An old colleague of mine, who'd worked for an LA-based tech company for 10 years, went to hand in his resignation. He was moving to Charlotte so he could be with his girlfriend.
His boss begged him to stay -- he could even work remotely. My friend took the deal. He lives in Charlotte now and flies to LA every 2 or 3 months.
The best place to look for remote jobs is to talk to people who have worked with you in the past and trust you.
If you want to do that, make sure you ask the appropriate people, e.g. HR, about it before you do it. A single manager may not know anything about having remote workers, but HR may be able to assist.
I had an awkward experience leaving my last company. I wanted to move and was willing to work remotely, but no one on my team or my immediate managers thought that was something the company would be willing to do so we agreed I'd resign. It wasn't until I had already accepted a job at another company that I started hearing from friends in other parts of the company that it was possible to become a remote worker. It was just so rare that my immediate team was quoting an old policy and they didn't bother to verify it with HR.
To be fair, the job I found has been great and I'm glad I left.
The longer view of this is to kick ass with the [current] company(ies) you work with to build a rep and become indispensable which would afford you some benefits (like remote working) down the road.
Yup. I contracted with a company remotely, and built up a very good reputation with them. When I was eventually offered a full time position, I was able to mandate no relocation. The existing relationships and trust were what made that possible.
Yes, this is very true. You have to be willing to lose your current employer to do this. No bluffing.
For those who are even thinking of bluffing e.g. along the lines of "lying" about "I will quit if I don't get a remote position" or "I am going to move", please don't. For the former, your credibility will be shattered if you they turn you down and you stay. For the latter, if you don't move, it will be even worse if it turns out you weren't ever planing to move. Also, you don't need to move to get a remote job (you might just have a horrid 1.5hr with traffic/15 mile commute from the outlying suburbs into the city center where the office is).
I broadly agree with this, and nice to hear from people who've made it work.
But how feasible is it to do this today when so much of the current crop of advice seems to be teams-over-individuals, nobody-is-indispensible messages telling managers to avoid letting programmers gain this kind of leverage at almost any cost?
You'll have a job if you do that- but you might not be able to advance, you can be the odd person out, and out of sight/out of mind. I did what your friend did once upon a time; within a few years (during which I got a lot done), it was obvious that it wasn't going to work out any longer. Of course that's a possibility with any job, but if there's not many other opportunities around where you moved to, it can get tricky.
+1 — this has happened to me twice. Once at the end of an internship I was allowed to continue working remotely while finishing a degree and again when I just decided I wanted to move! You're more valuable than you think!
This is how I came to work remotely. When my wife and I had to move for her job, I had built quite a bit of the software my company relied on. Had leverage to go remote and the trust of my boss to do so.
Totally agree with the last sentence. I had to relocate due to some family health issues and was able to renegotiate my existing position into a remote one.
Since it's a throwaway, mind telling a bit more? I'm not from US too and it's hard to find remote jobs there. Are you in one of the nearby countries or Europe?
In all honesty, I work part time on remote jobs. I have a lot of debt I need to pay off, family medical.
I have for the 2 years, applied to 100+ jobs a week. When I don't have work or when I find my current work teetering off, I sit down every Monday, go to 40+ job sites I have collected over time and just apply to as many as possible within the 2 hours or so.
Its hit or miss, but I tend to find something within the month, someone looking for part time remote work.
I am always looking, but since its part time, I get filtered out a lot due to employers wanting full time folks.
Just Hustle. Keep Hustling. Don't stop hustling. It helps me.
I got tired of the part-time contract work. It was frustrating to me that I had to spend about half my time on overhead instead of just working. I had to find jobs, negotiate jobs, manage scope, manage expectations, manage clients, time tracking and billing. It was kinda fun to bill $125/hr, but with all that overhead and taxes it worked out to less than a $125k/yr salary.
In the end I took a regular salaried job that paid better and I got to spend more time doing what I loved: programming.
How do you apply for such vast number of jobs? For me, applying for the job is a tedious process of researching about the company, products, team members, CEO and CTO, and only after that crafting a cover letter and attaching CV.
One of my companies has been growing and our single developer is leaving.
I've been hard at work preparing everything for remote developers to be able to help us out where ever they are and how for as much hours as we can afford them to work. My idea is to scale the company based on a dynamic remote team, where knowledge is shared and only ideas come from within the company itself.
Please tell me where you have been looking for remote work? I'm dying for some good parttimers.
I've gotten two remote jobs off the HN "Who's hiring?" thread. It can be a bit frustrating. I applied to every single remote posting on the thread for 2 months in a row. So I guess that's one job per month (maybe I was lucky or unlucky who knows).
Following are some of my impressions but they are subjective and perhaps a bit speculative.
Generally I've found that the attitude of most US companies is that if they are willing to hire remote, they are usually only interested in hiring candidates inside the US - even if they are a native English speaker (I was an American living in Vietnam). This is very different than the attitude that I've gotten talking to a companies in say ... Singapore or Germany.
Another thing that seems to happen is that some companies seem to throw the REMOTE OK tag to their posting without considering whether or not everyone on their engineering team is actually ok with working with a remote employee. I've done several interviews with teams that were REMOTE OK but had no existing remote employees. Usually it only takes one person to veto a hire. That's something to think about if they are looking at both local and remote candidates. Unless there is a really compelling reason to hire remote, usually they will go local (makes sense). You might not even want to work with one of these companies because they aren't set up for remote work... communication takes a bit more work from all team members - not just the remote ones.
Overall I've had a much more positive experience with the HN: "Who's hiring?"" thread than anywhere else. I think this is because the first point of contact is often an engineer and not an HR person. My resume is a bit odd and doesn't have a BRAND_NAME_SILICON_VALLEY_COMPANY or a BRAND_NAME_UNIVERSITY so it bounces right off the HR department. It's very helpful to be able to talk technology with someone in the initial conversation. If I can get a knowledgeable front-end engineer to look at some of my previous work, then I usually get to the coding round.
I had no luck with any of the remote hiring sites: remoteok.io or weworkremotely.com. YMMV
Ultimately getting a remote job seems to come down to:
1. Having some kind of portfolio to demonstrate your competence.
2. Doing as many interiews as possible. Also the more interviews you do the better you get at it.
Can anyone confirm, that any of these sites have found them remote jobs? I would love to know as I am interested in joining, but I don't actually think its worth it?
Could you explain me why you don't like those "I do not recomment" sites? I just registered at upwork.com and would love to know the (bad) experiences you had with them, for instance. Thanks!
I don't really like this site and others like it. I could be wrong, but it appears to be an automated scraper of real managed content like https://weworkremotely.com/ which is what I'd recommend and found my first remote position through
I'm not sure if there really is a best place to look for remote jobs. It depends. I personally don't like aggregators as it's so easy to overlook a job post. I prefer visiting individual job boards. As a side note, I do agree with some of the comments in this thread. The best way is of course to talk to people you know and have worked with in the past. Meetups and events can also be a great place. Perhaps it won't land you a remote job today, but it may in the future.
What kind of remote jobs are you looking for? Tech or non-tech? I've generally found weworkremotely and the HN hiring thread to be among the best. If you're interested in remote jobs at startups, AngelList have a special collection for you https://angel.co/job-collections/remote/
It might be worth your time to look through http://nodesk.co/remote-work/ for a collection of remote job boards (it's a list so visit them all and save the ones you find useful) as well as http://workintech.io/ (job boards specifically geared for tech jobs).
Let me know what you're looking for and perhaps I can help point you in the right direction.
Many I know with remote positions had worked at the company previously and then went to move or quit, and was given permission to work remotely. Obviously one needs to be an effective employee for that to be the case, and not mind occasionally traveling.
Otherwise you could seek employment at a place known for having primarily remote workers.
Contract work and freelance is also easy to remote.
The interview experience is terrible. I completed a much more ambitious project than I needed to, demonstrating the ability to pick up a complex new framework quickly (React Native). I also implemented a very thorough auth system demonstrating mastery of secure programming (proper salting, message signing, defense against timing attacks.) That didn't matter one bit, I got denied for omitting a requirement which wasn't in the listed requirements and for not communicating to clarify the requirements. Whilst I understand the value of timely communication with real clients, I assumed these guys could get their own assignment requirements correct.
In addition to all this, you will get a much lower rate than you're expecting. While it's true that you set your own rate, they basically told me if I don't charge at the same below-salary rates as the rest of the people on their network, they won't send business my way.
So huge waste of time on the interview, plus you'll make less than a salaried position for the advantage of sporadic work and no benefits. Stay away if you know what's good for you!
Is there anything positive anyone who uses toptal can share about them vs other services? It seems others are concerned about the interview process and rate fixing
I'm a Sr. Security Engineer at a security firm called Defense Point Security. We are always looking for remote talent. Feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected] with your resume!
[+] [-] calcsam|9 years ago|reply
His boss begged him to stay -- he could even work remotely. My friend took the deal. He lives in Charlotte now and flies to LA every 2 or 3 months.
The best place to look for remote jobs is to talk to people who have worked with you in the past and trust you.
[+] [-] Periodic|9 years ago|reply
I had an awkward experience leaving my last company. I wanted to move and was willing to work remotely, but no one on my team or my immediate managers thought that was something the company would be willing to do so we agreed I'd resign. It wasn't until I had already accepted a job at another company that I started hearing from friends in other parts of the company that it was possible to become a remote worker. It was just so rare that my immediate team was quoting an old policy and they didn't bother to verify it with HR.
To be fair, the job I found has been great and I'm glad I left.
[+] [-] rottyguy|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kedean|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wallflower|9 years ago|reply
For those who are even thinking of bluffing e.g. along the lines of "lying" about "I will quit if I don't get a remote position" or "I am going to move", please don't. For the former, your credibility will be shattered if you they turn you down and you stay. For the latter, if you don't move, it will be even worse if it turns out you weren't ever planing to move. Also, you don't need to move to get a remote job (you might just have a horrid 1.5hr with traffic/15 mile commute from the outlying suburbs into the city center where the office is).
[+] [-] dasmoth|9 years ago|reply
But how feasible is it to do this today when so much of the current crop of advice seems to be teams-over-individuals, nobody-is-indispensible messages telling managers to avoid letting programmers gain this kind of leverage at almost any cost?
[+] [-] draw_down|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mhgbrown|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] chrisguitarguy|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cpete|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mrgrowth|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] taway_1212|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ishansharma|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] markbnj|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zerr|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] spoiledtechie|9 years ago|reply
I have for the 2 years, applied to 100+ jobs a week. When I don't have work or when I find my current work teetering off, I sit down every Monday, go to 40+ job sites I have collected over time and just apply to as many as possible within the 2 hours or so.
Its hit or miss, but I tend to find something within the month, someone looking for part time remote work.
I am always looking, but since its part time, I get filtered out a lot due to employers wanting full time folks.
Just Hustle. Keep Hustling. Don't stop hustling. It helps me.
[+] [-] Periodic|9 years ago|reply
In the end I took a regular salaried job that paid better and I got to spend more time doing what I loved: programming.
[+] [-] zerr|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] neals|9 years ago|reply
I've been hard at work preparing everything for remote developers to be able to help us out where ever they are and how for as much hours as we can afford them to work. My idea is to scale the company based on a dynamic remote team, where knowledge is shared and only ideas come from within the company itself.
Please tell me where you have been looking for remote work? I'm dying for some good parttimers.
[+] [-] akamaka|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nickthemagicman|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mbil|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pieterhg|9 years ago|reply
The focus should be on increasing your skills, making them more unique and super necessary for employers.
And then use the relationships you have already (eg current employer or clients) to start working remotely.
[+] [-] santoriv|9 years ago|reply
Following are some of my impressions but they are subjective and perhaps a bit speculative.
Generally I've found that the attitude of most US companies is that if they are willing to hire remote, they are usually only interested in hiring candidates inside the US - even if they are a native English speaker (I was an American living in Vietnam). This is very different than the attitude that I've gotten talking to a companies in say ... Singapore or Germany.
Another thing that seems to happen is that some companies seem to throw the REMOTE OK tag to their posting without considering whether or not everyone on their engineering team is actually ok with working with a remote employee. I've done several interviews with teams that were REMOTE OK but had no existing remote employees. Usually it only takes one person to veto a hire. That's something to think about if they are looking at both local and remote candidates. Unless there is a really compelling reason to hire remote, usually they will go local (makes sense). You might not even want to work with one of these companies because they aren't set up for remote work... communication takes a bit more work from all team members - not just the remote ones.
Overall I've had a much more positive experience with the HN: "Who's hiring?"" thread than anywhere else. I think this is because the first point of contact is often an engineer and not an HR person. My resume is a bit odd and doesn't have a BRAND_NAME_SILICON_VALLEY_COMPANY or a BRAND_NAME_UNIVERSITY so it bounces right off the HR department. It's very helpful to be able to talk technology with someone in the initial conversation. If I can get a knowledgeable front-end engineer to look at some of my previous work, then I usually get to the coding round.
I had no luck with any of the remote hiring sites: remoteok.io or weworkremotely.com. YMMV
Ultimately getting a remote job seems to come down to:
1. Having some kind of portfolio to demonstrate your competence. 2. Doing as many interiews as possible. Also the more interviews you do the better you get at it.
Good luck!
[+] [-] _noqo|9 years ago|reply
* http://weworkremotely.com
* http://remoteok.io
* http://remotebase.io
* http://workingnomads.co
* http://authenticjobs.com
* http://folyo.me
* http://jobspresso.co
* http://wfh.io
* http://remotefriendly.work
* http://linkedin.com/jobs
* http://angel.co/jobs
* http://designernews.co/jobs
* http://news.ycombinator.com (monthly posts for freelance jobs)
* http://dribbble.com/jobs (only design)
* http://getonbrd.com (latam)
-----------
With broker
Here you apply as a professional, they approve you (or not) and then assign you projects.
* http://toptal.com
* http://workmarket.com
* http://crew.co
* http://hired.com
* http://onsite.io
* http://workingnotworking.com
* http://gun.io
* http://gigster.com
I do not recommend
* http://upwork.com
* http://freelancer.com
* http://nubelo.com
* http://fiverr.com
* http://workana.com
* http://guru.com
-----------
Slack communities
Interact with other freelancers. Usually you will find a #Jobs channel.
Free membership
* http://wearedomino.com
* http://designerhangout.co
* http://launch.chat
Paid membership
* http://join.nomadlist.com ($25 month | $75 year | $200 lifetime)
* http://workfrom.co/chat ($5 month | $50 year)
* http://freelance.chat ($25 lifetime)
-----------
This list is from an article [1] that I wrote, hope can help!
[1] [redacted]
[+] [-] spoiledtechie|9 years ago|reply
Paid membership * http://join.nomadlist.com ($25 month | $75 year | $200 lifetime) * http://workfrom.co/chat ($5 month | $50 year) * http://freelance.chat ($25 lifetime)
[+] [-] hgears|9 years ago|reply
* http://automattic.com/work-with-us/ (all remote company) * https://github.com/engineerapart/TheRemoteFreelancer (another curated list)
[+] [-] zeahfj|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] filwaitman|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mrgrowth|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mseo|9 years ago|reply
http://stackoverflow.com/jobs?sort=i&l=Remote&d=20&u=Km
[+] [-] rrherr|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] spraak|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] archildress|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] grimsbylad|9 years ago|reply
What kind of remote jobs are you looking for? Tech or non-tech? I've generally found weworkremotely and the HN hiring thread to be among the best. If you're interested in remote jobs at startups, AngelList have a special collection for you https://angel.co/job-collections/remote/
It might be worth your time to look through http://nodesk.co/remote-work/ for a collection of remote job boards (it's a list so visit them all and save the ones you find useful) as well as http://workintech.io/ (job boards specifically geared for tech jobs).
Let me know what you're looking for and perhaps I can help point you in the right direction.
[+] [-] AdamGibbins|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kaizensoze|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lukasm|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DoodleBuggy|9 years ago|reply
Otherwise you could seek employment at a place known for having primarily remote workers.
Contract work and freelance is also easy to remote.
[+] [-] spoiledtechie|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] 49531|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fastftw|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] eloff|9 years ago|reply
In addition to all this, you will get a much lower rate than you're expecting. While it's true that you set your own rate, they basically told me if I don't charge at the same below-salary rates as the rest of the people on their network, they won't send business my way.
So huge waste of time on the interview, plus you'll make less than a salaried position for the advantage of sporadic work and no benefits. Stay away if you know what's good for you!
[+] [-] ozaark|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] coupdejarnac|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ryandamour|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mrgrowth|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|9 years ago|reply
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