Want to find remote jobs? You have a few options to start with:
- Ask your boss if you can incorporate location flexibility into your current position.
- Find a freelance gig.
- Find a part-time or full-time position that’s either offered as fully remote or flexible.
This blog post will cover the resources you can use to find jobs in any industry at any level. Skill, industry, and level-specific posts are coming soon!
There are a ton of job search sites out there, as evidenced by a Google search.
There is no way that I could list all of them here — and anyway, that’s what a search engine is for, after all.
This list is meant to be abbreviated so that it is manageable. When you are first starting to look for a remote position, it’s more helpful to explore a handful of excellent resources than waste your time combing through every job site that’s out there. That’s why this list only has five resources listed.
Let’s dig in!
Where to Find Remote Jobs
Indeed
This is a huge jobs database that offers the ability to filter opportunities by location. Enter your desired position or relevant keywords in the keyword search and specify “Remote” in the location box.
When you get to the list of results, you can filter by salary, entry level, and other criteria.
Because Indeed is huge, remember that the companies that post jobs here receive hundreds if not thousands of applications in response. Think about those numbers for a second: if the company you’re applying to is large, it might (*might*) have a couple of people filtering through them, but only after meeting minimum criteria. Read the job descriptions thoroughly and make sure that when you apply, you clearly indicate you meet those minimum requirements.
Besides making sure you have the minimum requirements, you need to stand out from a very large pool of candidates. Here’s the workplaceless post on how to make your experience stand out from the crowd.
FlexJobs
What I love about FlexJobs is that they vet the jobs that are posted and it has robust filters, including the level of telecommuting that a job offers.
To start, just visit the website and enter the keyword in the search at the top of the page.
You can narrow down the results by filtering through the criteria you need, or you can conduct an advanced search.
Besides the usual filters, you can adjust the results by how much the job allows you to telecommute. You can also limit results to companies with specific recognition or awards.
LinkedIn is not just a way to connect with people you know — you can also search for job opportunities.
While you can use LinkedIn as another job search engine, one of the best ways to use LinkedIn is to optimize your profile, including updating your career interests and let recruiters know that you’re open to career opportunities.
Think about it: these people’s job is to connect people to jobs. Let them do some of the legwork! Here’s a great resource on what these recruiters look for in your LinkedIn profile. You can still find remote jobs — but also let others find you!
Another way you can use LinkedIn is by joining groups that are relevant to your interests. Members of these groups may post relevant job openings in those fields. You can also search for groups that are specifically for remote work in certain fields, e.g. IT.
We Work Remotely
One of our partners, We Work Remotely, is a job board specific to remote opportunities. You can search by categories and with 2.5 million monthly visitors there are consistently new postings. Not only do they offer job postings, but they have communities across social and Slack to connect virtual workers. They also connect remote workers and employers with resources to support the success of remote work.
Your IRL Network
You know a lot of people. Check with your own network of friends and professional contacts who might know of an available remote. Job search sites are great (I, personally, have gotten 4 out of 4 remote part time or full time positions through job databases) but statistically, you’re more likely to get a job through your personal connections.
(Want to learn more about how hard it is to break through the job site noise? This article about one job seeker’s results after applying to thousands of jobs says it all.)
People Skills are Useful in the Remote World, Too
Besides the people you already know, there are people that you can meet at networking and other professional events. Even though you’re looking for a job that’s location independent, that doesn’t mean that you can’t work your face-to-face people skills to get that dream job. Since you’re more likely to get a job through personal connections, it makes sense to develop more connections so that you have access to more opportunities.
Meeting people and talking to them about what you do may even give you additional ideas that you hadn’t thought of previously — I know that this has happened to me on more than one occasion. When you’re on the job hunt by yourself, it can be all too easy to put yourself in a tiny box and blind yourself to all the possibilities that are out there. The more you expand your network, the more creative you can get in matching your experience and skills to a remote job that you love.
That’s it — five resources to explore if you want to find remote jobs. How much time you spend on these resources really depends on how urgent your job search is. If you’re currently unemployed and need income, spend as much time as you possibly can on these (free) resources. If you are employed but want more flexibility, spend at least an hour or two a week researching opportunities.
Additional Resources:
Remotive.io just recently published a searchable database of remote companies. Take a look and bookmark anything that interests you.
Plus, our partner Acework has pulled together an excellent checklist to ensure you’re remote job search ready!
