Written by: Kaylan Millis
Everyone wants to work remotely, and you can’t blame anyone for trying to work remotely because it’s the more convenient option. You can work while you’re in some resort in Thailand, no more worries about the commute, and you can work in your pajamas. It’s the dream.
As an unemployed person or someone who wants to change jobs, choosing a remote job can be a bit tasking. There are loads of people looking to secure one, whether a temporary role or full time, you have to look closely and act fast to be able to obtain one for yourself.
In this part, you’ll learn:
- How to find a job with the right fit for you
- Where to find remote jobs
- How to distinguish yourself from other applicants
How to Find a Job That’s a Right Fit for You
It’s one thing to get a job, and another to get one that’s the right fit for you. Every job is stressful alone, but working a job you don’t fit into properly is going to be a nightmare. Here are some factors to consider in picking a job that’s the right fit for you.
Location
When searching for remote jobs, you might think the location doesn’t matter, but it does — mainly because of the time difference. You would want to work in a city where the time difference is similar to where you live because of meetings and communication with other staff.
The Company’s Culture
A considerable part of your job satisfaction is how well the company’s values relate to yours. You don’t want to be the black sheep of the company, even if you work remotely. It boils down to knowing what you like. Does the company value innovation? What does the work/life balance look like? Are they interested in environmental issues? Does the company blend with your lifestyle overall? Try to know all these about yourself, then find companies that match them.
Job Security
You don’t want to work for a company that can go under any time, do you? Do some research about their stock value (if it’s a public company) See if they’re in a growing or declining industry, also. If it’s a stable but remote role you seek, then you should consider seeking a full-time role. If you want something flexible, then you should seek out a freelance or contract position.
Pay
This is the most apparent factor because the first thing we all look at is the salary. Our compensation affects our job satisfaction the most. So, to ensure that you’re adequately compensated, you should check out the salary average for your location and skill.
Where to Find Remote Jobs
There are lots of them out there, but you want to look for platforms that give out legitimate jobs and not just the ones who are after your information to send you spammy emails. So here are some of the best platforms to search for remote jobs.
As a freelancer who needs a temporary job, our platform Adia, lets you get jobs quickly. How it works is, we hire you, then you create a profile, and jobs start rolling in. You get paid every Friday and enjoy various benefits.
Start getting Jobs quickly here
How to Distinguish Yourself From Other Applicants
For that particular job you’re applying for, you should understand that many other people are trying to get that job too. So, if you’re not doing anything to stand out, the employer will overlook you.
So here are some steps to take to ensure that you catch the eye of the employer and get the job.
Create a Personal Brand
Nothing gives more confidence to the employer about your skill than having a personal brand. Everyone has a resume and can do everything right in an interview, but not everyone has a personal brand to back up their knowledge.
If you can’t get a personal website, you can leverage social media to share your knowledge.
Talk about your Accomplishments
It’s all about convincing the employers that you’re the best man for the job. So, you don’t have to be scared of sharing your accomplishments. Talk about the projects you’ve completed, volunteer work, internship, and career milestones. Don’t be modest.
Ask Questions
Interviews are meant to be a back and forth. Asking questions helps the interviewer know that you want to get a deeper understanding of what the job entails. Your default reaction might be to nod your head to look like you’re an expert, but it benefits you when you can ask questions.
Be Enthusiastic
You don’t want to seem uninterested during the interview process. To hack this, make sure you only apply for jobs you’re interested in. Employers want someone passionate about the position. So, it will help you if you did some research about the company beforehand.
Follow-up
Imagine the impression you’ll leave on your Employers if, after you show enthusiasm, you send a thank you letter. It will put you steps ahead of other candidates. It could also be useful if, after a week or two after the interview, you send a follow-up to know the situation of things.
How to Maintain your network
As a freelancer, contract, or gig worker — whatever term you choose, there’s so much tension on you to get another job to keep the income flowing. While you’re on one project, most of the time, your mind will be on securing another one. This is normal.
New clients want to see what you’ve done in the past. And if you can show them, they will trust you for further projects. So, how do you use your old jobs to find new ones?
It’s advisable to have a personal website where you display your portfolio and testimonials. Remember, it’s all about making the clients see you as a competent source, leaving proof of what you’ve done is great for this.
When you reach out to new clients, always direct them back to your website, so they can see the work you’ve done in the past.
Social media is also helpful in this case. With platforms like Twitter, Behance, Linkedin, Pinterest, Medium, and Instagram, you can display your work to stand as your portfolio.
In simpler terms, it is called customer retention. This is the practice of keeping your old clients coming back. And to do this, there are some steps you should follow. They include;
Keep Quality Up
One thing that keeps customers coming back is satisfaction. It’s all about the results you give them. Many freelancers make the mistake of only providing top quality on the first job, then start to reduce quality later, this doesn’t seem right. You should always ensure you produce high-quality jobs.
Listen to Their Needs Carefully
Have you ever hired an artisan who, after telling them what you needed, went on and did the complete opposite? It was frustrating, right? This is how a client feels when you don’t listen and follow their directives. Always listen, because nobody will call you back to work with you if you can’t follow instructions.
Give them time
Clients are different; In terms of payment, responses, and approvals. Some clients may take weeks before responding, and although these might not be the easiest people to work with, you should understand that they might be that way because they’re busy
Keep in Touch with your clients
Your clients might be too busy handling other things and forget about you. If you have your clients’ email addresses, you can send them monthly or bi-weekly reminders, so they know that you still exist.
Upsell
Save your clients time by helping them handle different projects. If you’re a copywriter, for example, you can learn basic graphic design with a tool like Canva and offer to help out with basic graphic design for their social media. You need to, first of all, understand the nature of their business, before providing an additional solution, and when you can, they will be glad to have you as a member of their team.
Avoiding Tax Problems as a Gig Worker
Because of the nature of freelancing, you have to work different jobs, and this can be a headache when filing your taxes. Independent contractors have to file the “1099” type, and Full time or Part-time workers have to file for W-2. Read the complete 1099 vs. W-2 article here.
So, here some steps to follow to avoid having issues while paying taxes.
- Keep track of your expenses and income.
- Always set aside money to pay your taxes.
- Pay your tax quarterly.
- If things get complicated, hire an accountant
Future Trends for Hiring Staff Online
In a measure to curb the spread of the COVID-19, a lockdown was put in place, and it introduced us to a new normal. Schools, churches, workplaces, gyms, sports centers, and restaurants were closed, and we started doing all the activities we usually did in social gatherings at home.
The COVID-19 has popularized remote work, and while some companies have entirely gone remote, some others have adopted other strategies to ensure the safety of their staff.
In a post-COVID world, we will see an increase in remote work because, as stated earlier, many companies have adopted remote working fully. According to gartner.com, before the pandemic, about 30% of employees worked remotely, and when this is all over, we’re likely to see this number increase to 48%.
Gartner went forward to say that due to the economic uncertainties the pandemic created, companies are now hiring gig workers instead of the full-time staff. This is a cheaper option. Here’s the statement.
“Our research finds that 32% of organizations are replacing full-time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure,” says Kropp. “While gig workers offer employers greater workforce management flexibility, HR leaders will need to evaluate how performance management systems apply to these workers and determine whether they will be eligible for the same benefits as their full-time peers.”
The benefits of remote work are not limited to employers alone; it is suitable for employees too. Startatbest named some of the benefits for employers and employees, which include:
- Less time spent commuting.
- Improved employee retention
- Access to a broader talent pool
- Work/life balance
With video conferencing tools like Zoom, we’ve seen more possibilities. According to Criteo, when the lockdown took off in March 2020, Zoom had about 200 million daily participants from the 10 million it was in December 2019.
Employees are fully embracing the work from home situation. At the beginning of the lockdown, people were placing their laptops and other work tools on their dining tables, kitchen tables, and any space they could find, but now, you have people spending heavily on home office equipment, dedicating specific rooms into home offices, and more.
Studies show that desks sales in the US and Switzerland have increased by 97% and 93% respectively since March 2020
The COVID-19 has increased the pressure on e-commerce, which is expected because since physical shops were closed, you could only get your needs through online platforms. According to Mediaradar, companies like Amazon, Zulily, and Overstock have doubled their monthly advertising spend.
This makes sense because of the massive demand. Amazon’s owner, Jeff Bezos, is looking to become the world’s first trillionaire in 2026 if his wealth continues to grow. Business Insider says, his wealth has increased by 28.3 billion so far in 2020. Thus, the pandemic has been good for e-commerce companies.
Conclusion
The growth of temporary workers is undeniable. CNBC says there are 6 million more gig workers than they were a year ago. It’s funny because these numbers would keep going up.
Traditional work has become tasteless for many. People now crave the freedom that being a gig worker provides. Companies, on the other hand, are moving towards collaborating with gig workers than bringing in a full-time staff because it’s a cheaper option and you don’t have to worry about the headaches that come with Employee benefits and large office spaces,
Indeed, we’re in a new world, thanks to the COVID-19. Your smooth transition depends entirely on how well you use what you learn. Thankfully, this guide has provided you with platforms to get remote jobs, selecting the jobs that are the right fit for you, making your application stand out, and keeping your network happy. It’s now up to you to leverage it as it will aid your smooth transition.
