Looking for a job is a fairly daunting process, not to mention looking for remote jobs. Remote job opportunities are fewer than non-remote job opportunities and thus are harder to find and apply for. While some people think of those who want to work remotely as people who want the flexibility of traveling wherever they want whenever they want, sometimes you simply can’t afford to not work from home, such as not being able to commute to work or having to take care of young children or elderly parents. Understanding how difficult it is to find remote jobs, this article compiled a list of websites and resources you can utilize in your search for jobs that let you work from home.
Websites to Find Legit Jobs and Work Anywhere
1. Truelancer
Truelancer is one of the best websites for freelancers due to its low service fees. Even with the free membership, you only get charged a 10% service fee on each project you completed while many other sites for freelancers charge up to a hefty 20% fee. By using a pro membership for only $10 a month, the fee drops to 8% and you get to submit over 100 bids each month. Sounds like a pretty good deal.
When joining Truelancer, you can create as many gigs as you like. Some popular gigs are IT and Programming, Writing and Translation, and Multimedia and Graphic Design. After creating your gig, you get to view related job posts and submit bids to these posts. The client will contact you if they are interested or want to get to know more about what you can do. Alternatively, you can enter competitions to win prizes.
To withdraw payment, you can either withdraw through PayPal, Payoneer Account, or Payoneer Global Bank Transfer.
2. Freelancer
Freelancer.com works similarly to Truelancer: after creating an account and specifying your gig(s), you can start viewing related job posts and submit bids. Freelancer also has contests like Truelancer.
As a freelancer on Freelancer.com, how much you are charged will depend on whether you are getting paid for fixed-price projects or by an hourly rate. If you are performing a fixed-price project, the fee will be the greater of 10% or $5. If you are performing a project priced by the hour, you are charged a 10% flat fee. For projects under $50, freelancers prefer to classify their work as hourly because the service fee will be smaller.
If you win a contest, you are charged the greater of 10% of the prize or $5.
3. Upwork
Upwork has a somewhat unique fee structure compared to similar websites. As a freelancer, Upwork encourages you to work with the same client by reducing service fees the more you work with one client. For your lifetime billings with the same client, you get charged 20% the first $500. After you reach the $500 threshold, the fee reduces to 10%. If you reach the $10,000 threshold, you are charged only a 5% fee from that point.
However, opportunities to work with the same client on Upwork are few. Unless you find a long-term client, it is much more likely that you will be working with multiple clients on one-time projects. This means that you should expect to get charged a 20% service fee on most of your works.
Additionally, to work on Upwork, you will be verified by video calling and talking to an actual Upwork representative. This way, the website can deter scammers as much as possible.
4. Fiverr
Fiverr is a popular website for freelancers despite charging a hefty 20% service fee. Fiverr is called Fiverr due to its many $5 gigs. However, most freelancers would offer you a customized contract that has a value that’s higher than $5. So, yes, the name Fiverr is a little misleading.
Just because the website is called Fiverr doesn’t mean you need to post only $5 gigs. In fact, many freelancers offer packages that have a much higher price, so don’t be afraid to price what you’re worth.
After receiving your payment, Fiverr takes about 14 days to process it before you can withdraw your money. This is done for security purposes. After the funds are cleared, you have the option to withdraw payment via PayPal, Fiverr Revenue Card, or direct deposit to your bank account.
5. Glassdoor
Glassdoor is one of the most popular websites for employers to list job postings and find potential employees or contractors. Glassdoor is free to sign up as a job seeker. Additionally, you can see employees review for the company that listed the job and take into consideration whether you want to apply to the company or not.
Glassdoor has many job listings at any given time and you can narrow your search down by changing your search criteria. For example, you can find jobs in your city or look up a specific keyword. Many listings on Glassdoor has an easy application process – simply click apply, attach your resume and cover letter, and you’re good to go.
6. Indeed
Indeed.com is another website to find jobs. Many employers use Indeed.com to list job postings, so you might just find your dream job on here. Like Glassdoor, many companies that have job listings on Indeed have employee reviews from both current and past employees. This helps job seekers understand the work environment, salary, promotion opportunities, and more before deciding whether they want to apply or not.
You can customize job searches by using specific job titles, keywords, or company names. Additionally, you can specify the city where you want to work to narrow down results.
7. FlexJobs
FlexJobs is a website where you can find remote or partially remote jobs. With over 50+ career categories to choose from, you can find both part-time and full-time jobs either as an employee or a freelancer/contractor.
You need to subscribe and pay a fee starting at $6.95 to access the full job listings. As a visitor who does not subscribe to the website, you can view shortened versions of job listings to get an idea what it’s like on FlexJobs. The reason why FlexJobs charges a fee is that every single job posting is hand-screened and verified by FlexJobs employees to make sure it’s not a scam. The CEO of FlexJobs believes in an environment where job seekers can find jobs without false ads, scams, and the like.
8. We Work Remotely
We Work Remotely claims they are “the largest remote work community in the world”. We Work Remotely allows employers who are looking for prospective employees or contractors to list job postings on their website. Unfortunately, the search process isn’t as easy for job seekers on We Work Remotely as other websites. On their Jobs page, you will need to scroll down until you find your desirable job category. If you are not sure what you’re looking for, this process may take a while.
After you have found the job listing you like, you can click on the button “Apply for this position”. This might take you to an external page or link you to an email address of the employer, depending what the employer had set up.
9. Remote OK
Remote OK was developed by Pieter Levels who believes in a platform where nomads and those who want to have the liberty of traveling “on the job” can easily find remote jobs to support their lifestyle. Thus, you can expect job listings on this website to be exclusively for remote jobs.
That said, finding jobs on Remote OK can be a frustrating experience for job seekers. Why? The website lets employers post a job listing for 30 days but do not take it down after that period is over. Thus, you will see many job listings that have been posted years ago and were never taken down.
If you’re interested in a job that was posted just over a month ago (notated as 1m), the website won’t let you apply. If you still try to click that “Apply” button, a little pop up will say this:
“This job post is older than 30 days and the position is probably filled. Try applying to jobs posted recently instead”
Even if you find job listings that are posted within 30 days, you still might run into this pop up:
“This job post has been archived by the poster, which means they probably have enough applicants now. Please do not apply”.
However, the second case scenario is much less likely to happen. Beside from the fact that Remote OK should take down job posts that are no longer relevant, it’s a good resource to look for remote jobs.
10. Working Nomads
While Working Nomads doesn’t have as many job postings as other websites mentioned on here, they have high-quality job postings for remote jobs on the website. The number of new job listings vary per week.
To look for a job, you can go to the “Jobs” page and choose from a list of categories on the left corner. If you’re interested in a posting, simply click “Apply Now” and get taken to an external site or email address provided by the employer.
11. SimplyHired
SimplyHired is a job search engine like Glassdoor or Indeed. The website allows users the ease of looking for a job by letting them look up job postings by a keyword, title, and/or jobs in a specific city. If you’re specifically looking for remote jobs, you can indicate so in the location box.
If you’re tired of uploading your resume every time you apply for a job, you can upload one by clicking the link “Upload or create a resume to easily apply to jobs” under the search box. After uploading a resume, you can simply click on it whenever you apply for a job instead of having to upload your resume every time.
12. ZipRecruiter
Last but not least on this list of websites for job seekers is ZipRecruiter. On the website, ZipRecruiter claims that they can find you jobs in “Any industry. Any location. Any experience level.”
You can customize your searches by using a keyword or specifying a location. What’s interesting about ZipRecruiter is that they help you get an idea of how much you should be getting paid. Under the tab “Job Seekers”, you can choose to “Search Jobs” or “Search Salaries”. If you choose “Search Salaries”, enter a job title or keyword and your location to see the average wage for that job title. This is especially helpful in helping people get paid what they’re worth.
Tips for People Who Are Looking for (Remote) Jobs
Looking for jobs can be a daunting and frustrating process, especially if the job you want involves you being able to work from home instead of going into a physical office. Most people will admit that remote jobs are more difficult to come across compared to non-remote jobs. Yet, remote jobs offer workers a freedom that could be described as “unparallel” compared to working in a physical office. Sometimes, you simply can’t afford to work in an office for some reason, such as having young children or elderly parents that may need your care anytime. For those who are looking for jobs that let you work at home, below are a few tips to help the job search process be less daunting:
- While looking for a permanent position, why not try your luck at being a freelancer. Websites like Freelancer.com and Truelancer.com allow you to work shorter projects. Most of the time, it simply involves sending a competitive bid and maybe sending in samples. The more bids and proposals you send, the more likely you are to get hired for a job. If your gig is in a higher-paying category such as software engineering or legal works, you can generate a decent income from being a freelancer. The fact that there are thousands and even millions of freelancers on these websites is proof that there are legit job postings and work.
- If you want to be a freelancer, it is recommended to have an external website or portfolio where you can showcase your works, highlight positive reviews from past clients or employers, and explain why people should hire you over other freelancers. If possible, take tests that verify your skills and show it to prospective clients. For example, Fiverr offers tests that freelancers can take to showcase their expertise. If your results indicate that you are in the top 95% of freelancers, this will show up on your portfolio and help it stand out from other freelancers’ portfolios.
- Focus on websites that offer jobs exclusively for people who want to work remotely. We Work Remotely, FlexJobs, and Working Nomads are examples of websites that only offer partially remote or remote jobs. If your focus is to find remote jobs, it may be much more time consuming to look for jobs on other websites where the majority of jobs are non-remote. This does not mean that other job search websites do not have remote jobs; instead, the process of searching for remote jobs is usually more time consuming and difficult as 1) these websites often don’t have a filter for remote jobs or 2) you only find out if a job is remote or not by reading the entire job posting.
- Join online forums for people who are looking for remote jobs or are working remotely. You might find resources on these forums you would not know of otherwise. Websites such as reddit even has a forum for people who are looking for jobs or who are looking to hire (mainly remote freelancers or employees). You don’t necessarily need to participate on these forums, but it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye out for opportunities
Is Working from Home A Good Option?
Why but of course! Working from home allows you a kind of freedom that working at an office can never match. Many people get discouraged in their search for remote jobs because these opportunities are relatively fewer than jobs at a physical office. This is especially true before the Internet is as widely used as it is now; only recently are websites for job seekers a prominent part for those finding a job. Moreover, websites dedicated to remote job seekers are fewer and relatively newer, thus people who wanted to work remotely before the popularity of the Internet might have had more huddles to pass than you do now.
That said, working from home gives you flexibility over your own time, schedule, and location. Even for jobs that require you to work at a set time, you still have the freedom to dress however you want and maybe even eat breakfast while working, things that would be a little weird to do in an office. Unless you get paid per project, your state’s minimum wage laws still apply, thus protecting you from being financially exploited. Therefore, if you want to work remotely, don’t be hesitant to start finding a way to do so. It is a perfectly good option.
Conclusion
No one denies that it is sometimes daunting to look for jobs. This is especially true for remote jobs, opportunities that are not as common as jobs at an office. However, it is not without hope. Thanks to the Internet, you can (fairly easily) work remotely now by being a freelancer, remote employee, or remote contractor. Whichever path you choose to take for yourself, I hope you find the resources and tips in this article helpful and I wish you the best of luck in your job seeking process.
