For those who are out of a job, working from home is a tempting option, not only for the moment but as a long-term solution. Yet when you’ve spent most of your career in a cubicle, it can be a struggle to become location-independent.

Where do you even find a role that allows you to work in pajamas all day and still get paid? Hunting for remote jobs online is easier said than done. With applicants from around the world competing for a single position, it’s hard to get noticed, let alone get hired.

The good news is that much of online recruitment is still built around personal interactions. If you know how and where to look—along with how to stand out as a top-notch candidate—it’s definitely doable. We share these hacks to help you find the perfect opportunity and land that role.

Before Looking for Remote Jobs

As excited you might be to begin your search, take the time to carefully plan for the journey first. Going in unprepared may lead you to sending an application that doesn’t fit the position, thereby wasting your chance. Here are a few things you need to decide on before diving in.

Schedule

Consider whether you want a strictly full-time arrangement or are open to flexible contracts. Most of the time, it’s easier to secure freelance work but remote jobs in the Philippines and Nicaragua are increasing daily as more companies adapt remote working trends.

Rate

Determine how much you want to ask for your services. To get an idea, look up the average pay based on years of experience and range of skills.

Also, pick the benefits you want to prioritise, be it unlimited time off, free learning resources, stock options, or international retreats.

Position

Figure out what you want to do specifically. Perhaps you want to be a social media manager. Maybe you’re more interested in contacting leads.

Once you’ve made up your mind, list down the keywords to use in your search. Examples: social media marketing, lead generation, email outreach

Training

If you feel the need to develop your skills for your desired role, there are lots of free courses you can join online. The likes of Skillshare and Udemy have a nice selection of courses in everything from game development to business intelligence analysis.

Resume

As we’ve covered in a previous blog post, make sure that your resume is tailored for remote work. See to it that you read the listing carefully, build your personal value proposition, use appropriate styling, highlight transferable skills, include relevant interests and more.

Start Looking for Remote Jobs

Now that you’ve done the necessary preparations, it’s time to proceed with the actual job hunt.

Secret #1 – Networking

There’s no need to look far as you can start with tapping your network for openings. Take note to contact the right people, i.e. people you have a comfortable relationship with. They’re those you’ve chatted, emailed, or connected with before.

Avoid contacting those who barely know you as they’ll only be a waste of time. It would be even better if they’ve mentioned that their company is currently recruiting. If you don’t have their email, try their LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook accounts.

Remember to be polite and professional in your message to them. Ask about their employer or business, along with the projects they’re doing. Think of ways you can help them and talk about it. At the same time, make it easy for them to refer you to another company if they’re not interested.

Secret #2 – Search functions

Some remote jobs aren’t advertised on boards or elsewhere. Rather, they’re done through word-of-mouth referrals, head hunters, and websites like Zoho Recruit, BambooHR, Workable, and Jobvite.com.

One way you can find out what these secret opportunities are is to use Google. In the search box, type in:

site:recruiting website + (remote, position, or industry)

Here’s an example applying that formula: site:recruit.zoho.com remote writing

It’s also worth trying the advanced search function on Twitter. You can type keywords like “remote jobs Philippines” or “remote jobs Nicaragua” to test it out. Narrow down the results with industry-specific keywords such as “digital marketing” or “bookkeeping”.

Secret #3 – Cold emailing

Email outreach is a common marketing technique that can also be useful when looking for remote jobs online. Through it, you can find opportunities quicker versus waiting for them to come to you.

Begin by determining the industry you’d like to work in. Then, look up businesses in that field and the appropriate people to contact. It’s easy to keep track of your leads if you build a spreadsheet with all the relevant information.

Craft the perfect email to suit each individual on your list. Mind that your message isn’t all about you and doesn’t sound too much like a pitch. Write it in a way that expresses how you’ll be of value to their company instead. Add links to your social media profiles as well.

Secret #4 – Job alerts

Sometimes, employers will hire the first people to send in their applications especially when they’re badly in need of personnel. They might entertain more if they aren’t fully convinced that earlier candidates are the perfect fit.

This means you should aim to be one of the first applicants they have for the role you want. All the while, ensure that you apply effectively so you’ll leave a good impression and convince them that you’re the one they’re looking for.

To make this hack work, stay on top of new openings by setting up alerts on SMS, app notifications, email and more. Google Alerts is easy to use as long as you have a Gmail account.

If you have funds to spare, you can also try premium services like Buzzsumo and Mention for monitoring social media and various other platforms.

Secret #5 – Organization

The process of hunting for online jobs is long and daunting. It’s easy to get lost and confused with the multiple steps you have to take for each search or application. Added to that, there are follow-up tasks such as completing trial tasks and attending interviews.

Keep yourself sane by treating it as a project. Break it up into smaller assignments and create detailed to-do lists to ensure you won’t forget anything. Leave notes, comments, and reminders for yourself so you know where you’re at.

Bookmark any positions that you couldn’t immediately apply for and get back to it later. Track your answers so you can refer to them when you encounter similar questions in the future. Also, save your data on the cloud to be on the safe side.

An Easier Way to Look for Remote Jobs

Looking for a work-from-home opportunity is different from looking for a regular office role. Some even say that it’s a full-time job in itself. We hope the hacks we’ve shared will help you send an application that will get a hiring manager’s attention and land an interview.

If you want a process that’s simpler to do, we at Remote Workmate are at your service. Not only do we post the latest openings; we’ll also add you to our candidate pool so you can connect to more prospects in the future as well.