How to Find Remote Jobs and My Story
Updated: Apr 23
Remote jobs are more popular than ever, but they can be hard to actually land. How do I find a remote job? The short answer – everywhere. Long answer – there are some steps you can take to make it a simpler process.
PS – Finding a remote job (especially if it’s a career change) can take time, persistence, and hard work, but they are worth it.
My story
When I decided I wanted to leave the classroom, there were no resources out there. There was no one talking about what leaving the classroom was like. I struggled to see my worth and understand the skills that I had were such an advantage even outside the classroom.
I wanted to share my personal journey though because this way of living is way less stressful and way more freeing than I could have imagined.
I did not land the dream job at first. My job was hourly, but I made more than enough to pay my bills. I did make about $400 less a month than I used to as a teacher, but it was honestly easier to make it work and I found I have more than enough to pay all my bills and still stash away money each month.
I also started to teach online and make over $1000 a month which covered my benefits and money I needed to put away for savings. I say this to tell you, there will be trade-offs. It’s not all easy and jobs don’t fall into people’s laps.
However, I found a full-time job at the company I was consulting for within 4 months. This job pays really well and making the transition was so worth it.
Note about taxes for anyone who decides to be a consultant: I used TrueBill to keep track of my spending and budgets so I can stay on track. I did a really careful check to make sure I could make enough before taking this job as well. Some remote jobs pay really well, others will not. At the end of the year since I was “self-employed” all my expenses were able to be written off on my taxes and I still got a large tax refund despite being self-employed.
PS. This post goes along with a subscriber resource I created. I share all the websites I used to find the job and steps for how to find a remote job.
What is a remote job?
When people talk about remote work, they’re simply describing jobs that can be done from anywhere in the world with access to a computer and reasonable internet access (reasonable in terms of speed and connection stability). It’s often synonymous with working from home.
There are flexible jobs that allow people to work from home for a few days or jobs that also require a lot of travel. Remote work is kind of an umbrella term for all of these.
My job is completely remote. I’ve never been to the main office or actually met my boss. I was hired virtually over Google Hangouts and before 2020, I did spend time going in person to see clients in my area.
Step 1: Reflect on who you are
This one is super important and may seem cliche but it’s truly key to helping you find the right job. There are tons of remote jobs, but you want one that is right for you that you’ll love. When I started to look at jobs, I went through these questions in my head.
What types of jobs do I have the skills for? This one was a hard question for me because I feel like when people see “teacher” on your resume, they assume you are only qualified for a classroom. I knew this wasn’t true and started to consider what friends have told me I’m good at, research my personality (take some personality tests – strengths finder 2.0 is awesome), and then find jobs I could really be good at.
I always recommend to people that they create a nice venn diagram. On one side list out all your transferable skills. On the other list out your favorite things about your current job. Now go research what jobs match for you.
For me, that was: education, communications, customer service, sales, client support
What types of jobs do I want? This is a question to start the big picture on. I thought about long-term goals and where I wanted to be in ten years. I thought about my favorite things about teaching and how I could potentially find those things in a new position.
For me, that was: Something with the flexibility that allows me to help kids.
Step 2: Follow companies that offer the types of jobs you want and start building your skills
After thinking about what kind of job I wanted, I started to set up alerts with companies that had the types of jobs I wanted. I was surprised to find out there were several out there who allow their employees to work from home exclusively. I just didn’t know how to look! LinkedIn, InHerSight, EdSurge, and Glassdoor are huge sites that ended up being really important for me. They have tons of ways to filter jobs, including remote ones.
I typed in things like: teaching online, teacher support, remote education jobs, school support, content specialist, account specialist, account management
Now, let’s say that you aren’t finding any remote jobs you are qualified for. It’s time to build some skills so you have the ones you need in order to be ready for the job. If you are applying for a customer service position and see that a company uses a particular system to track clients, look up that system or take a course. So if you are looking at a job that requires teaching experience, take an online course about teaching techniques.
There are tons of websites to find a course that can help you build the skills you want or need. I have taken courses on several different platforms such as International Open Academy via Groupon for TESOL. For a full list of the sites I recommend and have used, subscribe here!
Step 3: Set up alerts for companies and the types of jobs you want
This is also where you want to Network. I mentioned in the last step looking at different companies. Over 70% of people find their job through networking. It’s extremely important. Ideas for what networking can look like below, but you need this as part of your overall strategy! Make sure you optimize your LinkedIn for recruiters to reach out to you as well.
Networking can be: connecting with others on LinkedIn, attending an event put on by a company or organization, Slack channels, Facebook groups, reaching out to friends and family
Now that I had researched companies, I set up alerts for positions that I knew would work for me on job sites. I did this on tons of different job sites and was getting daily alerts. This can be overwhelming, but you have the power to decide how you receive your alerts. I set aside time each week to look through these job alerts and decide on which jobs to apply for. I know this seems a bit tedious, but it’s the job searching way.
I set alerts for: teaching online, teacher support, school support, educational consultant, educational support specialist
Step 4: Optimize your Resume and Cover Letter
You have less than 10 seconds to get someone’s attention and showing your best skills is really important. Edit your resume and get more replies to your applications. Below are some ideas.
Use consistent punctuation, lines of sight, headings etc throughout – attention to detail matters
Remove address (this looks dated and isn’t needed)
Use the job description to plug in the keywords and transferable skills that you have and should highlight
Quantify your experience (ex. instead of: Creates lesson plans for writing… say: Creates writing lesson plans weekly for team of 8 teachers)
Don’t be afraid to sound like you are bragging, your resume is where you show your skills
Keep it under 2 pages, 1 if possible, it’s a highlight reel
Step 5: Apply
This honestly is the hardest step for me. It can take a long time to apply for a job and then to not hear back is discouraging. I know how annoying it can be not to hear back after investing all that time. Keep it positive and personalized for each job you apply for.
If you have the chance to share more in a cover letter, write about your experience and any connection you have to the position. Show that you are invested in the position while staying professional and people will see that. You will find the right job and you’ll want to stay positive throughout the process.
Know that you can do it and do not give up if it doesn’t work quickly! It takes time to find the right position and you don’t need to settle.
Step 6: Nail the Interview
I’ve decided to add this step because I have gotten a lot of questions about it and it’s important! Interviews are a chance for you to share your experiences and give more details on your resume, that’s why you need to keep your resume under two pages – explain more in an interview.
Things to remember for an interview:
Your mindset, preparation, and comfort level all set the tone for the interview.
Prepare by: researching the company, write out sample answers for common questions, practice in front of a mirror, know the job description and have example experiences that match
Keep it positive throughout
Do ask about salary and be prepared to ask for a number from them
Come prepared with good questions for the end of your interview a few I recommend are – What is your favorite part of working at X? What does a typical day in this position look like? What are the opportunities for growth?
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PS. This post goes along with a subscriber resource I created. I share all the websites I used to find the job and steps to take in order to make it happen.