’s just a matter of finding the right one for you among the long list of available positions.

A man sits at desk with laptop searching for how to find a remote job

What do I look for in a job description?
When you’re searching for a remote job, it’s important to read the verbiage attached to the job description so you’re aware of the constraints that come with it. As we mentioned above, some remote jobs are considered hybrid. These will require you to be in a certain geographic area, so you go into the office a specific number of times each week. You might also find that while a company allows you to work from anywhere, your work hours could be dictated by a specific time zone. Depending on your sleep schedule, it might be tough working East Coast business hours if you live in California. Additionally, it’s not uncommon for companies to have constraints on where they can hire employees. If you live in Iowa, certain state tax laws might disqualify you from working for a company based elsewhere. Be sure to read the fine print before taking the time to apply for a remote job.

Now that you know how to get a remote job, go find your dream job where you can sip coffee in your sweatpants for your morning meetings.