Finding a work-from-home (or remote job) can seem to be an impossible proposition. It’s like finding a unicorn. You’ve heard they exist, but you’ve never actually seen one.
Many people ask about finding jobs you can do from home. Whether you have children, would like freedom to relocate, or just prefer peace and quiet, working from home sounds ideal.
Many companies that create virtual positions or departments often do so for financial reasons. It may be cheaper to allow employees to work remotely. If a job requires travel, it might not make sense to force the employee to live in the same city as the corporation. In other cases, allowing a remote assignment increases the chances a company will have access to the best employees.
The Survey of Income and Program Participation reported a 45 percent increase in employees working from home at least one day per week between 1997 and 2010. It appears that a large portion of those people are self-employed. If you want to work from home but don’t want to start your own business, where should you begin?
The first thing to remember is to proceed with caution. There are a startling number of remote jobs available online that are, simply put, scams. And, unfortunately, a number of legitimate remote opportunities are not listed as such online. Often, it’s not until you’re in the interview that you learn the hiring manager is open to you working from home.
The types of jobs where remote working is possible are often technology-dependent. Their heavy reliance on computers and the internet are what makes working from anywhere possible. The types of jobs you may find are web developer, virtual assistant and technology support. In order to see what’s out there, search Indeed.com for “work from home” or “remote” rather than by city name.
After you’ve found what appears to be a great opportunity, take the time to do your research. In fact, research it more than you would an in person role. Get all of your questions answered. A work-from-home job has the potential (at least initially) to go awry more quickly than when you work from an office. You aren’t able to form the same bonds as quickly when you aren’t together in person.
Here are a few questions to consider. Why is the role remote? Will you be the only remote person, or is the entire team working from home? What technology (such as a laptop, cellphone and Internet) does the company provide, and what are you expected to provide? It’s also important to meet other team members. Are they committed to their work, or are they using the work-from-home option as an excuse? Do the current employees feel the work remote environment is working for the company?
In the end, finding the perfect work-from-home job is a lot of work, so be sure the one you select is worth your time.
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.
Also, be sure to subscribe to my Copeland Coaching Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If you’ve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in iTunes or Stitcher.
Episode 149 is live! This week, we talk with Joelle Pittman in Memphis, Tennessee.
Joelle is the Vice President of digital marketing agency Neon Canvas. Previously, Joelle was a Community and Marketing Director at Yelp. And, she was a participant in a program called Remote Year.
On today’s episode, Joelle shares:
What is Remote Year, and what are other similar programs
The pros and cons of remote work
The types of jobs that are a great fit for remote work
Suggestions for transitioning to remote work
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about Joelle, check out her LinkedIn here (www.linkedin.com/in/joellepittman). You can learn more about remote year on their website here (https://remoteyear.com/).
Thanks to everyone for listening! And, thank you to those who sent me questions. You can send your questions to Angela@CopelandCoaching.com. You can also send me questions via Twitter. I’m @CopelandCoach. And, on Facebook, I am Copeland Coaching.
Don’t forget to help me out. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave me a review!
Episode 136 is live! This week, we talk with Paul Wolfe in Austin, TX.
Paul is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Indeed.com. He oversees all global human resource functions, including talent acquisition, employee retention, compensation, benefits, and employee development. Paul has over 15 years of experience as a human resources executive having served as a VP and SVP at number of well-known companies, including Match.com, Orbitz, Conde Nast and Ticketmaster.
On today’s episode, Paul shares what benefits employees want, including unlimited paid time off, loan assistance, and increased parental leave.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
To learn more about Paul or Indeed, visit the Indeed website at www.indeed.com.
Thanks to everyone for listening! And, thank you to those who sent me questions. You can send your questions to Angela@CopelandCoaching.com. You can also send me questions via Twitter. I’m @CopelandCoach. And, on Facebook, I am Copeland Coaching.
Don’t forget to help me out. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave me a review!
Episode 132 is live! This week, we talk with Tamara Murray.
Tamara is a digital nomad who runs my own one-woman communications firm, Well-Rounded Communications, while traveling full-time for the past two and a half years. Tamara is also the author of the book Awesome Supervisory Skills: Seven Lessons for Young, First Time Managers.
On today’s episode, Tamara shares what it means to be a digital nomad, the pros and cons to being a digital nomad, and the misconceptions. She also discusses the topic of remote working and work from home.
Listen and learn more! You can play the podcast here, or download it on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
Thanks to everyone for listening! And, thank you to those who sent me questions. You can send your questions to Angela@CopelandCoaching.com. You can also send me questions via Twitter. I’m @CopelandCoach. And, on Facebook, I am Copeland Coaching.
Don’t forget to help me out. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave me a review!
Have you ever wanted a job where you can work from home, a coffee shop, or the beach? If so, you’re not alone. In just the past two years, searches for remote jobs have grown considerably.
Below is a graph that represents the growth in searches for work from home jobs on job website Indeed.com. As you can see, interest is going up fast.
This is great news, for both the job seeker and the company. Remote working allows the job seeker to do their job from any environment that works for them. It can be helpful for parents with small children, people who want to live in a specific area (where certain jobs may not exist), and for those whose spouse must relocate frequently for work.
Hiring remote workers allows the employer to have a broader base of applicants. And, if done right, the employer can save money on things such as office space.
I hope that in time, more and more remote jobs will be created. Very often, deciding whether or not to move to a new job’s new location is the biggest struggle the job seeker faces. Just think of how many more jobs you might be interested in if you didn’t have to move.
With that said, the question becomes — How do I find a remote job?
The honest answer is, there isn’t a perfect solution to this issue — yet. There are still many job postings out there listed as “remote” that aren’t as legitimate as you’d assume they are. Whatever you do, be sure to do your homework when it comes to remote jobs. You want to know as much as possible about the company in advance.
To find remote opportunities, search on sites like Indeed.com for jobs located in “remote” or “work from home.” This is what I mean:
Another option is to do research on companies that have entire departments that are remote. Some companies, including Bank of America, have entire departments that have employees working from home. This is a great situation, because you won’t be the odd man out when the entire department works remotely.
The last option (which is rarely thought of) is to pitch your current employer on the idea of you working remotely. Now, you do need to be careful with this option. You don’t want to give the impression that if the company doesn’t go along with your request, you’ll leave. But, I have seen multiple highly respected employees gain permission to work remotely at their current job. It allows the employee to relocate to another area, and to work from home. In the cases where it works, the employer is able to retain a great employee. And, the employee is able to have the personal flexibility they’re seeking.
If working from home is on your goal list, don’t stop looking. These jobs will continue to grow in the future. But, as I mentioned before, do your homework! It can be harder to tell a legitimate company from others in a remote environment.
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.
Also, be sure to subscribe to my Copeland Coaching Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If you’ve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.
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