We sat down (virtually) with Deb Haas, People leader, coach, and author of the newsletter 404: HR Not Found, to talk about what job seekers need to know when navigating the remote job market in 2025.
Deb has hired global teams, gone through a layoff herself, and is now job searching again, so she brings empathy, clarity, and lived experience to every answer.
This is a shorter version of our conversation (lightly edited for clarity and readability), which first appeared last week in the Remotive Slack community.
Do you think it’s still possible to find a fully remote job in 2025?
Absolutely. And in the coming years, it will be even easier as we fully enter the AI Age. The smart, future-oriented businesses know that the future will be more remote, more global than any other time in human history thus far. Look for ways to make your skills future-friendly.
In the AI Age, we will be required to be more human than ever. So yes, keep learning your technical skills, but also know that human skills (creative thinking, communication) will be even more important in the future.
What’s your advice for remote job seekers?
Randomly applying to every remote role you see is something I would avoid. Being open to a hybrid role that has the potential to be fully remote could work out in your favor in the long run (six months to a year down the road).
But honestly, I would get really clear on the skills I bring and the problems I solve, and then target companies that are either fully remote or have a great hybrid/remote policy in place. You don’t just want to look at what they do; you also want to be aware of their culture.
Talk to people who work for your target companies to get a sense if you should pursue working for that company or not.
What’s the best way to stand out in a remote job application process?
Make your personal brand obvious on your LinkedIn. Everything on that page should scream who you are, what you do, and what sets you apart from others who do something similar.
Then, identify the problem that the role they’re trying to fill is supposed to address. Every role is a problem or issue that the company is hiring a person to fix.
Then get really clear on how you are the person who can solve that problem. Make it really easy for the recruiter/hiring manager to make a decision about you.
Remove any friction (not responding to emails, not clearly indicating how they can get a hold of you, etc) that would get in the way of them seeing you as THE person for the role.
You experienced being laid off. What are your takeaways from that experience?
That a layoff says nothing about me or my abilities. That it’s a loss of a relationship, and as such, there will be grief. Trying to avoid that grief only prolongs it. It’s something you need to allow yourself to go through rather than around, over, under, etc.
My layoff was after 24 years with the same company. So I had to take the time to separate my identity from that of the company. I had to be able to answer the question, Who am I if I’m no longer an employee of ______?
And lastly, I had a vision of what my career would be like with that company, and I was very attached to that vision. I had to give up my attachment to that idea,l which then opened me up to so many other possibilities.
What’s a common mistake remote job seekers make when applying for roles?
They don’t read the entire job description to see if the job is REALLY remote. Unfortunately, every company describes “remote” differently. For some, it means working from home, but you have to live in the city where the office is located. For others, it means you can work remotely from anywhere in your home country. Still others will call a role remote even when there’s a hybrid component that may or may not require travel.
READ THE JOB DESCRIPTION FULLY. Then go to Glassdoor.com and read reviews about the company. This will give you an idea of whether they actually are truly remote.
Do you usually get a strong feeling early on about the right candidate, or are there specific indicators that solidify your decision?
Every company does this differently. Heck, every interviewer or hiring manager does this differently. Again, having several people interviewing and then discussing the answers and impressions we had of the candidate makes a big difference.
Also, there are criteria for every organization as to what qualities make a ‘good’ hire. I will say, everyone interviewing you (unless they’re an AI!) is human, and as humans, we often make judgements about people within the first 5 minutes. So, making a good first impression is a generally good rule of thumb!
When evaluating candidates, how important is a personal brand?
VITAL. In today’s marketplace, where there are thousands of super-qualified people (because of all the layoffs from the last 18 months), you really have to not only be clear on your brand, but broadcast it.
Whether that’s posting on LinkedIn as a thought-leader or simply responding to comments in Groups or in your feed, you need to draw attention to yourself and your value. The squeaky wheel gets the grease!
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