Working from the comfort of one's own home does, indeed, sound very appealing. However, things can get a bit tangled as soon as start asking yourself how to find a remote job online in practice.
Because if there's one thing that Covid has shown us it's that in the increasingly digital workplace, great results can be achieved without requiring employees to sit in an office from 9 to 5.
And that's why we're here to guide you through everything you need to know about remote work opportunities in 2024.
What is a remote job?
Simply put, a remote job is a job that is performed outside of a traditional office.
In other words, if you aren't physically in the same building as your co-workers or clients, you're working remotely.
In reality, there are different levels of working remotely:
- Some companies require you to be based in a specific location — country, state, or city.
- Similarly, some remote jobs require of you to be physically in the office to a certain extent. These are referred to as partially remote jobs.
- Nonetheless, there are jobs that are 100% remote, meaning you can work fully from home (or anywhere else) with no need to be in a company's office.
- Bonus: There's also a relatively novel remote job type — asynchronous (async) work, which operates in a way that doesn’t require employees to be logged on at a specific time or work simultaneously during given work hours. It's almost a step-up from remote work.
Where to find remote jobs?
While in the past working remotely was quite rare, it's quickly becoming more and more popular.
With rising demand, it's also a lot less hassle nowadays to find a remote job and the job search process is much easier.
Many job boards meet the demand by only listing jobs which can be done remotely!
7 best sites for finding a remote job:
- Pyjama Jobs — this job board dedicated entirely to remote jobs gets you automatically matched with positions that will fit you based on your resume and your expectations. If you fit a job offer, you can either contact the recruiter or wait until they reach out to you.
- FlexJobs lists over 24,000 remote jobs from almost 6,000 companies at the time of writing. They include giants such as Apple, Dell, Xerox and Pearson. You can search by job category, location or look for jobs in a specific companies — all remote.
- We Work Remotely is the largest remote work community in the world. It's extremely user friendly, since you can very intuitively add any filters you want — including location, company, category, type of work (i.e. full-time or part-time). WWR is also being constantly updated so you won't miss anything!
- JustRemote claims to help you find 70% of live jobs which never get advertised for a low price of $5. It's a powerful remote job search platform listing fully (or partially) remote positions in high quality companies around the world.
- AngelList: Unlike other job boards, AngelList is targeted specifically towards startups. There is no fee you have to pay. You'll have to make a profile, however, which will serve as your resume. You can select startups which you find interesting and if a company likes your profile, they'll reach out to you!
- Hubstaff Talent promises "no fees, no markups, no middlemen". Hubstaff has thousands of remote startups, software companies, agencies, and e-commerce businesses that are looking for talent. As a freelancer you can start a profile and let companies contact you directly.
- Remote.co is a great place not only for finding a remote job but also for learning a lot about working remotely. Remote.co is a partner company with FlexJobs which promises expert insight and the best practices in remote work career.
More remote job sites:
Remote.com, Pangian, Jobspresso, Indeed, Remote OK, The Muse
How to get a remote job?
To get a remote job, follow this step-by-step guide:
- Make sure remote work is really what you want.
Start by looking at the pros and cons of remote jobs. Some of the pros obviously include no commuting, working from anywhere, or no office drama. Cons include loneliness, limited socialization, over- or under-working. Working remotely isn’t for everyone.
- Decide what type of remote job is the right fit for you.
Ask yourself: Am I looking for full-time and strictly remote work? Do I want a remote job based on my location? Is working remotely for a company based in another country really for me?
- Have a look at remote job offers.
Check out remote job boards like Pyjama Jobs, FlexJobs, We Work Remotely, or JustRemote.
- Make sure your preferences align with the policies of the company.
It will definitely help improve your job experience if you’re on the same page. But that goes for any kind of job.
- Tailor your resume for a remote job application.
Talk about online tools, software, apps, and programming tools you can use. Really emphasize your communication skills, self-sufficiency, and autonomy. Don’t forget to include a link to your online portfolio.
- Prepare for a virtual job interview.
After you find remote jobs, you’ll inevitably have to do a virtual job interview. Make sure you prepare well for this part of the job search process and leave nothing to chance. Virtual Interview Tips: How to Ace It and Get a Head Start?
What are the best remote jobs in 2024?
Currently, approximately 34% of people around the globe work remotely or in a hybrid mode, as per a 2023 WFH Report.
As more companies and employees begin to realize the benefits of remote work, many companies decide to offer permanent or long-term remote jobs.
The top fields hiring for remote jobs are traditionally technology and computer based careers, however, there are plenty of jobs from different industries as well.
These are the top industries for remote work:
- Computer & IT. Including positions such as IT managers, software developers, or database administrators.
- Marketing. There are so many options, including market research analysts, campaign specialists, product marketing managers.
- Accounting & Finance. This industry experienced significant growth (31%) of remote jobs listings in the past few years.
- Content creation. Copywriting, social media content creators, digital storytelling, (blog) writer, content managers.
- HR & recruiting. Includes employee experience managers, talents sourcing researchers, HR assistants and many more.
- Customer service. This is probably self-explanatory.
Although many jobs can be done remotely, there are always some that are more in demand.
The top 10 remote job titles on FlexJobs include:
Christy's word of advice
This is a REALLY exciting time to broaden your experience by working remotely — including for companies overseas. Even though the job is remote, I recommend learning about the typical corporate culture of that country — as well as the specific ethos of the company — before your interview. Interview styles and working practices might be different compared to your country, including how team members communicate with each other, so these insights will help you to put your best foot forward virtually.
Christy Morgan, Resident HR Expert
What were the best companies to work remotely for in 2024?
FlexJob analyzed nearly 58,000 companies’ remote-job postings. Based on that, they put together their 11th annual list of the top 100 companies to watch for remote jobs.
Businesses with the highest number of remote job openings made up the final list.
Overall, the companies on the top 100 list have their headquarters in 11 different countries, which reflects the continuing worldwide recognition and transition to remote work.
These are the top 10 companies if you want to find remote a job with ease.
Best overall companies for remote jobs in 2024
- Liveops. Virtual call center offering an on-demand skilled workforce of onshore virtual agents for all customer service and sales needs.
- Working Solutions. Recognized leader in on-demand contact center outsourcing, with virtual operations across the U.S. and Canada.
- TTEC. Global customer experience company that designs, builds and operates omnichannel customer experiences on behalf of the world’s most innovative brands.
- CVS Health. America's leading health care solutions company which provides advanced health care from pharmacy services to health and wellness.
- Kelly. Connecting talented people with companies in need of their skills. Kelly has made FlexJobs’ Top 100 list every year since 2014.
- Williams-Sonoma. American publicly traded consumer retail company that sells kitchen-wares and home furnishings.
- Sutherland. Global BPO and technology-enabled services company offering an integrated set of back-office and customer facing front-office services that support the entire customer life cycle.
- Robert Half International. Global human resource consulting firm connecting employers & job seekers to staff positions in finance, law, technology and more.
- TranscribeMe. Leading information technology and services company specializing in worldwide translation services.
- Transcom. Global business specializing in customer experiences, offering customer care, sales, technical support, and credit management services.
Best tech companies for remote jobs in 2024
- Appen. Provides high-quality training data to confidently deploy world-class AI.
- Toptal. Global remote company that provides a freelancing platform connecting businesses with software engineers, designers, and business consultants.
- Zapier. An online service that lets you create automated actions connecting different business and productivity apps, all without any coding knowledge.
- GitHub. Provides code hosting services that allow developers/people to build software for open source and private projects in organizations.
- Salesforce. American cloud-based software company.
- Automattic. Develops publishing platforms, including the WordPress.com website and the VIP WordPress.com cloud version.
What are the best skills for remote work?
As more and more companies are beginning to operate remotely, recruiters and workers are finding first-hand that it takes a distinct skill-set to work from home.
If you’re brimming over with these qualities, it will be no problem for you to find remote jobs.
Here are 5 skills that you need to have in order to show an employer that you are a strong candidate for a remote job:
- Self-organization. It's super important to stay motivated and have good organizational skills. There's going to be no one looking over your shoulder to keep you organized and motivated, so you need to become your own supervisor. You should keep up with your schedule and your routine.
- Technical/digital proficiency. Hiring managers who specialize in recruiting remote workers need to see that you're comfortable with technology, digital platforms and online tools.
- Communication. You may think that if you work from home you won't have to engage in much communication, but that's far from the truth. The ability to communicate effectively with your superiors and colleagues is essential, whether that's via video-calls, phone calls or email. Good written communication skills are especially desirable.
- Independence. Remote workers are usually expected to work independently without too much supervision. It's important to take initiative when required, to understand what needs to be done and do it without being constantly reminded.
- Teamwork. Since virtual teams are more culturally and geographically diverse than ever before, it's becoming more difficult to coordinate and work effectively as a team. Teamwork skills like conflict management, listening, and reliability are key to successful cooperation.
How to work remotely like a pro?
Working remotely can be harder than it seems. Especially if you’ve never worked a remote job before, the transition to working from home can be challenging.
Here. Take these six quick tips on how to work remotely. They can make the whole thing a bit easier to get into.
- Set up a remote office in your home. By devoting a separate space in your home solely for work, you will find it much easier to get in the work mind-set.
- Follow a daily routine or a schedule. It's much easier to get things done if you set your own personal deadlines for your tasks, since there is no boss coming to check up on you (at least not until it's already too late).
- Communicate online. Talk to your colleagues or supervisors just the way you would in an office. It's important to create and maintain good working relationships.
- Know when to "leave" work. Are you working from 9 to 5? Don’t lose track of time and know when to sign off. It's important to know you don’t have to be available 24/7 despite working from home.
- Find a remote office. Working from home doesn’t mean you have to work from home home. If you feel like the sight of your bed is too tempting, try a local coffee shop instead or rent a small office space. Or simply get a free virtual business address nearby and just get online.
- Read our article: Home Office? These 13 Tips Will Help You Stay Productive and Sane
- Career Writer
Klara graduated from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. After having written resumes for many of her fellow students, she began writing full-time for Kickresume. Klara is our go-to person for all things related to student or 'no experience resumes'. At the same time, she has written some of the most popular resume advice articles on this blog. Her pieces were featured in multiple CNBC articles. When she's not writing, you'll probably find her chasing dogs or people-watching while sipping on a cup of coffee.
