Dec 16, 2020

6 min read

How to Find a Remote Job as a Developer in 2021

Part 2. Tools to find the remote employer of your dreams

Legend has it that Steve Jobs found his first job as a video game maker in a newspaper, and Jack Dorsey just showed up in the office of a company and said he wanted to work for them. By 1997, about 20 percent of companies recruited online. Now a hiring manager would probably block you immediately if you give them a cold call, but nobody will ask you if you have a LinkedIn profile. Of course, you do!

The variety of job hunting tools is so huge that it makes all newcomers rub their hands with joy and shake with excitement. The chances are good that the joy will quickly disappear and give way to exhaustion and frustration known to each and every experienced job applicant. Keep in mind that the market for remote jobs is still messy.

6nomads’ goal is to help you experience the process of job hunting as an efficient, smooth and even pleasurable one. We decided to create a comprehensive list of online tools and techniques to help you find the remote employer of your dreams.

Meet the new year head-on. Here is Part 2 of the 6nomads guide on how to find a remote job as a developer in 2021.

1 BE MAINSTREAM

Go on one of the popular job boards or job search engines. What you do there is just scroll through job vacancies posted by employers. Sometimes you can apply for a job directly on the board, or other times you will be redirected to a separate page.

For a job search, use keywords like ‘remote’, ‘work from home’, ‘home-based’, ‘telecommute’. Less used, but still running: ‘virtual job’, ‘online job’, ‘off-site’, ‘distance work’, ‘geographically neutral’.

LinkedIn: Type in Worldwide in location and then use the special Remote filter.

CareerBuilder: Either type the job title of your choice along with a keyword in the search box OR choose Home-based / Remote filter in the location section.

Indeed: Same steps as CareerBuilder. Make sure to choose the country you want.

Glassdoor: Leave the location box blank and type in keywords like ‘remote’ or ‘work from home’ in the search bar.

Monster: Same as Glassdoor. Don’t forget to check it for different countries!

TIP: When you try to use the keyword ‘remote’ in your search, keep in mind that there is a town in Oregon called Remote. Don’t get frustrated if the job search for this place ends up with zero results. There are two houses, a post office and a shop. As far as we know, they are not planning on hiring any developers or engineers in the near future.

2 THINK STRATEGICALLY

What companies are more likely to hire remotely no matter what? Yes, startups. Remote work matches their flexibility, international ambitions, open-mindedness, and in the end, it saves their financial resources. For jobs in startups check among others:

All the above sites work well with a remote filter.

3 MAKE REMOTE WORK THE DEFAULT

According to Liam Martin, a Co-Founder of Time Doctor, the first rule for companies looking for remote talent is hiring people who want to work remotely. Full-time remote job boards and remote-focused platforms are made specifically for remote companies and remote workers to find each other. Using them also significantly increases your chances of finding a company with a strong remote culture.

The list of remote job boards has grown so long that it deserves a separate article. Remote job platforms often featured are:

We Work Remotely, self-proclaimed largest remote work community in the world
RemoteOK
Who is Hiring
Nodesk
Skip The Drive
Working Nomads
Remote.co

4 FOCUS ON TECH

Niche job boards save your time and energy and enable easier access to your target employers. Search for remote tech roles with the help of:

TIP: In the search for the best job board with a unique remote+tech combo, you should check our new jobs shortlist.

5 SOCIALIZE

If you were an employer, would you hire a stranger or someone you knew at least a little? In the digital era, networking is still crucial for any career, and it’s one of the most effective ways to land a new job.

✔ Make your social media accounts look smart. You never know when and how a CEO of a promising startup may scroll through his or her friend suggestions.

✔ Facebook is a go-to resource for recruiters to share remote job openings. Join relevant groups, such as:

Do the same trick on LinkedIn. Finding groups focused on remote work or your area of expertise (i.e. Remote Workers, Developers, etc.) will help you connect with companies and other remote workers and keep you informed on remote job opportunities.

TIP: When you join a group, be proactive! Engage thoughtfully. You can send messages to different people, from hiring managers to fellow job seekers, asking questions and learning the real first-hand experience. It will bring extra value to your job hunting, support your decisions and eventually boost your career.

6 BE CREATIVE

At some point, you may realize that you’ve exhausted all the obvious options. It’s time to become inventive. There is a way to do a bulk search across various vacancies open in companies that use applicant tracking systems (ATS). The crafty way to find hidden gems in the still chaotic remote work market is described here.

7 BE SMART

Recruitment has gone through a radical transformation in the last decade. In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive job market the best candidates tend to look beyond job boards. Matchmaking and preselection services let the magic happen. 6nomads has built an automatic assessment tool to bring together the best tech talent available worldwide and employers hiring remotely.

Keep in mind that companies who drive a tech-savvy workforce are the first ones to adopt ‘smart hiring’ technology. A matchmaking platform is an efficient way to connect with them and to put you first in line for their jobs.

8 RELAX & LET THINGS HAPPEN

Have you ever wished to have an assistant that would help you with job hunting? Well, we got blessed with bots.

✔ Companies that are hiring have bots for screening, scheduling and answering questions. It sounds even better if their chatbots integrate with messaging apps, like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Telegram.

TIP: Find the bots of the companies you would like to work in and interact with them. The bot will send you notifications when the company has new job openings and may help you determine which roles suit you the best. Moreover, a chatbot is a great tool to practice English!

✔ Let’s be real: if you work full-time, you can’t waste your lunch breaks and nights scrolling through hundreds of postings on job boards, networking on Facebook, and creating a list of dream-employers. A great option available is a bot that actually acts as your recruitment agent and helps you curate your own personal job feed.

A bot is a tool for both active job seekers and for those who are happy in their jobs but may be open to a new career opportunity if a good one comes along. 6nomads bot provides you with a customized selection of remote job openings, taking into consideration your skills and experience. Just pick a job from the shortlist and apply.

TIP: To get the job you deserve, you have to know your value in the job market. With remote jobs the task of determining your worth is even more of a challenge. Use 6nomads bot to explore career opportunities available for your specialization and determine what you should be paid as a remote worker. Be prepared to see listings not available on job boards, as more and more companies deliberately avoid posting their vacancies there and opt for recruiting remotely from a small but high-quality talent pool.

Stay tuned for Part 3 or check the remote jobs shortlist right now to find the offer suiting you the best!