Why Get A Remote Job, Why Now?
I think we all had this canon event when COVID-19 happened and everything went virtual. I was in university, classes were online, group projects became async, and even exam presentations took place in a virtual space.
I was scrolling through TikTok and came across a creator sharing how she landed a remote full-time job, and how it is possible for everyone.
Because, in a way, we all experienced it back in 2020. We all built the soft skills and foundation towards not only online working remotely, but also being able to collaborate with each other and get things done together.
Since then, I knew that if I were to ever get a full-time job… it would be a remote one.
The appeals of remote work, such as the flexibility and lifestyle, plus the burnout and how dead-end I felt doing my own freelance work, pushed me to send in my first application for a remote job role on LinkedIn…
And for the entire week… I sent about 20 more.
As I am writing this post, I am happy to share that I have secured a remote job, and been happily working with this company for a month now.
Disclaimer: I’m not a career coach or hiring pro. These are just my personal experiences and things that helped me land my first remote role. Take what resonates, leave what doesn’t — and always trust your own gut too.
Tip 1: I Got Clear on What I Wanted (And What I Didn’t)
I believe the first step of a remote job search is to know what you want, and what you don’t want.
There are 3 main aspects I consider when I apply to jobs:
- The industry I’m in – Does it align with my values, ethics and interest? Would I be excited to talk about the work I do?
- The work I would do – Does it align with my creativity? Does it allow me room to grow and sharpen the skills I aim to improve?
- The lifestyle it allows – Would it give me flexibility? How is the company’s culture?
(I know some may include salary in this list, and rightfully so. For my current personal situation, I wanted to break into a new industry, and I am fortunate that I could focus more on career growth over income. Hence, I knew I wasn’t going to get paid much anyways as I was targeting entry-level/internship positions.)
If you’re just starting out, I’d suggest actually writing out what you want and what you don’t want in a role. It sounds simple, but it really helped me focus.
Here’s what my list looked like:
Yes: A async culture, timezone-friendly, creative industry, career growth
No: Unpaid internships, crypto/banking/finance industry, micromanage culture
Once you have a clear picture of what you’re aiming for, job hunting becomes a lot less overwhelming. Instead of mindlessly scrolling and applying to everything, you’ll start filtering and finding roles that actually fit.
Tip 2: Worry Less About My Resume & Portfolio
Wow, controversial statement!
Truly, worry less about your portfolio and resume.
Do it once. Do it well. And start applying to jobs.
Believe me, I’ve been stuck in the loop of redesigning my portfolio, tweaking my personal website, and editing my resume to death. I’ve spent hours trying to make everything perfect, and guess what? That perfectionism just delayed me from actually applying.
At some point, I had to admit: I was using it as a form of procrastination, and the more I edit, the more I felt like I wasn’t qualified for the jobs.
If you’re in this phase, my advice is: follow one good tutorial. There are tons of creators on LinkedIn and YouTube who teach how to write resumes tailored for remote roles, how to build a focused portfolio (if that applies to your field), and how to craft compelling CVs on your job application.
But make sure, do not overthink it!
Take what you need, implement once, and move on.
Don’t aim for perfect. Aim for clear and ready.
Tip 3: The Remote Job Seeking Platform that Worked for Me
Once I had my resume and portfolio ready, I started applying through platforms that allow you to filter for remote roles.
I used a mix of LinkedIn, Jobstreet, and Indeed, but LinkedIn ended up working best for me.
What I liked about LinkedIn is how you can filter jobs by country, region (like “Southeast Asia”), or even globally (”Worldwide”). And once you’ve set that, you can toggle on the Remote filter to see only remote opportunities.
Here’s what I typically searched for:
- Job titles: Junior Graphic Designer / Web Designer / UI UX Designer Intern
- Location: Southeast Asia
- Remote filter: ON
I didn’t search using “Worldwide” as a location — because in most cases, even if the job is tagged as remote, it’s usually still limited to candidates from the country listed in the post. True “open to international applicants” roles are out there, but they’re much rarer.
So my tip: stick to your region or country in the Location search. No fret, some companies hiring internationally will have separate job posts based on the country/region (that’s how I found my role in my current company that is based outside my country).
Tip 4: Interview Prep for Remote Job
Depending on the company, there will be one or multiple levels of interviews.
I have applied to almost 30 companies (I don’t have a fancy tracking system to share. I just list all my applications in a messy bullet point list in my Notes app)
Out of the 30 companies, I received 2 interviews. Yes, the job market is really rough. As my chances were slim, I knew I had to really prepare well to impress my interviewers to secure a spot.
Here are some things I did for my remote job interview prep:
- Be clear of your intentions
- Why are you applying for this job? What do you hope to gain?
- Example: I’m applying because I want to break into the tech industry and deepen my skills in Web Design. I’m targeting an entry-level or internship role so I can build strong foundations and grow into a reliable, competent designer.
- Having clear intentions acts as a guide for throughout your interview to remind yourself “why am I here”.
- Prepare a list of interview questions as practice
- Use ChatGPT to suggest interview questions! No shame in using AI to properly and effectively prep yourself.
- Use a good prompt that fits your situation.
- Try this prompt: “I’m applying for [job title]. My background is in [brief experience]. I have an interview coming up. Acting as the hiring manager, give me 10 questions you would ask me.”
- Then, draft your answers, practice saying them out loud, and write them into bullet points that can glance at later during the interview as a guide. This helped me feel way more prepared and less nervous.
- On the day of the interview – stay calm.
- Do not worry about if you’ve done enough prep or not. You got this!
- Remember this: Your interviewer already thinks you’re a potential fit. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have scheduled a call. This is just your moment to show them who you are and prove yourself.
The Role I Landed
The 2 interviews I’ve received were in very different industries and came with very different job scopes.
sales & customer relationship position.
Interview 1: Sales and Customer Relationship
- Part Time: fixed working hours, usually in the late afternoon/evening shifts
- Work week: 4 weekdays + 1 weekend
- Paid in my local currency
I attended the interview and was immediately invited to the training on the same day (which felt a little odd to me…)
After I learned more about the company and business structure, I decided that the position was not for me. While I am interested in the service they provide, the career growth path was vague, and the compensation didn’t feel fair for the dedication and amount of service expected in my opinion.
Interview 2: Web Design
- Internship contract: 6 months, with the potential for a full time offer
- 5-day work week
- Async work, in our own time zones
- Paid in USD
There was 4 stages of interview, which felt like a lot, especially for an internship. However, I took it as a green flag because it showed they had a clear hiring process and that they take every role (even entry-level ones) seriously.
I genuinely enjoy the work they do, and I see potential for career growth here. The only downside was the salary was lower than I expected, even in USD. But I chose to accept the offer because:
- It gets my foot into the tech industry
- It offers flexibility, which I value a lot right now
- It gives me space and time to build my skills, especially in UI/UX and web design
Final Thoughts: To Anyone Trying to Land Theirs
The job market is tough. But I genuinely believe that the right one will come to you when the time is right.
Never stop looking and never give up on applying if you truly feel like this path is for you.
At the end of the day, you only need one “yes” and you will get there!