With an expected 25% increase in remote jobs, there is no doubt that more remote opportunities will be available in the upcoming year and afterward.
And if looking for a remote job is a part of your new year’s resolution, then reading this article will help you stay informed on how to position yourself to grab the opportunities remote work offers. This article will share 14 solid tips to help you draft an effective and impactful new year’s resolution.
1. Improve your Online Presence
Staying on one online platform and expecting jobs to come your way wouldn’t cut it. You need to spread your tentacles to avail yourself on various platforms to help you get more opportunities. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date, and consider creating a professional website or online portfolio to showcase your skills and experience.
2. Tailor your Resume and Cover letter
Tailoring your resume and cover letter to suit the remote job you are applying for is an effective way to boost your chance of landing your first remote job. In fact, according to Zety, 63% of recruiters only read resumes to be tailored to the job opening.
What we mean by tailoring your resume is that you want to highlight the skills and abilities you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for, as opposed to just including any other that the job doesn’t meet.
To tailor your resume and cover letter more effectively, we recommend that you read the job description to identify the skills they need and then tune your resume and cover letter to highlight those skills. This means your resume doesn’t have to be generic, and you might have to tweak it to suit every job’s requirements.
That being said, there are certain elements that every resume must include and not include; some of which include:
- If you are applying for an entry role, keep your resume to 1 page. For a more experienced role, keeping your resume to 2-3 pages is okay.
- Include only your name, email, and address for your personal information.
- Create a 2 to 3-line objective after your personal information; this should be a catchy sentence that summarizes your goals, experience, and how it aligns with the job you are applying for.
- Highlight relevant skills and experiences and use jargon related to the field of the job you’re applying for.
- Show some personality by including personal interests and hobbies.
- Keep it free from errors.
Therefore, make it a goal this year to tailor your resume and cover letter to increase your chances of landing an online job.
3. Enhance Your Communication Skills
Communication is your best tool if you are a remote worker because most of your interviews, meetings, and presentations will be remote. Therefore, you need to ensure that you can articulate yourself through words. Make a point to practice and improve your writing, speaking, and listening skills, along with asynchronous communication skills.
Get used to remote working tools, including video conferencing apps like Zoom, and Skype, online chat apps like Slack, and project and task management tools like Asana, Trello, and team management software, to help you stay in touch with your team always.
As someone looking for a remote job, learning how to use these tools and demonstrating how to communicate effectively are the soft skills that remote employers are looking for.
4. Network Actively
Make it your resolution in the upcoming year to network actively if you want to land a remote job. Connect with other professionals in your field, attend online industry events, and join relevant LinkedIn groups to expand your network and learn about new job opportunities.
Networking is the best way to meet new people, build relationships, and get opportunities that might have back-breaking land if you didn’t know anyone. To network more actively, we recommend that you:
- Attend virtual events like webinars, online courses, and live streams
- Engage in profitable online discussions that are relevant to your career path.
- Connect with friends and family already doing what you aspire to do.
5. Be Proactive In Your Job Search
Do not sit down and expect jobs to come to you; you need to chase these jobs. As much as remote work is gaining popularity, you need to understand that you aren’t the only one looking for a remote job role; therefore, one way to ensure that you grab the job of your dreams is to follow the tips above while searching proactively for jobs.
Be sure to actively seek out opportunities and apply for positions that align with your goals and experience. Being proactive doesn’t only mean just applying for job openings but following up on these job openings as well.
6. Use Social Media for Job hunting and Networking
If you aren’t on social media, make it a part of your New Year’s resolution to follow most social media platforms. Even though there is a lot of noise and entertainment on these social media platforms, you must filter through the noise and find job opportunities.
There are many jobs on platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. You want to follow the pages of businesses you want to work at to find out if there are any openings.
Also, with short-content platforms like TikTok, you can follow the industry leaders for tips on how to land remote jobs. You can leverage social media to network and have conversations with employees of the organization you might want to work at.
7. Practice your Interviewing Skills
Make it your priority in the upcoming year to practice interviewing skills and how to answer common interview questions. Just because you have the perfect resume and CV doesn’t guarantee the job; if you fail the interview, the chances of not getting the job are high.
Therefore, you must get familiar with the company’s background and the culture you are applying for and look up sample and mock interviews for the role you are applying for to help you ace your remote job interview.
8. Negotiate for a Fair Salary
When starting your first remote job, money shouldn’t be a priority; however, you shouldn’t be cheated. You need to ensure that you are asking for a competitive salary. To do this, you want to take the time and research the salary of other remote workers in your domain to get a clear view of the pay and packages to ask your employer.
That being said, do not just vouch for a certain salary just because everyone is taking that salary; ensure that the compensation you get reflects the value you bring to a company. Research industry standards and be prepared to justify your request.
If you bring more value, asking for more compensation than the market average will be alright. If not, try to tone it down and then leverage the opportunity to gain more skills to allow you to negotiate for a much higher salary shortly.
9. Set Clear Goals
As a remote worker, you must decide on one of two things: whether you will be a freelancer or a dedicated remote worker. Freelancing means you won’t be committed to a single company and will work with multiple companies/clients.
Being a dedicated remote worker means you establish clear career development goals and plan to achieve them while working remotely. This could involve setting small, achievable milestones or working with a mentor to help you reach your goals.
10. Learn New Skills
The competition for remote jobs is high because it is becoming popular, and most people see remote work as a viable and stress-free option. Therefore, as a remote job seeker, you want to add more skills to your arsenal to give you a competitive edge and help you stand out.
Keep up with industry developments and trends by learning new skills that are relevant to your field. This could involve taking online courses or earning certifications. For example, if you are looking for a remote writing job, besides being a good writer, you want to learn skills like SEO and digital marketing to help you stand out.
11. Take Care of Your Mental and Physical Health
Remote work can be mentally exhausting, lonely, and physically draining sometimes. As you seek a remote job, ensure that you engage in other physical and mental exercises to help keep your brain and body active and out of boredom.
Remote work can be isolating, so it’s essential to prioritize your mental and physical health to avoid exhaustion. Make time for self-care activities, such as exercise and relaxation techniques, to stay balanced and focused and take care of your mental health.
12. Stay Organized
Once you get a remote job from home, all your meetings will be online, and no one will be physically present to encourage you or remind you to attend conferences and online workshops and complete your tasks on time.
Therefore, it becomes challenging to stay organized; however, when you begin to plan your day effectively, you should be able to find time to engage in all virtual events and do the things you love.
To stay organized, we recommend that you:
- Use the timetable app to plan your week during the weekends.
- Use a time management app to allocate time to each event you have effectively, and also select appropriate notifications for each event.
- Dedicate 30 minutes after each day to organize your files for the next day’s work.
- Ask for help if needed to help you save time.
- Avoid distractions at home by creating a dedicated and noise-free working area for yourself.
13. Stay Positive and Persistent
Getting an online job is challenging, and job searching can be challenging, but staying motivated while searching for a remote job is essential. Therefore, you always want to keep in mind that “rejection is just redirection,” and other places need your skill set. Keep a growth mindset, and don’t be discouraged by setbacks – instead, use them as opportunities to learn and improve.
14. Keep Up-To-Date on Trends
Finally, ensure that you are always up-to-date on the latest trends in remote work. This means you want to find out how people are adjusting to remote work, what companies are looking for in remote workers, payments for remote workers, and whatnot to help you dictate your next move.
Conclusion
Many people are looking for a remote job, and finding one can be challenging. However, there are some things that remote job seekers can do to improve their chances of finding a new position in 2023. It’s the time of the year when we make resolutions. Follow the above-mentioned New Years’ resolutions if you are looking for a remote job.
Now that you know what resolutions you need to take to work from home successfully, it’s time to find work-from-home jobs that are ideal for you.
There’s no better place to find one than at DailyRemote, which updates daily with updated remote jobs in various fields like data entry, marketing sales, etc. So, what are you waiting for? Get started today.