Want to find remote jobs whilst building your own thing? In this article, I share two paths that I’ve seen work for many people.
A lot of companies are looking for content creators that can demonstrate examples of the type of content that they want to be created for their target audience.
I know because I’ve been able to go from leaving a full-time job, to freelancing as a copywriter to getting hired to work full-time for one of my best clients as their marketing manager.
Prefer listening to audio? Just click play below. Otherwise scroll down for the text version.
2 paths for finding remote work
Path 1: Search and apply on remote job sites
Go to sites like:
- WeWorkRemotely.com
- Remotive.io
- Dynamite Jobs, or
- Hunt for freelance gigs on Upwork, Freelancer, and similar sites.
This path is particularly useful if all you’re interested in is a remote job that allows you to get paid, gives you the flexibility to work from home/cafe/coworking space, and still build your hustle.
Now if you’re wanting to build a long career working remotely, whilst positioning yourself as great at what you do, then there’s a longer (and in my experience a much more rewarding) path that you can take.
Path 2: Create remote opportunities for yourself
Follow the 5 steps below.
1. WHO
What are the top 50 companies that provide products or services to people who are passionate about topics that you are interested in yourself?
Make a list of your interests or passions, then do an internet search to find companies that offer products or services related to those interests.
For instance, if you’re passionate about productivity you could search for “best productivity products” and see what comes up.
You could then dig deeper into the search results and make a list in a spreadsheet of all the companies that are selling products related to your interest.
A few things I’d recommend looking for:
- Are they a remote company or is there any mention of them anywhere about having remote team members? If yes, then there’s a much greater chance that they’d hire remotely.
- Do their values align with your own? Check out their websites and social media profiles to see which companies look like ones that you’d enjoy working with.
Take note of what specifically captures your attention about the company and why you’re interested in working with them eg. do you find them to be innovative, fun, have great branding that aligns with who you are, or something else?
2. SKILLS
What are your top 5 skills that you can offer someone remotely, that you know companies are paying people for already?
Tip: To get a sense of what kinds of skills companies are paying for remotely, check out the available job listings on the remote job sites listed in path 1 above.
3. PORTFOLIO
The best way to show that work is to actually do it first and build up a portfolio of work online BEFORE you apply.
Have you created a decent volume of work to demonstrate that you’ve got the skills to do the work, and produce a great result for them?
Eg. If you want to find work podcasting or helping someone with their podcast, then it’s a good idea to present to the prospective employer episodes of your own podcast that you’ve worked on. (Most podcasts fizzle out at 20 so if you can show 50+ episodes you’d definitely stand out).
I’d recommend you learn how to move people from the podcast to your email list/ website too, and be able to track numbers like leads generated, monthly downloads, etc. (There is a MASSIVE demand for people who can prove that they know how to generate traffic to websites)
4. NETWORK (AUDIENCE)
Build your audience months before you start pitching or applying.
You could start publishing a weekly podcast/youtube video/ FB Live and interview people/companies that you want to build a relationship within a specific industry that you want to get a job in.
The key here is to show people that you’re wanting to work with/for that you’re a go-getter with tones of initiative, you have skills, you’re a good communicator.
This is precisely why I decided to reboot my Authentic Influence podcast recently, and do it as FB Live series. Below is an example of one of my expert interviews.
5. PITCH/ APPLY
Once you’ve got those first 4 things worked out (who, skills, portfolio of work) then you’re in a great position to pitch the companies you’ve listed and ask for a meeting with their HR person.
They may have jobs listed online which you can apply for.
Or
You could also go back to the people you’ve interviewed and ask them if they’re aware of any opportunities.
You can also let your audience/ list know you’re on the job hunt and ask if they know of anyone hiring.
Hope this has been helpful. If yes, share this post on social and share one thing you learned (tag me @anferneec so that I can see it). Or simply leave a comment below.
Additional resources:
- 40 Days of Job Hunting ebook by George Siosi Samuels. My buddy George documented his process for landing his dream job. George’s process was one of the inspirations for my own journey.
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