10 Job Hunting Tips for Landing a Great Remote Job

Landing a remote job is competitive; that’s why you need to put your best foot forward. Here are some job hunting tips to help you land a great remote job!

Despite moves by some large companies to bring their teams back into the office more days a week, research shows that the work from home movement remains strong as millions of U.S. employees continue to successfully perform their jobs remotely.

In recent years, employment data shows that some 22 million employed adults in the U.S. worked from home all the time, which is approximately 14% of all employed adults, according to the Pew Research Center.

Couple that with anticipated job growth in the United States in the coming months, and we have the potential for more job openings and an expanding job market – which includes remote jobs.

New research from consulting firm Robert Half suggests businesses plan to hire more people in the first six months of 2025 than last year. Some 63% of respondents say they plan to add new permanent positions in the first half of the year, according to the State of U.S. Hiring Survey from Robert Half. That’s up from 52% six months ago, notes the business. 

As work from home and remote work options remain strong in the U.S., it’s important to make the right moves when it comes to landing your next remote position. Whether you are just starting your search or have been at it for a while now, consider these job search tips for finding a dream job that allows you the flexibility and convenience of working from home.

1. Create job alerts exclusively for 100% remote positions.

Don’t spend hours perusing the help wanted listings for another day. Instead, you can save yourself some time and energy by visiting some of the major job listing websites and online job boards and signing up for customized weekly job alerts sent straight to your inbox. If you only want to consider job postings that allow you to work from home, be sure to specify that. Job sites, including FlexJobs, Glassdoor Jobs, and even the social networking platform for business professionals – LinkedIn – will let you know when jobs that fit your profile are posted. And you can also count on The Work at Home Woman to bring you hundreds of legitimate remote jobs every week.

2. New job application? Create a new version of your resume.

Yes, updating your resume for every single job you apply for can take a lot of your time, especially if you are sending out dozens of resumes. But hear us out. Your resume should be tailored to the specific job you are applying for – which should include using keywords from the job description (and relevant skills), so you have the best shot of becoming a finalist for the work from home job you want. Another good reason to update your resume for each new job application you fill out is so you can ensure you are adding new skills, including online courses and workshops, to your CV.  

3. Write the cover letter, even if it’s optional.

File this under, ‘you get out what you put in.’ Like a thank you note, writing a cover letter is a great way to set yourself apart from a pool of candidates and allows you to showcase a bit of your personality, achievements, and expertise in a way that a resume doesn’t.

If you are stuck on ways to start a cover letter, use Google to get some inspiration from the internet by searching for examples of cover letters related to your field of interest. For your own letter, be sure to include specific details about how your work experience and skills relate to this role and how you can help your potential employer solve specific problems and get quantifiable results when appropriate. 

This is also your chance as a job seeker to show recruiters, hiring managers, and supervisors your passion for the position they are looking to fill. Don’t miss out on a potential job opportunity by skipping this option.

4. Make sure your resume passes the ATS test.

In recent years, companies large and small have begun using software to help sift through the piles of resumes they receive to save time and streamline the hiring process. In fact, data from 2023 shows that applicant tracking systems (better known as ATS) are now being used by more than 97% of Fortune 500 companies. You can make sure your resume is ATS-friendly by using Jobscan, or Microsoft offers several ATS-approved resume templates you can plug your personal information into. 

5. Mock interviews are a must before the real one.

You know that saying about how to get to Carnegie Hall? (Practice, practice, practice.) The same goes for nailing a great job interview. It can take some practice and at least one or two run-throughs with your camera at your desk (or kitchen table) to ensure you portray the most professional version of yourself. After all, a good first impression is vital.

You can practice with a friend by setting up a Zoom session and sitting exactly where you will for the real interview. When you are on the call, scan the background to ensure everything looks neat and tidy. Yes, you can use one of those blurred backgrounds as a last resort, but it might be distracting to the person who is interviewing you. 

While you are practicing for the real interview, have your friend ask some common interview questions to help make the interview process go even smoother.

6. Ask specific questions about how remote workers are included.

Career experts caution potential employees to make sure they ask about the culture for remote workers versus onsite workers before accepting a job. It’s one thing to work for a business where almost everyone is doing their job from home. But roles at companies that offer both remote and in-office positions can be a little more challenging when it comes to your ability to climb the corporate ladder. 

7. Seek career coaching advice.

If it has been a few months and you aren’t getting the leads or callbacks you hoped for, it might be time to consult a professional or at least a trusted friend or colleague in a field you are trying to work in.

You can go about this a couple of different ways.

You can also ask friends or someone you consider to be a mentor for recommendations on a career coach or counselor who may have helped them. Your college or university also likely has a career services center that can help with job searches. Before hiring anyone to help you land your next remote role, be sure to ask them about their experience, certifications, and references from other clients.  

8. Write a thank you note after the interview.

One way to make yourself stand out from the crowd – and perhaps elicit some valuable feedback – is to promptly write a thank you note to the person who interviewed you. It may seem old-fashioned, but putting pen to paper shows someone you have good manners, understand the art of building relationships, and that you value the time and energy they put into conducting the interview.

9. Consider a follow-up email.

Second to the thank you note is a follow-up email that also expresses gratitude to the person who interviewed you for their time, but could also make a point you may have forgotten to bring up in the interview. If you choose to follow up with more information about what you can offer the company, including any relevant experiences, try to get to the point quickly, usually in just one or two brief paragraphs.  

10. Network with friends and colleagues to uncover ‘secret’ jobs.

Sometimes, it really is who you know, or who your friends or colleagues know, that can lead you to your dream job working from home. So, in addition to all of the other strategies and tactics mentioned above, you should also be networking to let others know that you are open to remote work. Yes, you can also do this on your LinkedIn profile or other social media accounts if you are in a position to put it out there. If you need to be more discreet though, talking one-on-one with friends who may know about jobs that haven’t been posted yet is a wise move. 

Use these job hunting tips to improve your chances of landing a great remote job.

While there’s no one key strategy to ensure you land your dream job in record time, it’s essential to check all of the boxes you can in your strategic search for a job that allows you to work from home. That can mean going the extra mile by updating your resume for each new job application, writing a cover letter even when it’s optional, and following up with a hand-written thank you note.