Six (Not So Obvious) Things You Need To Do If You Want To Land A Remote Job
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Many people want to land a remote job and start working remotely from anywhere in the world. But succeeding doesn’t always come down to how smart or talented you are. Here are five (not so obvious) things you need to start doing if you want to land a remote job.
Before we dive in, let’s be clear on what the obvious tasks are. If you wanting to land a remote job you should already be networking, updating your resume, and applying to remote jobs.
Now, let’s get into the not so obvious tasks…
Get Clear On What Exactly You Want
So often we want more from life, god, the universe - whatever you want to call it, yet, we’re so unclear on what exactly it is that we want. Imagine you were to ask your friend to go to the grocery store for you and pick up "apples". That leaves a lot of room for error. Now imagine you ask for "x2 organic royal gala apples".
One situation you get what you want and the other you may or may not get what you want.
Why? Because you were clear.
*Cue, scene from notebook where Noah is shouting, “WHAT DO YOU WANT?!”
Try this. Write your “shopping list to the universe”. This way of approaching your intentions and goals will prompt you to be more specific. And of course, you can’t just wish something into existence. But CLARITY is the first step before focused, intentional action.
So instead of saying, “I wanted a remote job” get really clear on it.
What kind of remote job? What role? What industry? What kind of employer?
The universe can’t deliver on vague.
Oftentimes when we lack clarity we just swim around drowning in a sea of too many options instead of swimming to the shore/island.
So what is it that you EXACTLY want?
2. Understand WHY going remote is important to you
Sure you want to go remote but have you ever considered WHY it’s so important to you?
Landing a remote job is no easy task. If you don’t have a deep purpose and meaning behind what it is that you’re doing it won’t take long for you to throw in the towel and call it quits. Your WHY is you fuel and driving force for doing all the things you need to do to make your vision a reality - especially with the uncomfortable, not so enjoyable parts, and days where you’re simply “not in the mood”.
If you can tie in a deep purpose and meaning to the actions you need to take to go remote, then you can approach the process motivated and focused.
How to Find Your Why
So, let’s look at how you can find your deep WHY for wanting to go remote. I don’t mean some surface-level WHY but DEEP why. The one that tugs at your soul.
Try this.
Step 1: First, ask yourself, “Why is landing a remote job important to me?”
Step 2: Then, write your answer down on a piece of paper.
Step 3: Then, ask yourself “why” one more time. So in this case, if your answer was, “Because I want to have more freedom”, ask yourself, “WHY is more freedom important to me?”
Step 4: Continue doing this until you’ve asked yourself “WHY” around five to seven times.
Let’s look at an example, starting with the statement, “I want to work remotely”.
Why is working remotely important to me? Because I want to have more freedom.
Why is more freedom important to me? Because I want to be able to do what I want when I want.
Why is being able to be able to do what I want when I want important to me? So I can have more time to do all the things I love.Why is having more time to do all the things I love important to me? Because it makes me feel fulfilled and happy.
Why is feeling fulfilled and happy important to me? Because then I enjoy life and can be the best version of myself around those I care about.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
If you go deep enough you’ll see the true meaning and purpose behind what you’re doing. Ask yourself “why” and repeat until you’ve done this about five to seven times.
3. Find a Community of Like-Minded People to Support You
One of the biggest hurdles in going remote is that it can feel like you’re a fish swimming against the stream. To an outsider looking in it could seem illogical. They may think,“Why on earth would you try and swim upstream when you can just go with where the water takes you? Swimming upstream impossible. The current is too strong.”
Perhaps you can relate.
If you’re surrounded by people living the 9-5 lifestyle, you can’t expect them to fully understand that remote work is an actual thing that people do, let alone why you want to work remotely. It can be hard for people to wrap their heads around.
And the thing is, those people don’t need to get it.
BUT what is important is that you seek out a community that can support you. Sometimes just connecting with people that “get it” and who are on the same journey can be enough.
So ask yourself, what community can I tap into to support me along my journey in working remotely?
4. Invest in Yourself To Reach Your Goals
The tricky thing about investing in yourself is knowing what “good” investments are, and if that investment makes sense for where you’re at.
Oftentimes people who want to work remotely come to me thinking they need to sign up for this course or that course so they can learn some popular tech skills like being a developer or designer.
But if you spend 80-90% of your time currently at a desk, you already have the skills! Those are not the investments you need to make. Sure, they may be ‘good’ investments for the right person, but it’s not one that you need to make.
The best way to determine what to invest in is by asking yourself, “Where are there gaps between where I am now and where I want to be and what investment can help get me there?”
For example, in my 1:1 mentoring, my clients skip all the mistakes I made when going remote, and they’re learning from someone who has first-hand, real-life experience in going remote. They can leverage what I already know and achieve their goal of working remotely even faster. So for some of you, a coach or a mentor may be the best investment.
It really depends where you need the most support.
Again, ask yourself, “where are there gaps between where I am and where I want to be and what investment can help get me there?”
>> You may also like: The Biggest Mistakes That Keep You From Landing a Remote Job
5. Do the WORK that MATTERS
So many people make false progress.
False progress is when you feel like you’re making progress because you’re doing “something” but doing “something” and “the right thing” are the difference between those who are successful in landing a remote job and those that are not.
You can move as much as you want and still not get anywhere.
Again, we swim around drowning in a sea of options and possibilities. That gets us nowhere. OR swim in the direction of the shore/island. In both scenarios you’re swimming, but only one scenario gets you somewhere.
Let’s consider a more realistic example. Say you want to be a freelance writer.
Examples of FALSE progress.
Watching youtube videos on writing
Making a logo for your site
Examples of REAL progress.
Sending outreach emails to potential clients
Getting on sales calls
So in the case of freelance writing, your #1 priority should be getting clients, and writing every single day.
Stop moving around aimlessly and do the work that MATTERS. Ask yourself, “What can I do today that WILL move the needle forward in achieving my goal of landing a remote job??
6. Be Consistent
Not only is it important to do the work that matters, but you need to do it consistently. You can’t just put in the work when you have a burst of inspiration. It’s about showing up consistently day-in and day-out, even when you don’t feel like it.
If you’re struggling to get motivated just force yourself to do about 5 minutes of the work. That alone is usually enough to get you going because getting started is the hardest part. It’s just like the gym - getting there is the hardest part.
And if that doesn't work, go back to your WHY.
Why does going remote matter to you? Why is it so important?
Now, ask yourself, which of the things mentioned above am I currently doing to support myself in landing a remote job and which of these things do I need to start doing to successfully land a remote job.
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