As I’m sure you’re painfully aware of by now, we live in strange times. Unemployment in the United States and around the world has reached historic highs. Millions of people are out of work with no real sense of when or if they’ll be coming back to the office—assuming there is an office to return to.
At the same time, remote work is flourishing. There are countless job listings online proclaiming you can earn thousands of dollars per week at home, with minimal effort, in your pajamas.
If you’re new to remote work, that prospect may sound appealing—or perhaps too good to be true. As the CEO of a company that’s provided virtual staffing for 20 years, I can tell you the reality is somewhere in the middle. Remote work is still work—there are demands and rewards, periods of stress and moments of bliss, and good days and bad days. Certain people are better at it than others.
To succeed in this new environment, you need the right combination of skills, expectations, and drive. There’s plenty of opportunity—opportunity to make a living, fit your job around your life, and redefine your relationship with work. But you have to go about it in a thoughtful, purposeful way.
Here are five tips anyone new to remote work should take to heart.
1. It pays to be specific when looking for opportunities.
You can’t just Google “remote jobs” and expect to find the perfect opportunity. As with any job hunt, it will take some time and effort to scour listings and pinpoint the ideal position. Think in terms of keywords surrounding your specific line of work, for instance: “virtual executive assistant,” “online client relationship manager job,” “virtual payroll,” or “remote customer service jobs.”
Browse multiple employment sites as well as the “Careers” pages of organizations you’d like to work for. Then, reach out to your friends and colleagues. The broader and deeper your search, the better your chances of landing the right opportunity.
2. It’s less about the job and more about your skill set.
If you can’t find that perfect remote job, don’t panic. Keep an open mind and consider how your skills and experience may suit opportunities outside of what you’ve done in the past. A human resources professional, for example, may be able to tap into workforce training experience to smoothly transition into an educational career. An event planner might be well-equipped for a job as a digital production specialist or social media community manager.
Focus on your soft skills. A 2019 Harris Poll survey found that qualities “such as personal, communications and time-management skills; enthusiasm; dependability; and reliability” are often “more desirable than having the right experience or qualifications for a job.” Given the choice between hiring for soft skills and hiring for experience, 75% of respondents chose soft skills.
3. When applying, you should be dressed and video-ready at all times.
For people new to remote work, one of its first and most obvious differences from conventional jobs is the hiring and onboarding process. The online-only environment removes multiple steps between the application and interview. There’s no need to schedule an in-person meeting. Resumes and cover letters may also be reviewed in minutes or seconds, rather than hours or days.
That means you need to be presentable whenever you’re actively contacting businesses and employers. Contrary to what some claim, you need to wear pants—at least before you land the position. Be ready with a well-lit room, a smiling face, and an energetic attitude. Depending on the job, you might be asked to submit a video rather than interview live with a company representative, or you may need to take an assessment, undergo a screening, or all of the above. Regardless, the next step can happen instantly after you click “Submit,” so be prepared.
Callout: How to Look and Sound Good Via Webcam
- Optimize your lighting—the brighter your face, the better.
- Invest in a good microphone and/or pair of headphones.
- Test your audio and video—record yourself or ask a friend for feedback.
- Keep your camera at eye level (you may need to elevate your computer).
- Decorate your space to add some character to your background, but keep it appropriate and not distracting.
- Eliminate or minimize background noise.
- Close your door (if you can) to prevent family members, roommates, or pets from entering your space.
4. Scams and frauds aren’t always obvious.
We’ve all seen bogus remote job ads in spam emails and comments on articles: “I make $5k/week working from home, in just 5 hours a week!” But many work-from-home scams aren’t as immediately obvious as that. And given the influx of fraudulent listings over the past few months, job-seekers need to be extra-cautious.
To discern legitimate remote opportunities from scams, heed this advice from Liveops’ security team:
- Ignore people who contact you with offers you didn’t apply for or inquire about.
- Pay close attention to email addresses and URLs—if something looks suspicious, don’t click on it.
- Avoid job offers that promise a lot of money with little effort.
- Be wary of companies that try to “pay” you before you’ve done anything.
- Don’t do business with anyone who wants to pay you or get paid in gift cards.
- Be careful with recruiters who don’t ask about your education or experience.
- Only work with people and companies you can verify.
Above all, follow the money—if the other party is asking you for money, there’s a good chance it’s a scam.
5. Due diligence goes both ways.
High-quality remote employers and recruiters will find out everything they can about you. Thus, don’t be surprised if they conduct a background check, contact your former employers, or look at your social media pages.
As a job-seeker, you should do the same. Do your homework. Find out about a company or individual before you apply for a remote job. Visit their website. Browse reviews and information on sites like the Better Business Bureau, Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, Yelp, and PayScale. Check out their YouTube channel. Call their customer service line. Get to know their values, leadership, and culture. Don’t settle for something you can’t get behind or aren’t enthusiastic about. Any opportunity you pursue should be a good fit for you.
Once you find a real, suitable, and rewarding job—well, that’s when the real work begins. You’ll need to develop certain skills and habits to succeed in the remote working world. But that’s a topic for another article.
