Are You Having a Hard Time Finding Work From Home? Here is Why

We all know that working from home is the reality for many people nowadays. A decade ago, it was an almost impossible dream to follow. Nowadays, with the improvements in the workforce, everyone with access to the Internet and good English communication skills can search for jobs on remote work platforms and apply to find one. Some people are incredibly successful at getting high-paying clients in a short time. But most people experience difficulties landing a good opportunity and are moving from application to application without any meaningful achievement. In this article, we will discuss the main reasons remote jobs are not an easy catch and how to deal with the new challenges we face as remote job candidates.

Let's start!

Awareness of How to Search

When I first began my job search for a work-from-home position, my knowledge of what to type in a search engine to get the needed results was limited. And naively, I assumed typing work from home or doing remote jobs would be enough to do the work. This proved to be wrong over time. Searching for something generic would land me one of the two possibilities:

1. A scam website offering jobs that they never pay you for

2. A job board with many different options, most of which are not available in my country.

If you are from the USA and English is your native language, what I am explaining here might not apply to you. But for people who are fluent in English but it's not their primary language, the job search would require twice as much effort. The reasons are that your country can't offer the variety you will get on the global market with international jobs. You will want to choose among many offers and select the one that best fits your preferences and qualifications.

Why is it so hard? The reason is that you will need to make additional filters in your search efforts to get results only for people from your region and international jobs. This is further complicated by the searches not always showing the correct parameters you set and need. Being equipped with the skill of knowing the proper way to search for online work is essential to your success in landing the job that you want.

How to Solve "Awareness of How to Search"?

It might sound obvious, but this is solved with practice. Performing a general search on Google is not a bad move; it is only the beginning and a small step toward your goal. From the results on the first two or three pages on Google, you can continue your research deeper into the particular website. If the result is a job board or a platform with many offers, set the filters to display what you are looking for, then choose a job you like and do additional research on the position name or company that offers it. I understand how this can quickly become boring or even frustrating. But the truth is that without reading, checking, examining, and being curious, you would never know the valuable information you need to start working.

Once you have gained information about a particular job board and learned how to navigate and find its features and settings easily, it's time to move on to another one. Don't be afraid to explore, read, click, and investigate. This is the mindset you need to get things moving.

The next step is to check out work-from-home-related forums. People who are on the lookout for online work would participate actively and ask questions in such places. Others would be going to forums to share their knowledge or experience with a certain company for remote offers. Forums are a valuable and necessary part of creating a picture in your mind about types of remote jobs, requirements, the application process, challenges in the job, and much other related information.

At the time I was searching for remote jobs, social media was not one of the options I used. But currently, it is becoming a big player in providing information about legit companies and their processes. Groups related to finding work from home are especially helpful in learning about what's on offer and how to participate. The best bet here is to start looking for such groups in the social account you use most often; that way, you will have the knowledge of how to quickly navigate and won't have to learn a new interface from scratch.

The last step is to focus on reading some blogs on the topic. You will be surprised by how knowledgeable bloggers are about finding different opportunities to work online. It's their job to be proactive in their research, gaining knowledge in their area, and sharing it in an easy-to-understand way. Most of them try the opportunities they write about, so they will have the experience that you still don't have. Read, educate yourself, and learn from other people's mistakes. That's how you do your search.

Competition

It is no secret that remote jobs are appealing. We all know that. We all know why. The idea of "doing what you want when you want and from wherever you want" is just too good. But that same idea brings many people on board. Who doesn't want to have the perfect job on his or her terms? As competition grows with the years, so do requirements and qualifications. Demand defines the price. In our case, the entry-level requirements

Although many companies would claim that they don't require specific experience, and that would be absolutely true, it doesn't mean that they would choose over 1000 candidates for the same spot. It's easy to understand why remote job providers would hire the person with the best qualifications and communication skills. They want the job to be done in the best possible way and their business to continue.

How to Solve the Issue of Competition

The way to deal with this is by improving your skills and knowledge required for online work. This could be learning what proposal to send to the clients, improving your English level, or improving your ability to keep up with deadlines. Having knowledge of how to use different software, especially in your field, would give you a great advantage over other applicants, and you can emphasize it in your resume. The more value you offer, the better your chances are. It might not be easy to go through rejection after rejection in your efforts to find a job, but once you start creating your reputation as a qualified freelancer, you will see that it was all worth it.

Virtual Communication

Another challenge many people come across is the fact that they don't communicate with their customers in real life. The channels you will usually use will be a messaging app, email, chat, or, on some rare occasions, your phone. The issue that arises here is that such methods cut off the quality of the conversations. You can't be as effective and persuasive online as you could be in person. Although it is much easier to text or send some information over email, it lacks the clarity and intention you can only present through facial expressions, gestures, and behavior in a real-life situation.

How to Solve the Issue of Virtual Communication

Put some effort into preparing proposals for potential customers, using a grammar tool that also checks your tone. You want to sound confident and express your desire to solve a particular problem for your client using your skills and experience. You might need to apply to more jobs than you are used to when applying for an offline job. Accepting this as reality and even having fun while preparing your documents can ease these tasks and help you succeed.

Employers are not ready to move their teams full-time remotely.

While work-from-home options prove to be a winning strategy for many teams and employers, shifting entirely to this lifestyle can cause stress for employers. The main fears they have are:

✔ Tracking Productivity

✔ Reduced communication channels

✔ Virtual teams that contribute less to strong relations between employees

Due to the concerns above, employers need to find a way to overcome the issues that arise with remote work. An option they have is to go hybrid: part of the time the workers are at home completing their tasks, and another part is going to an office and collaborating with their colleagues directly. It is a convenient way for the employer to have the time to adapt to the changing work environment, but it limits the opportunities to find their employees globally.

How to Solve Employers Not Ready to Move Their Teams Full-Time Remotely

As part of a hybrid team, it is an opportunity for the worker to point out the benefits that working from home offers. By presenting results and productivity reports that are in favor of remote work, managers can be convinced that it's in the best interest of their company to go fully online. It all depends on the team and their ability and desire to take that step. But if you are in such a situation, showing the facts and the numbers to the employer is the best way to reduce his or her fears.

For some of us, finding a remote position will be quick and easy, while others will struggle with it for years. Once you have a clear idea of what job you are looking for and find your way online to get connected with the right people to help you out, you will be on the right track in the remote work market.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!

〜 Henry David Thoreau

Perseverance, hard work, a goal-oriented personality, and pure luck are the main reasons people find their dream jobs. If you never give up, there is nothing or no one who can stop you.

Good luck in your job search!