How to Find and Apply for a Remote Job (Everything You Need to Know)

Remote work has become more popular than ever. By 2025, 36.2 million Americans will have an online job. And other nationalities are also adopting the remote work lifestyle. In this article, we’ll share how to find a remote job.

We’re discussing everything you need to know, from where to look for job opportunities and how to apply for a remote job to the pros and cons of being a remote employee vs freelancer and other helpful tips.

What are the best remote jobs?

The best remote jobs are any you can do without being in a specific location and often fall in the marketing or customer service space. Examples include copywriting, selling digital products, inbound messaging (customer support), and graphic designing.

Most jobs you can do with your phone or computer or without being in-person at an office are ideal for doing remote work online. With technology being so prevalent, this is a large number of jobs.

In fact, there were minimal remote workers pre-pandemic, and now many managers believe having a team of remote workers will become the norm.

How to Find a Remote Job

You can use job boards, freelance platforms, email newsletters, and self-promotion to find a remote job. The route you take will depend on if you choose to do contract jobs as a freelancer or work as an employee for a company. There are remote opportunities for both options.

Job Boards

With remote work becoming so popular, many websites and job boards are dedicated to sharing these opportunities.

Here are a few of our favourite job boards for finding remote positions:

LinkedIn: the largest online professional network
We Work Remotely: a massive remote work platform with jobs worldwide
JustRemote: a website and email newsletter with remote positions for almost every skill

These are all free to use and share full-time employment and freelance opportunities.

Freelance Platforms

While the job sites above share a mix of opportunities, there are also platforms that only share freelance jobs.

Upwork and Fiverr are similar freelance platforms and are best for beginners. While there are some profitable opportunities for almost every skill you can think of, there’s a lot of competition and low-paying jobs.

That said, Upwork and Fiverr can help you gain experience as a freelancer to help you grow your business to find better opportunities and charge higher rates.

Our favourite paid website for finding freelance remote work is UnderPinned. It’s worth paying for its freelance management tools and finding high-quality job opportunities. Use code NOMAD25 for 25% off.

Email Newsletters

Looking for work can be time-consuming, so getting newsletters straight to your inbox is one of the most efficient ways to find potential jobs.

These are some of the best email newsletters to help you find a remote job:

The Remote Worker’s Club: all things remote work, including job opportunities
Peak Freelance: a freelance writing newsletter that shares jobs for writers
Kat Boogard: a freelancer newsletter with work prospects for various skills

Self Promotion

Self-promoting has become more important than ever. Not only is there a larger pool of qualified employees, but jobs are also catching on to how important a healthy workplace is, leading to less turnover.

So whether you’re seeking freelance opportunities or remote work as a full-time employee, self-promotion is beneficial.

A helpful way for job seekers to find a remote position is by building a personal brand, which showcases your personal and professional story and skills that make you unique. You can use LinkedIn and a personal website to illustrate your personal brand.

While self-promotion isn’t always necessary if you plan to work as an employee, it is critical if you’re going the freelance route. If you have an online business, you can reach more people and gain more clients by self-promoting.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is one of the best ways to promote yourself.

These tips can help you promote with SEO:

Optimise your website for SEO
Create a Google Business Profile
Ask for reviews
Start a YouTube channel
Utilise Pinterest

How to Apply for a Remote Job

Knowing the best way to apply for remote work makes the job search easier. We recommend you gather professional references, create a stand-out resume, write a unique cover letter, and be relatable.

Gather Professional References

References are essential for credibility, and most people who hire want to see at least a few references.

If you want to get a remote job at a company, you’ll need to get references from anyone who can vouch for your skills. This includes past or present bosses, colleagues, or college professors.

If you’re a freelancer, your references are in the form of testimonials from past or current clients. If you’re a new freelancer, you can offer to do a small project for one or two people you know at little to no cost in exchange for a testimonial to display on your website.

Create a Stand-Out Resume

Most freelancers don’t need a resume, but potential clients may occasionally ask for one, so it doesn’t hurt to have one handy.

If you’re applying for a remote job at a traditional company, you’ll definitely need a resume.

Here are some tips to guide you when creating a resume:

Start with a resume template on Google Docs or Canva, but tweak it to make it more original.
Make it easy to read with a simple font like Arial and a 10-12 font size. Dark font on a light background is best.
Include keywords related to the position and that you see on the job listing you’re applying for.
Showcase any relative experience and leave out anything irrelevant to the job. If you have little to no experience, it’s okay to get creative and highlight anything that could be related.
Include at least one other place the employer can learn about you, i.e., your website or LinkedIn.

Write a Unique Cover Letter

More than 30% of job applicants don’t include a cover letter, even when companies request one. So writing a unique cover letter is an easy way for you to stand out and potentially secure the job.

A cover letter is an ideal opportunity to showcase who you are. Make it unique to you and why you want to work for the company. You might also share why you’re excited about working remotely.

Tip: Update your cover letter for each job you apply for to make it personal.

Be Relatable

Be relatable when you reach out to a new potential employer or client. When you’re relatable, you can build rapport and showcase what it would be like to work with you.

No matter what your form of contact is, whether by email, a cover letter, or something else, it’s okay to include your personality. It’s equally important to be professional and friendly.

A useful way to connect with and relate to someone you want to work for or with is to reach out to them via email or LinkedIn messenger, even if you apply for the job elsewhere. A quick email to say hello, introduce yourself, and let them know you’re interested in the opportunity is an easy way to stand out from other job seekers.

Self-Employed Freelancer vs. Remote Employee: The Pros and Cons

Throughout this article, we’ve shared information about how to find and apply for a remote job as a freelancer and an employee. So you might be wondering which route to take.

Below, we’ll discuss some pros and cons of each.

Self-Employed Freelancer Pros

Choose the kind of clients you want to work for.
Set your own hours and rates.
Grow your business to earn more over time.
Be more creative in your skills and offer.
Work from anywhere you want.

Self-Employed Freelancer Cons

Track your own income and keep up with taxes, depending on what country you’re in.
You don’t get paid time off, so you must account for this when setting your rates.
Get your own insurance.
You must budget for a fluctuating income.

Remote Employee Pros

You usually have coworkers to communicate with and bounce ideas off of.
You can work more efficiently without unnecessary meetings and interruptions.
Save time and money on commuting and work attire.
Work a more flexible schedule, offering a better work-life balance.
You don’t keep up with your tax and insurance payments as you do with freelancing.

Note: Although remote employers make taxes and insurance easier, your payments are comparable.

Remote Employee Cons

Answer to an employer and follow their guidelines and expectations.
You usually don’t get to decide your hours or income.
There may not be travel flexibility as you might have to work from the city or state your company is in.
You have to be self-motivated.

Working remotely is incredibly fulfilling for many people. It’s important to outweigh the pros and cons of being a self-employed freelancer or working remotely as an employer for a company. The best part? You can always try one out, then change your mind and take another route later.

We hope you found this article helpful and have a better understanding of how to find and apply for a remote job. For more on remote work, check out these articles: