Dreaming of quitting your 9-5 and travelling the world while you work remotely? You certainly aren’t alone! As someone who started working remotely just over a year ago, I’m here to share the easiest ways to find remote jobs online so you can be working from the beach or anywhere you’d like.
Let’s get into it!
My Remote Work Experience
While I’ve known for a while that I wanted to work remotely so that I could travel whenever and wherever I please, my remote work journey only really began in July 2020. Before that, I had dabbled in some freelance writing work for businesses I worked with while living in Australia but it wasn’t until the pandemic hit that I – like many – started to take remote work seriously.
I started looking into freelance writing while I was working a 9-5. I didn’t know where to start but I was on the hunt for remote jobs online. That’s when I came across Alex Fasulo’s TikTok where she shared information about a freelancing platform called Fiverr. Watching her live out my dream of freelancing was enough to convince me to create an account on Fiverr and start working remotely as soon as possible! Although I started on Fiverr, I’ve since found many other ways to make money online so let’s get into it.
Before You Apply to Remote Jobs ..
Before you get too excited and start applying to remote jobs, you should have a few things in place and ready to go.
- Take professional photos – You’ll need photos for any freelancing platform so set up a self timer and get some up against a neutral background or in your workspace. You don’t necessarily need to be in business attire but go for a polished look and make sure you’re looking at the camera! You’ll see below that I’m in a sweater but making eye contact with the camera and have the Toronto skyline as my background.
- Update your CV – If your cover letter and resume haven’t been updated in a while, now’s the time to do so. You can find heaps of free templates on Canva to create your own.
- Create a portfolio – A portfolio will help you demonstrate your experience and skills. You can create a free website on WordPress, Wix or Squarespace. If you don’t have any work experience, offer free services to small businesses so you can add it to your portfolio or include examples of your work from University!
- Mindset is everything – Although there are endless remote work opportunities, it might take some time to get started. It’s important to remember to be patient and set your prices low at the beginning. Once you’ve built up some experience you can start charging more!
Remotive.io
Remotive is the place to look if you’re after a serious remote job! From what I’ve gathered, they have a wide range of full-time remote job opportunities in different fields.
I love how they have a function to ‘hide US jobs only’ since some companies are only looking to hire Americans. If you’re not from the US, you can use that feature to find companies that are willing to hire people from other countries – score for us Canadians!
Fiverr
As I mentioned earlier, I got my freelancing start on Fiverr. I loved this platform from the beginning because unlike many other platforms, you don’t have to apply to jobs. Instead, you can choose to set up ‘gigs’ and people looking for your services will approach you and book through your gig.
It’s incredibly easy to get started on Fiverr. I’d recommend starting with three gigs to begin, all within the same scope of work. For example, I opened a ghostwriting, editing and travel writing gig at the beginning. Keep your prices low to start ($10 or less) so people will book you and leave good reviews. You’ll see from above that I currently have 132 reviews. It’s taken about a year to get to that point and now that I have a great rating and a large number of reviews, it’s social proof that my work is worth booking!
The few drawbacks that come with Fiverr are that they take 20% of everything you make and it can take some time to up your prices.
Have you been taking advantage of LinkedIn when looking for remote jobs online? Sure, LinkedIn has many 9-5 jobs posted but there are also remote/freelance opportunities if you go searching for them!
You can also take the initiative and approach companies that are looking for someone to fill a specific role and offer your services. It may be tricky to get in touch with the right person if you aren’t paying for LinkedIn Premium but if you do a little digging you can find an email to send a proposal to. Make sure to highlight what you’re be offering the company with your freelance services (especially if they’re looking to fill a full-time role) and you might be surprised with what opportunities come your way.
UpWork
UpWork is another popular freelancing site. It’s similar to LinkedIn in that you have to apply to jobs but they’re all freelance/remote opportunities. I haven’t personally found success with UpWork but I know many people who have and use it on a regular basis. When looking for jobs on their site, I discovered that it’s often part-time or full-time remote rolls, rather than project-based.
There were a few drawbacks I came across when looking at UpWork. I didn’t love how you can only apply to a certain number of roles for free. Once you run out of ‘connects’, you need to pay for more to reach out for work. They also take a 20% cut but the percentage decreases once you start making more money on the platform.
Social Media
Not so surprisingly, social media might be the best way to find remote jobs online at the moment. Of course, this depends on the field you’re working in but more and more companies are leaning into social media to grow.
Don’t shy away from joining Facebook groups for freelance/remote work or using Instagram to promote the services you’re offering. You may even come across some of your favourite creators posting remote job opportunities – providing you with a chance to work alongside a mentor and within a field you’re passionate about!
Don’t discount TikTok, especially if you’re looking to find work in content creation. I currently create content for different brands on TikTok for a flat rate and you can start doing the same.
Contra
Once you’re accepted, you’re able to interact and network with people on the platform to find remote and freelance opportunities! They seem to still be in the testing stage but you can create and submit a profile now and get on a waitlist for when it’s open to everyone.
This seems to be the first freelancing platform that doesn’t take a percentage of the money you make – which we love to see! When you sign up for Contra, they ask you to create a profile that includes three different projects to showcase your experience. Once that’s complete you can create services to offer and then you have to submit your profile to Contra for approval.
Networking
If when you think of networking you think of a formal event, you’re going about it all wrong! Any social interaction can be a networking opportunity. You can certainly find events through websites like Meetup BUT you can also network with new people you meet when you join a sports team or a friend’s friend you meet at the park, for example.
I met the CEO of Doggos about a year ago at a park in Toronto when I was working out. We quickly became friends and eventually work opportunities arose as her company grew. I now do some remote work for Doggos as their Creative Director.
The Takeaway
By now you might have realized that finding remote jobs online isn’t as difficult as you initially thought. With that being said, you can’t expect the work to come to you. You need to be willing to put in the time to set up a portfolio and your services on different platforms. It can seem like a lot of work upfront but ultimately, the freedom that comes with working remotely is always worth it in my opinion!
I’ll be back shortly with another blog but in the meantime, head to my Instagram, TikTok or join my Facebook community to talk travel with people from around the world.
Cheers,
Amy xx
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