Ridiculous, I know. But I'll be graduating soon with a bachelor's in Computer Engineering from a US university. I'll make the question simple: how likely is it that I'll be able to find a remote job within a reasonable period after graduating? Unfortunately, that means I don't have relevant work experience yet, but:

• I'll take virtually anything, even if it's not related to my major.
• It doesn't have to pay well, I'll take $30,000/year if that's what it takes.
• I'm willing to put in effort all day every day to find something and I'm in a position where I have support. Again, I'll take practically anything.

Otherwise, is there an advisable course of action? Perhaps find an in-person job, work it for some amount of time(?), then restart the search? Also, hypothetically, if I had a spouse that was a Dutch citizen, would that make it possible for me to perhaps find remote work somewhere in Europe? This is a very real possibility for me.

I want to make it happen (a lot of other people do too, yes I know).

I've been working remotely for years, long before COVID, and with how much the job market has changed, I thought I'd share a few strategies that have consistently worked for me. Every industry is different, so take whatever applies to your situation and ignore the rest.

For context, I spent most of my career as a project manager in software and internet companies. Over the last few years, I noticed there were fewer opportunities than before, so I adapted instead of waiting for the market to improve.

One thing I've never been afraid of is stepping outside my comfort zone. When project management roles started slowing down, I began applying for QA testing contracts too. I stopped thinking of myself as "just" a project manager and started focusing on where I could add value.

One mistake I see a lot of people make is putting all their effort into finding one perfect full-time remote job. That can absolutely work, but it's also one of the hardest paths right now. Companies are hiring more carefully, competition is high, and hiring cycles take forever. Instead, I've always treated remote work more like a portfolio than a single career path.

One thing I've done for years is diversify where my work comes from.

* I created profiles on Fiverr and Upwork. My wife has her own profiles too. If we were both offering QA testing, we'd position ourselves a little differently instead of offering the exact same service.

We've even ended up working with the same client at different times.

Just last week I signed another three-month contract that's only about three hours a day. We originally met on Fiverr, but we're continuing outside the platform.

Another habit that's saved me a lot of time is letting jobs come to me instead of checking job boards all day.

Some websites pull openings directly from company career pages instead of reposting listings. I use one called secretremote.com which is fully free and does not require registration.

I also wrote a small script that emails me whenever a position matches what I am looking for. Whenever something looks like a good fit, either my wife or I applies that day.

Another thing that's made a huge difference over the years is tailoring my resume and cover letter for every application instead of sending the same version everywhere. It takes a little more time, but my response rate has always been noticeably better. If you've never done that before, there's a Reddit post that breaks down the whole process and even includes a ChatGPT prompt that makes tailoring your resume much faster. That's basically the workflow I follow now.

* Another strategy that's consistently worked well for me is building relationships with recruiters and recruiting firms.

Find recruiters and recruiting firms that specialize in your industry. If you're in healthcare, look for recruiters and recruiting firms that focus on healthcare. If you're in tech, find ones that specialize in tech.

I keep two separate lists. One is for recruiters and recruiting firms that place candidates in remote roles globally. The other is for recruiters and recruiting firms in my local market.

Most recruiting firms have a page where you can upload your resume even if they don't have an opening that matches your experience. I always do it anyway.

You might not hear back right away, but once you're in their database, opportunities can show up months later. I've had recruiters reach out six months after I completely forgot I had submitted my resume. I also use this tool that tailors my resume and submits it to 300+ US recruiting firms, which saves a ton of time.

Because of this, I usually have three or four active projects at the same time. Some contracts end, others begin, and I'm never depending on a single employer for all of my income.

Personally, I've found this much less stressful than chasing one perfect full-time job. Having multiple smaller contracts gives me more stability because if one project ends, I still have others. Ironically, I make more overall, work fewer hours, and don't burn out nearly as often.

That's what's been working for me over the years. I'm curious how other long-term remote workers approach this. Are you still chasing one full-time remote job, or have you started piecing together multiple contracts too?

Hello,

I am an industrial engineer currently working in supply chain/operations. Have been doing this for 5 years already. I only kept this job so long because it's remote and had good perks, it's not bad by any means, but I just don't give a shit anymore about what I do and they want us to RTO. So I want to change jobs but I am lost on the next steps. For now, I will continue working at the same job. On one side, I think they will fire me rather soon because of re-org and because I'm not really going that much to the office (it's 3 hours away - one way). On the other side, they keep giving me more responsibilities and I'm the only one in the team that knows how to do some of the stuff we do.

Would appreciate any advice considering the situation:

-Would need to be remote, I already bought a house in a semi-rural area with not many businesses around. I could work for some of these businesses but would rather have something remote.

-I'm based in Europe. But wouldn't have issues working for an USA/Canadian company. As contractor, freelance, employee or whatever.

-Have some experience with coding due to personal projects, but not really as to call myself a SWE or Data Analyst. However, I could twist a bit my responsibilities at my job to do more data analyst stuff. Then I could also do some personal side projects to build a small portfolio to complement my job experience. But I don't know if that would be enough considering the competition.

-I also have experience with SAP, I'm the "expert" in the team. And I saw there's a lot of remote positions for SAP consultants. I would need some extra education to get a role, and I don't like the idea of having my career around a specific software that may disappear, but it's an option.

-I'm also considering doing a master's, maybe in something related with AI transformation, but haven't seen that many offers related to this honestly, so not sure if it's a good idea neither.

-I'm thinking of reaching out to recruiters/recruitment agencies with my CV and a short cover letter. Any experience or recommendations when doing so?

I know this post may come as very general advice and that I want something very hard to get, but would really appreciate any tips or guidance on what to do next.

Hey I am a graduate with average english speaking and writing skills. I have done a content writing internship and a sales internship too. I have done b.ed and ctet as well.

I am in urgent need of money... please let me know if I can apply for a job with my given qualifications.

( Expected salary = 4-6K )

( Expected working hours = 3-4hr )

Job one: Information Security Manager. Company supporting emergency services. Fully remote. ~£54k to start. Uses public sector banding, so I successfully moved up each year I could be on ~£67k in 2 years time. It's a FTC for ~21 months but likely to become permanent.

Job two: Compliance Manager for a company producing AI powered tools but discussions have pointed towards utilising my other skills (QA and IT) as well. Original role was £60k but expecting an offer of £70k+. 3 days in office, 1.5-2 hours round commute. Pay reviews can be requested any time.

Beyond that, benefits are similar. Which would you choose?

Hi all,

Hope you are doing well. I have been working as a remote Android developer for more than 6 years now. Resigned from my current role last month, so I am looking for new remote Android developer roles. I can share my updated resume. Kindly let me know if I can be of any help for you or your company.

Thanks

I’m looking for a career change. I would thrive in a setting where I could observe behavior, identify patterns and inconsistencies, make interpretations and connections, and suggest explanations or solutions. This is what my brain was built to do. I have a BSW and am looking for remote work.

If there were some way to just be tested to be hired for a job that fits this description, I am confident that I would pass. Is there some kind of system out there that tests to identify strengths and scores on alignment with specific jobs.. which then prompts the employer to schedule an interview?

2 years of experience as an executive VA
1 year of experience in Sales as an appointment setter
6 months of experience as a project manager

Experience in the ff tools:

Microsoft office
Notion
GoHighLevel
other CRM like invelo, airtable

availability: Not looking for anything full-time, ideally something part-time and flexible
rate: looking for something $150/month at least

English: C1
Fast internet
Easy to talk
willing to be taught