How hard is it to find a remote job?

**shihabu** · December 6, 2015, 9:05pm

I have been following nomad list, remotek and other remote job portals and from last two years have been applied to a lot number of remote jobs. Unfortunately none of them replied back me yet :(.

I have CS background with 5 years BI and DB development experience, also I know scrum and other PMO stuff.
I am looking for roles including remote PMO office and also I can do high end tech support stuff too. Sorry for the self-promotion but I have applied to more than 200+ opp’s but unfortunately no one of them returned back to me why is that? I am planning to start my travelling life from last few years and this is the only thing is stopping me to do that.

Best

Shihab

**naeem** · December 6, 2015, 3:57pm

It’s certainly a lot more competitive. But like all jobs, there’s two things:

Sell yourself well
Keep at it

Luck plays a big role. Just make sure you’ve got a nice resume, work on your interview skills, and keep at it. It’s worth it in the end.

Persistence, man, that’s it. It sucks, but there’s no secret, you just have to keep at it.

**Munly_Leong** · December 7, 2015, 4:47pm

The odds are pretty bad because the whole planet can apply for them and there aren’t enough remote companies. I think because of this, companies putting out remote roles should at least mention a minimum salary as a filter so that those who are looking for a higher range wouldn’t bother.

It’s really best to start a business. That’s how most people are doing it

**ajsnewman** · December 7, 2015, 6:49pm

Or you could suggest to your current employer that you could do your role remotely and how it would benefit them. This was how I got started.

Have you tried Toptal? I have found them to be excellent.

**andreobrown** · December 9, 2015, 5:37am

Have you tried UpWork.com? I’ve been freelancing on UpWork (formerly oDesk) for 5 years now. I’ve met many great clients, and have some longterm clients too. I have a steady stream of well paying work.

There are many who will criticise UpWork because of bad experiences or not being able to find jobs. However, you should give it a try as your experience may be different. The key to landing jobs on UpWork is to stand out from the pack. It is after all an international marketplace.

To get setup and land good jobs, I suggest a lot of reading: https://www.upwork.com/i/howitworks/freelancer/. This is also a good resource: https://freelancetowin.com A lot of what the guys writes sometimes sounds gimmicky, but his recommendations are stuff I’ve learned over the years. Don’t go buy into the course unless you have the money to spend. The free newsletter stuff if pretty good to get you started.

Get your profile completed, fill out every section, write a good intro, take a professional photo, do some tests. Don’t stop applying for jobs daily until you land your first one.

**shihabu** · December 9, 2015, 8:31am

@andreobrown I am looking for long term remote job not short gigs that’s why didn’t try upwork.

**andreobrown** · December 9, 2015, 3:31pm

It is possible to find long term contracts on UpWork. I have a client who I’ve been working with for 5 years, and another for over 2 years.

Additionally, you can find a steady flow of short and medium term contracts that can provide steady income.

**shihabu** · December 9, 2015, 5:56pm

@andreobrown upwork seems to me like a lottery game, I have applied to a lot jobs of my skillsets, none of them invited me to talk, the work I have done remote so far from my friends and known personal networks.

**andreobrown** · December 9, 2015, 7:06pm

UpWork is no more of a lottery game than finding a job by any other means. The difference is, in regular life you don’t see how many other people are applying and what your competition looks like.

As I pointed out, it takes a lot of work. You are after all competing in an international marketplace. It takes work to get your profile completed; it takes work to send applications day in day out; it takes work to customise each and every application for the client and job you’re applying for; it takes work to keep trying until you land your first job; it takes less work to get a second job after landing your first.

I’m quitting my full-time day job on Dec. 31 to go into freelancing full-time. This is possible because I put the work into building my career on UpWork. If you are willing to put in the work, you can succeed on UpWork. Or you can just give up and keep doing what you’re doing.

**ajsnewman** · December 10, 2015, 2:58pm

I agree, Upwork is basically as good as you make it to be yourself. If you are looking for a single employer though, apply to join toptal.

**neal** · December 10, 2015, 3:52pm

I have hired 9 full time remote employees from contracts that started on Upwork (when it was Elance). But that is only 1/1000th of the number of applications I have received in total from there, over the years.

If you have been with a large employer for more than a year, and ask to go remote, they will oblige. I have met many who where able to go remote to be closer to family.

If you are starting fresh, try finding a job opening in a small town, where you can pitch to them the benefits of remote employees. The benefits to the small time employer are:

Larger talent pool. You are drawing from all over the world
Less administrative work. You bill as a contractor and pay your own taxes, file your own paperwork, take care of your own health insurance.
Cheaper. Remote workers cost less. Partially because item 2 removes employer costs, but also because the competition is stiffer for remote workers.

Accountability is a major issue when I hire. I want everyone to have a daily process and routine, to be available at consistent and expected hours of the day, attend daily team calls, and have the skills to move projects forward. I want to know what will be happening when they log in, and what the results were when they logged out. You need to convey this to every employer you wish to work remotely for.

**Munly_Leong** · December 16, 2015, 9:43am

lol nice seeing you here too Neal, and yup setting those hours and the ground rules is one of the first things I expect to do and insist on it myself if whoever I’m working for “doesn’t want to deal with it right now”.