A tendency towards remote work is nothing new and has been developing for more than a decade now. But, only once so many people have experienced a lockdown and a downsizing in work. The true benefits of having a remote job have shown themselves.
There are three main benefits of having a remote job:
- No commute
- Comfortable working environment
- Lower expenses
Additionally, there are some benefits that are exclusive for freelancers that are working from home. These jobs have flexible hours and fewer restrictions when it comes to what you can and can’t do.
Also, specific contract payments mean that you won’t be forced to do additional work that you weren’t contracted for. And because nobody can tell you to do them verbally all of those additional demands will be registered and can be billed.
Even if you were just wondering if this might be something for you, there is no time like during a COVID lockdown to attempt to work, profit, and even prosper without ever needing to leave the comfort of your home.
The Market is Open for Freelancers and Remote Workers
The current market is open for those who can and wish to work from home. Most companies have realized that having a portion of the workforce stay at home is mutually beneficial.
For the worker, this reduces their commute, increases productivity, and reduces several venues of expenses. The reduction in commute alone saves roughly $9000 annually in time and gas.
And for the company, spending less on electricity, heating, security, cleaning, and similar issues will increase the profit margins significantly. Also, it would allow the company more flexibility when it comes to the HQs location.
If they can be certain that the same work will be provided even if the worker is not on the premises and that there aren’t any major risks, most firms will be pleased to have as many remote workers as possible.
What Can You Offer?
To get a remote job, you first need to know what your skill set is. While going blind and trying out different things is an option, this will probably end up paying less even for good work simply due to the lack of confidence.
But, if you know exactly what you can offer you may ask the same price as you would if you are on the company premises. It allows your employer to better calculate your value which translates directly into a higher hourly rate.
Contacting Employers and Clients
There are multiple platforms where you can find employers and clients offering various remote jobs. Finding these is not hard and you will be directly informed of what type of service or work they are looking for.
But, similar to regular job interviews, you will need to put your best foot forward.
And, because you won’t be speaking with someone face to face immediately, you will need to contract all of the needed information into your CV and the accompanying letter.
Best practices for this include adapting your CV to be a maximum of one A4 page, visually appealing, and exported into a PDF format. Keep only the information necessary for the employer to know that you are skilled.
Experience tells us that being open and direct is a much better way to get a job than throwing a laundry list of common phrases like ‘’works good in a team’’ into your CV.
Presenting Your Work
Repetition is the mother of all learning. Thus, if you have a skill you probably also have examples of it being used before. And you will want to present that work to your future employers.
Showing over telling is always better and will lead to an answer much faster.
Otherwise, you will need to tell the other side exactly what you plan to do and how you plan to do it. Don’t linger about how good a person you are and your education, as that is on your CV. Tell them how you plan to make them money, as that is why they made the company in the first place.
Because online communication can never be as pleasant as personal interaction due to the lack of faces, work to make it easy instead. Use normal language and be direct about what you want and what you can do.
Securing Contracts and Payments
If you are working with someone locally you can be generally sure that they will fulfill their end of the deal. Also, you can know that any infraction will be dealt with by the local court circuits.
But, having a remote job will often mean working from someone from a different state, a different country, or even a different continent. In these cases, filing a lawsuit may often lead to exactly zero results.
Because of this, you need to use platforms that ensure payment if the work is done. This is at least before you form trust between yourself and the employer.
Keep Your Workplace Organized
As a final note, there are a couple of physiological tricks that you’ll need to use when working from home and trying to get a remote job.
First of all, you need to make a workspace for yourself. Ideally, this will be a desktop computer in a dedicated room that won’t be entered by other housemates. It doesn’t need to be a home office, just a working corner where you can concentrate.
Also, it might be a good idea to dress up before you start. Getting your shoes on might put you into a working mindset.
Finally, just push forward.
‘’If you don’t have a job, you have a job finding a job.’’
Spend your time sending emails and proposals to every place you can find. You will be sure to find someone willing to work with you very quickly.