How to Prepare For and Find a Remote Job

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Preparing for a remote job

Preparing for and Finding a Remote Job

Landing a remote job can seem daunting if you’ve never considered remote work before and don’t know where to begin; however, it is becoming more and more common for companies to be fully remote or for companies to offer remote positions. For military spouses, this means you can take your job with them, a huge benefit that enables you to maintain your skills and salary through various assignments. Whether you are looking for a remote job or considering it for the first time here are a few tips to get you on the right path.

Join Community Groups

On social media, there are remote work community groups dedicated to helping people find remote jobs. Remote work community groups are a forum to share tricks of the trade and share tools and resources for landing remote jobs. These groups are a fantastic venue to ask questions to those already working remotely. The Paradigm Switch is one example of a remote work community group for military spouses.

Gain Remote Work Experience

Companies will rarely hire someone with no remote work experience, so build your remote work portfolio by finding remote volunteer positions. Remote Volunteer work can help expose you to the remote world and gain resume-worthy experience. Volunteering also provides you an opportunity to see if remote work is right for you.

Join Military-Friendly Job Boards

Consider two things when deciding what job board to be a part of:

Is the job board military-friendly?

Many companies don’t understand or know the value of the military community. Find a job board that has already done the leg work for you in explaining the value the military community has to offer. Military-friendly job boards include Hire our Heroes, Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Program, Corporate America Supports You, and Recruit Military.

Does the job board post remote jobs?

There are many job boards dedicated to the military community that doesn’t always post remote jobs.  Virtforce is a military-focused job board dedicated to finding remote jobs. Research job boards to see if they have partnered with companies in your desired industry as well.

Search for Remote Work

When searching for remote jobs on a job board use keywords such as “remote”, “virtual”, and “telework”. When searching for remote jobs using a search engine uses keywords such as “completely distributed”, or “100% distributed company” this will narrow the field down to what you are looking for.

Also, remember to tap into local resources as companies are willing to hire remote workers who are already local. Make sure business profiles on networking sites indicate you are looking for remote work and clearly indicate what career field or position you are looking for. This distinction will help recruiters identify you more easily.

Sign-up for Mentorship

Mentorship is a great way to receive one-on-one guidance to achieve your career goals. A mentor will be able to help you establish a career path, update your resume, expand your network, and recommend training and certifications you might need. The military community has a variety of free mentorship programs such as Americans Mentoring Veterans and ACP Mentorship Program.

Build Your Skills

Use your time strategically by taking a certification course or signing up for industry-specific training. This will help to build your resume as well as show future employers that you take initiative.

Great resources for training and certifications include The Institute for Veterans and Military Families, Salesforce Military,  The Federal Virtual Training Environment, and Skillsoft to name a few.

 

Breaking into the remote world is not easy, but by joining remote work community groups, gaining remote work experience, and identifying the right job board you will set yourself up for success. You might not land the first remote job you apply for, but that’s OK, keep putting yourself out there. Continually advance yourself through education, and training, and be open to opportunities to gain experience and you will be ready when the right job comes along.

 

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