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Living with a job that will follow you anywhere is the dream for 66% of workers. It’s no surprise that after a remote work trial run, a majority of America is ready to dive into remote work for good.
If you’re a part of the majority, you’re in luck! Now more than ever, remote jobs are on the rise. Pre-pandemic, a mere 6% of workers worked remotely. According to McKinsey’s Spring 2022 American Opportunity Survey, a whopping 35% of American workers have the option to work remotely full-time, and another 23% are allowed to work part-time or on occasion.
Reports suggest remote workers enjoy many perks, including fewer interruptions, a quieter workspace, gas savings, and better work-life balance, to name a few.
That said, there are a few downsides to the remote lifestyle, such as the widespread distractions and lack of routine. To explore these, check out our blog “Is Remote Work Right For You?“
With a wide breadth of remote opportunities, finding the right one is not always easy. We’re here to help narrow down the search and provide tips to find you the perfect remote job.
Consider When You Want to Work
It’s no secret — working remotely completely frees up your location. If you play your cards right during the job search, it could free up your time as well. Many companies are starting to make the switch to asynchronous work, meaning no specific time hours when employees must be online. As long as you’re getting your work done, asynchronous working can make for a much less stressful workday.
If you’re someone who wants to have a bit more structure in your remote work life, then look for synchronous work, where everyone clocks in and out around the same time. This direction demands a bit more consideration of the times you want to work at. If you’re an early riser and would like to finish work by 3:00PM CDT, try looking for remote work on the west coast. If you’d rather sleep in a bit, look for work in the east. Keep in mind that remote jobs overseas might be out of the picture, unless they’re asynchronous options.
Keep an eye out for the time restrictions placed on the jobs you find. For any job that doesn’t list time expectations, feel free to reach out to the company’s HR representatives or recruiters to find out for yourself. Asynchronous versus synchronous work will be vastly different jobs!
Consider the Type of Remote Work
Working remotely can come in all shapes and sizes. You could work full-time (or even part-time!) for a single company, and reap the benefits of stability, promotion opportunities, and health insurance. Keep in mind, while this job is remote, company culture still needs to be factored into your job search. With an ill-fitting culture, the online meetings and work expectations will be much less than enjoyable.
On the flip side, you could take a more freeing, less traditional route. Contract work allows you to work with a particular company for the duration of the contract. There is no promise from either party to continue working together after the contract has been fulfilled. Freelancing is similar, in that you’re working with different companies, but differs in that it is commonly done with multiple companies at the same time.
Both contracting and freelancing allows for greater flexibility, variety, and freedom in remote living. They lack the benefits listed above for full-time work: stability, promotional opportunities, and company benefits, such as insurance. If you’re someone who is looking for more security or looking forward to promotional opportunities in your career, full-time work with a single company would be a better fit for you. If you want full freedom and flexibility in your work schedule, find work in the contracting or freelancing space!
Below, we’ve mapped out a few great websites that can be used to find full-time (or part-time) remote jobs and contract/freelance remote work.
Full-Time Remote Jobs
As you search, consider the many job titles a company might assign to your position. For instance, a Marketing Manager might also search for “Marketing Generalist,” “Marketing Associate,” “Marketing Researcher,” and so on.
FlexJobs
FlexJobs is a job-search website that only posts jobs with flexible opportunities, whether that be flexible scheduling, freelance, working part-time, or full-time remote job opportunities. They save you time by hand-screening each of their job postings, sifting through the scams, only including the jobs with the most flexible options on their website.
FlexJobs requires a membership to see the entirety of their job postings. A membership will cost you $24.95 for one month, $39.95 for three months, or $59.95 for a year. Although no one likes paying for job services, FlexJobs does have high potential to save you time and headaches during the job search process.
Jobspresso
Jobspresso is a clutter-free website that offers remote opportunities without the need to create a profile. Instead, it will guide you to the company website or the original job posting. You can also opt to upload your resume and allow employers to contact you.
There are no fees associated for job seekers on this website.
JustRemote
JustRemote covers a variety of jobs, including development, marketing, HR/recruiting, customer service, design, and writing. Through their header at the top of the website, you can filter roles to just remote work. Any time requirements will be clearly indicated as you search through jobs on this board.
Pay a one-time fee of $6 to gain access to the 70% of jobs that are hidden from their board. The remaining 30% is free to all. They also send out a weekly newsletter to their subscribers to share new remote opportunities. Visit their website to be added to the list.
REMOTE.CO
REMOTE.CO offers a wide list of job categories from quality assurance to information technologies. They hand pick each job opportunity to give you the best options.
The best part about this site is their 37 question survey from 145 remote companies. Browse this company list to find the stats on your favorite companies, including how much of their company is remote, what the company values the most.
There are no fees associated for job seekers on this website.
Contract/Freelance Remote Work
Most of the websites below require an account to be made to get started. As you take on jobs and build a reputation through the website, you become more trustworthy and can take on more jobs, and higher paying jobs at that!
Fiverr
Fiverr is a fantastic platform for beginners. With many beginners looking for their first couple handfuls of clients, gigs are sold for as low as $5. Creating a profile is also free. This is a great first step to build a portfolio and start getting noticed.
Keep in mind Fiverr takes 20% commission from any sales, meaning a $5 sale would mean $4 in your pocket, and charges an additional $2.50 fee from the buyer. So, a gig you put up for $5 would be shown as $7.50 on the buyer side, and you would receive $4 as revenue for this gig. Even so, the large network of buyers makes Fiverr a great starting point.
Upwork
Upwork has freelance opportunities for jobs across the board, including development, IT, design, marketing, sales, finance, accounting, customer support, writing, legal, and even engineering opportunities. Unlike Fiverr, your account must be approved by the Upwork team before you can begin your search for work.
Similar to Fiverr, Upwork takes a commission off your earnings. We listed their pay structure below for your convenience.
20% for the first $500 billed to a client
10% for lifetime billings with a client between $500.01 and $10,000
5% for lifetime billings with a client that exceed $10,000
FlexJobs
FlexJobs, as mentioned above, is a job-search website that only posts jobs with flexible opportunities. This includes contract and freelance work! These jobs are labeled “gig jobs) on the FlexJobs website. To browse their collection, from their home page click “Find Remote, Hybrid, & Flexible Jobs” and “Research Gig Jobs” in the drop-down menu directly below.
Membership fees include $24.95 for one month, $39.95 for three months, or $59.95 for a year. If you’re considering working as an independent contractor or freelancer as a long-term work opportunity, the yearly membership would be a great way to attract additional clientele, ensuring you are never out of a job!
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Whether it be part-time, full-time, contract, or freelance, finding remote work can be tricky. We hope this blog helps you navigate through the jungle of remote work and lands you in a remote position you’ll love. To find tips on minimizing distractions and managing your time in your new remote job, check out our “Is Remote Work Right For You“ blog.
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