Sick of the fluorescent lighting and hour-long commutes? It’s no surprise you searched for how to get a remote job. Employers have stretched their employees to the point of exhaustion with long hours, little perks and less than livable wages.
Then 2020 happened, and many people were sent home to work remote until an unseen time in the future (or until there was a vaccine). A year passed, but people were still working from home. Many become very comfortable with their new working agreement. Some moved, others traveled, and others found themselves being asked to come back into the office when they aren’t even in the same country.
It feels like a violation when your entire job can be done from anywhere in the world, but you still have the guts to ask you to come back and work in their stuffy office. So, people quit, and a lot of them. More than 25 million people quit their jobs in the first seven months of 2021 and more continue to quit every month into 2022.
During what many are calling “The Great Resignation,” between March and April 2021, a FlexJobs survey found that 58% of respondents would “‘absolutely’ look for a new job if they cannot continue remote work.” Not only that, but many are quitting not because of no remote work options, but because of poor working conditions and being fed up with being exploited.
It’s become an employee’s market, so now is the perfect time to take advantage of the remote and high paying job options out there (so you can live your best life from wherever you want and maybe even get paid to travel).
Note: We acknowledge that there are fields of work that don’t allow remote work such as in person teachers, nurses, doctors, many trade professions, customer facing professions and more. This guide is geared toward fields of work where it is possible to work from a laptop anywhere and you don’t have to be in a physical office location to complete your work.
How to Get a Remote Job This Year in 4 Simple Steps
When you start your remote job search, be clear on the type of position you want. Do you want a job that you have to do a lot of moving and traveling around like a traveling nurse or do you work in tech and looking for a secure tech job that you can do from wherever you want to be at that moment, not dependent on their assignments?
Ask yourself important questions like this and try to visualize the perfect remote work situation. Write it down.
Then let’s craft your resume to match it.
1. Revamp Your Resume
There really isn’t anything special you have to do to your resume for landing a remote job, but it does help to list past remote job roles you had as being remote. You can mark this on that area of your resume, such as “remote software engineer” or describe under a job role that you were a part of a remote team of 15, lead a remote team or worked with a remote team. (Working with remote teams while you aren’t yet remote is a great way to show that experience with that sort of communication and collaboration style.)
However, there are a couple of important items to note if you want your resume to stand out from the hundreds of others. Use these four tips for a successful resume that stands out:
- Under each job position, include results that you were able to drive within your role and give specific time frames for those results. Example: “I was able to create a tool that automated certain tasks for my team, saving my organization x-amount of dollars and x-amount of time over that year.”
- Have an easy-to-read format for digital resume readers, targeting one page or no longer than two pages. Keep both a .doc and .pdf version ready to go.
- List your experience in reverse chronological order, including the last 10 years of experience, unless otherwise applicable. If you already feel like your resume is getting long and it includes roles that aren’t applicable to the current job you’re applying for, ditch them.
- Showcase any sort of awards and entrepreneurial spirit that you have. If you have or had a side hustle and it’s relevant to the position you want to apply for, include it on your resume.
2. Know Your Market Rate
Before you start looking at jobs, know what pay ranges you will and won’t consider. This will ensure you don’t waste any time applying for jobs that don’t pay near your rate.
How do you even find what your rate is? I use Glassdoor for this. Go to Glassdoor, in the Salaries section and search for your position title you are going for and “Remote Work From Home” as the location. This will give you a good ballpark of salaries to expect when looking for work from home jobs. This same tool also has the ability to provide you with negation tips as well.
However, your rate may fluctuate above or below depending on your experience, education and level you want to apply for. Asking friends and collogues that hold positions that you are applying for or have worked at companies that you are applying at what they were paid will also give you a good idea of a real-life example.
All in all, take these different data points to come up with a rate that best fits your needs and goals. Don’t base your rate on your past jobs and past pay ranges; base it on what the market is paying and what you want to get paid.
3. Look for Jobs With a “Remote First” Mindset
When you’re looking for a remote job, expect nothing else but a remote job, meaning don’t be lenient on your own requirements and don’t settle for a job if it isn’t remote. This is so you don’t waste time away from your goal. If you need a job right away, then please be flexible with yourself and maybe take that in person job for a while until you find a good remote job match.
Seek Out Remote First Companies
There are thousands of companies that have a fully remote office model. They don’t have a physical building that they perform operations from and allow their workforce to work remotely within their specific agreements. You can start by searching for the “careers” or “jobs” areas of these companies’ websites to see what positions they have open and start applying.
Some of these companies are (but not limited to):
- Adobe
- Hubspot
- Dropbox
- Microsoft
- Salesforce
- Shopify
- Target
- Zoom
- Square
If any of the above seem like they wouldn’t be a company you would work for because you don’t think you have the experience, think again. I don’t care what it is; go for it, especially if it is a job you think you’re unqualified for.
There are people out there with half the talent as you with the audacity to go for the same job, why shouldn’t you?
Look to Remote Job Boards
If you want to broaden your search and look at a larger pool of available jobs, use one of the many available remote job search sites and remember to filter the location field on “Remote” or “Remote Work From Home.”
These sites are not only for folks seeking full time employment either. You will also find jobs for part time workers, freelancers, contractors and more.
Start your search with these following sites:
- FlexJobs
- Indeed
- Glassdoor
- Fiverr or Upwork
- Creatively.life
- WeWorkRemotely
Pro Tip: When you find a position open on any of these job sites, go to the company’s main site and try to apply for the job on their own site if they have it listed.
4. Nail the Interview
When you are interviewing, be sure to showcase any remote work experience that you have. If there is a certain work from home ritual you have that helps you stay on task and in a collaborative, share it. They will be comforted to see that you know what to expect in a remote work setting.
Be yourself, don’t trail off too much when answering situational questions, keep your answers as focused as possible, and never answer the question, “What did you make at your previous employer?” That question is illegal in 21 states.
How to Get a Remote Job and Thrive as a Remote Worker
Now that you’ve found your ideal remote job, it’s time to thrive. Your days of waiting in hours of traffic and rushing to get through the day are over.
Take the time to create an organized space in your home for a home office and clear workspace. Having an organized area as you work from home will keep you organized in your daily tasks. If you are moving to a digital nomad lifestyle and expect to be moving around a lot, be sure to have tools that keep some order to this mobile type of work like a well- organized Google Drive, a backup of files on a thumb drive, an organized calendar and a waterproof bag for your laptop.
Keep an open communication with your manager and colleagues using tools like Slack and find ways to learn something new every day.
As for your newfound free time that you aren’t spent in traffic, what will you do with it?
This article originally appeared on ILikeToDabble.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
More from MediaFeed:
38 ways to earn passive income
Having more than one source of income is pretty common these days. For some people, it’s a way to make ends meet. For others, it’s a way to grow their wealth. It can also be a way to feel more financially secure. If one source of income dries up, there is another that can fill in the gap. While a common source of income is the type earned from a regular job, there is also passive income.
Creating and managing passive income streams isn’t a passive activity. It requires upfront work and sometimes investment to build up a source of passive income. Depending on what your passive income source is, such as a blog or podcast, it may require you to put in time each week to keep it earning you cash.
Related: 25 things to know when renting out an Airbnb
Khosrork/ istockphoto
Passive income is money that you earn without active involvement. In other words, it is income that isn’t attached to an hourly wage or annual salary. Passive income streams could include things like cash flow from rental properties, dividend-yielding stocks, sales of a product (that requires little or no effort), royalties and more.
SARINYAPINNGAM / istockphoto
In addition to passive income streams, there are other types of income you can earn:
- Earned income: This is the most common type of income
- — money you make from a job. With earned income, you are trading your time for money.
- Profit income: Profit income comes from the sale of a product after expenses have been deducted.
- Interest income: This can be money earned from one entity lending to another entity, such as a person, company or bank. This can also be referred to as interest from accounts such as savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs) in which you receive a 1099-INT at the end of the year.
- Dividend income: Most dividend income is earned by the distribution of income from companies to shareholders owning stocks that pay dividends.
- Rental income: Rental income is earned when you rent or lease a house, car, or other property you own to someone else.
- Capital gains: This generally refers to profit (or gain) that is subject to taxation when you sell an asset such as stock or real estate. There are both long- and short-term capital-gains tax rates depending upon how long you held the asset before sale.
- Royalty income: Royalty income is generated when you own the rights to a piece of art, music, literature or another asset licensed for other people to use, or from the extraction of oil, gas, or minerals.
Pinkypills / istockphoto
There are only 24 hours in a day. If you go to a job each day that pays you a set amount of money, that is the maximum amount that you’ll ever make in a 24-hour period. That is called earned income.
By investing some of that earned income and creating sources of passive income, you may be able to increase your earnings. Diversifying your income stream may also improve your financial security.
Depositphotos
- More free time: By earning money through passive income sources, you might be able to free time in your schedule. You may choose to spend more time with your family, pursue a creative project or new business idea, or travel the world.
- Financial security: Even if you still plan to keep your 9-to-5 job, having multiple sources of income could help increase your financial security. If you lose your job, become sick or get injured, you may still have money coming in to cover expenses. This is especially important if you are supporting a family.
- Tax benefits: You may want certain legal protections for your personal assets or to qualify for tax breaks. Consulting with an attorney and/or tax advisor to explore setting up a formal business structure like a sole proprietorship, a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation might help you decide if this is a good route for your particular situation.
- Location flexibility: If you don’t have to go into an office each day, you’ll be free to move around and, possibly, live anywhere in the world. Many passive income streams can be managed from your phone or laptop.
- Achieve financial independence: The definition of financial independence is having enough income to cover your expenses without having to actively work in order to cover living expenses. This could allow you to retire early and have more freedom to live your life the way you choose. Whether you’re interested in retiring early or not, passive income can be one way to help you reach financial independence.
- Pay off debt: Passive income may help you to supplement your income so that you will have the opportunity to pay off any debts more quickly.
Depositphotos
Although it might sound like a dream come true to quit your job and travel the world, earning through passive income is not quite that simple.
- Earning passive income is not a passive activity: Whether you earn passive income through a rental property, running a blog or in another way, you will still need to put in some time and effort. It takes time to get these income sources up and running, and they don’t always work out as planned. If, for example, you run an Airbnb, you have to maintain the property, ensure a high-quality experience for guests, and address any issues or concerns guests may have to secure positive reviews.
- Passive income requires diversity: In order to earn enough passive income to quit your job and cover all your expenses, you would most likely need more than one source of income. Although you may no longer need to clock into a 9-to-5 job, you will likely still need to spend time managing multiple income streams.
- It’s lonely at the top: It might sound great to never have to go to the office again and to have the freedom to travel, but earning money through passive income can become lonely. Not having anyone to talk to during the day might make you feel lonely, and if you aren’t self-motivated, you may find it difficult to stay on task if you need to manage your passive income streams.
- Getting started may require investment: Depending on how you plan to earn passive income, it may require an initial financial investment. You may need money for a down payment on a rental property, the development of a product you plan to sell or for investment into dividend-yielding stocks.
Depositphotos
There are a number of ways to earn passive income. Some options, like the following, take relatively little active supervision.
SIphotography / istockphoto
By simply putting your money in the bank, you may be able to start to earn passive income on it. If you invest in an FDIC-insured account, the first $250,000 of your money is protected. There are both banks and online platforms that offer high-yield savings accounts.
DepositPhotos.com
Although this may take an up-front investment, buying into a business and becoming a silent partner can be another passive income source.
DepositPhotos.com
Using a peer-to-peer or crowd-lending website, you can be matched to an individual seeking a loan and lend your money as an installment-type loan, earning interest on it. You might earn even more than from a bank, depending on the loan.
AndreyPopov/istock
Another popular passive income source is rental property. You might want to purchase a home to rent out to an ongoing tenant or list a property on a short-term rental site like Airbnb. Hiring a property management company lessens your day-to-day involvement, thereby making this venture more passive than active.
DepositPhotos.com
If you don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on a piece of property, you can always check out your options on crowdfunded real estate sites like Fundrise and CrowdStreet. For Fundrise, you only need $500 to start.
DepositPhotos.com
There is no guarantee that investing in dividend-paying stocks will continue to earn you passive income, but some investors may enjoy the thrill of the ups and downs of the stock market. Dividend-paying stocks typically pay investors quarterly or annually and often allow investors to reinvest the dividends.
DepositPhotos.com
If you’re just getting started with investing, you may want to use automated investing tools to help you choose the appropriate allocation of assets for your goals.
AndreyPopov / istockphoto
When you open your retirement account, you can choose to invest it however you want. One way to earn passive income on a retirement account is through mutual funds. You can choose the level of risk you want to take with your money by finding a mutual fund that is higher or lower risk.
Flickr: American Advisors Group
When you join a company’s affiliate program, you earn a commission from every product that someone purchases from that company. All you have to do is post the link on your blog, website or social media pages. Amazon Associates is a great place to start.
CarmenMurillo / iStock
Another one of the best passive income opportunities is renting out your car on a site like Turo. It’s basically the Airbnb of cars, and, according to Turo, the average annual income for one car on the site is $10,516.
DepositPhotos.com
If you have a clean driving record and a newer car, consider getting in touch with a car advertising agency. You simply drive around town with ads on your car and easily earn passive income.
kzenon/istock
Do you have space in your driveway that you aren’t using? Then rent it out on platforms like Stow It, where you can find people who will pay to rent out the space.
KatarzynaBialasiewicz/istock
If you have extra space in your garage, shed or storage unit, then you could earn passive income by using a peer-to-peer storage site like Stashii to find people who need your space.
DFTidrington / istockphoto
You may not have space to store other people’s things, but you might consider investing in a real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses on storage units. For example, one option is Public Storage, which has ownership or interest in 2,548 properties located in 38 states.
DepositPhotos.com
Perhaps you don’t have a car, but you do have a bike that’s just sitting around. Your bike could be a lucrative passive income source, especially if you live in a high-traffic area. List your bike on Spinlister to get started.
DepositPhotos.com
Even if you don’t own a rental property, with your landlord’s permission, you may be able to rent out a room in your apartment or list it on Airbnb and start adding to your passive income streams.
DepositPhotos.com
If you love pets, you can earn passive income by welcoming pets into your home while their owners are on vacation. For instance, you could charge $30 to $80 per day just for running a doggy daycare. You can gain clients through word of mouth or use a site like Rover to find customers.
DepositPhotos.com
When your friends go out of town, they may need someone to stay in their home and do simple things like water their plants and collect their mail. You can easily make money and have somewhere new to stay for a little bit. Along with making yourself available to friends, you can sign up to be a house sitter on HouseSitter.com.
Valeriy_G / iStock
Some domain names are cheap, while others cost a lot of money because they are in high demand. One thing you could do to start another passive income stream is to purchase domain names you think will be popular. Purchase low for around $10 to $100 and then sell them for a much higher price later on.
DepositPhotos.com
Have you ever done a home improvement project that required you to purchase tools? You may never need to use those tools again. Thankfully, now you can rent tools, and rent out your tools, on peer-to-peer platforms such as Sparetoolz to earn passive income.
artisteer / istockphoto
Let’s say you don’t have any songwriting ability, but you would like to make money on other artists’ work. You can invest in royalties through Royalty Exchange and earn passive income on the intellectual property.
Drablenkov / istockphoto
You can make thousands of dollars per month if you own a billboard where companies can advertise their products and services. Do your research and make sure you get the right permits before committing to a billboard.
Zyabich/istock
If you don’t have the time or energy to create content for your own blog, then look into ones that are already successful and see if the owners are willing to sell. You could also hire someone to manage your blog so that you’re truly earning in a passive way.
DepositPhotos.com
If you have a special skill or knowledge about a certain topic, you may be able to create a video course where you teach people about that topic and charge them to take the course.
fizkes/ istockphoto
You may want to research online platforms where you can sell everything from digital art to e-books. Whether you’re an artist, graphic designer or writer, you can create digital products to sell online.
DMEPhotography / istockphoto
Many companies, bloggers and individuals use stock photos on a regular basis. You may be able to upload your best photos to stock photo sites and earn passive income on them.
DepositPhotos.com
If you’ve been dreaming about an amazing phone app that you think a lot of other people would use, you may want to look into hiring a development team to create it.
DepositPhotos.com
You may be able to earn passive income through sales of a product that you create. This could be a book that you write or a physical product that you design and make. You might also list items you already own on sites like eBay and earn extra income through those sales.
CrispyPork/ istockphoto
Do you love to write songs? Then you could license your music and start to earn passive income. You’ll just have to team up with a music licensing company to get started.
Rohapp
Through platforms like Amazon’s KDP, you can self-publish a book and earn a royalty on it every time someone makes a purchase. You will be able to set the price of your book and be in full control of your book’s Amazon page, where you can list pictures of the book, reviews and videos promoting it.
DepositPhotos.com
You can start selling books online without having to write anything. How? By focusing on blank books, such as journals, sketchbooks and planners. Simply find a design you believe will appeal to people and begin collecting royalties when people buy your books.
dmitriymoroz/istock
Another artistic endeavor that could be a good passive income stream is creating greeting cards that you sell to a wholesale or retail stationery company that accepts independent artist submissions.
VictoriaBee / iStock
If you want to sell products online but don’t want to store any of the goods, you could always look into dropshipping to earn passive income. With dropshipping, you don’t have to have much money to start since you don’t need inventory to fulfill orders for customers.
Depositphotos
If you like to write and are passionate about a certain topic, you might want to start a blog and earn money through ads and affiliate links.
DepositPhotos.com
If you enjoy creating videos more than writing, then consider starting your own YouTube channel. Once you get enough viewers, you can earn passive income through YouTube advertising.
DepositPhotos.com
Podcasts are all the rage, and they can generate some passive income streams for you. If you start a podcast that resonates with people, then you can grow your audience and monetize your show by sponsoring with ad partners. If you get enough listeners, you may be able to sign up for podcast advertising networks.
vadimguzhva / istockphoto
When people are out at a bar or nightclub or they’re frequenting a cash-only business, they may need cash right away. If you own an ATM business and you place your ATM in high-traffic locations, you could start to earn passive income through surcharge fees. Typically, you could earn around $3 per withdrawal.
DepositPhotos.com
Similar to an ATM business, a vending machine business allows you to use your creativity and determine high-traffic areas where you could make a lot of money. If you buy in bulk, you’ll be able to save on the snacks and drinks you purchase for your machines.
DepositPhotos.com
No matter which type of passive income you choose to pursue, it’s important to keep track of your finances and both your short-term and long-term financial goals.
Tracking multiple sources of income in a monthly budget can be a complex task. To be profitable, it’s important to pay attention to how much money you put into the maintenance of your passive income stream(s), such as property upkeep or monthly online services.
Portra
Establishing passive income streams is one way to diversify your income and can help you build wealth and achieve financial freedom in the long term. There are a variety of ways to earn passive income, such as through investing, rental properties and earning royalties. Some passive income sources require a financial commitment upfront, such as purchasing a rental property, and others may require a time commitment.
Learn more:
This article originally appeared on SoFi.comand was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
SoFi Money
SoFi Money is a cash management account, which is a brokerage product, offered by SoFi Securities LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Neither SoFi nor its affiliates is a bank. SoFi Money Debit Card issued by The Bancorp Bank. SoFi has partnered with Allpoint to provide consumers with ATM access at any of the 55,000+ ATMs within the Allpoint network. Consumers will not be charged a fee when using an in-network ATM, however, third party fees incurred when using out-of-network ATMs are not subject to reimbursement. SoFi’s ATM policies are subject to change at our discretion at any time.
SoFi Invest
The information provided is not meant to provide investment or financial advice. Investment decisions should be based on an individual’s specific financial needs, goals and risk profile. SoFi can’t guarantee future financial performance. Advisory services offered through SoFi Wealth, LLC. SoFi Securities, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. SoFi Invest refers to the three investment and trading platforms operated by Social Finance, Inc. and its affiliates (described below). Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of the platforms below.
1) Automated Investing—The Automated Investing platform is owned by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor (“Sofi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC, an affiliated SEC registered broker dealer and member FINRA/SIPC, (“Sofi Securities).
2) Active Investing—The Active Investing platform is owned by SoFi Securities LLC. Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
3) Cryptocurrency is offered by SoFi Digital Assets, LLC, a FinCEN registered Money Service Business.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above, including state licensure of Sofi Digital Assets, LLC, please visit www.sofi.com/legal. Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform. Information related to lending products contained herein should not be construed as an offer or pre-qualification for any loan product offered by SoFi Lending Corp and/or its affiliates.
SoFi’s Relay tool offers users the ability to connect both in-house accounts and external accounts using Plaid, Inc’s service. When you use the service to connect an account, you authorize SoFi to obtain account information from any external accounts as set forth in SoFi’s Terms of Use. SoFi assumes no responsibility for the timeliness, accuracy, deletion, non-delivery or failure to store any user data, loss of user data, communications, or personalization settings. You shall confirm the accuracy of Plaid data through sources independent of SoFi. The credit score provided to you is a Vantage Score® based on TransUnion™ (the “Processing Agent”) data.
External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.
Third Party Brand Mentions: No brands or products mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.
Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.
designer491/ iStock
monkeybusinessimages / istockphoto
Featured Image Credit: Prostock-Studio/ istockphoto .
