How to find a remote job: where to look, what to apply for and how to spot scams

Where remote listings appear

• General job boards with a remote or location filter. Use it, then read the listing anyway, because "remote" can mean many things.
• Remote-specific job boards, which only list roles that can be done from home. They are smaller but less noisy.
• Company careers pages. Many remote-first companies post roles on their own site first, or only there.
• Professional networks and communities: industry forums, open-source projects, newsletters and online groups in your field. Many remote hires come through people who already work there.
• Your current employer. Moving an existing job to remote, or to a hybrid pattern, is often easier than finding a new one.

Remote-first, remote-friendly and "remote, but"

• Remote-first companies are built around people working apart. Decisions are written down, meetings are recorded, and nobody is at a disadvantage for not being in an office.
• Remote-friendly companies allow remote work, but the centre of gravity is still an office. Remote staff can miss conversations and promotions that happen in the corridor.
• Location-restricted remote means you can work from home, but only from certain countries, states or time zones, usually for tax, employment law or overlap reasons. This is the most common reason a remote application is rejected without a reply, so check it first.
• Hybrid roles expect regular office days. They are not remote, whatever the headline says.

Tailoring your application

• Mirror the listing. Use the same words for skills and tools that the listing uses, so both automated filters and busy readers can see the match.
• Show results, not duties. "Cut support response time by a third" says more than "handled customer tickets".
• Prove you can work remotely. Mention any distributed team, freelance work, cross-time-zone project or independent study you have done, and the tools you used to keep it on track.
• Write well. Remote teams communicate mostly in writing, so your cover letter is a work sample. Keep it short, specific and free of errors.
• State your location and time zone clearly, and any hours you can overlap with the team.
• Keep a portfolio or work samples online if your field allows it.

Interviews over video

• Test your camera, microphone and connection beforehand, and have a phone number ready in case the call drops.
• Expect questions about how you organise your day, how you handle being blocked and how you communicate progress. Have real examples.
• Ask them questions too: how decisions are made, how new starters are onboarded, which hours people are expected to be online.

Spotting job scams

• You are asked to pay first, for training, a starter kit, software or equipment, often with a promise of reimbursement that never comes. A real employer does not charge you to work.
• A cheque arrives before you start, with instructions to deposit it and send part of the money on, for equipment or to a "supplier". The money can appear in your account and the cheque still bounce days later, leaving you owing the bank.
• Payment requests by gift card, cryptocurrency or a peer-to-peer payment app.
• No real interview, or an interview held only by text chat, followed by an instant offer.
• High pay for very little work, or a vague job description.
• Unsolicited messages from a "recruiter" asking you to reply by text, or using a personal email address rather than the company's domain.
• Requests for sensitive details such as bank logins, ID documents or national identity numbers before there is a genuine, signed offer.