Let’s be honest; it seems like everybody is working remotely these days. I don’t know about you, but everywhere I go, that seems to be the topic of discussion.
Go to parks, stores, train stations … even when you go to church, people just can’t seem to stop talking about this remote work thing. I mean, you hear them bragging about how it’s the modern way of life, how it’s made lives better, and all of that.
Is it like that on your side, too? ‘Cuz I don’t want to accept it’s only on this part of the world.
Do you get excited when you hear people having these discussions? Do you wish to be a part of anytime you find yourself in the middle of these conversations?
If so, then you’re probably ready to join the work from home bandwagon. Find out below other signs that point to your readiness for a remote position.
11 Signs Make Sure to Identify You are Ready to Apply for a Remote Job
- You’re Excited by the Talk of it
As we said earlier, if you find yourself inexplicably excited by the talk of remote work, it may be a sign you need to find yourself one. Great as it may sound, the talk of remote work confuses some people rather than excite them. “How would it work,” “Will I be able to cope, especially with the kids around,” “What if I make a mistake on the job, who will assist me.” These are some of the things that creep into some people’s minds when the topic is raised.
But for you, that’s not the case. You’re excited, pumped up, and eager to have a taste. That, my dear, is the sign you need to go look for a remote job position.
Mind you, although there are those who became remote workers because COVID forced them to, many people actually started out as admirers, too. They found themselves feeling drawn to the topic more often than not and eventually decided to join.
You, too, can become a part of the success story today.
- You work best alone
Have you ever tried to complete tasks alone and found that that’s when you’re most productive? Some people work best when in groups, whereas some are at their best when alone.
If you’re one such person, then it may be a sign that you’re cut out to be a remote worker.
Another way to know is if you’ve gotten to the office earlier than the normal resumption hour before and found that you were so productive before others resumed. Or maybe you decided to stay back while others went home and found yourself doing more while they were away.
All these are signs that you’re more productive on your own, which is great news for a wannabe remote worker.
- Distractions don’t get to you
Some people can be in noisy environments, and their productivity won’t drop one bit. In contrast, there are others, like me, who cannot stand background music when working.
Although both parties can work remotely, it’s a lot easier for those who aren’t affected by distractions. From housemates to background sounds, household chores to pet demands, and everything else in between, working from home has its fair share of distractions, too.
If you think you can work with the distractions around you or have a way of removing them completely from your space, then you may be good to go remotely. Otherwise, remote work may not be for you.
- You’ve had experience working remotely
Even if it’s only one day, have you worked from home before? Ok, maybe not from inside your own house, but like a coworking space?
Have you done that before? If you have, what was the experience like? Would you call it meh or amazing? If the latter, then you don’t need anyone telling you what you already know – you’re good to go in the remote world.
If you’ve never had this experience, it may be difficult to speculate. But since you have, and it was good, there’s no disputing your competence and compatibility with the role.
- Remote positions in your industry are offering better pays
As it is, some industries – like IT, Finance, Legal, Retail – pay remote workers handsomely. In fact, some of the remote workers in these industries make better money than full-time workers in other industries.
For employers in these industries, the quality of the talent is more important than his residence. So, in order to attract the top talents, they offer enticing remuneration.
If you think or know people in your industry are making better earnings from remote work, it may be a wise idea to find a position for yourself.
- You can handle technical issues yourself
Look within your current job position and ask yourself, “If a tool, equipment, or software I work with stops working today, can I troubleshoot it on my own?”
This is a great assessment test for your ability to survive on your own. Regardless of your industry, working from home will expose you to technical stuff like software, IT stuff, apps, computer gadgets, and all of that. When these things get bad or stop working the way they ought to, can you perform simple DIYs to fix them, or you’ll always need to call an IT person?
If you’re in the former category, that’s a good sign you won’t struggle remotely. However, if you lean more toward the latter, then it’s clear you will have a tough time handling the technical stuff, which doesn’t bode well for a remote worker.
- Commuting is starting to frustrate you
Do you find yourself sighing more times on the bus than the number of times you say good morning to people? Do you feel frustrated every time you remember it’s almost time to commute? Is transportation cost to work starting to be a pain in your butt? Do you get to work feeling tired after long spells of commute? Perhaps commuting is eating deep into your after-work hours?
If you answer yes to all or any of these, I’m afraid you need a change of lifestyle. And the only alternative I can think of is for you to take up a remote position.
Clearly, you are not having a good time as regards going to work. So, something needs to change.
One of the advantages of working remotely, which everyone loves to talk about, is the fact that you don’t get to commute. That alone is enough to make one fall in love with remote work.
- You need to save money
Working from home costs less than going to work. And I’m going to prove that to you.
When you went to work, you paid for transportation, ate out, changed your wardrobe often, and spent more money on your health.
When you work from home, you eliminate every single one of those expenses. No more commuting. No more eating outside. No more gas costs. If you like, you may choose not to change your wardrobe for many months.
In a way, this saves you money.
So, in general, if you’re looking to save money, taking up remote positions would make more sense for you.
- You desire to be in control of your time and life
Let’s face it, going to work means relinquishing your freedom and ability to do certain things. For starters, you’re not even in control of how you spend your time, let alone when and how you get to do things.
If you need back your freedom – for reasons best known to you – then it may be time to start remote job hunting.
Remote jobs come with such flexibility and freedom like you’ve never experienced before. In fact, you can imagine it as being your own boss. Because you’re practically in control of when and how you work. You could schedule other not-work-related activities into your daily plans. You could put your job on hold and quickly attend to other things. Heck, you could do anything you like.
- Your health demands that you have your private time and space
Did your doctor tell you to stop sharing toilets and bathrooms? Are you advised to take more midday naps (like a siesta)? Are you unable to cope with work-related pressure and stress? Do you need more flexibility in your schedule to make room for doctor’s appointments?
In general, do you have health-related concerns that demand private time and space? If so, working remotely is not by choice; it’s a necessity.
- Obligatory needs
Sometimes in life, some things are demanded of us that go beyond what we want for ourselves. For example, having an elderly parent who needs constant attention, a child who has special needs, or a cause that demands full-time attention.
If you find yourself in a situation where your 9 to 5 job may be a hindrance to things or people that need your attention, you may have no choice but to drop it.
In such scenarios, remote work will be a better idea because such jobs allow you to focus on your obligations while still making money on the side.
How to Get a Remote Job
If you breeze through the eleven signs above and find that you’re cut out to work remotely, the next thing on your mind would be to find a remote job.
So, how do you do that? What are the steps you need to take?
The simplest way is to search for opportunities on job sites that list remote works
- We Work Remotely
We Work Remotely aggregates remote jobs from different countries around the world and bring them all in one place. If you’re looking for jobs, you can easily search by skill or title. Your job interviews happen over the Internet, as you would expect, and the chances of selection are quite high. Lots of people got their first remote gigs off We Work Remotely. You should give it a try today.
- FlexJobs
FlexJobs is a three-in-one job site. They have opportunities for remote, part-time, and full-time job seekers. Over the last few years, Flexjobs has listed over 33k job opportunities from 4.6k companies.
As you can imagine, their reputation runs so deep in the remote job industry, and a lot of employers come here to search for talent.
If you think you have what it takes to land remote job opportunities, FlexJobs is a great place to look. You will almost always find job postings to explore.
- Remote.co
Remote.co goes slightly beyond a regular job site. Founded by the same person who established FlexJobs, Remote.co is built to help remote workers land opportunities, get trained, and get managed.
If you’re a remote job seeker without no experience, this site has some wonderful platforms that can help you. E.g., the QnAs.
Also, if you’re a wannabe remote worker with zero knowledge about the industry, Remote.co has a helpful blog that can guide you.
- Remote OK
Not everyone wants to work in the tech space. Some people want to chase career paths in retail, finance, etc.
Remote OK understands this. And that’s why they tailor their listings to not only feature tech opportunities, unlike other job sites.
Another brilliant point scored by Remote OK is the idea of sending email updates to users when new jobs in their category become available. This ensures that even if you aren’t online at the time of posting, you can still benefit from that posting.
- Indeed
Everybody knows Indeed. It’s one of the largest job sites out there.
If you’re like most people, you may know Indeed as a platform for full-time job roles. However, there are remote opportunities, too.
To find remote jobs on Indeed, you will need to filter your search by entering ‘Remote’ in the field tagged ‘Where.’ This will help the system scour for remote jobs that align with your interest.
Another beautiful thing about Indeed is that you can upload your resume to put yourself in front of prospective employers looking to hire remote workers.
Last words
Remote jobs are great for many reasons. If you’re sure you’re cut out to work remotely, do not hesitate to explore this space. It has a lot of benefits you won’t get in traditional work settings.
With the job sites we mentioned, we hope you can land yourself decent remote offers in no time.