Finding Work Opportunity in a Town Without It

If you’re stuck somewhere that makes it hard finding work opportunity, there is another way. What if I told you there’s this mirror realm, similar to the fabled realm of faery folk or a sci-fi parallel universe, in which you can work towards such riches you seek… work that’s unavailable in your podunk town? You must take care not to fall into its thrall and be lost forever, but there are some cool upsides to it without you ever uprooting your life.

That realm exists. That realm is actually where I exist for you, right now. That realm is the wonderful world of the far-reaching and powerful INTERNET.

“Duh, Darcy. You’re not slick. I’ve looked for jobs there too and haven’t found anything that pays better.”

That might be because you don’t know how to find the good ones. I’ll help you out.

Identify Which Job Posting are Remote

First off, you’re going to pay more attention to bigger companies than smaller ones – the bigger the corporation, the more likely they are to allow remote work. Larger companies are a better bet for these type of roles than smaller companies, where they overwhelmingly prefer your physical presence over remote performance. The only times I’ve heard of full-time remote work for a small business was when an employee worked there for several years and had gained the owner’s complete trust. Definitely look to larger companies, preferably those with a national presence and at least 200 employees. Tech-focused companies are more likely to say yes to remote work and already have infrastructure in place to allow it.

Once you know which companies to focus on, look out for a job posting listing several places you can work from. Because that position clearly isn’t geographically limited, odds are good you can work it remote.

There’s also positions that will straight-up say whether they’re remote or not, making the search even easier.

Once you find that job you’d like to work remote, you can argue your case to do the work partly- or fully-remote. Coding, writing, data work, and media engagement can be done on any computer outside the office. Meetings can be done via phone calls, Google Hangouts, Slack, and other messaging software. We have several remote workers at my current company and I collaborate with them easily thanks to an Internet connection.

Need to beef up your resume to hack into these jobs? An easy place to start is a job board like Indeed or LinkedIn.

Optimize Your Application for Remote Work

If you haven’t already, beef up your resume and online profile to hack into these jobs. Keep in mind that, because these roles are NOT region-specific, you’ll be competing for this role with a much larger pool of candidates. Yes, they’ll obviously want a superstar for the role, but other things matter too: your consistency and making the arrangement easy for them will make you more attractive than a cranky genius with outrageous demands.

Make sure your resume and LinkedIn profile will reflect that. Put in some line items that highlight how you get shit done while remote: “Fixed a large-scale software issue efficiently by coordinating a team of remote workers,” if such a situation was applicable. Even if this is your first time going remote, I’ll bet you still have some kind of applicable experience. Talk about how you covered for your supervisor unexpectedly, with your only communication through text. Or about when you were the only one in your office and wore several hats to get things running smoothly. This goes hand-in-hand with your prep work where you frame your experience in the best light possible.

Once you start interviewing, there’s a two-word mantra that takes precedence over all else. I’m not talking about “thank you,” but something that should be even more obvious: be nice, be nice, be nice. You want them to WANT to hire you. You want them to be impressed with your work ethic, your attitude, and your personality. On the phone I used to sound squeaky and high-pitched because I’d get nervous so fast. After enough practice calls with recruiters (who didn’t know they were practice calls) I gradually got over it and can now project a solid, strong, and calm voice. You’ll want to put in the practice too so you’ll make them feel they can’t not hire you.

Once they feel that way, the only person who could mess it up is you. Remember, you only exist online for these people so they’re going to check how you act online. Ensure NOTHING unsavory online can be easily traced back to you. Google your name and see what comes up. Make your social media accounts private; if you can’t bear to keep it private forever, at least keep it private until you get the first two paychecks. Your research, prep, and practice will still serve you well; if you’re following the series, just work through all three while keeping it focused to remote work only.

While you’re searching for these remote roles, I guarantee you’ll see a lot of stuff pushing you to try the entrepreneur or freelance route. It is true there’s loads of temp projects out there for programmers, tutors, and data specialists. It’s also true some folks have found roaring success working for themselves. However, it’s more difficult to get high-pay from that, statistically-speaking, than it is to just get a corporation to pay you. Let’s put our talents where they’ll pay us the most.

I personally believe remote work is the way to the future. Do you have further tips for getting a fantastic remote job?