Remote work has exploded in popularity over the last few years. As technology has enabled people to work productively from anywhere with an internet connection, more and more people have embraced the remote work lifestyle. There are now a wide variety of sites and resources dedicated specifically to finding and doing remote work. These sites cater to the unique needs of remote workers and remote jobs in a way that general job boards often do not.
There are several major types of remote job sites:
- Job boards specifically focused on remote work opportunities. These feature remote-friendly job listings from a variety of companies.
- Freelance and contract work marketplaces. These allow remote workers to connect directly with clients to do project-based work.
- Niche and industry-specific remote job sites. These focus on particular industries or roles that lend themselves well to remote work.
- Company sourcing sites. These showcase companies with reputations for remote work to help candidates find opportunities.
- Coworking space directories. These help remote workers find places to work outside of home.
The main benefits of using a site dedicated to remote jobs rather than just a general job board are:
- Access to job listings that explicitly allow remote work. This avoids the hassle of sifting through location-specific listings.
- Ability to search for remote work within a particular field or role. Remote job sites organize opportunities by telecommuting-friendly categories.
- Features that cater to remote workers’ needs, like virtual networking. General sites overlook these needs.
- Resources about the remote work lifestyle and best practices beyond just job listings. These sites build community.
By using the right remote job sites, remote workers can find the best opportunities available to work from anywhere.
Job Boards Specializing in Remote Work
With the rise in remote work over the past few years, there are now numerous job boards dedicated specifically to remote job listings across all industries and career levels. These sites can be great places to find legitimate remote opportunities, especially if you are seeking a full-time remote position.
Some of the top remote job boards to check out include:
FlexJobs
FlexJobs is one of the most reputable remote job boards with rigorous screening of job postings to ensure they are legitimate telecommuting opportunities. The site requires a paid membership but provides access to screened, remote jobs in over 50 career categories.
Remote.co
Remote.co is a job board focused exclusively on vetted remote jobs at top companies. They also offer career coaching for remote job seekers. Listings range from entry-level to executive positions.
We Work Remotely
We Work Remotely posts a wide variety of remote jobs from startups and smaller companies. Listings tend to skew towards tech, design, customer support, sales and marketing roles but also include other positions.
Remote OK
Remote OK aggregates remote job listings from company career pages and other online job boards. All jobs listed allow applicants to work from home or remotely. The site is free for job seekers.
Virtual Vocations
Virtual Vocations specializes in work-from-home and flexible jobs, with listings across multiple job categories and career levels. They also offer remote career coaching and resume services. A basic job search is free, with premium memberships available.
The niche sites above can help expand your remote job search and uncover opportunities you may not find on general job boards. Take time to optimize your profiles and check them regularly for newly posted positions.
Freelance/Contracting Sites
Freelance and contracting sites allow remote workers to find short-term or one-off jobs and projects. They connect businesses with freelancers specializing in a wide range of skills.
Some top freelance and contracting sites for remote work include:
Upwork
Upwork is one of the largest and most popular freelance job sites, with millions of businesses posting jobs and freelancers offering services. You can browse and search open remote jobs by skill or category. Upwork provides tools for submitting proposals, communicating with clients, time tracking, and payments. They also include resources like an online freelancing guide for beginners.
Fiverr
At Fiverr, freelancers offer specific services or “gigs” starting at just $5. Gigs span a huge range of categories from writing and translation to programming and graphic design. Fiverr is ideal for freelancers looking for quick, discrete projects. The site vets freelancers and provides various levels of verification.
Freelancer
On Freelancer.com, businesses can post their project requirements for freelancers to bid on. You can search for remote work by job type, skill, or location. The site offers an escrow payment system for security, along with reviews and skill tests. Freelancer has a large global pool of employers and freelancers.
Guru
Guru has over 3 million members and focuses on various types of freelance work, particularly in technical and professional services. You can bid on open projects based on your experience level, skills, and price quote. Guru offers payment protection and also lets freelancers create detailed profiles to showcase their services.
PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour matches freelancers to posted jobs, tasks, and projects. You can narrow remote work searches according to freelance level, project budget, timeframe, and more. The site incorporates profiles, portfolios, verified work history, and ratings for finding reliable matches. PeoplePerHour offers useful tools for freelancers like invoicing and payments.
Niche and Industry-Specific Sites
When looking for remote work, it can be helpful to search sites that specialize in your particular industry or niche. Here are some top sites targeted to specific types of remote jobs:
- Toptal – This freelance network focuses on connecting skilled software developers, designers, and finance experts with great companies. All freelancers go through a stringent screening process to ensure high quality.
- Working Nomads – Catering to the digital nomad lifestyle, Working Nomads lists flexible and remote jobs perfect for traveling professionals. Jobs span many industries like development, marketing, customer service and more.
- Power to Fly – This site lists hundreds of remote jobs specifically for women. You can search by career level, skillset and more. They also offer career coaching.
- JustRemote – JustRemote aggregates remote job postings across the web, searchable by skills and specialties like customer service, sales, engineering and others. You can filter by contract type too.
- Remotive – Browse thousands of hand-screened remote jobs across IT, marketing, operations and more on Remotive. All jobs offer schedule flexibility and the ability to work from anywhere.
If you work in a particular field like programming, writing, healthcare or others, searching an industry-specific site can surface great remote opportunities matching your skills and interests. Take the time to create profiles and set alerts on niche sites related to your profession.
Company Sourcing Sites
Company sourcing sites provide specialized listings from companies that are actively hiring for remote positions. These sites allow you to browse and filter remote job openings from companies embracing location-independent work.
AngelList
Founded in 2010, AngelList is a recruiting platform that connects startups with investors and job seekers. It has a large collection of remote openings from startups looking to build distributed teams. You can browse by location, company stage, role, skills, and more. There is also a map view to find startups hiring in your area.
The site is ideal for those interested in working for an early-stage startup. It makes it easy to discover opportunities you may not find on traditional job boards. AngelList also has a talent service that matches candidates with hiring companies for free. Signing up for this can help find additional openings tailored to your background.
Remote Company
Remote Company aggregates remote job postings from other sites and job boards. It curates a searchable list of thousands of current remote openings. You can browse by category and company name. Site features allow saving searches and getting email alerts when new relevant jobs are posted.
The company lists showcase helpful information like company location, size, and technologies used. The advanced search filters by skills, salary, visa sponsorship, and more. Remote Company also has a Slack community with job channels you can join.
Remotees
Remotees provides a hand-curated list of vetted companies with at least 10 employees that offer full-time remote jobs. It filters companies to ensure they have robust remote work policies and practices. The site lists details like company headquarters, team size, tech stack, and examples of remote employees.
You can browse openings by position, company values, tech stack, and more. Remotees’ selective curation provides a quality list of established companies actively hiring remote workers. Signing up enables setting alerts for new relevant job listings.
Remoters
Remoters also specializes in curating legitimate remote job openings from vetted companies. It focuses exclusively on full-time opportunities for U.S.-based candidates. The site lists details on company size, industry, headquarters, tech stack, and benefits.
You can filter openings by role, tech stack, industry, experience level, and more. Remoters manually checks each listing to prevent scams and low-quality jobs. Signing up lets you save searches and get email notifications of new relevant postings.
Coworking Spaces
Coworking spaces provide shared office environments for remote workers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small teams. They offer an affordable alternative to renting your own office space. Coworking spaces are ideal for breaking the isolation of working from home while still maintaining flexibility.
Some top coworking space options include:
- WeWork Remotely – WeWork Remotely provides access to WeWork spaces in over 100 cities globally through monthly memberships. They offer private offices, dedicated desks, and hot desks. Amenities include high-speed WiFi, printers, conference rooms, and coffee bars.
- Coworks – Coworks has over 200 coworking locations in the U.S. Membership options include dedicated desks, flexible seats, private offices, and meeting rooms. Onsite amenities include WiFi, printers, kitchens, events, and community forums.
- ShareDesk – ShareDesk offers pay-as-you-go access to coworking spaces in major cities across the U.S. Pricing is hourly with no monthly commitments. Just drop in and pick an open seat or meeting room.
- Croissant – Croissant provides a subscription service to reserve desks and meeting rooms at partner coworking spaces around the U.S. This allows you to work from different spaces each day.
- HelloOffice – HelloOffice gives you access to a network of over 300 coworking spaces worldwide through one membership. Sign up for a plan that meets your usage needs.
Having the community and amenities of a coworking space can make remote work more engaging and productive. Evaluate the options to find one that best suits your preferences, schedule, and budget.
Community and Resources
Remote Work Forum – The Remote Work Forum at remote.com is a community where remote workers can ask questions, get advice, and connect with others doing remote work. With threads on topics like collaboration, productivity, and work-life balance, it’s a great place to get support.
Nomad List – Created by Pieter Levels, Nomad List is like a giant database and community for remote workers and digital nomads. Browse locations based on cost of living, internet speeds, weather, and other factors. Discuss your location experiences and tips in the Nomad List chats.
r/digitalnomad Subreddit – With over 2 million members, the r/digitalnomad subreddit is one of the largest online communities for location independent workers. Get your remote work questions answered, find meetups, and read reviews on coworking spaces, travel destinations, and gear.
Coworking Visa – This site aims to make flexible travel and work easy by providing an extensive directory of coworking spaces around the world. Browse locations, read reviews, and book spaces in advance through Coworking Visa. The community forums also provide a space to connect with fellow nomads.
Choosing the Right Site
When searching for remote work opportunities, it’s important to find the right job board or platform that fits your needs and goals. Here are some factors to consider when selecting a site:
Type of Work
First, think about the type of remote work you’re seeking – are you looking for full-time positions, part-time gigs, freelance projects, internships, etc? Some sites specialize in certain types of arrangements, while others offer a mix. Choose a site aligned with the work you want.
Niche Focus
Many sites cater to specific industries like tech, writing, customer service, sales, etc. Search for platforms focusing on your field or niche to find the most relevant openings. General job boards also work but may have more competition.
Size of Network
Consider the size of the site’s network and how many job postings they have. Larger networks provide more opportunities but can be more competitive. Smaller niche sites may have fewer listings but more tailored to you. Find the right balance for your situation.
Costs
Some sites require paid memberships to fully access opportunities. Evaluate whether the costs are worthwhile based on features, network size, and actual results/hires from the site. Free sites also exist but may have limited features.
Reviews and Reputation
Research reviews and feedback on the site from other users. Platforms with positive reputations tend to provide a better experience. Avoid sites with many complaints. Also check social media and forums to see what’s being said.
Evaluating these key factors will help lead you to the best remote work sites for your unique needs and goals. With so many options available, take the time to find the right fit.
Optimizing Your Profile
When creating a profile on remote job sites, it’s important to optimize it to increase your chances of standing out to recruiters and hiring managers. Here are some tips:
- Complete profile: Fill out all sections of your profile – skills, experience, education, etc. Provide as much detail as possible to give a comprehensive view of what you bring to the table.
- Customize for each site: Tailor your profile and application materials for each site. Highlight different skills or experience depending on the roles you’re targeting.
- Showcase skills: Include keywords from the job postings you’re interested in so your relevant skills will be flagged. Quantify achievements when possible.
- Include remote status: State your openness and ability to work remotely in your profile summary, skills section, or other appropriate areas. This signals to employers that you’re already set up for remote work.
- Link to portfolio: If relevant, include links to your website, GitHub, design portfolio, etc. to showcase examples of your best work.
- Update frequently: Continue adding new skills, experience, certifications and expanding your profile as they develop over time.
Taking the time to create a robust, customized profile will give you a leg up on the competition when applying for remote roles. Follow these optimization strategies to present yourself as an appealing remote candidate.
Conclusion
Remote work has grown substantially in recent years and is expected to continue growing rapidly. As this piece covered, there are now specialized sites to help remote workers find jobs, contracts, and coworking spaces.
Key points covered include:
- Job boards like FlexJobs, Remote.co, and We Work Remotely that focus specifically on vetted remote opportunities. These provide curated listings that can save job seekers time.
- Sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Guru that connect freelancers or contractors with clients. These enable remote workers to find contract opportunities, build their portfolio and establish relationships with companies.
- Industry or role-specific remote sites like JustRemote for developers, Remotists for marketing, or Idealist for nonprofit. Targeting niche industries can help narrow down options.
- Company sourcing sites like AngelList, LinkedIn, and Indeed Direct Employers to identify businesses with remote roles. Going direct to company sites provides visibility beyond job postings.
- Coworking sites like WeWork and Industrious to facilitate working near others. While remote work means working outside a central office, coworking spaces can provide community.
To find and land remote roles, it’s important to understand the array of resources available today. Maintaining an optimized profile across sites, keeping an open mind on opportunities, and persistence in applying are key. The growth of remote work has opened up possibilities like never before. Leveraging specialized sites can help you discover ideal remote roles or projects.
