Finding and landing a quality remote job can often already be challenging. Yet factor in a recession and your odds of landing a remote job become more stacked against you.
Does it mean you won’t find remote work at all? Of course not, there are still plenty of opportunities that offer remote work even in rough economic times.
Globally, 16% of companies are fully remote according to an Owl labs study. And the same study found that about 62% of workers aged 22 to 65 claim to work remotely at least occasionally. So remote work is here to stay.
But during weak job markets, it does mean more competition applies to these flexible roles and it might take you longer before being employed remotely.
It’s why I put together these tips below, which can improve your odds of finding (and landing) a remote job during a recession.
Tips to Find a Remote Job During a Tough Job Market
Remember, the job market is out of your control. While you might not be getting responses or interviews for remote jobs, it doesn’t mean you aren’t talented at what you do.
So when layoffs are happening and a recession appears, you’ll have to put in the work to stand out and go beyond just a quick application. Here’s some recommendations to help you in your remote work journey.
1. Utilize LinkedIn more.
As a jobseeker, you already have a ton of job search work on your plate. And even more so during a recession, as finding work can often take a few months.
One channel to take advantage of more is LinkedIn. No, not necessarily to look for remote jobs here. Or spend money on LinkedIn premium.
I’ve often found that “remote jobs” not actually remote. There are still legit remote jobs being listed there, but I’d use it more for job alerts and then go directly to the company website to research and apply.
Instead, utilize your network on LinkedIn. Change your profile image to “Open to work,” make a post about the opportunity you want, optimize your profile, and reconnect with folks in your network.
Referrals and conversations with your network can open more doors to the kind of remote jobs you want.
2. Remote job boards.
The good news about finding remote work is there are job boards tailored specifically to these opportunities. A few years ago there were only a few, but now there are probably hundreds to keep your eyes on for legit remote work.
While Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Monster, and some of the other big players will have some opportunities – I’ve found the platforms to contain numerous work from home scams or other sketchy “remote” jobs.
It might not hurt to monitor these anyway during a recession, but perform due diligence on any of the remote jobs posted there.
Instead, tailor your search to popular remote job boards that are established in the industry. Often these remote jobs are vetted before going live and are all remote specific opportunities.
Again there is no shortage of them, but here are a few to keep an eye on:
3. Industry communities.
The popularity of online communities has continued to explode. This is thanks to platforms like Slack and Discord making it easy to build one.
Online community is not a new concept, as there have been Facebook, LinkedIn, and Reddit groups based on industries and interests too.
Yet, a great way to find remote jobs during a recession is to lean on these communities and join them. There are also some larger communities that are paid, but can also be valuable to join.
Why do I mention this? Well, it’s a lot of like minded peers that work in a similar job field as you in these communities. This can be a great way to network, vent, and find remote jobs in your field.
I’ve often found some jobs that were not LinkedIn or any remote job boards yet. Sometimes employers prefer to start in these communities first, before expanding their search as well. This can give you an advantage when you apply!
4. Join talent pools for recruiters to find you.
During a recession, you want to give yourself as many chances as possible to be found and seen.
So beyond applying for remote jobs, where might recruiters for staffing firms find you for potential job matches? This is where joining a talent pool can give you that extra visibility.
These are typically free for jobseekers to join, but it gets you exposure to their vast networks of recruiters looking to source top candidates for open roles.
Now most talent pools won’t be remote jobs only, but you should be able to make that clear in your profile.
Some of these talent pools you’ll get recruiters working with you directly and others it’s more of a profile that recruiters will source to see if you are a good match for a role they want to fill.
It’s why I launched a Talent Network on Remote Work Junkie too. I wanted to limit this to fully-remote or hybrid opportunities (remote + in-office). So it’s always just flexible opportunities that recruiters can reach out to you about.
It’s free to join if you are currently open to new flexible opportunities. You can create your account in just a few minutes.
5. Utilize free software and AI in your search.
In the previous tip, I mentioned doing everything you can to give you the best chance of being noticed.
Well there are plenty of great software tools to help your resume, your cover letter, and even in job search and sending out applications. And some are powered by AI, which increases efficiency and the speed of your efforts.
Job hunting is literally a full-time job. It can take time to edit and tailor your applications, plus search through remote jobs from all over the web. So utilizing tools like these can be a game changer.
Here’s some software and AI tools worthy of your time:
- Teal – Has quickly become a top tool used for improving your resume, cover letters, tracking jobs, LinkedIn review, and more. If you have been on the job hunt recently, you probably have come across Teal at some point. Offers both free and premium options.
- Huntr – Another awesome tool for building your resume, tracking jobs, and even auto applying to relevant roles. While similar to others on the market, you might like the layout and features of their suite of tools better. There is also free and an option to upgrade to a more premium tier.
- EarnBetter – Similarly to Teal and Huntr, this tool also offers a suite of options and AI assistance to your resume, cover letter, and even job matches. It’s completely free for jobseekers to utilize.
- Otta – If you are looking for remote jobs in tech or startups, Otta can be a great tool to utilize. You can set up custom job alerts based on your job titles, remote only, and other criteria. You’ll get alerts in your inbox or you can login and swipe through the new opportunities. I used this in the past and it sent me remote roles I didn’t know were out there or even came across before. It’s also free to use
- Grammarly – When you are blasting out emails, messages to recruiters, or writing updates, resumes and cover letters, your grammar and punctuation is a must. Doesn’t matter what type of job, Grammarly is an awesome product. Free and paid options as well.
- Apollo – While Apollo might not seem to make sense for remote job hunting, it’s actually quite useful. One thing I recommend doing in your job search is reaching out to recruiters, hiring managers, or even founders directly via email. Apollo gives you free credits to where you can search people and find verified emails. You can then set up sequences that link to your inbox if you plan on during more extensive outreach.
- Massive – This platform scans thousands of job boards, salary websites, career pages, and more to ensure only the best jobs will be applied on your behalf based on your criteria. It then automatically applies to the roles for you, saving a ton of time. I have not used it personally, but have been hearing some good things about it. There is a limited free trial and then you’ll need to upgrade
Final Thoughts
Finding a remote job during a recession will require extra work.
And of course job searching always requires some level of effort, but during tough economic times where there are a lot of layoffs…it can be 10x more challenging.
While it can stress you out, there will still be remote opportunities out there for you. So beyond the tips above, keep these things in mind:
- Get creative with your applications, cover letters, or outreach to hiring managers. You need to be able to stand out among the sea of competition for remote jobs.
- Highlight your skills as it relates to working remotely. This includes your cover letter, resume, and LinkedIn profile. What are some things in your past experiences that show you thrive in virtual work?
- Be cautious on how you negotiate a remote job offer. Sure, it should be fair and not some employer taking advantage of you. But during a recession, it’s an employer market and they have more leverage. If you need a job or a way to break into remote work, don’t play too many games to try and gain more from them. You can always ask for a raise later on.
Hang in there and keep going! You’re new remote opportunity awaits!
About Todd Kunsman
Todd is the founder of Remote Work Junkie and has been featured in numerous publications like Business Insider, HuffPost, CNBC, and more. He’s been a remote work advocate for close to a decade and has been working remotely full-time for 5+ years. He’s also a marketing, personal finance, and music nerd 🤓
